Chapter 135: Nightmare

October 9, 2023

Author: Zi Tao

Mu Chenze stubbornly retorted, “Compared to Liu Dapeng, of course he’s a toad and you’re a chubby swan. But compared to me, you’re the toad and I’m the white swan.”

Although Chu Xuan had once joked about being the toad and Mu Chenze the white swan, that was just self-deprecation. Hearing Mu Chenze say it out loud today, she couldn’t help but get annoyed. She reached out and smacked him on the back. “Take that, you white swan! This toad here has no interest in eating a swan like you—just wants to give you a good beating!”

Mu Chenze took a few hits on the back, which stung a little, so he quickly dodged away.

Chu Xuan chased after him, and he decided to tease her, running all around the yard.

She ran after him but couldn’t catch up, soon breaking into a sweat and panting heavily. She finally gave up. “Stop… stop running! Just wait—one day when I lose weight, I’ll chase you down and beat you until you surrender!”

Mu Chenze beamed at her with a sunny smile. “I’ll be waiting for that day! I’m off!”

It wasn’t until his figure disappeared that Chu Xuan realized he’d just been messing with her.

That guy did it on purpose.

Chu Feng came out of the bedroom, looking puzzled. “Sis, you’ve called yourself a toad before, so why did you get so mad when Brother Chenze said it? Is this what they call saying one thing and meaning another?”

Chu Xuan tapped her forehead to clear her head a bit. “I wasn’t really mad, just pretending. Compared to him, I am the toad. But I’d never go after swan meat! You do the dishes, I’m tired and need to lie down for a bit.”

“Okay!”

Chu Feng quickly started clearing the dishes.

Chu Xuan went into the bedroom, kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto the kang bed—not because she was tired, but because she found Mu Chenze harder and harder to figure out.

She’d forgotten to give him his share of the profits.

She got up, put her shoes back on, counted out a dozen or so yuan from her pocket, and went into the kitchen. “Xiao Feng, go give this money to Mu Chenze later. Just tell him it’s today’s share, nothing else. He’ll understand.”

She stuffed the money into Chu Feng’s pants pocket.

Chu Feng grinned. “Is this today’s cut from the day at the beach?”

“That’s right. But I didn’t actually sell the catch—I used it as a gift.”

“Who’d you give it to?”

“Wei Qiang’s mother and Uncle Long. Gifts are gifts, but Mu Chenze still gets his share. He was part of the group.”

“Okay. I’ll go after I finish the dishes.”

“Don’t tell Mu Chenze about this.”

“Got it.”

Chu Feng agreed out loud, but secretly planned to tell Mu Chenze anyway.

After all, Wei Qiang was his sister’s savior. What if his sister fell for Wei Qiang? What would happen to Brother Chenze then?

While Chu Xuan was resting on the kang, Chu Feng ran over to Mu Chenze’s house and stayed there for quite a while before leaving.

After seeing Chu Feng off, Mu Chenze looked at the handful of yuan in his hand, feeling a mix of emotions.

He’d just learned from Chu Feng that Chu Xuan had been spending time with Wei Qiang’s family, and apparently Wei Qiang’s mother was quite fond of her.

Wei Qiang was single, too, and had saved Chu Xuan’s life.

Even though Chu Xuan was still a chubby girl, she was clearly less heavy than before. Her face looked a bit prettier, and her eyes seemed much brighter.

What if Wei Qiang liked Chu Xuan and confessed to her? Would Chu Xuan, out of gratitude for saving her life, break her promise not to marry?

Mu Chenze hadn’t caught up on sleep since coming back from the city, and now he was both tired and restless.

He decided to sleep on it.

Maybe things would feel clearer after a nap.

He tossed the money into a drawer, kicked off his shoes, and lay down to sleep.

He slept like the dead.

He had a dream—a nightmare—where Chu Xuan was pushed into the sea by Chu Zhi and Feng Chunhua.

He drove a boat all over the sea searching for her, but couldn’t find her anywhere…

When he woke up, Mu Chenze found himself drenched in sweat.

Even though it was just a dream, he still felt shaken. Without bothering to change into clean clothes or even tell his family, he rushed out the door.

By now it was dark. He went back home to grab a flashlight, then headed out again.

Fu Qing called him to dinner, but he didn’t stop.

“What’s up with Xiao Ze?” she wondered.

Qin Mahua came over. “He’s probably running to Xiao Xuan’s house.”

Fu Qing was curious. “How do you know?”

“I overheard him talking in his sleep today. He was mumbling, but I could still make out that he was calling for Chu Xuan, searching everywhere for her. I bet he had a nightmare, and now he’s running over to make sure she’s okay. Once he sees she’s fine, he’ll come back.”

Fu Qing hesitated, then asked, “Mom, since Chenze likes Xiao Xuan so much, why don’t we just be upfront with her? Show our sincerity and propose. Maybe we’ll move her.”

Qin Mahua shook her head gently. “No need. Let Xiao Xuan and Xiao Ze work it out themselves. I’ve thought it through—let’s just let things take their course.”

Fu Qing let out a long sigh of relief. As long as her mother-in-law stayed out of it, Chu Xuan wouldn’t feel pressured.

Actually, Fu Qing could tell that Chu Xuan was very good to Chenze. If they still hadn’t made things official, there must be some reason she didn’t want to talk about.

About ten minutes later, Mu Chenze arrived at Chu Xuan’s house.

The gate was open, and Chu Xuan was standing in the yard hanging up laundry.

Seeing she was fine, Mu Chenze finally relaxed.

Chu Xuan saw him and smiled. “Here to pick up the grilled fish fillets? Hey, where’s your cart?”

Mu Chenze scratched his head, blushing. “I was half-asleep and just remembered it was getting late, so I rushed over to get the fish fillets and forgot the cart. I’ll go back and get it now.”

Chu Xuan didn’t suspect a thing. “Take it slow on the road and be careful.”

“Okay.” Suddenly, Mu Chenze asked, “Chu Xuan, can you swim?”

“I can hold my breath—does that count?”

“Definitely not. I’ll teach you how to swim.”

“What? You’ll teach me? Aren’t you afraid of people gossiping?”

“People gossiping is better than not knowing how to swim and losing your life.”

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“Because I had a dream. I dreamed that Chu Zhi and Feng Chunhua pushed you into the sea, and you drowned because you couldn’t swim. Starting tomorrow, I’m teaching you.”

Chu Xuan was so stunned she couldn’t speak.

Could he have dreamed about her drowning in her past life?

Before she could ask more, Mu Chenze had already left.

When he got home, he grabbed the cart and was about to head out again when Qin Mahua called him, “Xiao Ze, come to my room. I want to talk to you.”

Mu Chenze was always a filial son. If his mother wanted to talk, he listened.

He put down the cart and obediently went into her room.

Qin Mahua followed, lowering her voice on purpose. “You like Xiao Xuan and don’t mind that she’s chubby, right?”

Mu Chenze flatly denied it. “I do mind. I mind it a lot. I like girls with good figures. Mom, you can’t go around saying I like her. We’re just buddies. If you keep saying that, we won’t even be friends anymore. Don’t forget, she’s our family’s benefactor. We can’t push her away.”

Qin Mahua was a smart woman—she knew her own son.

He definitely liked Xiao Xuan, but since she hadn’t accepted his feelings, he wouldn’t admit it.

Still, she knew in her heart that Xiao Xuan was very good to Xiao Ze.

“Xiao Xuan says she won’t marry until Xiao Feng is an adult. Maybe she has her reasons. Once I find out what they are, our family will help her solve them.”

Mu Chenze hadn’t expected his mother to be so understanding, and didn’t want to hide anything from her anymore."