Chapter 62: Like a Dream (2)

"Um, Ye Lang, what did you mean by what you just said? How can you say it's hard for me to get fat?"

"Because your body only absorbs one-tenth of what a normal person does. So, you have to eat the amount ten people would just to maintain yourself, and only if you go beyond that will you gain weight," Ye Lang explained.

"Haha, that's great! I won't get fat anymore and I can eat as much as I want!" For Zhen Xiaoyan, this was absolutely wonderful news.

"The problem is, if you eat less, you'll get thinner and thinner by the day, and sometimes you might even faint from eating too little. And... well, never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I explained. It's complicated. But fortunately, this can be adjusted gradually: in three or four years, you should recover to about seventy or eighty percent of a normal person's absorption, and that should be enough." Ye Lang looked at Zhen Xiaoyan, who was smiling, and frowned slightly because he realized there was something odd about her smile.

"Hehe, I don't want that!" Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head and continued, "I like things the way they are. If I recover, I'll just eat myself back into a big, fat woman, and wouldn't that be worse? Besides, I can already eat what ten people eat, and even if I don't eat enough, you have ways to help me, right?"

"...You little glutton, you just want to take advantage of me. Yes, I do have medicine that can help you maintain your body, but it's expensive!" Ye Lang looked at her smiling face and seemed completely helpless.

"That's perfect. Don't you like to waste money?" Zhen Xiaoyan giggled.

"True enough. All right, let's leave it at that. If you were as chubby as you used to be, this is definitely better." Ye Lang waved his hand dismissively, letting the matter drop.

Actually, even without Ye Lang's intervention, the human body would gradually recover on its own. Afterward, no matter how much Zhen Xiaoyan ate, even more than before, she never put on weight and always kept her current figure.

Though this was odd, no one seemed to care. Was it really something to fuss over?

"All right, if there's nothing else, you can go home now. You don't need to stay here any longer," Ye Lang said matter-of-factly after reaching his conclusion.

Since there was no need to observe her anymore, there was no reason for Zhen Xiaoyan to remain. After all, they weren't really living together; it had just been temporary due to special circumstances. Now that those circumstances were over, so was their arrangement.

"...Do you have to be so blunt? You really have no sense of romance," Zhen Xiaoyan muttered after a stunned pause, clearly annoyed.

"Romance? Forget it. I don't have time for your nonsense. Just remember to prepare something tasty for me tomorrow—I'm heading back to school. And you, take care of yourself. Always keep some food on hand and don't forget to eat. If you faint on the street, no one will look after you."

"I know," Zhen Xiaoyan replied, muttering under her breath—

Now if I fainted in the street, there’s no way no one would help. I’m a beauty now! Only you, you idiot, still say I’m no different and keep calling me a fatso!

But I like it when you call me that, because then I know that no matter what I look like, you always treat me the same.

“Well, what are you waiting for? I don’t have time to entertain you!”

“…”

That’s just the way it is. You don’t treat me any better just because I’ve become pretty; when the time comes, you send me off without a moment’s hesitation…

Maybe that’s what real friends are—real friends don’t care if you’re beautiful or not.

Zhen Xiaoyan left with a smile, said goodbye to Ye Lang, and returned home. Her first thoughts were about what to cook for Ye Lang the next day, before her mind wandered to her rather unusual boyfriend—Mo Ya.

After Ye Lang hurried—no, sent—Zhen Xiaoyan off, he spent some time talking with Ye Lanyu, who arrived later, and they had dinner together. Then he went to bed.

"Time to sleep. I wonder if I'll meet that woman again tonight. This time, I have to find out who she is!"

Who was the woman Ye Lang referred to? He didn’t know. Of course, if he knew, he wouldn’t have to wonder. He never spoke of it to anyone, as it was too strange to explain.

Because it was a dream—a dream that lingered night after night, whose secret he could never unravel.

Perhaps it was just a dream, or perhaps there was some deeper reason.

As Ye Lang entered the dream, he found himself in a beautiful sea of flowers, seemingly on a plateau, with a clear, sparkling lake at its center.

He saw a young girl in white sitting at the edge of the lake, her bare feet dipped in the icy water. Of course, that chill was probably only in his imagination; who could say if it was real?

“You’re here?” The girl gazed at the water and spoke softly. She wasn’t worried her voice was too quiet, because she knew that, in this place, Ye Lang could hear her no matter how softly she spoke.

“Yes, I’m here. How come every time we meet, the place changes? Yesterday it was a beach by the sea, and today it’s a sea of flowers,” Ye Lang said as he sat down naturally beside her.

Though they only met in dreams, these dreams had lasted for years, and the two were very familiar with each other.

“Isn’t it nice this way? If we were always in the same place, it would be so dull, and you’d get bored,” the girl said, her crystal-clear feet swaying in the water.

Ye Lang replied casually, “I don’t think so. I don’t see the difference. In fact, changing places all the time is what gets dull. Can’t you make a courtyard or a pavilion where we can sit and have tea?”

“Oh? Then next time I’ll build a courtyard for you. What kind do you like?” the girl asked gently.

“I like little bridges over running water, rock gardens, ponds, potted plants, a garden full of birdsong and the fragrance of flowers…” Ye Lang listed all his favorites, and the girl quietly memorized them, eager to design a pavilion that both of them would love.

Then they began to discuss the details of this imagined courtyard, their conversation branching out into all sorts of topics—astronomy, geography, nothing was off limits.

But strangely, neither of them had ever talked about their real identities—not even the smallest detail. This seemed to contradict what Ye Lang had just said.

“Woman, I can’t believe you know everything. Who exactly are you?” Ye Lang asked offhandedly, but as soon as he spoke, his expression changed—he looked both hopeful and resigned.

“I…” The girl tried to answer, but—

In an instant, the scene vanished.