Chapter 47: One More Person

As soon as Li Zhi Ran said that, Xu Lin instantly understood what she meant.

They had discussed it earlier and realized that the line Lin Shen Xue sent before bed—“I hope we can meet in a dream”—might have played a role in pulling him into that dream.

According to Li Zhi Ran’s own experience, a witch’s magic is at its strongest when her desire is most intense.

Therefore, to increase the chances of entering the dream, it was necessary to repeat that trigger.

In other words, if Lin Shen Xue didn’t send that message tonight, Xu Lin would have to send it himself.

And now, the time seemed just about right.

Sure enough, after waiting only a short while, his phone buzzed.

He picked it up immediately—Lin Shen Xue.

She didn’t send the “going to sleep” message right away.

Instead, she kept him chatting for a bit.

While he talked with Lin Shen Xue, Li Zhi Ran stood the entire time hugging Noxis, staring at him with full concentration.

It made Xu Lin feel the double interrogation from both Li Zhi Ran and Lin Shen Xue.

They chatted until roughly the same time as yesterday.

Snowman: [Xu Lin classmate, have you turned off the lights yet?]

…

Snowman: [It’s about time to rest, right?]

Snowman: [It’s a shame we can’t meet tomorrow. But I’m really looking forward to it—our time together on Sunday!]

Snowman: [Though maybe tonight we can meet in a dream. Are you looking forward to it, Xu Lin classmate?]

A shy emoji.

…

Snowman: [Good night, Xu Lin classmate.]

The WeChat conversation ended there.

Xu Lin locked his phone, looked up at Li Zhi Ran.

“Lady Witch, I can sleep now.”

Li Zhi Ran understood immediately and nodded.

“Young Hero, please get into bed.”

She stepped aside from the bedside.

Xu Lin exhaled deeply, walked slowly to the bed, slipped off his shoes, climbed in, rested his head on the pillow, and lay down perfectly straight after finding a comfortable position.

“Young Hero, there’s one last thing we need before sleep.”

With those words, Li Zhi Ran’s face appeared above him.

Even looking up at her from this angle, her beauty remained flawless.

Truly a beauty with no dead angles.

In her hand were three small silver pieces, which she gently placed on Xu Lin’s forehead.

The moment they touched his skin, they felt cool, then gradually warmed until they matched his body temperature.

Some kind of metal, it seemed.

“All done, Young Hero.”

“What are these?”

Xu Lin couldn’t help asking.

“Magic-detecting patches. They monitor your mental state and, together with the activation array under the pillow, can stabilize your spirit at critical moments.”

…No wonder they look exactly like medical electrode pads!

The only difference is there are no wires coming out, right?

“Alright, Young Hero, relax. Staying this tense will make it hard to fall asleep.”

Li Zhi Ran’s face moved away, her voice growing a little more distant.

Then came a click, and the room went dark.

She had turned off the light.

In the darkness, her voice came again from beside the bed.

“Young Hero, please close your eyes and relax your mind. With all these preparations, you’ll fall asleep very easily.”

“Kid, if you can’t sleep right away, I could always sing you a lullaby~”

Noxis cut in, her tone full of mischief.

“Noxis.”

Li Zhi Ran scolded her.

“Young Hero, we won’t disturb you anymore. Please sleep peacefully.”

As promised, Li Zhi Ran fell completely silent after that, leaving only the faint sound of her breathing.

She said relaxing would make sleep come easily, but this was the first time in his life someone was watching him fall asleep—especially Li Zhi Ran watching him. Xu Lin was far too nervous.

What if he did something embarrassing in his sleep, or said something he shouldn’t?

The more he thought about it, the more chaotic his mind became.

He closed his eyes and let his thoughts run wild for a while, until suddenly, at a certain moment, his mind went completely blank.

All he could hear was the rhythmic sound of breathing echoing in his head.

It was Li Zhi Ran’s breathing.

Following the rhythm of her breath, Xu Lin gradually calmed down completely.

At that moment, a force came simultaneously from his forehead and the back of his head.

The patches on his forehead, and the pillow beneath his head.

Caught between the two forces, his mind grew increasingly hazy.

Finally, his breathing steadied, and he fell deeply asleep.

※

In the darkness, Li Zhi Ran stood motionless by the bed, gazing at Xu Lin.

Seeing the peaceful expression on his sleeping face, the corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously, her own expression softening.

But the next instant, her face tensed again.

“It’s here!”

A force came from afar, carrying an oppressive aura.

It gathered and took shape, like a tentacle probing in all directions.

Soon it locked onto its target and shot straight toward Xu Lin on the bed.

The tentacle seized Xu Lin.

An immense power surged continuously along the tentacle, enveloping him completely.

The serene look on his sleeping face changed at once.

His brows furrowed, lips pressed tight, eyelids trembled, and his body shook slightly.

Yet even so, he did not wake.

Li Zhi Ran remained calm and composed.

She closed her eyes, raised her right hand, and rapidly uttered incomprehensible syllables that echoed through the room.

When the final syllable fell,

Purple light suddenly flooded the entire room.

The source was the massive magic circle covering the surroundings.

The purple glow shone upon Xu Lin, and the next moment the pillow beneath his head responded in kind, pulsing with the same purple light.

Under the violet radiance, the black mist wrapped around Xu Lin quivered, then evaporated and dispersed.

However, the tentacle formed by that power still clung tightly to Xu Lin, continuing to pour energy into him.

Only now, the flow was clearly much weaker.

If before it had been a raging river, now it was merely a gentle stream.

Li Zhi Ran opened her eyes, lowered her right hand but did not fully relax it.

With her other hand she raised a glowing tablet.

It was none other than her tablet.

On the screen was a fluctuating graph.

For a while the line had spiked sharply upward, then plunged just as sharply, finally settling at a relatively stable value.

If Xu Lin saw that scene, he would definitely complain, “So this is magic?”

The corners of Li Zhi Ran’s mouth curved upward again. She put away the tablet and looked at Xu Lin on the bed.

Beneath the purple light, his sleeping face had returned to serenity.

Li Zhi Ran walked over to him.

At the bedside, she slipped off her slippers, climbed onto the bed, and lay down beside Xu Lin.

She lay on her side next to him, confirmed his condition once more, then quickly closed her own eyes.

※

From ahead came an emotionless voice droning on about something.

In a daze, Xu Lin lifted his head and saw the screen far away switch to the next slide.

“…We’re in class…”

“Yes, Xu Lin classmate, we’re in class.”

A soft voice came from his left.

Very familiar—Lin Shen Xue.

He fully snapped awake.

Right, this was class—the very last lesson before the weekend.

And yesterday he had promised Lin Shen Xue they would attend together.

Now fully conscious, he realized something was pressing on his left arm.

But it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all; on the contrary, it was very pleasant.

Warm, soft, like basking in winter sunlight.

He turned to look beside him and found Lin Shen Xue clinging to his arm, her head resting on his shoulder, watching the teacher’s lecture in the distance.

Completely ignoring everyone around them.

The teacher up front acted as if he saw nothing, paying them no mind.

The other students in the classroom were also focused entirely on the lesson.

Xu Lin didn’t think much of it either and naturally let her hold his arm.

After all, even before class started, she had been clinging to him like this.

“Xu Lin classmate, shall we go on a date after class?”

Warm breath brushed his ear as Lin Shen Xue whispered softly.

Instantly, a shiver ran over his scalp, as if her voice were gently caressing the inside of his skull.

“Mm.”

Of course he had no reason to refuse.

After all, the two of them were ■■.

…What were they?

The word seemed to vanish; he simply couldn’t recall it.

Yet the feeling that word represented spread through his heart all the same.

Lin Shen Xue let out a happy laugh and pressed herself even closer to Xu Lin.

If he couldn’t remember, so be it—as long as the feeling was right.

Feeling her affectionate closeness, even this boring class became a little more bearable.

?

Xu Lin’s head suddenly whipped to the right—where the seat was completely empty.

“Xu Lin classmate, what’s wrong?”

Lin Shen Xue’s voice carried a hint of confusion.

“Ah, nothing.”

He answered her, but confusion swirled in his mind.

Was it just his imagination?

Why did it feel like… just a moment ago, there had been someone else beside him?