After listening to Luol's self-narration, Bai Luan fell into a profound silence.
The neon lights outside the window streamed through the glass, casting shifting, mottled shadows on his face, as if the entire Dream City was holding its breath for this story.
After a long while, he slowly raised his eyes and looked at Luol with gentle gaze:
"I see... I understand you, you did nothing wrong."
Luol froze, as if pinned to the spot by these words.
In all his days in Penacony, this was the first time he had heard such a response—not formulaic comfort, not condescending advice, and certainly not that sympathetic silence, but genuine, unreserved affirmation.
In the past, those who heard his story either left in a hurry or stubbornly repeated clichés like "let go of the past" and "look forward."
Not a single person had ever truly stood in his shoes and told him:
The way you live is not wrong.
This made him almost disbelieve his own ears.
Luol unconsciously leaned forward slightly, his voice trembling in a way he didn't even notice, as if to confirm whether what he just heard was an illusion:
"You... understand me?"
Seeing Luol's incredulous expression, Bai Luan roughly guessed what kind of "guidance" he had experienced in Penacony.
No wonder when he suggested they talk earlier, Luol sighed first, showing that weary "here we go again" expression.
If this continued, Luol's next stage would probably be to completely close off his heart, refuse to communicate with anyone, and then be regarded as an eccentric recluse by those unaware of his situation.
By then, it wouldn't be as easy to communicate with him as it was now.
Fortunately, he wasn't too late.
Facing Luol's uncertain question, Bai Luan nodded affirmatively, his voice steady and clear:
"Yes, I understand you."
He smiled slightly at the still-shocked Luol, a smile that held a certain all-knowing tenderness:
"When a person's life ends, all memories and emotions related to them become an extension of their life. Your longing for your family is such an Existence.
In my opinion, you are merely commemorating them in your own way—though this way may not be widely accepted."
At this point, Bai Luan changed the subject, his tone gaining a hint of firmness:
"But not being widely accepted is not wrong. How a person lives is entirely up to themselves.
You haven't harmed others, nor have you forced others to accept your views. You are merely existing quietly here, silently telling everyone: This is how I choose to live."
He looked out at the vibrant Dream City outside the window, his voice gradually deepening:
"Penacony can offer those who are unhappy in reality a dream that seems to never end, but indulging in it is merely superficial; the root cause of this situation is people's own choices.
People come to Penacony, experience the baptism of dreams; some choose to wake up, others choose to indulge in them.
But what's important is never the choice to stay in the dream or wake up and face reality—"
Bai Luan turned his head, his gaze looking directly into Luol's eyes:
"—but rather that you clearly know this is a dream, and that this choice is your own. Whatever choice you make is reasonable."
His voice softened, imbued with a gentle empathy:
"Moreover... the sudden passing of loved ones is not something everyone can easily come to terms with."
As he said this, a long-buried memory surfaced.
Bai Luan's gaze became distant, as if looking through the scene before him to a morning long ago:
"Just like in the morning, your mother was still washing your hair, and you could feel her fingers gently running through your strands.
She told you that your hair was oily and you should wash it, and you smiled and replied, 'I know.'
After you washed and dried your hair, you went to school. She called out 'slow down' behind you, but you didn't turn back, only replied 'I know.'"
His voice paused slightly, with an almost imperceptible tremor:
"Then in the afternoon, she was gone..."
After a brief silence, Bai Luan said softly:
"In the days that followed, you would constantly ask yourself: Why didn't I turn back? How could that have been a final farewell?"
"You..."
Luol looked at Bai Luan in surprise.
He could hear the subtle yet profound sorrow in the other's tone; it wasn't a bystander's sympathy, but a pain personally experienced.
Bai Luan didn't explain much, just offered a faint, slightly melancholic smile.
Luol saw much, much more in Bai Luan's smile.
So that's how it is... So that's how it is.
"Reality is cruel; there are no 'what ifs,'" Bai Luan said softly.
"But in a dream, you can see everything you desire. It's only natural to not want to leave the unique tenderness of a dream."
Although Bai Luan himself had emerged from the dream, he also understood those who wished to remain in it.
At the same time, he didn't feel that he was any more awake or superior to them in any other way.
"However,"
Bai Luan suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming a little lighter.
"While I don't object to you indulging in dreams, you should at least pay some attention to your physical health in reality, shouldn't you?"
Luol was startled again, clearly not expecting the topic to shift so quickly.
"Edward sent me photos; you're so thin in reality you're almost a stick. You need to eat well."
Bai Luan looked at Luol, his eyes warm and firm:
"After all, you are an extension of their lives. As long as you are alive, they are not truly dead."
"And..."
His voice softened, as it always did when he mentioned his mother.
"Mom in the dream can't see the real you. If she saw what you look like in reality, she would be heartbroken."
Just then, Bai Luan's phone chimed with a message notification.
It was a message from Stelle:
The Chadwick matter has been largely handled. Screwllum's pressure was effective, successfully convincing The Family to allow them to take Chadwick's memory bubble.
"It seems dreams really do make people forget time," Bai Luan said, putting away his phone with a slight smile.
"Unconsciously, so much time has passed."
He now had to return to reality and use the Anywhere Door to send Screwllum and Stelle back to the Space Station.
"It seems our conversation must end here. Conveniently, I've said pretty much everything I wanted to say."
Bai Luan smiled at Luol and said:
"I hope this conversation didn't make you feel uncomfortable."
Hearing this, Luol quickly waved his hands.
"No, no... You are too kind."
The status difference between them was too great; he couldn't possibly accept such politeness.
However... "You truly are, just as Mr. Edward said, a... very kind person. I'm very happy to have had this conversation with you."
Bai Luan showed a sincere smile upon hearing this.
"I'm glad I didn't come for nothing. Farewell, Luol, I hope you'll be doing even better next time we meet."
Bai Luan's figure gradually faded into the dream.
He had returned to reality.
Luol stood alone in place for a long time.
Bai Luan's words were not as easy to forget as those spoken by others who had tried to advise him in the past.
Those words seemed to carry warmth, lingering in his heart.
He hesitated repeatedly, but finally exited the dream, briefly returning to reality.
Luol woke up in the Dream-Entering Pool.
It wasn't that he hadn't woken up in reality for a long time—after all, he still had a waiter's job to maintain in reality.
Getting up from the Dream-Entering Pool, he walked to the mirror in the room.
The mirror reflected a skeletal figure: the standard Dreamscape Hotel waiter's uniform hung loosely on his body, and a face disfigured by long-term malnutrition.
"Am I... an extension of my family's life?"
Bai Luan's words echoed in his mind.
After a long silence, he uncharacteristically picked up the room phone and called room service, ordering his favorite meal from the past.
When the steaming hot food was delivered, he picked up his chopsticks and carefully tasted a bite.
The familiar flavor spread in his mouth, and Luol's tears suddenly fell uncontrollably.
He remembered why he loved this dish.
Because both his wife and his mother were very good at making this dish.
"It's not as delicious as what you made..."
He choked out.
The food, mixed with tears, was eaten bite by bite.
"I'm sorry... Mom..."
He whispered.
"I'll eat well..."
Just then, his phone suddenly received a message.
He picked it up and saw it was a transfer from Bai Luan, accompanied by a note.
Bai Luan transferred a moderate amount of money to Luol:
Not so much that he could squander it, nor so little that it was negligible.
It maintained a just-right amount, enough to express his sentiment without the slightest hint of charity.
The transfer note read:
Dream well, eat well, live well ^_^
After a long while, a soft sound echoed in Luol's room:
"Thank you..."
The voice was very soft,
but carried a vitality it hadn't had in a long time.