Chapter 22: A New Day

　　My head throbbed like it was about to split wide open. I clutched it with both hands, twisting and turning in agony.

　　“Ahhh…!” I screamed.

　　I heard a clatter as the gun slipped from my grip and hit the floor.

　　“Someone, quick! Get the sedative, she’s awake! Hurry!!” A man’s voice, unfamiliar and urgent, rang in my ears.

　　Footsteps pounded through the room, chaotic and hurried. I felt a sharp sting as someone jabbed me with a needle, pinning me down.

　　Gradually, the pain in my head began to ease. The violent thrashing subsided, and I felt someone gently help me sit up. As I slowly opened my eyes, I was met with a sea of familiar faces.

　　A faint smile crept onto my lips, but then something important jolted back into my memory. “The school’s abandoned underground storage room…” My weak voice trailed off as I drifted back into unconsciousness.

　　I had no idea how much time had passed, but when I started to come to, my mind was still in a fog. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t obey.

　　“Xia Ning!”

　　“Xia Ning!”

　　In the darkness, I heard a voice that was so familiar it gave me pause. Whose voice is that?

　　“Xia Ning!”

　　Oh, it’s my own voice!

　　“Xia Ning, hehehe…!”

　　“I will protect you!”

　　The voice faded away, and after what felt like an eternity, I began to feel my body again. Finally, I managed to open my eyes, slowly.

　　“Teacher!” The first person I saw was my homeroom teacher, Ms. Tang Xin.

　　Her face had grown much thinner, and her complexion was pale and unhealthy. When she saw me open my eyes and call her name, she couldn’t hold back anymore and threw herself into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

　　I gently patted her back, trying to soothe her, but it wasn’t much use. I glanced around the room at the others. Professor Li was staring at me, eyes wide in shock.

　　Then I spotted Wei Junliang. He was smiling at me and even gave me a salute.

　　“How are they?” I asked nervously.

　　“Don’t worry, Xia Ning. Thanks to your clue, they’re all safe and sound, out of the illusion! The criminal has been caught and brought to justice!” Wei Junliang said with a smile, his eyes tinged with red.I finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

　　Half a month had flown by, and I had already returned home by train.

　　Early in the morning, I drew open the newly replaced pink curtains. In fact, it wasn’t just the curtains; I had changed everything in the room to avoid remembering that moment. The bed linens, the duvet cover, even the slippers had all been replaced with new ones. I had even persuaded my dad to replace the coffee table in the living room after much negotiation. The fridge couldn’t be replaced, but I bought a cheap sticker online to cover it.

　　Speaking of stickers, I bought quite a few. I decorated my room and the living room with butterflies and flowers. At first, my mom didn’t approve, but my dad was okay with it, saying that as long as it made me happy, I could do whatever I wanted, except for replacing the fridge and TV.

　　After I finished decorating, my mom laughed and said it looked like a kindergarten, and that she was already looking forward to me getting married and having kids.

　　My mom, Gong Xueping, is a woman in her early forties. She works as an accountant, is about 5'5" tall, and takes great care of herself. She’s pretty but doesn’t really know how to dress up.

　　My dad, Xia Yingwei, is a novelist and intellectual, though he’s not very well-known and doesn’t earn much. He often advises me to stick to my dreams.

　　I looked out at the rising sun and the busy people below, feeling warm and content.

　　If you asked me how this experience has affected me, I’d say the lively girl I once was is gone. Now, I’m more composed but also a bit more suspicious.

　　The impact on Wu Jing was quite significant. She now has to attend psychological counseling. The teacher suggested I go as well, but after two days of trying, I couldn’t handle it and stopped going.

　　As for the person most affected, it would be Yu Meng. Her fear has only grown. Her family has caused Wu Jing quite a bit of trouble because of this incident. In the end, it was only due to Yu Meng's gradual recovery and her efforts to keep things under control that the situation didn’t escalate further.

　　As for whether my family knows about all this, I can only say they don’t. I didn’t want to tell them and make them worry about me. It was also my request to keep it from the teachers.

　　Anyway, everything seems to be moving in a positive direction.

　　Dingling! Dingling!

　　My phone rang.

　　“Hello... is this Xia Ning?” Yu Meng’s voice came through.

　　“What’s up, Yu Meng? It’s me!”

　　“Xia Ning, I want to see you!” Her voice was as gentle as ever.

　　“Uh… okay, but it’ll take you three or four hours by bus to get here, right?” I hesitated.

　　“It’s fine. I’ll take a taxi instead, so it’ll be less than two hours!”

　　“Well… alright! Just come straight to my house, and I’ll play the host!”

　　We had met when we first started high school and had been living in the same dorm ever since. Although there were others in the dorm, the three of us were the closest. But despite that, we had never visited each other’s homes.

　　“No, it’s better if you come down and meet me.”

　　“Hm? Is something wrong, Yu Meng?” I asked, a bit puzzled.

　　“No, no, nothing at all. Just come down when I get there.”

　　“Alright, alright. Just give me a ring when you’re close, and I’ll come get you. I’ll send you my location on WeChat.”

　　After hanging up, I opened WeChat and sent her my location.

　　Right after I sent it, I noticed a few messages from Wu Jing.

　　“Xia Ning, how about we hit the amusement park a few days before school starts? I heard the drop tower ride is insane!” She seemed to be back to her usual energetic self.

　　“Too scary. Let’s skip that and just grab something to eat, the three of us.”

　　“C’mon, relax a bit… Alright, but you’re treating!”

　　“No problem!”

　　“By the way, it seems like Wei Junliang might have a thing for you?”

　　“Stop with the nonsense. We’re just high schoolers—who has time for that kind of drama?”

　　“Oooh, playing it cool, huh?”

　　“Then why don’t you go date someone and show me how it’s done?”

　　“Uh… let’s stick to discussing what we’re eating…!”

　　“…”

　　We kept chatting for a while until there was a knock at the door.

　　Thud, thud, thud!

　　“Xia Ning, dinner’s ready! Come out and eat!”

　　I glanced back, and for a split second, it felt like I was back in that moment again!

　　“Xia Ning! Open the door! Mommy’s cut her tongue out too, just for you to eat…!”

　　“Ah!”

　　A chill ran down my spine, and I shivered, only snapping back to reality a moment later.

　　This isn’t an illusion…!“I… I got it, Mom!”

　　I pushed open the door and headed to the kitchen. On the dining table, there were four dishes: scrambled eggs with chives, stir-fried pork with garlic shoots, roast chicken, and a simple cold salad.

　　My dad was sitting there, eating, while my mom was by the rice cooker, serving rice.

　　“Dad, Mom, you guys go ahead and eat. My friend is coming over soon, and I’m going to take her out to eat!” I said with a smile.

　　“Oh, really? Maybe we should wait and have your friend join us!” My mom suggested, glancing at my dad, who was thoroughly enjoying his meal.

　　“No, no, it’s okay. She has something she wants to talk to me about.”

　　“Alright then, just don’t stay out too late,” my mom reminded me.

　　I nodded and was about to leave when my dad stopped me.

　　“Xia Ning, hold on a sec!”

　　He got up, reached into his pocket, and handed me 200 yuan.

　　“Don’t be stingy when you treat your friend. Go on now!” He patted my shoulder and smiled.

　　“Okay!”

　　As I was about to head out the door, I overheard my mom asking, “Old Xia, where did you get that money?”

　　I closed the door behind me and headed downstairs with my phone in hand.

　　In the courtyard, I ran into Sister Li, who lives right across from us, and we chatted for a bit.

　　Sister Li is in her thirties and is someone I really admire. She’s not only the principal of an elementary school but also the owner of a publicly listed company. I’ve always liked her because she’s down-to-earth, friendly, and never puts on airs.

　　We talked for over thirty minutes. She told me that if I didn’t find a good job after graduation, I could always come work at her company. I was thrilled and readily agreed. Eventually, she had to leave to take a call.

　　After that, I made my way to the bus stop at the entrance of our community and sent Yu Meng a message on WeChat.