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Yuan Zhi tossed and turned on the bed, unable to sleep—the same dream had haunted him more than ten times.

"I'm guilty, what 'crime' have I committed…"

Eventually, he still got out of bed and sat on the concrete steps outside the door, lighting a cigarette.

Since returning to his hometown, it seemed like everything had changed; what was a normal lifestyle to him was seen as utterly reprehensible in the eyes of others.

And that recurring dream only added to his feelings of creeping horror.

He had doubted his mental health, but there were no psychiatrists in this small town, so he couldn't verify his concerns.

"No, I can't go on like this. I'll leave here tomorrow and move back to the city," he decided.

Yuan Zhi made up his mind and called his son, who lived in the city, to explain the situation.

After hanging up the phone, he stood up only to see his wife, Yan Lisha, standing behind him, looking down at him.