5. Fantasy Realm

Creaaak — The sound came, and Yu Dongxi turned her head curiously. The man coming out of the stairwell also looked up, and the two of them locked eyes.

No, Yu Dongxi and the man opposite each other locked eyes through their blindfolds.

Song Yu looked at the woman standing in front of the elevator through the bandages covering his eyes. After a moment of surprise, he curled a playful smile and said, “Ah, I know you.”

Yu Dongxi looked at this extremely unfamiliar man and really couldn’t remember where she had seen him before.

Could it be that her face was really just an ordinary face like everyone else’s?

Also, dude, can you really see me? Yu Dongxi didn’t dare to speak, she was afraid he was some kind of special person.

“You’re dead?” Song Yu stepped out of the stairwell, circled around Yu Dongxi once, then clicked his tongue and said, “Qiu Sui’s mouth is definitely blessed. Look at that, always talking and talking, good grief, talking someone to death.”

Yu Dongxi tilted her head and looked at Song Yu: “Are you saying Qiu Sui curses me to death every day? You should know, saying your ex is dead every day is considered spreading rumors and is punishable by law.”

Song Yu couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud: “That’s really interesting. No wonder she can keep Qiu Sui in check.”

Yu Dongxi made a “stop” gesture: “Alright, Qiu Sui and I have a purely professional superior-subordinate relationship. No exes at all online, and if there are, I don’t admit it.”

“So that means Qiu Sui can be your current partner?”

“Bro, you really understand things at the highest level,” Yu Dongxi said seriously. “I’m here on business. Do you know who’s in charge of this building?”

Song Yu turned his head left and right as if looking around, then said, “Do you think there’s anyone else in this building besides me?”

“He’s in charge?” Yu Dongxi shook off the little black dog still clinging to her calf. The dog looked excited, tongue out, occasionally whining softly.

Song Yu pretended to be sad and covered his bandages: “This really hurts me this time~”

“Well, you’re kind of fragile then,” Yu Dongxi replied, imitating the tone of a Taiwanese drama heroine.

“You should know even a man of steel can get hurt,” Song Yu covered his chest, putting on a wounded expression.

“Alright then, please have this man of steel check the work,” Yu Dongxi instantly switched to a professional tone, taking a note out of the front pocket of her hoodie. As soon as she unfolded the paper, a row of golden characters appeared floating in midair.

“On 【year】 【month】 【day】, a person disappeared from our department’s Book of Life and Death. This person is named Song Daquan. His reincarnation was transferred to the neighboring department. This clause was signed by Song Daquan before his death. He voluntarily agreed to be reincarnated next life as cattle or horse. Note: Song Daquan is the nephew of the head of the neighboring department.”

Yu Dongxi slowly read aloud the first line of golden text, then looked at the head of the neighboring department, “How ridiculous. The underworld has finally become the way I like it.”

“That’s how it is,” Song Yu nodded in agreement.

“You and your nephew seem to have quite a deep conflict,” Yu Dongxi commented.

Song Yu waved his hand: “He’s my uncle. We don’t have any conflict. It was my great-uncle who appeared in my dream and told me he doesn’t want to be human next life.”

“May I ask a question?”

“Ask.”

“Who died first, you or your great-uncle?”

“Of course it was me, I died young,” Song Yu answered matter-of-factly.

“And then your great-uncle appeared to you in a dream?” Yu Dongxi took a deep breath and finally concluded, “That’s just completely upside down.”

“Don’t say that. I’ve lived a life of chivalry and justice. I can’t stand some worthless trash, especially this great-uncle of mine. His character is terrible. I’m the type to uphold justice even against relatives. If I weren’t fair and unwilling to abuse my privileges, I would have already sent him reincarnating in a pigsty.”

Hearing this, Yu Dongxi quietly leaned toward Song Yu’s ear and said, “No, seriously, tell me exactly how bad his character is.”

“All I can say is, it’s hard to tolerate. To outsiders, he’s a scumbag, inside the family, he’s a spendthrift.”

“Huh? Nobody can control him?”

“There is someone.”

“Then why don’t they control him?”

“Heart willing but powerless, I guess,” Song Yu replied.

“Why? If they can control him, why don’t they? Just watching him go astray like this?” Yu Dongxi was puzzled.

“Is it possible that the one who could control him already died?”

Yu Dongxi: ?

“Don’t look at me with that confused expression. He’s been afraid of me since he was little, but there’s nothing I can do. You know how talent is often taken away too soon. It’s only natural that a genius like me dies early.” Song Yu shook his head and sighed, looking like the heavens don’t favor him but he still reigns supreme.

“He’s your great-uncle. Why would he be afraid of you?”

“Maybe because I used to hold him when he was a kid,” Song Yu answered naturally.

“Huh? You said your great-uncle was held by you when he was little?”

“Yeah, when he was little, I often bought him toys. But I also beat him a lot.”

“Wait, who’s older, you or your great-uncle?”

“Of course I’m older. When he was born, I was already in school.”

“Then your generational rank is really low,” Yu Dongxi said. She’d heard of younger generational ranks, but never this young. “Why did you have to use your privileges to bring your great-uncle here?”

“No matter what, he’s still my uncle, a relative I can’t really show off. I can’t actually do much to him. I just have some private matters to discuss with him alone,” Song Yu shrugged, as if saying “you know how it is.”

“Sorry, I don’t really get it. Just one thing: if I don’t finish my work, it’ll leave an even worse impression on my lovely colleagues.”

“Worse? Tell me, what did you do to make them hate you so much?” Song Yu was very curious.

“That’s not important,” Yu Dongxi said expressionlessly. “I don’t care. You have to send him back.”

“Tsk tsk, let’s compromise: you come with me to handle the matter, and once it’s done, you take him away yourself,” Song Yu proposed.

“You’re going to…”

Before Yu Dongxi could finish her question, Song Yu casually placed one hand on her shoulder and said, “Space rotation, now.”

In an instant, Yu Dongxi felt as if everything around her had turned into emptiness. A strong, dazzling white light suddenly spread across the vast sky and earth. Her brain stopped thinking, all five senses ceased, only the warmth transmitted from the pair of hands covering her eyes remained clearly perceptible.

“Open your eyes.” Song Yu’s voice was no longer tinged with a smile as before. His voice was deep, instantly giving a sense of safety.

Yu Dongxi slapped Song Yu’s hand away. Rarely, Song Yu didn’t show his usual smiling face but instead looked serious.

The surroundings were no longer the same as before. The stars twinkled in the night sky, and darkness had fallen.

They seemed to be standing in a desolate large courtyard. In front of them was a dried-up fountain, the surrounding plants and trees were withered, stretching endlessly. Behind Yu Dongxi stood a large medieval mansion. She looked up — the mansion was very tall. Although the weathered walls were covered with thick ivy, it still looked majestic. Even though it showed signs of decay, it was not hard to imagine how prosperous it must have been in the past.

The long corridor was silent, the ancient temple desolate, moss covered the courtyard, tall grass filled the paths, only fireflies flickered like lamps, accompanied by the croaking of frogs instead of the ticking of a clock.

“Where is this?” Yu Dongxi turned to look at Song Yu, who was also gazing at the old mansion.

Song Yu smiled slightly and turned his half-face toward Yu Dongxi. “This is probably my ancestors’ home.”

Unexpectedly, Song Yu was a young master.

“Your family is this influential?”

“You flatter me. Not really, it’s just an average, ordinary family,” Song Yu said modestly.

If you’re an ordinary family, then what am I? Poor?

“What are we doing here?” Yu Dongxi didn’t feel Song Yu brought her here just to show off.

Well, actually she did have that suspicion. Although they had known each other less than half an hour, Yu Dongxi’s intuition told her that this guy might really be the type who does outrageous things just to show off.

“Hmm…” Song Yu shook his head as if troubled. “To be honest, I really want you to take my great-uncle away, but the problem is, I’m still looking for him myself.”

Yu Dongxi was stunned for a moment, then slowly let out a questioning “Ah?”

“No way, you mean the person is missing?!” Yu Dongxi was furious.

“That’s right.” Song Yu gave a thumbs-up, praising Yu Dongxi’s excellent understanding.

“You damn…” Yu Dongxi crossed her arms and paced around several times. Damn it! “You really deserve to die. You don’t understand anything! You can’t even keep an eye on a person! How am I supposed to explain this when I go back? How am I supposed to face my colleagues’ expectant looks?”

“If you can’t explain it, then don’t go back.”

Yu Dongxi: ?

Is that the main point??

Furious to the extreme, Yu Dongxi slapped Song Yu’s arm sharply. The sound was crisp and loud. “Smack! Idiot! Damn! Dead!”

Song Yu hissed, covered his arm, and made an exaggerated, pitiful expression. “That hurts so much.”

Then he moved his hand away, revealing a large bright red patch.

“That big red mark, so awesome and rare,” Yu Dongxi expressionlessly applauded.

“No, you should be more concerned about me,” Song Yu howled to the sky. “No one in this world cares about me. I’m so pitiful.”

“‘Even the person who hurt you still cares about you.‘” Yu Dongxi casually repeated a pun she had seen before dying. She swore she just said it out of habit.

Song Yu was momentarily stunned, then suddenly burst into cruel, inhuman laughter.

Yu Dongxi immediately took two steps back with a look of disgust. What a damn embarrassing laugh.

“Stop laughing, man, I’m scared.”

Song Yu laughed uncontrollably, his horrific laughter echoing through the desolate courtyard.

So damn scary.

Mom, I want to go home, I’m scared.

“All right, all right, I won’t laugh anymore, hahahaha… no more laughing, hahahaha…” Song Yu said intermittently that he wouldn’t laugh, but was actually laughing so hard he couldn’t straighten up.

“Damn you, ^[1]“Venting your anger is just for fun, but farting depends on your mouth” means: “Letting out gas is just for a laugh, but when it comes to talking nonsense, your mouth is the real … Continue readingventing through your butt is just for laughs, but real nonsense still comes out of your mouth.” Yu Dongxi circled behind Song Yu, one hand grabbing his neck, the other covering his mouth. “Trust me, quickly think through all the sad things from your life and death, I’m begging you.”

Song Yu coughed from laughing too hard. With both their efforts, they finally stopped what seemed like endless laughter.

“Cough, cough, okay, let’s get to business.” Song Yu adjusted his collar, trying to look serious.

Although it probably didn’t help much.

Yu Dongxi decided that once she got her first month’s salary, she’d report him to a mental hospital.

Oh, and send Qiu Sui in there with him, a bonus task.

Hopefully there’s a group discount.

“Tell me, what’s the business?” Yu Dongxi decided to settle accounts with him later and focus on the matter at hand.

“To find my great-uncle’s soul and bring him back,” Song Yu said seriously. Suddenly, Yu Dongxi felt a little unfamiliar with him.

“How do we find him?”

“Normally, we should start looking from where he was born,” Song Yu said, leading the way toward the mansion’s front door. “But in this situation, obviously reason doesn’t work. Forget it, just follow me.”

“You say that so powerfully, but,” Yu Dongxi paused, “it’s as useless as farting.”

Song Yu couldn’t help laughing a few times. To prevent him from laughing uncontrollably again, Yu Dongxi quickly pinched his side from behind. Tsk, she really was a good person, repaying resentment with kindness, a model to all!

Yu Dongxi followed behind Song Yu as he pushed the door open. With a creak, the door hinge—unused for years—made a horrifying sound. Perhaps long ago, children had once played and laughed in front of this door.

Inside the towering mansion, a chilling coldness swept in, making Yu Dongxi shiver uncontrollably.

Song Yu stood in front of her, shielding most of the cold wind. Stray hairs swayed in the breeze.

At that moment, Yu Dongxi was speechless, inside the abandoned mansion, everything looked bleak.

Opening the door revealed a scene of ruin and decay. Dust piled on the stairs leading to the second floor, sofas and wooden chairs lay scattered and toppled. An old clock ticked steadily. Suddenly, an owl-shaped clock figure poked its head out from the clock, letting out a hoarse cry.

That owl clock… Yu Dongxi had taken an elective course on antique appraisal in college. Later, when she did treasure appraisal live streams, she closely followed many treasures’ movements domestically and abroad. She clearly remembered that this owl clock had been mysteriously bought by a wealthy businessman around 1930.

What was the headline back then? Oh, it used the phrase “worth a fortune.”

Luxurious, truly luxurious.

On the wall by the stairs to the second floor hung a portrait. Everyone in the painting looked very serious, it was probably a family photo.

After death, darkness no longer feels like a foggy haze as it does in life. Instead, after death, people have excellent vision in the dark, so ghosts wandering the world mostly move at night.

With a loud “bang,” the lamp hanging from the ceiling fell down, glass shattering like fireworks.

Yu Dongxi couldn’t help but blurt out, “Holy shit.” The next second, the door behind them slammed shut with a hoarse creak that stood out sharply in the empty house, making hearts skip a beat.

Yu Dongxi felt as if a line of Sadako-like ghosts were standing right behind her. Fear twisted inside her chest, making it hard even to take a step. Every horror movie she had ever seen suddenly came alive in that moment.

“Abnormal magnetic field fluctuations detected nearby. Current illusion space code: K40379. Warning: Death within the illusion space will result in death in the real world.”

A cold mechanical voice sounded, low and tinged with impatience—and the fatigue of being woken up for overtime at midnight. The voice seemed to come from a distant horizon. Yu Dongxi had never seen anything like this before, it was no lie to say she was scared.

“What does that mean?” Yu Dongxi noticed Song Yu’s hand pressing on her temple and brushed it away.

“After death, illusions can be created. The longer someone’s been dead, the more realistic the illusion space they create,” Song Yu explained. Then his usual unreliable tone came back: “Tsk, you’re really lucky. On your first day at work, you get to be locked in an illusion space with the most badass guy from the underworld. But it looks like your partner doesn’t really like you.”

“Thanks, I don’t deserve this kind of luck. By the way, what do you mean by ‘partner’?”

“That voice you just heard in your head? Now the underworld is getting smart, using something popular called… a personal system?”

Yu Dongxi roughly understood. “So our current mission is to escape this illusion space?”

“That’s right.”

“How do we escape?”

Song Yu shook his head. “Hard to say. Every spirit’s attachment is different, so the way out varies. Just remember one thing—survive until the end.”

“What did that voice mean just now?”

“That was the code name for this illusion space.” As soon as Song Yu finished speaking, a strong white light flashed, and for a moment, Yu Dongxi’s eyes went blind.

Yu Dongxi: “…”

Just before losing consciousness, she heard Song Yu’s voice: “The game has begun. Make sure you survive, or Qiu Sui will come after me.”

Yu Dongxi’s last thought was: This guy really won’t stop talking.

Yu Dongxi seemed to have a long dream. In the dream, she recalled past events.

Things from her life.

She remembered the first time she met Qiu Sui was when she was in kindergarten. At that time, Qiu Sui’s father had just been dismissed and arrested for illegal transportation. Qiu Sui’s mother was missing. With no relatives, Qiu Sui was eventually sent to an orphanage.

That orphanage was near Yu Dongxi’s home.

The orphanage director was a good friend of Yu Dongxi’s grandfather, which is how Yu Dongxi and Qiu Sui came to know each other.

At that time, Qiu Sui didn’t talk to anyone and always wore a cold expression toward everyone. Yu Dongxi wasn’t afraid of rejection at all. Like an enthusiastic little puppy, no matter how many times she was pushed away, she would wag her tail and come back to the other person.

She would tell them, “Don’t be afraid. You still have me. You’re never truly alone.”

Whenever Yu Dongxi thought back to their childhood days, she couldn’t help but think of the phrase “^[2]“Things remain, but people change” means that while the surroundings, objects, or places may stay the same, the people connected to them—whether their feelings, relationships, or even … Continue readingthings remain, but people change.”

Some meetings are destined to end in parting.

If life were only as it was at first sight, all the rights and wrongs would be unforgettable.

Morning light streamed through the window, shining on Yu Dongxi’s face. The sunlight stung her eyes, and she raised her hand to cover them. A bit of moisture gathered at the corner of her eye, sticking to her wrist.

Yu Dongxi wiped the corner of her eye. Now she felt calm and unshaken. The most terrifying thing in life is losing one’s life.

Moreover, she no longer even had this life—so what was there to fear?

Yu Dongxi looked around. This was a vintage Chinese-style room, with an antique feel. She was lying on a bed, and the sheets, duvet, and the bed itself all had the style of the Republican Era.

Outside the window was a small open-air balcony. Yu Dongxi pushed the quilt aside and discovered she was wearing a white long nightgown. The fabric was fluffy and soft, much like the kind princesses wore in the foreign movies she watched as a child.

Yu Dongxi walked barefoot and opened the small door to the balcony. This was probably the fourth floor. Looking down, the entire courtyard was in full view, making her heart feel wide open. The air was fresh, without the haze of modern cities. Everything was so natural that it lifted her spirits.

The courtyard was still the same courtyard, but the withered branches and roots had become lush and full of life—just as Yu Dongxi had imagined.

But was that old mansion really this tall?

The trees in the courtyard were green and flourishing. Around the fountain, the flowerbeds were planted with red roses—actually, most of the bouquets in the courtyard were roses.

Perhaps the owner was a rose lover.

While Yu Dongxi was lost in thought, a knock suddenly sounded on the door. A voice came from outside, somewhat old and frail: “Miss, it’s time for breakfast.”

Yu Dongxi was startled awake.

She didn’t dare speak. Suddenly, she remembered what the steward next door had told her before she woke up:

Every illusion space has a different way to be broken.

“I’m coming,” Yu Dongxi answered loudly.

Then, the old, cold voice sounded outside the door again. It sounded very much like… an AI-generated voice, in short, lacking the usual emotional fluctuations of human speech.

“Miss, your clothes are on the sofa, all prepared for you in advance.”

After that, there was no more sound.

“In an illusion space, what you need to do is push the plot forward and find out who the true owner of the illusion space is. Be especially careful: once the owner realizes that he is inside an illusion space, the space will begin to collapse.” This voice was the tired, working-person’s voice Yu Dongxi had heard before entering the illusion space.

“Collapse? What happens after it collapses?” Yu Dongxi was extremely curious.

The system voice was silent for a moment. “Nobody knows. So far, no one has ever survived after an illusion space collapses, so no one knows what happens after the collapse.”

Yu Dongxi nodded. “Then just don’t let it collapse.”

Brother System: “…Hmm.”

“Actually, what does it matter if it collapses?”

Brother System suddenly grew serious: “You have to understand, this isn’t a game. If you die inside the illusion space, you will also die in the real world.”

This made Yu Dongxi laugh: “Hey, I’m already dead.”

“No, I mean soul death. Your current death is just a death in the illusion space. If your soul dies, then you can never be reincarnated again.”

“Oh, if I can’t, then I can’t,” Yu Dongxi shrugged indifferently. “To be honest, when I was alive, I was a firm materialist. From the moment I realized people die, I kept preparing myself mentally. I wanted to live my limited life without regrets and without holding back. To be honest, I never believed in some damn next life. Besides…”

Yu Dongxi paused: “People’s hearts are too wicked.”

Brother System was silent, then after a moment said, “But my duty is to protect you, not to let you die.”

“Got it. For your honorary certificate, I’ll try my best to keep living.”

Brother System would never admit he was slightly touched just now.

“So, we’re basically partners, right?” Yu Dongxi asked, hearing Brother System’s voice echoing in her mind.

That voice sighed softly inside her head and said, “Looks like it. If nothing unexpected happens, we’ll probably be working together for fifty years. Of course, I hope there’s some surprises in between.”

“Bro, don’t be so negative. Stick with me — as long as I have a meal, you’ll have a bowl to wash.”

“…Keep your voice down, that doesn’t sound very dignified.”

“So, as my partner, what can you do? And what should I do?”

“There’s something called Baidu on your human world. Besides helping you perceive the illusion space, I can act like an encyclopedia, trying my best to help you solve any problems you encounter on the job.”

“Got it, Brother ^[3]Baidu is a Chinese technology company best known for its search engine, which is often called the “Google of China.” It offers internet-related services, AI (artificial intelligence), and … Continue readingBaidu. If I run out of toilet paper, can I call you?”

Brother Baidu: “…”

“I’m not called… forget it, you can call me whatever you want.” Brother Baidu ignored Yu Dongxi’s question and chose to stay silent, but before fully quieting, he made sure to explain his job: “You just need to resonate with me with your mind. No need to speak out loud.”

“Oh, got it. You little guy, you know eight out of ten things we say aren’t exactly honorable.”

Brother System decided to stay completely silent.

Yu Dongxi walked toward the sofa, saying, “Don’t worry, it’s just a small setback. Let me take a look, and I’ll definitely wipe them out completely.”

Brother System: “…” This partner’s confidence scared him.

“Tsk, do you think these clothes might hide some clues? Or maybe they put silver needles inside the clothes? No, I can’t act rashly. I have to stay alert.” Based on years of experience in reasoning games (script murder), Yu Dongxi instinctively felt these clothes were not that simple.

“There’s no need to be so cautious,” Brother System reminded her. “Illusion spaces aren’t escape rooms. There’s no need to design so many traps.”

“You’re right. So I’ve decided. I’m going out just like this.” Yu Dongxi stopped looking at the clothes on the sofa. Who could guarantee there were no tricks? It’s better not to choose than to choose wrong from the start.

Yu Dongxi pushed the door open, deciding to go out. At the very moment she opened the door, a voice sounded from behind her.

“Who are you?”

Brother System’s heart tightened. Damn, he forgot to tell Yu Dongxi about this.

Just as Brother System was about to speak, Yu Dongxi calmly turned around and smiled at the man climbing up from downstairs, saying, “Is your family always this rude to guests?”

The man was dressed in a casual suit. He looked young, probably still a student, with an unshaken youthful air. His skin was fair and smooth, like a pampered young master.

“You… why have I never seen you before?” The man blushed and stammered, clearly not expecting Yu Dongxi to respond so calmly. “And why do you have the right to stay in my sister’s room?!”

In his entire life, no girl had ever spoken so fluently to him!

“Oh really? I’ve never seen you either. Who are you?” Yu Dongxi looked at him and her expression turned cold. “As for why I’m staying in this room, go ask your elders to explain.”

“You… I don’t believe it. Grandma would never let a stranger live in my sister’s room!”

“Uh huh, so what? Kill me then.” Yu Dongxi’s disbelief was practically written all over her face. Not choosing to study education back then was a wise decision, with her patience, she could easily crush the future hopes of the country.

“You… you’re just unreasonable!” The man—no, the boy—stiffened his neck, as if wanting to insult her but not knowing what to say.

“You little bastard, while your sister’s still in a good mood, you better scram.” Yu Dongxi was someone who never stopped once she started insulting. To put it simply, once she started cursing, she wouldn’t stop. In her live stream, she couldn’t curse directly because it was forbidden, so she usually used expressions instead.

After saying that, Yu Dongxi pulled the door wide open, clearly signaling the man to leave.

The man froze, his face turning pale and red by turns, his ears bright red. He looked up at Yu Dongxi once, then jumped back down the way he came. Yu Dongxi glared toward the terrace and said, “Kids these days have no manners. Do you think it’s okay to just walk into the room of an unmarried single woman?”

Brother System was silent for a moment, then said, “Sorry, that’s my fault. I forgot to tell you earlier that everyone in the illusion space has a fixed identity tag. Your current identity tag is that of a business owner from abroad doing business with the Song family.”

“Got it,” Yu Dongxi paused, her expression growing serious. “But now there’s a more urgent problem in front of us.”

Hearing this, Brother System couldn’t help but become nervous: “What?”

“I’ve never been a business owner! Damn, a perfect cosplayer at least learns about their character’s background before cosplaying, right? Come on, give me the identity briefing.”

Brother System: “…Not yet. It will be provided gradually later.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, fine, fine. Raising the game difficulty.”

“Don’t be nervous.” Brother System decided to encourage this newbie.

“Nervous? Haha, please, I’m such an amazing and perfect person entering the illusion space. The ones who should be nervous are those NPCs.”

Brother System: “…”

He really talks too much.

“Alright, time to work.” Yu Dongxi grabbed a vintage-looking long coat from the clothes rack, slipping it on with flair and ease. The coat reached her calves. She held the coat tightly, completely covering her upper body.

By the shoe rack was a pair of sunglasses. Yu Dongxi put them on, tossed her head, and said: “Game on!”

A strange, almost embarrassing feeling quietly welled up in Brother System’s heart.

Brother System: “…”

Yu Dongxi walked through the long corridor. It was very eerie—there wasn’t a single sound in the hallway, so quiet it was almost creepy.

Yu Dongxi turned back to look at the door. Next to the door handle were several bloody handprints.

Yu Dongxi coughed a few times. Behind her calm and indifferent demeanor, her hairs stood on end in an instant.

Of course, on the surface, Yu Dongxi looked very relaxed, as if completely unaffected by the surrounding environment.

“Where’s the dining room?” Yu Dongxi was currently on the fourth floor.

“On the first floor,” Brother System replied.

Yu Dongxi nodded and headed to the stairwell, walking down.

When she was alive, Yu Dongxi had been physically weak, after falling ill, her physical strength hit rock bottom. She didn’t expect it to be the same after death. After just descending a few floors, she was already gasping for breath.

“Baidu, I’m not joking. Do you have any cheats that can let me move without walking?”

Brother System: “…No.”

Yu Dongxi resigned herself to continue walking down. She felt her stamina after death was even worse than when she was alive. Even alive, she wouldn’t be so weak as to be out of breath after just a few flights of stairs—

Except during the last days before she almost died.

Finally, she reached the first floor. Yu Dongxi stood still for a moment before recovering.

“You… okay?” Brother System asked.

Although Yu Dongxi’s face was pale and her lips trembled, looking like she might faint any moment—

She shook her head to show she was fine.

If her lips weren’t so pale and her face so ghastly, her words would have been more convincing.

“Miss Yu, this way please.” From somewhere came a woman in an apron. Her face was gloomy, her eyes yellowed, silver hair neatly tied back, her expression stiff.

Yu Dongxi looked toward the first floor. The owl clock was still hanging on the wall—not old or worn as before.

Following the direction the woman pointed, Yu Dongxi soon heard the sound of women quarrelling.

“Strange, it was so quiet just a moment ago,” Yu Dongxi silently thought.

“Yeah, the illusion space is different from the dimension we live in. Many things can’t be explained by normal logic,” Brother System explained.

Yu Dongxi stopped outside the kitchen. Inside, three women wore noticeably finer clothes than the others: one in a blue cheongsam, one in a green cheongsam, and a young girl dressed in a stylish, Chanel-inspired outfit. The rest wore similar clothing to the apron woman but varied in age.

“The woman in the blue ^[4]cheongsam is a traditional Chinese dress for women, also known as qipao. It’s usually a close-fitting dress with a high collar and side slits, often made of silk or embroidered fabric, showing … Continue readingcheongsam is the family’s second wife, Zhang Huiyun. The one in green is the third wife, Wen Shujun. They are sisters-in-law. The girl is the second wife’s youngest daughter, Song Ke,” Brother System explained.

Watching the busy scene in the kitchen, Yu Dongxi thought to herself, “What exactly is this illusion space?”

“It is a space created by the dead based on their memories from when they were alive.”

“So, everything we are seeing now actually happened before?”

Brother System was silent for a moment, then answered ambiguously, “Maybe.”

“Miss Yu?” Song Ke saw Yu Dongxi and was briefly surprised. After noticing Yu Dongxi’s outfit, her expression became strange, but she quickly composed herself and immediately took action.

Song Ke first blocked the view of the women in the kitchen. Song Ke was slightly taller and had a bigger frame than Yu Dongxi. The kitchen door wasn’t very big, but since the women inside were chatting loudly and didn’t notice Yu Dongxi’s arrival, Song Ke moved in front of Yu Dongxi, naturally shielding her from the view of those inside.

“Miss Yu, the kitchen smells strongly of cooking fumes. Let me take you for a walk,” Yu Dongxi followed Song Ke as they left. Song Ke gently held Yu Dongxi’s wrist and whispered, “Miss Yu, I’ll take you upstairs to change clothes.”

After saying that, Song Ke quickly led Yu Dongxi upstairs.

Song Ke’s room was on the third floor. According to the layout, Yu Dongxi’s and Song Ke’s rooms were directly opposite each other vertically.

Song Ke rummaged through the wardrobe for a long time before finally finding a white gauze dress that looked quite expensive.

“Miss Yu, this is my dress, but I haven’t worn it yet. Don’t worry, I usually just keep it in the wardrobe and never take it out, so it’s definitely clean.”

Yu Dongxi smiled at the girl and took the dress. “Alright, thank you.”

Pretending to change clothes, Yu Dongxi suddenly turned her head and looked at Song Ke. “Sorry, may I use your room to change clothes?”

Song Ke was stunned but quickly lowered her head and left the room, muttering softly, “Okay, okay…”

Looking at the dress, Yu Dongxi said, “I suddenly remembered something. Although it’s sudden, I really just realized it…”

Brother System tensed up inside. “What?”

“What about the person who was pulled in with me? That guy from the neighboring department.”

“Don’t worry about him. He’s frighteningly strong,” Brother System said nonchalantly.

“What do I have to be worried about him for? Since he’s frighteningly strong, we should find him quickly. Damn it, it’s because of him that I was pulled in here, and yet he ran off on his own!”

With that, Yu Dongxi briskly changed into the clothes in no time.

After changing, Yu Dongxi opened the door. Song Ke was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Hearing the movement, she immediately straightened up and looked at Yu Dongxi.

“Thank you, it fits very well. I like it a lot,” Yu Dongxi said with a polite smile, looking like a mature, strong woman.

“Miss Yu…” Song Ke started to speak, but was interrupted by a voice.

“Miss Yu, Miss Keke, breakfast is ready.”

It was the same old woman again.

“Granny, is Brother Yu coming back today?”

The woman called Granny looked somewhat stiff. She slowly turned her gaze to Song Ke’s face, speaking slowly and in an old voice, “Young Master Yu? Young Master Yu is already waiting for you two in the dining room. Besides Young Master Yu, there’s also Second Master, Third Master, Second Madam, Third Madam, and Fifth Young Master.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Granny slowly shifted her gaze to Yu Dongxi, her voice flat and emotionless: “Miss Yu, don’t you like the clothes I prepared?”

The pressure was overwhelming, mainly because she didn’t look like a living person.

Yu Dongxi’s breath caught, and she said, “I accidentally got it dirty.”

Granny nodded and said, “Then I will prepare another outfit for you later.”

Yu Dongxi and Song Ke followed Granny downstairs. Song Ke looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t. Yu Dongxi slowed her pace slightly, and as Song Ke passed by her, Yu Dongxi heard her whisper almost inaudibly, “Don’t drink the tea Granny prepared for you!”

After reaching downstairs, Yu Dongxi followed Granny toward the dining room. At the huge double doors, Granny stopped, then pushed the doors open.

Facing away from Yu Dongxi was a figure in a white shirt. The morning sunlight slanted through the window, casting a gentle halo on the person.

That person’s hands were clasped under their chin. Hearing the sound, they turned their face, smiled faintly, and though their eyes were covered, Yu Dongxi still felt their gaze resting on her.