茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

Xiang Kun connected to “Alice” via his phone. He asked her to collect information about the patient from ward three who claimed to be a “vampire”, hoping to determine the patient’s identity.

Though there are security issues with communicating and tasking “Alice” through his phone, no one else currently knows of “Alice’s” existence. Coupled with “Alice’s” own safety measures, there should not be any problems.

He then checked the data about Old Xia that “Alice” had collected. He himself had manually searched for Old Xia’s information before and later also asked “Alice” to do the same.

However, the information available online didn’t show anything unusual about Old Xia. She had always been an exceptional student, from elementary school to college.

Meanwhile, Alice performed a large-scale identity comparison, finding all comments related to Old Xia that were posted online by people who knew her.

From the comments made by her classmates, their general perception of her was along the lines of “beautiful, rather cold, unsociable, liking solitude, extremely smart, academically excellent, athletic”.

Xiang Kun had even discovered that there were generally more girls confessions to Old Xia online than boys.

In the eyes of these girls, Old Xia was always a handsome and cool person. They found her almost perfect, from her breathtaking appearance, unparalleled intelligence, slender figure, excellent fitness to her casual androgynous dress style. They were even heartbroken when she started growing out her hair after high school.

But all this information was of little use to Xiang Kun. Because he knew these people’s impressions had nothing to do with Old Xia. She rarely let anything affect her, always maintaining an “observer” stance, even while participating in group activities.

Xiang Kun kept combing through all the useful information collected by Alice, hoping to further develop his understanding of Old Xia. This understanding would help him to interact more effectively with Old Xia, next time they have a meal together, and obtain the information he wanted.

Ward three.

In the duty room, Xia Libing sat in front of her laptop, scrolling through a folder with one hand and tossing a crispy pork trotter in the air with the other.

Sometimes, when the pork trotter was thrown into the air, it would turn into a Napoleon cake before landing back into her hand. Sometimes, the flaky layers of the cake would even shake loose upon hitting her hand, and then it would turn back into a pork trotter when she tossed it up again.

Xia Libing had a lot of questions about her sudden ability to “co-manifest” these two dream foods – just as Xiang Kun had predicted.

At one point, she even doubted whether she was still dreaming, whether the “lucid dream” she had was actually a dream within a dream, and this was just another layer of the dream that she didn’t realize she was experiencing.

Otherwise, this “co-manifestation” was too illogical and contradicted her current understanding of the world.

Although many things – including the projection of the three coins into her dream and waking up to co-manifest the Napoleon cake for the first time – happened just as she had foreseen and planned, she still needed to find a way to explain everything theoretically.

However, she stopped thinking about this when she received a WeChat message from Xiang Kun.

The information that she was currently browsing on her computer wasn’t about the principle behind “co-manifestation”. It was the information on Xiang Kun that she had collected all along.

The data consisted not only of extensive basic information she had gathered from the internet but also content that she had personally observed and concluded.

From the WeChat message that Xiang Kun had just sent, Xia Libing could infer that:

He was probably aware, or at least suspected, that something unusual had happened to her in her dream last night and that she could now “co-manifest” two types of food upon awakening.

Considering how he came to know, it was likely related to the items that Xiang Kun had given her.

Moreover, based on the content of the WeChat message, she astutely deduced that Xiang Kun might lay everything on the table tomorrow, or at the very least, provide a basic explanation of her ability to “co-manifest” the cake and pork trotter.

With that in mind, she would be able to gather more related information tomorrow, making it easier to look for corresponding theoretical frameworks in reality to explain these phenomena.

So she needed to revisit all the data and information she had on Xiang Kun and decide how to communicate with him the next day.

Early on the first day of the Lunar New Year, just like the day before, Xiang Kun readied breakfast after sensing that his parents were about to wake up through their bodily information.

When they got up and washed themselves, he “just happened” to bring the freshly prepared and steaming breakfast to the table.

His father and mother had seemingly grown accustomed to their son’s industriousness, and today they did not nag him about anything, simply sitting at the table to eat.

“What time did you come back last night?” His mother asked while eating a beef soup Xiang Kun had made.

“Was it after two or three? I didn’t really pay attention to the time when I came back,” Xiang Kun replied.

“Then why did you get up so early? Why not sleep in a bit more?”

“I have good sleep quality. Four hours of sleep for me is equivalent to eight hours for others.”

“Bragging… By the way, did Xiao Xia enjoy the dishes you made last night?” His mother asked, concerned.

Xiang Kun knew that the previous few remarks from his mother were mere pretexts. Upon waking, she was actually eager to ask questions about Old Xia.

“Do I even need to say? Not to brag, but the dishes I made last night, even a five-star hotel chef couldn’t replicate that flavor.”

“Sigh… My boy, why have you suddenly become so boastful? Be modest, maintain a dignified manner. Girls don’t like overly arrogant guys. So, after having supper with Xiao Xia last night, you stayed in the hospital until two or three before coming home?” His mother asked.

“Something like that,” Xiang Kun replied. “By the way, I won’t be back for lunch. You’ll cook, right?”

“What’s with that tone… It’s only this year that you suddenly became interested in cooking and made a few meals. You’re making it sound like we don’t know how to cook. Huh? Does Xiao Xia have to work today? If not, find some time to ask her out.” Now Mrs. Xiang couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning “Xiao Xia”.

Xiang Kun said, “Actually, I have something to discuss with Xiao Xia at noon.”

A smile immediately blossomed on Mrs. Xiang’s face, a look that said, “Son, you finally got the message.” “Alright then, don’t bother coming back for dinner. Your father and I will manage.”

Xiang Kun replied helplessly, “Mom, don’t get too ahead of yourself. Xiao Xia and I have serious matters to discuss.”

Mrs. Xiang nodded repeatedly, “I know, serious business.”

Xiang Kun didn’t bother explaining any further and made small talk for a while. When it was about time, he took the ingredients he had prepared earlier and went to the Third Hospital to find Old Xia, intending to cook at her rented place.

Mr. Xiang sighed as he watched his son leaving, “You seem to be right, our kid’s spoiling us. He’s only cooked a few meals since he’s been back home, each one better than the last. I’ve grown so accustomed to his cooking that my appetite feels off knowing that he won’t be making lunch.”

Mrs. Xiang glared at him, “So, are you saying my food isn’t good enough for your taste anymore?”

“I mean, it’s not the same. We’ve eaten your cooking for several decades, I’m just too used to it, it lacks surprise, that’s all. Of course, the flavor is still excellent.” Sensing he’d slipped up, Mr. Xiang quickly tried to reconcile.

Mrs. Xiang snorted, “Then eat less at noon, consider it a weight loss program!”

After leaving home, Xiang Kun took a direct bus to the Third Hospital. As soon as he reached the entrance of the hospital, he saw Xia Libing standing at the bus stop waiting for him with her backpack on.

The backpack she was carrying was the very one Xiang Kun had used to bring her clothes earlier.

After their greeting, Xiang Kun casually asked, “You didn’t sleep well last night did you?”

“I dreamt again,” Old Xia confessed.

“What kind of dream was it?”

“I dreamt of my parents taking me out to eat when I was little,” Xia Libing tersely responded.

“Did you wake up after having that dream and then couldn’t fall back asleep?”

“Yes.”

“Was it a nightmare?”

“No.”

“Is there a bakery or a pastry shop near where you live? Let’s go and buy some desserts to eat after lunch. Didn’t you once mention that you love Napoleon cake?” Xiang Kun suddenly asked.

Xia Libing looked at him, “No need, I’ve already made arrangements.”

“Oh, I see,” Xiang Kun replied, returning her glance with a smile.

The room Xia Libing was renting hadn’t changed much since Xiang Kun’s last visit. Judging by the state of the kitchen, it seemed that Xia Libing rarely cooked when she was alone.

Just like last time, Xiang Kun asked Xia Libing to assist him with washing vegetables and preparing the simple ingredients. Once everything was almost done, he asked her to wait in the living room.

Four dishes and a soup were prepared for lunch, which in comparison was rather lavish for two people.

After Xia Libing served her portion of rice, she watched Xiang Kun as he prepared to serve himself, before suddenly remarking, “If you don’t feel like eating, you don’t have to force yourself.”

Xiang Kun was taken aback, not expecting Old Xia to introduce this topic of conversation.

“Why would you think that I am forcing myself to eat?”

“I’ve always felt that way,” Xia Libing replied, her plate in hand. While taking servings of the prepared dishes, she continued, “Now that I think about it, the first time we were playing cards at Nana’s, it wasn’t that you didn’t like watermelon, but rather that you don’t like eating anything, is that right?”

Xiang Kun replied, “When I invited you all for meals, I also ate, didn’t I?”

Xia Libing shook her head, “You ate too little. Even though you had an excuse each time, I could tell that you had no desire for food. No matter what kind of food it was, you ate as if you were just completing a task, pretending for our benefit.”

Xiang Kun didn’t deny it further. He placed his empty bowl down, rested his chopsticks on top of it, placed his crossed hands on the table.

“Old Xia, the way you eat seems to be somewhat different from how you usually are?” Xiang Kun said, “Just like what you mentioned, the dreams you have are always related to food. The last two dreams you had; one was at my place when I invited you for a meal, and the other was when your parents took you out for a meal. Why is that? Are you obsessed with eating? Were you starved as a child?”

Old Xia nodded, “I starved before,” then started eating. She was, as always, eating very quickly, but it didn’t look rude. In fact, there was an inexplicable rhythmic sense to it, as if she had specially trained on how to eat food more efficiently.

Only after watching Xia Libing finish her bowl of rice did Xiang Kun ask, “Aren’t you an only child and your family is quite well-off, how could you have starved? Did something happen?”

Xia Libing glanced at him and counter-questioned, “Have you been eating unconventional food?”

Xiang Kun met Xia Libing’s gaze and, after a moment, nodded, “Yes.”

Following that, Xia Libing had another bowl of rice, and a small portion of the dishes on the table disappeared.

She was now using the pair of chopsticks that Xiang Kun had given her, therefore he could naturally sense her emotions. Her feelings towards food had not changed compared to last night, they were still filled with desire for the food, a compulsion to possess it, as well as the restraint to suppress this compulsion.

After finishing another bowl of rice, Xia Libing put down her rice bowl and chopsticks, then suddenly got up and went into the kitchen.

Through his superior hearing, Xiang Kun knew she had taken a porcelain plate from the kitchen. Just as he was wondering what Old Xia was planning, he became acutely aware that his ability had been used. The next moment he saw Xia Libing walk out of the kitchen carrying a porcelain plate. On the plate was a piece of Napoleon cake that looked extremely tempting.

“I’ve prepared dessert,” Old Xia put the plate down in front of Xiang Kun, then sat down opposite him, “Try it and see how it tastes.”

Xiang Kun paused for a moment, then looked at Old Xia and slowly began to smile. He lifted the plate and placed it in front of her, “Isn’t this your favorite cake? You eat it.”

Old Xia transferred the plate back to him, “I’ve already had it, this is for you.”

“Have you really eaten it?” Xiang Kun asked while looking at her.

Xia Libing looked back at him, “I ate it in the past.”

Xiang Kun pointed at the cake on the plate, “Are you sure, it’s edible?”

“Try it and see,” Xia Libing responded.

“You take the first bite and try,” Xiang Kun suggested,

Xia Libing looked at him, not responding, but her attitude was evident.

“Why don’t we play a game of coin toss, the loser eats first?” Xiang Kun proposed, flicking a coin from his hand.

“I’m not playing,” Xia Libing shook her head.

“Rock-paper-scissors?” Xiang Kun suggested again.

Xia Libing continued to shake her head.

Xiang Kun understood her meaning, he reached out and grabbed the Napoleon cake from the plate.

Of course, he knew this was the cake Old Xia had just “co-manifested”, but as soon as he picked it up, he could clearly sense that this cake felt a bit different from the ones he “co-manifested”.

It felt somewhat unreal, like it did not fully exist in his hand, unlike the clear tactile feeling when he “co-manifested” a cake.

Xiang Kun slowly opened his mouth and bit into the cake.

As expected, the cake vanished from his hand.

Xiang Kun showed no hint of surprise. He naturally let go of the non-existent cake, then placed the empty plate in front of Old Xia. The next moment, a new Napoleon cake appeared on it.