Chapter 55: Waiting

So they came to the haunted house.

The building dubbed a haunted house didn’t look all that big, nothing like a place that could give guests a full experience.

“Is this it?”

Su Li wore a confused expression.

You Xue also felt puzzled as she sized up the low structure, thinking it didn’t seem capable of housing all kinds of complex ghostly setups.

“Don’t judge by the outside,”

Alice said, as if reading their thoughts.

She had already walked up to the ticket window.

“All the terrifying sights inside are realized through supernatural abilities that can create illusion realms.”

“Supernatural abilities?”

You Xue hadn’t thought that far, but in truth, this world’s operations were already inseparable from supernatural powers—from streetlights to interconnected cell phones, everything stemmed from the application of some ability.

“Right. This kind of psychic ability can fully simulate a person’s senses, constructing a lifelike illusion realm. And the scenes inside can be completely set by the user. But logically speaking, this consumes a lot of energy for the ability user. This shop must have set up some kind of seal to stabilize the illusion.”

Alice had already bought the tickets.

She turned around and handed one to each of them.

“Are we really going in?”

You Xue’s expression wavered.

To be honest, in her previous life, she wasn’t afraid of ghosts or the supernatural at all—because she knew they were fake, fictional, things that never existed.

But now, she hesitated.

Obviously, in this world full of supernatural abilities, anything could happen.

Souls might even exist.

You Xue didn’t know whether she should hope for the existence of souls.

If they did exist, was the original childhood sweetheart sleeping inside her body, or had she already moved on to a new life in her next reincarnation?

If souls really existed, she actually wanted to meet the original childhood sweetheart, to talk to her, to hear what she thought of her.

It wasn’t that she needed approval.

She just didn’t want to inherit everything without understanding, only to bear all those memories as well.

“Scared before we even start?”

Seeing You Xue’s hesitant steps, Alice curved her lips and teased.

“If you’re afraid, you can stay between me and Su Li.”

“I’m… not scared. I was just thinking about something.”

You Xue turned her head away, her tone a little annoyed.

“Really not scared?”

Su Li lowered his head slightly and looked seriously at her face.

That question was definitely filled with worry.

But You Xue felt she didn’t need that.

If she could be frightened by a fake illusion, then how could she hold on to her resolve to change the entire story?

“It’s fine. It’s just an illusion.”

You Xue said softly.

She was trying to convince Su Li, and also herself.

Still, anyone with eyes could see the conflict in You Xue’s expression.

Alice didn’t call her out.

She just stepped into the haunted house and said casually,

“We already bought the tickets. Can’t let them go to waste.”

Since it was said like that, You Xue stopped hesitating.

She followed behind Su Li, passed through the ticket gate, and walked into the deep, dark passage.

In an instant, she found herself in a completely pitch-black world.

Then the footsteps disappeared, and everything around fell silent.

You Xue stood still, took a step or two in various directions, then reached out and touched.

She couldn’t feel any walls.

It seemed she was already inside the illusion.

Though total darkness was unpleasant, she didn’t feel any fear at all.

Maybe some monster would appear later, but it would all be fake.

So You Xue just felt a little bored.

Seeing that the darkness showed no sign of fading, she chose to walk forward.

Even if walking in the illusion was meaningless, she still preferred to move in one direction—because she didn’t like waiting, especially waiting alone.

Gradually, You Xue seemed to sense light.

She continued forward and closed her right eye.

Her color-blind left eye was more sensitive to light in the dark.

Brightness seeped into her vision bit by bit, like a brush suddenly painting colors onto a black curtain.

In the blink of an eye, the scene shifted.

It was the light of a sky between day and night—pale purple and soft red interwoven into a gentle haze on the horizon.

The light wasn’t strong, carrying no warmth, but instead felt a bit cold.

She seemed to be standing on a hill.

Beneath her feet was soft grass.

Looking ahead across the green, she could only see a blurry green curtain.

Nothing else.

Somewhat lost, she looked around and saw only a lonely little wooden cabin beside her.

She tugged at the door—it wouldn’t open.

There was no wind, and the silence was overwhelming.

She could see no end, and didn’t know where to go.

You Xue stood still.

This world was empty, nothing at all.

She didn’t like it.

At moments like this, what should she do?

Wait—the answer unconsciously surfaced in her mind.

You Xue opened her mouth, wanting to call out a name.

In the end, she stopped herself.

‘It’s just an illusion,’ she comforted herself.

You Xue had too many fears.

She didn’t want to be alone.

She was afraid of pain, of darkness, of being laughed at, of dragging others down.

She had gotten used to hiding those fears—hiding them deep, deep, where others couldn’t dig them out.

This place seemed nice, quiet, and not dangerous.

But why did her heart feel so unsettled?

The world wasn’t the purest darkness anymore.

It gave off a hazy radiance.

There were no monsters.

Silent.

Nothing at all.

She tried to take a step forward, then another.

The grass underfoot was soft, rustling as she stepped.

Then she stopped, looked back—the cabin was still in its place, the door still closed.

Nothing happened.

She looked ahead again—an endless plain, no boundary, like a world filled with green paint.

Empty, nothing at all…

Suddenly, her heart felt heavy.

She gave up on leaving.

She turned back, leaned against the cabin wall, and sat down on the grass.

Alone.

You Xue buried her head in her knees.

Her gray-white hair slipped from her shoulders and hung beside her legs.

She hated being alone.

She hated the silence of emptiness.

She hated being abandoned.

A memory surfaced abruptly—so many similar scenes.

In a village at twilight, she would sit in the yard, waiting until the sky fell dark.

One person waiting for another.

Along the way, there would be disappointment.

She would keep looking at the winding, muddy dirt road.

Even though she always thought in her heart that he might not come back, in the end, she always managed to wait for someone.

She lifted her face from her knees and looked at the empty plain before her.

Still nothing.

You Xue suddenly recalled that promise that seemed like a joke.

‘I won’t abandon you… forever…’

Her vision suddenly blurred.

She wasn’t crying.

Her eyes were just a little dry, so she squeezed out a bit of tears to moisten them.

Then she spoke in a soft, timid voice.

“Su Li…”

The world didn’t respond.

Silence.

“Su Li.”

You Xue called out gently again.

Still no response.

She still had to wait.

No matter how long, she had to wait—waiting for that elusive “someday.”

It wasn’t too long.

As long as you learned to wait, no amount of time felt long.

Then she heard a sound, like the faint rustle of a screen being pulled.

You Xue jerked her head up and stared blankly toward the sound.

From behind the cabin came a few footsteps, then a puzzled male voice.

“Where is this?”

It was Su Li.

She had waited for him.

She knew he would come.

Standing up, You Xue walked step by step in that direction.

Her pace quickened, until she was almost running.

Rounding the corner of the cabin, the view opened up.

The boy from her memories had grown so tall.

Hearing her footsteps, he looked over, and his expression turned surprised.

“You Xue?”

You Xue didn’t stop.

Step by step, the distance closed until only one step remained.

Then she threw herself into Su Li’s arms.

She could feel his body heat, and it seemed she could feel his heartbeat.

Her arms wrapped tightly around him.

Her mind was flustered, a little embarrassed, but she also felt a profound sense of reassurance.

Her voice was small, barely a whisper.

“You finally came.”

But because their hearts were so close, Su Li could hear clearly.

The shock on his face faded, his body relaxed, and he carefully wrapped his arms around her.

He looked down at the childhood sweetheart holding him, his tone firm and gentle, answering solemnly.

“Yeah, I’m here.”