After You Xue left, the room fell silent.
Only at times like this could the conflicting emotions—the hesitation, resistance, and yet the desire to approach—that arose when facing the current You Xue, slowly calm down.
Even though the person standing before him now was the same as before—with the same snow-white hair, similar eyes and brows, and that familiar curve of her lips—the feeling she gave him was different.
The girl who used to laugh easily, was warm, and always by his side, had turned into the current her—somewhat distant, seemingly cold, and always wanting to run away.
For some reason, the rift between them had grown so deep that Su Li almost felt the gap in their relationship could never be mended.
But fortunately, no matter how she changed, those eyes that held concern were the same, unchanged from the past.
She was his childhood sweetheart, someone he had lived with for so long.
Even if You Xue had become different from before, Su Li still held the resolve to protect her.
Su Li recalled that day in the past when they watched the train, seeing it race along the silver rails, and he had said he would never be afraid of leaving her behind.
Back then, he didn’t understand how heavy and vague a concept “forever” was.
That vow, together with the silver rails, turned into a thin thread stretching across time.
At one end was the little girl smiling beside him; at this end was the girl whose features had grown cold but who still cared for him.
After taking a nap on the sofa with these thoughts, the cold medicine must have taken effect because his head was no longer so dizzy.
Su Li looked at the weather outside.
After the rain stopped, the clear sky was so transparent it was almost unreal, as blue as a child’s crayon drawing.
He stood up, feeling that it would be better for him to leave.
The words he had said that morning were now somewhat blurred in his mind.
He had been too straightforward and had said too much.
Even though she had responded to him, was it because she saw he was sick and said something out of softness?
Maybe he should calm down first; approaching too quickly might actually push her further away.
Plus, he was almost fully recovered, so he had no reason to stay any longer.
Standing at the door about to leave, Su Li paused in the act of opening it.
After thinking for a moment, he took out his phone to inform You Xue.
He felt he couldn’t do the same as her and leave without saying goodbye.
The phone rang.
He prayed she would answer, because ever since that day You Xue had said they should stop seeing each other, it seemed his number had been blocked.
These past few days, Su Li hadn’t thought about it and hadn’t brought it up with You Xue, so he didn’t know whether he could get through.
But almost as soon as the ringtone had sounded for a few seconds, it stopped—the call connected.
Su Li was taken aback, a little surprised.
“You Xue.”
“Mm, I’m here. What’s wrong?”
Her gentle, warm voice came through the phone.
He called out her name, and even though he had made the call, Su Li found himself at a loss for words, having no idea what to say.
After hesitating for a moment, Su Li slowly spoke.
“After a nap at noon, I felt much better… I’ll head back first.”
His words fell, and the other end was silent for a moment.
After a while, You Xue’s slightly fragmented reminders came through.
“Are you really better? Is your head still dizzy? Did you take the medicine? Don’t stop taking it just because you feel a little better. Drink plenty of hot water…”
Hearing these words, the corners of Su Li’s mouth curved up.
“I understand.”
Even though she was the one who needed care, being cared for felt really good.
Su Li felt he could look forward to tomorrow.
The road ahead was still hazy and unclear, but at least there was a sense that things were gradually getting better.
He suddenly felt much lighter, and his mood became a bit cheerful.
“I remember everything, and I brought the medicine. I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning.”
He paused, then continued.
“See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.”
You Xue replied softly and hung up.
After Su Li hung up, he put his phone back in his pocket, opened the door, and walked out.
He didn’t linger on the road for long and soon returned to his dormitory, which was empty with no one inside.
After experiencing such a dangerous incident, students usually went home to reassure their families during the break.
Cheng Yehai had also left the dorm early.
Only Su Li remained here, after all, he had no place to return to.
The Monster Beast Illustrated Handbook he had looked at a few days ago was still on the table.
Su Li’s gaze stopped for two seconds on the open page.
The page introduced a monster beast called Dream Tapir, which looked very strange and was said to have the terrifying ability to manipulate and devour dreams.
Su Li looked at it for a second or two, then finally reached out and closed it.
His head was still a bit dizzy, so he wasn’t in the mood to continue reading.
There was nothing else to do, so he just endured the passage of time.
Outside, the sky had darkened considerably, and the only light in the dorm was the lamp above him and the shadow he cast.
He thought for a moment, then decided not to turn on the second light.
He sat back on the edge of the bed in that small halo of light.
Everything fell silent again.
His phone sat quietly in his pocket, no new message vibrations.
The residual effect of the cold medicine was still there.
His body was tired, but without that nauseating feeling of dizziness.
Su Li suddenly wanted to lie down for a while.
A sense of fatigue welled up from his body again, as if, because he had come to a familiar space, every muscle was slowly relaxing its tension.
He had been too tense lately.
From the day You Xue pushed him away, from the day the training base was attacked, from the day he saw You Xue’s golden left eye in the rain, each event was like a string being pulled tighter and tighter, one after another, almost to the breaking point.
Until now, when a peaceful life seemed to have truly arrived, only then did he allow himself to relax for a moment.
He closed his eyes, letting his consciousness float on the boundary between sleep and wakefulness.
Actually, Su Li didn’t really like absolute silence when sleeping.
In that village, nights were always filled with various sounds: birds chirping, cicadas buzzing, frogs croaking…
He was used to sleeping amidst these subtle, chaotic noises.
But perhaps because he had relaxed, he could now fall asleep quickly.
Su Li only felt that the chaotic, disorderly sounds that should have existed in the village had returned, growing closer and closer, as if sounding right in his ears.
A bit puzzled, he opened his eyes and found himself lying on a gentle slope.
The slightly thick grass just barely covered his body.
Confused, he got up and could see the firelight of a village in the distance—a village that had caught fire again.
The village was ablaze with towering flames.
Orange-red tongues of fire licked the low eaves, and thick smoke mixed with sparks rose into the night sky.
Su Li was instantly frozen in place, because the scene before him was something that should have happened a long time ago.
In that moment of shock, the monster beast covered in knife-like bone spurs emerged from the curtain of fire, its wild, ferocious eyes fixed on him.
With heavy steps, the monster beast was walking toward Su Li.
Where was You Xue?
Su Li searched the field of vision but couldn’t find that slender figure at all.
But the monster beast was already coming, so he could only run.
Turning around, he saw the silver rails.
The train was slowly approaching, gradually slowing down in the twilight.
Now, it stopped.
The doors slowly opened in front of him.
The carriage was empty, with no one inside, only rows of blue-and-white leather seats.
As soon as Su Li stepped onto the train, the doors slammed shut.
The train started moving, and the monster beast had already caught up, slamming its massive body into the carriage.
Su Li thought the train would be smashed.
A loud crash came from the rear of the train, and the entire carriage lurched forward.
He was thrown into the aisle, but the train didn’t stop.
Instead, it sped up faster and faster, and the massive silhouette of the monster beast was receding.
It grew smaller and smaller until it was finally out of sight.
Su Li stared blankly behind him, then finally looked at his own hands.
Su Li had no real sense of all this that had suddenly happened.
It felt like a dream, yet the world before him was so real…
But if this was real, then where was You Xue?
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