“Su Mu, do you have a girlfriend now?”
In the second layer of the dream, sitting at the table locked in a stare-down with Su Ya, Su Mu’s breath immediately caught at these words.
“How do you know?”
Su Mu didn’t intend to hide it, she was just worried that Su Ya might find out everything that was happening to her outside the dream.
What if Su Ya had been quietly watching from some corner of her dream all along during that wild night?
That would be utterly embarrassing.
“You look so familiar, you’re exactly the same as when I first met your father.”
Su Ya’s gaze lingered on Su Mu’s cheek, which was ninety percent similar to her own, and she couldn’t help but sigh.
At those words, Su Mu felt a surge of resentment.
So Luo Jialan corresponds to the “father” role?
‘No, I can’t be inferior; I have to restore my dignity!’
“Where are you going?”
“Back to school to check something.”
“Eat your food first before you go.”
“No need, I’m not hungry.”
How could one be hungry in a dream?
And so, how could there really be any food?
But watching Su Mu’s retreating figure, Su Ya muttered disappointedly to herself, “The food will get cold…”
Yet in reality, Su Mu had already eaten cold meals heated in a microwave for over ten years; this one meal was nothing.
Following the familiar path, Su Mu returned to the memory point she hadn’t been able to examine carefully last time.
To her astonishment, as she stepped in front of the school gates again, the entire campus was bathed in soft, pure natural light, scattered gently and cleanly bright.
The negative emotions no longer tried to entangle her or drag her down.
What unfolded before her eyes was a different scene—an alternate possibility that hadn’t been triggered that day.
Su Ya had unexpectedly come to the school.
Su Mu silently pressed herself against the door, listening to the faint, indistinct voices from inside.
“Sorry, I’ve been busy with work and rarely have the energy to care about Su Mu.”
“It’s okay, Su Mu’s mother, this isn’t a serious problem. It’s partly my fault for not paying attention to her, but what I’d like to understand is Su Mu’s home situation. Is she from a single-parent family?”
The room fell silent for a moment.
“Kind of, but I don’t have much time to accompany her either. Maybe it’s more accurate to say a family without relatives.”
Hearing that, Su Mu’s slender fingers gripped the door tightly, her nails almost leaving scratches on the wood.
‘A family without relatives?’
Kind of.
But Su Mu’s attention was more drawn to Su Ya’s mention of being busy with work, and some unpleasant guesses surfaced in her mind.
‘Why did she go out drinking every night like that? Could it be… But no matter what, Dad clearly had been sending money home. So why did she need to work?’
“Sorry, I didn’t know about this. Is there financial difficulty at home? Assistance can be applied for depending on the situation.”
Su Mu didn’t hear the reply, but she guessed Su Ya was shaking her head.
“Su Mu isn’t the kind of kid who causes trouble for others. She’s very well-behaved, but she’s easily overlooked. So, teacher, though this may be forward of me to say, could you please pay more attention to our Su Mu?”
After a pause, Su Ya hurriedly added, “I mean, just like other students. She’s actually been a bit afraid of teachers since she was little.”
“I understand. It’s strange; I never really had much impression of Su Mu before, and I don’t know why. Anyway, I understand the situation now. Please take Su Mu home to rest. She’s been sitting here for quite a while.”
As these words fell, the Office door suddenly opened, and Su Mu, who had been leaning against it, almost fell to the ground.
But once inside, the scene surprised her.
No one was there—no teacher or Su Ya as expected.
Only countless white streams of light fluttered and drifted about, the warm glow of the setting sun falling straight on Su Mu’s cheeks, the gentle warmth making her head a little fuzzy.
Yet as she instinctively dodged into the shadow inside the room, she inexplicably felt a trace of attachment.
Even if it was just an illusion woven by magic, staying one more second was worth it.
At that moment, Su Mu finally understood why some people were willing to sink into dreams, even knowing everything was unreal.
False things can bring real feelings.
What difference does it make whether it’s real or not?
What meaning is there?
Besides, reality often hurts, but dreams are always sweet and beautiful.
What’s wrong with immersing oneself in the world of Infinite Tsukuyomi.
But Su Mu knew one thing: dreams are always short-lived, unless someone toils unceasingly on her behalf.
Still, that didn’t stop her from enjoying this fleeting joy in the dream.
‘I’ll ask Mom about it when I get back.’
***
Elsewhere, not far from Su Mu in the third layer of the dream, Ye Wanqing, adjusting her black-rimmed glasses with a composed demeanor, watched the Dreamswimming Fish swimming closer and closer, her breath involuntarily quickening.
‘No, I can’t get too dramatic now, especially in front of Irina.’
“This is the lingering trace left by a witch who once fell into ruin. Ride it, and it will lead you to those witches dreams. It’s dangerous in there, so we’ll leave before getting too close.”
Irina’s voice was as calm as always, but for some reason, Ye Wanqing could always detect a playful tone similar to Tang Nai’s, as well as a familiar soft quality beneath the shadow of her hat.
“Dangerous? Then there must be some benefits as well, right?”
Ye Wanqing stroked her chin, pondering for a moment before realizing the key point.
Couldn’t there be some precious things worth obtaining in those witches’ dreams?
Seeing Ye Wanqing’s curious expression, Irina’s lips under the hat’s shadow curled slightly.
‘Fish caught the bait.’
“There are, of course, if you want to understand, I can protect you inside and show you around. Don’t answer me yet—come climb onto the fish’s belly first.”
The Dreamswimming Fish flipped over in the pitch-black sky at the border of the dream world, exposing its white belly upward and its smooth back downward, reflecting the neon colors below.
Irina lightly leapt and landed on the softest part of the fish’s belly, instantly stirring a wave.
Ye Wanqing hesitated a moment but followed Irina’s steps onto the fish’s belly.
The next instant, a deliberate ripple from Irina caused her to stumble and fall onto the trampoline-like surface.
Her glasses slipped off one side and tumbled into the strange glow that spread across the neon veil.
When Ye Wanqing came to from her shock, they had vanished without a trace.
In the dream, Ye Wanqing naturally wasn’t nearsighted, but she had a flaw.
Without her glasses, she involuntarily became unreliable.