Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Zhang Zian’s honesty allowed Zhuang Xiaodie to find the answers to some questions that she hadn’t figured out before. It provided her with such a sense of realization that she wanted to hit herself on the forehead for it, angrily asking herself why she didn’t realize it sooner.
The elves’ presence reminded him that it was a dream, so he started acting. He could have performed better and spent more time with his parents in this dream. He could’ve said “goodbye” on the last day of the Golden Week, or come up with other reasons to postpone it indefinitely; she had given him wealth, freedom, and reasons to do so.
However, when he found that the elves’ powers were greatly weakened and he might’ve not been able to protect them in this dream world, he decided to stop the dream as soon as possible.
It was likely a painful decision to make. For the entire third day of the Golden Week, he found himself in a dilemma. However, this itself revealed nothing.
Now that she knew all this, she had no regrets.
Zhang Zian waited for her decision. What would happen next was entirely up to her.
Zhuang Xiaodie paced back and forth. She appeared calm, but she was so confused by the various thoughts flowing through her mind that she now had a massive headache.
The other party held all power over life and death. While he passively waited, Zhang Zian quietly winked at the elves. It meant that they had fulfilled their purpose of entering, and thus it was time to leave. There was no point in them staying, and the survival of this world boiled down to her decision alone.
Although the golden cat could not speak, it was obviously scoffing. It never knew how to escape, at least not how to escape in front of a butterfly.
The tea-colored cat looked even calmer as if her expression wouldn’t change even if the mountains collapsed. Let her be strong, however strong she may be. Breathe well and the body will be strong, too.
The blue-gray cat was fearless; death was not part of the Meow Meow Doctrine! It had long disliked the butterfly’s idealism and the various superfluous messages she sent throughout the entire dream. No matter how uncomfortable it felt, it had nowhere to vent.
The little monkey waved the tree branch and was determined not to just sit and write novels in the future. It planned to actively exercise and be as capable as the Monkey King.
“Quack! Eat fart! Eat fart!” The gray parrot raised its butt up and down enough to make someone worry if it would really fart and shit.
The mute girl felt anxious and helpless, trapped in the car and unable to move her wheelchair.
The black and white kitten stared at Zhuang Xiaodie.
The white cloud dog in the sky looked like a silhouette.
None of them intended to flee without a fight, although they knew that they had no chance of winning.
Zhuang Xiaodie stopped pacing and turned her head.
She gritted her teeth and said, “I’ll give you another chance to choose. If you pretend to know nothing, then I’ll pretend that nothing happened. We can just continue to live in dreams.”
She doesn’t know why she proposed this plan. Maybe she didn’t want to end this dream.
Zhang Zian was surprised, but he quickly shook his head. “Thank you, but that’s enough. No matter how wonderful the dream is, it should be over.”
“Why? Why?!”
Her tone rose sharply, indicating the pent up anger she felt in her heart. She was already so indignant by his actions, yet he still refused to surrender to her will!
“Let go of your prejudices! Why are you so stubborn to think that the real world is better? Have you forgotten the discrimination, oppression, injustice, and darkness in the real world? Or do you think that dreams are short-lived because you fear death? Are you physically dying in the world?” she asked in a loud and bold tone.
“Dreams have a different time flow from the real world. In reality, your body may only be able to support you for another ten days, but those ten days are enough for you to dream for hundreds of years! Every day in the dream, your life will be very fulfilling. Every day, you will be extremely happy and have fresh and lasting memories of the days before. In a dream, you can become a successful person unlike in reality. You can walk every corner of the world, see everything the world has to offer, and have everyone greet you with a smile, The whole world will treat you well. This is a privilege that no fictional protagonist has ever been granted!”
She calmed down a little, took a steady breath, and continued, “But what about the real world? A century of life is also nothing but a big empty dream. Reality offers many experiences, but only one of them will be pleasant. The other 99 include annoyances, sorrows, emptiness, pain, anger, entanglements, and regrets… Is such a life worthy of your hard pursuit? Don’t talk about experiencing life. Aren’t people in the real world purposely seeking a painful reason to exist?”
She vented out the words that lived in her heart for so long. Her face became flushed with excitement, but her heart was happier and lighter.
Yes, those who would still go to the mountains knowing that tigers lived there were fools.
It was similar to experiencing life…
If he picked one choice, his parents would be alive, he would have children, no illness and his heart desire fulfilled. As he slowly grew old, he would be able to smile without regrets.
If he picked the other one, he’ll rarely be rewarded for his efforts, his trust may be betrayed, and he’ll work hard only to face hardships. Just when he tasted success, he may succumb to an illness and die before even enjoying it.
Only a fool would choose the latter!
Zhang Zian listened silently, without interrupting her. Her statements were accurate and couldn’t be refuted.
He didn’t doubt that she could fulfill her promise. As long as she nodded, she could give him a wonderful life that would be impossible to describe; he would spend a hundred years living in a dream and become the happiest person in the world.
“So, I will ask you one last time; Do you choose to live in a magnificent dream, or a reality intertwined with suffering?” she asked with confidence.
Zhang Zian sighed, “If only I had met you sooner …”
“What do you mean? Don’t be so cryptic!” Her heart began beating faster.
“If I met you in the real world when I first returned to Binhai City, I would choose the former without hesitation, even if I knew it was a dream, and have a happy life for a hundred years. Does it matter what the dream is?” He smiled softly as his thoughts returned to last autumn.
“But now, I can only choose the latter,” he said regretfully.
“Why?” She couldn’t believe it; was he really a fool?
He turned his head and glanced at the elves first before facing the little girl by the door, the otaku girl in front of the pet shop, and the two male college students talking to one another.
“Because in reality, everyone is worried about me. If I just fall asleep like this, many people will be sad for me. How could I abandon them for my happiness alone?”
All of the elves, whether physically present or invisible, suddenly widened their eyes burning in an unprecedented fiery anger!
