“They’ve already come knocking on your door. Even if I don’t help you, the moment they anger Senior Ya, they’ll all turn into obedient little lambs. But the situation is different now.”
Tang Nai bit into her apple, her vermilion lips glistening brightly, and continued in a casual, offhand tone, “In fact, if you hadn’t gone and done all those unnecessary things, and just let the trouble gather and appear around you naturally, with your current level, you’d definitely get torn apart by the storm of clashing Authorities. So whatever you do, don’t let Senior Ya awaken.”
Hearing this, Su Mu instantly broke out in a cold sweat, “You were born with the ability to attract Authorities that surpass the ordinary. If they all gather together… Doesn’t that mean I have to step up and deliberately lure that group away?”
“Yes.”
“Then… Can I team up with Lemon to take care of them?”
Tang Nai raised a delicate eyebrow and said, “You’ve already brought Little Miti over here too. Are you seriously thinking of fighting them alone? Honestly, if I were you…”
“I just don’t want to keep dragging her into this kind of danger.” After saying that, Su Mu plopped down onto the chair with a “thud”, snatched the apple from Tang Nai’s hand, and took a fierce bite into the clean fruit surface.
‘Hiss… so sour.’
Su Mu lifted her gaze and met Tang Nai’s calm, unruffled little face as she continued chewing slowly.
The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
She got played again?
“Why are you looking at me? I can’t taste anything anyway.”
Tang Nai spread her hands with an expression that said “just as expected,” her tone laced with teasing, leaving Su Mu speechless.
“Never mind… I forgot this girl has terrible taste buds.”
Being eroded by the Void Authority would gradually cause her to lose her five senses—this was something Tang Nai had told Su Mu.
But seeing how unconcerned Tang Nai looked, the erosion was probably still in its early stages.
In other words, the process was progressing quite slowly.
At the very least, she could still see, hear, and feel.
There were books that mentioned she would start liking overly sweet, rich, or bitterly stimulating foods in three years…
But that wasn’t something Su Mu could interfere with.
Hearing this, Tang Nai extended her right hand and displayed her five fair, slender fingers in front of Su Mu.
“So what do you think your chances of winning are like this?”
“Fifty percent?”
But the next moment, Tang Nai suddenly slapped Su Mu on the shoulder, startling her so much that her whole body trembled.
When Tang Nai lifted her hand, a mosquito was already squashed in her fair palm.
“Just like this mosquito—if you run into them, you’re destined to be swatted to death. If you dodge and run, you might still have a chance to escape.”
Watching Tang Nai wipe her palm, Su Mu felt a chill run through her heart.
“Is it really that exaggerated? Isn’t Lemon also B-rank?”
“First of all, Lemon is pretty weak. Second, that witch is very strong.”
For Tang Nai to openly admit that someone was strong, it spoke volumes about Sun Fuchuan’s power.
Su Mu couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
“Then is it too late if I catch a flight overseas tonight?”
“It’s useless. Once you’re completely ‘unboxed,’ others can locate your Dream World using the residual magic power traces and scene data left here, then disrupt you from the inside until you lose consciousness.”
Su Mu clutched her head, feeling momentarily dazed.
“Then what should I do?”
Tang Nai yawned, then gestured for Su Mu to come closer.
Su Mu was puzzled but did as she was told.
The moment she sat down on the sofa, Tang Nai naturally lay down on top of her, lazily closing her eyes.
“Hey, don’t just use me as a pillow without permission. You’re not allowed to sleep here…”
“Don’t move around. I’ll tell you when I wake up.”
Su Mu’s body stiffened slightly as she felt Tang Nai’s small, cool figure against her.
After hesitating for a moment, she could only sigh helplessly.
Seeing how calm and composed Tang Nai was, Su Mu thought that she must have some good plan in mind.
The moment that thought flashed through her mind, Su Mu paused in slight surprise.
When had she started trusting her this much?
Or rather, from the very beginning, she had always been overly reliable.
Even though Tang Nai had said she wouldn’t help, Su Mu had still kept trying to find a solution from her.
It was honestly a little embarrassing.
Su Mu leaned back against the sofa in a daze, feeling the weight on her legs, her eyes drifting slightly out of focus.
‘Well, better not to overthink it.’
As dusk fell, Su Mu gradually grew drowsy too, her eyelids growing heavy as she drifted off to sleep.
But strangely, Tang Nai was still within her view—only now with a more elegant black-haired appearance—quietly watching her from in front.
“Hey, you fell asleep after all. Saves me the trouble of bringing the thing over myself.”
Su Mu’s breath hitched, but she didn’t feel suffocated.
Only then did she remember she was currently inside the Dream World.
“So how did you get into my dream?!”
“Never mind that. Come with me.”
Tang Nai naturally took Su Mu’s hand and pulled her swiftly deeper into the dream.
A strong sensation of liquid resistance surged over her, forcing Su Mu to close her eyes.
She had no choice but to swallow her questions for now.
A moment later, everything opened up.
When Su Mu opened her eyes, she was greeted by an extremely luxurious gilded display cabinet.
Gentle, elegant warm yellow light enveloped her surroundings, with long corridors stretching out on both sides.
Rather than a display cabinet, it was more like an aquarium.
All the exhibition cases were filled with water, swimming with colorful tropical fish of every variety.
At a glance, none of them looked the same.
“These are my collection room—all rare magic power fish I obtained while exploring a long time ago.”
Tang Nai casually glanced over the dazzling, colorful lights within the cases, seemingly indifferent, but Su Mu was completely mesmerized, unable to look away.
“Stop staring. If you want to look at fish, just go to a real aquarium. Come with me.”
Her hand was still tightly held by Tang Nai, unknowingly damp with sweat.
Su Mu opened her mouth but stopped herself, quickly following Tang Nai instead, wondering what the latter was planning.
After passing several display cases, the surroundings had completely turned into an ocean of fish.
Su Mu had a poor sense of direction and was already dizzy from being led around.
If Tang Nai left her alone in this maze-like exhibition area, she feared it would take her half a day just to find the exit.
It seemed… they were heading toward the core area.
Su Mu wasn’t sure.
She simply let Tang Nai pull her forward.
It felt like being excitedly dragged by the neighbor girl to see birds—completely confused, yet still going along with her.
“We’re here.”
Tang Nai stopped abruptly.
Su Mu didn’t manage to stop in time and bumped her nose against the back of Tang Nai’s head, causing a sting.
But the moment she turned her head, those sensations were completely swept away by the small sight before her.
All the display cases surrounded them, varying in size.
Yet right in the middle was a single, unsupported sand-colored fish no bigger than a pinky finger, freely darting back and forth in the open space before them.
What was peculiar was that every few breaths, it would vanish without warning, only to reappear in the center and continue swimming aimlessly, unconcerned with anything.
It was so small and unique, its entire body composed of floating sand grains.
Each grain was about a millimeter apart, constantly shifting and exchanging positions as it moved, giving it a translucent quality that was truly fascinating.
“What is this?”
“Fleeting Moment.”
Hearing Tang Nai’s indifferent tone, Su Mu let out a soft “Mm,” then suddenly cried out in shock, “Isn’t this the thing you mentioned that can turn someone straight from zero to B-rank?”
“Yes.”
Tang Nai reached out and grabbed it.
When she opened her hand again, the tiny Fleeting Moment was obediently resting in her palm without moving.
She held it out to Su Mu and said, “Take it.”
Su Mu’s almond eyes widened in confusion, but her hands instinctively accepted the little fish.
The strange texture felt like holding freshly steamed tofu—soft and slippery, as if it could slip away from her fingers at any moment.
Her slender fingers dared not bend with any force, afraid she might crush it.
Too many question marks flooded her mind.
Su Mu’s brain overloaded for a moment, and she could only blurt out the most pressing doubt in her heart: “Wait… why?”
“No reason. I just thought it would be better to be decisive than to watch you run around in a panic.” Tang Nai’s face was serious, a hint of conflict flashing in her ink-black eyes.
There was even a faint, almost imperceptible blush on her cheeks—a look Su Mu had never seen before.
“What do you mean? You want… this thing must be really valuable. If I take it, won’t I end up owing you something I can never repay?”
Tang Nai nodded, then leaned her cherry lips close to Su Mu’s ear and whispered something softly.
The next moment, Su Mu’s pretty face flushed with two patches of drunken red.
She backed away while waving her hands at Tang Nai, “No, no, no—that would basically be like taking advantage of you! If you really need something in return, we can talk about it slowly later.”
“That’s impossible. You also know its ‘value.’ Only by satisfying me can you safely enjoy the benefits it brings.”
Tang Nai’s small face was solemn as she shook her head.
“Besides, it’s not that much of a loss for you, right? Even though my figure isn’t great, I’m still considered a beautiful girl. You’re already two-timing anyway…”
Su Mu quickly covered Tang Nai’s honeyed little mouth with her hand.
She subconsciously glanced behind her and said in embarrassment and annoyance, “Don’t say that so openly…” as if afraid someone nonexistent might hear.
She felt helpless about that kind of thing too!
Sometimes she just couldn’t make a choice, okay?
No matter what, someone would always get hurt.
It was better to maintain this delicate status quo for now.
It seemed pretty captivating anyway…
She just didn’t know what would happen after returning to the future.
It would definitely be a bloodbath.
With Luo Jialan’s personality, she wasn’t the type to hand over her lover to someone else.
Ye Wanqing was even more stubborn.
Two of them were already enough to give her a headache.
And now Tang Nai is jumping in too—what exactly is she trying to do?
Plus, with how scheming Tang Nai was, if she made a move, there would be no fair competition.
Su Mu would just be drowned in an endless stream of underhanded tricks!
‘Wait, what competition? Pfft, pfft, pfft…’
“Anyway, are you doing it or not? And don’t just close your eyes, take off your clothes, and lie on the bed like a rag doll. That would be completely meaningless. It’s best if you stay like you are now—shy and with a sense of guilt. The more reluctant you are, the better, as long as it makes me feel good.”
This strange request almost made Su Mu so angry her nose twisted.
‘What did she mean by “the more reluctant, the better”?’
“Then why are you still babbling on? Wouldn’t it be better to just force it?”
Unexpectedly, after hearing Su Mu’s angry words, Tang Nai gave a slight smile.
She gazed at Su Mu’s soft, watery cheeks for a moment, then smacked her own forehead and instantly vanished from in front of Su Mu, leaving her shocked.
‘Oh no, my body is still outside. Crap!’