Illusions Arise from the Heart
From the moment he got on the bus, Dong Xiu vaguely heard the sound of a dog barking somewhere.
“Pets are allowed on the bus? I really can’t stand this,” Dong Xiu frowned. He was born into privilege, with luxury cars worth millions serving as his chauffeur since kindergarten, and he had never experienced the discomfort of taking public transport. All he felt was the chaos and noise around him; the laughter and shouts of children buzzed in his ears like flies, making him anxious. But he couldn’t open his eyes, and naturally, he couldn’t find anyone specific to scold, so he could only endure. Now he even discovered there was a dog on the bus?
Is this allowed? The driver actually let it on, isn’t he afraid the dog will bite someone?
Dong Xiu felt a hint of unease. Although the wounds on his arms had stopped bleeding, the flesh and bone were still exposed…
There’s a dog on the bus?
His ears twitched slightly. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt the dog’s panting getting closer to him…
No, it can’t be…
Soon, he felt something bump against his leg. He couldn’t help but lean back a bit, and a sudden wave of a foul wind hit him. He didn’t know what had pounced on him, but it bit down hard on the wound on his arm, tearing flesh and blood!
“Ah, ah, ah!” Dong Xiu cried out in pain, stars dancing in his eyes, nearly fainting. He immediately stood up and turned around, trying to shake off whatever it was. However, its teeth were clamped down too tightly; he couldn’t escape. Dong Xiu rolled on the ground, but that thing continued to bark and gnaw at his arm. He could even distinctly feel chunks of flesh being bitten off from his upper arm.
“Help! Help!” Dong Xiu shouted loudly, “Whose dog is this? Pull it away! Pull it away!”
He received no response. Dong Xiu realized he could only save himself. Struggling, he got back up and instinctively ran in a certain direction, but he crashed hard into a chair leg, causing him to kneel on the ground in pain. Ultimately, he lost control again and opened his eyes.
“Ke ke ke…” The enormous stone eye squinted joyfully, instantly swallowing Dong Xiu whole.
Only one life left.
“Sister, I can’t take off the cloth covering my eyes, or I’ll die,” Qi Xiaokui said, putting her hands down in frustration.
“It’s okay,” Qi Xiaorou coaxed, “I’m here, no one can hurt you. Just take it off.”
“But…” Qi Xiaokui was very tempted. She hadn’t seen her sister’s face in fifteen years; she could only relive the happy times in her dreams occasionally. However, as time passed, she found that she was gradually forgetting her sister’s appearance. Even in her dreams, it was very blurry, which made her both sad and terrified. She feared that one day she would forget what her sister looked like. Now that the opportunity was right in front of her, she wished she could forget everything and immediately tear off the eye mask to cry in her sister’s arms. However, after experiencing death several times, she could no longer return to her innocent self. “But there’s Medusa on this bus. If I open my eyes, I’ll die, and I won’t be able to see my sister’s face. I just died once…”
“Just once, you still have many lives left, don’t worry,” Qi Xiaorou said gently, “Just take it off.”
Unexpectedly, Qi Xiaokui suddenly changed her expression. She leaned back sharply and shouted angrily, “You’re not my sister, who are you?!”
“I am your sister, Xiaokui. What’s wrong with you? Can’t you recognize your sister’s voice?” Qi Xiaorou’s voice turned very sad.
Qi Xiaokui hesitated for a moment but quickly firmed her resolve. “You’re not my sister. My sister is so kind and considerate; she is the best person in the world to me. She would never say something like ‘just died once.’ She would be heartbroken for me and would stop me from taking off the cloth that keeps me alive. You want to tempt me to reveal my eyes; who exactly are you?!”
Just like that, although her heart was filled with urgent desire, and she wanted to forever indulge in the beautiful dream, Qi Xiaokui still couldn’t convince herself. That was Qi Xiaorou, her sister! How could she allow herself to indulge a fake to replace her one-of-a-kind sister!
Her sharp questioning echoed in her ears and spread throughout this small space. However, she did not receive the answer she wanted. The voice not only did not respond but also seemed to lose its presence. When Qi Xiaokui tried to feel again, she found that it seemed completely empty around her.
On the other side, Xin Meng was also in trouble.
After a sudden dizzying spin, he suddenly realized that his other hand was also being held by someone. That hand was broad, warm, and exactly the same as the one on the other side…
“You Yi?” he tentatively called out softly.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?”
Two identical voices came from both sides at the same time!
There were two You Yis!
They were both holding his hands!
Xin Meng remembered that You Yi had been sitting on his right. The one on the left must be the fake, but which side was left?
Suddenly, Xin Meng was terrified to find that he couldn’t tell left from right anymore. It was as if he had been blindfolded and placed in a spinning teacup at an amusement park for an hour, spinning in all directions, losing his correct sense of direction. He couldn’t distinguish which was the real You Yi and which was the fake!
“You, You Yi…” Xin Meng wanted to pull his hand back but didn’t know which side to pull. He simply pulled both, but the hands on both sides gripped his tightly like iron claws, not letting him escape.
“Don’t let go, it’s dangerous.”
“Don’t let go, it’s dangerous.” The voices on both sides still echoed simultaneously, perfectly in sync. (To save space, the following will only summarize one line, with the words in brackets representing the overlapping dialogue of the two people.)
“You Yi, I feel…” Xin Meng was on the verge of tears, “I feel like there’s another you beside me…”
[Can you tell them apart?]
“I, I can’t tell. Your hands and voices are exactly the same,” he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, “Also, I suddenly can’t tell left from right. What should I do?”
Even though he knew one of the “You Yis” must be problematic, Xin Meng still couldn’t help but seek their help. In fact, he felt very ashamed inside. He didn’t know why he felt he should be able to recognize the real You Yi, but the reality was not so, which made him very frustrated, and a sense of guilt lingered in his heart, hard to shake off.
[……]
“You Yi?” When the man spoke, it was a duet, making him feel strange. But when the man fell silent, he became even more afraid, unable to help but clench his hands, palms sweating.
He tried to distinguish the different sensations of the hands on either side, but still felt they were identical. He even mustered the courage to carefully touch each of their fingers, but even the thickness of the calluses on their index fingers showed no difference!
It was truly indistinguishable!
“What should I do? What should I do, You Yi…” The longer the man remained silent, the more Xin Meng was overwhelmed by the inexplicable guilt and panic, making it hard to breathe.
[Calm down.] You Yi finally spoke. [This is an illusion.]
“Illusion?” Xin Meng was taken aback, not understanding.
[This illusion is triggered from the depths of a person’s heart, so it can see through what you think and read your past memories.] You Yi said, [In your heart, I am whatever you think I am; the other person that appears should be the same. The deeper your impression, the clearer the details you remember, the more real the person that manifests becomes, and the harder it is to distinguish between true and false.]
“Is, is that so…” Hearing the man’s voice seemed somewhat satisfied, Xin Meng felt relieved but also a bit embarrassed. Had he really observed You Yi so closely?
“Then how do I get rid of this illusion?” Xin Meng asked.
“As long as you open your eyes, you will definitely be able to tell them apart.” This time, the voice was not a duet, but it came from both sides, making it hard for him to understand where it was coming from. However, judging from the content, it definitely wasn’t the real You Yi speaking, so Xin Meng decided to ignore it.
[Open your eyes, and you can tell them apart.]
Immediately after, it was again a duet!
Did this mean that whether it was the real or fake You Yi, they both said this?
Xin Meng’s heart tightened. He didn’t know whether to follow You Yi’s words. Subconsciously, he trusted You Yi very much, but he also felt it was against reason. In such a dangerous situation, would You Yi really let him open his eyes without any worries?
Could this duet also be part of the illusion, meant to tempt him to open his eyes?
However, thinking from another angle, did it really matter whether he could tell them apart or not?
At present, both You Yis, whether in words or actions, were the same. Even if he held the fake You Yi’s hand, so what? As long as that “illusion” didn’t harm him, couldn’t he just hold on until he got off the bus?
However, Xin Meng forgot what You Yi had just said: illusions arise from the heart. The moment that thought surfaced in his mind, one of the You Yis changed its action.
The warm, broad palm released his hand and slowly began to stroke up his bare arm. Xin Meng shivered, feeling goosebumps rise all over his body; his skin was extremely sensitive. That touch felt extraordinarily familiar. He could confirm that this was indeed You Yi’s action, but strangely, since he met You Yi, he had never been this close to him. Where did this sense of familiarity come from?
Without giving him much time to ponder, that hand gently gripped his upper arm, the thumb rubbing against his smooth skin, making Xin Meng’s waist go weak. This… this was clearly a flirtatious gesture?!
Who is this? Is it the real You Yi?
Xin Meng knew he shouldn’t be thinking about this at such a time. What if this hand belonged to the fake You Yi? He should immediately break free and shake that hand off. But his body just wouldn’t cooperate, and a voice in his heart said: What if it’s real?
Xin Meng furrowed his brows in distress. He didn’t understand why such a thought would arise in his mind. The real You Yi wouldn’t do such a thing to him, and even if he did, if he shook it off… so what?
He couldn’t figure out his thoughts. It seemed that not only his body but even his mind was no longer under his control. He couldn’t help but wonder if this game could even control a person’s brain?
Taking advantage of his lack of resistance, that hand’s movements became increasingly bold, even sliding down to Xin Meng’s chest, continuing upward. When it passed his vulnerable neck, Xin Meng finally couldn’t help but dodge to the side. However, that hand did not tighten around his throat as he had expected; instead, it moved upward again, fingers pinching his chin to hold him in place.
Xin Meng felt someone leaning in close to him, their breath brushing against his face, a premonition of being kissed rising in his heart. Xin Meng sat there dazed, momentarily unsure how to react.
Suddenly, he felt the other hand that had remained still all this time suddenly turn around, the thumb pressing against his palm, applying three firm presses.
Xin Meng was startled, his fingers instinctively curling up, and that thumb pressed down three more times.
You Yi!
That was the real You Yi!
All the strength in his body seemed to return in an instant. Xin Meng forcefully pried open the hand gripping his chin and then pushed away the person who was leaning in. It was as if he only now realized what he had just done, wildly waving that arm, feeling embarrassed and awkward as he shouted, “Get away! Quickly get away!”
The sensation suddenly vanished. Xin Meng did not see a massive mouth full of sharp teeth, just an inch away from him, being slapped away by his hand.
You Yi withdrew his gaze, slowly closed his eyes, and with one hand, re-tied the eye mask securely, quietly leaning back against the seat.
The author has something to say:
Little Theater:
Meng just one word (swinging his sleeves, walking back and forth, shouting): From now on, my world has one more you, sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy~~
Most beloved little Mengmeng (looking at him in a certain indescribable way): Two of me, probably there won’t be any sunny days.
Meng just one word (rubbing his waist, wanting to cry without tears): Too vulgar, it will get reported.
Most beloved little Mengmeng (serious face): What inappropriate words did I say?
Meng just one word: … Should I thank the profundity of the Chinese language? QAQ
