Early the next morning, Li Mengxi woke up from her dream.
The alarm clock on her cell phone vibrated non-stop, and she pressed it off and lay on her bed in a daze. Last night's dream was too real - not only the scenes and characters, but even the tension and heartfelt feeling was so vivid that it was scary.
"Xiao Zichu ... Gu Mohan ..." she whispered the two names, feeling a bit ridiculous.
As an ordinary employee of a large Internet factory, Li Mengxi's days were not exactly exciting. Working overtime until late at night every day, eating takeout, and catching up on projects, life was like a straight line with no ripples. And dreams are her only outlet.
But last night's dream was different from the past. Those people, those scenes, were like some kind of real existence that she couldn't explain. She even vaguely remembered that the earth, illuminated by those two moons, exuded a strange energy that seemed to run counter to certain laws of the real world.
She shook her head, trying to shake the dream away, and got up to wash and prepare for another dull day. But when she looked down, she suddenly saw a light silver mark on her wrist, like a shimmering light forming a conformity.
"What's ... going on?" She muttered as the figures of Gu Mohan and Xiao Ziche flashed through her mind. She felt that her ordinary life was being quietly broken.
Workers always can't help themselves, there was no time to think more, Li Mengxi quickly packed up and went out, in order to make herself more awake, she bought a cup of coffee downstairs at the company, while she was waiting, she heard someone behind her talking in a low voice: "... Last night's celestial phenomenon wasn't quite right, that area might have been opened up. "
"Who knows, anyway, ordinary people can't get in ..." another voice replied.
Li Mengxi turned back violently, wanting to see who the person who spoke was, but the two figures quickly disappeared into the crowd, as if they had never appeared.
"Tianxiang ... region?" She frowned as she looked at the mark on her wrist, a pang of doubt in her heart. On her way to the office she had displayed her wrist in front of others, but no one had noticed her mark, as if this was something only she could see.
Busy work was always a temporary distraction. Li Mengxi sat in front of her desk, tapping out codes at the computer screen. She was an ordinary programmer in the company, burying her head in work on weekdays, not loving to communicate more with her colleagues. From time to time, the sound of colleagues talking and laughing came to her ears, but she was never able to integrate.
Today, her heart is unusually irritable. The scenes in her dream kept surfacing, especially those two faces-Xiao Ziche's gentle smile and Gu Mohan's cold but sharp eyes, which were deeply embedded in her mind, making it impossible for her to concentrate.
"Li Mengxi, do you want to go to a get-together tonight? It's organized by the department." The colleague next to her handed over an invitation.
"Um...I might have to work overtime." She subconsciously excused herself.
"You again." The coworker shook her head and walked away.
She sighed and continued to stare at the screen. Time passed by, until the overtime ended, and she still couldn't get rid of the shadow of the dream.
At night, Li Mengxi went to bed early, but her heart was restless. She vaguely felt that she would enter that strange dream again. Moreover, the feeling was even stronger this time.
The moment she closed her eyes, it was as if she was swept away by a powerful suction and entered that marvelous world once again.
This time, she was standing in a bustling city, surrounded by skyscrapers and neon lights, almost exactly the same as the real world. It was just that the sky here was brighter than in reality, and the air was filled with strange energy fluctuations.
"It seems like you really don't understand what danger means." A cold voice sounded behind her.
Li Mengxi turned around and saw Gu Mohan. He was still dressed in black, his temperament was cold, and there was a hint of impatience in his gaze.
"I ..." Li Mengxi opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say, "I didn't want to come, but ..."
"No one would come here for no reason." Gu Mohan interrupted her, taking a few steps closer and staring down at her, "There's something wrong with you."
"What problems do I have?" Li Mengxi subconsciously stepped back, but she was forced by him to stick to a wall.
"Your scent...is very special." Gu Mohan's voice lowered as if he was thinking, "You're not an ordinary person."
"Are you kidding, I'm clearly an ordinary person!" Li Mengxi retorted loudly, but in the back of her mind, she vaguely felt that he might be right.
Right at this moment, a familiar sword aura struck, and Gu Mohan quickly backed away, his longsword thrusting into the spot where he had just stood.
"Stay away from her, Gu Mohan." Xiao Ziche's figure appeared at the other end of the alley, the silver sword in front of him emitting a dazzling light.
Li Mengxi's heart accelerated violently as she watched him approach step by step, as if the entire world had gone quiet.
"Xiao Zi Che ..." she shouted out his name in a low voice, not knowing why, this name sounded extraordinarily familiar.
"Are you alright?" Xiao Ziche walked to her side, blocking between her and Gu Mohan, and asked in a low voice.
Li Mengxi nodded, barely squeezing out a smile, "I'm fine ... Thank you."
Gu Mohan let out a cold laugh and clasped his hands on his chest, his tone mocking, "A hero saving a beauty? Xiao Ziche, you really are a dog that can't change ..."
"Shut up." Xiao Ziche coldly interrupted him, a hint of harshness in his eyes, "She has nothing to do with you."
"Oh? Irrelevant?" Gu Mohan narrowed his eyes as if he had discovered something interesting, "How long do you think you can protect her?"
The atmosphere between the two suddenly tensed up, and while Li Mengxi stood aside, her heart was filled with questions.
"Who exactly are you ... guys?" She couldn't help but open her mouth and ask, "Also, what is this place?"
Xiao Ziche looked back at her with a complicated gaze, "This is the Dream Realm, but to you, it might not be just a dream."
"Dream Realm?" Li Mengxi was puzzled.
Gu Mohan snorted, "There's no need to know too much, to you, the less you know, the safer it is." After saying that, he turned around and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.
"What exactly does he mean?" Li Mengxi looked at Xiao Ziche, her heart filled with doubts.
"Don't trust him." Xiao Ziche whispered, "The only thing you need to do now is to protect yourself."
"But ...," Li Mengxi wanted to ask again, but the entire dream world suddenly began to collapse.
"Go back." Xiao Ziche's voice faded into a blur, and his hand reached out to Li Mengxi, but it was separated by the crack that suddenly appeared.
Li Mengxi felt a strong pull and her consciousness quickly blurred, and when she woke up again, she found herself lying on the bed.
She looked down at her wrist, the mark was brighter and emitting a slight heat. She stared at the mark for a long time, pondered for a moment and then opened the computer to search for more information about the "dream world", and even through social networking programs to find people who had the same experience as herself, but found nothing.
Coincidentally, today is a day off, Li Mengxi went to the library to try to see if they can find any information. Finally, an old book was found with yellowed pages and the title "Dream Realm: Real or Unreal".
"The Dream Realm is a space between reality and the soul ..." She whispered the contents of the book, and the more she read, the more the book seemed to be describing her experience.
"Those who enter the Dream Realm often have special soul markings or are chosen by some power."
Her fingers gently touched the pages of the book, and her gaze landed on the words "soul mark", remembering the mark on her wrist, her heart shook.
"I see..." she said softly, closing the book with more questions in her mind, "Who chose me? And what is the purpose?"
That night, Li Mengxi once again fell into a dream. Unlike the previous two times when she was passive, she was mentally prepared this time.
This time, she appeared in an ancient and ornate palace, surrounded by flickering crystal lamps and huge floating screens, with both a heavy sense of history and a sci-fi color.
She stood still, her eyes quickly scanning her surroundings, trying to analyze the environment. Soon, she heard familiar footsteps.
"Looks like you're here again." Gu Mohan's voice came out coldly, he still had that indifferent look, but there seemed to be a hint more probing in his gaze.
"This time, I didn't come by chance." Li Mengxi said calmly, raising her wrist and pointing at the silver seal, "Tell me, what is this?"
Gu Mohan raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised by her initiative. He let out a cold laugh, "Looks like you're already curious."
Li Mengxi didn't flinch, but looked straight at him, "If you don't tell me, I'll find out for myself. You should be clear that I'm not the type to sit around and wait for death."
Gu Mohan narrowed his eyes as if scrutinizing her for a moment before whispering, "This is your 'key', the credentials to enter the Dream Realm."
"Key?" Li Mengxi frowned and continued to pursue, "Then who gave it to me? You guys?"
"No, we don't have that kind of leisure." Gu Mohan's tone carried a hint of disdain, "But someone wants you to be a ... part of this place."
Li Mengxi was just about to continue asking when Xiao Ziche's figure suddenly came from the other side. There was a hint of fatigue on his face, but when he saw her, there was an extra softness in his eyes.
"Don't listen to his nonsense." Xiao Ziche said, walking over to Lai Mengxi and saying softly, "This world is complicated, but I will tell you what you should know."
As Li Mengxi looked at the two men's very different attitudes, she suddenly realized something- they seemed to be competing for her trust.
"You two, can you tell the truth for once?" She spoke coldly, her eyes blazing, "What is the Dream Realm? Why was I chosen?"
Gu Mohan and Xiao Ziche glanced at each other, the atmosphere subtle and tense. After a moment, Gu Mohan spoke, "The Dream Realm is a battlefield, and everyone who enters will be caught in a trial. You either survive or ..."
He didn't finish, but Li Mengxi already understood what he meant.
"That is to say, this is not a dream, but a game." Li Mengxi calmly summarized, "But what are you guys? Players? Or ... manipulators?"
Xiao Ziche frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "We used to be players, but it's different now."
"Why is it different?" Li Mengxi pressed the question.
There was a hint of danger in Gu Mohan's gaze as he slowly said, "Because we've already surpassed the rules. And you - will be the key to the next step."
Li Mengxi's heart shook, but she didn't show surprise, instead she raised her head and spoke in a calm and firm tone, "Since I'm the key, don't try to use me as a pawn."
Xiao Ziche looked at her, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes, "Sure enough, you are different from the others."
"So, what's next?" Li Mengxi looked around at the two of them, a bit of unquestionable strength in her tone, "If you guys don't make it clear, I'll look into it myself."
Gu Mohan's lips raised a cold smile, "Then you'd better get ready, because from now on, every step you take could be a life and death situation."
It was already dawn when Li Mengxi woke up, and the sunlight poured through the curtains on her bed. However, she didn't feel a trace of warmth, and the conversation in her dream was still clearly hovering in her mind.
"Every step is a game of life and death."
She couldn't help but touch the mark on her wrist, the silver lines like a ready reminder of her dream.
"I will never become a pawn." Li Mengxi said softly, a trace of determination flashing in her eyes. She knew that since she was caught up in this trial, she had to take the initiative.