Is it because one's daydreams become their dreams at night?
After all, these past few days I couldn't stop gazing at her, almost using her as an ink wash.
Qin Li standing on the terrace, looked up, towards Li Zhiyuan standing on the balcony.
Their eyes met for the first time.
Li Zhiyuan understood that she wasn't someone he dreamt up, but rather, she entered his dream, a projection from reality. He had almost gotten used to framing her image, and she shouldn't be performing extra actions in the dream.
No, that's not right...
Li Zhiyuan slightly furrowed his brows,
Is it definitely my own dream?
Is there a possibility that I, like Qin Li down there, am also a participant?
Or is it because I've dreamed too infrequently to summarize many patterns and experiences; I've only just started reading books, and they're beginner-level popular science books at that.
It's like a problem that's placed before me, yet I can't even understand the question.
Qin Li knows something?
Since she could look towards me on her own, could I also expect her to speak?
But right now, the ground floor is bustling and noisy, and I would have to pass through the middle of the first floor to go downstairs, which is not feasible;
The second-floor balcony isn't too high, but it's not realistic for my small build to just jump down.
Because this might not be my dream, I've lost the privilege to take risks and make mistakes at will.
Li Zhiyuan squatted down, waving at Qin Li below, gesturing for her to come closer so they might exchange some whispers.
However, before Qin Li could react, Li Zhiyuan heard footsteps from the staircase behind him.
He turned to look and saw four ladies approaching, dressed in very bright clothes, with thick powder on their faces, and blusher applied.
They also saw Li Zhiyuan, or rather, they were coming straight for him.
"Young master, what are you doing here? The banquet is about to start!"
"Come on, the banquet's starting, hurry and take the first seat, if you wait for the second round you'll have to wait a long time!"
"Right, right, right, once the first round is over, go home and sleep immediately so it won't delay school tomorrow."
When hosting a banquet for a red or white event and there are more guests than can be accommodated at once, they will eat in rounds. After the first group finishes, the tables are cleared and set again with dishes and cold plates for the second group of guests to sit down.
Before he could voice his refusal, an old granny grabbed Li Zhiyuan's hand.
In an instant, Li Zhiyuan noticed that his original clothes had disappeared, replaced by a little blue robe that looked quite antiquated but with vibrant color.
The old lady's grip was strong, pulling Li Zhiyuan along and causing him to stumble repeatedly. As they descended the stairs, Li Zhiyuan still tried to pry her hand open.
Her hand was very white, a pale white, and not a single line could be seen.
It seemed she sensed the struggle, as the old granny suddenly stopped, slowly turning her head:
"Young master, aren't you being good, don't you want to go?"
Her voice became very slow and ominous, and the light in the stairway, originally bright, dimmed down, leaving only a few glimmers of light, all of which shone on the old granny's face.
Li Zhiyuan took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto his face:
"I'll go, to the banquet, I want to go to the banquet."
As soon as she finished speaking, the light in the stairway instantly returned.
The old granny continued to pull Li Zhiyuan's hand, heading downstairs, all the way to the first floor.
Normally, the Grand Master's House used the first floor solely as a storeroom, and the walls on all sides were left unpainted, showing bare cement.
But now, the entire first floor was decked out in lights and decoration, arranged festively.
Tables were set up, each covered with a red plastic sheet and with dishes and cold plates on top.
There were many people coming and going, men and women, young and old, all wearing excessively bright new clothes, their faces thickly powdered and with noticeable blusher.
Li Zhiyuan kind of understood what they were.
Because all the tables, chairs, and dishes were laid out on the first floor, but there were no papier-mâché figures that should have been stockpiled.
After bringing Li Zhiyuan to the first floor, the old granny let go of his hand and busied herself with other things. Li Zhiyuan turned around, only to find that the staircase he had just descended... had disappeared.
He didn't just stand there foolishly; instead, he walked towards the entrance. The front doors of the Grand Master's House had been arranged to open wide for easy shipment, and at this moment, the door panels were removed, leaving it completely open.
Thus, the first floor and the courtyard outside were almost half-interconnected.
As soon as he reached the entrance, Li Zhiyuan saw two young women pulling a little girl inside. It was Qin Li.
Different from him, her clothes hadn't changed, which would make sense since her attire was very fitting for this place.
At this moment, Qin Li's eyelashes began to flutter, and her body started to tremble slightly.
Li Zhiyuan guessed that she was probably about to act out violently.
The two young women who were pulling her also seemed to sense that something was off with Qin Li, both bending down to look at her, and at the same time, the spot where they stood began to darken, and that darkness started to spread. The other guests enveloped in it ceased their chatting and socializing, all turning to look over with cold expressions.
Li Zhiyuan was now sure that this wasn't his dream.
Of course, it wasn't Qin Li's dream either.
He had never heard of anyone's own dream retaliating against them for any inappropriate behavior.
Clearly, this was someone else's dream, even though he didn't know whose it was, but that person was immersed in it, and any illogical behavior in the dream would disrupt them, causing them to awaken.