Chapter 14: The Nightmare Arrives. Did he like performing from a very young age...?

"Long time no see." Liang Siyu stood up and hugged him.

He gently helped Xu Aida, who then stood up, his eyes tender: "My girlfriend, Ada Hsu, is pursuing a PhD in Computer Algorithms at JHU."

"This is Andrew, my classmate at Collegiate High School, a graduate of Columbia University's Department of Visual Arts, and now a filmmaker."

Back in high school, there were very few Chinese students, and although Lin Anmin was two years ahead of him, they were still close.

Lin Anmin shook hands with the lady and asked with a smile, "Ada, do you mind if I sit for a while? We haven't seen each other for over a year. I can exchange him for some embarrassing stories from the past."

He and Liang Siyu share some similarities in temperament, both speaking with composure, but he has a more dashing air and a lighthearted, humorous style.

Liang Siyu patted his shoulder and spoke first, "Have a seat, what would you like to eat?"

He helped Ada sit down and adjusted her cushions. She gently nudged him, signaling him not to overdo it. She wasn't that delicate.

Lin Anmin turned his gaze away, met the waiter's eyes, ordered only a cup of black tea, and explained, "I have something to do later."

Ned was so close to his girlfriend that he was probably feeling unwell, so he decided to have a cup of tea and then leave.

Liang Siyu asked him what he'd been busy with lately, and he shrugged: "There's a sci-fi film in pre-production, and I'm still working as a camera assistant. The script is still being revised, but the director insists we draw storyboards in advance. The whole crew feels like we're putting together a puzzle without a border."

Hsu Ai-ta knew that the film's box office and ratings were not ideal, but Lin An-min gained the producer's appreciation because of the storyboard that fell on the set, which secured investment for his short film.

The year he won the award, he talked about the fallen storyboard several times, jokingly saying it was his glass slipper.

She lowered her head, her heart churning. This encounter in her past life hadn't happened; Lin Anmin must have persuaded Ned to film it while she was in Europe.

"And you? Still studying for your MD?" Lin Anmin asked.

"I'm doing research on neuroprosthetics, and I'll go back to clinical practice in a couple of years." Liang Siyu pushed a plate of snacks over.

Lin Anmin picked up a small piece of sandwich: "This is so cool! Is it like in the movies? Connected to the brain, so you can do actions once you put it on?"

He waved his empty arm, seemingly imitating a robot, and glanced at the quiet lady out of the corner of his eye.

Liang Siyu laughed; his old friend was just being silly again, trying to liven up the atmosphere.

“We wish it were that effective. But it’s still very early, and surgery is needed to implant electrodes, so the range of motion is very limited.”

He looked at her, worried that she might have strained her core muscles when she got up and sat down, which was why she had been silent, so he introduced her to him.

“Ada is currently working on a non-invasive method where the electrodes are only attached to the surface of the skin. Her algorithm is fantastic, but we are just getting started.”

Lin Anmin raised an eyebrow: "So you two met in the lab? You're a lucky guy."

He looked at the girl; her eyes were bright, her demeanor composed, and she possessed a classical beauty reminiscent of Jane Austen's era. They were indeed a perfect match.

Liang Siyu met his gaze, nodded slightly, and readily admitted her good fortune.

Lin Anmin joked, "Ada, you know our high school is an all-boys school, right? Once, during an inter-school arts festival, girls actually came. One girl came to watch our drama club rehearse, and she really liked Ned. She even wanted to invite him to share his adaptation experience."

Liang Siyu gently nudged her knee with his knee, signaling her not to believe this person, as Lin was an excellent storyteller with exceptional eloquence.

"But he was completely unaware of it, saying that rowing training was too busy and he didn't have time."

Lin Anmin smiled and said, "Back then, I really thought his blade would be his bride for life."

Liang Siyu smiled slightly, unable to suppress a laugh.

Blade (rowing paddle), bride (bride)? How did he even come up with that?

Although Xu Aida was worried and melancholy, he was amused by this stroke of genius and chuckled – no wonder he is a man who is both a screenwriter and a director.

But this smile somehow triggered a sudden tightening and aching sensation deep in her lower abdomen. She gently pressed on it, enduring the few seconds.

Liang Siyu immediately noticed, stopped smiling, put one hand on her waist, and even tried to place the other hand on her lower abdomen.

Her expression changed slightly, but she immediately stepped aside and said in a very low voice, "I'm fine."

Lin Anmin was facing them, how could he do this? If he did this, everyone would realize that something was wrong with her.

Lin Anmin seemed to be deep in thought, as if the camera had quietly captured a close-up: "Ned, you've changed a lot."

Liang Siyu calmly mocked herself: "I used to be a fool."

He had once arrogantly believed that he would never like girls, such incomprehensible creatures, but Ada completely shattered that notion. She was intelligent, humorous, determined, and open, and no one could resist her charm.

Her face flushed slightly, and she tried to change the subject quickly: "You were all in the drama club in high school? What does Ned do? Write scripts?"

In her past life, she didn't know they met in the drama club; she only knew they were high school classmates and both went to Columbia University.

After attending a lecture on neuroprosthetics and conducting extensive research, Ned transferred to JHU in the second semester of his sophomore year.

From this perspective, he genuinely loved the field of neuroprosthetics, which led him to leave Ivy League schools and New York.

Lin Anmin laughed out loud: "You only love his brain? Ada, you're too rational."

He raised his arm. "Come on, look at his face, his physique. He'd be so eye-catching under the stage lights. It's such a waste that he's not on stage."

Her heart skipped a beat. So he'd liked performing all this time? Was fate trying to warn her not to interfere with his choices?

Seeing her somewhat stunned expression, Lin Anmin added with a mischievous smile, "Don't worry, we're an all-boys school. We only stage a few Shakespearean performances occasionally, and the female lead is always played by a boy in drag."

Liang Siyu shook his head with a smile: "If you say that again, I'll have to spill some dirt on you."

There were only forty or fifty people in their high school year, and who in the drama club hadn't played a female role?

Hsu Ai-ta forced himself back to the present moment and joined their conversation: "How about we play a bit of 'Much Ado About Nothing' right now? It would suit you guys perfectly."

Lin Anmin raised an eyebrow slightly; she was teasing them for their verbal sparring.

Ned had been protecting her the whole time. She hadn't said much at first, and judging from her appearance, he thought she was the quiet and gentle type. But when she opened her mouth, she was both playful and sharp.

He now understood a little why Ned had been so unable to control himself.

They chatted briefly, then Lin Anmin glanced at his watch, got up, and said goodbye.

She was about to get up to see him off when Liang Siyu gently pressed her shoulder down.

Almost simultaneously, Lin Anmin waved his hand and said, "Don't get up, Ada. I'm sorry to bother you. I wish you a speedy recovery."

She forced a smile, secretly pinching the hem of her skirt. Thankfully, the other person thought she was sick.

Liang Siyu stood up to see them off. As she watched their backs, she seemed to see him again on the day he left.

The Liang Siyu who accompanies her to do experiments now is real; but the man who said more than a year later, "I want to experience a different life and don't want to be limited," is also real.

She took a sip of rose tea; the color was still deep red, but it had cooled and tasted somewhat astringent.

As they walked, Lin Anmin asked, "In a couple of years, I might be making a short film about Alzheimer's disease. Ned, would you be available to be my medical consultant?"

“Of course.” Liang Siyu nodded. He knew it was for Lin Anmin’s grandmother.

Lin Anmin patted him on the shoulder: "Thanks." He hesitated for a moment, then reminded him: "Ned, keep it safe."

He spent almost the entire day taking care of Ada, but she was clearly a little uncomfortable. People from all-boys schools tend to overdo it at first.

Liang Siyu was stunned. Had he figured it out? But Lin Anmin had already walked away.

He smiled wryly; he had indeed acted too impulsively last night. It was the first time they had been apart for so long, and then she suddenly changed her mind, making it difficult for him to control himself.

When he returned to his seat, the baked apples were just being served. She was hugging a cushion in front of her and slowly scooping them out to eat.

His heart tightened, and he gently wrapped his arms around her waist: "Are you feeling unwell?"

"It's okay, just a little tired." She shook her head gently.

Thinking of his departure made her feel heavy, like a cotton quilt soaked in cold water, and the pain in her lower abdomen seemed to intensify.

"Then let's go back after we finish the baked apples." He poured her a cup of hot tea, his arm tightening slightly, revealing a hint of annoyance and regret.

After returning to the hotel, Xu Aida felt even more tired and said she didn't want to eat dinner anymore. She then went to wash up and went to bed early.

Liang Siyu watched her fall asleep. She curled up beside him, quiet and gentle, her small hand resting on the pillow.

It wasn't even 8 p.m. yet, but he couldn't sleep. He left the reading light on his side of the bed and leaned against the headboard to read his thesis.

Xu Aida vaguely felt that she was squeezed in the middle of a group of people. She couldn't tell where she was. After looking around, she saw a row of square tables on the side of the street, where a group of people were sitting.

She looked closely and saw Liang Siyu kneeling on one knee on a table, dressed in a light blue Republic-era robe, looking dashing and handsome, with a camera pointed directly at him. He was suspended by a wire around his waist—oh, no, a wire harness.

"Scene 37, Shot 3, Ready, Action!"

As the clapperboard sounded, he pushed off with his feet, and with the help of the wire, he did a somersault in the air, then slammed his leg into the table in front of him, instantly shattering the special prop.

He landed steadily, twisted his waist, kicked his legs, and knocked his opponent down, displaying the beauty of violence.

"Cut! Okay, Siyu, keep one more."

Liang Siyu nodded, took half a step forward, and suddenly stopped. There was a long iron nail exposed on the table leg that had fallen from the previous mirror, right next to his feet, and he almost stepped on it.

The props assistant noticed and immediately went to pick up the table leg: "Teacher Liang, I'm sorry. Let me check it again."

But the director was already calling for preparation.

There were also more broken planks and prop fragments on the ground, with splinters flying everywhere and several exposed nails right at your feet. If you weren't careful, you could step on one and get injured when you landed.

He acted as if he hadn't seen it at all, and returned to his original position to prepare to jump.

She cried out in her heart, "Ned, Stop"—but something was blocking her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word.

She tried to grab his arm, but he didn't turn around.

A fog rose in her dream, surging up in waves and engulfing him completely, until she could no longer see his figure.

"Ada, wake up, wake up!" Liang Siyu read a few pages of the paper and felt the person next to her trembling.

He hesitated whether to wake her up, but then he saw her with her eyes closed and tears streaming down her face, so he quickly patted her back.

She opened her eyes, as if she had finally broken free from a clump of seaweed and reached the shore, crying as she leaned against him: "Ned, Ned."

Liang Siyu hugged her tightly, his heart clenching: "Did you have a nightmare? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here."

She paused. It wasn't a nightmare; it was what she saw on her first visit to Hengdian during her doctoral studies.

She was particularly worried about his safety, but she couldn't say anything because it was just an ordinary day for an actor, not even a bad one.

Later, she also saw him jump into an icy river to film in the dead of winter, and saw him fall off a horse...

She knew everything, yet she couldn't stop anything.

She choked back tears and grabbed his shirt: "Ned...don't go, okay? Please don't go..."

She had never pleaded like that before. He could have been a doctor or done research in New York, wouldn't that have been better? Why did he have to work so hard?

He could have lived a safe, decent, respected, and cherished life.

He didn't know what she was dreaming about, so he could only comfort her, patting her back: "Ada, I'm not going. Look, I've been here all along. It's alright, it's alright."

She knew she had lost her composure, so she tried to hold her breath and stop sobbing as quickly as possible. But she tried too hard, and a lump of air caught in her chest, causing her to hiccup. Each sob pulled deep into her lower abdomen.

The aches and pains intensified, and she collapsed, drenched in sweat, curling up into a ball.

Liang Siyu was in pain and anxious. He patted her a few times, poured some hot tea, held her in one arm, and carefully fed her with the other.

He saw her pressing her lower abdomen and covering her mouth, unable to catch her breath. He wished he had more hands, one to hold her waist, one to pat her back, one to feed her tea, and another to massage her.

After a long while, Xu Aida finally managed to catch her breath. She leaned against him and whispered, "Ned, I'm so scared."

She feared that all the suffering from her past life was unavoidable. She feared that keeping him was a mistake, and letting him go was also a mistake.

Liang Siyu held her close, massaging her face and kissing her cheek, saying, "I'm here, I'm here, don't be afraid."

He knew, of course, that this was no ordinary nightmare; it was likely similar to the one in Seattle.

He had previously thought that her plane had crashed in that nightmare, but now, she was shouting, "Ned, don't go."

Where did he go? How dangerous was it? His mind was in turmoil, his fingers clenched unconsciously, then quickly relaxed.

Her hair was damp and messy with sweat, sticking to the side of her pale face. She leaned against him, limp as if she had no bones, her small hands pressing on her lower abdomen. Clearly, the hiccups earlier had aggravated her core muscles, and now she felt sore and uncomfortable.

She was so weak, how could he bear to ask her any questions? He could only hold her tighter and continue to massage her gently.

"I want to take a shower..." she murmured, her body covered in sweat from the exertion.

When he carried her into the bathroom, she was like a soft, damp cotton ball, her breathing so shallow it was almost inaudible.

He gently washed and dried her, wrapped her in a bathrobe, and then carried her back to bed.

She was still trembling slightly, and he patted her and whispered comfortingly, "Don't be afraid... I'm here, I won't go anywhere."

She fell into a deep sleep, and the room was extremely quiet. As night deepened, a heavy snow fell in New York.

The next morning, when Xu Aida woke up, the curtains were still closed, and the room was dark and silent.

She was in a daze, and couldn't even tell where she was—was this Hengdian? What time did he finish work last night?

The mattress sank in, and someone leaned close, their warm breath brushing against her cheek.

Liang Siyu gently kissed her: "Ada, it snowed heavily last night, let's not leave, let's postpone our trip back to school for another day, okay?"

She paused for a few seconds, then slowly came to her senses. This wasn't Hengdian; it was a dream.

This is New York. She's back to the beginning, Ned is still here, his embrace is warm, and they'll go back to the lab together.

By the afternoon, she had recovered somewhat, so she went to the hotel gym for an hour of relaxing yoga.

In her past life, at the age of 23, she didn't really like this kind of quiet exercise, and would only do it occasionally with her mother. She preferred running and swimming.

After they moved to Hangzhou, he gave her a yearly membership to a yoga studio nearby. She attended a few classes and gradually found it to be quite good.

Liang Siyu, naturally worried, came along too. He was on the rowing machine, his movements were standard, but he knew he wasn't really in the zone.

In the mirror of the yoga area next door, he couldn't help but glance at her every time she changed her pose—this was the first time he had ever been so distracted.

It wasn't until later, when he saw her breathing steady, her expression peaceful, and her whole being serene and content, that he regained his paddling rhythm, as if he had returned to the days of training on the Hudson River.

After dinner, he tentatively asked her what she had dreamed about last night. She just shook her head and said it was just a nightmare and she didn't remember. She said she was fine now.

He stroked her shoulder, noticed her lowered eyelids, and asked no more questions.

This nightmare disorder is getting worse; she is plagued by recurring nightmares, and those scenes may have caused psychological trauma, which is escalating.

When she got off the plane, she was mainly feeling unwell, but after the nightmare last night, she lost control of her emotions and had a very strong somatization reaction.

Before going to bed that night, Xu Aida hooked her arm around his clothes and suddenly asked, "Ned... will you always stay with me?"

In her past life, she always believed he left for his interests and dreams. But the clues at the family dinner gave her a glimmer of hope.

She couldn't help but wonder, if he really couldn't stand his parents' expectations or the pressure of scientific research and left, could he consider other careers?

It doesn't necessarily mean you have to be an actress. It's so far away from her, and it's so hard.

"Of course. I will always be with you."

Liang Siyu held her tightly in his arms, his tone resolute. He was almost certain that he had left her in that nightmare. But how could he, who loved her so much, leave her willingly?

He would never do that. So, what she saw might have been his plane crash?

That explains everything. She suddenly wanted to break up in Seattle, but couldn't give a reason. Every time he got close, she clearly still had feelings for him, but she always resisted. Her expression was one of sadness and fear, not disgust and aversion.

When she asked him, "What would you do if I died in a plane crash?" it was actually a role reversal. She just wanted to know his thoughts, as a reference.

She tried to escape, but came back because she couldn't bear to leave him, could she?

His heart ached even more. From now on, no matter how much she changed her mind, he would never be angry again. She was trapped by that nightmare; he had completely misjudged the situation.

He kissed the top of her head: "Ada, don't be afraid, everything will be alright. I swear, everything will be alright."

She closed her eyes, unsure if she could do it all over again.

A note from the author:

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