Chapter 19: Stockholm Syndrome
Jiang Cheng pretended to sigh. At first, I didnt get it too, but now that I think about it, she might have a slight Stockholm Syndrome. So I think
Fattys heart dropped, What do you think?
I think she might have fallen for me. Jiang Cheng said helplessly.
Fatty,
Jiang Cheng waited for a while, but Fatty said nothing, so he turned to ask, Why didnt you say anything?
Fatty took a deep breath, Wait for me to take a drag of a cigarette to calm down first.
Just as Jiang Cheng wanted to share his analysis of why Chen Xiaomeng had fallen for him, his stomach suddenly grumbled. Fatty instantly became spirited. He asked if Jiang Cheng was hungry and offered to cook. Jiang Cheng thought about Fattys cooking skills in the mission and nodded as he pointed at the kitchen. Fatty slipped away, leaving Jiang Cheng looking at the newspaper in interest.
Jiang Cheng rarely cooked, so he only had frozen food and instant noodles. He bought them when they were on sale. Fatty worked hard for half an hour and finally produced two dishes. He fried the instant noodles. Jiang Cheng slurped down most of them instantly.
Doctor, Fatty took a few bites of the noddles. Do you normally live here alone?
Jiang Cheng swept the rest of the food into his plate. Then, he wiped his lips. He nodded. Yes. And I have no interest in taking in a roommate.
Fatty pouted and said, Doctor, dont be like that. Even though Im not as clever or as handsome as you, Ive done many jobs. I can help you somewhere. Jiang Cheng looked at the empty plates on the table and didnt answer.
Fatty saw hope and became excited. He quickly said, Doctor, you dont need to make a decision now. Think about it. Im very useful!
We can talk about this tomorrow. Jiang Cheng worked his sore shoulders. Im tired. Im going to bed.
Fatty quickly cleaned up the table. The sound of water came from the kitchen. Doctor, you can go and sleep. Ill clean up everything and sleep on the couch. However, after Fatty was done with the dishes and came out of the kitchen, he saw Jiang Cheng sitting on the couch. He didnt seem to have moved.
Doctor, Fatty asked, Is there a problem?
Jiang Cheng studied Fatty and raised his brows. You can sleep upstairs with me. Im afraid of being alone.
Fatty was startled. Then, he thought of something bad and instantly covered his butt, Doctor, Im not that easy!
No?
Fatty thought about it and said firmly, Of course!
Alright. Jiang Cheng stood up and shrugged casually. He moved to the stairs. When he was about to disappear upstairs, he turned around to say, You should be careful at night. Then, he pointed at the wall opposite, The door in my dream appeared that. And I was different from you. I didnt enter the door. But a giant hand came out of the door to pull me inside it. Then, he went upstairs.
After Jiang Cheng left, Fatty sat on the couch and stared at the wall anxiously.
He couldnt tell if Jiang Cheng was being real or not. He was too unpredictable, but in a way, he was reliable because he did lead him out of the dream realm alive. Once Fatty closed his eyes, he felt like the door Jiang Cheng mentioned would appear, and the giant arm would reach out. Fatty stayed downstairs for less than five minutes before bouncing upstairs. Then, he ran into Jiang Cheng, who was leaning against the side of the stairs. It looked like he was waiting for him. Before Fatty could say anything, Jiang Cheng said, Youll take the living room. Ill sleep inside.
Fatty looked behind Jiang Cheng. There was a door there that split up the small living room. The bedroom had to be inside.
Doctor, Fatty said seriously, If youre scared of being alone, I can consider squeezing in with you.
Jiang Cheng didnt feel like sleeping in bed. He looked at the ceiling. The scenes from the nightmare repeated in his mind. Fatty was outside the door. He suggested that Jiang Cheng keep the door open so that they could watch over each other. However, Jiang Cheng didnt think they needed that, so he rejected him. He not only closed the door but also locked it too.
Based on the earlier experience, Jiang Cheng naturally thought of the missing Hu Yan and Hu Yans sister. Their disappearances probably had to do with the dream realm.
Based on what Man Li said, those who died in the dream realm would go missing in real life. It would happen without reason. Hu Yans missing person report stated clearly that she was gone at midnight and wearing her light silk nightgown. Her husband, who was in bed with her, didnt even notice her gone.
The middle-aged man in the first mission once asked the way to fully escape the dream realm. Man Li said that was a stupid question. Once the iron door appeared in your dream, you couldnt escape until you died.
He thought about it, and he became drowsy. Jiang Cheng didnt resist anything and slowly closed his eyes.
The stamina exhausted in the dream realm returned to his body, but the mental exhaustion didnt recover. Jiang Cheng slept soundly.
In his dream, he heard some banging sound like his neighbour was doing construction. Even the floor shook. He turned around and covered his head with the pillow, and continued to sleep. In the end, the thing that woke him up was a knock on the door.
Doctor, Fattys loud voice came from outside the door. Are you awake?
Jiang Cheng sat up and walked to open the door.
The living room was empty. Fatty was gone. Jiang Cheng went down the stairs.
The phone showed that it was 11 am. Jiang Cheng didnt expect to sleep until noon. His head was still dull from the sleep.