Thinking this, Lin Xiumei washed down the Sweet Dream Capsule with warm water without the slightest hesitation.
The moment she swallowed the capsule, a wave of intense drowsiness washed over her. Her eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
She hurried over to the bed and quickly lay down.
Closing her eyes, Lin Xiumei immediately plunged into a deep sleep, drifting into a dream...
In the dream, Lin Xiumei had returned to her former self.
Unmarried, unbloated, and without her hair cut short—she was twenty-six years old again!
At this very moment, she was in the hospital, anxiously waiting for the results of her father's surgery.
Lin Xiumei pushed open the door to the hospital room with trembling care, only to find her father, Lin Zhenghai, lying in bed with a strained expression.
Lin Zhenghai looked emaciated and deathly weak. By this time, his lung cancer had reached its final stage, beyond any doctor's power to save.
"Dad, are you alright?"
Lin Xiumei threw her arms around Lin Zhenghai, tears of anguish and grief instantly bursting through her defenses.
"Dad, do you know how much I've missed you?"
Tears streaming down her face, Lin Xiumei poured out her recent life: "Over the years, I got married. My husband is a classmate from university. We have a house and a car, steady jobs, a peaceful life, and a wonderful marriage, plus a beautiful daughter."
"Dad, everything is wonderful with me, except that sometimes, I miss you so terribly much..."
Lin Zhenghai's passing was the perpetual damp chill in Lin Xiumei's soul. Back then, swamped with work, she had failed to take leave from her job to rush to the hospital, missing her father's final moments entirely.
It was her lifelong regret. Whenever she recalled Lin Zhenghai's pale, frail face, her tears would flow uncontrollably, her heart heavy with guilt and remorse.
"I should have asked for leave from work that day. No matter what, I should have been in that hospital room, spending your remaining days with you."
"Dad, I was wrong. I wanted so badly to keep you company... Now I have everything I could ever want, but I'm missing your presence..."
Lin Xiumei's mother had passed away when she was very young, and she and Lin Zhenghai had depended on each other ever since. Lin Zhenghai doted on her, never letting her lift a finger at heavy labor, treating her with infinite tenderness and care.
Relatives had repeatedly urged her father to remarry and have another child, but for Lin Xiumei's sake, Lin Zhenghai never did, putting her above everything else.
The family was financially strapped, and everyone advised Lin Zhenghai to let Lin Xiumei drop out of school and go work to supplement the household income. But he refused. Swallowing his pride, he borrowed money from everyone he knew, working three jobs at once, enduring endless hardship, living frugally, and fighting tooth and nail just to scrape together her tuition.
He supported her all the way through to a master's degree—a qualification of undeniable weight in those days.
If not for Lin Zhenghai's stubborn perseverance, Lin Xiumei would never have the stable, secure life she enjoyed today.
Over the years, Lin Xiumei built her own family and had a precious daughter named Mo Xiaowei. Her days gradually revolved entirely around her loved ones, and to outsiders, she seemed carefree, happy, and content.
Yet, deep inside her heart lay a scar she never dared expose to anyone: her father.
In the dead of night when dreams recalled the past, she frequently suffered nightmares concerning her father.
In those dreams, Lin Zhenghai wore a grim expression, questioning her over and over again about why she had failed to rush to his side for his final moments, even pointing at her nose and cursing her as an unfilial daughter...
"Xiùméi, you did nothing wrong. Dad doesn't blame you."
Lin Zhenghai's voice was as gentle and kindly as it had always been. "Birth, old age, sickness, and death are the natural ways of the world. No one can control them."
"I passed away peacefully, and right up to the end, I never blamed you. You don't need to torture yourself with regret and remorse. Let the past remain in the past. Seeing that you now have a happy family sets my mind completely at ease."
"No matter what, you must live well. Stop letting your imagination run wild. Sleep well, eat well, and live a good life..."
"Dad..." Lin Xiumei cried, her eyes red and swollen, sobbing uncontrollably. "Dad, I can't bear to let you go..."
"Rest assured, I've always been right here, quietly guarding you from a corner you cannot see..."
When she opened her eyes once more, Lin Xiumei's face was covered in tears.
The dream had been far too vivid, leaving her unable to calm down for a long time.
Lin Zhenghai's voice still echoed in her ears, every single word striking straight to her soul.
"Perhaps, it really is time for me to let go."
Lin Xiumei wiped the tears from her face with a tissue. "Dad was right. Everything is in the past, and I need to look forward."
"Dad, don't worry. I will definitely live well, live freely and boldly, and be happy beyond belief!"
With that, Lin Xiumei broke into a look of absolute relief.
The Sweet Dream Capsule was truly miraculous. In a mere hour, it had unspooled the knot in her heart and diluted her lingering regrets.
Most importantly, she had finally met the father she had always felt so guilty toward in her dreams, faced her trauma head-on, and let go with peace of mind.
Gazing at the remaining Sweet Dream Capsule, Lin Xiumei tucked it away with utmost care.
She decided to save it for the next time she wished to see her father.
By then, her mindset would undoubtedly be even better, allowing her to live with even greater clarity and freedom!
[Host, is this capsule really as magical as you say? Can it bring you any dream you want?]
Xiao Momò had stumbled across Su Nanqing's livestream several times and always found herself clicking inside to watch.
For some reason, she was exceptionally interested in the Sweet Dream Capsule. The price of 1,888 wasn't cheap for a college student like her, but she had an inexplicable hunch—
The Sweet Dream Capsule would help her fulfill her dream.
Xiao Momò had been harboring a secret crush on Lan Yixuan, the heartthrob of the finance department, for a long time, but she lacked confidence and always felt the timing wasn't right.
Currently, she and Lan Yixuan were stuck in that ambiguous zone beyond friendship but short of romance. She didn't dare confess her feelings rashly, terrified that if Lan Yixuan rejected her, the two of them wouldn't even be able to remain friends.
However, Lan Yixuan was already a senior and about to graduate. Xiao Momò was a year below him. If she didn't confess now, once Lan Yixuan left for work in another city, they would likely drift onto separate paths and lose any future together completely...
Seeing Xiao Momò's bullet comment, Su Nanqing patiently explained: "The Sweet Dream Capsule can tap into the deepest and most hidden desires within your heart. Sometimes, you might not even know what you truly yearn for, leaving you feeling lost and uncertain."
"At times like that, you might as well follow your heart and boldly dream a dream. In that dream, you might meet the person you long to see, do the things you've longed to do, and perhaps even glimpse a future that has yet to arrive."
"Dreams are everywhere and full of wonders. As long as you are willing to believe, a single sweet dream might just answer your doubts, resolve your inner knots, help you fulfill your wishes, clear away the fog, and let you see the path ahead..."
Su Nanqing spoke with absolute sincerity, every single word striking a chord deep within Xiao Momò's heart.
"I've decided. I'm buying it!"
Xiao Momò had just received a five-thousand-yuan scholarship disbursement this month, which, combined with her earnings from previous part-time work-study jobs, meant she already had over ten thousand yuan in savings.
Spending 1,888 in exchange for a sweet dream where she wouldn't miss her chance felt like a bargain worth striking.
Though her heart ached a little at the cost, Xiao Momò let impulse take the wheel. Placing the order and making the payment happened in one fluid motion.
"I just hope the Sweet Dream Capsule actually works. This eighteen-hundred-plus is a month and a half of my living expenses! Since I'm splurging today, I'll just have to tighten my belt tomorrow and pick up another part-time job!"