Nightmare Assault

Fatty poked his head out of the kitchen when he heard the sound, “Doctor, please sit first. The food will be ready soon.”

Jiang Cheng mumbled as he sat down on the couch. The experience last night flickered in his mind, causing him a headache. He looked up and realised someone had cleaned up his office. The shelf where he put the patient’s file had shown signs of falling to the side, so Jiang Cheng wrapped it up with tape. The tape had been cleaned. The broken parts had been fixed with nails. Even the rust had been cleaned away. The messy wires on the ceiling and walls had been carefully arranged and pinned to where they should be. A folded ladder leaned against the wall. A piece of paper was squeezed in between, afraid that the rung of the ladder would dirty the wall. An old newspaper sat on the table. On the paper was a hammer, a pair of scissors, black electrical tape and metallic nails. These should be the source of the banging.

“Doctor.” Fatty’s voice accompanied the sound of water out of the kitchen. “Do you eat spicy food? I’ve made braised ribs.”

“Sure.” Jiang Cheng shouted, “But don’t put too much chilli. I’m scared of breaking out ’cause I’m still in my puberty.”

Fatty paused before resuming.

Jiang Cheng was leaning on the couch when the phone in his pocket vibrated. He took out it and answered it.

“Doctor Jiang,” A man’s voice came from the phone. It sounded very young. “Are you at your office now?”

“Yes.”

“Then, I’ll head over now.” The man said happily. “I’m just around. I’ll be there in half an hour.”

“Okay.” Jiang Cheng nodded and hung up. Fatty walked out, holding the edge of the pot with some napkins. He rushed over and then quickly put the pot down. His fingers were red from the heat. When he saw Jiang Cheng look at him, he chuckled shyly. He said since he hadn’t found a good cooking pot, he made do with a non-heat-resistant pot.

“There’s a kitchen cloth in the kitchen.” Jiang Cheng said.

Fatty was startled before he reacted that Jiang Cheng was referring to his hurt fingers. He couldn’t help but be a little touched. His eyes watered. “Doctor Jiang, thank…”

But…

Jiang Cheng looked at the napkin he used and pouted, “Do you think the napkins are free?”

“…”

Regardless, Fatty’s cooking was flawless. Jiang Cheng alone ate half the pot of ribs and two bowls of rice. If Fatty hadn’t moved fast to grab the last piece of rib, he might not even know what his own cooking tastes like.

“So, what do you think?” Fatty looked at Jiang Cheng with anticipation. “Doctor, my cooking is not bad, right? I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve once studied under the chef at Zui Xian Lou.”

Jiang Cheng put down his bowl and wiped away the oil on his lips. “So-so.” He suddenly burped and continued, “But since you’ve worked so hard, I would feel bad not eating more.”

The light in Fatty’s eyes dimmed, like a child who didn’t get the praise he wanted from the adult. He silently put away the pot and bowls and returned to the kitchen. The sound of water even managed to sound sad and despondent.

Jiang Cheng looked at the table, which was so clean his reflections could be seen. He said, “Fatty?”

The sound in the kitchen paused. Then, Fatty’s voice came out, “Doctor, did you call me?”

“I have a client coming,” Jiang Cheng said calmly. “So, I need you to…”

Fatty sighed and replied, “I know. I’ll leave after I clean up everything.” He paused, “No matter what, thank you for saving me in the nightmare.” Soon, Fatty walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands. Jiang Cheng leaned on the couch. He opened his eyes when Fatty passed by. Fatty picked up the coat hanging on the rack and put it on. As he was about to say something, Jiang Cheng interrupted him, “There’s a supermarket nearby. They sell a lot of things, and they are cheap.”

Fatty frowned with confusion.

“I want to eat stew tonight.” Jiang Cheng said shamelessly. “Since stew takes time, you better come back soon.”

Fatty’s confusion was replaced by appreciation. He quickly nodded. “Don’t worry, Doctor.”

Fatty then disappeared like the wind. Jiang Cheng stood up and walked to the shelf. His finger scanned most of them before pulling one out. The record belonged to Hu Yan. The document recorded Hu Yan’s reaction when she was there. It was very detailed, including her habits of shaking her leg and looking in a certain direction. She was looking at the place where the door would appear.

Hu Wan disappeared after she dreamed of a door. Based on what she said, her little sister experienced the same thing. This was similar to Jiang Cheng but also different. At least Hu Yan and her sister could tell others about the dream regarding the door. The sister told Hu Yan on the phone, and Hu Yan told Jiang Cheng in person. In other words, they didn’t enter the door when they dreamed of the door.

It was different for Jiang Cheng and Fatty. They were in the dream realm once they dreamed of the door.

When there was a knocking on the door, Jiang Cheng sat in the office. He flipped through another document and said without lifting his head, “Come in.”

The door opened, and a very young man came in. He was in an Armani suit, a gold-edged shirt, a blue and white striped tie and a pair of brown leather shoes. They looked like they were handmade in Italy.

“Doctor Jiang,” The young man smiled kindly. He slightly bowed, and he radiated charm.

Jiang Cheng slowly put down the file and then glanced at him, “Pi Yuan, is it still about your girlfriend?”

“Yes.” The man smiled, “This has troubled me so much. Why else would I be here, Doctor Jiang?”