Chapter 16 Something Is About To Emerge

If Su Ran were in his sister's room, he would notice that the woman leaning against the huge French window, gasping for breath, now seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him.

She raised her head, and the bright moonlight outside the window shone in. Tonight was a rare full moon.

Su Xiaoxiao's shadow was left alone on the wall.

The longer one looked at it, the more distorted the shadow became, as if... something strange, something alive, was about to burst out from within.

......

Even sunlight streamed in through the window, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere in the small office.

"Doctor," Fatty said, looking up, "could you move a bit?"

Jiang Cheng grunted and sat up from his office chair, then grabbed a blue notebook recording the needs of wealthy... clients, walked to the sofa, and began to study it diligently.

"Hurry up," Jiang Cheng said leisurely, picking up his cup and taking a sip of the ground coffee Fatty had prepared for him earlier.

Wearing rubber gloves on his right hand and holding a rag, Fatty, who was spraying cleaner on the desk with his left hand, responded repeatedly, "Doctor, please wait a moment. I'll call you when I'm done wiping the table."

"Mmm."

Jiang Cheng closed his eyes comfortably, savoring the explosion of flavor on his tongue.

Instant coffee costing 1.5 yuan per bag could no longer satisfy his picky taste buds.

Originally, he wouldn't have been able to afford this top-quality coffee from Ethiopia based on his economic situation.

It was Pi Ruan who sent it.

The refrigerator was also filled with other good things he had sent.

Fatty smacked his lips in admiration, staring at the marbled beef, saying he had seen such beef at the Yellow Crane Tower, and it was sold by the gram.

So Jiang Cheng waved his hand and said he wanted to eat pan-fried beef cubes for lunch.

"Doctor," Fatty asked curiously, wiping the back of the chair and turning his head, "is there something good happening today? You seem to be in a particularly good mood."

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, then looked at Fatty with a very serious expression and said, "Tonight, I'm going to do something."

"Something important," he emphasized.

Fatty's cheerful expression immediately froze, and his face became serious.

His mood wasn't as good as it seemed; he was just using this time to keep himself busy, selectively forgetting what had happened before.

And those... unbelievable guesses.

For those unsolvable, or even incomprehensible, problems, Fatty's approach was to put them aside for the time being, because life had to go on.

Fatty opened his mouth, his attitude becoming much more cautious. He stared at the doctor, and after a long while, he said, "Doctor, are you planning to enter that door again tonight?"

Although he knew it was unlikely that the doctor would accept his advice, he hesitated before saying, "Doctor, I suggest you get some rest and not be too anxious." He paused. "I feel... I feel that some things in the nightmare still need..."

"It has nothing to do with the nightmare; it's my own business," Jiang Cheng said, continuing to sip his coffee, closing his eyes and letting out a pleasant groan, "Ah~~"

Fatty: "......"

"Is there anything you need me to do?" he asked tentatively.

Jiang Cheng didn't even look at him, closed the book, looked out the door alone, and shook his head, "No, you just guard the house."

"Understood, Doctor."

Based on the intensity of the nightmares, now that they had just escaped one, it was unlikely that they would be drawn into another one tonight.

Of course, it would be a different story if they carried clue newspapers around with them, like the doctor had last time.

They already knew that was a way to actively enter a nightmare.

But even if he wanted to, he couldn't, because they didn't have anything on them now.

The only clue newspaper had been used up by the doctor.

The whole day passed in a relatively relaxed atmosphere. People who had experienced nightmares seemed to have truly learned how to face life.

Contrary to what Fatty had initially expected, during this time waiting to enter a nightmare, he had not only not become numb with fear, lost hope in life, and turned into a pile of mud, but he was actually living more meaningfully than before.

At least... that was the case for the doctor.

He bustled about, first helping the doctor clean the room and repair the dilapidated bookshelves and desks in the office, then sorting out the messy wires and securing them with blunt-tipped nails and electrical tape.

Finally, he arranged a balanced diet for the doctor.

The only flaw was that the pan-fried beef cubes for lunch had been postponed to dinner for some irresistible reason.

The doctor, rarely without comment, hastily forked a piece into his mouth, wrinkling his brow from the heat.

But from his expression, it was clear that the doctor was very satisfied with dinner.

Otherwise, he would have made a few comments.

"Fatty," Jiang Cheng said,眯着眼睛, leaning back on the sofa, calling out to Fatty, who was busy in the kitchen, "Just pan the remaining beef on both sides, I want it rare."

He thought for a moment and continued, "Don't waste such good ingredients."

"Why don't you just eat it raw, Doctor?" Fatty shouted back, "Anyway, we don't have sea salt and black pepper. There's still half a packet of chili sauce left, you can eat it with that."

Under Fatty's care, Jiang Cheng's complexion had improved a lot recently. He didn't eat too much for dinner, reluctantly putting down his fork when he was about 70-80% full.

After counting the number of remaining beef cubes, he went to the kitchen again, opened the refrigerator, and inspected it.

After Fatty finished his work, he yawned, thinking of going upstairs to sleep for a while, but as soon as he went upstairs and lay down, the darkness around him sent a shiver down his spine.

He couldn't help but imagine the possibility of being drawn into a nightmare after falling asleep, and his chances of survival.

Nightmares were a very mysterious concept for Fatty. If he had to use an analogy, he felt it was a bit like flying in an airplane.

The possibility of being drawn into a nightmare tonight was as low as the possibility of an airplane crashing.

But once that premise was established, then with only his own abilities, his chances of survival would probably be no different from the chances of surviving an airplane crash.

Thinking of this, Fatty wisely chose to roll up his quilt, then carried it downstairs, spread it out on the sofa, and lay down facing the doctor.

From this position, he could see the doctor.

He suddenly felt much safer.

After several kind reminders from the doctor, he now had to cover his face up to his neck with the quilt when he slept. According to the doctor, this would give him a chance to struggle if a ghost tried to break his neck.

"Doctor," Fatty said, his lower face covered by the quilt, his voice muffled, "Vigorous exercise after a meal is not good." He advised kindly, "A classmate of mine died that way before."

Jiang Cheng, who was doing push-ups with one hand, twitched and almost fell flat on the ground. Then he stood up, cocked his head, and stared at Fatty with a suspicious look.