My head hurts.

I want to wake up… why can’t I wake up…?

A girl with excellent bone structure, clear brows and eyes, who looked like a living ink painting, was curled up on a bed that was obviously incredibly expensive, her brows furrowed.

For some reason, the girl couldn’t fully wake up, only able to let the subtle, persistent pain, which couldn’t rouse her but was undeniably disturbing, drag her consciousness into a chaotic dream.

Scattered fragments of memories flashed, and she seemed to smell rain.

She saw a very beautiful woman.

The woman had ash-grey layered long curly hair, a straight nose, long eyebrows, and slightly upturned, alluring eyes—her gaze was full of charm, every frown and smile incredibly lively.

She simply stood there, at ease.

She was so beautiful that even the simplest white shirt and black A-line skirt couldn’t conceal her graceful figure.

A disdainful, playful smile coexisted with her undeniable beauty; amorousness and heartlessness seemed to be synonyms for this woman. But strangely, even though she looked like a manipulative bad woman, there was always a warm, soft aura that made one want to approach her, emanating from beneath her slightly open collar and half-rolled sleeves… like a hunter’s unique lure.

This is… Yu Miao?

Is it Yu Miao?

The drowsy Yi Jing was a little confused but clearly felt her heart flutter.

Oh no, I think I like her.

Before she could remember where she knew this person, a pair of slender hands suddenly cupped her face.

The logic in dreams is always a little chaotic; the feeling of lips touching was abrupt yet soft.

Seeing that beautiful face, which she had just seen, suddenly enlarge in close proximity, Yi Jing’s eyes widened.

“???”

Yi Jing never expected that the woman she had just mentally praised for her beauty would suddenly kiss her. Surprise and delight filled her thoughts, and she was stunned for a while, unable to react and push her away.

“You… are you here to see me?”

“?”

“No, I…”

After what felt like a century, a fleeting kiss ended, and Yi Jing heard the woman ask her this.

Yi Jing instinctively wanted to say no, but she couldn’t remember if it was true or not.

Why was she here?

Yi Jing couldn’t answer, but the woman seemed to have her own answer, letting out a soft laugh, looking at Yi Jing with affection: “I knew it, you wouldn’t abandon me.”

“But…”

Yi Jing wanted to say something but stopped abruptly.

She inexplicably had a hunch that she wouldn’t abandon this woman, and that some hidden danger was about to happen; she had to urge this woman to leave, immediately.

She wanted to speak, to tell the woman this information, but she couldn’t.

Trapped in the dream, Yi Jing became increasingly anxious, repeatedly trying to speak but failing; the sense of impending crisis grew stronger, as if it would arrive the next second.

A clear feeling of frustration, knowing what would happen but being powerless to change it as an outsider, washed over her. Half-curled on the bed, lost in her chaotic dream, Yi Jing furrowed her brows even tighter, her hand by her side moving slightly, appearing very uneasy.

“You…”

The sleeping Yi Jing murmured softly, uttering a mumbled dream whisper.

…Quickly leave.

Don’t stay, quickly leave.

Perhaps because she was too anxious, Yi Jing’s dream began to disintegrate.

The near-pure white background behind Yu Miao peeled away piece by piece, revealing a dark, empty abyss.

Yi Jing’s heart sank.

She wanted the woman to leave immediately, to hurry, but the black fissure rapidly spread to the woman’s feet in the blink of an eye.

“No——!!”

Yi Jing watched Yu Miao stumble and fall lightly into the abyss.

Yi Jing lunged forward, desperately trying to grab the woman, but her fingers only grazed the woman’s fingertips.

The moment they missed, countless black hands reached out from the abyss, viciously grabbing at the falling Yu Miao.

Yi Jing’s breath hitched.

The woman’s soft, ash-grey layered long curly hair swirled in mid-air, her thin, graceful figure falling straight down.

—No!!!

The speechless Yi Jing let out a silent scream, her heart feeling like it was being squeezed, hurting so much she couldn’t breathe. Yet, that unforgettable figure was quickly swallowed by the abyss. In Yi Jing’s struggling forward movement, only the woman’s voice, still clear and melodious, reached her:

“Don’t be sad, if you want to see me, come find me here.”

…

“——Wait!”

Yi Jing, who hadn’t been sleeping soundly, woke up with a start, abruptly sitting up in bed.

All the dream dissipated. Back in reality, Yi Jing sat on the bed, gasping for breath, but her mind gradually calmed down.

Oh… right, it was a dream.

It wasn’t real.

It was just a yuri novel she had read yesterday during her free time; Yu Miao was the protagonist of that novel.

Yi Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

It was called a novel, but it wasn’t sweet at all; it was forceful and involved multiple partners; most of the content was crazy, the female characters hurting Yu Miao again and again; there wasn’t a single normal person; it was basically a convention of the mentally ill.

If Yi Jing hadn’t been truly captivated by the protagonist, Yu Miao, she would have dropped the novel long ago.

In the story, the only person Yi Jing pitied was Yu Miao. She really hoped Yu Miao could return to her life before everything happened, to be free, beautiful, and pure as before, and not be affected by those scumbags anymore.

…So the author should be kinder to Yu Miao! If not, don’t blame her for activating the blue-green modification tool to remove all the content she disliked.

Yi Jing turned around, intending to find her phone to check the latest developments of the novel, but her raised arm was stopped by a slight resistance from her clothes.

“?”

Her stiff clothing felt like a tight shell, perfectly enclosing Yi Jing.

Yi Jing was startled, and upon looking down, she saw a dark uniform. ???

What is this? Where did it come from? The material is so stiff… Wasn’t she just talking about a business deal with her aunt and going home to sleep? How could she be wearing this kind of clothes?

What is going on?

Yi Jing raised her arm and carefully looked at the stiff uniform on her body.

It was a uniform belonging to some unknown organization, and it was surprisingly realistic… The cuffs had gold trim of varying lengths; the inside of the collar even had a serial number, possibly for anti-counterfeiting purposes. The shoulder straps and collar insignia were complete; there was a long tassel decoration from the shoulder to the chest, and even a finely carved emblem on the left chest, seemingly belonging to some organization or group.

Hmm…

The tailoring was slim-fitting, the material close-fitting and stiff… If the clothes weren’t so figure-hugging, Yi Jing would almost believe it was real.

Could it be a cosplay outfit…? From what new anime?

Did I mindlessly buy it and then sleep in it?