Mysteries:Lord Of The Dream Realm

Chapter 20:The Day Of Destiny

Zhou Mingrui slumped into the chair with a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples as if trying to massage away the relentless bad luck that had been hounding him. It was March 31, 2018, and the month had been nothing short of a disaster for him. As he leaned back, the weariness in his voice was palpable.

"I've been having the worst luck lately!" Zhou groaned, glancing over at Meng Xian, who was focused on her work in the corner of the room. He didn't need to embellish the details; the misfortunes had piled up high enough to speak for themselves.

Zhou recounted his recent string of calamities. "First, I almost lost my phone. I could've sworn I placed it on the table, but when I reached for it, it was gone. Found it wedged between the couch cushions hours later. Then my computer—my precious lifeline—got hit by a virus. I spent an entire night trying to fix it, only to lose half my files in the process." His voice cracked slightly as he relived the frustration. "And to top it all off, I tripped—no, I face-planted—right outside the convenience store. It wasn't even a subtle stumble; it was a full-on crash to the pavement. I thought I'd broken my nose."

Zhou's expression grew even more disheartened as he recounted the trivial but personally significant misfortune that seemed to sum it all up. "And the bread, the one thing I look forward to every morning... It's been out of stock for a week! It's like the universe doesn't even want me to enjoy the little things anymore."

As he spoke, Zhou Mingrui's voice took on a slightly incredulous tone, as if he still couldn't quite believe the relentless misfortune that had befallen him. "Bad things just keep happening, one after another. It's like I'm cursed or something."

Meng Xian looked up from her work briefly, her brow furrowed with concern. She knew Zhou had been having a rough time, but hearing him lay it all out like this made it clear just how much it was weighing on him.

Zhou's tone shifted as he launched into a specific example that had happened just that afternoon—a story that should have been a simple gaming session but had instead turned into another chapter of his misadventures.

"This afternoon," he began, "while you were working overtime, I decided to play some Stardew Valley to unwind. Just me, my virtual farm, and the hope of a peaceful escape from reality. But the moment I logged in, I noticed something was wrong. A portion of my carefully planted crops had been mysteriously trampled overnight. Maybe it was a rogue crow that somehow got past my scarecrow. Whatever it was, it felt like a slap in the face. I'd worked so hard on those crops."

He paused, the memory clearly frustrating him even now. "But I didn't give up. I figured, 'Alright, let's check on the animals. They always cheer me up.' So I head over to the barn, expecting to be greeted by my happy chickens. But when I open the door, it's dead silent. The usual clucking and flapping are gone. My chickens are all in a foul mood, glaring at me like I'm the enemy. And then I realize—I forgot to buy enough hay. They've been hungry for days, and now they're pissed. No eggs, no mayo, no money. Just angry chickens staring me down like I'm the worst farmer in the world."

Zhou chuckled bitterly, his shoulders slumping further. "I felt like I'd let them down. It's just a game, but it felt so... personal."

He continued, recounting how he'd tried to salvage the day. "I thought I could still save the situation, so I decided to buy some hay from Marnie's ranch. But when I got there, Marnie wasn't home. Her place was closed, and I was left standing there in the rain, soaked and frustrated. It was like the game was mocking me."

His voice dropped to a defeated whisper as he added, "And it didn't stop there. I went to town, thinking maybe I could at least sell some foraged goods or chat with the townspeople. But Pelican Town was a ghost town. Pierre's store was packed, and when I tried to talk to Abigail, she just brushed me off. Even the NPCs didn't want to deal with me today."