LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 80
For the past few days, Ye Jinmeng had been lying in the hospital bed, but her mind kept wandering back to the dream she had that night.
"Ugh, why would I have such a dream? It felt so unrealistic."
"Could it be... that someone sent me that dream?"
"Ahhh! I really want to know what happened to that little girl in the end!"
Ye Jinmeng frustratedly ruffled her hair. This feeling was like watching a suspenseful drama, getting tense and excited right when it was reaching its climax, only for it to end abruptly, with the continuation pushed to the next season (which might not even have a release date yet)...
"Meng, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Shi Shuning had just entered the ward when he saw Ye Jinmeng's flustered expression and hurried over with concern.
"Shuning, you're here."
For the past few days, her parents and Auntie Chen had been taking turns looking after her. Others would come by whenever they had time after work or school.
"I'm fine, just thinking about some things and feeling a bit frustrated."
Gu Qi, who was sitting nearby peeling an apple, chuckled upon hearing this. "I never thought that besides the age-old question of 'What to eat?', there could be other things that trouble my good little girl." She paused and continued with a smile, "Tell me, let me analyze it for you."
Ye Jinmeng's cheeks flushed slightly as she glanced sidelong at Shi Shuning, who looked amused. She pursed her lips before speaking.
"Mom, why do you think some people value sons over daughters?"
"Hm? What made you think of that?" Gu Qi blinked in surprise, wondering if she and Ye Junli had done something to make their daughter feel that way.
Ye Jinmeng hesitated for a moment before replying, "I had a dream before... um, before I woke up from the surgery."
The door was left ajar, and Xu Wanwan, who was approaching, overheard Ye Jinmeng's words. Curiosity piqued, she asked, "What dream? It must have been quite something for Meng to remember it for so many days."
"Wanwan's here, come in and have a seat." Gu Qi greeted her warmly.
"Auntie Gu."
Xu Wanwan responded to Gu Qi before turning to Ye Jinmeng. "I just got out of class and happened to run into Senior Shi, so we came together. I stopped by the restroom, which is why I'm a bit late."
Shi Shuning nodded in acknowledgment, then said, "So Meng, what was this dream you mentioned? Tell us about it."
The others looked at Ye Jinmeng with keen interest, waiting for her to recount her dream.
"I dreamed about a little girl..." Ye Jinmeng vividly described the events from her dream, her fists clenched by the end.
"You guys don't understand, I was almost furious in that dream! Furious enough to want to hit someone! Ugh, I don't even know if that girl ended up being taken back home and forced to marry that idiot... Just thinking about it is horrifying..."
"How could anyone be so vile? The girl was so lovely, how could she be treated like that!"
Shi Shuning covered Ye Jinmeng's small fists with his large hands, signaling her to calm down and relax.
Gu Qi sighed, "Back in the old days, favoring sons over daughters was a common issue in many families. But times have changed. Although some still cling to the outdated notion of carrying on the family name through sons, most families no longer think that way and may even dote more on their daughters."
Just like in their family - their good little girl was their precious treasure, while Ye Jinchen was the mischievous little brat.
"Yeah, I just felt bad for that girl's plight. I wanted to help her, but I was powerless," Ye Jinmeng said dejectedly.
Gu Qi stroked her daughter's head with a smile. "You silly child, taking a dream so seriously. Have you been watching too many dramas?"
Ye Jinmeng shook her head. "Definitely not. I don't really watch dramas; I read novels, mostly sweet romances..."
"Then maybe it was that incident that scared you," Xu Wanwan suggested, though the two scenarios didn't seem related...
Ye Jinmeng rubbed her chin pensively, shaking her head again.
"No, if I was scared, I would have dreamed about being chased or something happening to me directly. But this dream felt like I was immersed in watching a movie - vivid, yet without any sense of participation."
Her eyes suddenly lit up with excitement as she continued, "Could it be... that my soul went to witness my previous life?"
Before she could finish, Gu Qi gave her a light rap on the head.
"Don't spout such nonsense, child! Souls and past lives, it's all superstition! You need to believe in science!"
Xu Wanwan: ...Don't believe rumors! Don't spread rumors!
Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan exchanged a furtive glance but remained silent.
"Alright, no need to overthink this," Gu Qi said soothingly as she ruffled Ye Jinmeng's hair. "I think you must have read an article or report that influenced you in some way. I'm going to wash some fruit for you all. You kids have fun."
"Okay, mom."
After Gu Qi left with a bag of fruit, Ye Jinmeng leaned closer to Xu Wanwan's ear and whispered conspiratorially, "Wanwan, don't you think my guess makes total sense?"
Xu Wanwan couldn't make any definitive claims, as her own situation involved time travel and rebirth, while Ye Jinmeng seemed to be referring to reincarnation.
Who could be sure...?
However, the hushed interaction between Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan irked Shi Shuning, and his grip on Ye Jinmeng's hand tightened.
Shi Shuning: Meng is whispering into someone else's ear, I'm not happy, not happy at all!
Ye Jinmeng noticed Shi Shuning's dejected expression and reached out to pat his head, as if petting a large dog. "Be a good boy, okay?"
Shi Shuning: ...
Xu Wanwan stifled a laugh before asking, "Do you know where the place in your dream was? Were there any distinctive landmarks? Maybe you saw something similar online or on social media but just don't remember."
Ye Jinmeng shook her head. "No, there were no location details in the dream. I only know the girl's name was Zhao Di; I don't know anything else."
At that moment, the disgruntled Shi Shuning spoke up, "Enough, Meng. Don't think too much about it. Whether it was just a dream or something science can't explain, you have no way to help her.
Even if you really had a chance to help this Zhao Di, there are thousands upon thousands of other girls like her that you wouldn't be able to help."
"So for now, don't dwell on it. If you and this Zhao Di are truly destined to meet, or if she genuinely needs your help, you'll dream about her again someday, or you'll encounter her at some point in the future."
Xu Wanwan nodded in agreement. "Senior Shi is right. The more you think about it now, the more pressure you'll put on yourself. Time will reveal the truth to you."
Ye Jinmeng nodded. That made sense. Even if she scoured the internet based on the clues from her memory, she might not find anything, as there were far too many children suffering similar plights.
If they were truly destined to cross paths, it would happen naturally.
It was like losing something - no matter how hard you looked, you couldn't find it. But after giving up, it would appear right before your eyes when you least expected it.