A Troubling Dream and a Hasty Escape

That night, sleep utterly eluded Xiang Qing. She was caught in the throes of a dream. The dreamscape was a swirling chaos, permeated by that familiar, intoxicating scent—a blend of herbal remedies and sandalwood. It felt as though she lay upon a soft bed, yet simultaneously drifted weightlessly among the clouds.

Then, Shen Lanzhi materialized. She wore pristine loungewear, not a single wrinkle marring its fabric, and her face held the same gentle smile Xiang Qing knew so well. In the dream, she was still massaging Xiang Qing’s feet. The same posture, the same gentle pressure, the same unwavering focus.

Yet, the sensations within the dream were amplified a thousandfold. The familiar ache and numbness no longer confined themselves to her soles; instead, they surged like an electric current, coursing up her spine and electrifying her brain.

“Qingqing,” Shen Lanzhi’s voice in the dream was a mere whisper, barely audible, “You smell so fragrant.”

In the next instant, the scene shifted. She found herself pinned beneath Shen Lanzhi. Her bathrobe’s tie had come undone, and their warm skin pressed intimately together. Shen Lanzhi’s hand, no longer content, began an upward journey from her ankle, caressing her calf, tracing past her knee, and finally coming to rest at the curve of her thigh. That hand radiated a searing heat.

“I don’t like her being so close to you.” The dream-Shen Lanzhi repeated the words, her lips brushing against Xiang Qing’s ear. “So, come closer to me, won’t you?”

The warm breath ghosting over her earlobe sent a shiver through Xiang Qing’s entire body. And then, she awoke.

****

Outside, the sky was bright with morning light, the dawn sun filtering through the gaps in her curtains. Xiang Qing shot upright in bed, her heart hammering wildly, threatening to burst from her throat. She was drenched in sweat, her pajamas clinging unpleasantly to her skin, and an indescribable dampness emanated from beneath her. She glanced down, and her mind went utterly blank.

‘Utterly doomed. She, a bona fide straight woman, had just spent the entire night having a lewd dream about another woman.’

Clutching the blanket, Xiang Qing was completely dumbfounded. Just as she pondered when exactly things had started to go awry, her phone on the bedside table began to vibrate with the urgency of a death knell. The caller ID flashed: Gu Wei.

‘It was the Sugar Daddy’s call; ignoring it meant turning her back on money itself.’ A jolt went through Xiang Qing, and she fumbled to answer the call.

“Hello, CEO Gu…”

“Finish breakfast, then come out and accompany An Qi.” The voice on the other end was utterly devoid of emotion.

Xiang Qing’s mind, still reeling from the previous night’s erotic dream, instinctively blurted out, “Why?”

Gu Wei seemed to pause, taken aback by her question, before coldly uttering a few words: “She’s bored.”

‘So, rich kids, when bored, actually hire people to entertain them?’ Xiang Qing’s sarcastic nerve was instantly pricked, her mouth moving faster than her brain. “CEO Gu, I’ve noticed a pattern. You seem to have no friends, and your cousin An Qi appears to be the same. Is this some kind of… family tradition?”

****

A deathly silence descended on the other end of the line. Even the faint crackle of the connection vanished.

‘I’m finished. I’ve stepped on a landmine. And not just any landmine—an atomic bomb-grade one.’ Xiang Qing’s back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. She could almost visualize Gu Wei, that madwoman, crawling through the internet cable, a gleaming knife clutched in her hand.

Her will to survive vanquished all other thoughts in that moment. “I was wrong, CEO Gu!” Xiang Qing’s voice came out fast and anxious, dripping with flattery. “My tongue just slipped! I was only joking! Look at my wretched mouth, it just blurts things out! What I meant was, how could mere mortals like us be worthy of befriending exceptional individuals like you and An Qi? It’s simply that common folk like me lack the proper appreciation!”

“You, with your myriad responsibilities, and An Qi, with her innocent charm—you both stand apart from the world! You are like celestial beings who disdain to mingle with mortals!”

The other end of the line remained silent. Xiang Qing was on the verge of tears, frantically escalating her promises. “CEO Gu, please rest assured! Today, I will ensure An Qi has the most wonderful time! I’ll make her feel the warmth of spring! She’ll have fun, she’ll enjoy herself to the fullest! I’ll be her personal comforter, her exclusive playmate! I’ll brave mountains of knives and seas of fire if I must!”

“Too much nonsense.” Gu Wei finally broke her silence, then with a click, the call ended.

Xiang Qing held her phone, feeling utterly drained. ‘Ah, to be alive, it’s truly wonderful.’

****

Having changed her clothes, she slowly, reluctantly, made her way to the downstairs dining room. Shen Lanzhi was already seated, gracefully sipping her congee. Upon seeing Xiang Qing, a perfectly gentle smile immediately bloomed on her face.

“Qingqing, good morning. Come quickly and have breakfast; I made your favorite century egg and lean pork congee today.”

A prickling sensation crawled up Xiang Qing’s scalp. She walked over and sat opposite Shen Lanzhi, utterly avoiding eye contact.

“Qingqing, did you sleep well last night?” Shen Lanzhi asked, pushing a bowl of congee towards her with a concerned expression. “Your complexion doesn’t look very good; are you tired?”

“Cough!” Xiang Qing choked on her own saliva. ‘Well? Good my ass! I dreamt of you doing that to me all night long—and you ask if I slept well!’ “It was… alright,” she mumbled in response. “Just had a dream.”

“Oh, really?” Shen Lanzhi paused in her movements, looking up, her beautiful eyes alight with curiosity. “What did you dream about?”

“I forgot!” Xiang Qing blurted out without thinking, then buried her face in her bowl, frantically shoveling congee.

Breakfast felt like an interrogation, a form of torture. Xiang Qing finished her meal with the fastest speed she had ever mustered in her life, setting down her chopsticks and immediately rising. “I’m full! Er, Sister Lanzhi, I have something I need to go out for!”

Shen Lanzhi also elegantly set down her spoon, dabbed her lips with a napkin, and then slowly raised her head. “Oh? But Qingqing, aren’t you living here as a housekeeper? It’s working hours now, and the chores haven’t been done yet. Why are you rushing out?”

‘A deathly question! That tone, those words—it was a textbook interrogation from the main wife!’ Xiang Qing felt like a scoundrel caught red-handed, alarm bells blaring in her mind. She knew Shen Lanzhi disliked An Qi; if she told the truth, she probably wouldn’t be leaving the house today. “It’s… it’s CEO Gu!” she exclaimed, thinking quickly and shifting the blame to the other party. “CEO Gu arranged a last-minute task for me! Yes, she told me to go out and run an errand! It’s the boss’s command, I can’t possibly disobey!”

Her words were half-truths, half-lies, but at least they made logical sense. Shen Lanzhi didn’t reply immediately, merely gazing at her in silence. That gaze seemed to scrutinize her from inside out, searching for any hint of deception. Feeling guilty under that intense stare, Xiang Qing spun around and dashed towards the door. “Then I’ll be going, Sister Lanzhi! If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late!”

She slipped on her shoes and practically fled, yanking open the front door. “Qingqing.” Shen Lanzhi’s voice drifted eerily from behind her. Xiang Qing’s steps froze. “It’s windy outside; wear another layer.”

“…O-okay!” Xiang Qing replied, not daring to look back, and bolted out the door, frantically pressing the elevator button. It wasn’t until the elevator doors closed that Xiang Qing finally leaned against the cold wall, gasping for breath.

‘She’s terrifying. This woman is truly terrifying. A thousand times more terrifying than that openly insane Gu Wei!’

Stepping out of the building, the warm sunlight kissed her skin, and Xiang Qing finally felt truly alive again. She couldn’t shake the chilling sensation at the nape of her neck, as if someone were watching her. She spun around abruptly, her gaze sweeping up towards the building. Countless windows were draped with curtains, revealing no anomalies.

‘Just a delusion, probably. Shen Lanzhi is making me neurotic.’ Xiang Qing chuckled self-deprecatingly, patted her face, and quickened her pace towards the meeting spot she’d arranged with An Qi.

She didn’t see that after she turned and left, a figure stood silently in a hidden spot for a long while. Moments later, that figure began to follow.