Chapter 70: She Lied to Him

She looked out the window, taking the darkening sky into her eyes.

‘So it’s almost evening already,’ You Xue thought to herself.

‘But how am I supposed to face Su Li later?’

He said he would come, so Su Li would never break his word.

But everything that happened in the dream definitely needed an explanation.

The unfamiliar city, the strange monsters, the childhood sweetheart who acted completely different from usual…

It would be hard not to arouse suspicion.

So for now, she would let herself deceive Su Li.

Sure enough, not long after, a knock came at the door.

The moment You Xue opened it, Su Li was there.

He was breathing heavily; he must have run over.

You Xue saw his eyes fixed intently on her, but she wasn’t flustered.

In the instant she opened the door, she had already thought up an excuse.

You Xue deliberately lowered her head, putting on a wronged expression, speaking as if she were accusing him yet also worried.

“You said you’d come see me this morning. I waited for so long, but you only just now showed up…”

Su Li stood in the doorway, stunned when he heard those words.

He had rehearsed many things in his mind, wanting to ask about so many things—the monster, the city, her past.

But now You Xue was saying she had been waiting for him.

For a moment, thoughts scattered wildly through his mind.

Su Li stood there, unable to say a word.

Seeing Su Li dumbfounded, You Xue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Because of his trust in his childhood sweetheart, he wouldn’t immediately doubt her words at the first moment.

Though her disappointment was feigned, she had to play the part fully.

She raised her eyes and cast a somewhat reproachful glance at Su Li before muttering softly.

“Alright… don’t just stand there. Come in.”

As if waking from a dream, Su Li stepped into the room and set the things he’d brought on the table.

“What’s that?”

You Xue asked.

“On the way here, I passed a fruit stall. I remembered you like apples, so I bought some.”

You Xue’s gaze fell on the bag of apples.

The bright red fruits were packed tightly inside, each one plump and full.

They must have been carefully picked.

She suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.

He seemed to be thinking of her all the time, while she had just been lying to him.

Lying that she had only waited at home all day.

Lying that her disappointment and reproach were because she wanted to see him.

Although she did want to see him, she didn’t know what she was thinking.

She only felt that seeing Su Li should make her happy.

“Thank you.”

Her voice came out softer than she expected.

She put away the expression that would make Su Li feel guilty.

Then she asked softly.

“So what happened? Why are you only coming now?”

Of course, she knew why Su Li came so late.

Right now, she just wanted to know what he had done after waking up.

Su Li thought for a moment in his mind and quickly believed You Xue’s words.

He had already decided that the You Xue in his dream was not the real one but an illusion or something else.

“I was attacked by a monster that could control dreams. I slept until just now. Sorry, I broke my promise.”

You Xue put on a surprised look.

“So that’s how it was.”

Then she displayed just the right amount of guilt, lowering her eyelids.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blamed you without knowing the truth. I thought you didn’t want to come on purpose…”

She blinked and asked.

“Then what exactly did you experience?”

She wanted to know how he would describe the dream—whether he would tell everything or omit parts.

“I was chased by a monster. I ran for a long time, finally escaped by train, and then I woke up.”

Su Li told the truth, but just like what he had told Anbian Du and the others, he left out parts.

You Xue naturally knew what parts Su Li had omitted, and she also knew when the story he told took place.

But she could only pretend to know nothing.

“Just being chased by a monster?”

You Xue tilted her head.

“That still sounds pretty scary. And then?”

“Then… after I woke up, I was in the Academy’s lab. Teacher Anbian was there too. They said that dreamers who fall into that situation often undergo personality changes and start attacking indiscriminately, so they were guarding the dreamers in the lab.”

Su Li scratched his head.

‘Mm?’

You Xue hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

In the original story, it took a long time for Su Li to become the Dream Tapir’s target, and only then did he choose to re-enter the dream to save his childhood sweetheart.

She didn’t think that in this already-changed world, Su Li would run into the Academy’s side so quickly.

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

You Xue looked at Su Li seriously.

Though there was a hint of pretense in her words, her feelings were genuine.

“Finally, they wanted me to enter the dream again to lock onto the mastermind’s location.”

The moment Su Li finished speaking, silence fell over the room.

“Did you agree?”

After a moment of silence, You Xue asked.

Su Li shook his head.

“I didn’t give them an answer right away. I just said I’d think about it.”

You Xue hummed softly, her emotions mixed.

She knew Su Li was seriously considering agreeing, but he just hadn’t found enough reason to convince himself.

There was a feeling inside her that kept saying she should persuade him not to go.

She should say that the Academy could handle something this dangerous on its own, or that he was just a student and didn’t have to bear this burden.

A little worried, a little anxious.

Should she stop Su Li?

You Xue couldn’t figure out the answer.

In the book she had read, Su Li grew stronger step by step precisely because he went through these events.

If he avoided this danger, he might miss an important chance for growth.

So it was probably best to let him go, since that’s how the original story went.

You Xue’s nightmare was dead.

It would be hard for her to enter the dream world again, but ‘hard’ didn’t mean impossible.

She knew of some spirit-related functional seals; maybe one of them had the ability to enter another’s dream.

In the end, she didn’t support or oppose him.

She just said to Su Li,

“No matter what choice you make, I’ll support you. But before you act, I hope you’ll put your own life first, okay?”

She spoke very seriously, then added,

“I mean it.”

“I understand.”

He said.

You Xue didn’t know if this was the right thing to do, but it was the answer she had settled on after much hesitation—one that wouldn’t trouble her too much.

“So… are you hungry right now?”

You Xue changed the subject, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

“I’ve slept all day. I’m starving.”

Su Li nodded.

‘He came straight to me without even eating?’

You Xue lowered her eyes.

She felt as if her guilt was only growing heavier.