Guan Ling's feelings toward the Little Mirror had changed from initial disbelief and jealousy to admiration and reverence.
On the way to the 20th floor with the little loach, he couldn't help but ask, "If Mirror God hadn’t led us, how would we have found the little loach?"
Xing Ye: "?"
Mirror God? Who is that?
With a blank expression, Cao Qian replied, "If we had our great leader, the great leader would have us watch and listen to everything while people argue, searching from the 1st floor to the 34th floor and back down to the 17th floor. Then, after analysing the fish tank thoroughly, we'd finally find the little loach."
Xing Ye: "..."
Cao Qian continued, "Without the great leader, I’d probably end up fighting Ren Tingman and the hyena. In the chaos, we'd smash the fish tank and then realize there’s a loach inside that can’t be killed. Only then would we notice sothing special about it."
Hearing all this, the little loach in the teacup trembled uneasily.
Lu Mingze chuckled shyly, "I'm not that great. It’s really because everyone laid such a solid foundation earlier. I actually think this world restrains
the most. If I had to pass this level on my own, I’d probably stay stuck in reality the whole ti, unable to imrse myself in the shared imagination. I’d just sit still until soone else cleared the level. It’s really thanks to my affinity with Xing Ye being over 90 that I can even see the world he's sensing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found anything."
Xing Ye: "..."
That makes so much sense!
Little Mirror’s natural optimism and positivity made it impossible for him to resonate with the collective imagination!
Sawing legs Cao Qian and gambling Guan Ling suddenly felt even sadder, as if their knees were pierced with arrows.
The group chatted and laughed as they strolled to the 20th floor as if they were on a leisurely outing. When they arrived, Xing Ye found the profile of the psychologist they’d t the previous night. She was Professor Yang, a nationally certified first-class psychologist. Many people were trying to make appointnts with her, so it was impossible for them to see her without getting past her assistant first.
Just as Xing Ye was about to explain to Guan Ling what to do, Guan Ling turned and asked, "Mirror God, what should I do?"
Xing Ye: "..."
Lu Mingze said, "Didn’t you bring the newspaper clipping? Give it to the assistant and ask her to pass it on to Professor Yang. If she really cares about Xiao Hei, she’ll agree to et us."
Following Lu Mingze’s instructions, Guan Ling handed the clipping to the assistant and inford her that an accident had just taken place that day.
The assistant’s face changed, and she hurried off with the clipping to find Professor Yang.
Cao Qian and Guan Ling didn’t bother asking the Little Mirror how he knew the clipping would be useful—probably another one of his “intuitive” answers. As for Xing Ye, he likely knew too, but he would have gone on about the dical records and the clipping's date aligning, drawing connections and explaining everything in detail ...
"The professor will et you in the reception room after her current session, which will end in ten minutes," the assistant said when she returned, politely guiding them to the reception room and even offering them tea.
"Mirror God, the tea’s safe, right? Can we drink it?" Guan Ling asked, fawning a bit.
Lu Mingze sniffed the tea and said, "It should be fine. I don’t sense any problems."
"Great," Guan Ling sighed, sipping the tea contentedly. "This tea is really good. Wouldn’t it be great if we could clear every world like this—just drinking tea and not having to fight? Can we have Mirror God lead us again next ti?"
Xing Ye replied coldly, "Sorry, in the next world, Little Mirror and I are going to the advanced worlds. You can choose the path where you accidentally smash the fish tank while fighting."
Guan Ling's face instantly fell into sadness.
Ten minutes later, Professor Yang hurried in to et the three of them. She looked very kind and asked with concern, "Are you Mo Ping’s family?"
It turned out that Xiao Hei’s real na was Mo Ping. The three of them exchanged glances. Xing Ye placed the teacup and the little mirror on the table, facing Professor Yang directly.
Xing Ye had his own set of skills for talking to people, but he remained silent, curious to see how Little Mirror would handle the situation.
Lu Mingze observed Professor Yang for a while before suddenly speaking up, "Professor, do you know that this isn’t the real world?"
Professor Yang adjusted her glasses, the lenses reflecting light for a mont. She smiled warmly and asked, "Little Mirror, why do you think that?"
Cao Qian clenched her fists. This Professor Yang didn’t seem simple—there might be a fight coming.
"By saying that, you’re pretty much confirming it," Lu Mingze replied calmly. "I’m not sure why I think so, but the mont I saw you, I had a feeling that you understood everything. How can I put it? Even though you’re in Mo Ping’s dream, you’re the only person he sees as clear-headed, intelligent, and wise. Even in his dream, he believes you can see through everything. As the dream’s creator, Mo Ping would expect you to recognize right away that this little loach is him, so of course, you must know!"
Professor Yang patted Little Mirror and laughed, "You’re right, I know. But I’m neither panicked nor afraid. Even though I’m just a thought of his imagination, it’s not so bad to experience sothing so extraordinary."
Xing Ye: "..."
If it had been him, the conversation would’ve lasted at least half an hour to determine that Professor Yang understood the truth of this world. Then, another half hour would be spent confirming that she had no malicious intentions before he could safely hand her the QR code and the little loach.
"Professor Yang, the little loach... Mo Ping needs your help," Lu Mingze said. "You’re trapped in his dream, and he can’t escape. If he jumps to his death here in the dream, he will die in the real world too. Mo Ping is unable to ask for help in reality, so you must assist him here in the dream!"
"I want to help him," Professor Yang replied, "but psychological treatnt and change aren’t things that happen overnight. Mo Ping is under imnse pressure, and that pressure cos from the people around him—his parents’ expectations, society’s gaze, internship evaluations, the stress of graduating from a 985 university. All these burdens are crushing him. I can only relieve so of his stress through words and dication, but unless the real-world pressures lighten, he can’t be saved. Even if he graduates successfully, he’ll still face the pressures of society."
(985 Universities is a group of prestigious Chinese universities that were part of the "Project 985
Reviews
All reviews (0)