Chapter 46: Hypnosis — The Man in the Dream
Dr. Li said, “Let’s try again. This time, you must cooperate properly.”
Nan Xun quickly agreed.
This time, Dr. Li didn’t have her close her eyes right away. He took out a pocket watch from his coat and held it suspended above her head, gently swinging it back and forth.
Nan Xun stared at the constantly swaying pocket watch. As she watched, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until they slowly closed.
All around her was a vast whiteness. Only when a distant tick sounded from the horizon did the thick fog begin to dissipate, allowing her to gradually see her surroundings.
She was standing on a street, with a steady flow of vehicles all around and pedestrians waiting at the crosswalk for the green light.
She looked across the street and saw a man.
He was wearing a white shirt and black dress pants, as if he had just gotten off work.
Tall, straight-backed, handsome—someone you would notice at a glance in a crowd.
Nan Xun found it strange. She could clearly see his face, yet no matter what, she couldn’t remember what it looked like.
He stood expressionlessly by the roadside, looking somewhat aloof. Suddenly, he looked in her direction. His unfathomably deep eyes locked straight onto her, and his expression changed abruptly, a trace of concealed joy flashing through them.
Nan Xun couldn’t help glancing to her left and right. There was no one beside her.
He was looking at… her.
All of a sudden, the man sprinted toward her, as though his eyes held only her, as if everything else in the world had ceased to exist.
Then Nan Xun heard the shrill screech of brakes, followed by a violent crash.
The man was thrown to the ground, his body covered in blood.
Nan Xun stared blankly at the man who had been struck by the car. Suddenly, she felt it hard to breathe, as if she were suffocating.
The man lying in the pool of blood moved his lips slightly, as though calling out, “Bai Mo…”
Nan Xun jolted awake, sitting bolt upright and gasping for air.
She looked around in a daze and saw Dr. Li frowning deeply.
“Miss Bai, what did you just see?”
Nan Xun recounted the dream she had just experienced. Dr. Li’s brows furrowed even more tightly.
“Miss Bai, your condition is more serious than I imagined. If you’re not making fun of me, then I believe you may have some mental issues.”
Nan Xun: …
She felt he was tactfully saying that she was crazy.
How infuriating—someone was actually saying she had a mental illness.
Dr. Li put away his pocket watch, scribbled a couple of lines on the medical chart, and prescribed several medications for Nan Xun.
“Miss Bai, if there’s no improvement after taking these medicines, I suggest you—” He paused, pushing up the glasses on the bridge of his nose. “—visit the psychiatry department. Please don’t be angry; I’m merely stating my professional recommendation objectively. You’re free to keep your own opinion.”
As he spoke, he habitually glanced at the wall clock.
But with that single look, his gaze seemed to freeze in place.
Nan Xun called out twice, “Dr. Li? Dr. Li?”
Sensing that something was wrong, she hurriedly examined his eyes, only to find that his gaze had become unfocused. The way he stared at the clock made him look as if he had been hypnotized.
Not long after, his eyes suddenly flew open in terror. Blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and his entire body began to convulse, resembling an epileptic seizure.
Nan Xun was terrified and immediately rushed outside, shouting for help.
Dr. Li was sent in for emergency treatment. Nan Xun didn’t know what happened afterward; she only heard that he seemed to have suffered some mental derangement and had been temporarily transferred to the neurology department for treatment.
After this incident, neither Bai Xiye nor Nan Xun ever mentioned seeing a psychologist again.
Nan Xun became increasingly certain that she was being haunted by something unclean. However, with Bai Xiye—a big boss with a malice value of 100—by her side, she felt a little braver. They said ghosts feared evil people, and Bai Xiye’s malice value was a full 100; as long as she stayed close to him, that thing probably wouldn’t dare do anything to her.
At first, both of them were constantly on edge. Later, when Nan Xun said she hadn’t heard any strange sounds recently, Bai Xiye finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Over the past few days, Nan Xun hadn’t been in great shape, so Bai Xiye stayed with her longer. Still, he treated her very carefully and never once asked to stay the night.
But this time, it started to rain heavily outside.
“Momo, it’s raining. Do you think I could stay the night here today?” Bai Xiye asked.
Nan Xun couldn’t help laughing. “This is your villa to begin with. Stay if you want. But you can only sleep in the bedroom on the first floor.”
Bai Xiye happily agreed.
After dinner, Nan Xun cleaned up the dishes, and then the two of them curled up on the sofa to watch a movie together.
Partway through, Bai Xiye suddenly cupped Nan Xun’s face and leaned down to kiss her.
Startled, Nan Xun quickly raised a hand to block his face and gave a dry laugh. “Xiye, aren’t we moving a bit too fast?”
True to his nature as a gentleman, Bai Xiye gave up the moment she refused, though his expression showed some disappointment.
Nan Xun was a little surprised. That easy to fend off? This was really the villainous big boss with a malice value of 100?
“Momo, do you really like me?” Bai Xiye suddenly asked.
Nan Xun paused, then hurriedly replied, “Of course I do. Just look at you—handsome, rich, and so good to me. Where else would I find such a great boyfriend? Right?”
Bai Xiye couldn’t help laughing at her words. “Momo, you’re really straightforward. But I like you that way. You know, when we first met, there was a pickpocket stealing your things. You kicked off your high heel and took off after him. That’s when I thought—what a rare woman you are. So free and unrestrained.”
Nan Xun’s mouth twitched. That’s really nothing. You should’ve seen me roll up my sleeves and get into a fight—that’s what’s truly impressive.
It was getting late. Nan Xun yawned and prepared to go upstairs to sleep.
Bai Xiye watched her for a long while, a restless urge stirring in his heart.
Unable to resist, just as Nan Xun stood up, he grabbed her arm and stole a quick kiss on her cheek.
Nan Xun immediately swatted his hand away. “Stop fooling around. It’s already very late.”
Only then did Bai Xiye let go.
Nan Xun slept soundly through the night until morning without a single dream. Stretching lazily, she pulled open the floor-to-ceiling curtains and watched golden sunlight spill across the room, warm against her body.
She went downstairs and found that Bai Xiye had already left. She heated a cup of milk in the kitchen and fried an egg.
Just after finishing breakfast, Nan Xun received a text from Bai Xiye, saying he had something to discuss with her and asking her to wait for him near a Western restaurant.
To maintain the best possible impression, Nan Xun deliberately changed into her favorite white dress.
Before she even reached the destination, she spotted Bai Xiye across the road. He was holding a large bouquet of red roses and smiling as he waved at her.
But in the very next second, his eyes widened in terror, and his body was flung uncontrollably into the air, landing in the middle of the road.
At that moment, a large truck came barreling toward him.
