“What utter nonsense are you spouting!”

“Nonsense?” The twins descended from the third floor in tandem. The elder sister, her hair cascading down her back, lifted her chin and pointed an accusing finger at Qiao Yu. “My sister and I were on our way downstairs to cleanse ourselves in the shower. The moment we stepped out, we saw you loitering at the door, striking deliberately seductive poses. You didn’t even bother to knock; you simply flung the door open and barged in.”

“That’s the truth of it,” the younger sister, her hair cropped short, regarded Qiao Yu and Liu Yanliang with unconcealed disdain. “Birds of a feather flock together, wouldn’t you say? My wager is that she attempted to ensnare him with her charms, and when her efforts proved futile, she emerged to exact her petty revenge.”

“You’re fabricating lies!” Qiao Yu retorted sharply. “How dare you two little brats utter such vile accusations? You possess absolutely no manners!”

“I… you… Are you insinuating that I orchestrated this entire charade, playing the part of the falsely accused?”

“We stated no such thing,” the sisters exchanged knowing glances. “We are merely recounting the facts as we witnessed them with our own eyes.”

Qiao Yu’s gaze swept over the shifting expressions of the assembled crowd, and her agitation mounted. “Why do you refuse to believe me? He was the one who subjected me to his brutish behavior! Why won’t you—”

“Care to guess what that esteemed gentleman uttered to me when he so gallantly barred my way at the door?” Ding Yi turned her head to regard Qin Yuan, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes. “He declared that you were not a ‘good person,’ and that my chances of survival would be significantly enhanced by aligning myself with him.”

Qin Yuan fixed Liu Yanliang with a look of utter revulsion, as if he had just encountered something unspeakably foul. He then flicked his gaze away, his brow furrowing as he regarded Ding Yi’s neck. “And then… he assaulted you?”

“Hmm, let me recall,” Ding Yi mused for a moment. “Ah, yes. I remember him becoming… agitated. Like a cornered mutt whose tail had been trodden upon, he suddenly lashed out, attempting to bite anyone within reach.”

“Ah, but now I remember with perfect clarity.”

Ding Yi fixed Qiao Yu with a steady gaze, and with each word she uttered, a precise strike. “He stated, with utmost conviction, that he had nothing inappropriate happening with ‘that woman,’ and if it worries me, he was prepared to sever all ties and never see her again.”

Each syllable Ding Yi uttered was akin to a finely honed blade piercing Qiao Yu’s heart. She whipped her head around to glare at Liu Yanliang, her eyes brimming with resentment and fury, her breath coming in ragged gasps, utterly incapable of forming a coherent word.

“Isn’t it completely absurd? I don’t even know the man’s name. What objection could I possibly have?”

“Just what manner of existence must one lead to possess such unshakeable confidence? Is it simply a matter of unadulterated shamelessness?”

Liu Yanliang, his lower regions still throbbing with protest, fixed Ding Yi with a baleful glare. Gritting his teeth, he shoved past the assembled onlookers with ill-concealed displeasure, retreated into his room, and slammed the door shut with resounding force. He didn’t so much as spare a fleeting glance for Qiao Yu from beginning to end.

“Well now, your paramour has retreated to his room. Aren’t you going to offer him some much-needed solace?

The elder twin sister covered her mouth with a delicate hand, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “It appears our esteemed sister just delivered a rather… significant blow to his ego.”

The younger twin sister chimed in with a giggle. “Indeed. Now would be the opportune moment for you to shower him with comfort and assist him in the arduous task of rebuilding his shattered masculine confidence.”

Qiao Yu was still trembling uncontrollably, but this time, it was no mere performance.

She felt as though she had been stripped bare, her most vulnerable self exposed to the scrutiny of all present.

Her entry into this strange and frightening world stemmed from the catastrophic collapse of her ex-boyfriend’s business. In a frantic effort to ease his struggles, she foolishly maxed out her credit cards and even took the extreme step of obtaining a nude loan.

She had clung fiercely to the belief that as long as she could help her ex-boyfriend navigate his financial straits, a bright and joyous future awaited them, culminating in the idyllic family she so desperately craved.

Little did she know that her ex-boyfriend had crafted a web of deception. There had never been any genuine business venture. He had vanished with all the borrowed funds, disappearing without a trace. The relentless pressure from creditors had ultimately thrust her into this frightening and unpredictable new world.

Liu Yanliang was someone she had encountered during her second instance. He had been a fellow newbie, possessing a gentle and gentlemanly demeanor. He… he had seemed like a genuinely good person.

He had remained steadfastly by her side throughout that harrowing instance, offering words of comfort and unwavering encouragement.

He was a good person.

He simply desired to survive. Everything that had transpired between them had indeed been consensual on her part.

But… but how could things have devolved into this current, humiliating spectacle?

“Why do you all refuse to believe me?!” Qiao Yu gritted her teeth, her voice laced with desperate insistence. “I am not lying! That man… he bullied me!”

“You?” Qin Yuan’s voice was edged with annoyance. “Just what manner of fool do you take me for?”

---

The farcical drama finally concluded with Qiao Yu’s panicked flight.

Ding Yi, having just settled onto the bed, felt the exhaustion weighing heavily on her limbs, yet her mind remained sharp and active. “Can anyone truly gather all the stars and depart this place to have their wishes fulfilled?”

Qin Yuan, who had stretched out on the sofa, responded with his eyes still closed. “Too many have.”

“Will those individuals ever return here after they leave?”

“Of course. As long as a fervent desire persists, their wishes can be heard by the new world.”

“Will those who have departed the new world retain any memory of the events that transpired here?”

“No. Upon leaving this realm, their memories of the new world will fade, and their wishes will manifest as if by a miracle.”

Ding Yi pondered this for a moment, then inquired, “Will individuals who enter the new world for a second time possess the memories of their previous experience?”

Qin Yuan’s eyes flickered open. He sat up, regarding Ding Yi, who lay on the bed, and asked, “What thoughts are currently occupying your mind?”

“Not of myself, but of Liu Yanliang. That fellow I subdued earlier. He mentioned that this was his second time entering the new world.”

The moment Qin Yuan registered this information, his interest visibly waned, and even his mood seemed to darken.

After a brief silence hung in the air, he suddenly posed a question. “Just what exactly are you?”

“And what brought you to the New World in the first place?”

The only response he received was the even, shallow rhythm of her breathing, indicating she had already drifted off to sleep.

Late into the night, a pungent stench, the unmistakable odor of wild animals, abruptly intruded upon Ding Yi’s slumber.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

The distinct sound of water droplets striking the quilt and the floor was undeniably different.

A cold drop landed squarely on her forehead, jolting her awake.

She reached up to touch it, and before she could even register the water stain on her hand, a powerful coppery scent assaulted her nostrils – a viscous stream of blood was seeping from the ceiling, flowing steadily into their room.

Ding Yi reacted instantly, leaping out of bed and rushing towards the door.

At this hour, the first faint tendrils of dawn were beginning to paint the sky, and the entire building was enveloped in an eerie silence.

Just as Ding Yi was about to ascend to the third floor, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the quiet from the room at the far end of the corridor.

Bang—

The door was not secured, but due to the force with which Ding Yi flung it open, it slammed violently against the wall, producing a muffled thud.

Inside the room, Qiao Yu, completely naked, had rolled off the bed, disturbed by the incessant dripping of blood onto the sheets. Liu Yanliang, jolted awake by the commotion, sat up with an impatient curse. He caught sight of Ding Yi standing in the doorway and immediately yanked the quilt up to shield himself.

When he looked up again, he discovered that Ding Yi, who had been standing in the doorway, had already departed, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

However, Qiao Yu’s piercing scream had already achieved its purpose; the other occupants who were still lost in slumber were also jolted awake and began to emerge from their rooms one after another.

Ding Yi reached the third floor and couldn’t suppress a frown as she observed the thick, dark blood oozing from the crack beneath one of the doors.

“Open the door and take a look.”

Qin Yuan, who had materialized seemingly from nowhere, offered a light yawn. His characteristic air of nonchalant relaxation caused the others who trailed closely behind Ding Yi to cast curious glances in his direction.

The moment the door creaked open, a potent wave of the raw, musky odor of wild animals, mingled with the cloying stench of fresh blood, assaulted their senses.

The first horrifying sight that greeted them was two headless corpses sprawled on the floor. Not only were their heads missing, but their bodies had undergone a grotesque transformation – the limbs of the one closest to the door had twisted into black cow hooves, and its skin had taken on the rough texture of bovine hide.

The other, lying half on the bed, was covered in short, coarse black-brown hair, its limbs also contorted into the cloven hooves of a black sheep.

Despite these horrifying animalistic transformations, a lingering trace of their humanity remained disturbingly evident.

“Their heads… where in the world did their heads go?” One of the people who were standing at the door asked, his voice trembling uncontrollably. “Were they… eaten?”

“Y-you… look at the wall. I was in this room yesterday. When I came in yesterday… those two heads weren’t on the wall.”