Standing Next To You
Chapter 70: [Bonus - ]Cheesecake

Chapter 70: [Bonus Chapter]Cheesecake

Fei Chuan was abruptly jolted awake by a blaring alarm. He reached out to the bedside table to silence it, still groggy from sleep. As he sat up, a dull ache throbbed in his head.

That damn dream again.

Getting out of bed, he stumbled toward the bathroom to fetch some water. He drank it down, the memory of that eerie place from his dream lingering in his mind.

For the past few days, that dream had haunted him relentlessly. He had initially dismissed it as a typical dream that would eventually fade away. However, with each successive night, the emotions and sensations tied to the dream had grown more vivid.

Fei Chuan massaged his chest, a sense of suffocation still gripping his heart. The anger he had felt in that dream hadn’t dissipated.

The place depicted in his dream was undoubtedly a graveyard, with tombstones scattered about. Strangely, he was certain he had never been to such a place before, yet he found it so familiar.

In his entire life, he had only visited two burial sites—the first for his grandmother and the second for his mother, both at different locations. So how could he feel an inexplicable familiarity with a place he had never seen before?

What could possibly explain this unnatural phenomenon?

Sighing, Fei Chuan started preparing for school, deciding to put the strange dream aside for now. After all, it was just a dream, and perhaps such a place didn’t even exist.

As for the identity of the person buried under that mysterious tombstone and the enigmatic man in his dreams who stirred up these emotions, he concluded that trying to unravel this puzzle would only lead to further headaches.

****

A car pulled up in front of Fei Chuan, and the door swung open, revealing Bei Sangyun seated inside.

"What are you standing there for? Come in," she urged.

Fei Chuan hesitated, surprised that Bei Sangyun had personally come to fetch him. He didn’t expect this, given their previous interactions.

He regarded her dubiously but stayed put.

"I’m not carrying a knife, you know," Bei Sangyun remarked with a hint of sarcasm. "Besides the driver, I’m the only one here. Don’t be such a coward."

Fei Chuan gave her an exasperated look before finally getting into the car.

"I thought you wouldn’t bother me anymore. So, what’s this about?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Don’t misunderstand me. This hotel is on my way, so I thought it would save us both time and money to drop by and give you a lift instead of sending a driver for you. You should be thanking me instead of complaining."

Bei Sangyun explained. To be honest, Bei Sangyund did not like to fetch Fei Chuan either. However, the person that Lin Sunji contacted hadn’t been found yet.

She suspected that Lin Sunji’s plan was related to Fei Chuan and her, providing that she was using Fei Chuan to attack her.

Since Lin Sunji was her problem, she could not allow the innocent Fei Chuan to be dragged on. Or else it would just repeat the past.

Fei Chuan fell silent, finding her reasoning acceptable.

The two of them rode in silence until they reached the school gate.

"Are you planning to drop off here, Young Miss?" the driver inquired.

Since Bei Sangyun often enjoyed walking along the school’s sidewalk, she had instructed the driver to drop her off at the gate whenever she arrived. The driver assumed this would be the case today as well.

Bei Sangyun glanced at Fei Chuan’s injured ankle, noticing the noticeable bandage.

"No, just take us inside," she decided.

The driver nodded and proceeded to drive them into the school grounds.

Fei Chuan gazed out of the window, maintaining his guard throughout the ride. He remained silent.

"Hey, did you bring Grandma Pei’s snacks?" Bei Sangyun asked.

Fei Chuan, still clutching his bag tightly, nodded slowly. Indeed, he had brought the snacks.

"Give me some," Bei Sangyun requested, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Nothing she had eaten so far had brought her tastes alive; every dessert and snack had tasted like dirt, same as usual.

Those foods won’t work. How about the one that Grandma Pei made?

The cookie she ate was made by Grandma Pei. Could there be an inexplicable phenomenon that made Grandma Pei’s snacks extraordinary compared to the others?

Fei Chuan was blinded by Bei Sangyun’s sparkled eyes. The anticipation in her eyes was so overwhelming that he had no choice but to open his bag grumpily.

He didn’t want to share these precious snacks, but since Grandma Pei had prepared them for both of them, he had to give her some.

Reluctantly, Fei Chuan selected the smallest packet and handed it to her.

Bei Sangyun took the packet with nervousness. It was her last hope. She hoped these snacks would be able to bring her life back to normal.

Please, let her have a taste.

As they waited in the long line of cars at the school gate, Bei Sangyun opened the packet.

There were at least ten bite-sized cheesecakes inside. The creamy, cheesy aroma wafted up to her nose. Although it didn’t immediately whet her appetite like yesterday’s cookie, Bei Sangyun thought she might be able to eat it.

She picked one up, holding it in her hand while silently reciting how cheesecake should taste in her mind. Perhaps if she convinced herself hard enough, she could trick her mind and her sense of taste might be awakened.

After what felt like an eternity, she took a deep breath and slowly took a bite.

Beside her, Fei Chuan observed her peculiar actions with a puzzled expression.

Was she silently saying a prayer before indulging in the cheesecake?

Then he noticed how Bei Sangyun savored each bite as if she were in a commercial.

Fei Chuan couldn’t help but let a small smile creep onto his face. He had tasted Grandma Pei’s cheesecake before, and he could attest that it was among the best he’d ever had. He assumed Bei Sangyun would also fall in love with it.

However, to his surprise, Bei Sangyun’s expression suddenly soured in disappointment. Her once-sparkling eyes dimmed. After a moment, her face returned to its usual calmness. She took another bite and chewed slowly, but her expression made it seem as though she were forcing herself to eat something unpleasant.

Fei Chuan’s mood darkened. What he detested most was this kind of attitude when eating Grandma Pei’s precious baked goods.