Shen Yutong had a bizarre dream.
She dreamt that she returned to Gui Province, to a small county called Long City.
With a bag slung over her shoulder and hugging a stack of books, she walked into a familiar yet unfamiliar multi-story apartment complex.
She didn’t like this place because they were living in her brother-in-law Liu Chao’s house, or more precisely, one of the seven resettlement units Liu Chao owned.
She still remembered hearing her mother, Zhang Lifang, say that her brother-in-law was only supposed to get two units, but somehow, through some means, he ended up with seven.
Apparently, there was even a journalist who came to interview him, but Liu Chao secretly hired someone to beat the journalist up, and the matter eventually ended without any resolution.
"That’s exactly what it looks like when a man is capable!"
Zhang Lifang said this with a boastful tone.
But Shen Yutong didn’t feel that having seven houses meant anything because what did that have to do with them, until once, her brother-in-law said that when she grew up, he could give her one.
She later realized that Liu Chao’s sinister implications started when she was still a student.
And she found one major reason for her dislike of going home during her school years.
Adolescent girls might be naive, but they always have some instinctive judgments.
And in this dream, she returned here, walked into that poorly lit elevator, and with a step forward, she was back home.
It was a three-bedroom, two-living room layout, but the total area was only about 100 square meters; living there didn’t feel cramped, after all, for them at that time, being homeless made such a house already excellent.
She heard screams and cries for help coming from the bedroom; it was her sister, Shen Yurou’s voice. Shen Yutong hurriedly dropped her books and ran over, pushed the door open, and saw her brother-in-law assaulting Shen Yurou.
Such a scene was too overwhelming for a young girl, making her feel terrified.
Her sister Shen Yurou’s eyes were also strange.
Helpless, frantic, maybe mixed with something else, but she couldn’t tell.
The most extreme artist couldn’t depict such eyes.
As Shen Yutong was about to rush forward to stop Liu Chao, the man suddenly turned his head, with blood-red eyes glaring at her viciously.
At this moment she realized that it wasn’t her brother-in-law at all, but "Zhou Wang."
"Zhou Wang" saw her, as if spotting some world-class delicacy, grinning sinisterly as he rushed toward her.
Shen Yutong screamed and ran, until she was trapped in a dead-end alley, with nowhere to hide.
The overwhelming feeling was incredibly real.
Until, at a certain moment, when she suddenly felt something pressing down on her, Shen Yutong finally opened her eyes in a daze.
She found herself unable to speak or move, but the presence belonging to Zhou Wang had already engulfed her.
Fresh from sleep, her initial reaction was slow, and with the added effect of alcohol, Shen Yutong stayed confused for quite a while before she realized she was in her own bedroom, and this wasn’t a dream.
Realizing Shen Yutong had woken up, Zhou Wang no longer held her, allowing her a breath of relief.
"Bad dream?"
Zhou Wang, sensing that Shen Yutong was not sleeping well, smiled softly and asked.
"Mm... You, when did you get here?"
Still groggy, Shen Yutong wrapped her arms around Zhou Wang’s neck, snuggling into his embrace, relishing this delirious sensation of being enveloped by him, like a lazy cat.
"For a while now... Your alertness is too low; if you didn’t wake up soon, you’d fear I’d eat you up unknowingly."
Zhou Wang rubbed his cheek against her smooth face, smiling.
Shen Yutong looked down at herself, her clothes indeed slightly disarrayed.
Even though their relationship had developed quite deeply since last time at the private screening, she still couldn’t help but feel a bit shy, only daring to giggle with the residual effect of the alcohol:
"If it’s you, then just let it be."
Actually, Shen Yutong wasn’t good at speaking this kind of sweet talk, much less polished than Su Yajing.
But because this wasn’t something she was skilled at, it sounded particularly touching at this moment instead.
Zhou Wang wasn’t initially there to sleep with her; rather, he was there to sleep with her, and he felt a bit eager immediately.
But at the last moment, Shen Yutong stopped him.
"What’s wrong?"
Zhou Wang asked, perplexed, looking down.
"That, Zhou Wang... Can we, not today?"
Shen Yutong hesitated for a moment, ultimately expressing her apprehension.
"Because your sister is sleeping outside?"
Zhou Wang thought she was shy because someone was outside, so he asked.
But Shen Yutong shook her head, hurriedly explaining: "It has nothing to do with that; it’s because tomorrow is the first shoot after the opening, and it’s an action scene. I, I’m afraid... I won’t perform well."
Hearing this, Zhou Wang immediately understood. Although Shen Yutong was inexperienced, it didn’t mean she lacked knowledge. She feared that potential injuries from the night would disrupt tomorrow’s filming.
This was, after all, her first time officially facing the camera, and it was the first scene after the start of filming.
Even with Zhou Wang’s connections, even if Shen Yutong messed around on set, she could easily earn the 600,000-yuan salary, but clearly, that wasn’t her character.
Understanding this, Zhou Wang smiled and stroked her face, "Then let’s wait a bit longer, it’s alright."
"Really, you won’t be mad?"
Seeing Zhou Wang agree too readily, Shen Yutong instead began to feel anxious, and she couldn’t help but say: