To the other end of the Dream

12

Next morning

Shen Jin scrunched her face as she felt a blinding light on her face. She struggled for a good 2 minutes before she could finally manage to open her eyes properly. She made an attempt to sit.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!"

She groaned out loud. Her head felt as heavy as a metal bar. She held her head in an attempt to soothe it. Then she remembered why she was suffering from a hangover. 

"Shit!" She cursed. "Shit shit shit!" She thrashed around her bed in panic.

"Did I say everything to him? Arrrggghh! Shen Jin, what have you done? When will you learn to control your emotions? He is no longer yours."

She stopped suddenly at her last sentence.

"He has a girlfriend."

She sighed.

"He has a girlfriend. Now I got it. Why would he come to the date I arranged? Why would he let me take care of him? I am...I am..."

Her throat pained as her eyes slowly became foggy. Only this time it is not because of alcohol but because of the painful tears of loss. She tried to gulp away the tears but she was too exhausted to control herself anymore.

"....nobody to him."

She finally let her tears flow, dampening her rosy cheeks, like raindrops falling from a roof with no hope of getting recognised. Headache forgotten, she stared into space, expression completely blank.

The door of her room opened and Rou Rou walked in with a bowl in her hand. She got startled for a moment seeing Shen Jin wide awake and sitting on her bed.

"Jin Jin!"

She quickly walked towards her friend and sat beside her.

"Are you feeling okay? Are you having a headache? Here, drink this soup, it will help with your hangover."

She extended the bowl towards her and frowned when Shen Jin sat still.

"Jin Jin." She called. No response. She touched her shoulder and called again. Shen Jin turned towards her, face expressionless, cheeks tear-stained.

Rou Rou sighed.

"Drink this first."

Shen Jin took the bowl like a machine and sipped the liquid. Her eyes suddenly widened and her expressionless face faded in an instant as the taste reached her brain.

"W-what is this?"

Rou Rou was confused. "What? This is just a hangover soup. Why? Is it bad? Will I make you another bowl?"

"Who made it?"

It was Rou Rou's turn to widen her eyes. How on earth does she know...

"Answer me Rou Rou. Who made it?"

"What do you think?"

Shen Jin spaced out for a minute and stared blankly behind Rou Rou.

"It is impossible. This can't be true right? You made this right? Tell me you made it. Tell me."

Shen Jin didn't want to get hurt again. She was already feeling helpless, weak and devastated. The fact that the soup tastes much like the soup Chu Xiuming made for her when she was hungover similarly in the past was too much for her to bear. She couldn't and shouldn't believe that Chu Xiuming had made this. She was desperately wanting to hear Rou Rou say that Chu Xiuming actually made this for her but the logic left in her brain wouldn't allow.

"Yes. Chu Xiuming made this. Just for you."

Shen Jin felt her world spinning around at those words.

"No." She whispered. "No." She shook her head repeatedly. "He...he is....he cannot."

She kept on repeating these words, almost like a maniac.

"I swear I am gonna kill that brat if I see Jin Jin cry like this in front of me for even once after this."

A very frustrated Rou Rou went out of the room. She can't handle this side of Shen Jin alone.

After a minute or so, Rou Rou opened the door to Shen Jin's room and entered with Ruonan beside her. She was eyeing Shen Jin with a genuine worry in her mind. Her heart broke when she saw the ever hopeful and bubbly girl curled up on her bed, sobbing uncontrollably, whispering a series of no-s mindlessly.

"Jin'er." She whispered as she sat on the bed beside the sobbing girl.

"Jin'er, listen to me.... just once."

Shen Jin flinched at Ruonan's firm yet kind voice. She sat up and stared directly into Ruonan's eyes. Ruonan sighed at her friend cum sister-in-law's condition. Red nose, swollen eyes, moist cheeks and a feeling of hopelessness etched on her whole face.

"Jin'er, please don't assume things and beat around the bush. The misunderstanding will only grow in this pace. The simplest solution is to go to him and talk things out. Both of you will be free if you just talk. Be rational, don't lose your mind just by hearing a sentence from him. Analyse his words and actions too. Remember the day of our script-reading? How he handled you when you were almost in the midst of a panic-attack? Do you really think a person would go to that extent just for a stranger?"

Shen Jin's eyes strayed as she remembered something.

Go on, tell our story to the world...

"Does he remember me?"

Ruonan arched her eyebrows. "Why don't ask him that directly?"

"Don't tell me you are shy to even hear his voice now." Rou Rou's jest made both her and Ruonan smile.

"Do you know Jin Jin, all of them were there last night. Xinyuan and Su Su left at midnight. But Chu Xiuming stayed. He stayed awake all night. He even made the hangover soup for you this morning until...until Ruonan kicked him out saying we can take care of you."

Ruonan held Shen Jin's hands.

"Don't worry Jin'er. Everything will fall back into place as it is supposed to be. Just be a little braver and have faith in yourself. And..." She stood up abruptly, startling Shen Jin. "I will take care of that brat Chu Xiuming if he made you cry like this next time. This time I restrained myself from punching him on the face just because you were drunk and not well. But next time..."

"I am there with you next time, Ruonan." Rou Rou butted in.

Shen Jin finally giggled, making the other two girls sigh in relief. Soon, laughter giggles and high-pitched voices filled the room, like the newfound hope in Shen Jin's heart.

"I'll find you again, like fate💜"