Chapter 30

No, no, stay calm.

Ji Xun closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move.
As long as the enemy stays still, I’ll stay still...

They remained in this stalemate for a while, but Ji Xun finally couldn't take it anymore. He gently, ever so gently, curled his foot upward just a tiny bit, then froze again. He wanted to confirm if that sensation earlier was...

No sooner had he curled his foot than that warm, slightly hard yet somewhat soft thing pressed against him again. A miserable, weak smile appeared on Ji Xun’s little face: Very well, it wasn't an illusion.

So, who is going to save him now...
That egg. That snake egg.
Could it be trying to hatch under his feet...?!

No, wait.
Ji Xun’s mind, which had been chaotic since waking up early, suddenly cleared. He calmed himself: This is just a hallucination!!
Isn't this just a hallucination brought on by the incense he lit last night?
What is there to be afraid of in a hallucination?!

No, no, no—never mind that this hallucination can be seen and touched. Even if it were just a picture, he would still be terrified!!!!

Ji Xun’s face turned pale, then flushed. He stared at the ceiling, his mind filled with two little versions of himself arguing incessantly, while the world behind them was rapidly collapsing.

Wait.
—Collapsing?
Ji Xun froze. He suddenly felt that word was familiar, or rather, the sensation was familiar, as if he had experienced it personally somewhere before. But there was no such content in his memory...

Once his thoughts wandered, Ji Xun couldn't focus on the scary, strange snake egg under his feet anymore.
"Hiss—" Ji Xun sat up, trying to recall earnestly: Where on earth could he have felt this "world collapsing" sensation?
Such a collapse couldn't possibly exist in reality. It must be in a fantasy.
That means...
Dreaming?
But when would he have had such a dream?

While lost in thought, Ji Xun habitually glanced to his side. As he did, he saw something round rolling under the quilt, inch by inch, as if it were struggling to find something deep inside.
Find what?
It must be looking for his feet!

With the quilt as cover, and caught in a moment of critical contemplation, Ji Xun—not knowing where the sudden courage came from—lunged over and slapped down hard!!

He had expected to hear a crisp "crack," with egg yolk splattering everywhere, sticky and messy.
But in reality, there was nothing.
Ji Xun felt as if he had simply slapped his hand onto an empty quilt.
There was nothing under the blanket.

Ji Xun realized it again.
Normal... after all, it’s a hallucination!
Ji Xun let out a sigh of relief, turned his head, and saw a long, round, white egg sitting right beside him.

"..." Ji Xun: "AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

Ji Xun threw off the quilt, scrambled off the bed, opened the door, and sprinted downstairs in one continuous motion!

Upstairs, Father Ji heard the commotion. Without even putting on his clothes, he ran downstairs with a thudding sound. "What is it? What’s wrong?"
He saw his son standing in the living room in his underwear, barefoot, his face deathly pale.
"Xiao Xun, what’s the matter?"
Father Ji hurried down the stairs to his son’s side and patted his back.
Mother Ji also threw on a robe and hurried down. She wasn't as fast as her husband and almost tripped in her haste.

"No, nothing." Ji Xun remembered the tough talk he had given his parents last night; he couldn't back down now. He puffed out his chest and said, "I, I just had a nightmare."

Father Ji didn't quite believe him. "What kind of nightmare scared you like this?"
Mother Ji finally reached her son on the first floor. "What happened, Xunxun?"

Ji Xun’s eyes darted around. He realized too late how embarrassing it was to make such a fuss. How could he be scared like this by something non-existent?
He was such a coward.
He reached up to scratch his cheek and smiled sheepishly. "I dreamed that a ghost was chasing me."

Father Ji: "..."
Mother Ji let out a breath and gently rubbed Ji Xun’s back with a smile. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Xunxun. Dreams are all fake."
Then, she shot a look at her husband.
Father Ji received the signal and raked a hand through his hair. "Alright, as long as you're okay, go back to your room."
Ji Xun: "Mm."
"Wife, let’s go back upstairs and sleep a bit more."

Ji Xun walked to his bedroom door, took a secret breath, and walked back into his room with as much feigned composure as he could muster, even turning back to wave at his parents.
Despite that, Father Ji still scanned every corner of his son’s bedroom.
Satisfied that there was nothing unusual, he closed the door for Ji Xun and left.
Mother Ji asked him with her eyes.
Father Ji shook his head in response.

Ji Xun had just experienced those shocks; by rights, his heart should have been pounding out of his chest, but he walked to the bedside with steady steps.
It’s just a hallucination.
Just a hallucination.
It can’t hurt him.
But...
If there’s a snake egg, could there be a snake?
The egg is already this big, how big must the snake be?!

As soon as Ji Xun thought of the colorful patterns and long body of a snake, his scalp tingled. He caved in, pressed his palms together, closed his eyes, and prayed: "Don't come out, please don't come out, please, please."
They say those who adapt to circumstances are wise.
One cannot become a fat man in one bite.
He would just have to wait until he was a year older to cure his phobia of insects; there was no need to rush.

Ji Xun peeked with one eye to make sure there were no other strange situations.
Only then did he let out a long breath, pulled out the quilt, gave it a shake, remade the bed, and climbed back in.
Stay calm, stay calm.
After adjusting his mindset, Ji Xun closed his eyes to go back to sleep.

Not long after Ji Xun closed his eyes for a nap, the long, round white egg appeared out of thin air again.
It was on the pillow, about half a meter away from Ji Xun, trying hard to burrow into the quilt.
Rustle, rustle. It rolled with some difficulty.
Once it finally squeezed into the quilt, the eggshell seemed to take a deep breath just like Ji Xun, and then it settled down to rest.

Ji Xun, with his eyes closed, had his eyelashes fluttering wildly: "..."
I... I heard it all...

Ji Xun didn't manage to fall back asleep. Just as he resigned himself to being scared again, he opened his eyes, and the egg that should have been "sleeping" beside him had vanished once more.

"Sigh!!" Ji Xun had never felt so exhausted.

Fu Shuxing walked out of the front gate and saw Ji Xun squatting not far from the white fence.
Fu Shuxing: "So early."
Ji Xun didn't answer. He stood up and silently handed the bag of steamed buns in his hand to Fu Shuxing.
Fu Shuxing took it. "You didn't make these yourself, did you?"
"Mm." Ji Xun spoke this time. "Mom made them."
Fu Shuxing noticed Ji Xun’s voice was raspy, and looking at his complexion, he seemed not to have rested well, hence the dark circles under his eyes.

They walked for a while and happened to run into Zhao Zhanlei, who was just coming out.
Ji Xun handed the other bag of buns to him.
Zhao Zhanlei looked at the buns in Fu Shuxing’s hand, then at Ji Xun, confirming, "Xunxun, are you sure these are for me?"
Ji Xun responded weakly.
"What’s wrong? You have no energy," Zhao Zhanlei asked. "Didn't sleep well?"
"It’s okay."
"Oh, right, Xunxun, did you see Brother Hang’s spectacular landing yesterday? And the psychic-link combat in the afternoon, the mech test in the evening... Wow, Instructor Loude wouldn't stop praising him. I’ve never seen him so happy!"
Ji Xun responded in a low voice again, "I saw it. Brother Hang is amazing."
Beside him, Fu Shuxing: "."
Fu Shuxing said, "Didn't eat breakfast?"
Ji Xun nodded and looked at him. Even though he was a bit surprised, he still looked listless. "Brother Hang, how did you know?"
Fu Shuxing: "You don't look like you’ve eaten."
Coming out so early and bringing two bags. Most likely, he told Mother Ji he’d eat on the way, but the bag meant for "eating on the way" had just been given to Zhao Zhanlei.

Fu Shuxing said coldly and indifferently, "If you don't want the buns, we'll go to a breakfast shop near the Sanctuary later."
Ji Xun shook his head. "Forget it, I don't have an appetite."
Zhao Zhanlei looked at Ji Xun, who was acting strangely, and then at Fu Shuxing.
Fu Shuxing said, "You go ahead."
"Alright."

Ji Xun knew Fu Shuxing was suspicious. He sighed and took the initiative to say, "I had a dream last night that bugs were chasing me the whole way. I ran for my life until I woke up. I really need to calm down..."
Fu Shuxing sneered, "Good for nothing."
Ji Xun was originally quite listless, but hearing Fu Shuxing mock him, he suddenly flared up. "Don't you have anything you're afraid of!"
Fu Shuxing: "I don't."
Ji Xun didn't believe him.
Fu Shuxing looked out the window and stopped talking.

When the aircraft was halfway through its journey, Fu Shuxing tapped his fingertips lightly on his thigh and said, "Dreams are fake."
Ji Xun curled his lip, thinking, isn't that obvious.
But just because they're fake doesn't mean they aren't scary, right?
Seeing no reaction from him, Fu Shuxing was silent for a moment before adding, "Don't be afraid."
Ji Xun propped up his chin, responding with a bored, perfunctory "oh, oh, oh." But after a moment, he realized what had happened. He turned to look at Fu Shuxing, his expression surprised. "Brother Hang, were you just trying to comfort me?"
Fu Shuxing stopped tapping his fingers on his leg and gave a cold snort. "Why would a coward need comforting?"
"..." Ji Xun stuck his tongue out at him. "You’d better hope I don't catch you being afraid of something in the future!"

By the time they reached the Sanctuary, Zhao Zhanlei’s aircraft was already gone.
Fu Shuxing said, "I'm still not full. Take me to see what else there is to eat nearby."
Ji Xun: "Oh..."
There were many breakfast shops near the Sanctuary.
Fu Shuxing randomly chose a dumpling shop, sat down, and ordered a large portion of pan-fried dumplings from the owner.
The dumplings were fried until crispy, with thin skins and plenty of filling, round like little ingots.
Sprinkled with fresh green scallions, they looked delicious.
Fu Shuxing prepared a dipping sauce; on one side was soy sauce and vinegar, and on the other was a bright red chili oil.
The chili oil smelled like it was honey-infused; it was incredibly fragrant.
It hooked Ji Xun’s appetite immediately.
Ji Xun watched.
He had assumed that since he hadn't eaten in the morning, if Fu Shuxing had even a shred of conscience, he would offer him a few.
But the bastard Fu Shuxing didn't.
Ji Xun watched Fu Shuxing pick up a dumpling with his chopsticks, dip it lightly into the soy sauce and vinegar side, and put it in his mouth. His movements were slow, methodical, and incredibly elegant. He asked Fu Shuxing, "You don't eat spicy food, so why did you mix the spicy sauce?"
Fu Shuxing said, "Accidentally poured the wrong one."