◎Then what excuse would she use to explain where she’d been?◎
Jian Youyou happily bounced a few times on the carpet before giggling and curling back into bed, relieved that she no longer had to painstakingly craft little accessories to save up for her dream of opening a shop. Selling this necklace would finally make it possible!
As for that so-called psychotic killer President He? Screw him! Sure, it was a bit of a shame—after all, she’d only spent three hours in the real world and just a few days in the book’s world, yet she’d already gotten her hands on this necklace. It really was an incredible money-making opportunity.
But she had no intention of actually experiencing what it felt like to be crushed under a car. That He Yukun was clearly a lunatic! Who knew if it would be like those TV dramas where dying in the book meant dying in real life too? That would be too high a price to pay. Grabbing a quick profit and getting out was the way to go!
So she didn’t even bother touching the book on the floor again. She took off her glasses, placed the necklace on the bedside table, and drifted back to sleep.
Without holding the book, she wouldn’t slip back into the dream. The next morning, Jian Youyou woke up refreshed, washed up, and opened the door right on time with a fried dough stick in her mouth. Outside stood a little girl as soft and round as a sticky rice dumpling, dressed in a simple checkered dress, who greeted her sweetly, “Good morning, sis!”
Jian Youyou burst out laughing. “Little dumpling, if your mom hears you call me that, she’ll spank your butt.”
She adjusted her glasses with the back of her clean hand and teased, “Even if your Auntie Jian here looks like an eighteen-year-old girl, you still can’t call me ‘sis,’ okay?”
Despite her words, her expression made it clear she was delighted. She stepped aside to let the backpack-carrying little dumpling in, quickly finished her dough stick, washed her hands, then sat the tiny girl down on a stool. With a hair tie between her teeth and a wooden comb in hand, she redid the messy hairstyle the girl’s mother had hastily put together, twisting it into a neat bun before planting a kiss on her cheek.
“Your mom’s already out at her stall this early?” she asked.
“Yeah, Mom works really hard,” the little dumpling said in her soft, sticky voice.
Sometimes Jian Youyou even thought—if she couldn’t find a man she liked, maybe she could just find some good genes and raise a little one like this on her own. But she quickly dismissed the idea. Raising kids these days was way too expensive. Dumpling’s mom worked from dawn till dusk just to give her a better life. She’d better figure out how to take care of herself first.
She kissed the little girl’s cheek again, took off her glasses to reveal her delicate features, and winked shamelessly. “Wait for me two minutes, ‘sis’ is gonna change and take you to kindergarten.”
The dumpling nodded obediently. “Okay, Auntie.”
Jian Youyou clicked her tongue and dashed into the bedroom to change. This child was the daughter of her childhood best friend, Bian Xia, who’d gotten pregnant out of wedlock. The father was a complete scumbag—a married man who pretended to be single to trick young women.
When Bian Xia and Jian Youyou found out, they didn’t just expose him—they made such a scene that he lost his job. Rumor had it his wife was divorcing him too. He was a businessman, a “respectable” man who cared about his reputation, so he got scared and tried to pay them off.
Bian Xia refused his dirty money. She made him kneel, kowtow, and apologize before letting it go. But then she discovered she was pregnant—three months along already, because she hadn’t even noticed her missed periods. In the end, despite the uproar with her family, Bian Xia couldn’t bring herself to terminate and kept the baby.
The hardest days were behind them now. Bian Xia woke up early every morning to sell pancakes outside schools, earning a decent income. Her father had passed away from illness, and her mother had been bedridden for the past two years. Juggling the elderly and the little one was tough, but Bian Xia found happiness in it.
Besides, she and Jian Youyou lived right across from each other. They’d been inseparable since childhood—one moment they could be fighting bloody battles, the next sharing a single piece of candy. When Bian Xia was at her busiest, Jian Youyou had just graduated college. Now a free-spirited freelancer, she made sure to take the little dumpling to school every day.
She helped out at her mom’s noodle shop during the day and picked the girl up in the evening.
Jian Youyou and Bian Xia’s biggest dream was to open a shop together. They often crafted little handmade accessories—earrings, pendants, bracelets, hairbands—cheap trinkets that were popular among young girls. Until last night, they’d been saving up for this dream.
But today, Jian Youyou was in an especially good mood. After last night’s bizarre adventure, she now had that diamond necklace tucked in her pocket. Holding the little dumpling’s hand as they walked down the shabby apartment hallway, she imagined dropping her off at kindergarten, then selling the necklace so she could finally discuss their shop plans with Bian Xia.
She settled the little girl into the bike’s rear seat. Dressed in a white shirt, denim overalls, and a tiny ponytail, her black-framed glasses perched on her delicate nose, Jian Youyou hummed a tune as she rode out of the alley. The sunlight spilled over her porcelain skin—pale from too little sun—casting a lively, youthful shadow behind her.
After dropping off the dumpling, she pedaled down another tree-lined street, dappled shade flowing over her as she gripped the necklace in her pocket. She parked outside a jewelry store, locked her bike, and strode in.
She entered grinning and left practically beaming, her mother’s shrill phone call urging her to hurry to the shop now sounding like music to her ears.
Over 100,000.
Over 100,000!
The diamond necklace wasn’t a branded piece from this world, and its craftsmanship was different too. It wasn’t huge, but the store had offered over 100,000 for it!
Jian Youyou raced down the street on her bike, the summer breeze brushing past her ears. She felt like if she spread her arms, she could take flight!
At her family’s small shop, she tossed her bike in the back alley and burst inside, sweaty and exhilarated. She high-fived her dad, who was peeling potatoes in the kitchen, then rushed behind the cramped counter to wrap her mom in a tight hug.
“You brat! You’re choking me!” Her mom’s sharp voice was punctuated by a loud smack on Jian Youyou’s back, snapping her back to reality. “The sun’s scorching your lazy butt, and you’re just now showing up? You wanna be bedridden so I can wait on you early?!”
Jian Youyou stuck out her tongue and rubbed her stinging back. “Mom, the fact that I’ve survived under your care this long should qualify me for a Guinness record, don’t you think?”
In the shop, a table of customers slurping noodles suddenly choked on their food upon hearing something, coughing violently. Under her mother Shuiyue’s stern gaze, Jian Youyou quickly poured a glass of water for one of them—a boy around her age. He glanced at her, his face flushing crimson, whether from the coughing or embarrassment, he looked like a burning ember.
Jian Youyou offered a kind smile before diving into the day’s busy work.
Truthfully, the shop didn’t have many dine-in customers; most orders were for delivery, which meant she only had to handle packaging and serving the occasional in-house guest.
By evening, after a long day, Jian Youyou took off her apron and prepared to pick up Tuanzi. Her mother grumbled loudly, “There are still so many people here! That child isn’t even yours, yet you’re always running around fetching her. Is Bian Xia your mother or what?”
Shuiyue’s voice was booming, but Jian Youyou was used to it. She washed her hands and face, sniffed her clothes to confirm they didn’t smell too bad, and tuned out her mother’s nagging. Most of the customers were regulars, accustomed to the boss lady’s loud, sharp-tongued yet warm-hearted nature.
“Take some spare change,” Shuiyue called just as Jian Youyou was about to leave. “Tuanzi was eyeing other kids’ ice creams the other day.”
Jian Youyou doubled back to grab the money, prompting another complaint from her mother: “If you can’t raise a child properly, don’t have one. Young people these days are so naive…”
Amid the scolding, Jian Youyou slipped out through the back alley, hoisted her bicycle from where it had been lying all day, and pedaled swiftly toward Tuanzi’s school.
She arrived just as classes were letting out. The school bus idled at the gate while older kids lined up to board. Peering through the iron fence, Jian Youyou spotted Bian Xia waiting for Tuanzi.
Bian Xia was strikingly beautiful—the kind of vibrant, eye-catching prettiness that stood out even in a simple black dress. She was the polar opposite of Jian Youyou, whose pale complexion and delicate features gave her a cool, detached air. One was fire; the other, a soft, drizzling rain.
Yet their personalities complemented each other perfectly, and they’d been inseparable for years. When Bian Xia and Tuanzi emerged, Jian Youyou straddled her bike and asked, “Why’d you pack up so early today?”
“City inspectors are out tonight,” Bian Xia replied.
“Oh? Did that chubby inspector tip you off again?” Jian Youyou clicked her tongue. “I’m telling you, he doesn’t seem like a good guy.”
“Bullshit,” Bian Xia laughed, her lips red and teeth white. “Of course I know he’s shady. I just call him ‘big bro’ and toss him a couple of pancakes. He helps me dodge the inspectors—don’t worry, no one dares mess with me.”
Jian Youyou wasn’t concerned. Bian Xia’s fiery temper made her untouchable; once she set her mind to something, not even nine oxen could drag her back.
The three of them strolled along the roadside, bathed in the slanting light of sunset. Outside a convenience store, Jian Youyou pulled out the spare change and handed it to Bian Xia. “Shuiyue coughed up some cash. Go buy us three fancy ice creams.”
Bian Xia took the money without hesitation, ducked into the store, and soon returned with three chocolate bars.
Tastes were contagious—between the two of them and Tuanzi, anything chocolate was a favorite.
They settled in the shade of a closed shop, unwrapping their treats. As they ate, Jian Youyou stared at the shadow cast by her bike and suddenly blurted, “Bian Xia, I found some money. Let’s open a shop!”
Bian Xia was used to her friend’s impulsiveness. “Oh? How much this time? A few hundred?”
“Ten thousand,” Jian Youyou turned to face her, dead serious. “Ten thousand. Let’s do it.”
Bian Xia met her gaze. “A small storefront in a decent location costs tens of thousands a year in rent alone—more for prime spots. That’s not even counting permits, supplies, and all the other nonsense. Sweetheart, wake up.”
Then it hit her. “Did you break into your mom’s safe?”
Bian Xia didn’t believe Jian Youyou for a second. The more she thought about it, the more she feared her stubborn friend might’ve actually done it. She froze, ice cream forgotten. “Put it back! Your mom will lock you up and beat you to death!”
Jian Youyou wiped the spittle off her face and smacked Bian Xia’s head. “Stop yelling! I didn’t do it—I’d never dare. I was just… joking. Dreaming out loud.”
She squeezed the diamond necklace hidden in her pocket.
Bian Xia exhaled in relief and fed the crispy top of her ice cream to Tuanzi. “You scared me half to death.”
Jian Youyou rolled her eyes and nibbled distractedly at her treat. She didn’t mention the bizarre dream where she’d crossed into a book, completed a storyline, and brought back cash. It was too surreal—she needed time to process it herself. Without proof, Bian Xia would drag her to a psych ward.
“So,” Jian Youyou asked between bites, “how much would it really take to open a shop?”
Bian Xia sighed. “First, we’d need a good location, but those are expensive. I’ve asked around—selling small handmade items barely covers rent. So…” She shrugged. “We’d need to buy a place outright first. Then everything else falls into place.”
Jian Youyou thought of the book lying on her bedroom floor and clutched the necklace tighter. The idea felt as unreal as traveling into a story, yet it set her blood thrumming.
“Then…” she ventured, “how much for a property?”
Bian Xia felt Jian Youyou’s forehead. “Are you feverish?” But under her friend’s intense stare, she reluctantly quoted the figure she’d once secretly researched. “Around a million-plus. I’ve only saved eighty grand so far. At this rate, we’ll get there in a decade or two.”
She brightened. “Hey, I’m buying a bigger food cart soon—a used one’s up for sale—”
Jian Youyou didn’t hear the rest. Her palm was damp around the necklace, her heart sprouting wild hopes.
She’d succeeded once. Why not again? If she cleared the final stage and claimed the breakup fee mentioned in the plot, she could afford that property.
The whole walk home, she pushed her bike in a daze. Her dreams were simple—Bian Xia’s too. Since childhood, they’d shared a love for crafts and a wish to run a shop together. Later, they’d added raising Tuanzi and maybe finding good men to love, living as neighbors and sisters for life.
After a dinner she barely tasted, even Shuiyue, who usually scolded her carefree daughter for lazing around, noticed Jian Youyou spacing out. Seeing her head straight to her room without washing the dishes, Shuiyue assumed she wasn’t feeling well and didn’t yell at her.
Jian Youyou returned to her room. It was only seven in the evening, but she sat on the edge of her bed, clutching the sweat-dampened diamond necklace, staring blankly for a full half hour before picking up the book from the floor again.
She opened it.
A line of text appeared on the page—Even if you die in the dream world, you’ll just return to reality unharmed.
The book was uncanny—it seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. The first time it happened, Jian Youyou had been so terrified she thought she’d lost her mind. She’d frantically searched online and taken multiple psychiatric self-assessments—only to conclude she really might be insane.
Maybe she was.
Her finger hovered over the small text beneath the prompt—Continue crossing over to experience a different, extraordinary life?
Yes/No.
Jian Youyou lay down with the book, placed the diamond necklace in the bedside drawer, took a deep breath, and pressed Yes.
7:00 PM, Zhouning City’s villa district.
Still dressed in her high-end outfit, holding her clutch (though the diamond necklace was no longer around her neck), Jian Youyou stood barefoot on the dark asphalt road, her shoes dangling from her fingers. The Yu family villa loomed in the distance.
Now, she was troubled.
Time moved differently between the book and the real world. As long as she didn’t confirm the crossover and slept holding the book, the world inside remained frozen. But she had no idea how much time had passed between her last exit from the dream and now.
Would He Yukun be looking for her? And what excuse could she possibly give for her disappearance?
