Chapter 14: Dream

Shiyue stared fixedly at the screen. The map clearly displayed the route from her home to 4th Street, Wuhua District. Shiyue licked her lips, shut down the computer, washed her face, and climbed into bed to sleep.

Squinting her eyes as she stared at the stark white ceiling, Shiyue could clearly see every flaw, every tiny crack, as clearly as if looking at the moon in the sky. It was as if the dark night had retreated far away.

It’s so clear.

A mosquito buzzed as it drifted past her ear. Shiyue instantly snapped into focus; in the darkness, the mosquito’s flight trajectory was momentarily as clear as a feather drifting in the wind. With a casual swat, the mosquito stuck to the palm of her hand.

That might be the last mosquito of autumn, she thought.

In her dream, Shiyue returned to that restroom where the “Young Master” and his crew were executed.

Shiyue saw corpses lying strewn about in every direction. The filth and blood on the floor reflected the ghostly blue light of the fluorescent tubes. That rich kid was hunched against the wall; his red leather jacket gleamed brightly even in such dim light, and the hands of the luxury watch on his arm ticked away relentlessly. His outfit looked very nouveau riche. When they were chatting in the restroom stall earlier, he had mentioned that the jacket alone was worth a few thousand—a slight scuff on it would cost Shiyue’s father half a month’s wages.

Shiyue roughly grabbed him by his designer jacket, and with fists wrapped in handguards, she smashed them heavily into his face. Once, twice, three times… Shiyue swung her fists like a machine, unceasingly delivering blows. In one breath, she landed twenty or thirty punches, beating the rich kid until his eyeballs burst with blood. Still unsatisfied, Shiyue grabbed him by the forehead and slammed him against the wall like she was hammering a nail—thud, thud… She didn’t stop until her hands, clothes, pant legs, the wall, and the floor were all splattered with blood and filth.

“You are already dead,” Shiyue said coldly.

But the second-generation rich kid lifted his tattered head, revealing a mouthful of blood and broken teeth. He just dryly coughed and laughed at her—”Heh,” “Heh”—nonstop, his bleeding eyes staring straight at her, smiling.

Shiyue felt a sudden, inexplicable creepiness in her heart. “You are already dead!!”

She immediately kicked his stomach open and smashed half the teeth out of his mouth with a punch, yet he still just kept dryly laughing at her.

Shiyue stared tightly at his face, punching wildly again and again, beating him until his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth were overflowing with endless blood, but he just kept smiling. No matter how much she beat him, he wouldn’t stop. Shiyue’s heartbeat accelerated bit by bit. She grabbed his neck and twisted with all her might—crack—but he still wouldn’t die. He just laughed dryly. The dim light smeared the mess on his face into a chaotic blur of black and red. Shiyue looked at his face; it looked like a festering ball of meat.

Finally, Shiyue couldn’t take it anymore; she turned and fled.

Bang. The moment she pushed open the restroom door, a flood of sunlight surged into Shiyue’s eyes. She raised her hand to shield them, only then realizing it was dawn.

“What a scary dream.” Shiyue clutched her chest, her heartbeat slowly calming down.

She got up, dressed, rinsed her mouth, and washed her face. In the kitchen, her dad had just finished making breakfast and was serving it, steaming hot.

“Wontons again?”

“Eat it or don’t.” Her father sat down and started eating, not waiting for her.

“Fine. Dad makes the best food, absolutely delicious! Only trash chefs need to constantly change the menu with heavy flavors. Dad, with just one hand for boiled wontons, makes them ever-changing and instantaneous, observing the mysteries of the universe and piercing the essence of heaven and earth…”

“If you’re going to eat, just eat. Cut the crap.”

“Oh.”

After finishing the meal in a few bites, the two went downstairs early in the morning. First, they found the property manager to get Shiyue a replacement key. Then, they went to the police station to inform them that their daughter had returned home so they could stop the search, and also to reapply for Shiyue’s ID card. Next, they went to a nearby mobile shop to buy a new phone. At noon, they found a noodle shop and ate two large bowls of beef noodles.

In the afternoon, Shiyue’s father called her teacher. He bought a basket of fruit and a red envelope, stuffed some money inside, and took Shiyue to visit the teacher personally. He explained Shiyue’s situation and asked the teacher to help replace her student card and textbooks, and also to trouble her to help Shiyue catch up on her coursework. As he spoke, he pressed the red envelope into her hand. The teacher declined at first, but after being unable to push it back, she accepted it with feigned reluctance. With a face piled high with smiles, she praised Shiyue for being honest and well-behaved in class, promising to take extra care of her.

Leaving the teacher’s house, there was still half the afternoon left. Shiyue’s father figured that going home would just mean sitting around, and since it was rare for them to be out together, he decided to go to the newly built Science and Technology Museum in the city. Even Qian Xuwen from the Jinli Group had personally gone there to film a promotional ad. There were many activities inside, and it had been bustling with people for the past few days.

“I’m too old for this…” Shiyue grumbled, but she accompanied her dad anyway.

As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw a long queue in front of the ticket booth. It was full of parents bringing their children to play, as well as groups of students from nearby schools organized for sightseeing activities. It was unexpectedly packed.

The father and daughter lined up for a long time before buying tickets, then squeezed their way through the crowds of students. Even the rustling, falling leaves couldn’t cover the dense sea of human heads.

“Why are there still so many students on a Saturday…” Shiyue’s father complained.

“It’s because it’s Saturday that there are so many people,” Shiyue said with hands on her hips, looking indignant. “Schools definitely wouldn’t want to use up class time, but I guess they have quotas too—something about enhancing students’ extracurriculars and school life. Anyway, the Jinli Group invests money in the Education Foundation every year; the schools have to help them earn it back.”

“Oh? You know quite a bit for such a little brain. Then let me ask you: Which institution established the Education Foundation? Who does it report to? Where are the funds used, and how does the organization operate? Is the Jinli Group an investor, a developer, or a contractor? What is its main business? Come on, since you know so much, tell your dad.” Her father rubbed Shiyue’s head vigorously.

“Dad…” Shiyue swatted his hand away, glared at him, and made a funny face.

“Study hard. Don’t fill your head with all this nonsense.”

“Pfft~”

The first floor of the Science and Technology Museum featured 4D virtual reality movies. The second floor was like an arcade, with many VR devices available for free trials. The third floor introduced various life hacks and scientific trivia, with corresponding facilities in each section for visitors to experience firsthand. The fourth floor was an exhibition hall regarding robots and AI, allowing visitors to interact with AI and view robots. The fifth floor introduced a lot of extra military knowledge, such as how to defend against drone air raids, how to hide from carpet bombing, the working principles of smoke grenades, the difference between tanks and self-propelled artillery, and so on. It even provided amusement projects like simulated mecha piloting, target shooting, and simulated off-road driving.

By the time the father and daughter had played through the museum from top to bottom, it was already evening. There was a restaurant inside the museum, as well as cheap box lunches, and Shiyue wanted to just eat something random. However, she was dragged by her dad into a fried chicken shop where they gnawed on a whole chicken and ate plenty of snacks. They didn’t stop until Shiyue cried out that she couldn’t eat another bite.

It wasn’t until nightfall that they returned home. However, not long after stepping through the door, Shiyue’s father prepared to go drive. He told Shiyue to watch the house and not to get lost inside her own home.

“Dad, you’re driving the night shift again? You’ve been busy all day, take a break once in a while.”

“Did I not rest today?” her father asked, feigning confusion, and patted Shiyue’s head again. “Be good, study hard, catch up on your homework.”

Near the entryway, he turned back. “Hey, you’re okay, right? Maybe I should stay and watch you? What if you really get lost at home!”

“Just go to work, go, go…”

“Stinky girl.”

Her father slammed the door shut with a bang. Seeing his back disappear into the entryway, Shiyue immediately pulled out her phone and confirmed the route again. Taking the bus from her house to 4th Street in Wu’an District would take about two or three hours. Since the black market didn’t open until 1:00 AM, she could wait until after 10:00 PM to set off.

She went back to her room, counted her cash, took a fruit knife and hid it on her person, and dug out a large woven snakeskin bag from the storage room. She sat dryly at her desk for an hour. Estimating that the time was about right, Shiyue picked up the snakeskin bag and pushed the door open to leave.