Chapter 93

Chapter 93

In the dream, Shen Muyun was a child, watching a little boy read under a camphor tree.

Realizing this was a genuine dream, Shen Muyun didn't hesitate, walking directly to the boy.

“You’ve finally arrived.”

Shen Muyun was puzzled. Who was this? Since it was a dream, what did “he finally arrived” mean?

“I know you have many concerns, but it’s not yet time to tell you everything. Still, there are some things you need to know.”

The boy in front of him felt somewhat familiar to Shen Muyun, especially his eyes, which strongly resembled Lu Huainan’s.

“Who are you?”

The little boy didn’t answer, instead completely transforming the dream’s setting to that of an orphanage.

In the yard, children were playing “eagle catches chicks,” while three children sat side by side in the distance.

“Who do you think will adopt us two?”

“Who knows? If it’s a rich family, we won’t have to worry. If it’s an ordinary family, we’ll live peacefully. Wouldn’t either be good?”

“You’re different. You were trafficked, and now your birth parents have found you—of course you’re happy. It’s not the same for him and me. One is an illegitimate child, and the other doesn’t even know who his parents are. Now that family is coming to adopt a child, I think… well, someone like me probably won’t be chosen.”

The three children sat on the steps, chatting and laughing.

Shen Muyun wanted to move closer but was stopped by the boy from before.

“You can’t go any further. This is just a memory. Don’t overthink it; you can’t change what’s already happened.”

Shen Muyun continued watching the three children, still on the steps, though time seemed to have passed as their clothes had distinctly changed.

“The Shen family chose you. How wonderful.”

“What about it? Didn’t you also take a test? I must say, for such a small probability to happen to you, do you really not remember who your mother is?”

“Of course I don’t remember. How could I remember so many things? I don’t even know when I came to the orphanage.”

Shen Muyun looked at the boy, reaching out to touch him, but his hand passed through a wisp of smoke that dissipated before him. What did this mean?

“I told you, you can only see them. You can’t prevent what has already occurred.”

Shen Muyun stood silently to the side.

Quietly observing the three children, it appeared they had been close friends since childhood.

“Huainan, Mom’s here to pick you up. You poor child, we really shouldn’t have left you alone in the car back then. If this place hadn’t taken you in, who knows when we would have seen you again.”

Shen Muyun was startled. Lu Huainan—what did that imply? Could the other two children… He didn’t pursue the thought.

He quickly took a few steps and indeed saw a younger Shen Wenjin, smiling broadly at the two children.

“Alright, Liu Yun is older, so he’ll be the big brother from now on. Muyun is still young, so you need to take good care of him.”

Shen Muyun was instantly dumbfounded, unsure if this was a dream or an illusion created by the system—no, it wasn't the system.

“Alright, we should head home. It’s quite a coincidence, really. Who would have thought there’d be so many connections here at Tongxin Orphanage.”

“Indeed. We were largely responsible for Huainan’s disappearance. Fortunately, the children were only two or three years old and didn’t remember much. They’ll probably forget everything when they grow up.”

“Yes. Aren’t you planning to emigrate? When?”

“Probably by the end of the month. Once Huainan’s affairs are settled, we’ll be ready. From then on, we’ll say Huainan was born in America—that’ll be seamless, and no one will question it. Besides, given our families’ friendship, there’s no fear of anyone revealing the truth. Even if the children find out, it really won't matter.”

Shen Muyun stood frozen, bewildered. What in this world was real, and what was fake? Could it be that everything in reality was actually false?

Shen Muyun continued watching, seeing the family travel to America. The children now looked to be teenagers.

“It’s been years since we last met; they’ve all grown up. How’s Muyun? Weren’t you grooming him all along?”

Shen Wenjin’s brows furrowed. “I have to say, Muyun is constantly rebellious. There’s no good way to handle it now. We’ll observe a bit longer. If it doesn’t work out, the company will have to rely on Liu Yun.”

“Is that so? Does Muyun have no reaction?”

“He… has no interest in the company’s affairs whatsoever.”

Watching the children playing and roughhousing together, both families laughed happily.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

A knocking sound came from the door.

Shen Muyun went to see who it was, only to find a little girl with pigtails bouncing into the house.

“Hello, Uncle and Auntie!”

Shen Muyun was slightly taken aback. Wasn't that Lu Huainan’s sister? Could it be that the marriage arrangement had begun back then?

“She’s so well-behaved. Our families are old friends—should we consider a marriage alliance?”

Lu Huainan’s mother’s eyes visibly dimmed. “Well, we only have Luo Zhi…”

“That’s understandable, but Luo Zhi is still young. This matter should be discussed carefully.”

Shen Muyun scoffed. So their arranged marriage was the product of these people’s meddling.

“Brother Yun, Brother Yun, why haven’t you woken up yet?”

Shen Muyun faintly heard someone speaking—it sounded like Lu Huainan’s voice. His body gradually became transparent, and the scene before him slowly faded.

“We’ll have a chance to meet again.”

Shen Muyun was so angry he wanted to curse. What was this? He didn’t want it—he didn’t want any chance to meet again.

Shen Muyun rubbed his eyes and saw Qi Beichen and Lu Huainan both staring at him.

Seeing he was awake, Lu Huainan immediately shook his arm. “Brother Yun, you’re finally awake! I thought something had happened to you.”

Qi Beichen breathed a sigh of relief. “I told you, my medication dosage is very precise. It’s just that Muyun must have been too tired, so he slept a bit longer.”

“Dr. Qi, is there anything we need to watch out for?”

“Nothing, just let him rest more. He clearly looks sleep-deprived, and he seems to have dark circles too.”

Shen Muyun sat on the bed, listening to their conversation and thinking about what had just happened in the dream. He felt even more convinced that this world must be entirely fake, completely.

Lu Huainan stood up, turned his face toward Shen Muyun, and smiled. “I’ll see Dr. Qi out.”

Lu Huainan followed Qi Beichen outside.

“Beichen, how much do you think Yun-ge remembers?”

“I’m not sure either. I can only say he might recall quite a bit, but he thinks it’s all just a dream. After all, you were both young back then. Who knows what really happened? Only the people involved—you two—would know. So, it takes the one who tied the knot to untie it. If you claim to be childhood friends, you need evidence.”

“Dr. Qi, I have no other wishes. I just hope Yun-ge can always stay by my side.”

Qi Beichen stopped walking. “Huainan, actually, it’s not good to force things. Just let things happen naturally and keep faith. Don’t you like how things are now? With Shen Muyun having partial memory loss, he won’t remember what happened back then—the things at the orphanage, why people thought he was crazy and rejected him.”

“Dr. Qi, you’re right, but I have to say, those were real experiences Yun-ge went through. Sometimes he acts a bit strange.”

“Huainan, it’s best to just let things happen naturally. Right now, you should go back and comfort him. Maybe he’ll even share the details of his dream with you.”

Lu Huainan was taken aback, then returned to the villa.

Shen Muyun was holding a cup, drinking water, wondering why his dream didn't align with reality.

“Yun-ge, how are you feeling?”

Shen Muyun looked up at Lu Huainan. His eyes looked just like when he was a child—impossible to mistake. But he grew up in the US.

“Huainan, did you live in China when you were young?”

“Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been in the US. Why? Yun-ge, did you remember something?”

“I just had a strange dream. I dreamed that we actually knew each other as children, but a lot happened in between, and we separated. It felt like we’d been separated for over twenty years.”

Lu Huainan took the lemon water from Shen Muyun’s hand and set it aside.

“Could it be that Yun-ge made up that scenario himself, hoping we were childhood friends, and wishing we could always be together?”

Shen Muyun turned over. “I don’t know. It feels like too many things have been happening lately, many that I can’t make sense of.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot going on. But I just got a message from Zhou Sheng. Zhou Shiqing is now under police control, and all his funds are frozen. It seems we’ve gained the upper hand. Next is Zhou Qingshi—now that’s a sly old fox.”

Shen Muyun was stunned. How could he have forgotten about Zhou Qingshi? He might be a hidden threat.

“Yun-ge, don’t worry. I’ll always, always be by your side. You don’t need to fear I’ll leave. If I’m occasionally absent, it’s probably just for meetings.”

It sounded like he was volunteering his whereabouts.

“Actually, it’s not that complicated, Huainan. Did you ever go to an orphanage when you were young?”

“Yun-ge, what are you thinking? How could I have? Going to the orphanage with you was my first time ever.”

Shen Muyun began to wonder again. After all, something as absurd as transmigrating into a book had already happened to him. What was this compared to that?

“Yun-ge, I started liking you when you fell into the water, and I was watching from the shadows.”

Shen Muyun recalled the scene and indeed remembered feeling that intense gaze.

“So that’s how it was. Why didn’t you come out and show yourself directly?”

“Liu Yun was there at the time. I wanted to talk to you more, but there wasn’t time to follow through.”