Chapter 325 - 323: Re-entering the Dreamscape (Part 1)

Chapter 325: Chapter 323: Re-entering the Dreamscape (Part 1)

Having been through this before, Gu Nuan Nuan was much calmer when she once again found herself in that strange, dream-like state, unable to contact Cao Cao. The next time she saw the Luo Hongyi from her past life, her gaze grew complex and probing, lacking the fury she’d felt when she left the "dreamscape" last time.

That’s right. After some thought, Gu Nuan Nuan decided to use the word "dreamscape" to name this sealed memory of hers.

In the villa’s living room.

Luo Hongyi was on the phone. "I know. Let them in." Hanging up, his brows furrowed tightly.

Floating in mid-air, Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but wonder, ’Who could be coming that would make him look so displeased, yet so resigned?’

The answer was revealed soon enough. When she saw Tang Juanmei, her mother-in-law from her past life, walk in, Gu Nuan Nuan lost her composure. Her eyes practically shot fire. This time, however, she knew that anything she did would be futile and that getting too agitated might yank her out of this "dreamscape." So she didn’t waste her energy rushing over. Instead, she just tried to kill her with a look. ’Hmph. Even if looks can’t kill, I’m a soul right now—what people call a ghost. If I stare at her with all my might, it has to have *some* effect, right...?’

She was so focused on glaring at Tang Juanmei that she didn’t immediately notice the strange young woman who had entered with her, nor the poor driver, Xiao Zheng, who followed behind, pitifully laden with bags on his back, shoulders, and in his arms.

"Hongyi, how have you gotten so thin again?"

Seeing her third son standing there cold as ice, not the least bit enthusiastic about her arrival, Tang Juanmei ignored the gloomy feeling that had washed over her the moment she stepped inside. She feigned wiping away a bitter tear for Luo Hongyi. In her heart, she spat another curse at Gu Nuan Nuan, her third son’s ill-fated wife.

’Honestly, the woman has been dead for years and still won’t give it a rest. How pitiful for me,’ she thought. ’I worked so hard my whole life to raise such a promising son. He used to be the most obedient and filial of them all. But ever since he married that short-lived ghost, he’s grown so distant from me. Now, my son won’t even have me and his father live with him to be cared for. Instead, he brought that dead woman’s ugly hag of a mother here to live in comfort. I’ve fought with Third about this so many times, but it was completely useless.’

’In the end, if my old man and my other sons and daughters hadn’t talked me down and refused to let me make a scene, I really would have rushed over here and torn that dead woman’s ugly hag of a mother to pieces...’

The more she thought, the more grief welled up inside her. ’A son gets a wife and forgets his own mother. Now my son’s mother-in-law is more important than his own mom.’ Though resentful, she didn’t dare say it out loud. Instead, she just whimpered, "Hongyi, every time I come, I see you’ve gotten thinner than the last. It breaks my heart. Look at you, you can’t go on without a woman to look after you, can you? Your wife has been gone for several years now. I didn’t pressure you before, but you’re getting older by the day. If you don’t have someone by your side to care for you, how can I ever be at ease? I’m only doing this for your own good. Oh, the pitiful hearts of parents everywhere..."

As she spoke, she ignored Luo Hongyi’s increasingly cold expression, grabbing the strange young woman beside her and clumsily pulling her over to introduce her. "Look, this is Xia from our village, Xia... Xia... what was it again?"

Tang Juanmei faltered while trying to say the young woman’s name and finally had to turn and ask her.

"Auntie, it’s Xia Yaruo." The young woman peeked shyly at Luo Hongyi before lowering her head timidly.

She had been completely unwilling to come at first, but her family had pushed, persuaded, and coaxed her. In the end, she figured they had a point. The man might be old, but he was incredibly rich. She’d heard he had a whole staff of maids and security guards. If she married him, she’d be falling into a lap of luxury and could even help her whole family rise to the top. After much thought, she’d managed to shed most of her reluctance. Forgetting a girl’s modesty, she had come along, half-willingly, half-coerced.

Upon arriving in Beijing and getting off the train, she was surprised to find a driver in a uniform and white gloves waiting to pick her up. Along the way, she watched Tang Juanmei order the driver around with a stern face, acting as if it were perfectly natural. The older woman even boasted that if she married her third son, she too would enjoy the treatment of being chauffeured everywhere.

Tang Juanmei had said as much before, but hearing about it couldn’t compare to the shock of seeing and experiencing it firsthand. Then the car drove into a large, heavily guarded villa district, passed through two security checkpoints, and entered an inner area that was different from the outside—it was exceptionally magnificent. When she stepped into the villa with its large garden and saw Luo Hongyi—a man who looked only slightly old but possessed a captivating aura, paired with a devastatingly handsome face...

Xia Yaruo started to get nervous. What little reluctance she had left was now completely gone. She only wished she had taken this more seriously. Her outfit wasn’t her most flattering one, and she hadn’t properly done her makeup, having only put on a bit of lipstick and blush.

She secretly glanced up again at Luo Hongyi, who was staring straight ahead, not even giving her a sidelong glance. Biting her lower lip in frustration, she heard Tang Juanmei slap her thigh and exclaim, "Right, right, her name is Xia Yaruo! The girl is only twenty this year, still a high school student."

After saying this, she saw that Luo Hongyi was still unmoved and figured her loud voice wasn’t helping her son take pity on her. In the next moment, she immediately lowered her voice, switching back to her previous pitiful tone. "Hongyi, look at me, I’m getting old and muddled. I’m getting older every year, and I can’t even remember the name of a girl I see all the time. At my age, who knows how many years I have left? So many years have passed already. Are you really going to keep holding a grudge against your own mother?"

"Mom, I’ve already had Xiao Zheng buy your sleeper car tickets for your return trip tomorrow morning. Let’s not talk about anything else right now. Breakfast has been bought. You must be hungry after the long ride, right? After you eat, I’ll take you to a hotel to rest. I’ll pick you up for lunch, and this afternoon, I’ll take you to the mall to buy some clothes for you and Dad. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll see you off at the station."

"What? Stay in a hotel? Don’t you have plenty of rooms here? I’m not staying in a hotel!" Upon hearing Luo Hongyi’s words, Tang Juanmei jumped up in shock, forgetting to act pitiful as her voice grew shrill.

Standing beside them, Xia Yaruo’s eyes instantly turned red. She had a feeling that his words were actually directed at her.