Death was not like ChunHua imagined it to be.

From behind her eyelids, she could tell that wherever she was, it was brightly lit. The scent that wafted into her nose smelled like home. It was so nostalgic that it brought her to tears and enticed her to open her eyes, so she did.

No matter how much she had mentally prepared herself for it, she was still completely floored by the look of the afterlife.

"This is... This must be heaven... It can't be hell..." She whispered to herself as more tears streamed down her face. It was the room she grew up in. The large closet, drawers, dresser, curtains, even the dog bed in the corner. Everything was exactly the same as she remembered it to be.

"Dad. Mom. Big brother. They must be here. They must be!" ChunHua scrambled out of bed and combed through her large house.

Not finding them anywhere on the second floor, she ran to the third, then down to the first floor, then out to the yard in the back. Finally, she crumbled down at the steps of the back door, weeping.

"It can't be... Am I in hell after all?" To live here forever without her family would definitely break her.

"Baby?! What's wrong?" A deep reassuring voice exclaimed.

"Aiya, my precious! What're you doing there?!" Another comforting voice exclaimed with equal alarm.

ChunHua's shoulders jumped in surprise and she spun around.

Her face was immediately cupped by her mother who looked her up and down, checking if anything was wrong.

On her left, her large St. Bernard was persistently stuffing his face between them. Her father was beside the dog, gently stroking ChunHua's back.

"Little sis, did that bastard Qi hurt you? I'll deal with him for you!" Her brother was already cracking his knuckles, ready to fly off as soon as she dropped the word.

"Dad... Mom... Big brother..." Tears continued to pour out of her red swollen eyes. She was choked up but she forced her voice out. She had to apologise.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for failing you... I'm the worst daughter..."

"Baby! What're you saying?!"

"Is that what that bastard said?!" Her brother demanded.

"Shh shh shhhhh!" Her mother waved her hands and cut everyone off. Then, she looked straight into ChunHua's eyes. Her gaze was so sharp that it made ChunHua focus a little better. "Why do you say these, precious?"

"Everyone died... You all died! Because of me..." ChunHua could barely make out her words amidst her hiccups.

"And- And I couldn't get- Get my revenge... Before- Before I died... I have failed- All of you. I don't deserve to be here." ChunHua could no longer talk. It was too painful.

Her mother wrapped ChunHua tightly in her embrace. The heartbreaking scene prompted the two men to do the same.

"It's a bad dream, precious, it's just a bad dream. You're awake now. We're all here. Shhh..." Her mother gently soothed and calmed her the best she could. "It's okay. It's okay now."

Thinking that they were merely comforting her, she shook her head and squeaked, "You all- You all died...! In front of me! I saw-"

"Baby, baby. Look at us. Look at us." Her father urged gently but firmly, compelling ChunHua to obey. "We're alive and well. See?" Her father took her hand and put it to his cheek. "You're awake now."

ChunHua stared at her father's face then at her hands, a little in a daze.

Her brother wanted to say something but her mother tapped him on the shoulder. "WeiSheng dear, please make your sister's favourite drink?"

WeiSheng looked like he had to swallow a bitter pill but got to work.

"Darling?"

"Mm?"

"Please get our precious baby's favourite food and snacks?"

"On it." Her father pecked her mother on her cheek before moving away.

Her mother supported ChunHua up then guided her back to her room. ChunHua absentmindedly followed wherever she was led to.

"Mom... Are we really not in heaven...?" ChunHua finally asked.

"We're not in heaven. We're alive and well, on earth." Her mother tucked ChunHua into her large poofy princess bed then climbed in to cuddle with her. Their dog snuggled up against her as well.

"... Where were all of you earlier?"

"Having breakfast. As usual. At our usual place."

"Usual...? Is today Sunday?"

"Mmhmm."

ChunHua fell silent for a while. What was going on? Everything felt too real to be just a dream... Was it really all a dream? ChunHua was badly disoriented. Even now, she felt like she was in a dream, not the other way round. She had lost all sense of time and place.

"... What date is it?" She asked again.

"13th February 2016."

ChunHua's eyes opened wide. "2016?" She sat back up with her back ramrod straight, and stared at her mother incredulously. "2016?" She repeated herself.

"What's going on?" WeiSheng asked as he walked in with ChunHua's favourite blend of floral tea.

"She seems surprised about the date." Her mother updated him.

"You- I- We- We died in 2018..." ChunHua explained. However, she sounded like she could not believe it herself.

"Wow. You had a very long dream." Her father commented in awe while he came in with chrysanthemum jellies.

"Oh, our poor baby... You're already sick yet you had such a long nightmare... Here, drink up, drink up. There's plenty more where that came from." Her mother urged her.

After taking a few sips, ChunHua asked once more. "Is- Is it really 2016...?"

WeiSheng whipped out his handphone to show her the date. In her shocked daze, he took the jelly from their father to feed ChunHua. She obediently opened and closed her mouth like a doll.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Her father asked while he settled down on the edge of her bed.

ChunHua opened her mouth but no words came out.

'What if it really was all a dream? I can't let that ruin their impression of Bai Qiao. I can't let them worry about me.'

"...It's okay." ChunHua gave a weak smile in the end. "I'll recover..."

However, no matter how much she tried to convince herself that it was all a mere dream, the possibility that it was all real nagged at her. "Can I rest? With all of you here...?"

Everyone looked at her with their hearts aching. They knew at that moment that their princess was different.

"Of course."

"We'll always be here."

"Rest well."

They reassured her one after another.

ChunHua laid in her mother's embrace and closed her eyes. However, as soon as she did, horrific memories of her mother's dead body flashed in her mind. Her eyelids flew open and her breathing quickened. She shivered a little too.

Her mother stroked her arm and softly sang a soothing Chinese song. Seconds passed. Then minutes. Before ChunHua knew it, her eyelids lowered once again.

When ChunHua came to again, her room was dyed in the purple and pink light of the setting sun. She got up very slowly and looked at everyone napping where they were. At that moment, images flashed through her mind and overlapped with what she was seeing.

Her parents were unconscious and covered blood and their vomit. Her brother laid by the foot of her bed in the same state. Her heart raced and she trembled again, but ChunHua fought the instinct to shake them all awake.

"Mom? Mom?" ChunHua tapped her gently. She was so terrified that her voice was a mere squeak.

Receiving no response, ChunHua's heart went to her mouth and she shook her mother harder. "Mom. Mom."

Her dog tilted its head curiously.

"Mommy!"

To her relief, her mother breathed in sharply and woke up with eyes wide. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The men also stirred awake and mumbled similar things to her mother.

However, ChunHua stayed silent and could only pant despite the relief she felt.

"Precious?"

ChunHua shook her head, then wore a smile again. "Um, it's time for dinner. We should eat before it's too late."

"Oh..." Her mother looked out the windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Beyond the balcony, the sun could barely be seen. "You're right. Shall we go to Herbal Dragon?" She asked with a kind smile.

ChunHua shook her head. "Let's go to Circle Diner instead."

Her family shared a meaningful glance. Their little princess had rejected going to her favourite place. They looked back at her and her mother answered, "As long as that makes you happy."

With that decided, they left the room, hopped into their car and had their chauffeur drive them there.