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When Dai Wu, Su Enya and Ding Yi spread their rumours, they made sure it wouldn’t be kept a secret.
So the excited Tower residents and Missiontakers quickly spread the news out.
Well, ‘in private.’ Publically, everyone is just watching each other quietly, as if no one know what’s really going on.
Yet the six degrees of separation tells us, that you need six other intermediaries at most to link two complete strangers.
So these Missiontakers and Tower residents innocently hanging out, may have both learned the explosive news from the same person.
——What is it?
——Hey man, I’m telling this to no one else but you! Some time soon, the Ultimate Nightmare… is going to open up! We’ll have a chance to leave the Tower!
The Ultimate Nightmare?
Both Missiontakers and Tower residents who heard it are astonished and question its veracity immediately.
Regardless, they can all feel a flicker of hope suddenly light up in front of them, brightening up the whole world for them.
So, like the others, they begin to run.
At some point, the Tower, like a real, functioning building, contains lively people conducting lively business. It finally feels at least as alive as any inhabited community on Earth.
“It will all depend on if we succeed in the Nightmare or not,” Fei mutters with a dreamlike tone, “if we failed…”
Wu Jian doesn’t know what to say, so he simply says, “we will succeed.”
They are gathered outside Xü Beijin’s Nightmare right now. It’s dusk, and now, they are waiting for Xü Beijin to fall sleep and enter his Nightmare.
The Missiontakers——Including Ding Yi and Jiang Shuangmei, who are here to see them off——are having a chat.
Some remain quiet, though, like Mu Jiashi, Shen YĂźnjĂź, and the rather anxious looking A-One, A-Two.
There are also more extroverted Missiontakers like He ShujĂźn who is having a great chat with Jiang Shuangmei, Mystic, etc.
The only person still absent but scheduled to enter Xü Beijin’s Nightmare would be Lin Qin. He’s inside.
The rest of the Missiontakers are gathered outside, standing there rather than enter, is both because of their wary respect towards Xü Beijin, and also…
They’re not going to be the third wheel here.
Right now, Xü Beijin and Lin Qin’s relationship is basically public knowledge, but unfortunately, it is still not acknowledged by Xü Beijin.
Not that it’s at all inconvenient for Lin Qin, who believes Xü Beijin is merely still embarrassed and doesn’t actually feel that way inside.
Tilting his head, he tells Xü Beijin, “it’s time you slept.”
Xü Beijin “…”
The little apple is staring straight at him! How is he supposed to sleep!
Speechless, he says, “I can’t sleep when someone is looking at me.”
“Alright…” Lin Qin averts his gaze, and then continues to stand there, and says, “now you can sleep…”
Xü Beijin “…”
They’re currently inside the second floor of the bookstore, inside Xü Beijin’s bedroom, with Xü Beijin being covered up by his blankets.
There is a glass of apple juice on the bedside cabinet——Did Lin Qin put it there?
Of course, this bedroom hasn’t ever been formally used for its purpose, as Xü Beijin would, at most, lie down and shuts his eyes for a moment. He has never let himself truly fall asleep.
Which is why he finds himself a little uncomfortable just lying there.
Well, and there’s Lin Qin, sitting on the single sofa by the bed… his presence is too strong.
Xü Beijin sighs, and says, “I really can’t fall asleep like this.”
Lin Qin seems to fall into thought, and then says, “do you want to hear a bedtime story?”
Xü Beijin, amused, rolls over to face him, and says, “are you really going into my Nightmare?”
“I thought the topic was already over.”
XĂź Beijin does not answer to that.
Maybe you can call him selfish. Anyone else entering his Nightmare and succumbing wouldn’t elicit much of a response from him, with maybe a sigh at most. But he finds himself unwilling to put Lin Qin through something like that.
Not that he can say it out loud. You’re not asking him to admit that he’s worried that Lin Qin would succumb, which is why he doesn’t want him to enter, right?
Lin Qin is in his Nightmare as a last resort or ultimate break key. Besides, they both agree fundamentally that Lin Qin should be in the Nightmare——Not to mention Lin Qin wants to know what Xü Beijin’s Nightmare is as well.
It’s unfair to have others experience Xü Beijin’s Nightmare but then have Lin Qin barred from his beloved’s Nightmare, right?
He really wants to know what it was that could have troubled XĂź Beijin for so many years.
“Don’t worry…”
Lin Qin has already moved to Xü Beijin’s side before he could notice. Crouching by the bed, he is looking at Xü Beijin with his babyface and bright eyes, like a good little apple.
He tentatively pokes at Xü Beijin’s cheeks, then says, “don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
Xü Beijin is quiet for a moment. Then, he says, “you have no idea what’s in my Nightmare.”
“What else could be there?” Lin Qin then dramatically says, “whatever it is, it can’t win in a fight with me, can it now?”
XĂź Beijin breaks into a smile.
“So don’t overthink it. Or your hair will go grey.”
“Nobody has aged a day in the Tower.”
“But what about when we leave the Tower?”
Xü Beijin thinks about it, and suddenly asks, “say Lin Qin, how old are you?”
Lin Qin thinks about it, before asking in turn, “with or without the amount of time spent in the Tower?”
Xü Beijin chuckles and says, “of course not. Our numbers would be ridiculous if we did,” he gently adds, “we’d all be wizened old geezers.”
“Then I don’t know how old I would be either,” answers Lin Qin, “I don’t remember anything.”
Xü Beijin then gives Lin Qin’s babyface a thorough examination. The appearance really is deceiving. Maybe he’s actually pretty old… Right, right, he’ll stop teasing Lin Qin.
Holding his laughter in, he tells Lin Qin, “when I entered the Tower, I was 25. I’ve barely inherited my family bookstore after graduating university…”
But suddenly, Lin Qin says, “stop…”
XĂź Beijin is abruptly interrupted.
Lin Qin explains, “you can tell me everything after we leave the Tower. If you say it now, it almost sounds like you’re trying to leave behind an epitaph… Don’t. Beijin, we will leave. Successfully.”
XĂź Beijin does not answer him.
Then, he asks, “what if I can’t leave the Tower?”
“Why is your voice suddenly hoarse?” Lin Qin asks, then looks at him intently, “and, why won’t you be able to leave the Tower?”
Xü Beijin does not answer either of the questions. He asks, “what if?”
“Then I’ll be with you,” Lin Qin says casually, “I like you, you know? I don’t remember a thing outside. So you’re my… life.”
XĂź Beijin looks at him closely.
Lin Qin says, “you are the meaning in my life.”
Xü Beijin remains silent for a while, before finally chuckling, “you really like me so much now, huh?”
“Love. It is love…” Lin Qin says frankly, “I don’t know or care how other people like and love others. But this is how I like you, love you. If you can’t leave the Tower, we’ll just stay here together, what do you think?”
He tilts his head, and doubtfully asks, “it could be something like, an eternal honeymoon in this Tower?”
Xü Beijin breaks into a full laughter, and says, “who would want a honeymoon somewhere like the Tower? Oh my little apple, how simple you are.”
Lin Qin is staring at him quietly.
He doesn’t really mind being called little apple. He’s actually a little happy about it, too. But… childish?
He’s not. He wants Xü Beijin to be happy, and books say that this is a way to cheer up the person you like.
XĂź Beijin would probably be amazed to know what ridiculous books and novels Lin Qin has read.
After the laughter dies down, Xü Beijin and Lin Qin stare at each other for a moment. Then, he finally says, “alright, it’s time to get the Nightmare going.”
Lin Qin furrows his brows, though, and says, “wait. You…”
Xü Beijin asks, “what is it?”
“You’re not going to let me out of the Tower and then spend the rest of your entire life in the Tower, are you?”
“I’m not…”
“Really?”
Xü Beijin, speechless, reassures him, “really…”
Lin Qin is still eyeing him with suspicion, and again emphasises his point, “I don’t want to separate from you, do you get it? You can’t leave me behind.”
A moment later, Xü Beijin smiles and answers, “I get it. I won’t leave you behind.”
Lin Qin blinks, with some thoughts clearly still occupying his mind.