Chapter 129: Too Realistic

Although Qin Mo spent the entire night telling herself that this was a dream and there was no need to care, she still felt an incredible sense of shame when she woke up the next day. She found herself questioning what kind of state of mind she must have been in to harbor such thoughts the night before.

People often choose to ignore future consequences in moments of impulsive courage; regret is, after all, a constant in life.

Was she really going to move into Ji Ning’s home? Perhaps it would be better to just forget about it...

Qin Mo bought two steamed buns; one was red bean paste, and the other was, predictably, red bean paste.

As she took the first bite, she pondered how to back out. Regardless of the circumstances, if she just moved into his home like this, what kind of looks would she be subjected to?

After finishing the last bite, she finally made up her mind.

She had to stick to the original plan. This was not the real world; everything here, aside from Ji Ning and herself, was merely an empty mental construct shaped by Adonis. Her only purpose in coming here was to awaken Ji Ning. If she allowed herself to falter because of the illusions here, how could she ever make Ji Ning realize that this was all a dream?

"It’s all fake, it’s all fake..."

Qin Mo muttered to herself as she mustered the courage to walk toward Ji Ning’s home. The streets were filled with hurried pedestrians—workers on electric scooters heading to their jobs, parents taking their children to school—all moving with fluid, natural ease. The young girl with long hair walked under the winter sun, while a lazy, fat cat dozed on a bench by the bus stop. In this quiet and beautiful world, there was not a trace of the haze of falsity.

Qin Mo sometimes fell into deep self-doubt; the boundary between reality and illusion seemed nonexistent here. She thought that if it weren’t for the ring of authority on her finger, perhaps, eroded by time, she might wake up one day and treat the past as nothing more than a dream.

When she met Ji Ning’s mother, all her courage fled, leaving her feeling awkward and timid.

Ji Ning had introduced her as, "A close friend who lives alone because her parents are away on business. But since someone tried to break into her house the night before last, she feels uneasy and needs to stay here for a few days."

Only a fool would believe that.

That was the only thought shared by the three people present, though they all did their best to mask it.

Ji Ning’s mother smiled and nodded. "Dear, don't be so formal. Just treat this place as your own home. Ji Ning’s father works away from home year-round, so there are plenty of spare rooms. We can tidy one up for you to stay..."

Facing the casual, conversational tone of Ji Ning’s mother, Qin Mo nodded and responded politely, appearing even closer to her than the silent boy standing to the side.

Ji Ning dared not look at his mother. He stared fixedly at the teacup in front of him, drinking from it repeatedly.

It wasn't until he stood up to go to the bathroom that his mother added nonchalantly, "I haven't bought groceries for the morning yet. Go and pick some up. Oh, and dear, do you have any dietary restrictions?"

Qin Mo shook her head. "I eat everything."

"Then you must try my braised pork ribs..." She then looked at Ji Ning and added in a flat, unreadable tone, "Go buy some ribs and some greens. Remember to pick them carefully—don't be in such a rush to do everything."

Ji Ning nodded and scrambled out the door.

Even scouring the entire vegetable market took only an hour. Ji Ning checked his watch; it was only ten o'clock. He figured he would have to head back by eleven at the latest. He understood his mother well enough to easily grasp the meaning behind "don't be in such a rush." He needed to stay out a while longer to give them time to talk, though if he had his way, he wouldn't want to go home at all.

That morning, the moment he opened the door, he had quickly slammed it shut and tried again, but the girl was still standing there.

From that moment on, he knew his life would be turned upside down.

Time felt like it was passing agonizingly slowly for the first time. Carrying the groceries and stalling as much as he could, Ji Ning eventually stepped back into his home.

Qin Mo was in the living room, watching television and shelling pistachios. She seemed to be in quite a good mood; upon seeing Ji Ning, she flushed slightly but nodded.

Ji Ning carried the groceries into the kitchen. His mother was washing the rice cooker from their morning meal. Seeing him walk in with his head hung low, she wiped her hands.

"Close the door." Her voice was gentle. Ji Ning complied obediently. Seeing the door shut, she wiped her hands on her apron again and added, "Kneel."

Ji Ning dropped to his knees with a thud, his expression sincere. "Mom, let me explain..."

"Shut up. You’ve really done it this time, haven't you? When did you start getting mixed up with a young girl? I was planning to take a nap this morning, but as soon as I saw her, I was wide awake. Do you know what I was thinking? I thought, 'She's already shown up at the door—who knows if this is one person or two?' I’m not even forty yet; am I supposed to be a grandmother? Tell me the truth, you rascal, have you done anything to wrong this girl?"

"If I said I’m actually not that close to her, would you believe me?"

"Bullshit! Who are you trying to fool with that line? Not close? If you weren't close, would she be at our doorstep? *Sigh*, you know what you’ve done. At your age, this counts as puppy love, but kids mature early these days, and I’ve learned to accept it. As long as you two don't let it affect your studies, I don't care. Since it’s come to this, I have nothing to say. You’re an adult now; you know what you can and cannot do. I have only one requirement for you, and you know what it is."

Ji Ning looked stunned. "Mom, you’re surprisingly open-minded."

"Have you ever thought about why I’m thirty-eight and you’re seventeen?"

"Actually, it’s not how you think it is." Ji Ning felt a bit awkward.

"Ha, young people are always fixated on the superficial. I was that age once, too; how could I not understand what she’s thinking? Silly boy, you must know that some things don't need words to be proven. You have to look past the surface to see the essence."

"So, can I get up now?"

"First, tell me clearly what you did to wrong her. I knew the moment I saw that girl that she was holding back grievances. You may be my son, but you cannot do such things. She is still young; you mustn't let down her sincere feelings."

"We had an argument." Ji Ning decided to play along. Even though he was kneeling before his mother, it was humiliating. The last time he was told to kneel was as a child for playing with fire and burning a corner of the wall; that time, he had actually been wrong, but this was completely unmerited.

"Arguments are normal. You two are still too young and always subconsciously ignore the other's feelings. Whatever, you’ll understand eventually. Don't just stand there; go apologize to her. I don't know why you argued, but based on my conversation with that child, you are almost certainly the one in the wrong."

"I’m your son!" Ji Ning raised his head, feeling incredibly aggrieved.

"Exactly." His mother waved her hand, signaling for him to leave.

Ji Ning stood up and rubbed his sore knees. Just as he was about to leave, his mother called him back. "You were right not to tell me about you and Qin Mo, because while parents can offer advice on many things, some choices must be made alone. However, I will say this: I have a good impression of the girl. Well, to be honest, I really do want to know how she ended up choosing you..."

Ji Ning quietly shut the kitchen door, finally letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed his mother’s first impression of Qin Mo was good, so now he only had to deal with the girl herself.

Back in the living room, Qin Mo was still shelling pistachios. She didn't eat them one by one; instead, she patiently piled all the shelled nuts to one side, as if intending to prepare everything before she began to enjoy them.

Ji Ning grabbed a handful from the fruit bowl and sat on the other end of the sofa, observing the girl who was looking at him with a faint smile.

"I don't need to guess what my mother talked to you about. I’m just curious how you managed to put on such a performance." Ji Ning flicked a pistachio shell into the trash can.

Qin Mo looked puzzled. "Performance?"

"The purpose of you coming here." Ji Ning chewed a pistachio. He felt as if he were trapped in a comedy, though he wasn't sure if it would end in laughter or tragedy.

Even though the girl before him was full of red flags, Ji Ning didn't know why he couldn't harden his heart. Perhaps it was the tenderness in her eyes, or perhaps it was the ripples she stirred within him. In the end, he chose to wait and see.

"I’ve already made it very clear: I want you to leave this dream." Qin Mo’s hands never stopped moving.

"I have to admit, you’re starting to make me have illusions occasionally—perhaps what you say is true. Even the most ridiculous lie can make someone waver if it's repeated enough. But none of that matters; I will eventually know your true intentions."

"Suit yourself." Qin Mo clapped her hands, picked up a pistachio from the little mountain she had created, and popped it into her mouth.

Ji Ning watched her unhurried movements and felt strangely annoyed. He was angry at himself for being so weak, for retreating in the face of beauty, and even more annoyed that these pistachios were meant for him to eat while watching a movie that night.

After finishing the nuts in his hand, he looked at the fruit bowl, which was still full but lacked a single pistachio. Without changing his expression, he stood up and grabbed a handful of the pre-shelled ones from in front of Qin Mo.

To his surprise, Qin Mo merely rolled her eyes at him and continued to eat and watch TV, leaving the retort he had prepared completely unused.

Ji Ning thought for a moment and grabbed another handful, but Qin Mo remained indifferent.

Just as Ji Ning was about to sit back in his corner of the sofa, Qin Mo finally spoke. "You can sit over here to eat."

Ji Ning scoffed and returned to his study.

Qin Mo continued watching the documentary *Frozen Planet*, but her thoughts were not trailing to the ends of the earth. As expected, no matter what, he was still a child who hadn't grown up. He always liked to snatch her food, just like he used to pull the braids of the little girl in front of him just to get her attention. This did, however, prove one thing: at the very least, he didn't have a bad impression of her, and there might even be a faint spark of affection. Thinking of this, Qin Mo contentedly popped another pistachio into her mouth.

At this rate, making this guy fall in love with her again should be a natural progression. As long as he developed feelings for her, and as she deepened her understanding of him, she would naturally come to know the things he longed for in his dreams that didn't exist in reality.

Precisely because they didn't exist in reality, the things that appeared in the dream must be contradictory. Once she made him realize those contradictions, she could further deduce that this place was a dream.

Around 11:30 in the morning, Ji Ning walked out of his study and began to put on his shoes; he had to go out again.

"Where are you going?" Qin Mo asked naturally.

"To pick up my little brother." Ji Ning felt like something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It wasn't until he went downstairs that he realized what it was: their conversation was too familiar, as if it had been repeated countless times. Yet, he had only known Qin Mo for a few days—why should he have to account for his whereabouts to her?

Carrying these strange feelings, Ji Ning picked up his younger brother. The little boy was holding an ice cream made of clay, showing it off with excitement. Ji Ning nodded casually. Honestly, he never understood why parents signed such young children up for "Little Artist" classes. Parents were always afraid of their children losing at the starting line, yet they never realized that they themselves were the true starting line for their kids. But the little guy seemed to enjoy it, so Ji Ning let it be.

Ji Qian, who had returned home in high spirits, paused upon seeing Qin Mo. He had no memory of the stranger in the living room and hid behind his brother in fear.

"You can just call her Sister Qin Mo. She might be staying here for a few days."

Ji Qian stared at Qin Mo with round eyes and pouted. "I want to watch TV."

Qin Mo, who had been at a loss, quickly handed over the remote. "Go ahead. Do you want me to help you find a cartoon?"

"I can do it myself." The little boy, still a bit shy, took the remote, but his desire for cartoons soon made him sit down right beside Qin Mo.

*Hmm, so small.* He was even smaller than the last time she saw him, though that was normal; the child she had seen previously was much older than the one in this dream.

Qin Mo moved closer, keeping her movements subtle. She wanted to test how the little guy felt, but she didn't know how to reach out.

"What do you want?" Ji Ning glanced at Qin Mo, who looked like she was about to spring into action.

"I just wanted to give him a hug." Qin Mo retracted her hand, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Then just go ahead. He doesn't care about anything when he's watching TV." Ji Ning opened the water bottle in his brother’s small bag and poured some warm water into the cup for the little guy. It was important to drink warm water in the winter, but children were so playful that they never remembered to drink until they were dying of thirst.

Qin Mo scooped up the focused little boy. The wonderful sensation made her happy; he was much softer than a doll and smelled of that unique, sweet scent children have.

"You like children?" Ji Ning remained sitting in his corner of the sofa.

Qin Mo nodded, taking a deep breath—the milky scent of a child was the most adorable thing in the world.

"Ji Ning, come help bring the dishes." His mother’s voice came from the kitchen.

Ji Ning, who had barely sat down, had no choice but to head toward the kitchen. The lunch was more than enough for four people. There were braised pork ribs with an alluring color, fragrant fried chicken cutlets, and, in addition to the broccoli and potatoes Ji Ning had bought at the market, his mother had picked some baby bok choy from their own small vegetable patch. The soup was the simplest and most mouth-watering kind: tomato and seaweed.

The mixed aroma of the food suddenly made Qin Mo’s nose sting. It had been a long, long time since she had eaten such simple, home-cooked food. Perhaps it was the high-end techniques of restaurant chefs that made it so hard to recall the taste of home.

"It tastes so good."

Qin Mo ate in small bites, and even though she was slow, her bowl of rice eventually hit the bottom.