"That's what you said in your sleep. I heard it with my own ears," he said. 

If it weren't for that half-smile on his face, I would have believed him again. Now, I wouldn't believe anything he said. "Stop lying to me," I said. 

"Okay, if I can prove you're not dreaming, will you believe I'm the real Xiaoguo?" 

I nodded hesitantly. "That's easy. Just pinch yourself and you'll know. That's how people used to do it in novels," Xiaoguo said. 

"That's no use. I'd feel pain if I pinched myself in a dream. I've tried that before." 

"That's a problem," he scratched his head. "How about this? Think about it. Could a room in a dream be this realistic?" 

"No, but in a dream I still feel like the room is real." 

Xiao Guo was frustrated. "Why don't you acknowledge me? How did I offend you?" 

"Just now in the dream you were pretending to be Xiao Guo." 

"Oh?" Xiao Guo was very interested. "Then who was I in the dream?" 

"The woman in the portrait!" 

"I expected it!" Xiao Guo was very angry. "Don't trust that woman. She's trying every way to alienate us. Once you're alone, she'll do everything she can to deal with you. Don't be fooled." 

"I won't be fooled by you," I said. 

He was stunned and smiled. I thought with horror that he was about to tear off the mask, but this smile was normal. "You did a good job," he said. 

Xiaoguo gestured for me to calm down. He stepped closer and sat on the bed farthest from me. "Okay, I'll sit here and stay with you for half the night. Don't be afraid. I won't come any closer. Just keep looking at me. At six o'clock in the morning, you'll understand. I'm who I am. I don't pretend." 

He reached out and pressed on the wall. The lights went out, and moonlight streamed in again. I was startled, thinking he'd take advantage of the darkness and pounce on me. But once I adjusted to the moonlight, I found him slumped against the blankets, motionless. I remained vigilant. Who knows what inhuman beings might do to gain someone's trust? After a while, a soft snore broke through. He had fallen asleep. 

I relaxed, and began to feel sleepy. In my hazy state, I wondered if a monster desperately wanted to gain my trust, would it do as much as the man in the room? As soon as I thought this, a thought struck me. I shuddered, awakening instantly, and all my sleepiness vanished. 

I just remembered that Xiaoguo was working overtime tonight, so he wasn't sleeping here at all! 

If Xiaoguo wasn't here tonight, then who was that person lying in the inner bed, pretending to be him? I just knew that no matter what it was, it couldn't be Xiaoguo, and it couldn't be a human. I couldn't stay in the same room with such an alien again. I grabbed my clothes and pants and quickly put them on. 

I looked through the door. His body was still motionless. I ran as fast as I could. I rushed to the big iron gate, climbed out, jumped to the ground, and ran as fast as I could through the alley. I ran out of the alley and onto the main road. I ran faster and faster. I didn't know where I was going, but even if I ran out of the city, it would be better than staying in the factory. As long as I could make it to six in the morning, I would be fine. 

The avenue was completely empty, the streetlights bright. I couldn't see the sky clearly, but I figured it must be dawn. I couldn't run any longer, so I just trudged forward. Someone called out to me from behind. I turned and saw it was Xiaoguo. I yelled and broke into a run. He was on a beat-up bike, chasing me, yelling as I ran. My lungs ached, and I couldn't run any longer. 

"Don't come over here, or I'll crash into my car!" I gasped. 

"What's wrong? It's me, Xiaoguo. Why are you running when you see me so early in the morning?" he asked, dismounting his bike.

An idea suddenly occurred to me. "Don't come over here. Let me ask you, where are you from?" 

"Of course the construction site. We worked overtime until midnight last night and slept on the construction site." He said, standing far away. 

I relaxed a lot. It was really Xiaoguo. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" 

"I came to find you. It's almost dawn. I didn't know how you were, so I came to check. What happened to you?" 

"Nothing. There was a thing in my room. It pretended to be you, so I ran out." 

"Really? Then I have to go and see." He turned around and pushed the cart to leave. I ran over and grabbed him. 

"Don't go, don't go." 

"What are you afraid of? You are just a coward." 

"What can we do? It was given to us by our parents. Let's find a safe place and wait until daybreak. Let's go back after six o'clock." 

"Okay, where should we go?" 

"Anywhere is fine, just don't go back to the factory." 

"Let's go to the construction site." 

"Okay."