Ephemeral Blossom

Chapter 1 A pervasive white fog invaded Lin Yi's sight. Before him was a silent mountain, frozen and surrounded by undergrown trees. This image was one he had become overly familiar with. Lin Yi knew that in the next moment, he would hear footsteps echoing from afar, growing closer, followed by a woman's voice, cold and devoid of any emotion. In the moment after that, she would pass by in a black dress, stepping without a hint of reluctance into the abyss ahead. Finally, he would hear a sound that should not exist - a clear, muffled thud as if something had hit the ground. Lin Yi knew that this was a dream. His mother had never spoken those words to him while she was alive. She had died alone and quietly at home. Just his luck today, he thought, to be haunted by this nightmare. But this wasn't a big problem. Lin Yi knew that after a few more cycles of this scene, the nurse would awaken him completely from his sleep. This marked his sixteenth year of dealing with He'an Hospital. He'an Hospital was a mental health facility. Ever since he was diagnosed during high school, he had been receiving intermittent treatment here. But Lin Yi hardly ever felt a sense of shame about his condition. His family had a history of mental illness, and he was not as fortunate as his older brother, Lin Shen. He was the unfortunate one who was stricken. In recent years, his condition had even stabilized, making this hospitalization somewhat of an anomaly. This time, Lin Yi had stayed in He'an for a full month. Although hospital life was monotonous, he spent most of his time comfortably. The nurses were particularly fond of Lin Yi. He had a soft-featured, understated handsomeness about him, exuding an air of scholarly refinement. His ill-thinness and porcelain-white skin lent a broken beauty to his already delicate features. A beauty with broken wings could always easily evoke people's protective instincts. "Brother Lin, did you have a nightmare?" Nurse Xiao Tao asked when she saw him awake, opening the ward's curtains fully, "You seemed to be sleeping uneasily." The gentle sunlight of six in the morning passed through the immaculate glass, spilling generously into the spacious single ward. Accompanying the light were the eager and short chirps of several fledgling birds. He didn't know what bird had made its nest on the tree outside the window again. Lin Yi squinted in pleasure, sitting up from his bed, stretching his body to embrace the warm sunlight. "No, I just dreamt of someone I miss," he answered softly. * Lin Yi would be discharged tomorrow. The season had officially stepped into midsummer. The summer patient uniform he wore felt a bit stuffy, but that was a minor issue. His world was floating in the sky at this moment. He stepped lightly, planning to puff clouds by the lotus pond at the entrance of the inpatient building before the end of the noon rest. However, from a distance, he found that his favorite bench had already been taken. The person leaned back in the chair, in a rather relaxed pose. His world, hanging atop the azure sky, experienced a slight tremor. With his hands in his pockets, Lin Yi slowly approached, stopping behind the bench, looking down at the person sitting there. This man was sitting with his eyes closed, wearing in-ear Bluetooth headphones. His right arm casually rested on the top of the chair back, a half-smoked cigarette quietly burning between his fingers. It was a familiar face. Strictly speaking, not exactly familiar, just someone he happened to have met yesterday, a doctor from the Clinical Psychology Center. A section of the ash broke off suddenly, sliding along his distinct knuckle lines, silently shattering on the seat, then gently scattering in the summer breeze. Lin Yi reached out to remove one of his earphones, plugging it into his own ear. Startled, Duan Zhe abruptly opened his eyes, meeting a surprised gaze from above. Author’s Remark: Don't regard this story as a typical swap or substitute novel, I wrote it like this in the synopsis to warn readers who don't like these themes. It contains such elements, but they are not in the conventional sense of swap and substitute. There are many potential triggers in this story. Readers who prefer cleanliness, prefer dominant or submissive characters, can't handle painful stories, or cannot withstand tension, please stop reading as necessary. Don't try to figure out what disease Lin Yi has, consider it as a disease I made up. I am not a medical professional, so if there are any mistakes in the story, please point them out in the comments. I will try to correct them when I see them. Thank you! Regarding Lin Yi's dream: I posted the photos and background music on Weibo a few days ago. The background music is the theme song of the game "Layers of Fear" by Arkadiusz Reikowski.