Upon hearing the Professor’s muttering, Lu Ren froze for a moment, then looked at Li Qingyuan in shock, never expecting to hear such words from him.
He listened to the Professor’s words and wondered—could it be that he, too, had done some research on dreams?
“Don’t look so surprised. Everyone needs a few personal hobbies to make life interesting. Otherwise, what would you do with your free time?”
Seeing Lu Ren’s astonished expression, Li Qingyuan smiled faintly and said.
“Professor, you’ve researched dreams too?” Lu Ren asked curiously.
“Back when I was working in academia, I systematically studied them for a while. This mysterious and baseless stuff—diving into it can actually be quite interesting,” Li Qingyuan replied with a smile.
After hearing the explanation, Lu Ren immediately relaxed.
Judging by the Professor’s tone, he must know a fair bit about dreams.
How lucky could he get? Not only did he find someone to provide psychological counseling, but he didn’t even have to pay for it.
“Then… Professor, do you know why I keep having these strange dreams?”
Lu Ren hurriedly followed up after hearing Li Qingyuan’s words.
What he cared about most now was why he kept having these bizarre nightmares.
If he could get to the root of it, he wouldn’t have to worry about them haunting him in the future.
As long as there was a solution, anything could be dealt with.
“Don’t rush. Before I interpret your dream, I need you to answer a few questions for me,” Li Qingyuan said calmly.
“…Alright, Professor, ask away.” Lu Ren nodded and agreed.
“Have you encountered any difficulties in life recently? For example, were you scolded badly, couldn’t afford meals, or perhaps got tricked out of a large portion of your living expenses?”
Li Qingyuan looked into Lu Ren’s eyes and asked.
“Mm… I don’t think so. I’ve been doing pretty well lately,” Lu Ren thought for a moment and then answered.
He’d been living comfortably recently; how could he have run into problems like that?
“Then, in your free time, have you ever thought about your family or friends running into trouble and needing your help, or maybe wished you could return to a certain moment to fix regrets from the past?”
After confirming that Lu Ren’s eyes showed no signs of hiding anything, Li Qingyuan followed up with another question.
Although these questions touched on Lu Ren’s privacy, Li Qingyuan didn’t need specific details—just a “yes” or “no.”
“Going back to the past…”
Lu Ren was about to shake his head and let the Professor move on to the next question.
But suddenly, he recalled a scene from long ago under dim yellow light.
Remembering what happened, Lu Ren unconsciously gripped his collar, hesitated for several seconds, and finally gave his true feelings.
“…I used to think about it, but I haven’t really thought about it these past few months.”
“Alright, I understand the situation. If you’re telling the truth, then these things don’t hold any symbolic meaning. They’re simply the embodiment of your fear.”
Seeing Lu Ren’s honest demeanor, Li Qingyuan smiled and gave his assessment.
Hearing the Professor’s analysis of his dream, Lu Ren was stunned and asked in confusion.
“The embodiment of fear?”
“That’s right. Generally speaking, there are two types of nightmares. One has symbolic meaning. What people see in those dreams represents hope, desire, fear, avoidance—basically their reactions or longing toward reality. The other kind of nightmare contains things with no meaning at all. They simply represent humanity’s most primal fear.”
As Li Qingyuan spoke, he stood up, grabbed two plastic cups from nearby, and went to the water dispenser to fill them.
He handed one to Lu Ren and kept the other for himself.
“Thank you, Professor.” Lu Ren took the plastic cup and sipped, then asked, “But I still don’t really get it. Why would what I see in my dreams represent my fears? Is there a more scientific explanation?”
“Since we’re talking about dreams, you should know we’ve already agreed that what’s in a dream is never scientifically reliable,” Li Qingyuan said with a smile.
“After all, what you see in dreams is basically useless in real life.”
“Uh…”
Lu Ren hadn’t expected such a blunt answer.
“But I know you want something more reassuring,” Li Qingyuan lifted his cup and took a sip, “My nephew once asked me a similar question.”
“Hmm? Your nephew had these weird nightmares too?” Lu Ren grew curious at Li Qingyuan’s words.
“Yes, but his nightmares were different from yours—they had symbolic meaning,” Li Qingyuan explained.
“He dreamt that every time he woke, he’d be lying face down on a desk, unable to lift his head, completely paralyzed, while people around him whispered twisted, dreamlike nonsense.”
“…That sounds kind of scary,” Lu Ren commented.
“It was. But after I asked him the same questions I just asked you, I realized he was suffering from High School Entrance Exam Aftereffects,” Li Qingyuan laughed.
“He was worried that even after getting into University, his parents would drag him back to repeat a year, and he’d keep living that robotic, routine life.”
“Ah?”
Lu Ren hadn’t expected such a simple explanation behind the dream’s symbolism.
“It’s nothing to be surprised about. Education nowadays demands perfection—if you lag behind in even one subject, it’s a problem. That’s why even after you kids make it through, you still feel anxious about such intense studying,”
Li Qingyuan explained simply. “Alright, that’s enough of a tangent. Let’s talk about your nightmare.”
“Oh…” Lu Ren nodded and looked at the Professor before him.
“Your dream is simple. Whether it’s the sound of dripping water, a table full of blood, or monsters defying all scientific logic—they’re just manifestations of your fear,”
Li Qingyuan suddenly smiled. “You’ve probably watched plenty of weird horror movies and read up on all sorts of torture methods, right?”
“Professor, how did you know?” Lu Ren asked in shock.
“Don’t be surprised. I guessed,” Li Qingyuan replied, a hint of pride in his voice. “The things in your dreams are so recognizable, it’s normal that I could figure it out.”
“Alright then. Is there any way for me to stop having these strange nightmares, or at least avoid seeing such bizarre things?”
Lu Ren was now completely convinced of the Professor’s knowledge.
He never imagined that, on top of his professional expertise, the Professor would know about such odd topics.
So Lu Ren couldn’t help but ask the Professor for help, wanting to know if he could help solve his problem.
For some reason, Lu Ren had a feeling he’d have another similar nightmare soon.
“No, dreams can’t be controlled by human will,” Li Qingyuan shook his head. “Unless you deprive yourself of sleep and wake up every time you doze off, you’ll run into those nightmares again.”
“Really? There’s no way at all?” Lu Ren persisted.
“None at all,” Li Qingyuan adjusted his glasses, his expression serious. “And next time you have such a nightmare, you should try your best not to be frightened.”
“Why?” Lu Ren asked, puzzled.
“If, in a short span of time, your fear is so intense that your heart races beyond your threshold, you could actually die from being scared in your sleep,” Li Qingyuan said, his tone solemn.
“This…”
Lu Ren was dumbfounded.
He never thought that just having a nightmare could put his life at risk—even more terrifying than dying of overwork at his desk.
“But there is a solution.”
Seeing Lu Ren’s worried look, Li Qingyuan knew he’d achieved his goal, so he slowly shared the solution he’d prepared all along.
“What is it?!” Lu Ren asked urgently.
“Next time you have a nightmare, just make your dream self realize that it’s only a dream.”
The Professor looked at Lu Ren and gave his answer.