Fictional Dreams
"Sister, are you awake? If you don't go eat, mother will nag you again."
The voice of his younger brother Jie Yan came from outside the door along with the knock. Xi Mu turned around in shock, but before the huge doubts could form, they disappeared without leaving any trace.
This is her home.
She had just been awakened from a nightmare in her own bed.
Her younger brother, who was born to the same mother, always got up earlier than her. Over the years, he had already taken care of a series of daily routines, including dragging her out of bed, helping her to dress up, and then taking her to the restaurant.
Everything is normal, what's there to be shocked about?
But for some reason, the response that should have come naturally was inexplicably stuck the moment Ximu opened his lips, and he couldn't make a sound for a long time.
There was a pause in the knocking, and then with a "creak", the person outside came in directly.
"...What? Isn't he awake already?"
The worry quickly disappeared from the boy's brow. He muttered a few words with dissatisfaction, such as "Why don't you say something when you wake up? Why are you sitting on the bed in a daze?" and pulled her up from under the quilt.
After the maids dressed her, Jie Yan made her sit in front of the dressing mirror and combed and tied her hair with his own hands.
Through the mirror, Ximu secretly took a look at his younger brother.
Jie and she were twins. While their appearances weren't exactly alike, their eyes and mouths were very similar. The Kellent family's bloodline was more prone to black hair and black eyes, but they both had silver hair, clearly inherited from their father's side.
His younger brother has been smart and organized since he was young. If something doesn't go his way, he will start nagging and personally participate in the process to try to set things right.
For example, what time to get up, what time to go to bed, what kind of clothes to wear, what kind of hairstyle to comb... He is not only strict with himself, but also does not relax at all with his sister.
So, if she doesn't show up in the hallway at the appointed time, he will definitely come to her house and drag her up.
Moreover, he is always talkative.
"I've told you so many times, if you study hard in class, you won't have to spend so much time studying at night... What's wrong? You think studying by the book doesn't show off your intelligence, so you have to show off your special skills of cramming by the book?"
"Don't quibble. I saw you constantly passing notes and flirting with that kid from the Mechanical Engineering Department next door during open class! I'm telling you, give up on this idea as soon as possible. We, the Kellinglet family, are a prestigious family. We can't just bring any random cat or dog home!"
"W-what, that kid's family actually has a title?! I really can't tell... No, that's not right! Don't try to change the subject! You are the eldest daughter in our family. Mother said she wants to keep you at home. If you get married in the future, the other party must marry into the family!"
"Who's keeping an eye on you? I'm just making sure you're attending class! If you keep slacking off, I'll have Mother expel you from school, and you'll just be stuck at home dealing with our bunch of old-fashioned tutors!"
As he spoke, the boy became angry and embarrassed, but his hands were still gentle as he carefully tied the last hairband for her.
"Stop being so stubborn, let's go to Mother and seek justice!"
The boy, who always liked to act like an adult, lost his cool and walked ahead in a huff. She followed closely behind him, her face gradually relaxing, as if she was naturally fond of laughter.
There were several portraits hanging on the walls of the corridor, most of which were of their mother, who was blonde and ostentatious. Their father, who had made great military achievements but died young, only occupied a few spaces. Surrounded by their mother, he cast a calm and loving gaze at his children.
When they arrived at the bright and spacious restaurant, their mother was not waiting for them as usual, and most of the breakfast in front of them had already disappeared.
"Mother!"
Jie Yan made a dissatisfied protest. The blonde beauty glanced at them lazily and waved her hand for them to sit down. She did not intend to give any explanation for this behavior that was completely unbecoming of a noble family.
Their mother, Fushiya, failed to inherit the black hair of her ancestors, and therefore lost in the family's power struggle with the ridiculous reason of "impure bloodline". She was banished from the imperial capital at a young age and settled in this suburban area.
After this incident, she saw through many things and no longer obsessed with fame. She even got along well with her former rival, whose sister was undoubtedly from the Kellinglet family from the outside. From then on, she lived a wealthy life without any trivial matters and became a well-known wealthy idler in the local area.
She plays around and enjoys herself everywhere. She is not a good mother in the traditional sense. Therefore, Jie Yan often complains about her. He says that it is because of her bad behavior that her sister Xi Mu follows suit. She has no noble demeanor at all and only knows how to play every day.
"But I saw Ximu's grades were pretty good last semester..."
After receiving the report card sent by the school from the maid, Fuxia glanced at it and disagreed with Jie Yan's accusation.
Every time this was mentioned, Jie Yan could only shut up in anger - because Xi Mu was indeed very smart. Even if he didn't attend class seriously, he could quickly grasp the key points after reviewing. It was really hard to criticize him on this point.
Whenever this happened, the mother and daughter became natural allies, arguing with each other, making Jie Yan furious. He completely lost his composure and pointed fingers at them, accusing them of worrying so much for whom and how both of them were so troublesome.
The restaurant was filled with chatter and laughter, and was filled with a relaxed atmosphere that would never be found in those aristocratic families bound by strict rules.
Then the topic turned back to the person Ximu was in love with. Fushiya was obviously very interested. Not only did she stop the chattering Jie Yan, she even asked Ximu about the other person's situation, preparing to help her daughter choose one in a targeted manner.
"Are there any other female relatives in her family? If they live locally, I'll organize a tea party tomorrow and invite them out to ask about the situation! - What's the child's name?"
Ximu was a little shy, but more of her was indescribable excitement and anticipation.
She sat forward a little and blurted out without hesitation -
"Richia! His name is Ruixia!"
The moment this name fell into the air, the surrounding scenery seemed to fluctuate inexplicably.
A strange sense of disharmony arose, and Ximu seemed to realize something. He suddenly froze in place, staring blankly at his mother and brother who were discussing something enthusiastically.
She clearly didn't tell them Ruixia's last name, but they seemed to already know who it was, with expressions of "I knew it" and "It's him".
Her younger brother, Jie, strongly objected, saying that his sister was still young and the man's family was not of high rank, so they were not a good match. However, his mother thought it was just right, as it would allow the man to marry into her family without any worries about her daughter being bullied in her husband's family.
They chatted enthusiastically.
Ke Ximu stared at them for a long time, and his excitement gradually cooled down, replaced by a hint of bitterness.
"Don't wait! Tomorrow, tomorrow! I'll call a few more ladies, including his female relatives, to help you find out about his situation. How about that?"
Pushing away her son who was still waving his hands in protest, Fushiya turned to Ximu for advice, as if as long as her daughter nodded, she would use all her connections and try her best to finalize this marriage for her daughter.
"OK."
Ximu responded as a matter of course, and then—
With some reluctance and a sigh, he added, "But... none of this can be true, right?"
Facing the surprised faces of his mother and brother, Ximu's fingers under the table unconsciously tightened, but his eyes became more relieved, as if he had not truly woken up from a dream until this moment.
The moment Ruixia's name was called out, the memories that had been lost in various places for some reason were pieced together again.
Throughout their lives, except on important occasions, their family never ate at the same table;
The mother hates everything in the world, including herself. She may even give birth to children just to satisfy her family, and she doesn't care about their future fate at all.
And Jie Yan is the person who hates her the most in this world.
Although they were born of the same mother, Ximu was healthy and normal, while he himself was weak and sickly, not even qualified to be chosen as a sacrifice...
This kind of charity-like existence, the strange looks from those around him, and the pressure of being a worthless person who doesn't deserve to live, have already put him in jail, with no hope of escape.
The abnormal living environment of the Kellent family has created countless lunatics with personality defects. They are strong but twisted, do not understand love, laugh at love, and even dare not admit that they have loved anyone, for fear of revealing the slightest weakness and flaws in front of others.
But the real me is not a rich lady who has no worries about food and clothing and lives a happy and carefree life.
She had never been to school and had never communicated with anyone outside her family. As soon as she was old enough to understand, she began to carry out tasks big and small, and even seemed to sleep with one eye open.
——This is the “reality”.
This is the truth that belongs to Ximu Kelinlet.
“…Isn’t this a good idea?”
The mother and brother looked at each other without revealing any ferocious expression. Instead, they sincerely advised: "Don't you want this kind of life?"
Ximu gave a bitter smile when he heard that.
Of course she wanted to.
A chic and lively mother who truly loves her children, a brother who is hard-mouthed but soft-hearted and always thinks about his sister, and a peaceful and prosperous life that meets almost all her expectations of a man...
What a wonderful life, as beautiful as a dream.
But - the facts are the facts.
Every step she takes is irreversible, every knife she stabs, every life she takes can never be resurrected.
And the person she longed for was not just a shadow, a tool that existed only to satisfy her wishes.
Ruisha is Ruisha.
Whether it was coincidence or fate, he was the first person he met after leaving his family. He was the one who taught the fallen doll to walk and to take steps with his own will.
His existence itself is a solid anchor.
The scene before him made a sharp cracking sound, and soon it was covered with cracks and shattered into pieces - Ximu concentrated and held his breath, and after a brief period of weightlessness, his feet were on solid ground again.
The scene on the second floor of the Moon Viewing Tower came into view. Ximu, who had returned, quickly looked around and found that except for Ruixia, everyone had almost lost consciousness and was tied up by transparent chains pulled out from the mirror.
So that's it... Is this the source of the "illusion" just now?
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