Dream Walker: Feng Shui Master Bai Ya

Shang Muchen took in his surroundings and realized that he was in a high school classroom.

A warm summer breeze stirred the curtains, and sunlight streamed through the gaps onto the desks. Everyone was quietly taking notes, the pens scratching against the paper.

An unnamed surge of emotion welled up in Shang Muchen's chest. Having graduated from university and unable to find a job, he suddenly realized how precious and wonderful his high school days, which he had once found so tedious, were.

For a fleeting moment, he longed for this moment to last forever, to stay here forever, and never leave again.

But soon, reason, like a vigilant watchdog, barked loudly, urging him not to be deceived.

On the platform, Fourth Uncle was playing the role of a geography teacher, lecturing on and on without any regard for his own words:

"...Many modern people are superstitious about the West and always say that our ancestors were so backward and so confused."

I think people who say these things are uneducated and ignorant. They've had a few cups of coffee and a few English lessons, and they imagine themselves as imperialist colonizers, bossing around traditional culture that they know nothing about.

Students, I can even point out that coffee was introduced to my country earlier than it was introduced to the West.

As early as the Tang Dynasty, Arab merchants brought coffee to the Central Plains, where it was used as a medicinal ingredient and chewed.

During the Song Dynasty, Arab merchants were already giving away and selling coffee beverages in the Central Plains region, as evidenced by ancient books and archaeological data.

Some medical texts from the Song and Ming dynasties also recorded the medicinal value of coffee, especially its stimulating effect.

The earliest history of coffee drinking in Europe dates back to Venice in 1615…

Shang Muchen listened intently, finding it all very interesting.

In high school, he never found the knowledge in class interesting. But now, after listening to a very ordinary geography class, Shang Muchen felt that he had gained a lot. This sense of accomplishment made him very addicted.

Inadvertently, he caught a glimpse of Liu Qingyang sitting next to him.

The wind ruffled the black hair at her temples as she intently looked at a geography book, making annotations on the pictures of the "Silk Road".

Just looking at her makes me feel so happy...

Why didn't I have a boyfriend/girlfriend when I was in high school?

What was I like when I was in high school?

I can't remember...

Am I not in high school right now?

wrong!

This is an illusion!

Shang Muchen suddenly pushed the table and stood up abruptly, startling everyone around him.

Fourth Uncle pushed up his glasses and asked, "Shang Muchen, is there a problem?"

"No! Stop acting! I've had enough of this play!"

As he spoke, Shang Muchen grabbed Liu Qingyang's wrist and, without saying a word, dragged her out of the classroom.

"Shang Muchen, what are you doing! We're in class, let me go!" Liu Qingyang cried out in grievance.

"No! Qingyang, have you forgotten?"

You're already a PhD student!

In order to save two construction workers in distress, you and your mentor, Professor Erin, enter a trap set by higher-dimensional beings.

I'm here to save you!

Come with me!

Shang Muchen's words caused the classroom to burst into laughter.

Sitting in the back row, Lu Mingdi banged on the table and shouted, "Shang Muchen's delusional disorder has flared up again!"

He even harassed girls, that's disgusting!

"Curly hair, shorty, get him out of here!"

Curly Hair and Dwarf stood up and moved closer to Shang Muchen.

Curly Hair comforted him, "Shang Muchen, I'll go for a walk with you."

"You're under too much stress; your old ailment has flared up again."

The short man rushed forward, grabbed Shang Muchen's wrist, and forcefully pulled Liu Qingyang's hand from his, cursing viciously:

"Damn it, Shang Muchen! Don't you dare keep everyone from finishing class!"

If you keep causing trouble, I'll beat you up!

The man with glasses left his seat, walked over, and said loudly, "I'm going with him to the school clinic. You all go back to your seats and continue the class."

Mu Chen, you must be still half asleep.

It's easy to get sleepy in the afternoon classes, let me walk with you, come on.

With a combination of pushing and shoving, Glasses, Curly Hair, and Shorty worked together to drive Shang Muchen out of the classroom.

"Squad leader, is it okay to leave this to you alone?"

"If he has an attack, don't hurt you!" The dwarf cracked his knuckles.

The man with glasses smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's alright. Although Mu Chen is prone to daydreaming, he won't hurt anyone."

I'll just walk with him for a bit; you all should go back quickly and not cause any trouble for the teacher.

Shang Muchen was helplessly kicked out. Glasses accompanied him, seemingly as a companion, but in reality as an escort, taking him to the school hospital.

On the way, Glasses sincerely comforted him, "Mu Chen, I understand you very well."

Your brother's unexpected death was a huge blow to you. Since then, you have often been caught up in fantasies and unable to extricate yourself from them.

I remember the first time I accompanied you to the hospital, your mother cried a lot.

Mu Chen, do you still remember what the doctor said?

The doctor once advised you to use your strong willpower, mobilize your rationality, and suppress the urge to fantasize.

After the car accident that took your brother away, your brain was severely damaged. Your amygdala became overactive and your prefrontal cortex was suppressed, causing you to fall into post-traumatic stress disorder, which often leads to the illusion that "another life exists."

The doctor said that the reason you have hallucinations of "another life" is partly due to brain injury and partly to escape the pain of your brother's death.

You need to relax. If you're tired, just rest. Don't push yourself...

Glasses' words were like a hypnotic drug, rambling on and on, vague and indistinct, leaving Shang Muchen somewhat confused.

A complete memory was awakened:

My brother died in a traffic accident; his death was extremely gruesome.

He barely survived, suffering a severe head injury and often experiencing excruciating headaches.

Despite her constant tears, the mother bravely took her to the doctor, while the father became an alcoholic and irrational.

My grades plummeted, but the class monitor, Glasses, and my classmates never abandoned me.

He secretly loves Liu Qingyang, but is bullied by the rich second-generation Lu Mingdi, who also likes Liu Qingyang...

The images in my memory are becoming more numerous, richer, more real, and more complete, unfolding vividly before me like a stage play:

...At the graduation ceremony, I stood alone in the distance. I saw Liu Qingyang glance at me, hesitate for a long time, and then turned around and left with Lu Mingdi...

...In the opulent hotel, a huge banner reading "Congratulations to Mr. Lu Mingdi and Ms. Liu Qingyang on their happy marriage" fluttered in the air. The impoverished Shang Muchen meekly handed over five hundred yuan as a gift and sat down at a table marked "Classmate."

Watching the doves fluttering on the stage, under the spotlight, Liu Qingyang walked out in her finest attire, and Lu Mingdi put a ring on her finger, her heart filled with unbearable sorrow…

...At the entrance of a magnificent shopping mall, Lu Mingdi was cutting the ribbon for the grand opening. Beside him, Liu Qingyang, leading a tall boy and holding a little girl, looked at Lu Mingdi with a happy, loving smile.

At that moment, Shang Muchen was standing at the back of the staff line, his view blocked by countless colleagues in work uniforms, watching helplessly as Liu Qingyang disappeared into a luxury car...

...Shang Muchen sat at the folding dining table, while an unfamiliar, overweight woman nagged at him: "Husband! You don't even care about finding a job for our son! Do you even act like a man?"

All you do is drink and brag all day. You brag about knowing that guy on TV! Why don't you find your son a job then?!

The fat woman was tapping on the TV screen. Through his hazy, drunken eyes, Shang Muchen could vaguely see that the news program was interviewing business tycoon Lu Mingdi. At the other end of the folding table, a long-haired young man who looked rather颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of listlessness, decadence, or apathy) was looking down at his phone...

Then, in a flash, the view appeared in a garden.

With his cane, Shang Muchen struggled to get up from the cement bench; his aged lungs made every breath a torment.

Just then, through his hazy old eyes, he suddenly saw a well-dressed old lady with neatly combed white hair walking steadily past him.

"Qingyang!" Shang Muchen shouted in a very old voice.