Chapter 47

Before today, she had had many strange dreams, but they were disjointed, like loose threads scattered here and there. Meng Yinyin couldn’t make sense of them.

But today’s dream was different. It felt like glue or some kind of adhesive, tying together all the fragmented dreams she had before, finally forming a complete story.

In this dream, Meng Yinyin discovered that the world she was in was actually a book, and the protagonists of the book were the odd Lin Xiuzhi she had met at noon and her husband, Comrade Dou Zhengrong.

As for herself?

She was just a supporting character! A very jealous and malicious one!

When she realized this, Meng Yinyin nearly lost her temper when she woke up.

In the dream, she had admired Lin Xiuzhi’s husband, Dou Zhengrong, so much that she was willing to ruin her reputation to get close to him while he was still married to Lin Xiuzhi. She confessed her love to him and even tried to take care of him…

Unfortunately, Dou Zhengrong was a very upright man. Even though “Meng Yinyin” was young and beautiful and had unwavering feelings for him, he never wavered. He even harshly reprimanded her, calling her actions improper and disgraceful, scolding her terribly. Then everyone knew about it, and her face was ruined. She became someone everyone in the whole brigade despised…

Meng Yinyin: “……”

This was definitely fake, absolutely fake!

But recalling the details from the dream, she knew deep down that this was likely the truth.

Thinking about how she could end up in such a position made her shudder with horror!

Of course, aside from her “ending,” she also saw everything related to Lu Chen.

In the book, Lu Chen wasn’t with her. In fact, he wasn’t married to anyone.

Although he was alone, it seemed everyone in the book had accepted that Lu Chen had feelings for Lin Xiuzhi. Because he liked her, he quietly stayed by her side as her protector.

Later, something seemed to have happened, and it appeared that Lu Chen had decided to stop quietly guarding Lin Xiuzhi. Instead, he arranged for some private house or small building to hide her away…

Unfortunately, Meng Yinyin didn’t see this scene in the dream. She only heard others gossiping, saying they had seen Lu Chen take a woman into that gilded cage and shut her away from the world.

Since Lu Chen had only offered help and care to Lin Xiuzhi before, everyone naturally assumed that the woman Lu Chen had brought in was Lin Xiuzhi.

But now, Lu Chen turned out to be so dark and sinister!

Could he actually be a twisted person at heart? Someone who enjoys imprisoning others?

Although Meng Yinyin didn’t particularly like Lin Xiuzhi, the thought of Lin Xiuzhi being locked away by Lu Chen, like a little canary in a cage, made her feel uncomfortable.

But then…

Wait a minute!

She was the one dating Lu Chen now!

The realization struck her hard.

If Lu Chen really had that kind of special obsession, would he do the same to her? Lock her up, not let her go out or interact with the outside world?!

Just imagining such a scene made her hair stand on end.

She started to feel anxious, even a little regretful.

Regretful that she had jumped into this relationship with Lu Chen so hastily.

They had only known each other for a month or two. Although they had gotten to know each other to some extent, who could be sure about his true nature? What if everything Lu Chen had shown so far was just an act?

The vivid dreams that she had been having made Meng Yinyin too cautious to take anything she knew lightly.

Although she liked Lu Chen, her feelings weren’t deep enough to give up her freedom and willingly be locked away by him!

Once she understood everything that was happening, Meng Yinyin began to reconsider her choice.

What should she do now?

If she told Lu Chen that she didn’t want to be in a relationship with him anymore, would he drop the act and go mad?

But if she continued with the relationship, what if she ended up in the same situation as Lin Xiuzhi in her dreams?

Meng Yinyin thought about it endlessly, her head spinning, but she couldn’t figure out what to do.

It wasn’t until evening, when someone knocked on the courtyard door, that she was snapped out of her thoughts.

But as soon as she realized who it might be, she froze.

At this hour, the person knocking on the door could only be Lu Chen, returning from his errands.

Sure enough, just as Meng Yinyin thought this, she heard the familiar voice of Lu Chen from outside.

“Yinyin?”

Meng Yinyin froze.

What should she do now?!

She couldn’t look at Lu Chen, and she didn’t know how to interact with him naturally.

Before she could decide whether to open the door or not, a sound of something falling to the ground reached her ears.

Curious, she peeked through the crack in the door and saw Lu Chen climbing over the wall.

Meng Yinyin widened her eyes.

How could she forget that Lu Chen said that if she was still asleep when he came back, he would climb over the wall himself.

Lu Dashan had saved money when building this house, so the courtyard wall wasn’t very high—only about two meters. For most people, it would be difficult to climb, but for a tall man like Lu Chen, it was easy.

Meng Yinyin didn’t know whether to blame Lu Dashan for cutting corners when building the house or to be annoyed that Lu Chen had to be so tall!

Once inside the courtyard, Lu Chen’s footsteps slowed down, as if he were trying not to wake Meng Yinyin, who was still “sleeping.”

He glanced toward her room, but since it wasn’t too bright outside, he couldn’t see her hiding behind the door.

Even though he only glanced once, Meng Yinyin still instinctively moved aside.

Fortunately, Lu Chen didn’t linger. He quietly turned and went to the kitchen, seemingly holding something in his hand. Meng Yinyin didn’t dare to look, afraid he might notice that she wasn’t asleep and was instead awake and hiding from him.

Not only was she awake, but she was also hiding from him because she now knew his “true nature.”

It wasn’t until the footsteps faded that Meng Yinyin returned to the bed with a troubled expression. She lay down, staring at the mosquito net, feeling overwhelmed with uncertainty.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Lu Chen opened the cupboard. He was about to take out a bowl and pour the ice cream he had brought from the city into it. Although the ice cream had melted into a puddle, he thought Meng Yinyin would still like the sweet taste.

At worst, he could put the bowl in the well to cool it down and drink it like rock sugar water.

However, as soon as he opened the cupboard, he was surprised to find that the cold noodles he had made for Meng Yinyin in the morning were still untouched, neatly placed inside.

She didn’t eat lunch?

Lu Chen froze for a moment, then frowned, his concern growing.

If she hadn’t eaten lunch, was she feeling unwell? Was she sick?

When he had knocked on the courtyard door earlier, Meng Yinyin hadn’t responded, and he had assumed she was just napping. After all, it was the middle of summer, and it was normal to feel sleepy.

But now, it seemed… maybe she wasn’t just sleepy. Maybe she was actually sick!

With this thought, Lu Chen could hardly stay calm. He put everything down, turned, and rushed toward Meng Yinyin’s room!

He hurried to the door, no longer concerned about being quiet, and urgently called out.

“Yinyin, Yinyin? Are you okay?”

“Yinyin?”

Inside the room, Meng Yinyin almost screamed when she heard his voice.

She instinctively jumped up from the bed, about to answer, but then the dreams from the afternoon flashed in her mind, and she was suddenly at a loss for words.

What should I do? What should I do? She hadn’t even figured out how to face Lu Chen yet!

There was no response from inside the room, and Lu Chen’s heart grew heavier with each passing moment.

After a while, he pressed his lips together tightly and said firmly, “Sorry, I might have to kick the door down.”

He wasn’t trying to break in on purpose, but he was worried that Meng Yinyin might be in some sort of trouble.

Upon hearing him mention kicking down the door, Meng Yinyin’s eyes widened. She immediately called out to stop him.

“Wait, wait, wait! I—I’m awake! I’m fine, really, I’m fine!”

When Lu Chen heard her voice, the worry in his heart finally settled.

However, there was something odd about her voice. It sounded clear and strong, not at all like someone who had just woken up or was sick.

A trace of doubt flashed in Lu Chen’s mind, but he didn’t overthink it. As long as Meng Yinyin was fine, he felt relieved.

“You didn’t eat lunch, I’ll go make you some food.” Lu Chen said, remembering that she hadn’t eaten yet. “What do you want to eat? How about I make you some meat?”

His words reminded Meng Yinyin of how hungry she was. She realized her stomach had been empty for too long.

But she really didn’t want to face Lu Chen right now. Although, she was starving and craved some meat.

And Lu Chen’s cooking was getting better and better. Almost every dish he made, she enjoyed.

She debated between going out to eat the delicious food or avoiding Lu Chen. After some inner struggle, Meng Yinyin tearfully refused.

“I—I don’t want any meat. You…”

She was about to say, “You can eat it yourself.”

She was afraid that the more she ate of Lu Chen’s food now, the more she’d owe him later.

She loved her freedom, and she loved the outside world. She really didn’t want to be confined!

But just after she refused, Lu Chen hesitated for a moment before carefully asking again.

“You don’t want to eat meat today?”

“Then should I go catch some fish for you?”

If she didn’t want meat, maybe her appetite was off today. So Lu Chen decided to go catch a fish from the river since it was getting dark. He planned to make her favorite sweet and sour fish, which would be light and appetizing. Every time she ate it, she finished a whole fish by herself.

Thinking about how Meng Yinyin always looked like a little cat with fish on her face, Lu Chen couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Meng Yinyin: “…”

She was about to cry, but she also felt that Lu Chen was really scary!

He must have known that her favorite food was fish, so he was using that to trick her into opening the door!

He really had such deep plans!

Crying and biting her finger, Meng Yinyin’s internal struggle started to sway again.

“Okay, you go ahead and catch it…”

She swore this would be the last time she indulged herself.

Outside, when Lu Chen heard her finally agree to eat, he silently sighed with relief.

“Alright, I’ll go now. Be careful at home, and make sure the door is locked.”

After saying this, Lu Chen climbed over the wall again, sparing Meng Yinyin the trouble of locking and unlocking the door.

Even if Meng Yinyin later found out what he was really like, she couldn’t help but feel he was considerate.

At the same time, Meng Yinyin started to wonder: Could a person really hide themselves so deeply and act so convincingly?

Or was there something more to it?

She couldn’t figure it out and regretted not remembering all the details of the dream she had.

But one thing she was certain of was that there was something fishy between Lin Xiuzhi and Lu Chen!

Otherwise, why would Lin Xiuzhi come looking for Lu Chen in such a state today, as if she was seeking his help, saying things like they couldn’t talk about their matters to others?

Thinking about the scene from the afternoon made Meng Yinyin upset.

For a moment, all her fear of Lu Chen was overshadowed by this frustration.

She decided that when Lu Chen returned, she would ask him about it. If he really had something going on with Lin Xiuzhi, or if he truly had feelings for her, then she could just break up with him!