"Um."

Zhou Siyu sat on the chair, clutching her clothes, looking down at her toes.

"Here, take this." Yu Wei magically pulled a candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, gently pinched Zhou Siyu's chin, and put the candy in his mouth. "You're not allowed to be unhappy while eating this candy."

"You're so annoying." Zhou Siyu turned her face away, rubbing her cheeks and complaining, "You've squeezed them all out of shape."

"It's not made of dough, it's not that easy to deform." Yu Wei straightened his coat as he walked out. "There are books on the bookshelf, you can read if you're bored. I'll try to come back as soon as possible..."

"Yu Wei." Zhou Siyu called out to Yu Wei, quickly ran to his side, and hugged his waist: "Please don't go, I'm scared."

"It's safe here, there's nothing to be afraid of."

“There are monsters.” Zhou Siyu bit her lip and buried her face in Yu Wei’s back. “There are monsters everywhere. They are huge and they bite people.”

Where are the monsters?

Yu Wei turned around and looked around. The clean and simple dormitory didn't even have a mouse. Where did this monster come from?

"Yes, it's coming!"

Zhou Siyu suddenly darted behind Yu Wei, pointing tremblingly at the window: "There, a huge monster with wings, its teeth are bigger than my head..."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here, it won't hurt you."

Yu Wei knew that he was starting to have uncontrollable fantasies again, and felt nothing but heartache.

If he could, he would rather bear all of this himself than watch Zhou Siyu harm herself in the illusion.

"Will you take me with you?"

Zhou Siyu gripped Yu Wei's clothes tightly. Even though he kept telling himself it was all fake, when he opened his eyes, he still saw all sorts of monsters.

The densely packed spider-faced creatures, the ubiquitous red snakes, and the enormous, tongue-out human face hanging from the ceiling—each one was stimulating his nerves.

The cramped space was filled with the stench of decay and mold. "Drip, drip," foul-smelling saliva dripped from an outstretched tongue onto the floor.

"Get out of my way!"

Zhou Siyu suddenly shoved Yu Wei aside, staring fiercely ahead while waving her hands incessantly.

Just as he was about to climb onto the window, Yu Wei, who had been pushed to the ground, scrambled to his feet and pounced on Zhou Siyu, grabbing his leg tightly.

Zhou Siyu was pulled to the ground by him. He kicked her several times but couldn't get her away. His eyes became more and more ferocious. He raised his half-clenched hand as if he had a weapon in his hand and brought it down high.

"It's all fake, it's all fake!" Yu Wei pressed his hands behind his back, hugged him tightly, and released pheromones while comforting him: "Listen to me, it's all fake, there are no monsters, nothing at all."

Soothed by the pheromones, Zhou Siyu calmed down considerably, and her scarlet eyes gradually returned to normal.

"Don't be afraid, there are no monsters, don't be afraid..." Yu Wei gently patted Zhou Siyu's back, soothingly saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm here, no monsters will attack you..."

"Yu...Yu Wei, will you take me with you? Even if we just sit outside the conference room, I promise I won't bother you." Zhou Siyu hugged Yu Wei's neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "I feel uneasy if I can't see you."

Before me were monsters of various shapes, and in my ears echoed a cacophony of sounds: cries, pleas, the crackling of flames... a multitude of sounds mixed together, making me feel as if I were in a fire.

"You need to rest." Yu Wei picked up Zhou Siyu and placed him on the single bed, gently massaging his temples while releasing pheromones. "I won't leave. I'll stay here with you and rest, okay?"

"You're lying, you'll definitely run away while I'm asleep."

"I'm not lying to you." Yu Wei took off his coat and shoes, hugged Zhou Siyu and lay down on the bed, covered him with the blanket, and kissed his forehead. "I've been tired for several days, and I can finally get a good night's sleep." After saying that, he yawned, stretched out his vines to turn off the light, and raised his hand to cover Zhou Siyu's eyes. "Close your eyes and go to sleep."

"Mmm." The low, clear voice seemed to have some kind of magic. Zhou Siyu obediently closed her eyes and buried her head in Yu Wei's arms. "Yu Wei, you are so good."

"It's not like you just found out today."

Yu Wei gently patted Zhou Siyu's back, his cool black eyes filled with tenderness.

He heard even breathing coming from his arms. Yu Wei gently removed the arm from his waist, lifted a corner of the blanket, quietly slipped out of bed, picked up his shoes, and tiptoed to the door.

As soon as I put my hand on the doorknob, a chill ran down my spine.

Zhou Siyu, who should have been lying in bed, was holding a dagger to Yu Wei's waist.

Yu Wei was shocked. The shoe in his hand fell to the ground. He had no idea when Zhou Siyu woke up or when she appeared behind him.

The hoarse voice grew even deeper in the darkness, like the whisper of a demon: "Are you going to abandon me too?"

"No, how could that be?"

Yu Wei swallowed hard, then, with his hands behind his back, traced the blade upwards until he touched Zhou Siyu's wrist.

The dagger was pulled back slightly before being pressed against his lower back again. Yu Wei dared not move, his mind racing to find an excuse for his actions: "I just need to go to the bathroom..."

Are you sure?

A warm breath brushed against his ear, and Zhou Siyu slowly rested her head on Yu Wei's shoulder, blowing a breath into his ear, "I told you not to lie to me..."

"I'm not lying to you, really, I just went to the restroom." Afraid that Zhou Siyu wouldn't believe him, Yu Wei opened his communicator and sent a message: "Meeting canceled." Finally, he held it up in front of Zhou Siyu and said, "See, the meeting is canceled. I said I'd spend the night with you, and I definitely will."

"Really?" Zhou Siyu sheathed her dagger, revealing a beautiful smile. She hugged Yu Wei's arm and asked in a soft voice, "Will you really stay with me?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!