Chapter 247: Another Cloudless Day
Jiang Che feels that the world now is an illusion.
Because this world is too beautiful, just like what he imagined, without outstanding achievements or a privileged family.
There are even times when the school requires parental involvement due to various matters, but he feels this is the best form.
He tries to break free from the illusion, tries to wake up, but can’t.
After sleeping, he opens his eyes and it’s still this world.
What he needs most now is a way to leave this world.
Day after day of school, day after day of learning, even though knowing it’s an illusion, Jiang Che still studies very seriously, surrounded by classmates who are both unfamiliar yet familiar, greeting him every day. He doesn’t know these people, yet is so familiar with them, he wonders why his mind recognizes them.
Feeling Jiang Che’s confusion, Ding Ning can’t help but laugh.
What Jiang Che perceives is the life of a normal human being, and he’s integrating into this human’s life, naturally familiar, because these were once that person’s classmates.
"How can one escape the illusion?" Ding Ning pinches the dark wooden branch in her hand, breaking it section by section.
In his spare time, Jiang Che is always mumbling about this, he even searches through rooms, hoping to find an exit behind one of the doors.
"Look at him now, he’s still sober enough to think about leaving. Although the two worlds blur his senses, he still believes this side is real." Hua hurriedly says next to her.
She knows Ding Ning’s mind must be chaotic now because this is a challenge for Jiang Che—both worlds have Ding Ning, so which side will Jiang Che choose?
On one hand, there’s a perfect life, on the other, he has to face harsh reality.
"I know..." Ding Ning can see every move of Jiang Che, who is constantly mumbling about how to escape.
In their setting, after Jiang Che has a child, he can voluntarily leave from there.
The time flow in the illusion and reality is different, perhaps a long time has passed in the illusion, but only a few days in reality.
Jiang Che has searched for a long time for an exit, but hasn’t found any relevant clues.
Behind every door he sees, there’s something that inherently exists, such as piled-up junk or a room that already exists.
This world has its own trajectory, and it’s moving forward.
After finishing the college entrance exams and graduating, thanks to a year of effort, he barely caught up with Ding Ning’s steps, and they got into the same school.
"Let’s go travel." Jiang Che looks at Ding Ning, who is holding the admission notice in her hands; over the year, Ding Ning’s facial features have matured somewhat, and the baby fat from before has vanished.
She clutches the college admission notice excitedly, pulling on Jiang Che’s clothes.
"Jiang Che, thank you, thank you for taking care of us all these years." The girl’s ears turn red, and the paper she’s tightly gripping is somewhat wrinkled.
Jiang Che is a bit at a loss, because a few days ago his mother told him, after the college entrance exams, once the admission notice comes, the boy should confess first.
His family doesn’t object to him dating, but tells him that Ning is not easy, and he should treat her well.
Jiang Che looks towards the sky, today is still cloudless.
This year, in the gaps between studies, he has been searching for an exit but has failed.
The delusions haven’t appeared again, his family says he hasn’t mumbled about any bizarre arrivals in his sleep.
It seems since his last clarity, old mumbling memories have gradually receded, and Jiang Che would feel today’s life is primary unless he deliberately recalls.
He wonders while looking at the sky, is the memory of Red Pearl Mental Hospital really fake?
"Ning, let’s be together, and then we’ll go travel." Jiang Che looks into Ding Ning’s eyes.
No matter if this world is true or false, he’ll confess.
This isn’t a choice; it’s a compulsory question.
Ding Ning turns her face, her whole neck turning red. She doesn’t look at Jiang Che but nods lightly.
Travel...
Jiang Che hasn’t been anywhere outside school and home yet, he’s wondering if this virtual world really has other places?
Several locations appear in his mind, some domestic, some abroad, all places he learned from books and TV networks.
"Let’s go to...," he doesn’t say somewhere far but mentions a neighboring city’s name.
He just wants to see if this place really exists.
Earlier, Hua told him, the construction of illusions is often a backdrop, stepping outside this backdrop, everything surrounding is void and unshaped.
The illusion is like a dream, maybe it jumps directly here, can jump directly to another place.
Like a television scene transition, seamlessly linking without abruptness.
Jiang Che wants to understand whether this process exists.
If not, he must continue searching for a way out of here.
"Smart, remembering all the key points I mentioned, but this time is different." Hua sighs, this isn’t an illusion, illusions actively pull people in, regardless of their consent.
But the reason this scene has such freedom is because it requires the person’s consent to enter before experiences can start.
Jiang Che entered here voluntarily.
When Jiang Che can leave is not under his control, but Hua’s control.
She’ll give him the choice to leave once Jiang Che has adapted to this world.
It’s said that children are ties in life, after Jiang Che and Ding Ning marry and have children, then she’ll give Jiang Che the choice to leave.
"What he sees are the experiences of this memory’s owner, without missing any process."
Jiang Che joins a travel group, boards a bus, with Ding Ning, starting his first travel journey.
Ding Ning is curious about everything around, just like Jiang Che, who apart from school-home-canteen, almost hasn’t been anywhere else.
Jiang Che hazily looks around, yet things don’t appear as he imagined, with those leaping backdrops.
For some reason, he feels relieved deep down.
Having just realized this thought, he suddenly pauses, because he finds himself feeling appreciative.
Grateful that these aren’t just backdrops, thankful this world is real.
"Ning, what should I do if this world turns out to be fake?" Jiang Che asks Ding Ning beside him, who is sitting by the window seat, curiously peeking out.
"Fake? What do you mean fake? Am I fake too?" Ding Ning doesn’t turn her head, her eyes full of curiosity about the world outside.
The excitement and joy in those eyes are not fake.
Jiang Che pinches himself, his arm aches painfully.