Zhuo Zhu got up, and the entire cinema was empty except for them.
In the dim light, Jiang Chongyan looked at him with concern. The soft flesh on his face had thinned considerably, revealing subtle lines, his features sharp and yet blurring.
Slowly, he transformed into the likeness of another person.
"Chongyan?"
Jiang Chongyan blinked, feeling as though she wasn't calling him, yet he was the only one here, and that was his name.
"I'm here. Why did you fall asleep again? Or was the movie too boring?"
Zhuo Zhu shook her head, feeling disoriented.
"I called you for a long time, but you wouldn't wake up. I thought something had happened to you. You kept calling my name. Were you dreaming of me?"
Zhuo Zhu was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I dreamt of you."
"Was it a nightmare? You look so worried."
Zhuo Zhu stood up, replying perfunctorily, "It wasn't a nightmare. I can't quite remember. Let's go back; everyone's left."
Seeing her change the subject, Jiang Chongyan didn't press further. "Okay, let's go!"
Was the Chongyan she spoke of the same person as him?
If not, then who was it? Whose substitute had he become?
Doubt gnawed at him, making him forget the pain of the injuries he sustained fighting that man earlier that night. He remained dispirited all the way back.
Zhuo Zhu had matters weighing on her mind, so she didn't pay him much attention.
She couldn't recall precisely what had happened all those years ago.
Rong Jin must have known everything. Why hadn't she asked him back then?
He had been killed by her own sword. She had felt so conflicted back then, wanting to know the answer but also fearing it. One was the person killed by her sword, and the other was someone she had promised to protect. She didn't want to face it and had been avoiding it.
But the dream she had today made her remember more.
Perhaps avoidance would never solve the problem.
One day, she would have to face it all!
—
"A Zhu, A Zhu."
"Huh?"
Jiang Chongyan tapped the table. "That's enough. It'll overflow soon. What are you thinking about? You've been spacing out several times."
Could it be that she knew he had drugged her?
Zhuo Zhu quickly stopped what she was doing, screwed the lid on the cup, and replied absently, "Just a small matter. I might need to take some time to deal with it. It's nothing. I'm going to the academy now. You, don't run around."
"Where would I go?" Jiang Chongyan felt a little nervous.
Zhuo Zhu couldn't be bothered to expose him. "Mm, you're the best boy. Wait for me to come back."
With that, she grabbed her things and left.
She really did need to take some time to go back.
But it wasn't the right time. The time flow in different worlds varied. For instance, in the world she was in, a thousand or ten thousand years would pass in an instant for beings like them—gods. But for ordinary people, a few decades was a lifetime.
By the time she returned, Jiang Chongyan might have already reincarnated countless times.
With her mind preoccupied, she was absent-minded the entire day.
Someone nudged her, and she almost fell onto the table.
Her face showed clear annoyance. "What is it?"
The girl looked scared and pointed towards the door. "Someone's looking for you."
Zhuo Zhu's first thought was that Jiang Chongyan had arrived.
She gathered her spirits and walked out, but he wasn't there.
A man she didn't recognize walked over. The aura around him was striking. She immediately understood.
The man smiled, but his face was injured, making his smile look a bit disheveled. "Hello, are you Yan Zhu?"
"Mm, is there something you need?"
"I have something I'd like to discuss with you. Is it convenient to come with me?"
She hadn't even gone to find him yet, and he had come to her. Zhuo Zhu smiled and nodded. "Of course."