The Lantern Festival is on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Zhan Xinjia was awakened by the sound of fireworks and firecrackers.
As she awoke from her long, drowsy state, she opened her eyes and moved slightly. The leg injury that had been neglected for a long time was showing signs of worsening, with even the gaps between the bones oozing a fine, unbearable pain.
She subconsciously clenched the sleeve in her palm, snuggled closer to his side, and whispered sweet nothings.
"Young Master Shen, it hurts so much!"
Only the biting wind continued to blow outside the window; the pitch-black room was deathly silent, and no one responded.
As if remembering something, she sat stiffly for a moment, then lowered her eyes and, upon getting up, tucked the blanket around the person lying next to her.
Barefoot, she walked to the windowsill, pushed open the window, and the distant, dazzling fireworks, with their dreamlike colors, reflected on her face and in her eyes as she gazed up, bursting forth in a fleeting, vibrant brilliance.
She couldn't bear to look away, and just stared blankly.
The sound was as soft as mist.
"Young Master Shen, it's the Lantern Festival."
...
"Aren't we going out to play? Okay then... The fireworks today are especially beautiful, it's nice to watch them from here too."
...
"Young Master Shen, do you think fireworks can be preserved forever?"
After saying that, this time she didn't wait for his reply. Instead, she stood on tiptoe and childishly stretched her hand out of the windowsill. A few sparks from the fireworks were blown into her palm by the evening breeze, and she carefully held them.
He withdrew his hand, opened his palm, and found it empty.
Only a few wisps of ashes remained.
Feeling somewhat disappointed and sad, her eyelashes trembled slightly as she closed the window and quietly walked back into the dark room where no lights were on.
Loneliness, long-lasting loneliness.
She felt a little cold, so she climbed back onto the bed and curled up in his arms again. But he was colder than her, so Zhan Xinjia could only reach out and hug him tightly, taking one of his stiff hands and breathing hot air on it.
"Young Master Shen, do you remember when we watched the snow and set off fireworks together under the plum tree? It may have been ten years ago for you, but it feels like it happened just yesterday for me."
...
"I was really happy that day. You asked me if I had found money, but I was just happy to be by your side."
...
"Looking back now, it feels like a dream... Could it be that the happy things that happened in the past were the dream, and this is reality? I can't quite tell the difference anymore, it's scary. I wish you could hug me right now."
He didn't move. Zhan Xinjia propped her head up and, in the darkness, used the faint light from the window to examine his face, which still held a faint smile.
Mr. Shen ten years from now...
His features are more reserved and composed, making him look more mature than before, with an indescribable air of cool solemnity. Indeed, Young Master Shen is handsome no matter his age...
She chuckled softly, kissed his cold lips, and contentedly snuggled back into the covers, holding his hand tightly.
Fireworks were still going off outside, accompanied by the faint sounds of laughter and merriment from the crowd. These distant sounds seemed out of place in the dim, deathly quiet room, as if they belonged to two different worlds.
She nestled her face against his chest, gripping his hand even tighter, never letting go for a moment.
"Young Master Shen, do you still remember the poem 'Remembering Jiangnan' that you taught me to write?"
...
"So much hatred, in last night's dreams..."
After reciting the first sentence, she closed her eyes and fell asleep again.
...
So much resentment, in last night's dream. It was like those old times, strolling through the imperial garden, carriages flowing like water, horses like dragons. Flowers and moon, a gentle spring breeze.
——
It's amazing that people can still dream even in their dreams.
Just like now, she actually dreamed of when Master Shen was a teenager and still studying hard.
At that time, Master Shen earned his tuition by selling calligraphy and paintings and writing letters for others in the county. From an outsider's perspective, Zhan Xinjia watched him write "[Zhan Xinjia]" at the beginning of different letters again and again.
It turns out that, in some mysterious way, before the two even met, he had already written her name countless times.
Then, in the ten years after losing her, he resumed writing letters home.
From the past to the future, the connection between the two has always been bound together by this name.
This name, which had been ridiculed, belittled, harshly mocked, and verbally abused for sixteen years, and which even she herself somewhat disliked, turned out to be so beautiful when it was carefully written on a letter.
Mr. Shen, you are the best.
A warm feeling filled her heart, as if something gentler and softer had filled the missing part of her heart. Zhan Xinjia smiled and tried to get closer to the illusory figure of Master Shen in her dream, but a ball of light appeared in front of her.
"If he hadn't died, if his illness and eyesight had been cured, if you could have stayed in this world and continued to live happily... wouldn't that have been wonderful?"
As he said this, the ball of light slowly approached, glowing with a faint blue light.
"Anything is possible if you want it to be."
No one else will bother you anymore, no more annoying trifles, there's only you and him.
So why wake up again?
"Sleep some more, you'll love this sweet dream..."
With the words of the sphere of light, Zhan Xinjia seemed to see a faint, ethereal image of herself and Lord Shen carrying lanterns, standing side by side in the crowd, watching the fireworks during the Lantern Festival—a beautiful but unreal sight.
She took one last, reluctant look before turning away and letting out a soft sigh.
"Pei Yi, are you really treating me like I'm an idiot?"
Before the light sphere could react, Zhan Xinjia waved towards the void.
Zhan Xinjia pulled out a blade of grass from somewhere, crossed his arms over his chest, and casually chewed on it.
Those peach blossom eyes remained calm and serene, undisturbed.
"Jide, let's go."
"Meow!!"
The orange cat, as fat as a ball, darted out of the shadows, knocking the ball of light away with its bottom. The cat then accurately pounced into her arms, transforming into a particle of light and disappearing into her body.
After nine years of hibernation, it finally turned off its power-saving mode and returned to its host's side to continue accompanying her.
[Ding! System connection in progress...]
[Dear host, the "Evil Woman's Good Deeds System" has been officially renamed "Sister Supremacy"! It's bringing you back to reality~]
Zhan Xinjia always felt that she was very strange.
Although she's prone to crying, that doesn't stop her from delivering powerful blows while she's crying.
Sometimes I'm quite timid, but I would never be scared by the same thing twice.
For example, when she first met Yan Shuang, she was so terrified that she couldn't even stay conscious, but when she saw Yan Shuang a second time, she was able to strike without any emotional fluctuation.
For example, now she doesn't have the same dream twice.
Pei Yi thought the dream it created was so realistic, but in reality, it was because no matter which world she was in, she didn't want Little Shen to be alone, and she wanted to accompany him through his entire life.
Suddenly feeling weightless, Zhan Xinjia abruptly opened her eyes.
Looking around, she saw a house decorated in the distinctive style of Nanjun, and it seemed familiar—it was the city lord's mansion of Nian'an City…
It seems that Pei Yi and Wu Lanlian have realized that something is wrong with her brother's identity, and that something has happened to him as well. However, since Pei Yi brought her here while she was unconscious, the others should be here as well.
Rubbing his throbbing head, Zhan Xinjia got up to search and found Master Shen, who was still unconscious, on the other side of the room.
Where are Qiaoqiao and the others?
While helping Master Shen out by taking his arm, Zhan Xinjia pondered to himself, but now Pei Yi and the others could return at any moment, so he could only look for an opportunity to escape while searching for people.
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