Chapter 1 : An Absurd Dream

During the May Day holiday, I took my girlfriend back to my hometown.

Rebecca Windsor, just like her name, is a very Rebecca kind of girl. I met her through a relative''s introduction after I graduated from college at 22, and we both worked in Bliss City.

I never understood why my parents were always so eager for me to start dating. They panicked when they saw that I didn''t date anyone during college like my peers.

I once asked my parents about it, and they said that in today''s society, there are more men than women, and many men will end up single.

They took one look at my face and decided I was destined to be single in middle age, so they hurriedly arranged things for me.

Naturally, I was forced to chat with Rebecca online on and off for about a year before we finally confirmed our relationship.

Our relationship wasn''t as passionate as those of other young people today; it was rather plain, but we got along comfortably.

Until one ordinary dinner, my dad suddenly mentioned Dominic Spencer.

"I heard your cousin was assigned to work in Africa. They say he''ll be promoted to vice president when he returns in a few years, earning hundreds of thousands a year!"

My mom immediately chimed in, "How do you know that? Who told you? Is it true?"

"Oh, come on, you think I''d make this up? His dad told me when we were drinking together. That kid was always smart and a good student, and now he''s really made something of himself."

My mom continued, "That''s right. Look at their kid. He was always top of his class, and he did well in college too."

"Now he''s successful at work. When he was home, he always took care of Lucas. He used to visit Lucas often and give him pocket money. But it''s a shame, he''s already 30, and we haven''t heard about him dating anyone."

"Maybe he likes men instead of women, haha." My girlfriend, who had been quietly eating, suddenly looked at me. For some reason, I felt like there was something in her gaze...

"You shouldn''t talk like that. Your great-uncle wouldn''t be happy to hear you say that. Your cousin took such good care of you when you were little, and you''ve forgotten that," my mom said, criticizing me.

Seeing my mom''s disapproving look, I got fired up and immediately responded, "Well, who says men have to like women? What if he does like men?"

"Alright, enough. Your cousin just hasn''t met the right person yet. He''s so outstanding, his standards must be high," my dad said, taking a sip of his drink, and then he changed the subject.

Their old-fashioned views were still limited. I felt like I was the one who truly knew the truth. My cousin must like men, and he was probably born that way. Don''t ask me how I know, I just feel it.

Dominic, six years older than me, is my great-uncle''s son and my cousin. Although we call each other cousins, we aren''t actually related by blood.

My grandmother married into the Spencer family with her mother, and my great-uncle was the son of the Spencer family''s original wife. So, my great-uncle and my grandmother aren''t related by blood, but the relationship is real.

Dominic was always the perfect child. No matter what grade he was in, he was always the top student in the school.

He never caused any trouble for the family. My great-uncle''s family was always full of pride and joy when they talked about him.

We grew up together, and according to the adults, I started bullying him when I was still a baby.

When I was just 100 days old, they came to my 100-day celebration. Dominic wanted to get a closer look at his cute little cousin, and I punched him right in the eye.

Although I wasn''t very strong back then, it still startled him. From then on, I started my path of bullying Dominic.

Whenever Dominic got close to me, he would always get a punch, but he never got angry. He would come over to my house after school to play with me, always smiling and teasing me.

Then, when I could walk, I would stumble around, being held by adults, chasing after him to hit him.

As I got older, I would grab a stool, put it around his neck, sit on it, and press him down to hit him. He never fought back or ran away, just laughed and let me hit him.

From then on, I unlocked new ways to hit him every day, making my great-uncle laugh heartily.

When I started elementary school, I stopped hitting him because I had become well-behaved and polite, and he had started middle school.

Unfortunately, I don''t have any memories of hitting him, otherwise, it might have helped me deal with the shadow he cast over me as the "perfect kid" during my school years.

We were still in the same school then; I was in the elementary section, and he was in the middle school section.

Every morning, he would ride his bike to my house, wait for me to get ready, and then take me to school. In the afternoon, I finished an hour earlier than him, so I had to stay in the teacher''s office doing homework while waiting for him.

Everyone in the school knew I was his nephew because he was so famous. He was always the top student in every subject, and both teachers and classmates adored him.

So, my academic life was always overshadowed by him, with parents and teachers constantly using him as a benchmark to educate me.

For three years, Dominic''s bike carried us to school. He got into the best high school in the city with top grades, and I finally didn''t have to live under his shadow anymore.

As the saying goes, "The child is father to the man." By the age of six, I was already set in my ways. From my earliest memories, I was labeled as obedient, Rebecca, introverted, and honest.

My parents were always worried that I wasn''t boyish enough. Besides making me follow Dominic''s example in academics, they also wanted me to emulate his cheerful, sunny, and positive personality.

I was miserable back then, but finally, this "plague" was gone...

Little did I know, there''s a saying about celebrating too early. Even though he left, I still couldn''t escape hearing adults praise his excellence.

And he would come back home on weekends to bother me, under the guise of tutoring me, but really just watching TV while I did my homework.

That jerk! I seriously suspected his family didn''t let him watch TV!

He must have had a decent allowance back then because every time he went back to school, he would slip me some money, usually ten or twenty dollars.

In an age where having a dollar was a fortune, hanging out with Dominic meant I got quite a few treats. So, I grudgingly admitted he wasn''t entirely unforgivable!

When I started middle school, I heard he got into a top university with the highest scores in the city.

Great, I thought, I''ll never escape living in his shadow. But at least his school was far away, so he didn''t come back as often.

That didn''t mean he never came back, though. Every time he did, he would come to my house first to watch TV, still pretending to tutor me!

When he left, he would still give me money, but not directly.

Every time he left, my mom would walk him to the road. I didn''t want to go, but she would call me to join, and I would reluctantly follow in my slippers.

Then I would see him slip money to my mom, telling her to buy me study materials. Gee, thanks a lot!

When I got to high school, he was off to college, and we saw each other even less. But for some reason, that jerk always came home during holidays.

Holidays were mostly about attending various banquets, and I never understood why he bothered coming back. It seemed pointless to me; if it were me, I wouldn''t come back.

I seriously suspected he just came back to hear relatives and friends praise him in different ways.

At family banquets, he always sat next to me, giving me food, and always picking the dishes I didn''t like.

"Why are you always so clingy? Can''t you just get a girlfriend and stop bothering me?"

"Can you?"

"Can you?"

"Can you?"

Later, when I went to college, I rarely heard from him. Maybe it was because I seldom went home.

Then, out of politeness, I sent him a message once, but he didn''t reply...

It actually made me quite happy, but there was always a strange feeling mixed in.

We never contacted each other again. This was the first time in so many years that I heard about him. Turns out, he went to Africa.

When he comes back, he might be as dark as two people...

For some reason, I was convinced that Dominic liked men. Ever since we were kids, I had this feeling that he liked men.

Maybe it was narcissism, but I even thought he had ulterior motives towards me, so I always wanted to keep my distance from him.

Regardless of being relatives, two grown men, just thinking about it gives me the creeps!

"Dad, I love Lucas. Whether you agree or not, I''m going to be with him. I''ve loved him for so many years, and I won''t let go."

"Uncle, we truly love each other. Please give us your blessing. I genuinely want to be with Dominic!"

Tears blurred my vision, the scene in front of me became distorted, and my heart ached as if someone was wringing it like a towel. My heart felt sour and painful. With tears streaming down my face, I clutched my chest and curled up on the ground.

The pillow was soaked with tears. When I woke up, I still couldn''t calm down. The sour feeling in my heart spread throughout my body, and the pain in my chest hadn''t disappeared. This was a secret I had buried for many years.

Since I started college, I began having these dreams. Most of the time, I couldn''t remember the details after waking up.

But every time I woke up, my chest would ache faintly!

As I got older, these absurd dreams became more frequent, and the dreams became clearer. I was completely afraid to recall the dreams, or else my chest would tighten with pain.

I didn''t know if someone had put a curse on me. I couldn''t talk about the dreams with anyone, nor could I tell anyone.

I was sure I had no inappropriate thoughts about Dominic. I couldn''t figure out what these damn dreams were about.

So, after graduation, I didn''t mind the blind dates my parents arranged for me. I couldn''t let a bizarre dream affect me.

But having a girlfriend didn''t help me escape the dreams. They seriously affected my sleep and, in turn, my daily life!

Every time I woke up, my chest would ache for half a day. I even secretly went to the hospital for a check-up to see if there was something wrong with my heart, but the results showed I was perfectly fine.

I then wondered if I had some psychological issue, if living in Dominic''s shadow since childhood had twisted my mind!

Otherwise, why would I have such terrifying dreams for no reason? I even secretly took a psychological test, and the result was that I was perfectly healthy, which left me quite impressed.

This time, I woke up early. It was only five in the morning. Maybe it was because we talked about Dominic during lunch that I had this weird dream again at night.

Well, forget about sleeping. I''ll read a novel to calm down and then have breakfast!