“Should I just leave it here?”
Luo Jialan lifted her clothes, gently pressing the probe to the side of her lower abdomen.
As a strip of snow-white skin was revealed, Su Mu instinctively coughed twice and turned her head away.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
Once the probe connected to the magic flow, a tingling current surged from the tip, making Luo Jialan shiver ever so slightly.
Then, she watched as Su Mu’s body relaxed, and with a soft “thud,” Su Mu collapsed right onto her thigh.
The girl’s delicate nose brushed against her, making Luo Jialan’s skin itch so much that she had to shift her position.
Su Mu’s breathing soon grew even and gentle—she’d fallen into a deep sleep.
Watching someone wander inside your dream was a truly strange experience.
Luo Jialan rolled Su Mu over, letting her head rest on her lap again.
This way, she could look down at the soft features of the pink-haired girl’s face.
Her neck, her cheeks—smooth and supple, as if a breeze could break them.
Everywhere you pinched was soft as clouds.
Even her hair and skin glimmered with a pinkish sheen; her entire body was soft and rosy all over.
Can she feel anything from outside now?
Would she notice if I gave her a little pinch?
Come to think of it, when we went to the seaside, Miti pinched her quite a lot, didn’t she?
We’re all girls here—this kind of thing is just a harmless prank, right…?
But the more Luo Jialan tried to convince herself, the more guilty and sneaky she felt, until her face flushed a deep red.
For some reason, Su Mu just felt different from the other girls.
Luo Jialan couldn’t treat her as just another girl.
Could it be that after reading that story, I’ve gotten strange as well?
Restless, Luo Jialan’s gaze traced the delicate line of the pink-haired girl’s collarbone, drifting down without her realizing, until her hand reached out on its own.
‘Just a massage, that’s all.’
‘She needs to relax in her dream, right? I’ll just massage her hand.’
Luo Jialan carefully took Su Mu’s slender, boneless hand, handling it as if it were a fragile piece of art.
Holding hands—wasn’t that something only lovers would do?
Though her neck had turned scarlet, Luo Jialan didn’t let go.
Instead, she interlaced their fingers, inching them closer to her own heart.
It’s all your fault—my heart’s pounding so hard, I don’t even know where all this blood is supposed to go.
You’d better take responsibility for this…isn’t that fair?
Inside the dream, Su Mu soon sensed something amiss.
Even if she was temporarily disconnected from her body, her physical reactions still affected her.
Like feeling hot in a dream on a sweltering night—now, Su Mu’s body was steadily warming up.
‘Luo Jialan, what exactly are you doing out there!’
Just as Su Mu was about to rush back and intervene, Irina appeared at the perfect moment to remind her:
“Little Su Mu, you’d better think carefully. If you go out now and stop her, it might lead to some unpleasant consequences.”
Su Mu paused in surprise.
‘What consequences?’
“It’s like giving millet to a cornered mouse. Sometimes, the whole direction of a story hinges on a tiny choice.”
‘So you’re saying that if I jump out and scare her, it might trigger a bad ending? But this isn’t a game—how could it be that straightforward?’
“I’m just telling you it’s a possibility. You should think about whether you really don’t want to get closer to her.”
Su Mu quickly understood.
That’s right—Luo Jialan felt different to her too.
Not like Ye Wanqing, with whom she could mess around without any worries as friends.
Ye Wanqing pinched her just for fun—nothing more.
But Luo Jialan…who knows what might happen?
First it’s a pinch—then, “let me massage you”—then, “why is your head so pointy, let me help you relax”—then, “turn over, don’t look back”…
Pinching is just the warm-up; the real show comes after!
But Su Mu didn’t dislike this feeling—she just felt incredibly shy.
“Think carefully. She’s slowly falling for you. Are you going to douse this growing affection with cold water, or will you warm up together with her?”
…Something feels off about this.
She couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with Irina’s words, but Su Mu quietly gave up on the idea of going back.
‘She’s taking advantage of me out there—so I’ll take advantage of her here in the dream! I’m the real woman here, after all!’
“You’re not.”
‘I am!’
Irina chuckled softly.
“If you say so. But I’d still bet you’ll end up on the bottom.”
‘Hmph, that’s the unique romance of a true woman!’
‘Is that so? Oh, right, at least I have pecs more dramatic than any guy’s, don’t I?’
‘As if you don’t!’
Su Mu puffed out her cheeks in indignation, refusing to respond to Irina any further.
Where’s Lando?
Where did Lando go?
It seemed like Lando was deliberately avoiding her.
Su Mu had been sitting on the straw mat for a while, but neither Luo Linglan nor Lando had shown up.
Did this mean she could wander around freely?
Just like in Ning Xi No.6’s dream?
In that dream, you could interact with any visible object to trigger memories.
Maybe it would work here too.
And since Luo Jialan’s memories were intact, most things in sight looked vivid and clear.
What Su Mu cared about most was the simple sketch—torn and then carefully mended.
It lay quietly on the cabinet to the left of the Dojo, looking fierce and silly at the same time.
But just holding it and looking didn’t seem to do anything.
Su Mu pondered for a moment.
Then, glancing at the sandbag nearby, she suddenly had an idea.
‘Got it! Let’s see how you feel to the touch.’
She wedged the sketch into the seam of the sandbag, then pulled on Luo Jialan’s boxing gloves.
“Hup!”
With a loud thud, the sandbag didn’t go flying from the blow—instead, Su Mu felt her own head slam hard into something, leaving her dizzy and reeling.
A tide of information surged into her mind, carrying her to that night when Luo Jialan was afflicted by Dark Magic Corruption.
An uncontrollable heat welled up from every corner of her consciousness, making it hard to breathe.
She desperately wanted to tear away the clothes clinging to her body.
‘What is this feeling?’
She saw Luo Jialan struggling on the cold straw mat.
Everything around her could only absorb a little of the heat radiating from her body, unable to soothe the raging fire in her heart.
And now, that same sensation was slowly dyeing Su Mu’s skin a peachy pink through the memory.
‘Ugh, Luo Jialan, what did your mom do to you?!’
Meanwhile, Luo Jialan, still playing with Su Mu’s little hand, quickly sensed something was wrong.
She panicked.
‘Could it be because of me? No, I have to help her.’
But Luo Jialan didn’t dare move recklessly.
The probe was still attached to her abdomen—if it disconnected, Su Mu might get stuck in her dream.
At this point, there was only one thing left to do…
‘Sorry, Su Mu!’