Chapter 04: The Red Snake's Torturous Dream (Part One)

Tan Wei: "Hmm, just like me"

Before Liang Zhe could continue his questioning, Tan Wei suddenly said softly: "We are immensely happy, even more so than in the garden. He took off all his clothes, jumped into the water, his face beaming with that joyful smile I haven't seen in a long time..."

Tan Wei: "We were the same... not quite the same... At the very beginning in the garden, we were alike; apart from joyfully experiencing the flowers and plants together, we had no other thoughts. Since the time we ran outside, I noticed he had changed a bit; he wanted to go further, while I just wanted to return to the garden again..." Since the time we ran outside, I noticed he had changed a bit; he wanted to go further, while I just wanted to return to the garden again..."

Liang Zhe opened the door, and outside stood a girl. The collar of her black trench coat was raised high, revealing half of her haggard face and a pair of panicked, helpless eyes

Liang Zhe: "Later, did you run alongside him in that world, searching for something meaningful, and ultimately find it?"

Liang Zhe: "Why are you sad?"

Liang Zhe suddenly felt his heart tighten, and even a sense of tension surged to his throat. He wanted to say something, but he still couldn't bring himself to do so, only staring intently at every move of Tan Wei.

Tan Wei raised her head to glance at Liang Zhe, and the helplessness and sadness reflected in her eyes moved Liang Zhe deeply, evoking a desire to protect her

Tan Wei's expression became somewhat despondent, with both hands clasped together and continuously rubbing against each other. The entire person had curled up inside the trench coat, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with sorrow.

Liang Zhe: "Has he noticed your changes?"

Tan Wei: "Both he and I were very pleased, feeling that we had found a breakthrough. Since there is a river, there must be living creatures, even if they are wild beasts or monsters; at least it would be more interesting than the current situation... Therefore, we, along with the books, walked upstream along the river, hoping to find its source..."

Liang Zhe: "What is it?"

Tan Wei: "It is at the bottom of the water, entangling my legs"

Liang Zhe raised his voice and asked with a suggestive tone: "What have you discovered?"

Liang Zhe: "Can you sleep even in your dreams? Do you dream?"

Liang Zhe: "Is he also in quiet slumber?"

Tan Wei: "I saw ... ... not far away ... ... a red object swimming towards us ... ... "

Liang Zhe: "Does he only exist in your dreams, or does he also exist in reality"

Liang Zhe nodded: "Do you feel abandoned?"

Tan Wei sighed: "There was no... However, later I compromised... I asked him to leave me a message when he wasn't around, and then I would go find him. When he was there, I would listen to him; wherever he went, I would follow."

Tan Wei: "I fell asleep..."

Liang Zhe filled a glass of water for Tan Wei and pushed it in front of her: "What have you discovered?"

Liang Zhe propped up his arms, resting his palm on his chin, extending his index finger to press against his nostril, gazing at Tan Wei curled up in the corner of the sofa, his mind racing with thoughts.

Liang Zhe suddenly had a foreboding feeling, and he raised his voice, saying: "Tan Wei, lift your head and look at me—"

Liang Zhe: "What next?"

Liang Zhe's heartbeat fluctuated in sync with Tan Wei's volume, quickening and slowing intermittently. If they were not in a doctor-patient relationship, he truly would not want Tan Wei to continue speaking.

Tan Wei gazed into Liang Zhe's eyes, and a tear suddenly slipped from the corner of his eye: "A river ... ... "

Tan Wei's voice carried a hint of choking: "I am afraid... of being alone... when I have grown accustomed to having someone by my side..."

After a considerable amount of time, Tan Wei finally said: "It is angry, it suddenly thrust its head out of the water... its crimson eyes were filled with fury... I knew I was not far from death..."

Tan Wei slowly raised his head, and Liang Zhe let out a long sigh: Fortunately, I did not fall asleep

Liang Zhe: "So when you are not in the dream, is he waiting for you to return in the dream?"

Tan Wei: "Its swimming speed is extremely fast... Its massive body splashes against the water surface... Water sprays everywhere... It charged towards me like a swift arrow..."

When Liang Zhe sat back down in the armchair, Tan Weicai began to speak: "Its speed was too fast... In the end, I could only see splashes of water, and I couldn't see its shadow at all. I hurriedly ran towards the shore, but it was already too late..."

Liang Zhe did not sleep well all night, unsure whether it was because he simply did not want to sleep or because he was afraid to sleep

Tan Wei looked at Liang Zhe with some surprise: "But I told you yesterday..."

Liang Zhe: "Do you often communicate with him in your dreams?"

Tan Wei gazed at Liang Zhe: "In that world, there was originally only me, then there was him, and now there are only the two of us. I belong to him, and he belongs to me. But now, I still belong to him, yet he is almost no longer mine... Do you understand this feeling?"

At five o'clock in the morning, Liang Zhe drove to his clinic

Liang Zhe: "Since you are so unhappy, why not return to the garden?"

Liang Zhe sat in the armchair, organized his pencils and notebook, and turned on the voice recorder: "Let us begin."

9:00 AM, Grelle Intensive Psychological Treatment Center

Tan Wei's voice trembled, fluctuating in volume: "A large snake... its body is red... its head held high... its crimson eyes fixed on me..."

Only here can he find a moment of peace at wwwhetushu.com

Tan Wei: "Only in dreams, he knows me alone, without parents, without other friends"

Tan Wei took a sip of water, and the bloodstains on his lips were swallowed down along with the clear water

Liang Zhe: "What next?"

Liang Zhe lay on the sofa, his eyes closed, feeling time slowly flowing by him, drifting towards an unknown distance

Liang Zhe was nodding subtly while recording on paper: a large red snake, indicating for her to continue speaking

Liang Zhe: "What do you do after you finish eating?"

Tan Wei bit down on her lower lip, leaving behind spots of blood. After a long while, she finally said: "I saw ... ... "

Tan Wei's hands clasped her own feet, burying her face in her knees, and fell into silence

Tan Wei's body trembled more and more violently, and the windbreaker shook along with it, even the sofa began to vibrate.

Tan Wei still did not speak, as if he were asleep

Liang Zhe wrote two characters on the paper: Tranquil Sleep

Liang Zhe decisively interrupted her, saying: "Can we take things one at a time? Before we discuss that topic, I would like to know more about you, is that alright?"

Liang Zhe quickly recorded this important location information on paper: convenience store

Tan Wei: "We do not believe that the outside world is like this, so we followed that path, walking and running all the way, not knowing how long it had been. We all felt we were about to collapse, and just then, a convenience store appeared beside us. Without hesitation, we rushed in. Inside, there were all kinds of food, but there was no one..."

Tan Wei: "I found it... The source is on a mountain, where there is a waterfall, and below it is a deep pool... The water in the pool is very clear... There are fish swimming inside..."

Tan Wei: "It is not the kind of sleep you understand as hetushucomcom, but rather a form of spiritual cultivation. I refer to it as 'quiet sleep,' where there are no fluctuations of thought, yet one can perceive the passage of time. In this state, both my body and mind can achieve restoration."

Tan Wei trembled as he picked up the glass of water from the table, wanting to drink, but he could not steady the cup, spilling it all over himself

Liang Zhe's index finger pressed firmly against his nostril: "Are you swimming with him?"

Liang Zhe took a deep breath; at this moment, he could no longer utter any other words and could only listen

Tan Wei nodded without speaking

A knock sounded at the door

Liang Zhe hurriedly got up, picked up a towel and placed it beside Tan Wei, then supported the cup for Tan Wei, gently bringing the rim of the cup to her lips

Tan Wei: "I don't remember... it seems there was no name... After we went in, we started eating the food inside. At that moment, I realized that my appetite in the dream was surprisingly good, able to consume what would take two days to finish in reality... He also began to eat frantically..."

Liang Zhe let out a long sigh and quickly noted down several keywords: river water, source, high mountain, waterfall, deep pool

Tan Wei: "A black river, the water is black, dirty..."

Tan Wei's body began to tremble: "At first, I hesitated because I was afraid of the water; the water filled me with fear... But in the end, I could not resist him, so I took off my clothes and jumped in..."

Tan Wei furrowed her brows tightly, her lips nearly worn raw from her own biting

Liang Zhe: "Last time we talked about you running out of the garden with that boy, what was the outside world like?"

Liang Zhe: "So do you know his thoughts? Are they the same as yours, or...?"

What is the name of the convenience store

Liang Zhe did not give up and continued to inquire: "Are there no living beings, trees, high mountains, cliffs, houses, etc.?"

Tan Wei's voice was as weak as that of a mosquito: "There is... nothing at all..."

After a while, Tan Wei finally said: "At first, it was like this: he would eagerly wait for me in his dreams. Every time I went in, he was very happy, and I was happy too... Later, he changed. Every time I went in, he was either in a deep sleep or not in the convenience store, having run off to a farther place. Although I knew he would still return to the convenience store... I felt very sad..." Later, he changed. Every time I went in, he was either in a deep sleep or not in the convenience store, having run off to a farther place. Although I knew he would still return to the convenience store... I felt very sad..."

But now, she must be allowed to continue speaking

Liang Zhe: "Have you found the source?"

Tan Wei's voice began to grow urgent: "He is swimming in the water, and I didn't even know he could swim. He is shouting loudly, his voice piercing through the sound of the waterfall, ringing in my ears. I hear him calling me to come down, to swim with him..."

Tan Wei: "It wound its way up along my legs... I... my whole body is icy cold... I cannot escape... afraid... shouting loudly... I muster the courage to strike its red head... using all my strength to push it underwater... I am afraid to see its pair of crimson eyes..."

Tan Wei: "We have been getting along very well"

Tan Wei lowered his head and said: "Originally, I was happy in my dreams... but now, I am even more sad and distressed than in reality..."

This girl is Tan Wei

What kind of river?

Tan Wei sighed, lowered his head as if in recollection, and after a long while, he spoke: "He and I ran wildly, bursting out of the garden. The world outside is... gray, broken, ashes fill the sky and the ground, there is no sunlight, no flowers, and no birdsong, not even... any living person..."