This time, Lin Wanwan’s dream was very clear, directly revealing to her the inexplicable reason she had crossed into this world over the past few years.
This world was a melodramatic, heart-wrenching Era Novel. Shen Mingyue and Jian Ming were the male and female protagonists of this novel, while she, Lin Wanwan, was the Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character, tasked with getting between the male and female leads to advance their romantic development.
Thus, from the dream, Lin Wanwan learned what Jian Ming had been up to after abandoning her and throwing her out of the car that day. He had even taken the blame for Shen Mingyue at the public security bureau, going so far as to claim that he himself had stabbed the hooligans.
However, the comrades in the investigation department were no pushovers. Determining who had actually stabbed someone didn’t require the hooligans’ confessions; examining the victims’ wounds was enough to conclude that the force behind the stabs could never have come from a grown man.
Therefore, after being detained at the public security bureau for over two days, Jian Ming was lectured on charges of obstructing official duties and released.
His first act upon release was to find Lin Wanwan and explain that he hadn’t intentionally left her by the roadside—it was just that the situation had arisen suddenly, and then he’d been detained for two days. Jian Ming believed that Wanwan, who was usually so gentle and understanding, would surely comprehend his predicament.
If everything in the prophetic dream was true, then this afternoon, Jian Ming would rush to the school to apologize to her. At this point, Jian Ming hadn’t yet begun his emotional entanglement with Shen Mingyue; he merely treated her like a younger sister.
Jian Ming was a warm-hearted, good person—there was no doubt about that. However, after witnessing everything Jian Ming had done for Shen Mingyue in the dream, Lin Wanwan could hardly believe her eyes. Had Jian Ming been possessed? Could just a few tears and a pitiful act from a woman in front of him ignite his protective instincts to the point of taking the blame outright?
What she had forgotten was that, as Lin Wanwan, she had always only shown an independent and self-reliant side in front of Jian Ming.
Now that she knew what would happen next, Lin Wanwan decided to test avoiding the plot today. Unlike what she had seen in the dream, she didn’t stay at school to do translation part-time work. Instead, she collected the documents she needed to translate and left the school directly.
She planned to return the military overcoat to the suburban Research Institute.
Originally, Mao Xiaomin had promised to go with her, but she was suddenly called away by a teacher and couldn’t make it. Lin Wanwan had no choice but to carry a large bundle alone, stuffed with the sun-warmed, soft military overcoat, and board the bus.
Leaning against the bus window, she gazed out. It was a bright, sunny day. In the winter of Jingshi, beneath bare branches and a cold sun, streams of bicycles wove through the streets, snack stalls steamed with warmth, elderly men gathered idly at alley entrances, and shops were hidden behind frost—all brimming with the vibrancy of life.
As Lin Wanwan got off the bus and switched to another, these lively scenes gradually grew fewer and fewer. The bus was heading toward the suburbs.
No wonder they needed assigned vehicles; commuting here really was quite far.
The journey went smoothly all the way today, without any unexpected incidents like that day forcing Lin Wanwan to stay put and follow the plot of the prophetic dream.
She hadn’t yet figured out the underlying rules, but Lin Wanwan had already made a decision: she refused to forgive Jian Ming and reconcile with him after his repeated apologies, just as described in that tacky novel.
Not only did she know that Jian Ming would later become entangled with Shen Mingyue and she had no desire to play the ridiculous supporting role in that drama, but more importantly, Lin Wanwan felt that she wasn’t the same person described in the original book. Every time she saw herself crying over Jian Ming in her dreams, it felt like watching someone else’s story—unreal, and not her at all.
Yes! That wasn’t her!
She might feel sad and upset for a while about ending this relationship, but she would never forgive Jian Ming or continue to like and trust him as before.
The bus swayed and jolted along the road, finally coming to a slow stop at the station.
Lin Wanwan stepped off the bus with a heart full of joy, thinking that after such a long ride, she had finally arrived. However, after asking the bus driver, she was surprised to discover that there was still quite a distance between this bus stop and the Research Institute where Jian Shen worked. It was nothing like she had imagined, where she could simply walk straight to the front gate.
She couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration at her own naivety. She had been viewing the national X Research Institute of this era through the lens of a modern person!
Such an important and confidential unit would never have its entrance directly facing a main road, after all—they couldn’t just let anyone passing by easily catch a glimpse of what was inside.
Lin Wanwan struggled to carry the enormous bundle, trudging step by step along the empty, deserted road.
Fortunately, she had been clever enough to ask the bus driver for detailed directions on how to proceed from here.
At this moment, aside from herself and the bus that had just driven away, there was no one else in sight, nor any other vehicles.
Since Lin Wanwan’s physical stamina was only average to begin with, carrying the heavy, cotton-stuffed military coat soon left her panting and her legs feeling weak.
With no other choice, she had to stop, find a relatively clean spot, and sit down to rest for a moment.
Just then, a pickup truck happened to drive slowly up from behind Lin Wanwan.
The appearance of this pickup truck was almost identical to the one she had ridden in that day, driven by Jian Ming’s older brother.
Moreover, judging by its direction, it was clearly heading toward the Research Institute as well.
Lin Wanwan stared at the vehicle, her mind torn with indecision.
She hesitated over whether she should flag it down and ask if the people inside could give her a ride.
But then she reconsidered. Given the sensitive nature of their work, they might not be willing to interact too much with strangers.
With that thought, Lin Wanwan ultimately decided to give up on the idea and rely on her own two feet to continue forward. After all, her only purpose in coming here was to deliver the military coat to the reception office.
Just as Lin Wanwan turned to leave, the pickup truck came to a steady stop right beside her. She turned her head and found herself locking eyes with a familiar face sitting in the back seat.
Uh… she had run into the owner of the military coat.
Lin Wanwan had only met Jian Shen that one night, and under such awkward circumstances at that. Faced with him so suddenly, her first instinct—having been taught since childhood to greet elders and relatives with sweet words—was to say hello.
Her voice came out sweet and crisp: “Hello, big brother!”
Then came an eerie silence. The entire car was deathly quiet, making Lin Wanwan question whether she had said something wrong.
Seeing Jian Shen, she had instinctively regarded him as an elder. By age, he was indeed several years older than her. Although she hadn’t officially broken up with Jian Ming yet, calling him “brother” shouldn’t be considered impolite.