Chapter 35 is great, I was the first one!
The moment I saw that name, I was utterly astonished.
My mind raced with thoughts, and I couldn't help but lean closer to take a closer look. The wedding invitation clearly displayed two names, one on the left and one on the right: Li Nian and Yu Qingzhou.
I don't know who Li Nian is, but I'm pretty sure that the boy in blue just now was not Yu Qingzhou.
Because Yu Qingzhou... what is he...?
—No, he is nothing.
There is no Yu Qingzhou in the world; this is all just my dream. Just like the man called the Imperial Advisor said, everything will be fine once we get back.
But my eyes just couldn't leave that wedding invitation—it was so red it was almost blinding.
So, tomorrow Yu Qingzhou is going to marry that boy in blue—who should be named Li Nian?
I thought to myself, but at the same time another voice echoed in my mind, repeatedly asking – what should I do about my senior sister?
……yes.
The scene that had not appeared before my eyes for a long time—a woman smiling and looking at me in a courtyard where red plum blossoms fell like snowflakes—was vividly recalled.
She asked me half-jokingly, "Junior brother, do you remember when you were little you made a promise to become your senior sister's Daoist partner when you grew up?"
My heart was pounding, but my mind was blank.
Because I know all too well that I am not the junior brother the woman spoke of; I have merely borrowed someone else's eyes to see a landscape that belongs to someone else.
—I was not the one who made the promise in my ignorance and fearlessness.
—That person named Yu Qingzhou is not me.
Even so, in the dead of night, in my hazy, dreamlike state, a fleeting thought still arose within me: if such a world truly existed, if I really were the junior brother the woman spoke of, perhaps… perhaps…
Perhaps then, she wouldn't have looked at me with such tenderness and teasing, and wouldn't have called me "Junior Brother."
But now, I see her junior brother getting married to someone else, and that someone else is actually a man.
"...Senior Sister?"
When I heard the man repeat the name in a low voice, I was startled to realize that I had unknowingly spoken the words that were in my mind.
I couldn't help but look up and follow the sound. The man's gentle eyes seemed to carry a kind of calming power.
Although I knew that there was a completely unfamiliar face behind the veil, I mistakenly identified it as Young Master Lan for him in a moment of confusion.
It was at this moment that I noticed that the man had a small red beauty mark under the corner of his eye, almost in the same spot as Young Master Lan.
Strange, I don't remember seeing that just now... Maybe I didn't see it clearly, after all, the light in this room is really dim, even more so than the room where Young Master Lan usually stays.
Perhaps the expression on my face looks too confused right now.
The man chuckled softly: "I think I heard you muttering something about 'senior sister,' and... I noticed you were staring blankly at the wedding invitation earlier, was it because you know the people on it?"
I listened to the man's way of speaking and tone, which were exactly the same as Lan Gongzi's, and the red beauty mark under his eye.
In an instant, I had a certain guess: it must be because I missed Young Master Lan so much that we met in my dream.
It was only because dreams are inherently uncontrollable, and because I knew clearly in reality that Young Master Lan had always been missing, that what I saw was not Young Master Lan himself, but rather a figure in my dream incorporating some of his characteristics.
For example, there's the blue-clad boy who looks and dresses very similarly to the other, and then there's the mysterious man in front of us who's called the Imperial Advisor.
One piece of evidence is the name of another person on the wedding invitation: Li Nian.
Both share the same surname, Li, and are both young men; they must be Li Xiao's projection in this dream, only with some of Lan Gongzi's characteristics mixed in.
As for the gloomy aura that the boy possessed, which was not present in Li Xiao, it was probably an association he formed after hearing Mr. Ajiu mention that Li Xiao's childhood was not very happy.
Thinking about this, I immediately felt relieved, and I felt a greater sense of warmth towards the man in front of me.
Although the other person does not resemble Young Master Lan in appearance, in this dream he is actually Young Master Lan, or rather, Young Master Lan is created through the impressions I have formed in my eyes and mind.
—In my dream, I couldn't see the man's face clearly.
In reality, I can never quite decipher the expression on Young Master Lan's face. He seems very gentle, yet within that gentleness lies an indelible aloofness.
I respect him and consider Young Master Lan to be the best person I've ever met besides my mother, yet I can't truly get close to or understand him.
Because I cannot bear the potential risks—I am afraid of being rejected and afraid of losing my current stable life.
So to be honest, I'm actually just a cowardly coward.
But this is a dream.
In my dream, I had no such or such concerns. After all, I was just a wisp of drifting thought, able to go wherever I wanted, and no one could see me except... the man in front of me.
I felt a strange attraction to him, and the source of that feeling was precisely that—although he gave off a feeling very much like Young Master Lan in some ways, he was not Young Master Lan himself.
So I can let go of those unnecessary worries.
So, after hearing the man's question, I almost didn't hesitate and naturally shared my previous dreams with him.
Of course, I didn't specifically point out that I was always using a first-person perspective when I saw those things.
Instead, she simply told the man that she had dreamt of someone named Yu Qingzhou. But in her memory, Yu Qingzhou should have had a very close senior sister.
Senior sister treated Yu Qingzhou very well. Although her words were mostly jokes, she inadvertently revealed her true feelings in those jokes.
Yu Qingzhou would also prepare birthday gifts for her senior sister with great care, and would feel a surge of heat in her chest and her heart tremble like a drum at the sight of the woman's every smile and a seemingly casual teasing word.
When I first started talking about these things, I wasn't very fluent. I always felt that it was a bit strange to talk about another dream I had with someone from my dream.
But later, as I talked, I gradually forgot about my current situation.
Perhaps it was the expression on my senior's face when she waved goodbye in my memory that made me feel so sad.
I remembered more things.
I remember that before that, she seemed to have asked me if she was no longer herself, no longer my master's disciple, and no longer my senior sister... When that time comes, will I, as her junior brother, still look at her the same way as before and give her birthday gifts every year?
I still can't figure out what the phrase "senior sister is no longer senior sister" really means.
But I think if I had the chance to go back to that dream, if I could speak from that body, I would definitely tell her, just like my senior sister said to Yu Qingzhou back then.
—It's all the same. To me, no matter what my senior sister becomes, she's still the same.
Unfortunately, I don't know how to get back, and even if I do, I might not have the chance to say what's on my mind right now.
And what about Yu Qingzhou...?
He hesitated and didn't speak at that time. I don't know what happened after that.
But if the Yu Qingzhou on this wedding invitation is the person I thought he was, then in the end he still let his senior sister down.
If that's the case, what about Senior Sister? Where is she now? Is she alive or dead? Is she alright?
—Oh, right.
A thought flashed through my mind: if Yu Qingzhou gets married tomorrow, as her senior sister, she should be invited to attend the ceremony... In that case, I would very likely see her in person!
I'm not using Qingzhou's eyes as a metaphor, but my own eyes, standing upright in front of my senior sister... It doesn't matter if she doesn't recognize me, it doesn't matter if she can't see me.
I really, really want to see her again, to see what she looks like now, and whether she is as dashing and beautiful as I remember.
I suppressed my excitement and tentatively asked the man if he could take me with him to the wedding banquet the next day.
Although at this moment I feel trapped in this room for some reason, I believe that as the owner of the room and also the person with the title of Imperial Advisor, the other party can definitely help me.
The man, who had been listening quietly, suddenly asked a question: "Why?"
He looked directly in my direction, his gaze still as gentle and calm as before, but with a hint of inquiry in it.
...Yes, why?
My excitement cooled somewhat as the man asked his question. True, even if he did offer help, why should he?
Even though in my eyes he was almost the embodiment of Young Master Lan, he was not the real one.
What am I to this person? A ghost? Or an illusion?
Although he seemed to be able to tell who I was from at a glance, we were, in the end, just strangers who had only met recently.
—What gives him the right?
—And what right do I have?
"You seem to have misunderstood something?" the man suddenly said, interrupting my thoughts.
He propped his chin up on his hand and leaned against the table in front of him. As he leaned forward, his long, ink-black hair naturally cascaded down onto the table beside him, thick and captivating.
At the same time, I was also gently pulled by an invisible force as if I were out of control, and I ended up on the other side of the table.
Before I could even react to what was happening, the man's hand gently pinched my cheek. I then saw a pair of dark eyes peeking out from above my veil, curving slightly into a cunning arc.
"Wow, it's so soft."
I was completely stunned.
For a moment, I didn't know whether to be surprised that the man was able to touch me, or that he had spoken such... somewhat frivolous words in a voice that sounded so much like Young Master Lan's.
If the same actions and words were placed on Li Xiao, it would feel perfectly natural.
But it's strange that it was Young Master Lan who did it—no, even if it was just someone who looked somewhat similar to Young Master Lan.
Could it be that not only is the boy named Li Nian the same person in front of me, but the person in front of me is actually a combination of the impressions of Young Master Lan and Li Xiao in my mind?
"No, that's not it." The man smiled. "I have absolutely no relation to that guy with the surname Li. Well, strictly speaking, it's not that we have absolutely no relation, since the surname Li is the second most hated surname in my heart."
I hate... people with the surname Li?
I'm not sure if what the man said is what I understand. If it is, then wasn't the boy who just left surnamed Li?
...If you hate someone, why become their subject? Also, I remember that young man said that he was able to get married smoothly because the imperial advisor helped him.
It simply doesn't make sense for someone to act as a go-between for someone they dislike, helping them achieve their wishes.
“Well—” the man said with an unchanged smile, “it’s because I dislike the number one character, Yu, even more.”
"The character '喻'?"
Something flashed through my mind, but it was too fast to grasp.
On the other side, the man kindly explained to me, "It's the Yu from Yu Qingzhou, the Taoist Master Yu."
As he spoke, he extended his fair fingertip and beckoned in the air. White smoke, swirling in the dim light, drifted along with it, and soon formed a soft, ethereal character in the void.
I stared at the scene before me in disbelief. I must say, it really was a dream.
Otherwise, how could we see smoke that obeys human commands and lingers in the void for a long time, just like obedient kittens and puppies?
I was so engrossed in watching that I wanted to reach out and touch the floating smoke.
Even stranger things happened—just as I was thinking this, the character made of smoke seemed to come alive, swaying and drifting towards me in the air, looking from afar like a fluttering white butterfly.
The white butterfly flew closer and circled around me, fluttering up and down.
I didn't even see where my hands were when I felt a soft, cotton-like touch suddenly brush past my fingertips. Then the butterfly scattered into wisps of smoke, continuing to drift towards the shadows of the roof beams above the house.
I stared at the dark spot where the smoke had disappeared for a long time before reluctantly turning my gaze away.
Then she met the man's smiling eyes. His eyes were deep in color, yet clear and bright, like a still pool under the moonlight, rippling gently in the breeze.
Although the smile was somewhat appraising, it didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable.
It's like the kind, interested look that a gentle adult often gives when looking at a bewildered child.
When I realized that I had been being stared at like that all along, I suddenly felt a little embarrassed for some reason.
I think it's probably because the other person saw right through me, revealing my naive and unsophisticated nature.
—But it really is amazing.
I couldn't help but add in my mind.
"If you like, there are other even more amazing tricks." The man rested his chin on his hand and looked over with a gentle smile in his voice.
"So it really was just a magic trick? I thought—"
I suddenly stopped halfway through my emotional speech, because I belatedly realized something—I hadn't spoken for a while, so all the other person's responses were actually directed at my innermost thoughts.
"Can you...can you hear what I'm thinking?!" I was horrified.
"It's only occasionally, not all the time," the man said casually, a meaningful glint in his eyes as he looked at me. "Seeing how surprised you are, did you perhaps secretly think about something unpleasant in front of me?"
"It's not that there's anything bad about it."
I said somewhat guiltily, "But if you think that everything you want to do can be seen, it's not much different from having your belly cut open and displayed in front of others. I always feel a bit embarrassed."
...And then there's the matter of Yu Qingzhou.
I don't know why I was able to see some of Yu Qingzhou's past, nor do I know if those things are true.
But since the person in front of him had said that Yu was the most hated surname and Li was the second most hated surname.
Why would a surname bother you? You must have a grudge against someone with that surname to say such a thing.
I don't know about the distant ones, but the closest ones are these two people on the wedding invitation.
According to the man's previous statement, he facilitated the marriage because he disliked the two people, or rather, because he disliked Yu Qingzhou even more.
Could it be that he wanted to do it at the wedding—
Thinking of this, I looked at the man opposite me with surprise and uncertainty. The man behind the veil was still smiling slightly, and when our eyes met, he winked at me gently.
"Judging from your expression, have you thought of something interesting?"
"It's alright, it's alright." I laughed it off, secretly relieved that he hadn't heard what I said earlier.
I tried to reach out and touch my head as usual, but I couldn't feel my hand or my head.
The man opposite me raised his hand and gently pressed it on my forehead.
"Is this what you want to do?" he asked gently.
I nodded and thanked him in a low voice, but the questions in my mind grew deeper and deeper. Why did this person run into me? I couldn't even figure out myself in the literal sense.
Thinking about this, I couldn't help but ask, "What do you think of me?"
"Hmm." The man looked me up and down and easily concluded, "You do look very cute."
I... I don't know whether to say thank you or something else.
After a pause, he pressed on, "Not the overall feeling, but the appearance, like the hands, feet, head, facial features, is there anything wrong with them?"
"It has hands and feet, a nose and eyes, light eyebrows, thin lips, straight eyelashes, and smooth skin. It looks like it would be easy to pinch. The ears are also the same shape I like."
"..."
After listening to the man's description, I suddenly stopped thinking that I had a problem; the one who was acting strangely was the guy sitting opposite me.
...What do you mean by his favorite shape?
And that line, "It looks so good to squeeze."
Such words, such words, are simply—
"Has no one ever praised you like this before?"
The man suddenly said, his surprise genuine, and then his deep, beautiful eyes curved into crescents again: "That's great, I was the first one."
So what's there to be happy about in something like this...?
If I had hands, I would probably have covered my face by now. No, if I could just lower my head, I wouldn't be so helpless right now.
Originally, I could have flown farther, but my head was being gently pressed under the man's palm.
"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore," he suddenly said, then changed to a negotiating tone, "As an apology, I can grant you three wishes, and within my power, I will fulfill three of your wishes. Is that alright?"
—That's absolutely amazing.
If what the man said is true, then it's like finding something for free on the street. After all, I didn't actually lose anything... This only happens in dreams.
Speaking of dreams, I almost forgot that I am dreaming, aren't I?
I thought about it and realized that one shouldn't be too greedy.
“One is enough,” I said. “If possible, I would still like to go to the wedding banquet tomorrow.”
"Let's see if we can meet Yu Qingzhou's senior sister?" the man said casually.
"Hmm." I was a little embarrassed. "I'll just look at her from afar. I'm just curious and want to see her in person, that's all."
"Just one meeting? You're so easily satisfied."
"Really? After all, they don't know me."
And I had nothing to say to her, because I was using Yu Qingzhou's body at the time, which allowed me to converse freely with women in my dreams. Otherwise, I would never have dared to approach someone like that. So, just being able to see her was enough.
"Okay, I promise you."
Hearing him say that, my eyes lit up, but before I could even express my gratitude, the man spoke again.
"Don't be too happy yet," he said. "I already said it's within my capabilities. If you go back before the time is right, there's nothing I can do about it."
Upon hearing this, I nodded repeatedly.
When he says "go back," he probably means "wake up from the dream."
Although I don't know how long I can keep this dream, it's always good to give it a try.
"There are two other wishes. Even if you don't want them, I have no reason to take them back. So I'll keep them for you for now, and you can take them back when you want to use them in the future."
For some reason, a hint of schadenfreude seemed to flash in the man's eyes when he spoke of the future.
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