A nightmare left Ruan Jiujiu troubled.
Of course, she remembered. This was the scene from before she had transmigrated into the world of the book. She had stayed up all night reading the entire book, filled with the desire to criticize, but she was so sleepy that she couldn’t keep her eyes open, so she decided to take a nap and deal with it in the morning.
After waking up, she found herself in the world of the book, and the fantastical reality forced her to accept it quickly. She ended up temporarily cohabiting with Cheng Jun.
And then, later on…
“Jiujiu, what are you thinking?” Old Meng’s concerned voice came from above.
The meeting had ended, but Ruan Jiujiu remained seated, not moving. She covered her head with one hand, forming a fist and tapped her head to help herself wake up a bit.
Ruan Jiujiu’s voice sounded somewhat muffled, “Old Meng, do you think this world is real?”
Bringing up this topic piqued Old Meng’s interest. He leaned forward and pulled a chair over, sitting across from Ruan Jiujiu.
“Why are you suddenly thinking like this? Are you, like me, starting to wonder if we’re manipulated entities? Perhaps we’re just minor characters in a simulated life, with different settings and unexpected mods attached to us, capable of producing different outcomes, but…”
“What if you were to transmigrate into a game?” Old Meng asked.
“Sword Art Online?”
Ruan Jiujiu chuckled helplessly, “I’m not discussing anime with you.”
Old Meng seemed disappointed, “Alright, but Sword Art Online is truly a masterpiece.”
Ruan Jiujiu said, “…”
The originally serious atmosphere was successfully shattered by Old Meng’s words in just a few sentences.
Curiously, Old Meng asked, “Why did you start thinking about this? Are you brainstorming new settings for a game? If you have some good ideas, feel free to share them with me.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, just random thoughts.”
“It’s great; this profession requires creative and whimsical thinking.” Old Meng then began to ramble, “Transmigrating into a game is like a three-dimensional character entering a two-dimensional world. You might become a god, and if it were me…”
Old Meng continued to chatter in her ear, and Ruan Jiujiu treated it as background noise while she massaged her head in frustration.
She reclined in her chair with her eyes closed and said, “Old Meng.”
Old Meng, who had been talking incessantly, stopped and asked, “Hmm?”
“Can you leave that talisman you used last time to ward off evil in my office for a few days?”
“What’s wrong? Seeing ghosts?”
“You could say that. I’ve been having trouble sleeping, and I think my spirit might need some relief.”
Ruan Jiujiu said it with a straight face, but Old Meng didn’t take it as a serious statement. He thought Ruan Jiujiu might have been too busy lately, leading to sleep deprivation and nervous exhaustion.
“Relieving your spirit is fine. I’ll leave my lucky charm on your office desk in a while. But can your partner at home agree to it?”
Ruan Jiujiu was momentarily stunned, “Cheng Jun?”
Why did he suddenly mention Cheng Jun?
Old Meng realized his mistake and realized that Ruan Jiujiu didn’t know about Cheng Jun asking him to take the talisman back earlier. He quickly covered up and said with a cheerful smile, “My bad. Look at me, talking nonsense. Don’t worry; I’ll bring it to you. If you’re having trouble sleeping, you can try using some essential oils; they might help.”
“Yeah, I understand.”
Old Meng took her request seriously, and Ruan Jiujiu was grateful for that. Not long after, when she returned to her office, there was a small jade-made qilin figurine placed on her desk. Ruan Jiujiu picked up the qilin and rubbed it in her palm, feeling its cool and smooth texture.
The scene from her dream flashed through her mind once again.
Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but wonder if there were premonitions in the works, as Cheng Jun had suggested. Could there really be “spirits” or “gods” trying to bring her back to another world?
…
With these thoughts, Ruan Jiujiu became even more worried.
In the evening, when she was cooking at home, Ruan Jiujiu was a bit absent-minded. She accidentally mixed up salt and sugar, and the dishes turned out to be extremely unappetizing. Cheng Jun took a bite, glanced at her, and continued eating without a word. If Ruan Jiujiu hadn’t tried it herself, she would have thought she had prepared a delicious dish.
“Ptui, ptui, ptui…” Ruan Jiujiu quickly spit out a piece of meat. It was sour and salty, incredibly unpalatable. After spitting it out, she immediately drank cold water to get rid of the strange taste in her mouth.
Cheng Jun calmly took another bite.
Ruan Jiujiu wiped the corner of her mouth and looked at him with surprise. “Why are you still eating?”
“I don’t like to waste food.”
Ruan Jiujiu muttered, “Some people are just typically willing to risk their lives for a meal.”
“Don’t eat anymore, don’t eat anymore. Too much salt isn’t good for your health, and you’ll get thirsty later.” She wiped the water stains from her lips, sighed, and felt a bit regretful. “Let’s go downstairs and have something to eat, whatever you want. Don’t bother with these dishes.”
Cheng Jun’s gaze remained fixed on the dishes on the table for a while.
“…”
Ruan Jiujiu was extremely skeptical whether Cheng Jun’s sense of taste had deteriorated to the point where he couldn’t distinguish between sweet and salty. Yet, he could clearly detect that the soup downstairs wasn’t fresh and likely contained additives like MSG, and his slow and disdainful words were filled with disgust.
Ruan Jiujiu, sitting across from him, took a few sips of the soup in succession and couldn’t detect anything unusual. In fact, she found the taste quite good. She couldn’t help but ask in confusion, “Then why didn’t you say anything while eating earlier? You actually managed to eat such salty dishes.”
Cheng Jun replied, “It’s delicious.”
Ruan Jiujiu retorted, “You’re lying.”
Men’s mouths, full of lies.
Cheng Jun didn’t bother to argue whether he was really lying. He took a bite of rice and asked slowly, “What’s wrong today?”
“Hmm?”
“You’ve been absent-minded all day, from morning till now.”
Ruan Jiujiu, who had been touched on the sensitive issue, pursed her lips and remained silent for a while. She couldn’t be sure if it was due to hallucinations or stress from being too busy lately. What if she was just overthinking things? Even if she wasn’t, telling Cheng Jun might just cause him to lose sleep at night.
Cheng Jun’s anxiety could be more terrifying than she imagined. If he stayed up for days and nights like before, sitting on the sofa and guarding her, Ruan Jiujiu would likely find it even more agonizing than it was now.
She held the chopsticks in her hand.
Inside the private room, they could still clearly hear the bustling sounds from the neighboring room. There were noisy laughter and the crisp sound of clinking glasses. The whole world felt incredibly real, and it couldn’t possibly be just an insignificant character in a novel.
Tu Nan, Old Meng, Gu You, Bai Long, Xu Biying… Each one of them was a living, breathing presence.
Ruan Jiujiu’s tone was uncertain as she said, “It feels like everything I have is just like a dream.”
Cheng Jun picked up a small piece of watermelon and placed it in Ruan Jiujiu’s mouth, saying, “Then let’s continue dreaming.”
Ruan Jiujiu agreed, “You’re right.”
Life was about going with the flow. This time last year, she couldn’t have imagined that she would now be a real wife to a wealthy and handsome diamond-straight guy who could eat anything.
Ruan Jiujiu’s cheeks were puffed up as she continued to chew on the cool watermelon in her mouth.
The two of them had eaten quite a bit during this meal, and Ruan Jiujiu’s stomach felt uncomfortably full. She asked Cheng Jun to go ahead and pay the bill while she went to the restroom. When she came out of the restroom and looked up, the white brick wall in front of her had turned into slightly yellowed wallpaper. Ruan Jiujiu couldn’t help but stand there in a daze.
She walked out of the restroom in confusion and saw the familiar landlady of the small noodle shop, greeting customers.
The outdoor seating area was packed with people, and in her previous life, Ruan Jiujiu loved coming to this noodle shop to eat a bowl of noodles whenever she was hungry before going back to sleep.
The landlady brushed past Ruan Jiujiu, smiling, and asked, “Little Ruan, have you finished eating?”
“Eating… Yes, I’ve finished eating,” Ruan Jiujiu replied instinctively.
“That’s great!”
Ruan Jiujiu stood in the midst of the bustling crowd, feeling a bit lost and abandoned.
Her head was a mess, like a bowl of porridge.
Wait a minute.
Ruan Jiujiu suddenly widened her eyes—Where was Cheng Jun?
“Cheng Jun!”
She quickly ran out of the noodle shop, drawing surprised looks from the diners. Ruan Jiujiu looked around frantically but could only see the dimly lit night under the streetlamp and the empty street.
For a moment, her heart felt like it was about to stop.
She thought she had returned to her original world, and everything had just been a dream.
Then, she heard Cheng Jun’s voice from behind, “Jiujiu?”
Ruan Jiujiu was startled and turned around. Her gaze was fixed on the entrance of Jianghu Cai, where she had run out from. There were no outdoor seats, and the restaurant was bustling with customers. Cheng Jun had his hands in his pockets, wearing a thin black hoodie and long pants. His fair and handsome face looked beautiful in the moonlight, with a slight furrow in his eyebrows.
“Did you eat something that upset your stomach?” he asked with concern.
Ruan Jiujiu: “…”
The two worlds were rapidly shifting, and Ruan Jiujiu almost thought her brain had gone haywire. In Cheng Jun’s gaze, Ruan Jiujiu pointed angrily at the night sky and said, “Are you messing with me? Is this fun or what?”
“Boom…”
A muffled thunderclap broke the silence of the night sky. Ruan Jiujiu was so frightened that she instantly sought refuge in Cheng Jun’s arms. Unexpectedly, Cheng Jun, unprepared for her sudden movement, staggered and almost fell to the ground. He held Ruan Jiujiu tightly, patting her stiff back to help her calm down.
One second she was cursing the heavens, and the next second it was karma in action. Ruan Jiujiu was afraid that the heavens wouldn’t take it lying down and would send a thunderbolt down on them, allowing them to skip cremation and go straight into an urn.
Ruan Jiujiu’s voice instantly lowered a few degrees as she weakly said, “Can’t even complain anymore?”
As they spoke, raindrops began to fall, pattering on the eaves, leaves, and the ground, making a soft tapping sound.
Someone must have shouted that it was raining, and suddenly a brilliant white light streaked across the sky, illuminating the half-hazy world. Another loud thunderclap followed, accompanied by the sound of raindrops falling. The rain intensified, and within a short while, they were both covered in a layer of moisture.
Given the current situation, it seemed like the rain was only going to get heavier.
“Quick, quick, quick!” Ruan Jiujiu urgently grabbed Cheng Jun’s hand and ran back.
They hurried back, their cheeks covered in dripping raindrops, making the whole world appear blurry. However, Cheng Jun’s hand firmly held her wrist, and in the pouring rain, he was the most real presence in the world.
Running down to the ground in the rainy night, they finally found shelter from the rain. They stopped, and Ruan Jiujiu was breathing rapidly, her hands on her knees to calm her racing heart.
Standing on the opposite side, Cheng Jun’s hair was soaked with rain, and his eyes seemed to be veiled in mist, making it difficult to see clearly.
Ruan Jiujiu had regained most of her composure, but the cold, wet clothes made her shiver involuntarily. She was about to go upstairs when he tightly grasped her wrist, causing her to take two steps back, leaning against the cold tiles. Ruan Jiujiu looked up in astonishment.
His face loomed larger, getting closer and closer.
Then, the entire world seemed to vanish, leaving only Cheng Jun’s deep and bottomless black eyes.
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