Seeing Crime Scenes in My Sleep

Jiang Li came home in a fantastic mood. The moment she pushed open the door, she saw the three of them waiting obediently for her.

"Sister, you’re back!" Miao Anji walked up happily, his eyes on the small cake in her hand.

"Jiang Li, is it your birthday?" Wu Ming stood up and walked over, noticing the cake she was carrying.

Yu Huannian, who was playing on his phone, paused. ’Birthday? I don’t think we have any noodles at home.’

"No, I’m just happy."

Jiang Li put the cake down. Yu Huannian, who had started to get up, sat back down.

Jiang Li sat down and started cutting slices of cake for everyone.

"Jiang Li, we’re planning to go check out the area near No. 1 High School." Wu Ming propped her chin on her hand and looked at Jiang Li. ’She’s been so busy these past few days, she probably won’t have time to come with us.’

"Okay, be safe."

"Yeah, don’t worry. We’ve got Xiao Nian and Xiao Ji." One had fists of steel and the other was covered in poison; they weren’t afraid of anything.

Miao Anji tilted his head and glanced over. ’I don’t want to go. I just want to stay with Sister.’

’But Yu Huannian said we can’t just live here for free. Sigh!’

"There’s food in the fridge. If we’re not back, just heat it up and eat," Yu Huannian reminded her, then grabbed his things and left with Wu Ming.

Jiang Li flopped onto the sofa and waved at them. It was a perfect chance for her to rest and have some quiet time alone.

After tidying up, Jiang Li went back to her room to catch up on sleep. Just as she drifted off, a familiar scene replayed: Sun Wukong in the Three Battles with the White Bone Spirit.

But this time, her perspective was that of Tang Seng. The scene didn’t flash by as quickly as before, so she saw the whole thing. Including herself, there were twelve people in total.

It was just that her gaze kept drifting, almost unconsciously, to the woman playing the village maiden. That, and the slight flutter in her heart, made her curious.

’What is it this time? A crime of passion?’

Jiang Li focused on the changing scene before her, but as she watched, she started to feel dizzy. The figures jumping around in front of her were making her head spin.

The opera performance ended, but still, nothing changed. Her gaze followed them to the makeup area backstage.

The moment she walked in, her hand reached out and grabbed the village maiden.

"What are you doing? There are so many people around," the village maiden chided, giving her a playful glare. The next second, as Tang Seng walked past, the maiden shook her hand off.

Jiang Li’s jaw dropped in surprise. ’I’m not Tang Seng anymore?’

’Then I’m...’

She looked around and, through a process of elimination, determined her identity: Sha Wujing.

Gasp!

Jiang Li inwardly sucked in a breath of cold air. ’This is a real mess.’

"Guo Tianqi!"

A woman’s voice called out. Jiang Li’s mind buzzed. ’Who am I now?!’

The next moment, the reflection in the makeup mirror showed the face of the village maiden. Her hand reached out and grabbed Guo Tianqi, the actor playing Sun Wukong.

"Brother Tianqi, to celebrate our successful performance, let’s go out and party, okay?"

Guo Tianqi looked at her and frowned, shaking her hand off. "Everyone’s tired after a long day."

"Then tomorrow! Oh, come on, the troupe leader already agreed. Everyone is going, how can you not go?"

"Fine." Guo Tianqi reluctantly agreed.

"Then we’ll go to..."

Just as Jiang Li was about to hear where they were going, she suddenly woke up.

Jiang Li slapped her quilt in frustration. ’Why did I only dream half of it!’

She picked up her phone from the bedside and searched for the opera "Three Battles with the White Bone Spirit." Dreaming about it one time after another couldn’t be a simple coincidence.

The performance was two days ago. Didn’t that mean the party was already over? She scrolled through the comments section, which was full of amazement and praise. The description also included a cast list with the actors’ names.

She had experienced the perspectives of the village maiden, Tang Seng, Sha Wujing, and the old woman. That meant their hands definitely weren’t clean.

’But who is the victim?’

Jiang Li looked through related videos. The thick greasepaint made it impossible to see any tells besides their eyes, but weren’t those exaggerated eye expressions just part of the opera style?

After failing to figure it out, Jiang Li decided to stop thinking about it. She would let Lu Xingye and the others take a look tomorrow.

Just as Jiang Li put down her phone, a message from Wu Ming popped up.

[Jiang Li, it’s bad! Xiao Nian got into a fight with someone! I can’t hold him back, come quick!]

Jiang Li’s train of thought was broken. She quickly headed toward the location Wu Ming sent. It was very close, at a nearby shopping mall.

By the time Jiang Li arrived, a large crowd had already gathered. She ran over and immediately spotted Yu Huannian in the middle of it, pinning a man down and hitting him. Beside them, Wu Ming and Miao Anji were frantically trying to break up the fight. And next to them stood Ning Rou.

She pushed through the crowd and shouted, "Xiao Nian!"

Yu Huannian’s fists instantly froze. Jiang Li stepped forward, glanced at the man who’d been beaten, and then looked at Yu Huannian.

"What exactly is going on here?"

Yu Huannian’s arms tensed, and he glared angrily at the man on the ground. If Jiang Li hadn’t been there, he probably would have landed a couple more punches.

Wu Ming came over and glanced at Ning Rou. "Xiao Nian and I came here to see if we could find any clues, but we ran into Ning Rou and that guy."

"The guy was getting handsy with Ning Rou, and Xiao Nian couldn’t hold back, so he went up and started hitting him."

Jiang Li frowned as she listened, looking at Ning Rou in confusion. ’Aren’t Ning Rou and Xiao Nian in love with each other? Why would this happen?’

Ning Rou met Jiang Li’s gaze, then walked forward to help the man on the ground to his feet. She looked at Yu Huannian angrily.

"Yu Huannian, he’s my boyfriend!"

Yu Huannian’s expression froze. He stared at Ning Rou in disbelief. "What did you say?"

Ning Rou gritted her teeth at Yu Huannian. "You don’t want to be with me, so are you saying I’m not allowed to find someone else?"

Yu Huannian couldn’t help but stumble back. "Little Rou, I just think we’re still young, and I just got out with no money. If you were with me, we wouldn’t have a place to live, and even food would be a problem."

"I was just thinking that once I earned enough money..."

Before Yu Huannian could finish, Ning Rou, her eyes red, cut him off. "Those are just excuses! If you really liked me, would you be afraid of all that?"

He looked at her in a panic. "No, that’s not it, Little Rou. Just give me a few days. I’ll have money soon, and then I can marry you."

’With the reward money and what Jiang Li gave me, I’m confident I can give Ning Rou a good life. I can figure out the rest later.’

Yu Huannian reached out for Ning Rou, trying to grab her hand.

Ning Rou instantly took a step back. "Yu Huannian, I don’t believe you anymore."

Supporting the man, Ning Rou turned and walked away.

Yu Huannian chased after her, only to be shrugged off by Ning Rou again. "Yu Huannian, are you annoying or what? I already have a boyfriend! Have you no shame?"

Yu Huannian’s steps froze in place. He stared at her, his eyes wide with shock. "Fine. I’m sorry."

His eyes red, Yu Huannian turned and walked away.

Ning Rou watched Yu Huannian’s retreating back, feeling both angry and wronged. "Let’s go. Don’t worry about him."

Jiang Li watched Yu Huannian’s back, then took Wu Ming and chased after him.

Back home, Yu Huannian locked himself in his room. Half an hour later, he came out, head down, and went to the kitchen to cook.

Wu Ming was stunned. ’He’s so angry and he’s still going to cook? Wow, his mental fortitude is seriously impressive.’

Jiang Li got up and went to the kitchen. "Xiao Nian, how about I take you to Forensic Doctor Ning’s house? You two can get engaged first."

They’d been together for two years; it was impossible for there to be no feelings. This was probably just a tantrum. Since they liked each other, it would be a shame for them to break up.

As for money, Xiao Nian and Wu Ming could earn reward money now, so that wasn’t a concern.

Yu Huannian’s chopping paused. He turned to look at her. "Little Rou said that guy is her boyfriend. If I go see her now, wouldn’t that make me the other man?"

Jiang Li was momentarily at a loss for words. "She probably just found someone to make you angry. You should talk it out face-to-face."

’And if it really doesn’t work out, then make a clean break.’

"Okay." Yu Huannian thought what Jiang Li said made sense. She was probably just angry because he hadn’t agreed to be with her last time.

Jiang Li asked Huo Qing for Ning Sinian’s contact information and arranged a time to meet with him on her phone.

Ning Sinian was looking at the message on his phone just as Ning Rou came back from outside.

"Little Rou, Jiang Li said she’s bringing Xiao Nian over tomorrow."

Ning Rou was secretly delighted but didn’t let it show on her face. "Brother, what are they coming here for?"

Ning Sinian looked at her. She had been going out every day. "Little Rou, what have you been up to these past few days?"

Ning Rou’s eyes flickered. "N-Nothing."

"Little Rou, Jiang Li and Yu Huannian are coming together, so it must be about you. I’m going to ask you one question: have you really thought this through?"

"Brother, are you saying you look down on Yu Huannian?"

Ning Sinian frowned at her. "What kind of talk is that? Yu Huannian is eighteen, and you’re twenty-one."

"He’s just come into the real world and he can figure out the logic of the situation. Why can’t you?"

"You’ve been away for two years and are a bit disconnected from society. Yu Huannian needs even more time to adjust. If you really like him, what’s wrong with waiting a little?"

Ning Rou clenched her fists, feeling wronged. "I’m just worried. What if he changes his mind later and doesn’t like me anymore?"

Ning Sinian looked at her disapprovingly. "Little Rou! Yu Huannian spent two years with you in Zhaozi Village. I may not know what kind of person he is, but you should!"

"It’s because he’s too good to me that I’m worried! Brother, stop talking. If he doesn’t want to be with me, then so be it."

"I have a boyfriend now."

A surge of anger rose in Ning Rou’s heart. She yelled at Ning Sinian in a fit of pique, then got up and ran back to her room.

Ning Sinian was completely stunned, even wondering if he had heard her wrong.

’How long has she been back? Has she gone crazy?’

"Little Rou, open the door! Explain yourself!"

Ning Sinian banged on the door, wanting to get a clear answer. She had already been deceived once; he couldn’t just stand by and watch her get deceived a second time.

"Brother, stop asking! Tell them not to come! Didn’t Yu Huannian want to dump me? Fine, I’ll grant his wish!"

As Ning Rou spoke, she couldn’t stop herself from crying.

Ning Sinian stared at the closed door, deeply worried. ’Why is she still as stubborn as ever?’

...

The next day, Jiang Li took Yu Huannian to B City.

Just as Jiang Li got out of the car, she suddenly saw two people pulling and shoving each other on the side of the road. ’It’s them—the village maiden and Tang Seng from my dream! What are they doing here?’

The village maiden was holding onto Tang Seng, not letting him leave. "You’re going to the police now? Are you crazy?"

Jiang Li’s eyelid twitched. ’Something’s happened.’