“Me?” Su Minghua glanced at Jiang Ling, sighed, and shook his head, replying:
“Yueyue already has enough of an opinion of me. If I get involved again, I’m afraid this family won’t be able to win her back, even with lies.”
“It’s this time, can’t you just not hold it against her! Besides, you tell this boy not to tell Yueyue you contacted him. If Yueyue really asks, just say I insisted you go, okay?”
Jiang Ling pulled his arm with both hands, her face full of expectation.
“This…” He looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and finally replied gently, “Alright, for my dear wife, and for our precious daughter, I’ll go see him.”
Jiang Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief, her heart at ease. She leaned gently against Su Minghua, thinking how good it was to have him.
But on Su Minghua’s face, dark clouds gathered.
Su Yue received no more messages from her mother. No news was the best news. Su Minghua probably wouldn’t bother her anymore.
She felt relieved and soon fell asleep.
But perhaps because she had suddenly recalled many past events during her call with her mother today, some sealed memories began to trouble her again, good and bad, intertwined, forming a large net that enveloped her, making it hard to breathe.
She walked into that dilapidated alley again, winding her way through, and entered the small courtyard where she had lived before the age of five. It was empty, overgrown with weeds, the windows broken, and all sorts of insects flying around.
She was scared and wanted to retreat, but suddenly hands pushed her forward. She wanted to cry for help, but hands covered her mouth.
There was no sun in the sky, and in the dim environment, everything looked somewhat eerie.
She suddenly heard shouting and scolding, a man calling a woman a slut, demanding why she didn’t die yet.
Those hands pushed her forward, to the front of a dilapidated house.
Looking through the window, a man was whipping a woman with a belt. The woman knelt on the ground, sobbing and not daring to make a sound. She wore a white cotton vest, and her back had been torn open by the whip, revealing deep bloody gashes. Blood flowed down her back.
“Ah—” The hand over Su Yue’s mouth finally withdrew, and she couldn't help but scream.
The man hitting stopped and turned his face towards her.
It was! A terrifying, distorted face!
He grinned maliciously and walked towards her. The woman on the ground, though almost out of strength, still struggled to grab his leg, murmuring:
“Don’t hit my daughter…”
“Don’t…”
“Yueyue? Yueyue, wake up!”
Someone called her. The man stopped, the hand behind her released, and the dream world began to collapse. Someone shook her violently, bringing her back to reality.
“Yueyue?” Chen Ziming looked at her with some nervousness.
He had only just lain down not long ago. He had been holding her, about to fall asleep, but didn’t expect her to have a nightmare.
At first, her brows were tightly furrowed, and she mumbled something unknown. Then she began to gasp for air, and finally, she struggled and screamed.
“Had a nightmare?” Seeing her wake up, he breathed a sigh of relief, helped her sit up, and pulled her into his arms, then offered her the water cup from the bedside.
Su Yue was still shaken, immersed in the dream, tears streaming down her face. Trembling, she took the water cup but couldn’t hold it steady, spilling a few drops.
Chen Ziming quickly took the cup from her hand.
“Chen Ziming…” she called his name dazedly, as if to reassure herself.
“Yes, I’m here.” He patted her back, looked down at her, and replied gently.
He was here.
With these words, she was able to emerge slightly from the terrifying dream.
“I had a very scary dream,” she murmured, unsure if she was speaking to him or to herself.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.” His voice was steady and reassuring.
“Will you always be here?” she asked, her eyes blurry, looking up at him.
“Yes, always.” He reached out a finger to wipe away her tears.
Su Yue could finally relax. Just as she was about to lower her head and lean into his embrace again, she heard him speak again, gently calling her name:
“Baby.”