"Ning... Yu?"
Shen Yiyue thought she saw Ning Yu in her drowsy state, but only mumbled once before turning from lying on her back to her side, brushing away Ning Yu's hand that was pinching her nose.
Dreaming about Ning Yu again, must be a dream!
She closed her eyes intending to go back to sleep, seemingly not believing that Ning Yu would come to her room in the middle of the night.
Then after 3 seconds, she sensed something wasn't right and suddenly opened her eyes.
At this moment, she was lying on her side with her back to Ning Yu, who couldn't see that her eyes were now open, but Shen Yiyue was already panicking.
What... what's going on?!
Why would Ning Yu appear in her room in the middle of the night??
She saw that slender shadow on the wall, which was all too familiar - she could recognize it as Ning Yu's even without turning around.
Moreover, she could smell that unique scent from her.
They say everyone has their own special scent, though it's often explained away as shower gel or soap, but you can indeed sometimes quickly recall a person through that particular smell.
Shen Yiyue felt her heartbeat quickening, not knowing why Ning Yu suddenly appeared, and she was hesitating whether to turn around.
Should she continue pretending to be asleep, acting like she hadn't noticed?
Most importantly, she had no idea what Ning Yu wanted to do, and she couldn't help but start imagining various scenarios.
Suddenly, Shen Yiyue remembered something from that night when they left the first mini-market.
She had had a nightmare where her sister and parents all turned into zombies, and then she couldn't fall back asleep.
That night, she had gone to Ning Yu's room just like this and confided in her.
She remembered how Ning Yu had comforted her with awkward words and actions.
Could it be that Ning Yu had a nightmare too?
Thinking of this possibility, Shen Yiyue no longer hesitated. She turned around and saw Ning Yu's silhouette against the window.
Ning Yu thought she had fallen back asleep and was about to leave, ending this little prank.
But just as she was about to go, Shen Yiyue had already turned around and tentatively asked:
"Ning Yu... did you... have a nightmare?"
A nightmare?
Ning Yu was stunned - dreaming of returning to her past life and being shot dead by her past self probably did count as a nightmare.
So Ning Yu slowly nodded in confirmation.
Seeing Ning Yu nod, Shen Yiyue thought she was right. She moved over a bit and propped up her pillow, gesturing for Ning Yu to sit down.
"Then let me keep you company and talk for a while?"
Ning Yu looked at her, seeing no trace of annoyance or impatience at being suddenly woken up, just wanting to listen to what she had to say.
She swallowed back the words 'It's nothing, I'll go back' that she was about to say.
Silently, she sat down next to Shen Yiyue and leaned against her. This scene felt somewhat familiar, as if it had happened once before.
"So, what kind of nightmare was it?"
Shen Yiyue thought for a moment, feeling it was best to start with the content of the dream.
"I dreamed..."
Ning Yu was about to describe the dream when she realized something was wrong - how could she possibly tell Shen Yiyue about having a past life where she was an assassin?
Who would believe something like that?
Thinking this, Ning Yu suddenly changed the subject and asked a different question:
"If one day I suddenly disappeared, what would you think?"
As soon as Ning Yu finished speaking, Shen Yiyue suddenly turned to look at her. Ning Yu could read obvious panic in her eyes.
"Why are you suddenly saying this? Are you planning to leave the Ark Base? I'll go with you, of course!"
She nervously looked at Ning Yu, thinking Ning Yu had made some decision and that's why she came to find her.
Just thinking about Ning Yu possibly leaving her alone, Shen Yiyue felt it was unimaginable. Why did she feel this way?
"Uh... no, I was just asking hypothetically..."
Ning Yu quickly explained, seeing that she seemed to have misunderstood.
If one day she really had to choose between returning to her past life and staying here, what would she choose?
Ning Yu actually vaguely had an answer already.
"No way!"
Shen Yiyue suddenly gripped Ning Yu's hand tightly - Ning Yu could feel how strong her grip was, and her tone was unprecedentedly firm.
She looked at Ning Yu seriously, then suddenly realized she had lost her composure. Her grip softened, and after pursing her lips in thought for a moment, she finally organized her words:
"Didn't we make a promise? Why would you suddenly think like this?"
She seemed to suddenly realize something and asked quietly:
"Or is it... that I'm too useless now, that I no longer have any value..."
Ning Yu felt this misunderstanding was getting worse and worse. She deeply regretted asking such a strange question and had to continue explaining:
"No, no, I meant what if it was some kind of force majeure?"
"Force majeure?"
Shen Yiyue frowned. Although she knew it wasn't what she had misunderstood, she still didn't understand what kind of force majeure.
She asked:
"Is someone trying to kill you?"
"Or are you in some life-threatening danger?"
It seemed she was trying to offer some possibilities, and right after saying these, she looked at Ning Yu seriously and said:
"I won't allow anyone to hurt you."
"If anyone tries to make you disappear from my side, I'll make them disappear instead! No matter what it costs."
"I will protect you, just like you once protected me."
Looking at her sincere expression, Ning Yu felt a strange sense of being moved, a feeling she had never experienced before.
She had always been alone before, with no connection to the world, always out of place in this harmonious human society.
Her only interaction with this world had been taking lives, nothing more.
But now someone was telling her that she was important, that she wasn't allowed to disappear, that she was needed - needed in a way that had nothing to do with utility.
Ning Yu's grandmother from her past life had once given her this kind of warm feeling, but that feeling had become very distant and vague. Now she seemed to be experiencing it again.
However, this time it was a completely different, unique kind of warmth.
"Thank you."
Faced with such a sincere response, Ning Yu didn't know how to organize her words and could only mumble a thank you.
She felt she should say something more but didn't know what.
This was actually the first time Shen Yiyue had heard Ning Yu seriously say thank you to her. She widened her eyes in surprise, because the old Ning Yu had always been so cold and didn't seem like someone who would say such things.
Although Ning Yu had changed a lot recently, it still surprised Shen Yiyue.
However, she quickly noticed Ning Yu's awkwardness at not knowing what to say, so she followed up with another question:
"So what exactly did you dream about?"
Hearing her question, Ning Yu thought carefully and told her in a way that wouldn't reveal too many details:
"I dreamed I went to a strange place, I went there alone, and you were gone."
Shen Yiyue's curious expression paused, seemingly finally understanding why Ning Yu had come to find her. She felt a flutter of joy in her heart, and also thought of a new question.
She immediately asked:
"Then similarly, if one day I really disappeared, what would you think?"
Ning Yu was stunned - how had this turned into a counter-question?