Su Mu flinched at the sudden scare, quickly pulling back her head before cautiously turning around to look behind her.
‘Impossible. This is Lando’s dreamscape. How could Tang Nai possibly have gotten in here?’
The first thing to enter her sight was a cascade of midnight black hair, deep and mysterious, inexplicably captivating.
The girl before her had bangs cut with such precision it was as if each strand had been measured carefully with calipers—neat and smooth, not a single hair out of place.
Su Mu usually managed her long hair herself, often just brushing it casually before tying it up with a hairband.
If it weren’t for the good quality of her hair, it would quickly become messy again.
Even so, fluffy, unruly strands often flickered before her eyes.
Even Luo Jialan, who had been taught well by Luo Linglan to style her hair, paled in comparison to this black-haired girl, simply because the latter carried an innate, effortless aura.
It was as if a masterpiece of nature—she was born perfect, and those noble golden eyes only enhanced her presence.
But one thing made Su Mu’s heart sink in profound unease—
This girl wore Tang Nai’s face!
Those finely sculpted, delicate features matched the witch’s damn face so perfectly that Su Mu immediately understood who she was facing.
“Y-you, you…”
Su Mu had seen Tang Nai like this before, in the earliest photos stored in her camera.
Completely unlike the vile person she remembered, Tang Nai now exuded elegance and tranquility.
Her crimson and black tailcoat complemented this aura perfectly.
Although she was smaller than Luo Jialan, her presence was so formidable that neither girl dared to speak.
“Don’t be nervous, Su Mu. I’m not here to do anything inappropriate.”
Tang Nai’s tone softened, becoming light and delicate, like a whisper beside a baby’s ear, afraid to disturb.
Strangely, it eased the tension gripping Su Mu’s nerves.
“R-really?”
“When have I ever lied to you?”
Tang Nai smiled faintly and fixed her gaze on Su Mu’s skeptical sapphire eyes.
The moment Su Mu let her guard down, Tang Nai tiptoed over and reached out to smooth down the rebellious tuft of hair sticking up.
Her fingertips barely brushed through Su Mu’s silky strands, and Su Mu only felt a faint warmth—like being caressed by the wind.
“D-don’t try to cozy up to me. Tell me, what scheme are you hatching this time?”
Lando, who had momentarily been lost in thought, suddenly snapped back to full awareness in the dreamscape and cast a wary glance at Tang Nai.
Regardless of her intentions, she had barged into their dream without permission.
If this had been reality, Tang Nai probably would have smirked knowingly and said something teasing like “Oh my, oh my” in a sing-song voice, then whispered some terrifying words laced with amusement.
But to everyone’s surprise, Tang Nai maintained that oddly fitting, composed smile.
Not a single muscle twitched at Su Mu’s words.
“It might come as a surprise—I’m actually here specifically to make amends to you, little Lando. Even if you continued what you were doing just now, I wouldn’t be offended.”
With a flourish of her fingers, Tang Nai magically produced a photo, which she held between her fingers.
The image clearly showed her humiliated, sprawled across Lando’s lap.
Though the silver-haired girl’s face in the photo was expressionless—somewhat disappointing—it was even more shocking that Tang Nai didn’t spare herself.
“Like it? If you want, you can keep it in your dreamscape, little Lando.”
Tang Nai handed over the photo.
After hesitating, Lando declined.
It had to be said, once she realized this was a dream, the thrill of revenge completely evaporated.
Facing this version of Tang Nai made her question whether she was still dreaming.
It was too counterintuitive.
“Forget that, first explain why you’re here. This is supposed to be my dreamscape, isn’t it?”
“Because even though we’re far apart, I could sense your desperate hope just now—that I would respond to your actions.”
Hearing this, Lando’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Though poetically phrased, the words were embarrassingly accurate.
She did want to make Tang Nai cry out in pain.
“In fact, not just just now. Every time you punched the sandbag painted with my face, I could feel it.”
Lando gasped in shock, and Su Mu’s eyes suddenly unfocused, guilt washing over her as she desperately wanted to escape.
This small detail naturally hadn’t escaped Tang Nai’s notice, who mercilessly exposed their unease.
“Don’t worry, Su Mu. The fanfiction you’re writing with me as the protagonist isn’t bad—it just has quite a few inaccuracies. It’s best to continue once we understand each other a little better.”
Though said tactfully, Su Mu had no strength left to object.
After all, she had started writing with the idea of making Tang Nai the most tragic heroine, piling on all the cruelty and plotting.
The plans were so elaborate that even Su Mu needed a memo to keep track.
This fanfic was definitely not going online.
She lacked the courage to post it but sharing it privately with Ye Wanqing and the like to brainstorm was a decent idea.
For now, she could only pray Tang Nai would show mercy and spare her.
A strange silence fell over the coffee shop in the dreamscape.
The two girls exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
“See, I’m really a hateful person, aren’t I?”
Upon hearing this, Su Mu instinctively nodded before shaking her head vigorously, looking quite comical.
“No need to deny it. Someone said I was terrible a long time ago… can’t remember who though. I’m used to it; it doesn’t bother me.”
“Why does that sound like you’re proud of it?”
Su Mu pouted but gradually calmed down inside.
‘Fine, I’m in your hands today, witch. Do whatever you want—just don’t hurt me!’
Little mouse hates pain.
“You’re exactly like that—that’s why people dislike you.” After a long silence, Lando suddenly spoke.
Compared to Su Mu, she had spent more time with Tang Nai, but that didn’t mean she could get along peacefully with her.
This woman always did incomprehensible things and said baffling things.
When you were annoyed by her reckless behavior, you’d still catch glimpses of her vulnerabilities.
Lando had sensed something strange about two years ago.
Tang Nai always claimed to have a poor memory and nearly no sense of taste, so she shouldn’t care about food.
Yet she remembered every magical girl’s preferred flavors clearly.
Every gathering, when Tang Nai placed orders, she naturally listed out everyone’s restrictions: Su Mu couldn’t eat spicy, Miti avoided ginger and garlic, Ning Xi was allergic to seafood.
Such details were easy to miss at first but impossible to ignore over time.
But Lando disliked riddlers and hated people who said one thing but felt another.
‘If you want me to hate you, then I’ll just pin you to the sandbag and beat you mercilessly!’