The calm after a storm is often more unsettling than the storm itself.

After that multi-fragmented conflict that nearly shattered his soul, Xie Chen fell into a long silence. He no longer tried to "appease" or "eliminate" the echoes, nor did he aggressively demand that Su Nian prove anything. He spent most of his time sitting in that large chair, resting with his eyes closed, or dealing with some virtual files that flickered with a ghostly blue light, transmitted from who-knows-where. The suffocating oppressive aura surrounding him seemed to have subsided considerably, but in its place was a deeper, more unfathomable silence.

The pale blue energy field in the room remained stable, but it no longer carried the obvious aggressiveness and imprisoning intent as before. It was more like a... silent domain of surveillance and protection.

Su Nian gained unprecedented "freedom." She could move freely in the master bedroom and the adjoining bathroom. Xie Chen even allowed 088 to connect to the room's restricted network, allowing her to browse some trivial news or read e-books—of course, all communication and information transmission functions were completely locked.

This is a more sophisticated form of imprisonment. The physical chains have disappeared, but the invisible cage has become stronger as it begins to try to contain her spirit, giving her limited comfort so that she can more easily "get used to" it, or even... "become dependent."

Su Nian remained vigilant. She knew perfectly well what undercurrents lurked beneath the calm surface. Xie Chen's eyes, which occasionally opened to look at her, were no longer filled with a raging storm, but in their unfathomable darkness lay a more focused scrutiny, as if he were reassessing and calculating.

He was observing her. He was observing what she would do, what she would say, and what true emotions she would reveal in a relatively "free" state.

[Host, this is the calm before the storm!] 088, while crunching on virtual potato chips redeemed with points, analyzed with concern, [According to this system's scan of the billions of romance novel databases, this kind of situation usually means the big boss is brewing something big!]

"I know," Su Nian replied in her mind, shifting her gaze from the e-book screen in her hand to Xie Chen, who was resting with his eyes closed in the distance. His quiet profile, in the dim light, was sharply defined, revealing a kind of fragile handsomeness that was completely different from his previous crazy and obsessive image.

But this sense of vulnerability only made Su Nian more vigilant. It was like a beast retracting its claws; it didn't mean it had become docile, but rather that it was preparing for a more deadly attack.

Days passed in this eerie stillness. Su Nian tried her best to appear "normal." She ate and rested on time, read, and even occasionally stared out the window, revealing a faint melancholy and bewilderment befitting her "trapped" status. She carefully controlled her interactions with Xie Chen, neither deliberately getting close nor obviously distancing herself, maintaining a fragile, tacit balance.

However, she discovered that Xie Chen also seemed to be undergoing some inexplicable change.

He remained silent, but that silence was no longer purely cold. Sometimes, Su Nian would catch a fleeting hint of confusion in his eyes when he looked at her. Especially when she inadvertently revealed subtle habits related to some fragmented world—

For example, when she brews tea, she subconsciously taps the rim of the cup three times with her finger, just like in a fantasy world. That was the starting gesture of the meditation method that the immortal lord taught her.

For example, when she sees a flock of birds flying by outside the window, her eyes will momentarily go blank, as if she can see through them the eternally gray sky outside the vampire castle.

These subtle habits, which she herself might not even be aware of, seemed to resonate extremely faintly with the fragments within Xie Chen. She could see his fingers resting on the armrest unconsciously curl up, or a barely perceptible ripple appear in the energy field around him.

He no longer forcibly suppressed these resonances, but let them exist, and then... observed Su Nian's reaction, and also observed his own reaction.

That evening, Su Nian was leaning back on the sofa reading a book on psychology, trying to better understand Xie Chen's complex mental state. Xie Chen had finished his "work" at some point, silently walked over to the carpet next to her, sat down right next to her feet, and closed his eyes.

He didn't touch her, or even look at her, but simply stayed close, like a weary traveler who had finally found a relatively safe place to rest for the time being.

Su Nian's body tensed instantly, and she almost dropped the e-book. Looking down, she could see the shadows cast by his thick eyelashes beneath his eyes, and the clearly defined collarbone beneath his slightly open collar in his relaxed state. His breathing was steady; it seemed he really was just taking a short nap beside her.

This unguarded, almost dependent approach made Su Nian's heart pound more than any previous forceful confinement.

【What does he mean by this? Is it a new kind of test?】088 was also stunned, forgetting to eat his potato chips.

Su Nian froze on the spot, afraid to move. She could feel his body temperature, slightly higher than usual (perhaps the aftermath of the fragment collision), and smell his complex and unique scent, a mixture of cold woody fragrance and a faint trace of blood. This overly intimate distance made her heart race uncontrollably, and her cheeks flush slightly.

Should she push him away? Or should she maintain this eerie "calm"?

Just as Su Nian was struggling internally, Xie Chen suddenly spoke in a low voice, his voice hoarse as if he had just woken up and a hint of... confusion.

"Why..." he murmured, as if in a dream, or perhaps asking her, "...why do those fragments become... quiet when they hear you humming that tune?"

Su Nian was suddenly startled.

She did unconsciously hum a tune this afternoon. It was a piece of light music she often hummed beside Xie Chen when he stayed up late training in the e-sports world, a piece she used to help him relax. She didn't even realize she had hummed it aloud.

He heard it? And... the fragments became "quiet" because of it?

This is crucial information! It means that her existence, and certain actions of hers, can truly influence and even "calm" those restless fragments of the soul! This is more effective than any of her previous "performances"!

Su Nian suppressed the shock in her heart and tried her best to make her voice sound calm and natural: "Maybe... it's just a coincidence. It's just a very ordinary piece of music."

Xie Chen slowly opened his eyes. He didn't look up, his gaze fixed on a point in the void, his eyes still carrying that lingering confusion, but deep within them shone a rational analytical light.

“It’s not a coincidence.” He denied it decisively. “The Heart-Cleansing Mantra of the Immortal World, the Requiem of the Vampire Castle, the Sacrificial Dance of the Slave Dynasty… and the one just now.” He listed the ways Su Nian had used to “appease” him in different worlds, his tone as calm as if he were analyzing data. “They act on different fragments, with varying degrees of effect, but the trend is the same—reducing agitation and improving ‘my’ efficiency in integrating the fragment’s power.”

Su Nian's heart skipped a beat. He was actually analyzing and recording all of this so calmly! He quantified all the things she had done, whether they were sincere or not, into "reassurance efficiency"!

This feeling was more inexplicable than being possessed by him... a sense of humiliation and chilling disheartenment.

"So what?" she couldn't help but ask with a hint of sarcasm. "Are you collecting data to optimize your 'soul integration plan'? What do you take me for? A special medicine specifically for your soul?"

Xie Chen finally raised his head and looked at her. His eyes had returned to their usual deep and calm state, but the confusion in them did not seem to have completely disappeared; it was just suppressed beneath a layer of ice.

“You are the only variable,” he stated, his gaze sharp, “and, as it stands, the most effective ‘stabilizer’.”

“Stabilizer…” Su Nian repeated the word, feeling a chill run up her spine. Looking into his calm, almost cruel eyes, she realized for the first time that beneath his seemingly insane exterior lay an extremely rational core, one that would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

He needed her, not because she was Su Nian, but because she could "stabilize" his shattered soul.

Then what were all her previous struggles, all her tests, even that desperate embrace and the unanswered questions, in his eyes? Were they just auxiliary means to enhance the "efficacy" of the drug?

A profound sense of disappointment and powerlessness gripped her. She thought she was prying away at the ice, touching the truth, only to discover that beneath that ice lay perhaps a deeper, colder abyss.

She suddenly stood up, moved away from where he was leaning, turned her back to him, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

Xie Chen watched her retreating figure, a fleeting expression of confusion flashing in his eyes. He seemed not to understand why she had suddenly reacted so strongly.

“You’re angry,” he concluded, his tone still calm.

Su Nian didn't turn around, but took a deep breath, trying to calm her surging emotions.

"No," she heard herself answer in the same calm voice, "I'm just tired and want to rest."

She walked to the large bed, buried herself in the covers, and blocked his view.

Xie Chen remained seated on the carpet, staring at the bulge on the bed, motionless for a long time. His energy field remained as stable as ever, but his slightly furrowed brows and the persistent, subtle confusion in his eyes indicated that he was not entirely unaffected.

The peace was broken.

Not in a violent storm, but in a quieter, yet perhaps more profound, way—a new rift appears not in his soul, but in the already fragile relationship between them.

He got the "stabilizer" data he wanted.

Yet it seems that he is losing something he doesn't yet understand, but instinctively feels is important.

[Host...] 088 whispered, [This system feels that he... doesn't seem that happy?]

Su Nian kept her eyes closed and did not answer.

The animal tamer finally saw part of the beast's true nature, only to discover that its nature was far more complex and... chilling than she had imagined.

(End of Chapter 160)