But Ruan Jiaojiao did not wake up.
She had fallen into a nightmare.
For some reason, she lay ice-cold in a pond with no visible shores, and she saw a little girl who looked exactly like herself walking by the bank, led by a woman. The woman was slender and of outstanding temperament, but her face was indiscernible, always shrouded in a mist.
When they reached in front of her, they suddenly stopped.
The woman turned her back and crouched down.
She heard the little girl call the woman mother.
The woman seemed to smile, leaned in to kiss the little girl, and said tenderly, "Jiaojiao is such a good girl, are you tired? Let Mommy carry you." With that, she picked the little girl up.
The little girl nestled in the woman’s arms, facing her, and seemed to be smiling at her. But as she smiled, suddenly—she reached out and viciously strangled the woman who was holding her.
The woman was choked to the point of gasping for air, struggling to let go of the little girl, but the girl clung to her like glue, impossible to peel off.
Until the woman lay powerless on the ground...
And the little girl was still looking in her direction, with an evil smile creeping up her lips...
Ruan Jiaojiao inexplicably shivered, and just as she was baffled, she saw the little girl suddenly run towards her and leap into the water.
And one by one, members of the Ruan family appeared beside her.
First was the Ruanlin Family woman, who, just like in the dream she had last time, had fallen down a hillside, had a stroke, and died with wide-open eyes, outstretched hands, eyes that never closed in death.
Then there was Ruan Chi, struggling in a murky river, and as he thrashed, the waters gradually rose over his head, then his hands... until he was completely submerged...
"No, no... don’t!" Ruan Jiaojiao shouted desperately, trying to go up and pull him back, but she couldn’t move forward no matter how hard she tried.
Next was Ruan Qun, surrounded by a group of snakes. He tried to run to the side, but the moment he moved his feet, he was bitten in the neck by a snake with a triangular head and a scarred mouth. He died instantly!
There was also Ruan Jie, dragged under the wheels of a car, his blood slowly flowing out along the tires, forming a pool.
And Ruan Jun, Ruan Lei, Ruan Hao...
One after another, the members of the Ruan family all died in front of her in various ways...
Watching each of her brothers die in different ways, Ruan Jiaojiao felt a pain that tore her heart and lungs. She screamed wildly, wanting to move forward, but she was frozen in place as if something was restraining her body, allowing her only to stand still. Something was seeping into her body, and she was chilled to the bone!
"Jiaojiao! Jiaojiao!"
As Ruan Jiaojiao was trapped in the nightmare, her little face turned blue and purple, constantly crying out no, no, her entire body struggling and convulsing in Ruan Jianguo’s arms, yet she could not be awakened, terrifying the Ruan family.
They were also at a loss, only able to panic helplessly.
Xiu Xi’s face was also filled with urgency. He had a vague guess as to what was happening, but he dared not be certain.
He glanced at the Ruan family members beside him, and before anyone could react, he suddenly grabbed Ruan Jiaojiao’s hand and bit down hard on the area of her tiger’s mouth.
"Xiaoxi, what are you doing!" Ruan Jianguo exclaimed in shock.
The Ruanlin Family woman was also stunned.
Xiu Xi did not respond to them, continuing to bite down hard on Ruan Jiaojiao’s hand, fresh blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, the sweet, metallic taste filling his entire mouth...