Peach-Orange! – Chapter 297 – The Dream Begins Again

The figurine’s effect was overwhelming. Staring at it for too long before sleep would induce a dazed state, followed by an intensely vivid lucid dream.

Last time, Chi Xiaocheng had tried it out of curiosity, and it awakened her sealed memories of her past life, memories she had buried due to pain.

Because of that dream, she began to change, growing increasingly obsessive.

She even hallucinated, seeing another version of herself: a Xiaocheng dressed in a black gown.

That other self had forced her to make choices and seduced her into extreme thinking.

It seemed like the beginning of all her abnormalities stemmed from that dream.

After reflecting on it, Chi Xiaocheng no longer wanted to face the figurine. Even though it remained by her bedside, she deliberately ignored it.

Later, after her suicide attempt and nearly dying from a sniper’s bullet, Su Tao had tidied up the room while Chi Xiaocheng was hospitalized and stored the figurine away in a box.

Before, she hadn’t wanted to experience such a terrifying dream again.

But now… Chi Xiaocheng actually wished for that vanished Dark Xiaocheng to come and keep her company.

Though Dark Xiaocheng was the embodiment of her darker side, always coaxing her, provoking her, mocking her, whenever she was alone, Dark Xiaocheng would still appear to accompany her.

If it were that strong-willed Xiaocheng, she definitely wouldn’t be like her current self, overthinking the system’s words and drowning in unease.

The last lucid dream had been about her past life.

If she dreamed again… what would she see this time?

While Chi Xiaocheng was lost in thought, staring at the figurine, Su Tao finished her shower and knocked on the door before opening it.

“Xiaocheng, it’s your turn to shower. Even if you didn’t get drenched, a hot bath will help prevent a cold.”

“Okay~”

Chi Xiaocheng responded, then closed the storage cabinet.

The slight chill in her body was another factor feeding her unease.

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Grabbing her clothes, she headed into the bathroom.

Warm water fell over her head, soaking her hair before streaming down her body.

As the water flowed over her skin, warmth gradually enveloped her.

Her tense nerves relaxed somewhat, but the unease lingering in her heart didn’t fade much.

The higher the character weight, the easier it was to be controlled and influenced, as if constantly living under the watchful eye of the world’s will.

Then what about Su Tao, who currently had the highest character weight?

The water continued to wash over her, but Chi Xiaocheng’s gaze gradually sharpened.

“If Tao-Tao’s character weight were drastically reduced, could she escape the danger of the world’s will?

“No, no… Tao-Tao has already grown a bit obsessive. Just a 5% drop in weight caused this. If it were reduced to my level, wouldn’t that be the same as destroying her?”

“I can’t think like this.”

Calming herself, Chi Xiaocheng roughly dried off and stepped out, dressed.

Looking around, she found Su Tao busy in the kitchen again, having prepared a bowl of ginger soup while also cooking dinner.

Wearing an apron, Su Tao turned at the sound of footsteps and smiled softly.

“Xiaocheng, you’re done? Drink some ginger soup to warm up first. I’ll finish cutting these vegetables, then dry your hair.”

“Okay~”

Chi Xiaocheng obediently sat on the sofa.

Just then, two drenched kittens hopped in from the balcony, shaking off rainwater before scratching at the glass door.

Su Tao noticed and said gently,

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“The wind’s strong, Xiaocheng. Don’t open the window. Your health’s fragile, and you might catch a cold. Let King stay outside in the rain for a bit. I’ll let her in later.”

Chi Xiaocheng smiled helplessly.

‘There’s more than just King out there….’

But still, things were fine as they were.

Su Tao was gentle with her. Even with high character weight, nothing bad had happened so far. There was no need to force a change.

Su Tao let the two kittens in, then began drying Chi Xiaocheng’s hair.

Outside, the heavy rain continued.

Glancing at the door, Su Tao’s expression flickered with faint concern.

“Speaking of which… Fang Ning still isn’t back. With this heavy rain….”

Though she disliked Fang Ning, Su Tao wasn’t so obsessive as to wish for her disappearance. Her innate kindness still made her worry about the other girl’s safety.

Chi Xiaocheng replied, “Ningning left this morning. She said she was going back to the cat café to take care of the animals.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Su Tao’s hand, mid-hair-drying, froze for a second.

Then, in a moment Chi Xiaocheng couldn’t see, her face lit up with glee.

‘That annoying brat is finally gone!’

‘Always trying to steal Xiaocheng from me, but in the end, you’re no match for me, Su Tao!’

Her mood improved even more. As she dried Chi Xiaocheng’s hair, she hummed cheerfully.

Nearby, the two damp kittens waited patiently for their turn to be dried. Having lived here long enough, they knew who the true master of this house was.

Warm moments always passed quickly.

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Su Tao wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but for the entire evening, Chi Xiaocheng had been clingier than usual.

After dinner, no matter what, she chose to stay close.

Even when Su Tao tried to read in her room, the little one wormed her way into her arms.

What was supposed to be reading time turned into the two of them cuddling while watching a comedy film.

It wasn’t until midnight that Su Tao patted the drowsy Chi Xiaocheng.

“Xiaocheng, it’s almost 12. If you’re sleepy, you should go back to your room.”

Outside, the rain had stopped and started intermittently.

The combination of Su Tao’s pat and a sudden clap of thunder jolted Chi Xiaocheng awake.

She flinched, then pouted, glaring at Su Tao with clear dissatisfaction.

Su Tao blinked innocently.

“Uh… Did I do something wrong?”

“You blockhead!”

Chi Xiaocheng didn’t elaborate. Huffing, she stormed out of the room.

Back in her own room, she grabbed the grey wolf plushie Su Tao had given her and punched it angrily.

“Says she wants to sleep with me, but when given the chance, she doesn’t take it! So stupid!”

‘If she saw me almost asleep, couldn’t she just hold me like last time?’

‘If it happened once, it could happen again!’

‘Even if you’re dealing with an amnesiac me, if we slept together once, wouldn’t there be a second time?’

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‘I’m so soft! Why can’t you be a little more assertive?!’

“Such a blockhead!”

She punched the plushie again before climbing into bed.

But now, separated from that warm embrace and alone in the empty room, loneliness crept in once more.

The unease of being an outsider, constantly rejected, never truly belonging, surged from all directions.

Lying on her side, she stared at the storage cabinet holding the figurine.

But after much hesitation….

Chi Xiaocheng was still afraid.

If she had another nightmare, if she dreamed of her past life again like last time…

She wasn’t sure she could withstand that kind of emotional impact.

“…Forget it. I can sleep alone. It’s not like I haven’t done it most of the time anyway.”

She curled up tightly under the blankets, the AC turned up high, yet her body remained cold.

No matter what, she couldn’t get warm.

Closing her eyes, she felt as if she were sinking into a dark, icy abyss.

She truly hadn’t wanted to look at the figurine.

But this afternoon, when she opened the storage cabinet, she had already stared at it in a daze.

The dream… had already begun.