Dania: Screenwriter, Are You There? I Can't Sleep

A new week has begun.

Inside Xiao Ling's villa, the women, still drowsy from just waking up, quietly ate their breakfast.

After a relatively fulfilling and enjoyable weekend, they are about to resume their respective campus lives.

However, it seems there was a slight mishap at the very beginning?

"Where is Yaya?" Xiao Ling had just arrived at the dining table when she realized that Dania was not there at all.

That's strange. Isn't this girl usually the most enthusiastic about cooking? Why haven't I seen her today?

"Is Xiao Ya still sleeping in?" Aemeath guessed.

"Actually, she doesn't need to sleep in," Xiao Ling shook her head. "She'll sleep in anyway at school, but she definitely won't be late for lunch."

Something was definitely amiss, so Hajiling decided to go upstairs herself to find out what was going on.

Just as Xiao Ling had the idea, she heard some unsteady footsteps coming from upstairs.

Good news, Dania is down.

The bad news is, her current state looks rather... alarming.

How terrifying was it? Basically, the moment Xiao Ling and Dania made eye contact, he was almost knocked unconscious by a powerful surge of resentment, and the other girls instinctively moved closer to Xiao Ling as well.

An eerie Dead Silence fell over the dining table.

"Um... Yaya, what's wrong?" Sigrika finally asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine, Xixi, I just didn't sleep well last night."

Dania had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was messy, and her expression was so gloomy it could drip water, but her voice was as lazy as ever, at least letting people know that Dania was still the same Dania.

"Uh... haha... anyway, since we're down here, let's have breakfast first, we have to go to school soon." Xiao Ling said somewhat stiffly.

"Good."

As usual, Dania pulled out a chair and sat down at the dining table, picked up a red bean paste bun and stuffed it into her mouth.

But Xiao Ling always had a feeling that what she was chewing wasn't a steamed bun, but someone's bone, and he could even hear the crunching sound of her teeth grinding.

In any case, this somewhat awkward breakfast session came to a peaceful end.

If Xiao Ling knew the reason for Dania's intense resentment, he would feel deeply sympathetic but also somewhat uncomfortable.

Here's what happened.

Dania originally planned to finish the 2.5 version storyline on Saturday and witness how the only member of the Fractsidus who was willing to talk to her had a love-hate relationship with the Rover.

However, since she was taken to the badminton court during the day on Saturday and then made to play a few games with Aemeath in the evening, it naturally ended up on Sunday.

But because she loved to sleep, it was already Sunday night when the 2.5 storyline officially began.

Then, unsurprisingly, after spending several hours going through the plot, she couldn't sleep that night.

After Dania finished reading the story, she had only one thought: how could a pair of hands at a 37-degree angle write such a cold story?

So all those "flying blood alliance" and "Haidilao she saw under Phrolova's videos meant this?!

Dania was a sensitive girl, and after learning about Phrolova's past and ending, she understood why this gentle supervisor was willing to assist the madman, the president.

She suddenly wondered, if Phrolova were to meet Hajiling in this world one day, would he accept Phrolova the same way he accepted her?

"My dear reverie, come hold me near."

"Come dance with me in rosy haze of yesterday."

Dania was jolted awake from her dream by the sound of the song. "Holy crap, who gave her that instant burst attack?!"

This was a music appreciation class, a typical easy class, perfect for catching up on sleep, but the teacher pulled this stunt that made it impossible for her to sleep at all.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Xiao Ling, sitting next to her, asked with natural concern when she saw her suddenly wake up.

"Ha... I can't sleep, I'm not going to sleep anymore," Dania said in a defiant manner.

Dania: Writer, are you there? I can't sleep.

"So what happened? You're acting really strange today. We're all quite worried about you."

"Nothing, I just felt emo after finishing the game's story." Dania slumped lifelessly on the table, her pale panda eyes filled with utter despair.

Xiao Ling chuckled to himself; this girl really was surfing at a high intensity.

If the insomnia was due to the game's plot, that's alright; at least it wasn't a physical problem. He thought Aleph-1's whispers had returned.

"Phrolova's storyline is indeed quite heartbreaking, and I deeply sympathize with your current situation."

"But you don't look like you've been stabbed at all."

"I've just recovered, not forgotten the pain once the wound heals. Even if you let me listen to this song a few more times, I'll still start feeling depressed on NetEase Cloud Music late at night."

Dania remained noncommittal to Xiao Ling's reply, her little head resting on the table, staring blankly at the lyrics on the projection screen.

"Phrolova is one of the few supervisors who is genuinely willing to listen to me. Occasionally, she will play a few pieces of her newly arranged music for me. Every time I hear her music, I feel very relaxed, and even the pain from the Exostrider is relieved a bit."

After a long silence, Dania finally told Xiao Ling about her personal impressions of Phrolova.

Before I learned about her past, I wondered why such a gentle and melancholic person would be willing to assist that madwoman, the president. They seemed like they couldn't possibly get along.

"We're colleagues, you know. The thought that she might still be somewhere in this world searching for a way to save the townspeople, while I'm living a blissful life I never imagined, fills me with... indescribable feelings, a dull, uncomfortable feeling."

"Do you feel you don't deserve your current happiness?" Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's just that I hope she can have the same happiness as I do now, but that's difficult, isn't it?" Dania said helplessly.

"It's not difficult. The key issue is whether she's willing to truly accept the happiness that exists in the present, rather than chasing after unattainable fantasies."

Xiao Ling's voice was gentle and calm, as if she were a third party who had witnessed the whole story speaking to Dania:

"The bonds between people are certainly a rare and precious thing in this world, but she was too deeply immersed in her obsession, even going so far as to use the power of the Lament to maintain that illusory dream. Her illness is evident from this."

"She knows everything, she just doesn't want to accept it. If she comes into this world still harboring the same obsession as before, even if I want to accept her and give her happiness, I will still be turned away."

"If you want her to be happy, you must first make her understand that what's lost can never be brought back, no matter what."

"It's so sad..." Dania sighed softly, resting her head on the table. "She was such a good person."

"That's true. But speaking of happiness, Yaya, do you feel happy right now?" Xiao Ling ruffled Dania's pink hair and looked at her with a smile.

"Of course I'm happy, I love my life now." Dania rested her right hand on her head and, mimicking Xiao Ling, playfully hooked the tip of his nose with her left hand. "I have delicious food, family, friends, and I can be an ordinary student... well, not exactly ordinary, but at least it's better than being a spy. I'm quite happy."

Actually, Dania had something else on her mind, but now wasn't the time to tell this scoundrel in front of her; she didn't want him to get carried away.

"That's more like it," Xiao Ling said with a light laugh. "Enjoying the happiness of the present moment is what a girl your age should be doing. The future is uncertain, and the past is a trap; only the happiness of the present moment can be firmly grasped in your hands."

"As for Phrolova... I'll do my best, just don't get jealous of her, since you asked for this yourself."

When Dania met those bright black eyes, she felt as if a refreshing breeze had gently blown away the gloom that had been weighing on her heart.

"Don't I know you, you womanizer?" Dania said reproachfully.

She knew perfectly well that this guy was a model scumbag who fell in love with every girl he met. His only redeeming quality was that he hadn't stooped so low as to target a girl like Verina.

Sigh, who told her to be so blind as to fall for this handsome, roguish, and slightly cheeky young man?

"Alright, stop teasing me. I said, why don't you sleep a little longer?" Xiao Ling suggested. "You look quite tired. If you're really not feeling well, I'll ask Old Lu to get you a few days of sick leave so you can go home and get some rest."

"No need, I can sleep at school anyway."

Good afternoon!

"Good afternoon."

Dania lay back on the table, and soon her breathing became even. This time, the melancholy singing could no longer disturb her peaceful sleep.