No matter if he possessed the girl herself or the individual in the dream, Cheng Jinyang, as an experienced dream walker, could clearly feel the prevailing tone within the entire dream, which was the strongest emotion of the girls themselves.
For their own unbearable memories, Xing Yuanzhi felt "disgust," Wang Wanrou felt "resentment," Chu Qingqing felt "fear," Yang Wanshu felt "despair," and Cui Jinqi felt "regret."
In fact, if Cheng Jinyang hadn't possessed her, he wouldn't have understood why Cui Xiaoniang changed so drastically: in reality, Cui Jinqi had a very happy life before this, without encountering even the slightest hardship.
As a girl from a prestigious family, she had no concept of "material scarcity" during her childhood. Whether it was food or toys, no matter how expensive, she could have anything she wanted.
Although her father, Cui Taichong, had a rigid personality, he was upright and even when criticizing her, he never resorted to verbal abuse or cold violence. Her mother, Lady Lu, was famously gentle and virtuous, beloved by all the children. Cui Jinqi even saw her mother as a life idol—someone she wanted to become when she grew up.
Therefore, in both material and spiritual terms, Cui Jinqi lived in a nearly perfect world, which nurtured her innocent and carefree personality.
She believed that the world her parents built for her was the entirety of the real world outside.
So, when Cui Xiaoniang first touched upon the real darkness of the outside world, her worldview immediately collapsed. She couldn't understand why her parents would do something so cruel, just as she couldn't understand why there would be shadows under the light, and then she became obsessed.
She was trapped in her own chaotic, deranged thoughts.
"It's been a whole month," Cui Taichong said worriedly. "She doesn't talk to the family, doesn't leave her room, just stays there in a daze. No one knows what she's thinking."
"Sigh, it's all my fault." Lady Lu wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "I shouldn't have sent someone to handle this matter. It must have scared Jinqi to see the scene... She's a kind-hearted child, too kind-hearted to know how much conspiracy and danger are out there."
"If she could forgive me, I would be willing to kneel before her. But now she just hides in her room without a word and won't communicate with me. What should we do?"
"Please don't worry," Wang Maohong said gently. "Let Wanrou try talking to her. They are the same age and have similar personalities, so there should be a possibility for communication."
"It's the only way," Cui Taichong sighed, pulling his wife Lady Lu aside and watching as the 12-year-old Wang Wanrou entered the room.
Seeing the young Miss Wang again, the first thing that came to Cheng Jinyang's mind was her crazed laughter in front of the mirror.
However, at this moment, Wang Wanrou only wore a graceful and gentle perfect smile. After entering, she casually closed the door.
"I heard you're having some trouble?"
Cui Jinqi was sitting on the bed hugging her knees. Hearing this, she looked up at her.
Her gaze fell on Wang Wanrou's hairstyle, making Cui Xiaoniang a bit distracted.
"Why not tell me about it?" Wang Wanrou said with a smile.
"Do you understand what 'deception' is?" Perhaps because of the hairstyle, Cui Jinqi whispered, almost muttering.
"Uh," Wang Wanrou raised an eyebrow, "guiding the other's thoughts with rhetoric, even if it contradicts reality."
"Why does deception exist in the world?" Cui Jinqi said sadly, unable to hold back her tears.
She had chosen to be honest with her mother, but her mother, despite saying she "understood her," secretly ordered people to "root out the problem," clearly just a perfunctory lie.
"Because there's competition," Wang Wanrou said.
Cui Jinqi: ?
She tilted her head in confusion, waiting for the other party to explain.
"To win the competition, one needs to use deception to create an information gap," seeing that Cui Jinqi didn't understand, the young Miss Wang explained impatiently, "Deception isn't the result; it's just a means to an end. So your question is meaningless. The purpose of any means or tool is only because it's effective."
Cui Jinqi fell silent.
She roughly understood and tearfully complained, "You're mocking me for being foolish. Because I don't know how to deceive, all of this is my own fault."
Wang Wanrou was slightly surprised (this girl actually understood), and a barely perceptible smile curved at the corner of her mouth. She said gently, "I didn't say that. However, it seems you've already found the answer yourself?"
"I…" Cui Jinqi opened her mouth but then bit her lip hard.
She finally emerged from the mental dead-end that had troubled her for more than a month, only to be led by the irresponsible Wang Wanrou into another, even more severe, cul-de-sac: "I won't make the same mistake again."
Wang Wanrou: ?
"I will too." Cui Jinqi muttered repeatedly, as if brainwashing herself, "I won't make the same mistake again."
"Uh." Wang Wanrou felt this girl seemed a bit off.
However, she didn't care what the other person really thought, so she just smiled and said, "Well, since you've figured it out, my task is complete."
"A task?" Cui Jinqi immediately understood that she was entrusted by her parents to try to guide her out of her predicament.
And she finally found the "correct" way out.
"Yes, thank you." She wiped away her tears forcefully and revealed a feigned, grateful smile.
......
Cheng Jinyang woke up from bed.
He discovered that he was holding one girl in his left arm and another in his right, like an owner with two big cats.
Wang Wanrou was understandable, but Qingqing, you said you would hold me to sleep! How did it become me holding you when I woke up?
Carefully withdrawing his arms from under the two, Cheng Jinyang went to the bathroom to wash up.
When he came out again, he saw Miss Wang sitting up, yawning, her collar loose and exposing a half of her fair, ivory-like shoulder.
Noticing Cheng Jinyang's gaze, she casually adjusted her collar and asked, "Why didn't you pull us into the dream last night? Whose dream did you enter?"
"Cui Jinqi's," Cheng Jinyang answered.
So the cause of Cui Xiaoniang's problem was your mischief! Qinghe Cui Clan should give you a one-ton heavy medal.
"Oh." Wang Wanrou nodded, seemingly without any awareness of leading people astray, just lazily beckoning, "Come here."
Cheng Jinyang walked to the bedside, and Miss Wang stood up, looking down and patted his head.
"I originally wanted to study in the dream, but since you didn't pull me in, let's leave it at that for now."
"What did you do to me?" Cheng Jinyang asked puzzledly.
"I copied your current mental state," Wang Wanrou said calmly. "I'll study it slowly when I go back."
Cheng Jinyang was slightly startled, then remembered that the Taiyuan Wang Clan was leaving Jiankang today to take refuge in Lin'an.
"When are you leaving?"
"Right away."
"Okay, when you get to Lin'an, remember to call me."
"Taiyuan Wang Clan's ancestral land doesn't allow phones, even the one in Lin'an." Wang Wanrou said unhurriedly, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
"Saying such things before leaving is a flag." Cheng Jinyang sighed.
"A flag?"
"It's like…" He then remembered that there seemed to be no concept of flags in this world, "It's like a kind of verbal omen, for example, saying 'I'll get married after this war' before going to the battlefield, then dying in the war and never going back."
"Oh." Wang Wanrou said boredly, "I'm not interested in such superstitions."
"Then I'm leaving now." Cheng Jinyang said.
"Don't lose your head and charge too far on the battlefield." As he pushed open the bedroom door, he heard Miss Wang say behind him, "Remember, your rebellion suppression is for political purposes, not military or personal reasons."
"Yes, of course," Cheng Jinyang replied.
Miss Wang was right. For political purposes, it meant just "putting on a show for Zhongshu Yu," rather than truly suppressing the rebellion (military purpose) or rescuing the uncle's faction (personal purpose).
With Jiankang City no longer defensible, there was no need to sacrifice the family to fight to the death for the court.
"As long as you know," Wang Wanrou said.