Gently pinching it with her fingertips, ignoring the sensation, Su Mu calmed her mind and activated the so-called divination.
A moment later, fragmented images began to appear in her mind: a bustling market, diners, Suitable Spring Tower…
Wait, could she be the manager of Suitable Spring Tower?
Su Mu recalled the information about the manager in her head and suddenly understood.
In Tang Nai’s setting, Su Mu was a pitiful orphan drifting along the river.
It was this manager who fished Little Su Mu out and recommended her, giving her a chance to change her fate.
That was also why Su Mu kept eating at Suitable Spring Tower even after being “drugged” so many times.
She had never imagined that the manager, who was like a father to her, could be problematic.
Her memories occasionally surfaced with the kindly face of that manager uncle, along with his graying temples and eyes.
In the past, Little Su Mu only felt sorry for him, but now…
‘Tang Nai, I’m coming to hack you to death!’
And so, Su Mu dropped her disguise and hurried back to Suitable Spring Tower in a flurry.
The waitstaff at the door greeted her when they saw who it was, as if she really had lived here for many years.
Here, she had served dishes, volunteered to clean up for the staff, and occasionally joked around with the customers.
The regulars who often ate at Suitable Spring Tower called her “Little Sister Su.”
Su Mu responded vaguely.
These pasts woven by Tang Nai didn’t stir much feeling in her.
In her view, a dream was ultimately a dream, no match for reality.
But Su Mu overlooked one point: in that previously disturbed dream, she could still observe and act as a “transmigrator,” with common sense occasionally blurring; but now it almost never happened.
This also gave her a perspective and purpose unlike anyone else in the dream.
The counter was right in front of her, and the manager’s broad figure was busy behind it.
Seeing this, Su Mu’s mind went hazy for a moment, but she quickly shook her head to regain clarity and rushed over in three strides.
“Manager Tang, pretty busy, huh?”
Manager Tang responded without turning around: “That’s right.”
Seeing that she was still putting on an act, Su Mu couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.
“Want the bellyband or not?”
“If you give it, I’ll take it.”
Just then, the tall man’s figure abruptly vanished, transforming into a small, familiar gray-haired girl.
Expressionless, she shook the cup in her hand, swirled the brown liquid inside evenly, then placed it on the counter.
“Drink up.”
Su Mu sniffed the suspicious smell of the liquid, then looked at Tang Nai’s seemingly genuine expression, and slightly curled her lips.
“After drugging me for over a decade, any thoughts?”
“At least your tolerance has gotten stronger. And you should know, I’ve raised you from childhood, and I was just about to settle accounts with you.”
Tang Nai extended her hand as if to list Su Mu’s “crimes” one by one.
Su Mu froze, and a flood of embarrassing pasts instantly filled her mind.
She quickly grabbed Tang Nai’s hand.
“Save it. You win. I’ll drink.”
As the liquid went down her throat, a sense of clarity surged into her mind.
The haziness and sluggishness quickly dissipated, replaced by an unprecedented sensation of reality.
The blurriness of the dream almost completely receded.
The bitterness on her tongue and her bodily perceptions all became crystal clear.
Su Mu pinched her cheek in doubt. The touch was delicate and real.
“What effect is this?”
“This is a potion that better integrates your consciousness with the dream. The ones that made you pass out and caused side effects before were meant to help awaken your memories.”
Tang Nai unhurriedly took a sip of the remaining liquid as well, showing no apparent change.
“Your side effects and effects are reversed, aren’t they?”
Su Mu squinted at her.
The people around could clearly see them, yet it was as if they didn’t notice that Tang Nai had changed her appearance; their eyes still reflected the original scene.
“Did you have any problems when you woke up?”
“I’m not that bored. Some effects are unavoidable.”
“Like?”
Su Mu’s face reddened.
“Sensory masking, blurred memories, secretion disorders…”
“Stop. You don’t have to say it.”
Seeing her embarrassment and annoyance, Tang Nai finally revealed a hint of a smile.
For Su Mu, it was just a brief moment, but Tang Nai had accompanied “Little Su Mu” through more than a decade in this dream, carefully controlling every variable.
“Waiting is hard, especially since you were quite a handful when you were little.”
“Now you’ve finally grown up, and it’s time for me to reap the results.”
Her tone was calm, yet carried an indescribable meaning.
“This dream is different from what you think. Its completion far surpasses any you’ve seen before. You could say it’s a small world independent of reality.”
“The reason there are so many side effects is because this dream was reconstructed from the remnants of the Dream World Border. Using my abilities, I briefly ‘reproduced’ the people who once existed here, so in a sense, this place is indeed close to reality.”
Su Mu’s eyes went wide, “You’re that powerful?”
Tang Nai spread her hands and asked, “What else?”
Su Mu was silent for a moment, forced to admit that the other’s abilities far exceeded her imagination.
“By the way, besides you and me, everyone else is basically in a ‘state of confusion.'”
“State of confusion?”
“Similar to the people you saw before. They will have a significant impact on what happens next, so remember to keep an eye on their movements.”
“Also, I’ve prepared a ‘surprise’ for you.”
A vague sense of foreboding rose in Su Mu’s heart.
“What surprise?”
“You’ll know when you see it. For now, we need to go somewhere else.”
Tang Nai casually packed up her things and told the waitstaff to close early, leaving Su Mu stunned for a moment.
“Where to?”
“Back to your room at Flower Full Tower. Now that the potion has taken effect, your body still needs to adapt. We’ll complete it using the most direct method.”
These words left Su Mu dumbfounded for a long moment before she reacted, and her face instantly turned red.
“Get lost. Can’t you be serious for once?”
“I’m perfectly serious right now.”
Tang Nai grabbed her hand and ran toward the one-to-one replica of Yanyu Tower across the street.
As if deeming her too slow, she simply picked Su Mu up and charged straight upstairs.
The people around cast surprised glances.
Su Mu could only lower her head to avoid them, secretly pinching Tang Nai.
The people at Yanyu Tower obviously recognized her, and those in the meeting hall recognized the leader of Heaven’s Secret Tower even more.
Someone tried to stop them, but seeing Su Mu frantically waving her hand, they could only stand frozen.
“Something’s not right…”
“Don’t interfere. They probably have their own arrangements.”
In just a few words, the crowd convinced themselves.
Inside the inner room, Tang Nai placed Su Mu on the bed as soon as they entered.
Su Mu quickly got up and pushed Qing’er out the door and said, “You go play somewhere else for now.”
The door closed, and the room fell silent.
Su Mu was about to speak but was interrupted.
She could only glare helplessly at the other.
She rarely saw Tang Nai so serious.
‘Were all those smiles in daily life just an act?’
Her thoughts were soon interrupted, and she had to focus on the situation at hand.
Just as Tang Nai had said, she really did need time to adapt to this dream.
All sensations were quietly accumulating, like an undercurrent that would eventually burst forth.
Before she knew it, the door was firmly shut, and time slipped away silently.
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