Once again, this disturbing illusion.
Listening to the sound at her ear, Meng Huange took a deep breath and gently closed her eyes.
In the past, whenever she wanted to relax a little, to give herself a moment of rest, her mother’s figure would appear soundlessly behind her, just like a silent projection in a film.
But after coming to the Sujia, she rarely saw her mother’s shadow anymore.
Especially after Su Chunqi snatched away the hairpin her mother had given her.
So, did it appear today because she had become too complacent lately?
Even while questioning herself, Meng Huange could feel that cold, oppressive face drawing closer to her.
Be at ease, Mother, I am still walking the path you pointed out for me.
When the movie ends, I will return to the Fen Family, continue to cultivate myself as you wished, until one day, I can…
Yet, this illusion was strangely persistent. Even as Meng Huange silently vowed in her heart, her mother’s figure still stood before her, like a dream that would not fade.
Meng Huange let out a quiet breath and, finally, opened her eyes, looking ahead of her.
Her mother’s figure was as before: though her words were already indistinct, and her features gave off a faint aura of decay, her appearance remained neat and straight as ever.
She gazed at Meng Huange with cold eyes and shook her head slowly.
“So, are you blaming me for being too impatient?”
This is already the most efficient and, perhaps, the only way to have a hope of success. Please, give me a little more time.
For some reason, after hearing her own familiar assurance, the corners of her mother’s mouth seemed to curve up a little.
“Meng Huange, you’ve changed.”
Silence.
“You’ve become timid, hesitant. Now, I fear you can’t even decide what you’re going to steal tomorrow.”
“Like this, how could you possibly fulfill our wish? Just fooling around with some random little girl all night…”
No, her name is Su Xiaoli. She is the eldest daughter of the Sujia in South City. As long as I gain her trust, I can…
“…so you can deceive her, betray her, sell her out, and extract every bit of value from her you possibly can.”
As her mother spoke, her features suddenly blurred, becoming a shifting, shadowy mass.
“Meng Huange, look at yourself. Are you truly still capable of it now?”
“You can’t even bear to harm a single strand of her hair, let alone betray her.”
“Let me guess, you’re still dreaming that after everything ends, you can keep living as you do now, playing house by Su Wanli’s side.”
“Let’s not talk about what you’ll do on the way there—let’s look at how you two started out.”
“From the very first day you arrived at the Sujia—no, even before that—you approached her with the lowest of intentions, trying to get close, to please her, to use her, to win her trust. Like some disgusting parasite.”
Unknowingly, the face of that figure completely turned into Meng Huange’s own.
She bent down and pressed Meng Huange firmly into the seat of the theater.
“Do you really think that after the truth is out, as long as you act pitiful and approach her again, she’ll accept you as before? Forgive you? Even… possibly love you?”
“Meng Huange, don’t dream of happiness. With such thoughts, this will never end the way you wish.”
“And if, by some chance, everything does come to an end, how do you expect to face her then? Return to her side?”
“And what obligation does Su Wanli have to accept someone who is no longer the same person she once knew? Will you use her softness and kindness against her again?”
The shadowy hands suddenly reached forward and gripped Meng Huange’s neck tightly.
“Covered in filth as you are, even if you climb out someday, how could you possibly deserve to stand by her side again…”
“Meng Huange.”
“Meng Huange.”
“—Meng Huange—”
Accompanied by a jolt that shook her forward and back, a pair of arms pulled Meng Huange from the seat and to the ground, as a worried voice full of alarm sounded in front of her.
Su Xiaoli was staring at her with those bright eyes, waving her hand in front of her face over and over.
“Hey! Wake up, what on earth did you see… Cough, if there’s something wrong just say it early! Really! What am I going to do if you faint? I don’t want to carry you back to the Sujia!”
Meng Huange took a deep breath, then rubbed her eyes hard, regaining her focus.
“Su Xiaoli…”
She curled the corners of her mouth, refocusing her gaze on Su Xiaoli’s delicate face.
How nice, she was always so lively, so full of life—utterly different from Meng Huange herself. As long as she stayed by her side, it felt like her soul could finally find some respite.
It was because she was afraid of losing this place of belonging that her own subconscious had, in this dark movie theater, raised such harsh questions against her.
Though she had pulled herself out of the dream, Su Xiaoli’s worried eyes still weighed on Meng Huange’s heart, pulling her gently downward.
She understood that all those harsh questions had been her own illusion, yet the problem itself truly existed.
—This life would not last forever. Sooner or later, she and Su Wanli would have to part ways.
…But, the reality was not as absolute as the illusion claimed. She still had a chance.
Meng Huange was just such a tenacious creature: as long as there was even the slightest gap ahead, she would keep crawling, never giving up for anything.
She took a deep breath, gently curled the corners of her lips, and straightened her back.
—If there was anything special about her, something that might allow her, even after the truth was revealed, to return to Su Wanli’s side, it was…
As if driven by some unknown force, Meng Huange lightly placed her hand on Su Wanli’s shoulder.
“…Su Xiaoli, what do you think of my looks?”
“Huh? What nonsense are you spouting… Are you delirious?!”
The next second, Meng Huange suddenly leaned forward, pressing herself atop Su Wanli, just as she had done yesterday on the gymnastics mat.
“What—are you protecting me? This is the Movie Theater, the movie is still playing—”
Meng Huange gently brushed aside a strand of hair near Su Xiaoli’s ear, held up a finger, then softly lifted Su Wanli’s arm, pressing her palm against her own cheek.
For a moment, a clear gulp came from Su Xiaoli’s throat, her neck turning an obvious shade of red.
“W-what’s wrong with you today?! Get up, get off me…”
Meng Huange quietly gazed into Su Wanli’s eyes, slowly guiding her slender index finger to the pulse of Su Wanli’s wrist.
There, she could feel Su Wanli’s heart racing beneath her touch.
Fierce thumping, evasive gaze, faintly pink ears, slightly parted lips,
All of it pulsed with a force that seemed both resisting and inviting.
Meng Huange softly curved her lips, finally revealing a real smile today.
—Miss Wanli, you really do like me, don’t you.