Bam—outta nowhere, a giant wall of mist pops up in front of me. White everywhere, can't see squat. Am I in a ghost movie now or what?!
Barefoot, arms wrapped around myself (because hello, it's freezing), I shuffle through this mystery mist. "Eli Crane—where you at, bro?!" Wasn't I just hanging with him? Why the heck am I waking up in this random, spooky place?! Did someone hit the teleport button again?!
"Who's there?!" Suddenly—zoom!—a white shadow zips by up ahead, moving like it's got somewhere better to be. My brain barely catches up before my feet are already chasing after it. Classic me.
I'm running, I'm running—and boom, there's a dude up ahead. Can we not with the mysterious strangers today?
"Eli Crane..." Even though he's got his back to me, that shape is so familiar I could spot him in a crowd of snowmen. No need to turn around—I know it's him!
He freezes for a sec—so dramatic!—then slowly turns around. His face is pale, gorgeous, and he's rocking a smile that could melt the Arctic. "Miss Ling, do you like me?" he asks, all soft and dreamy. My brain short-circuits: is this a confession scene or an idol drama?!
"Uh-huh!" I nod so fast I might sprain my neck. Why is he asking, though? Is this a pop quiz?
"I like you too. You're the only one in my heart. But am I the only one in yours?" His white robes flutter, and he stares at me from way over there, looking like a lost poetry prince.
"I—" I open my mouth to answer, but before I get a word out, my hand flies to my chest. Ow, ow, ow—who stabbed me with a frozen fish?!
"What's wrong? I love you with my whole heart—don't you love me back with yours?" Eli's face does a full sad puppy transformation. One second later, he sighs and turns away, vanishing into the mist like a tragic drama king.
"Eli Crane, don't! Don't leave me—wait up!" I'm sprinting barefoot, reaching for his sleeve, but he's got turbo speed today. Before I can grab him, poof—he's gone.
"Eli Crane!" I yell his name at max volume, then crash to the ground and start ugly crying. Why'd he have to ditch me? Didn't he say we'd stick together forever?! Betrayal level: max.
"Hey now, don't cry, you're breaking my heart." Out of nowhere, a warm voice drops in, and—bam!—a squeaky clean handkerchief floats in front of my face.
My head snaps up. "Adr—"
"Dummy, did you forget me already? I've been searching for you like a lost puppy." The guy's eyes are dripping with heartbreak as he half-kneels in front of me and yanks me into a bear hug—like he's afraid I'll Houdini out of existence. "No more running! No more making me freak out!"
"Adrian... Adrian Night..." I finally blurt out his name—and BAM! My chest explodes with pain, like someone stabbed me with a frozen fish right in the feels. Who ordered this full-on drama episode?!
"Adrian, Adrian, is it really you?" I wriggle out of his hug, desperate to see his face. Please don't be a ghost or a hologram or something!
"Little dummy, I searched everywhere for you. How could you just ditch me like that?" Tears stream down his ridiculously handsome face. I reach out to wipe them, but—wait, he's transparent?! "Adrian, Adrian, what's going on with you?!" Panic mode: activated.
"Don't leave me..." Adrian Night's voice keeps echoing in my ears, but his whole body gets fuzzier and fuzzier, floating away toward the grass like a ghost on vacation.
"Adrian, Adrian, where are you going?!" I scramble to my feet and chase after him into the grass. "Adrian, come back! Where are you even going?!" But as soon as I'm in the grass, it's all thorns—seriously, universe, can I get a break?
"Ow, ow, ow!" I barely brush a thorn and my hand's already bleeding. I try to yank it back, but—wait, why's my hand suddenly getting all warm and tingly? I spin around and, holy moly, he's got my fingers in his mouth.
"How are you this clumsy? Does it hurt?" He sucks away the blood, whips out a little medicine bottle, and sprinkles powder on my tiny cut. "Seriously, you're being naughty. Next time, don't pull this stunt, okay?" His peach blossom eyes light up—dangerously hot.
"Mei..." I blurt out his name before my brain even boots up.
"You're such a handful, you know that? Didn't you say you'd never leave me? So why'd you ghost me for so long?" His gentle scolding comes with a side of pout.
"I..."
"Was I not good enough for you?" His peach blossom eyes suddenly go dim, and before I can say a word, he spins around and stalks off like a drama queen.
"No, no, that's not it! Just listen to me, please!" I dash after him, but—of course—he's already gone. Typical Mei move.
"Back when we first met as kids, our hearts clicked right away. We watched the mountains and gardens together, and my heart always followed yours." Someone's reciting poetry now? I freeze for a sec, then follow the voice like a moth to a flame.
"Time flies, love never dies. If my beloved stays by my side, I'll never be sad." There's a scholar-looking guy in a beige robe, hair all neat and fancy, one hand behind his back and the other flipping through a book. If there was a contest for 'Most Bookish,' he'd win gold.
"Qingyan..." I can't help it; his name just slips out in a whisper.
He whips around and flashes a big, toothy grin. "Ivy, Ivy, you're here!" He practically bounces over, looking like he just won the lottery.
"Qingyan, what are you doing here?!"
"Why just me? Look—they're here too!" Liam Willow beams and points to the left, all proud and sparkly.
Under a giant locust tree, three gorgeous guys lounge on stone benches—playing chess, sipping tea, living their best life. This scene is peak harem energy.
"Ivy, Ivy, look over here!" A guy in a rainbow outfit waves like crazy, then—whoosh!—he rockets up the tree, picks a bunch of white flowers, and grins. "These are super sweet! Hurry and try some!" He winks like he's got a secret.
"Ivy, come here! I'm totally winning this round." Ethan Chu glances up with a soft smile and waves me over like he's got snacks to share.
"Dream on! I've never lost, and I'm not starting now." Caleb Miles whips out his golden abacus and starts clicking away. "Ivy, come sit with me—if I win, I'll take you out for the best food in town!" He's already plotting how to spend his winnings. Priorities, right?
I just stand there, totally dumbfounded. How did all my guys end up here?! Is this a group hallucination?
(This chapter isn't over yet ^.^ Click next page to keep reading!)
"Ivy, what are you staring at?" Familiar voices snap me back. I turn to see Adrian Night, Butterfly Rogue, and Liam Willow all looking at me like I'm the weirdest thing in the room.
"I..."
"Miss Ling, I'm totally devoted to you—what about you?" Suddenly, Eli Crane pops back into view, looking all dramatic again.
"Ivy, hurry over here!" Someone's calling me again from the chess table, sounding super eager.
Right then, my brain goes full scrambled eggs. I can't even tell what's up or down anymore.
"Ivy, Ivy..."
"Miss Ling..."
"Ahhh, enough already!" I finally snap and yell at the top of my lungs. Instantly, the whole world goes silent—like someone hit the mute button.
I blink like crazy, scanning all around me—front, back, left, right—but there's no one here. All that's left is more of that endless white mist. I feel like a lost weed floating in a lake, totally clueless about where to go next.
"Where even is this? Where am I, seriously?!" I shout into the void, hoping the universe will send me a GPS.
"You made it, huh?!" Out of nowhere, a super pretty voice rings out, echoing through all the mist.
I squint and look over—way off in the distance there's a girl with long black hair, her back to me. Her hair whips around in the wind, looking super ethereal.
"Who are you?" I ask, all suspicious, but my feet just kinda wander toward her like they're on autopilot.
She giggles like a silver bell, then waves her hand and—poof!—the mist clears. She turns around and smiles, "I'm you!"
Wait, what?! I freeze. How can she look exactly like me? Did I just walk into a glitch in the Matrix?
"I'm Shen Bingxin!" The girl gives a little smile, introducing herself like it's totally normal to meet your own clone.
"You're Shen Bingxin? Then who am I?!"
"You're Shen Bingxin too! I'm you, and you're me!" She keeps smiling, her voice all gentle and weirdly soothing.
Her words hit me, and suddenly I start piecing things together. Next second I'm blurting out, "Wait, am I dead? Is this my soul floating around? Otherwise, how could I see all those guys—and you?! Aren't you supposed to be dead?!"
She laughs, "Finally got your head on straight, huh?" Honestly, I thought you'd never figure it out after seeing all those guys.
Her words make me freeze up again. I mutter under my breath, "Wait, am I actually dead?!"
"Nope, you're not dead!" The girl floats closer and gives me a serious look.
Her words make me blink, "If I'm not dead, then how come I can see you?!"
"You got hurt real bad, so now you're unconscious. I just took the chance to call you out for a little chat."
That makes me frown. I ask, all suspicious, "So you called me out here? Don't tell me you want your body back?!"
She just smiles and asks back, "Could you really give it up?"
That question stuns me. Could I really give it all up? I just saw Adrian Night, Butterfly Rogue, Liam Willow, Caleb Miles, Ethan Chu, Flower Butterfly, and the one I just confessed to—Eli Crane. Could I really let go of them? Seeing the pain in their eyes, why does my heart hurt so much?
She asks softly, "You've fallen for them, haven't you?" Her voice is gentle, light, not even a hint of blame.
I look straight at her and answer, "Yeah. I love them. I've got three husbands now, and... I love them all." Even the ones I haven't accepted yet—doesn't matter, my heart is all in!
She touches her own chest and says, "I can feel it."
"You can feel it? Wait, have you been inside me this whole time?!" I blurt out, totally mortified. Does that mean she saw all those moments with the guys?! My face goes full tomato.
She waves it off, "Don't get the wrong idea! Sure, I can feel your emotions, but I don't control anything you do. All your choices are yours—I'm not peeping on your private stuff, promise!"
"Uh..." I mumble, totally awkward.
She smiles, "Thank you. Thank you for standing up to our enemies for me, for fighting for my sister, for never giving up. I can see it all." Her eyes are filled with deep gratitude.
"But I failed, didn't I? I..."
"No, you've done amazing. If it were me, I probably wouldn't have made it this far. This time, you got hurt badly, so I called you out. I wanted to tell you: from now on, you are me—totally, completely me!"
"Huh? What about you then?"
"Me? I think it's time for me to go." She looks up at the sky. "Mom and Dad are waiting for me. Ivy, promise me you'll save my big sister, okay? In this world, she's got no one left but you."
"Don't go! Please don't go! I'm not as amazing or tough as you think—I..."
"You can do it," she nods, totally confident. "I believe in you!"
"But you..."
"From now on, just follow your heart. Love boldly, chase your dreams, and live bravely! We'll all be proud of you!" She gives me a big, heartfelt smile, glances at the sky, and says, "Guess it's time for me to go."
"Shen Bingxin!" For the first time, I call out my own name—hers and mine—watching her silhouette as my eyes suddenly go red. I force back tears and promise, "Thank you for believing in me! From now on, I am you, truly Shen Bingxin! I'll save my big sister and make her happy!"
"Thank you, Ivy!" She smiles, opens her arms, closes her eyes, and in a flash, her figure fades away into the light...
****
PS: This chapter hit 4,000 words—added another 1,000 today, hehe~! Ivy's still grinding hard~! That's because Ivy loves you guys~! Muah muah~!