Chapter 597: Nightmare
A vast darkness. No sky visible, no ground beneath.
It was like being in a void world.
Looking up, he spotted specks of starlight in the sky. In an instant, the stars multiplied rapidly.
Then, all those stars vanished, and golden clouds appeared overhead.
A red sun was about to set at the horizon.
The original deep night had somehow transformed into dusk.
Chen Ye realized he seemed to be lying on something.
It felt like lying on a haystack as a child.
His nostrils even caught the scent of freshly harvested straw stalks from the field.
In just an instant, where there had been nothing, a dusk-lit threshing ground had formed.
Chen Ye looked around in confusion.
This place felt familiar, like a threshing ground.
These memories seemed buried deep in his mind, long unremembered.
“Who are you?”
A childish voice sounded beside him.
Chen Ye turned his head and saw a vaguely familiar face, very close to his own.
It was a little boy, about seven or eight years old.
The little boy tilted his head, curiously studying him, with two green boogers hanging beneath his nose.
The boy sniffled, and the two green boogers were sucked right back in.
But before even a second passed, the two green boogers peeked out again.
The boy wore a red, somewhat dirty long-sleeved shirt with a cartoon pattern on the chest, also a bit grimy.
His lower half was clad in dark gray pants, and he had sandals on his feet.
It was clearly late autumn, the air slightly chilly.
But this little boy was still wearing sandals.
His expression carried a hint of stubbornness, and his cheeks were flushed.
This little boy felt very familiar to Chen Ye, but he couldn't quite remember where he'd seen him.
“Are you an idiot? Why don't you say anything? Don't you even remember your own name?”
The boy was very dissatisfied with Chen Ye's reaction.
Chen Ye hesitated for a moment, then said, “My name is Chen Ye! Little guy, what's yours?”
The name “Chen Ye” being spoken made the little boy pause, then he let out a fierce “Hmph.”
He muttered under his breath, “Hmph, just as I thought—an idiot!”
What the hell...
Why was this kid so annoying?
He really wanted to punch him.
Before Chen Ye could say anything else.
The little boy slid off the haystack in one smooth motion.
Chen Ye also sat up from the haystack. At some point, the red sun in the sky had grown even redder.
It looked like a mosquito that had been crushed with a single slap.
But neither Chen Ye nor the little boy was afraid.
Just then, a group of children of similar age approached from the distance.
These kids walked past the threshing ground, laughing and playing.
Their carefree appearance made the boy beside him enviously drool!
“Little Hong, Little Hua, come play with us!”
It was none other than the kid Chen Ye had found annoying earlier.
This kid stood by the haystack, his eyes full of hope, his expression somewhat timid.
He seemed afraid that these children would refuse him.
The little girl at the front was drawn by the voice and turned to see the boy standing by the haystack.
The little girl made a face at the boy by the haystack: “Nyah nyah nyah... We're not playing with you!”
Another little boy also made a face at the boy by the haystack: “Your mom doesn't want you, your dad doesn't want you, and we don't want you either!”
“Nobody wants to play with you!”
“Nyah nyah nyah... Only mommy is good in this world; a kid without a mom is just a weed!”
“You stink. I don't wanna play with you!”
“My mom says don't play with beggars!”
Every single one of the children who had passed by made faces at the boy by the haystack.
The boy clenched his teeth, his hands balled into fists, his head slightly lowered, but he didn't say a word.
The faint red dusk light shone on the boy, casting his shadow long and thin across the threshing ground.
Finally, just as the group of children was about to pass by, the last boy paused slightly in front of the one by the haystack.
The boy by the haystack lifted his head, surprise blooming on his face.
This was his best friend!
His BEST!!!
“Xiao Kai, will you play with me?”
The boy by the haystack looked expectantly at the boy named Xiao Kai.
Xiao Kai avoided the boy's gaze and said in a low voice, “Sorry, I have to go home for dinner!”
With that, the boy named Xiao Kai turned and ran, quickly catching up to the disappearing group.
The boy stood in the moonlight, staring blankly at the vanishing crowd.
He didn't move a muscle!
Chen Ye wanted to say something, but he felt like he didn't know what to say!
He reached out to pat the little boy's head, as if to comfort him.
But the little boy slapped Chen Ye's hand away, looking up with a dark glare: “Don't touch my head!”
Chen Ye was taken aback, then his eyes turned cold. Since when did he become such a softie?
This kid really needed a beating.
He was definitely going to teach this brat a lesson today.
When had his goodwill ever been wasted like this???
Not even a kid got a pass!
Chen Ye rolled up his sleeves and chuckled grimly, “Lucky for me, I'm in a pretty bad mood too. Beating you up will blow off some steam!”
As for why he was in a bad mood?
Chen Ye didn't know either, but it seemed like his mood had soured ever since he saw this little boy.
The boy by the haystack was startled, his eyes showing fear. He forced a fawning smile and said, “Go ahead, touch my head, just don't hit me, okay?”
Chen Ye was about to speak.
Just then, another group of people emerged from behind the haystack.
This group included old and young, men and women.
“If they won't play with you, we will!”
The first little boy had delicate features and a shrewd look in his eyes. But when he saw the boy by the haystack, he smiled sincerely and held out his hand before the kid: “Hello, my name is Chu Che. You can call me A-Che! From today on, we're friends.”
Beside him, a little girl dressed like a doll also held out her hand: “My name is Sun Xixi. Can I be your good friend?”
Next to the doll-like girl, there was another girl dressed simply. She was very pretty but looked a bit timid: “I... my name is Xu Lina. I can be your friend too!”
“And me, Wu Haifeng! You can call me Da Hai!”
This boy, a bit taller and stout, smiled warmly.
“Gong Yong. Just call me Da Yong. I want to be a scientist when I grow up!”
A boy wearing glasses also reached out.
“I'm Dantai Bie! But I can only play for a little while. I have to go home for dinner later.”
“You don't know this, but my dad got me a dog. You can come to my house and see it!”
“I named it Xiao Huang. It's super cute...”
The clean, well-dressed boy talked a lot.
“And... and me... Chen Hao!”
A stuttering boy squeezed into the crowd too.
“My name is Lin Shu Tong. This is my little sister, Tang Le Le, and Su Ji Sheng!”
These three children varied in age—some were older teens, others just a few years old.
But they all huddled behind the older girl named Lin Shu Tong.
“My name is Ding Dong. You can call me Sister Ding Dong. I'm older than all of you!”
“I'm Zhou Lan, and this is my little sister, Zhou Xiao Xiao...”
A very pretty girl introduced herself, with another equally beautiful girl beside her.
Both sisters were nicely dressed and had good bearing.
But the one named Zhou Xiao Xiao seemed reluctant to be there, pouting a little.
In an instant, the little boy by the haystack had gained many friends.
There was even an adult.
The kindly adult smiled and introduced himself, “Little friend, just call me Old Bao!”
The group of children chattered noisily.
The boy who had been clenching his teeth and staying silent was now surrounded by the crowd, and his expression began to change slowly.
It was as if he was infected by the laughter of the children around him, and a smile crept onto his face.