She found the man named Ning Beichen peculiar, and at the very least, he had left a deep impression on her.
That night, as she slept, a faint red glow emanated from her chest. Her expression suddenly contorted in pain.
She had a strange dream, in which she transformed into someone else.
This person was precisely the woman in ancient costume from the painting Ning Beichen had shown her earlier that day.
In her dream, she also witnessed memories that did not belong to her, yet they stirred a profound sense of familiarity. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't recall them.
A man appeared intermittently in her dream, but he was shrouded in a mist, making him impossible to discern. The harder she tried to see him clearly, the more elusive he became.
After an unknown period, Jin Yuehe suddenly woke from her dream, sitting bolt upright in bed as if sprung by a coil. She gasped for breath, her sleepwear drenched in sweat.
"It was a dream, not real."
Jin Yuehe mumbled to herself.
However, she couldn't fall back asleep for the rest of the night. The scenes from her dream constantly replayed in her mind, leaving her with a feeling of having lost something important, a void in her heart.
Finally, as dawn broke, she was so absentminded that she couldn't even focus in class. Amidst the astonished gazes of her classmates, she offered a hurried apology and left the school.
Like a madwoman, she began searching everywhere for the man from yesterday, desperate to understand the dream.
But in the vast expanse of the city, she had no way to contact Ning Beichen. What if she couldn't find him?
After a long, fruitless search, Jin Yuehe wandered the streets like a zombie, narrowly avoiding being hit by passing cars several times.
Just as despair began to set in, she spotted a figure ahead whose back strongly resembled the man from yesterday. Driven by desperation, she ran towards him.
"Miss, is there something I can help you with?"
The man she stopped was not Ning Beichen, but a completely different person, only their backs had been similar.
"No... no, it's nothing. I mistook you. I'm sorry."
Jin Yuehe replied, lost and disheartened.
"Miss, are you alright? Do you need any assistance?"
The man asked, his concern evident in his expression.
"No, no, I'm fine. Sorry to have bothered you."
Jin Yuehe turned and left, her heart feeling hollow, as if she had lost something.
She couldn't stop wondering what her relationship with that man from yesterday could be.
Was he her lover from a past life? A confidant? Or family?
Why did her heart ache so much?
Distraught, Jin Yuehe walked into the bustling street, not even watching where she was going, like a mindless automaton.
At that moment, a car sped towards her. Although the driver reacted quickly and slammed on the brakes, the car still slid forward, heading straight for Jin Yuehe.
Just as Jin Yuehe was about to be instantly annihilated, a figure appeared beside her and then vanished, taking her with them.
The driver, resigned to the inevitable, closed his eyes, unable to bear witnessing what he believed was about to happen.
After a moment, however, he heard no impact. He opened his eyes to find his car stopped in the middle of the intersection. Behind his car, two dark tire marks scarred the asphalt. There was no sign of the woman.
"Did she get stuck under the car?"
The driver quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and scrambled out of the car, ignoring the curious stares of onlookers, and peered underneath, searching for a body.
"Nothing?"
"Still nothing?"
The underside of the car was empty. Not a body, not even a scrap of fabric.
"Did I imagine it?"
The driver was relieved that he hadn't hit anyone.
But the scene had been so vivid. Had he perhaps hit "something" supernatural?
With that thought, he hurried back to his car. The cars behind him were already honking incessantly.
Putting the driver aside, Jin Yuehe herself had thought she was going to die. Although she was in a daze, she had regained her senses the instant the car hurtled towards her. But she was utterly incapable of reacting, as the vehicle was moving far too fast.
Just as Jin Yuehe braced for impact, a gust of wind swirled around her. Her vision blurred, and the world seemed to streak past her at an alarming speed.
After some time, the rapid movement ceased.
Then, she heard a familiar voice.
"Teacher Jin Yuehe, what's wrong? You looked so lost, you were almost hit by a car just now."
Her rescuer was none other than Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen had intended to leave yesterday, but some matter had delayed him, causing him to stay an extra day.
He was leaving today and happened to pass by, witnessing the scene unfold. Without a second thought, Ning Beichen had saved her.
"It's you. I finally found you."
Seeing the man before her, Jin Yuehe knew he was the one responsible for her disoriented state.
"You were looking for me?"
Ning Beichen appeared somewhat surprised, as the woman had seemed quite dismissive of him the previous day, even impatient with his attempts to engage in conversation.
"I've been looking for you all day. I even skipped class."
Jin Yuehe exclaimed with emotion.
Although Ning Beichen found it strange, he still inquired.
"Teacher Jin Yuehe, what did you need me for?"
"I... I had a dream last night. I dreamed I was the woman in your painting, and then I dreamed of other things, but I couldn't see them, as if they were hidden by a mist."
"And... and I dreamed of a man. I couldn't see him clearly, but I know he must have a connection to me, and not just any connection."
"I want to know, was that man... was it you?"
"Can you tell me, what is our relationship? Because whenever I see you, I... I feel a pang of heartache."
Jin Yuehe said.
Ning Beichen's eyelids twitched. He glanced around and spotted a park nearby. He then said to her.
"It's a bit complicated. Let's talk in the park."
Jin Yuehe nodded eagerly, and they walked together to the nearby park.
Finding a quiet spot, they sat down, and Ning Beichen began to explain matters concerning the Lingering Spirits.