Chapter 42: Luo Xiyun’s Entanglement

“Happy… cooperation.”

Dai Zixin was a little speechless at Chen Xu’s rapid change in attitude. However, as soon as she thought about how him joining would hike up her number of fans, she immediately got excited again and suggested, “Let’s do a live stream again at noon tomorrow.”

Chen Xu said after some thought, “Nah, we won’t be worth a cent if we do it too frequently. Hunger marketing, you know. We need to maintain our style and hook onto our fans’ appetites, and that’s how we can better harvest donations.”

Hearing him say that, Dai Zixin was a little disappointed. She valued her number of fans more. Donations were, contrary to Chen Xu, the second on her list. Nevertheless, she could only abide by him in this. Hence, she asked, “Then, when will be our next stream?”

After some consideration, Chen Xu said, “I think twice a week would be more appropriate. Let’s put the next stream on Thursday and another one on the weekends. Let’s discuss the specific time later.”

Feeling that there were no issues with that, she concurred, “Okay.”

After they finished talking about their cooperation, the two felt gleeful.

As the two were discussing what would they be performing on the next live stream, Dai Zixin, who was sitting facing the entrance, suddenly yelled, “Eh? The director?”

Luo Xiyun was here?

Thinking about how coincidental it was, Chen Xu turned and glanced around. However, he didn’t see Luo Xiyun. He asked, “Where is she?”

“I definitely saw her just now. How did she disappear so quickly?” Dai Zixin wondered, “Am I seeing things?”

“You must have got the wrong person.” Chen Xu didn’t put any extra thought into it and continued to discuss with her, “Where are we now…”

…

“W-what is this about?”

Liu Yumeng gave Luo Xiyun a puzzled look as she was dragged away from the restaurant entrance.

“I don’t like this place.” Luo Xiyun said simply, let go of her hand, and hopped right into the car.

Liu Yumeng got in the car with her and said, “Well, how about we go to that restaurant from last time?”

“Sure,” Luo Xiyun responded. She was resting her cheek on her hand as she looked out the car window. Coincidently, she saw the figures of a man and woman through the restaurant’s glass window.

Something felt inexplicably irritating to her, and she forcefully shut the car window.

Some music sounded. It was her phone ringing.

“Aren’t we done yet?” When she saw the number, her emotions boiled to the surface. She hung up the call and then blocked the number.

Liu Yumeng looked at her, “Was it Zhou Hao again? Hasn’t he given up on you?”

“Forget about that guy. Let’s go.”

Luo Xiyun held back her temper and put her phone back in place.

Listening to her, Liu Yumeng started the car. After driving for a while, she asked, “Are you still having nightmares? You don’t look quite well these days. Why don’t I accompany you to the hospital?”

“I’m fine.” In Luo Xiyun’s voice, there was exhaustion that she couldn’t hide.

“Stop holding on. When did you ever put on such thick makeup? Your dark circles can hardly be concealed. I’m warning you, once a woman’s skin ages, it is irreversible. Once your skin texture becomes bad, it will be hard to revert it to what it was previously.”

Luo Xiyun subconsciously touched her face. She was a little worried, “Does my face really look that bad?”

“You look horrible, and even your temper is horrible. You can’t keep on being like this. Your endocrine will be affected, and it will bring forward your menopause.” Liu Yumeng continued, “Listen to me, alright. Ask for a day off tomorrow and I’ll take you to the hospital. You need some prescribed medicine.”

Luo Xiyun hesitated for a moment but didn’t sprout any words of refusal. She pulled out a mirror from her bag and carefully looked at her face.

Liu Yumeng continued driving for a while, but she couldn’t resist asking, “Speaking of which, you are usually very bold. What kind of nightmare could torture you into insomnia?”

Luo Xiyun’s hand movement froze. She put away the mirror, laid back on the car seat, and asked, “Have you ever had a dream that is especially lengthy?”

“A dream that is especially lengthy?” Liu Yumeng shook her head and said, “Well, I’m not sure. I usually forget about them when I wake up.”

As she went on, Liu Yumeng asked out of curiosity, “How long is the dream you had?”

Luo Xiyun murmured, “I was in the dream for several months. I can’t quite remember what happened in the dream at the beginning. I only know that this dream lasted very, very long.”

“Mm, what happened next?”

“Since then, I’ll remember something from the dream every morning I wake up. Those things are so, distinct, and it felt so… real. It is like I’ve really lived in the dream for a few months.”

Liu Yumeng became even more curious and asked, “What happened in the dream?”

Luo Xiyun’s eyebrows knitted together slightly. She paused for a while before saying, “I dreamed of a man.”

“Oh?” Liu Yumeng’s eyes instantly glowed as she felt the spirit of gossip within her igniting all at once, “What kind of a man is he?”

Luo Xiyun said, “I already knew that man before that.”

“Huh?!”

Liu Yumeng whooped, and following a squeak, she abruptly stopped the car at the roadside and turned around to look at Luo Xiyun with a face full of excitement, “Who is it? Do I know him?”

“You don’t know him.” Luo Xiyun shook her head and said softly, “I wasn’t familiar with him before that. We didn’t even talk before. Even I do not know why it would be him…”

Liu Yumeng saw the struggle and pain flashing between her friend’s eyes, and a bold conjecture abruptly emerged in her mind. She asked whisperingly, “Is he a married man?”

Luo Xiyun shook her head and didn’t say a word as her eyebrows knitted together intensely.

Seeing her miserable appearance, Liu Yumeng was guessing about why the man’s identity would make Luo Xiyun feel so upset. She advised, “You shouldn’t think too much about it, either. No matter what, it was only a dream. Things will pass after some time.”

“You don’t understand,” Luo Xiyun murmured, but she didn’t explain any further.

These days, her memories of the dream were becoming clearer and clearer. She could already remember the smell of formaldehyde of the newly renovated villa, the cold winds that sent chills down into her bones, and the taste of canned fish, ham, luncheon meat, ham sausage, fruits, and all the other nauseating food she had been eating for a few months straight…

Everything in everything, felt too real.

What was tormenting her the most was that it was like her memories with that man in the dream were etched into her sea of thoughts and wouldn’t ever go away.

She could hardly accept that the person in the dream was herself. This was also the source of her pain.

“Are you in a predicament in which the dream has left an impression too deep in your mind?” Suddenly, Liu Yumeng opened her mouth and suggested, “Since that’s the case, why not you go verify the person.”

Luo Xiyun raised her head and asked softly, “How should I verify him?”

“Does the man in your dream have a birthmark or anything else? Find a chance and see if the real person has those. Won’t it become clear in that way?”

Luo Xiyun said nothing.

“This isn’t like you.” Liu Yumeng sighed, “Why haven’t you done something about it when it has been torturing you to this extent?”

Luo Xiyun froze for a long time before sighing, “You are right. This matter must be resolved.”

“That’s more like it.” Liu Yumeng finally smiled and said, “If you don’t wish to show up personally, I can help.”

“That won’t be necessary.”