Chapter 7

Perhaps because they talked about children at the mahjong table, Xiaoming dreamed about children that night.

The lush green forests resembled the tourist attractions she had visited during the day.

She kept walking forward, and the woods in front of her suddenly turned into a hillside covered with waist-high weeds. On a large rock on the hillside sat a group of children, staring blankly at her, one of them with his head down.

Xiao Ming thought to himself, "Shouldn't the child be at school? Why is he in this desolate wilderness?"

Then the scene around them changed to a row of children sitting on the steps at the corner of the school classroom stairwell.

It feels like my own high school building. Which classroom was mine?

As she was about to leave, at the corner of the stairwell, out of Xiaoming's sight, a man waved to the children and shouted, "Stand up, follow her, quick!"

Xiaoming started peeking into each classroom, trying to find her own. In the dimly lit classroom, dark shadows vanished the moment she peeked in, and the few people sitting inside looked up at her. Xiaoming felt a little embarrassed, thinking, "How could I not even remember which classroom I have?"

Xiaoming was still looking for her classroom, unaware that more and more people were following her. When she turned around, she saw a group of indistinct figures of varying heights and shapes behind her. Seeing that everyone had left the classroom, she slapped her thigh. "Oh no! It's recess! No wonder everyone's out of the classroom. I'm going to be late! I can't let the head teacher catch me; not only will I be punished by standing in the corner, but the class will also lose points!"

Just then, the athletes' march started playing in his ears. Xiaoming rushed to the stairwell, looked at the steps, plopped down on the stainless steel handrail, and slid down.

After spiraling down the handrails countless times, Xiaoming finally saw the playground outside. He ran to the playground to find his class and line up.

The once empty playground was instantly transformed into rows of neat lines, with the heights of the lines varying so that it seemed as if high school students and elementary school students had become classmates.

I don't know anyone in this group, and I don't know anyone in that group either. None of them are from my class. Hmm, that tall boy at the front of that group looks familiar, but I just can't remember who he is.

Regardless, the presence of familiar faces meant this was his class, so Xiaoming ran to the back of the line, stood in line, and started dancing to the music.

I've forgotten all the exercises for recess, so I just blindly dance along.

The man hiding in the shadows helping the children is constantly fighting against the ever-appearing monsters. Schools are densely populated places, so there are correspondingly many monsters. He has to protect several children, so the monsters targeting him are not only numerous but also powerful.

At the critical moment, a man wearing a baseball cap fired an energy blast, repelling the eerie attack from behind.

He leaned against the wall, panting, and said, "Thanks, bro!"

Jiang Lan, the man in the baseball cap, nodded, glancing around as if on guard.

Before long, the several strange, dissipated black mists that had been scattered reassembled and transformed into a new strange entity.

They had to direct the children's actions from outside the Dream Weaver's sight, and couldn't enter the light circle. However, the strange fighting sounds they were making attracted other strange entities to their side. With their ammunition running low, the man pushed Jiang Lan: "Quick, into the light circle!"

"No, you'll surely die if you stay behind alone. Let's go together!" With that, Jiang Lan grabbed the man's arm and ran downstairs.

After running a few steps, Jiang Lan stood on the playground, at the very front of the line as a model student.

He slowly turned his stiff neck and looked around.

Good heavens, in order to gather a whole playground of people, even the supernatural became a line-up prop, transforming into dark humanoid figures to stand in the line and make up the number of people.

Jiang Lan was deeply shocked. He only realized today that if the dream weaver needed it, the eerie wouldn't necessarily die in the light.

A moment later, the Dream Weaver, who seemed to be shrouded in gray mist, ran towards him, but before he could get close, he ran away.

Jiang Lan turned around and saw the Dream Weaver run to the back of the line and start dancing.

The dream weaver's movements seemed like commands, and all the people and monsters in the team immediately started dancing, but their movements were all over the place, making it look like a chaotic dance of demons.

He knows this set of radio calisthenics; he did it for many years in junior and senior high school, and he started dancing along with the music.

The moment the music for the morning exercises finished playing, the eerie atmosphere on the playground vanished without a trace.

Only those who had entered this dream remained, standing motionless with stiff limbs.

After finishing his morning exercises, Xiaoming looked at the crowd of people spreading out freely on the playground, and then at the tender green grass under his feet. He couldn't help but lie down, put his arms behind his head, and close his eyes.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and soon my thoughts drifted into darkness.

After a good night's sleep, Xiao Ming felt refreshed. He went downstairs for breakfast and, while he was at it, asked Sister Ying about that beautiful woman.

Yingjie said with a disdainful look: "Xiaoyu brought Xiaochen's ex-girlfriend, who claimed to be her family member. I told her not to bring her, but she disobeyed and brought her. What kind of person is she? These people are too outgoing. You should stay away from them."

Xiao Ming nodded, looking like he'd listen to him.

After the morning's activities are finished, it's time to take the bus back.

The beautiful woman I hadn't seen all morning finally came out of the hotel. She was wearing a windproof sun-protective jacket, a sun hat, and large sunglasses, so I couldn't see her face.

Xiao Ming pursed his lips. Although he got to eat the melon, he didn't enjoy it very much. Why cover it up so tightly? Tsk.

I got carsick all the way home and went to bed early after washing up.

When he woke up and checked his phone, it was only 6:30. He opened the chat window with the green bubble and red circle. Jiang Lan had sent him a message again last night, but he was asleep and his phone was on do-not-disturb mode, so he didn't see it.

He asked her if she was free tonight and invited her to play ball at the gym. When she didn't reply, he sent her a "Goodnight" message around 11 p.m.

Xiaoming had just finished gossiping about all the handsome men and beautiful women at the team-building event and was currently at the peak of his immunity to good-looking people. He politely declined the invitation by typing, "I'm working overtime, no time. I'll ask you out next time."

After going to bed early and waking up early, and tidying up the house, Xiaoming leisurely rode his electric bike to work.

As I walked along, thinking about how tomorrow was the weekend, I hummed a little tune: "Today is a good day, all my wishes will come true..."

I saw Xiaoming's rejection message this morning, and despite my disappointment, I typed back, "Take care of yourself, don't overwork. Looking forward to seeing you."

Jiang Lan felt quite depressed; he truly hated the 996 work schedule at that moment.

Always busy, always busy, capitalists should be hung on streetlights!

He forgot that he himself is now a capitalist.

Yesterday, he reported to Li Zhiqiang about the strange discoveries made by the Dream Cube, and then asked him to pay attention to safety incidents on primary school campuses.

Li Zhiqiang was also very shocked: "Are dream weavers this powerful? Or is it that only you, the dream weaver, have such powerful abilities?"

"If this is the first time you've learned that the bizarre can also be a tool in the hands of a dream weaver, then it means that this dream weaver's abilities may be truly powerful."

Li Zhiqiang felt complicated after hearing this. It was a good thing that the dream maker was powerful, but uncontrolled power was a bad thing. Powerful ability meant powerful destructive power.

Although dreamers are uncontrollable, the extent of damage caused by a weak dreamer who exerts a negative influence is limited.

With nothing to do, Jiang Lan changed into her gear and went out to deliver food again.

Around noon, Guo Haitao and Chen Hui invited him to lunch together. After finishing his last delivery, he went into the restaurant in his delivery uniform.

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhen was also there. When he saw Jiang Lan walking towards him, he couldn't help but swear: "Holy crap! Is the boss experiencing life here?!"

Jiang Lan ignored their startled reaction and called the waiter to order. This restaurant had a certain style, and the waitresses were dressed in suits and black stockings. The waiter serving them kept glancing at him, trying to be discreet.

Jiang Lan didn't tolerate her. After ordering, she looked up and said directly to her, "Have you seen enough?"

The waiter blushed, took the tablet, lowered his head, and walked away.

Guo Haitao asked Jiang Lan with a slightly lewd expression, "Our CEO Lan is so charming, he attracts girls wherever he goes. By the way, how's your pursuit of your girlfriend going?"

Jiang Lan looked at him expressionlessly, without saying a word.

Guo Haitao rubbed his nose and nudged Chen Hui beside him with his elbow. Chen Hui forced a smile and said, "I'm not trying to hurt you, but when people encounter problems, they always need to solve them, right? Tell us what you think about, and we'll give you some advice. Isn't that better than you figuring it out on your own? Did you do what I taught you last time?"

"......"

Liu Zhen finally understood. It turned out that Jiang Lan, this stubborn guy, wanted to pursue a girl, but he ran into a tough one: "If you want to learn how to date, come to me. If you find the right method, no girl can't get you."

The three of them turned to look at him at the same time. Yes, Liu Zhen was burly and thick-waisted, with a big face and small eyes. He barely deserved a 4 out of 10 for his looks. But his girlfriend was quite pretty. They heard that his pursuit of her was quite dramatic.

Liu Zhen felt a little smug, nodding his head as he imparted his experience to Jiang Lan: "You have money, free time, and good looks—all the essentials are there. The rest are just four points: First, be thick-skinned. Be persistent and keep trying despite setbacks; second, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of her coldness or her indifference; third, say nice things. Speak sweet nothings gradually; and lastly, seize opportunities. Make opportunities whenever you can, even if there aren't any. Oh, and add one more thing: control the pace. Once you make a breakthrough, move on to the next step immediately. Don't procrastinate, or you might ruin everything."

After listening to the advice, Jiang Lan felt a pang of regret. He had already reflected on it and realized that he should have asked Xiao Ming out for milk tea and shopping after they added each other on WeChat. The timing and location were perfect, but he hadn't realized he should seize the opportunity. As a result, so much time had passed and they still hadn't met a second time.

Unexpectedly, Guo Haitao was also eager to learn. He asked Liu Zhen, "Brother Zhen, what does 'grasping the rhythm' mean? Can you give me a specific example?"

Liu Zhen rolled his eyes at him: "Idiot, listen up. For example, you successfully got a date with a girl for the first time, and you walked her home. On the way, you mustered up the courage to hold her hand, and you walked her to her building. Now you have two options: 1. Wave goodbye to her and watch her go upstairs. 2. Pull her into your arms and kiss her on the lips. Which one do you choose?"

Guo Haitao pondered for a moment: "Kissing on the first date? I'll get slapped, won't I? Should I say goodbye and see her upstairs?"

Liu Zhen looked at Guo Haitao as if he were something dirty: "How foolish! The fact that she let you hold her hand means she's initially accepted you. She's already accepted you, so why aren't you kissing her to solidify the relationship? What are you waiting for? If you kiss her so eagerly, she won't be angry; she'll be secretly pleased with her attraction to you, understand? This increases a girl's sense of security. If you kiss her this time, next time you can have a deeper kiss, then ask to go upstairs to her house for tea. If you linger and don't leave, and she doesn't forcefully kick you out, you should try playing cards with her. If you follow this process, wouldn't your wife be yours for the taking?"

The other three straight male STEM students listened in amazement, thinking, "This guy's a relationship guru!"

Liu Zhen, holding his coffee, raised his head to accept the three people's admiring gazes, and finally said to Jiang Lan, "I'm not trying to criticize you, but you're not some old person who's completely disconnected from the internet. What made you think of wearing this outfit to deliver food and chase girls? In today's society, there are all sorts of domineering CEOs falling in love with me. Go look for yourself, where can you find a domineering delivery guy falling in love with me? If you're bored and have nothing better to do, come work at the company. We're always short-staffed in the tech department, you know? I'll give you the CTO title, and you can start work next Monday."

Jiang Lan thought for a moment and nodded. She could find something to do at work, keep her hours in sync with Xiao Ming, and even create some common topics to talk about.

After the group finished their boasting and eating, they dispersed. Jiang Lan went to the shopping mall and bought a few more outfits for work. After thinking about it, he also bought a few more everyday outfits from head to toe. Image is very important when pursuing a girl. Although he is usually very particular, it is only right to be a little more particular in order to show respect.