Chapter Five — The One Beside Her Pillow, Yet Beyond Her Reach

“Oh, don't overthink it. I bet you ate too much before going to bed, so you ended up having all those strange, disjointed dreams.”

Xiaomei calmly gave her opinion.

Yulan had just decided to tell her about the dream she had the previous night. And after Yulan also told her about another dream that had been remarkably similar to it—the dream she had the night before her first date with a boy named Ge Qi—Xiaomei came to this conclusion:

“That's nonsense. You're just too fascinated by that police superintendent, so without realizing it, you've turned him into the ideal man in your mind.

“Then, all of a sudden, another man starts showing interest in you, so you begin imagining that maybe the police superintendent is jealous or unhappy with you.

“Put simply, you're just letting your imagination run wild. You've been thinking about it too much, and then you carried all those thoughts into your dreams.”

After hearing her roommate's rebuttal, Yulan became certain that no matter what reason she offered, there was probably no way she could change Xiaomei's mind.

So she changed the subject and asked,

“Lately… have you secretly been playing that set of A Chance to Meet Again in Another Life music that I bought?”

“What? Are you crazy? That's totally not my style! Why would I play that…?!”

Xiaomei immediately denied it.

Her expression and tone made it clear to Yulan that she was not joking.

So the girl could only quietly bury her doubts in her heart.

“If Xiaomei wasn't the one playing it… then who has been turning that music on while neither of us is here…?”

..............................

The following Monday, Yulan and Xiaomei went to class together as usual.

However, as they passed through one part of the university campus, they unexpectedly encountered Ge Qi.

“Good morning. I didn't expect to run into you this early.”

Yulan greeted him with a bright smile.

But instead of responding politely, Ge Qi suddenly flinched as though he had been frightened by something.

He hurriedly turned around, his face filled with terror.

And the moment he saw Yulan's face clearly, he let out a scream.

“D-Don't come any closer!! You monster…!! You sea demon…!!”

He pointed at Yulan and shouted hysterically, trembling all over.

He looked as though he had completely lost his mind.

Yulan felt as if the entire world had stopped turning at that very moment.

Ge Qi's words sent a chill through her entire body.

Her mind went completely blank, and she could not even find a single word with which to defend herself.

Tears slowly welled up at the corners of her eyes.

“What are you saying? That's incredibly rude…!!”

Xiaomei was furious on her friend's behalf and immediately scolded him sharply.

But Ge Qi did not answer her.

He abruptly turned around and ran.

He fled as though something terrifying were chasing him from behind.

“Hey! Stop right there…!! If you've got the guts, don't run away…!! You coward…!!”

Xiaomei shouted after him and even moved as though she were about to chase him.

But Yulan grabbed her arm.

“Forget it, Xiaomei… just let it go…”

The girl pleaded softly, her voice trembling with tears.

Xiaomei clenched her teeth and let out a heavy sigh before turning back to comfort her friend.

...............................

The sudden incident left Yulan silent and depressed until noon.

Although she explained to Xiaomei,

“I'm just a little tired. I don't really have much energy…”

How could Xiaomei possibly not know who was responsible for making her friend this miserable?

So she waited until their final class had ended before persuading Yulan to go back to their place and rest.

Then Xiaomei ran all over the campus by herself, searching for the “coward” who had made her friend cry.

But she later learned that Ge Qi had only had classes that morning.

Having missed him completely, Xiaomei could only turn around and head home.

At the same time, she secretly made up her mind:

“I'll settle this with that bastard tomorrow!”

...............................

When Xiaomei returned home, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

She had been worried that Yulan might be hiding in the room and crying by herself.

But unexpectedly, her friend was sitting in front of the computer, wearing a faint smile.

“Well, ever since you lost weight, you've really become something. You looked so gloomy at the university earlier, and I leave you alone for just a little while, and you're already smiling by yourself.”

The always-feisty girl teased her with a laugh.

Yulan simply answered honestly,

“When I came back earlier, I was actually going to email Senior Ge Qi and ask him what had happened and why he suddenly treated me like that.

“But as soon as I connected to the Internet, I suddenly thought that maybe I could search for Mr. Lei Zhen online using his name and surname. So I gave it a try.

“I didn't expect that besides finding his photograph, I would actually find his personal profile too.”

As she said this, another smile appeared on Yulan's face.

“And you know what? He's not only really cute-looking, but his personality seems really nice too.”

The unexpected turn of events finally allowed Xiaomei to relax somewhat.

She silently thanked that “police officer” in her heart, then called Yulan out to get something to eat.

...............................

Since Yulan was not accustomed to staying up late, Xiaomei had no choice but to let her friend return home by herself after dinner.

However, not long after they parted ways, Xiaomei's sharp eyes caught sight of a familiar figure.

Ge Qi was turning into a shopping center.

“So you can't run away this time…”

Xiaomei sneered inwardly, her lips curling into a slight smile.

Then she immediately quickened her pace and followed him without hesitation.