It's My Turn

2. Which Is Real

Because ChunHua was still shaky from her "nightmare", dinner did not drag on for too long. It was livelier than usual, though. Soon, they found themselves tucking ChunHua into her bed again.

"You really don't want me to sleep with you tonight?"

"I'm really fine now, Mom." ChunHua reassured her mother with a smile for the umpteenth time.

However, her mother continued to look at her worriedly.

"You've placed midnight snacks here. Xiao Tang is here with me too." ChunHua hugged their large dog's neck. "I can't ask for anything more."

Her mother finally broke into a small indulgent smile. "Of course, you can."

ChunHua laughed lightly. "I'm no longer a baby."

"You'll always be this family's precious baby princess." Her mother said while tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ears.

"Mooom."

Now it was her mother's turn to laugh. "Goodnight and rest well." She kissed ChunHua's forehead. After stroking ChunHua's hair for a while longer, she left the room, not forgetting to close the door behind her.

ChunHua sighed lightly. She stared at the chandelier with Xiao Tang still in her arms. The day's events replayed in her mind. 

A merry night out with her loving family really did wonders. Her heart began to settle. Xiao Tang's warmth and soft fur also helped to keep her grounded. The horrible nightmare began feeling like one, despite it being hyper realistic.

A soft but bright phone chime broke the silence of her room and made her jump. 

'Who could it be at this time?'

She  grabbed her handphone from the table. The notification on the screen made her heart drop. Her hands turned cold and clammy. Even the phone felt disgusting with that name on its screen. 

"Qiao precious."

She froze for a long time, fighting the urge to throw her phone and sanitise her hands. 

When she was finally ready, a shaky finger moved to tap on the screen. 

"I managed to clear my work for you! It was really tough but I made it! All for my dear. Let's go ahead with the plan tomorrow. How does Spring Garden sound?"

'Spring Garden?'

The name jogged her memory. 

"It's that time... I was still sick but..."

ChunHua studied the message again. "It's... It's the same...?" 

She roughly remembered how his message was phrased because it had made her feel guilty for falling sick and ruining plans. At that time, she chose to push herself despite still not feeling well. 

Xiao Tang nudged her arm with its nose and pressed its head against her. 

ChunHua slowly turned to look at it. "Xiao Tang..." Tears welled up in her eyes as she dropped her phone. "What should I do...? Was all that... Real...?"

Xiao Tang whined softly and tilted its head slightly.

ChunHua hugged Xiao Tang. "I can only find out myself huh..." 

ChunHua stared at her phone that had been abandoned on her bed. After what seemed like a long time, she gingerly retrieved it. Letter by letter, her message was crafted with extreme care.

"Awww, you're the best, BaiQiao! I love Spring Garden! BaiQiao really knows me best!" ChunHua typed the same reply that she gave in her memories. After checking it over and over again, she finally pressed send.

This was the first time she studied the messages they exchanged this much. Thanks to it, she realised how blind she was. "He didn't ask me if I felt well enough..." ChunHua mumbled under her breath. It mattered because he knew that she was unwell.

She remembered now. 

It rained on that day and they were caught in it. She had even tripped and fell into a puddle of mud. Thinking back about it did not make it less hectic. Everything contributed to the aggravation of her condition, and it had pissed her family off. Yet, the dumb old her defended BaiQiao to the end. 

ChunHua checked the weather forecast across different sites. Every single one predicted bad weather for the next day. 

'Why would he choose an outdoor activity then? He can't be that negligent...'

Suspicions grew. Her grip on her phone tightened. 'Was it all on purpose?'

The thought raised her ire, but also her self-loathing. 

'But what for? If he didn't want to spend time with me, he could have came up with some cock and bull story. I'd have eaten it up anyway. Why the need to push me to that extent?'

With the thoughts plaguing her, ChunHua could not sleep. So, she took her midnight snacks and drink to the balcony. Xiao Tang followed her closely. 

ChunHua lounged on the little sofa with Xiao Tang's head on her lap and she stared at the back yard before them. The sight of nature blanketed in darkness and the faint smell of grass triggered unpleasant memories. She bent down and breathed in Xiao Tang's scent instead.

'If everything was real... It could only mean two things... Either I had dreamt of the future or... I had really lived once before.' 

"2 years..." She whispered against Xiao Tang's fur. "That's not a lot of time..."

She sighed and her brows knitted tightly. 

'His affair... If I'm not wrong, it started around this time.' 

She remembered throwing a jealous fit over him being too close with another celebrity. She had tried to tolerate it when it was in private, but when pictures started to circulate and when fans started to ship them, she had had enough. Whatever happened after that was too shameful to think about. She had played right into their hands. 

The gears in her mind started to turn. If whatever happened was real, there was much to do. 

She fervently planned every action she would take to prevent her family's downfall. It took her a long time. Not wanting to leave any evidence behind, she committed every detail of her plan to memory. 

This being her first time playing the schemer, she encountered a lot of mental blocks and moral dilemmas. One of her greatest worries was that she had not time travelled but had merely crossed worlds or dimensions.

'What if they're all different people? I would end up the bully instead...'

The first sun rays lit up the horizon, prompting her to look up from twiddling Xiao Tang's fur. 

'There's no point in guessing. I'll just make sure of it. If they're the same, I'll pay them back ten folds. No, a hundred folds.'

»»————　♔　————««

Xiao Tang's appearance inspiration:
https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-st-bernard-dog-image19533663

ChunHua's balcony inspiration:
https://www.facebook.com/BeCr8tive/photos/pcb.195948925262202/195948821928879/?type=3&theater