Chapter 118: Roller Coaster

After a brief silence, the boy looked somewhat regretful, seemingly worried that his previous words might make the girl look down on him.

However, the girl suddenly smiled at him, her alluring peach-blossom eyes sparkling.

"What a coincidence! I'm a trash collector too, and I have a huge pile of trash!"

"They say I'm only fit to collect trash, but there are lots of fun things in the trash pile! But compared to those things, I like you better. You are better than anything else. I like you, Ji Linmo. You're so obedient and cute, my favorite little puppy~"

These words made the boy's ears turn red. He rubbed his hands together in bewilderment. Although he understood that the girl's mental age was far lower than the eighteen years she claimed, it still made his ears burn.

"Ahem, actually I also... um..."

The boy scratched his head, ultimately saying nothing.

*She is still too young, so thin and small. She definitely lied about her age.*

There were some things he should wait for her to grow up to say; he was certainly no pedophilic pervert.

But the girl narrowed her eyes with a smile and tugged at him.

"Say it~ You haven't finished yet, my little puppy~"

"I won't say it. You're too small, so thin and short. You're not even as tall as me when you jump."

This comment clearly disappointed the girl. Noticing her mood, the boy hurried to compensate.

"Don't worry, you'll definitely grow tall. Look, your hands and feet are quite big."

After saying this, the boy stretched out his hand to compare it with the girl's.

The girl's hand was almost slightly larger than his.

And her feet were also much larger than those of other girls her age, almost matching the size of his own.

"My uncle said that people are like dogs; if your feet are big, you'll grow tall. You'll definitely be tall in the future, and your figure will... uh... be very good."

As he spoke, the boy couldn't help but steal a glance at the girl's chest.

Perhaps due to malnutrition, her chest was shockingly flat, as if carved by a knife.

"Ahem... Anyway, what I really wanted to say is, if we can survive and get out of here, could I invite you to go to an amusement park together?"

The girl let out a soft laugh, skillfully leaning her head into the boy's warm arm, rubbing against him gently like a puppy.

"Of course, Ji Linmo. You must find me, okay? After all, you are mine~"

*Mr. Ji, you are mine. You can only be mine.*

Ji Linmo snapped his eyes open, startled awake by the sound of Qin Feng’s voice in his mind.

What was going on? Was he... dreaming?

"I... dreamt of the past?"

Ji Linmo rubbed his brow, feeling his heart racing. His head throbbed as if filled with blood, and he could feel his temples pulsing.

No, he couldn't remember...

The doctor had said there were some things he had to forget in order to go on living.

That’s right... forget it all completely... stop reminiscing about those bad things from the past...

Ji Linmo took a deep breath, but at that moment, he suddenly caught his own reflection in a puddle of water on the gymnasium floor.

He froze.

Unexpectedly, the expression on his face right now was not one of sadness, fear, or any other negative emotion.

*He was smiling, as if he had just had a beautiful dream.*

In that instant, the man realized something.

He could not lie to himself.

He couldn't convince himself that those memories were all bad.

Perhaps that was why, no matter how much time had passed, the girl in his nightmares always appeared as she was: wearing a white dress, smiling at him softly.

That was how she looked when she was alive—the most beautiful version of her.

And it was how she looked in the very beginning.

The man covered his face and let out a low laugh, though the sound seemed more like sobbing.

"Little puppy, good morning. You woke up so early~"

The boy's voice suddenly drifted from beside him.

Ji Linmo snapped out of his emotions. He turned his head toward the source of the voice in surprise, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

At this moment, he was being tightly hugged by Qin Feng, who was lying in his warm embrace!

What was going on?

Seemingly sensing the man’s unease, the boy in his sleep opened his eyes, looking completely groggy.

"Strange, why are you looking at me like that~"

The boy looked up at Ji Linmo in his arms, then closed his eyes again, nuzzling his head against the man's chest with practiced ease.

"Don't look at me like that anymore, I'll be shy~"

"And don't worry, we can definitely sleep a little longer. You were worn out by me last night~"

A flash of earthquake-like shock crossed Ji Linmo’s dark, ink-like eyes.

What is happening!?

Is this little madman having a dream too?

He looked at the boy beside him, then toward the meteorite not far away.

Taking a deep breath, Ji Linmo pulled out his phone.

It was 6:30 in the morning.

Fifteen minutes had passed since he first saw the colors within the meteorite.

*The colors in the meteorite seem to trap people in the pleasant memories they believe in.*

Perhaps, as a living organism, this was a mechanism it developed to protect itself?

Ji Linmo looked at the boy beside him again. Seeing him still sleeping soundly under his arm, he couldn't help but frown.

"Get up! Stop dreaming!"

"No... I don't want to~"

Hearing the boy's almost coquettish tone, Ji Linmo felt the veins on his forehead throb.

"Kids these days are just... too precocious. Who knows what kind of dreams he's having."

Without another word, the man shoved the boy away forcefully.

Then, with a sudden motion, he sat up.

The boy finally opened his eyes in realization. Upon seeing it was Ji Linmo, he even showed a hint of confusion, as if wondering why the other was being so rude and impatient.

However, after staring at Ji Linmo blankly for a few seconds, he seemed to react and flashed his usual smile at him.

"Oh my, I'm sorry, Mr. Ji. I think I had a lovely dream."

"I hope I didn't do anything impolite to you?"

Ji Linmo frowned, not knowing what to say.

Fine, it was normal for high schoolers these days to have their own partners.

Considering he had also had a dream about the opposite sex, he had no room to lecture Qin Feng.

"This meteorite is a huge problem. I suggest we leave it at that for today."

Ji Linmo raised an eyebrow at Qin Feng.

But then, remembering something, he looked at the boy beside him.

"Before we leave, do you want to ride a roller coaster?"

A roller coaster?

Upon hearing the word "roller coaster," the boy's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Ji, are you inviting me?"

"I'm so touched... what made you have such a change of heart?"

Ji Linmo didn't speak; he just stood up in silence.