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Section 90: The Castle's Lost Dreams (6)

"What?"

"Your fiancé is flirting with another woman, don't you hate him?" Blood tears suddenly streamed from her eyes, and she hooked her fingers in agitation, the sharp tips pricking my skin. "Look at you, so tender! Skin so delicate, it's a pity that man doesn't know how to cherish you. You should kill him!"

Ah! I gasped, "You're crazy! You must be crazy!" I desperately backed away, trying to escape her intimidation.

She withdrew her right hand, looked at her sharp fingernails, and said in a maddeningly high-pitched voice, "Silly girl, if you don't kill him today, you'll suffer later."

I saw a ghostly blue light emanate from her dark eyes, and a slender tongue darted out from her bright red lips to lick her fingernails. I reached down and touched my neck, only to find bloodstains. "What does this mean?" I could no longer feel any warmth in my body; I was probably numb with cold.

"You will become like me, dying in sorrow, going mad with despair. Your heart will be torn to pieces, and the pain will be excruciating."

I shook my head, shook it forcefully: "No! I won't commit suicide for a man like you!"

Her eyes suddenly widened, blood gushing from them: "Why?"

"Suicide is the most irresponsible act. You die, but leave pain to the living. I will never do that! Absolutely not!"

"Hmph!" she sneered. "Easy for you to say. When you're pushed to that point, you'll know what unbearable pain is."

“I won’t! At least I still have friends! Even if I lose love, I still have friendship, and I know what it means to cherish.” Apple was waiting for me to go back. “Besides, my feelings for Mingyang aren’t that deep. We are, still, just,” I said, emphasizing each word, biting my lip as if struggling, “friends.”

She laughed even more wildly: "Women! They always like to deceive themselves! Hahahahahaha..."

Another ear-piercing laugh, so sharp it felt like it would shatter my eardrums. I covered my ears tightly, tears streaming down my face… It hurt! My ears… the pain was unbearable…

〖JP3〗The door was kicked open at that moment, and all the darkness, cold, and sharp pain vanished instantly. Someone pulled me from my sleep and shouted, "What's wrong? Ruoxi, open your eyes! Wake up!"

When I squinted my eyelids, I saw a hazy, orange light. Someone was holding me, their fingers gripping me so tightly it hurt. I recognized the person in front of me; although they wore large sunglasses, they were so familiar and comforting that it transcended everything. The great forest! I cried out, overwhelmed by the exhilaration of being reborn from hell.

I really thought I was going to die. I sobbed uncontrollably, soaking his sleeve with my tears.

He hugged me tightly as if comforting a child, patting me gently with his warm hands: "It's alright, I'm here. You were just talking in your sleep, it was just a dream..."

I gradually calmed down, sat on the bed hugging my pink pillow, occasionally twitching, but the tears slowly receded.

He squatted by the bedside and looked at me: "It's alright. Mingyang used to have nightmares a lot when he was little. He would talk in his sleep every night, sweat all over, and sometimes even have convulsions. But he stopped talking in his sleep after he turned fourteen. I don't know how he did it. You can ask him when he comes back. Besides, you should be braver than him. You're eighteen now, an adult, right?"

I nodded obediently, wiped the wetness from my face, and said to him, "Big Forest, you're just like a kind old lady."

He smiled, his fingers brushing against my bangs. Oh my god, I could smell the minty scent emanating from his sleeve again: "Nonsense! I'm a man."

I burst into laughter through my tears: "Oh yeah, you're a guy."

"Go to sleep!" He pulled the blanket up for me, walked to the door to turn off the light, and said goodnight.

"Could you," I pleaded, "please leave the lights on?"

He smiled and said okay, then goodnight, and quietly walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Wait a minute!" I remembered, "Isn't Mingyang home?"

"His classmates are looking for him, probably because they haven't seen him in a long time and want to get together! He should be back soon."

Just then, I heard the wall clock in the corridor strike twelve.

"Goodnight." The Great Forest was gone, and the sound of gentle, considerate footsteps echoed in the corridor.

I huddled under the covers, thinking, "Mingyang went to see his classmate. Is it that woman named Lewis?"

After that, I had no dreams all night until dawn.

I stretched lazily, thinking how wonderful it was; I hadn't dreamt of anything scary since the forest trip. I got out of bed to tidy the blankets, and as I shook the pillow, something slipped out from under it and fell to the floor with a thud. My heart started pounding again.

Section 91: The Castle's Lost Dream (7)

Isn't this the purple clay Buddhist prayer beads that the old man from the river mouth gave to the Great Forest?

It also emits a faint, pale golden light, much like the halo of sunlight.

No wonder I stopped having nightmares; it turns out the great forest left it here. I felt a little comforted and touched. Although he always said harsh things, he didn't really mean them; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered with me.

I grabbed the string of Buddhist prayer beads and excitedly went out to find him, only to bump into Mingyang in the corridor.

"Hey!" This guy gave me a shameless wink, and he still had the nerve to do that?

I glared at him angrily and ran away. That jerk Mingyang, that wicked Mingyang! He was all lovey-dovey with a blonde last night, and this morning he's shamelessly "hype" me? Hype my ass! I'm not buying it!

Mingyang jogged after me and stood in front of me like a gatepost: "Where are you going?"

"Mind your own business," I said irritably, pushing him away.

"Did I offend you?" He wasn't angry at all, with a toast roll in his mouth, waiting for my answer.

"Get out of the way!" When I moved to the left, he blocked my way to the left; when I moved to the right, he followed me.

"No way."

I looked up at the tall, handsome young man in front of me and shook my head helplessly: "Di Mingyang, you're like a little kid!"

He blinked and stared at me, not backing down at all: "Aren't you the same?"

I said, "Then you have to give way to me."

Why?

"Because you're older than me!" Seven years older than me, yet still like a child.

While he was still in a daze, I had already overtaken him and started running.

But the room in the big forest was empty. Where did he go?

As I stood at his door, puzzled, Mingyang popped out from behind me again. He put an arm around my neck and deliberately lowered his voice, saying, "Little Crow! You're going to be the young mistress of the Di family in the future. How can you run around barefoot in your pajamas? It's not very elegant!"

I looked down and saw that yesterday, Big Forest went to the street and bought a whole bunch of daily necessities. The pajamas fit perfectly, and there was even an adorable little bear embroidered on the belly. But…

I looked back at Mingyang, feeling utterly dejected. Why was he wearing the exact same white and blue jacquard cotton pajamas, with a bear on the chest just like mine? Was Da Senlin deliberately buying a matching set? Even their pajamas were couple outfits?

I turned around angrily, pointed at the little bear on his stomach, and said, "Didn't you also run out in your pajamas? And with a toast roll in your mouth, how unseemly!"

He stared blankly at his stomach, while the little bear on his pajamas looked back at him innocently: "I'm a man!"

"Oh!" I nodded emphatically. "I just noticed. It was so hard to see."

He grabbed my neck and held me tightly, saying, "Try messing with me again!"

"You eat so awfully! There's butter on your lips..."

Before I could finish speaking, a wild, unrestrained kiss landed on my lips, fiercely, forcefully silencing me. Strangely, the butter was oily and greasy, yet not unpleasant, but…

I instinctively raised my knee, and a distorted scream echoed throughout the second-floor corridor.

I swear I didn't mean to, I just used a tiny bit of force.

"Are you alright?" I asked kindly, feeling a little guilty.

His little face was all distorted, but he still smiled and asked me, "What do you think?"

Uh? This...

Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best. I turned around and took off running...

In the morning, accompanied by my two companions, I strolled through the old streets of Bern. It was a very clean city, with tram tracks running through the middle of the streets. Elegant, light gray buildings lined both sides of the road, and the sky was a deep, vibrant blue, like a dye vaulted over a vast dome, its colors a tapestry of breathtaking beauty. Leaving the bustling city center, we entered very quiet streets. Walking on the cobblestone carriage roads, I looked up to see ancient houses with red roofs and white walls, and the charmingly colorful fountains in the center of the streets. This beautiful country felt like a dreamlike fairytale.

Mingyang grabbed my shoulders and pushed me forward, chattering incessantly the whole way:

"Little crow, look, this is the old street..."

"This building is four hundred years old..."

"Look there, that's the little bear logo that symbolizes Bourne..."

"And here..."

Mingyang acted like a tour guide, recounting the quaint medieval charm of Bern. Yet, I couldn't help but glance back at the great forest. He, wearing a low-brimmed cap and wide-rimmed sunglasses, followed behind, seemingly relaxed and unhurried. However, we also had our moments of unspoken understanding: the three of us would sit together on a bench under a maple tree, each with a cup of hot juice, lazily basking in the sun.

Section 92: The Castle's Lost Dreams (8)

"So comfortable." I tilted my head back and squinted at the sun. It was white, like a fluffy ball of yarn.

Mingyang turned to look at me and suddenly said, "Little Crow, what happened to your neck?"

"Hmm?" I looked at him strangely. "Neck?"

"Yes!" He reached out and touched my neck, then brushed it across. "Are you hurt?"

I was surprised to find a bright red mark on his index finger. My face changed drastically. It was left by Xiao Yuan when she disturbed my brainwaves last night. But... wasn't that a nightmare? How could it leave a mark?

My heart started racing again...

I hadn't had a chance to return the prayer beads to Da Senlin yet; they lay in my pocket, still warm. I wanted to give them back to him, but a sense of unease crept in. Would my nightmares and hallucinations return once I left these beads behind? Frustrated, I spilled the juice in my hand, staining Da Senlin's clothes.

"I'm sorry!" His Louis Vuitton must be very expensive. I tried to wipe the stain clean, but the more flustered I became, the less clean it became.

“No need.” He smiled gently. “I’ll just go to the dry cleaner and wait for you. It’s on the other side of the street. You can meet me after you’ve finished shopping here.”

I felt a little frustrated watching him walk away, blaming myself for being clumsy.

Mingyang was overjoyed, and seeing his gleeful expression really annoyed me: "You're so happy, young master?"

"Yes! Did you deliberately send the big forest away to create some alone time for us?"

"Shameless." I stuck my tongue out at him and stood up to leave.

He crossed his legs smugly: "Little girl, you can't get anywhere without me!"

What arrogance? I don't believe it.

In fact, problems arose immediately.

I saw some grilled sausages being sold by the roadside, and they smelled so good! I really wanted to try some. But...

"#%?#￥%??￥%..." The owner of the sausage stand smiled politely at me and said a lot of gibberish, which I didn't understand at all.

This is terrible! We can't communicate.

〖JP3〗“Need my help?” Mingyang appeared behind me without me noticing, stroking his chin with a mischievous grin. “Little girl!” 〖JP

I could only hang my head in defeat and listen to him speak in a foreign language to the white-skinned, blue-eyed foreigner. After a long, rambling conversation, they suddenly burst into laughter. Mingyang reached out and hugged me tightly, nodding repeatedly to the foreigner. Finally, the fragrant grilled sausage was handed to me, but… I glanced at Mingyang sideways: “What were you saying to that foreigner just now?”

He whispered in my ear, "He complimented my wife on her beauty, and I said, 'Of course! Even Princess Diana couldn't compare to my wife's natural beauty!'"

[JP3] I rolled my eyes at him: "Don't talk nonsense! Foreigners wouldn't understand what 'naturally beautiful' means!" [JP]

"Hehe, he doesn't understand. I'll tell him to go home and look it up in the dictionary."

It turns out that German is the main language here, but some people speak French. It is said that the Swiss Constitution of 1848, which designated Bern as the federal capital, was the result of a compromise between Germany and Switzerland, and between France and Switzerland.