Lin Yan had another nightmare, in which someone crawled out from under the bed, bleeding from all orifices, saying they would take her away.
Startled by the nightmare, she was sweating cold and gasping heavily for breath.
Lu Chenyuan hugged Lin Yan into his arms, with a voice deep and gentle, like a tiny hook, gently pulling away her fear from the bottom of her heart and tossing it aside.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Lin Yan tightened her arms around Lu Chenyuan's waist. "I'm not scared. It's just the dream felt so real, as if it was happening right in front of me."
"Dreams are intangible," Lu Chenyuan said, then asked, "Where did you put the prayer beads I gave you before?"
Many years ago, Lu Chenyuan gave Lin Yan the beads he had been wearing, which were given by a master before he passed away and were ordinary in quality.
Lin Yan said, "I left it at home. Could that ward off evil spirits?"
