Chapter 158: Dreams and Secrets Xin sighed and shook his head before deciding it was time to get some sleep.
Exhaustion had caught up with him, and as soon as he closed his eyes, he was transported into the realm of dreams.
In Xin’s dream, he found himself standing in what appeared to be a park bathed in soft, diffused light. The atmosphere was tranquil, with a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves of the trees.
As he took in his surroundings, his attention was drawn to a swing set nearby. There, on a solitary swing, sat a young girl of around seven years old. Her presence seemed to radiate an aura of innocence and vulnerability.
The girl was alone, and her tiny frame gently swayed back and forth on the swing. Tears welled up in her eyes, glistening like precious dewdrops.
Her features were delicate, and her face bore an expression of profound sadness. Xin could see her lips trembling as silent sobs wracked her fragile form.
It’s funny that he knew how she was feeling and saw details of her but couldn’t really decipher her overall appearance.
Then, as if guided by an unseen force, Xin realized that he was not merely an observer in this dream. He was a part of it, and he knew instinctively that he was the boy who would approach the crying girl.
Xin moved closer to the girl on the swing. In his hand, he held a white handkerchief, its fabric pure and unblemished.
Xin extended the hanky towards the girl. It wasn’t his. He found it near her. He was only going to return it.
The girl’s tearful gaze shifted to him. Their eyes locked, but Xin couldn’t see beyond the haze fogging her face.
They both opened their mouths as if about to speak, but Xin found himself unable to hear their conversation.
The words remained shrouded in mystery. Their voices were lost in the dreams.
Then, just as suddenly as the dream had begun, Xin was abruptly jolted awake. The vivid details of the dream began to fade, slipping through his grasp like sand through an hourglass.
Try as he might, he couldn’t recall the words exchanged between the boy and the girl on the swing, and the girl’s face remained a blur in his memory.
Xin lay in bed, his heart racing, grappling with the inexplicable sense of déjà vu that lingered from the dream.
It was as if the dream had offered a glimpse into a forgotten moment from his past, a puzzle piece of his own life that remained tantalizingly out of reach.
As Xin blinked away the remnants of his peculiar dream, he glanced at the clock on his bedside table.
The time displayed was already six past in the morning. School didn’t start until nine, so he reasoned that he could afford another thirty minutes of precious sleep.
Just as he was about to drift back into slumber, a realization struck him like a lightning bolt.
Seraphina!
He had left her in the living room!
With a sudden burst of energy, Xin threw the blanket aside and practically bolted out of bed. He hurriedly made his way to the living room, anxiety coursing through him.
To his surprise, the living room was empty, devoid of any traces of Seraphina.
His confusion deepened, and Xin turned to look at his mother, who was in the kitchen, busily preparing breakfast.
"Aren’t you going to greet you mother good morning?" Evelyn asked him.
"Mom, did you . . ." He opened his mouth to ask but hesitated. If his mother had seen Seraphina, she would surely question him about it right now.
But since she was looking at him with a frown on her face, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
Xin decided to keep it a secret for the time being.
He would explain everything later tonight; after all, it wasn’t a big deal, just using Seraphina as a subject for his art project . . . or so he hoped.
Come to think of it . . . Why had Seraphina agreed to his request in the first place?
Puzzled and lost in thought, Xin found himself momentarily distracted when his mother’s voice broke through his reverie.
"Are you still asleep?" Evelyn asked, raising an eyebrow at her son’s distant expression.
Xin scratched his head and replied with a straight face, "Yeah . . ."
His mother shook her head, a fond smile playing on her lips. "Go and get ready for breakfast, Xin. You’ll be late for school."
Nodding, Xin retreated to his room. There, he picked up his phone and noticed that Seraphina had sent him a message at five in the morning.
"Who said that rich girls don’t wake up early?" Xin mused to himself as he read her message.
[I have already gone home. I didn’t want to wake you, so I just left. I’ll arrive early later for our art session, around seven, so we can finish early. I have some things to do afterward ]
Xin quickly replied.
[Ok]
He then began preparing himself for school.
On the opposite side of town, Seraphina sat in her car, carefully studying Xin’s brief response, comparing it to the heartfelt four-paragraph message she had sent him.
She couldn’t help but be puzzled by his briefness.
Turning to her ever-faithful butler, Sebastian, who had been her companion since childhood, she ventured into uncharted territory with her question.
"Sebastian, am I ugly?"
Sebastian nearly choked on his own astonishment, and couldn’t believe his ears. Never before had he heard such a question from his lady, and it left him momentarily flustered.
"My lady, if you were to consider yourself ugly, it would be akin to suggesting that the rest of the world is no more than a collection of unimpressive pig excretions."
"Then am I undesirable?"
"My lady, your grace is so stunning, even swans would take lessons from you. Your suitors could fill in an entire Zone of area 0!"
A faint smile tugged at Seraphina’s lips as she looked out the window, her fingers resting against her chin.
She reminded herself that Xin had always been short in his responses, and his lack of interest in her had been evident from the very beginning.
With a resigned sigh, she clenched a white handkerchief in her hand, her voice a soft murmur.
"Idiot . . ."