"Do not open your letter."

Lan Qiren strode across the classroom.

"Now, that every one of you got your letter-

"Laoshi! I don't got a letter!"

"...what's your name?"

"It's Shi Qingxuan, Laoshi, how can you not remember me, I have been in your class for this whole school-"

"Ah, here's your letter, now be quiet," Lan Qiren slammed a letter on the boy's desk and hushed him.

"O-oh... Oh okay! Okay, Laoshi!!" Shi Qingxuan shouted.

"..."

"Anyway, as I was saying, do not open your letter right now. Every one of you has your letter in front of you, correct?"

The class nodded.

"Good. So, the whole concept of this pen pal stuff is for all of you to act as role models for these students from MengDie Academy. Some of the students are a grade lower than you. You may open your letter.... now."

...Is this an exam or what???

Shen Qingqiu held the envelope in his hands. He glanced over at Xie Lian.

Xie Lian's letter was pushed to the side and he was busy reading on his tablet. Other students were already 'quietly' opening their letters.

"Xie Lian."

"Huh? Yes, Shen-xiong?"

"...are you not going to open your letter?" Shen Qingqiu asked.

"Oh, I will later. Look, I googled the school online, their school looks pretty cool," Xie Lian said, smiling, showing his tablet to the other boy.

Shen Qingqiu leaned closer to view the tablet's screen. "Huh," was his only comment.

"It's nice isn't it?" Xie Lian beamed at him. He continues, "But what I really like is the school's name, MengDie."

(A/N: MengDie 夢蝶: Dream Butterfly / Butterfly Dream)

Shen Qingqiu: "Oh?"

"Apparently the school's named after an old story, it's about an old Taoist philosopher in Ancient China, his name was Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzu.

There was one night when he went to bed and had a wonderful dream.

He dreamt that he was a butterfly, a creature that may fly wherever and whenever it wants.

He dreamt about flying along with the gentle breeze, resting on a single white flower, and gliding across the clear blue lake, across shrines and temples. Fields and kingdoms...

He felt so free, so light and contented, unburdened, that he truly believed he was indeed a butterfly. And then he woke up. And realized it was all a dream.

But he felt so alive and real in his dream! More so than now that he's awake.

So he thought to himself, 'Was I, Chuang Tzu, dreaming I was a butterfly, or am I now really a butterfly dreaming that I am Chuang Tzu?'

Was it a dream or not? What do you think, Shen-xiong? Isn't this such an interesting story?" Xie Lian finished his storytelling with a question.

Shen Qingqiu smiled at Xie Lian and said, "It really is a nice story!" ...it sounds like an old geezer who lost touch with reality.

Xie Lian smiled back at the boy.

"But Xie Lian, in the end, it's just an old man dreaming about being a butterfly isn't it?" Shen Qingqiu pointed out politely.

"I wouldn't say that Shen-xiong. Who knows? Was he really a man who dreamt that he was a butterfly? Or was he a butterfly who's dreaming that it's a man?" Xie Lian asked, smiling wisely at his companion, his eyes twinkling.

"..." Shen Qingqiu's head hurts. Perhaps this is a question for god himself.

"You are right, Xie Lian. Who would know?" Shen Qingqiu responded.

"Mn! Indeed, Shen-xiong! Who could possibly really know? Haha, but enough of that. Although I must tell you, the whole moral of this story is that we, as people, think we have awakened, but we really have not."

"Right, right," Shen Qingqiu nodded. He reached out and took Xie Lian's abandoned letter.

He placed the letter in Xie Lian's hand.

"But now let's just open our letter alright? We have to write a response letter too, not only read it."

"Of course! Now let's see..." Xie Lian held the letter in front of him.

"Hua Cheng," Xie Lian reads.

He turned to Shen Qingqiu, "That's a nice name now, isn't it? Hua Cheng. What's your pen pal's name, Shen-xiong?"

Shen Qingqiu reads the name of his unopened letter.

"Luo Binghe."

Then he opens it.

✨

Thank you for reading!

('▽')/✨

Comments and votes will be appreciated!

Word Count: 895

A/N: The Mengdie (Dream Butterfly) story is an actual Chinese tale. The quote "'Was I Chuang Tzu dreaming I was a butterfly, or am I now really a butterfly dreaming that I am Chuang Tzu?'" was word for word.

For the rest of the story, I put it in my own words and I also change some parts of the story. I don't think the dude ever dreamt of resting on a white flower lol. Or flying through kingdoms and temples.

After reading this chapter, do you feel a bit more enlightened? XD