Existence? Eternity

Chen Mo got married in a dream. His bride was named A Qu. When he woke, there was a red date with a bite mark on the bedside table. His roommate, Old Zhao, turned his wrist over to reveal a dark red line. “It happened to me too. Now I’m half on this side and half on the other.” A new folder appeared in Chen Mo’s phone gallery. In the photos, the red line on his wrist was spreading inch by inch. The last photo was dated tomorrow: his hand gripping a doorknob. Someone whispered in the dream: The red line is the betrothal gift. The well’s bottom is the bridal chamber. Beyond the door lies eternity. But Old Zhao said, “When the red line reaches its end, you’re no longer human.” The dream was seeping into reality. With every sleep, the line grew an inch. With every awakening, reality grew thinner. No System. No way out. He could neither wake up nor die. He had to cross seven layers of dreams and reach the bottom of the well. A Qu was waiting for him. If all of this was just a dream, why was he fighting for his life to wake up into “existence” itself? If this wasn’t a dream, what was the “eternity” beyond that door?