Thinking about it carefully, wasn’t this very strange…?

All the people in Qi Xia’s dream had no faces, yet she had one.

The people in the dream had no movements, yet she did.

She could see, hear, and feel.

So she absolutely knew what the “bean sprouts” and “eggplant” she had prepared were.

Compared to her, Qi Xia seemed more like a supporting character in this dream.

His expression was vacant, his demeanor wooden, and he couldn’t even distinguish his surrounding environment.

He would agree to everything the white-clothed girl said, and he would comply with all the orders she gave.

What difference was there between him and those faceless people standing on the street?

“This is bad…”

Xiao Cheng quickly stood up and came to the window, carefully examining that crack.

He took a deep breath, knowing that now there was only one final method left.

He slowly moved his palm and then covered it over that crack.

He could only rely on his own “conviction” now.

Although this was even more absurd than getting Qi Xia to see him, theoretically, he had succeeded before.

Xiao Cheng had lied.

In that middle-aged uncle’s dream, he had pulled up and broken a blade of grass. But immediately feeling somewhat regretful, he placed the broken grass back, then repeatedly said it had been unintentional.

Within a few seconds of releasing his hand, he saw that blade of grass was completely intact.

Yet even so, after that uncle woke up, he remained muddled and confused, as if his mental state had collapsed.

Xiao Cheng often held great fantasies about his “Echo.” If one day he could use “dream invasion” with supernatural skill, then surely not only would every dream’s master be able to see him, but he could also create things at will within dreams—wouldn’t that be wonderful?

But Qi Xia’s dream shattered many of Xiao Cheng’s fantasies. In this dream, what he could accomplish was extremely limited.

If this crack on the glass truly was a fissure in Qi Xia’s mental defense, what would happen if he repaired it?

Xiao Cheng covered it with his palm, closed his eyes slightly, and kept silently repeating in his heart, “This is just a complete piece of glass.”

But before he could even say it three times, his wrist suddenly felt a wave of coldness.

He abruptly opened his eyes and discovered a pale hand gripping his own.

The touch was ice-cold, yet as forceful as pincers.

“Don’t.”

A soft voice drilled into Xiao Cheng’s ear like a ghost from the side.

He turned his head in disbelief and looked at the white-clothed girl before him.

In her hands, she held a plate of chopped and blackened heart, staring at Xiao Cheng with a smile brimming with satisfaction.

“Wh… what?”

Just those two words, and Xiao Cheng’s voice had already cracked. His voice was abnormally hoarse.

“Don’t do unnecessary things.” The white-clothed girl said with a smile. “My name is Yu Nian’an. What’s your name?”

“I… I… Cheng…”

“Xiao Cheng?” Yu Nian’an wore a gentle smile as she moved Xiao Cheng’s hand away from the glass.

Although her movements were slow and gentle, Xiao Cheng felt as if a truck was dragging his arm.

“Come, come over here.”

Although Yu Nian’an’s voice was very soft, Xiao Cheng felt as if he had encountered a soul-claiming demon and couldn’t break free at all.

What kind of bizarre situation was this?

No matter what, the master of a dream couldn’t notice his existence, yet the girl before his eyes seemed to have discovered him long ago.

Why was she more powerful than the master of the dream?

Yu Nian’an dragged Xiao Cheng along as if dragging a piece of paper, bringing him away from the window. Then she placed the plate in her hands before Qi Xia’s eyes and said softly to him, “Xia, the braised eggplant is ready too. You eat first.”

At this moment, Xiao Cheng was trembling all over, almost able to foresee his own death.

“An, aren’t you eating?” Qi Xia asked.

“I have something to take care of.” Yu Nian’an gently patted Qi Xia. “Be good, you eat first.”

Qi Xia nodded and picked up his chopsticks to eat heartily. He never turned his head back, as if completely indifferent to everything happening around him.

“Sister… Sister Yu…” Xiao Cheng called out hoarsely. “I… I have no ill intentions… I just saw that Brother Qi’s condition wasn’t very good… so…”

“But you’re not being honest.” Yu Nian’an said. “What do you want to do?”

Seeing this, Xiao Cheng knew this might be his last chance. Wanting to kill these people in a dream was pure fantasy—he couldn’t even stop their casual wave of a hand, let alone a thrown punch.

“Sister Yu… listen to me. Brother Qi is currently dreaming. His dream has been damaged, and dreams are projections of a person’s psychological state. His mental state has likewise been damaged.” Xiao Cheng tried his best to explain things in just a few words. “I came this time to help Brother Qi patch up the crack in his heart… so I truly have no ill intentions…”

“Oh, patch it up.” Yu Nian’an nodded, then continued pulling Xiao Cheng’s arm toward the kitchen.

With just one turn of her body, Xiao Cheng felt his arm suddenly being twisted. The pain made him shriek and wail, yet there was completely no hope of struggling free.

“Sister Yu! Everything I said is true!”

Xiao Cheng supported his right hand with his left, trying hard not to let his arm be twisted off. But his voice had completely gone hoarse due to excessive fear.

After arriving at the kitchen, Yu Nian’an released her grip, and Xiao Cheng fell to the ground.

But Yu Nian’an didn’t make any other movements. She merely turned on the faucet and began washing the wok.

“Xia is eating outside. Don’t disturb him.” As Yu Nian’an washed the wok with viscous black blood, she asked softly, “After patching up the crack… what will you do then?”

“To… to be completely honest…” Xiao Cheng climbed up from the ground and said with a serious expression, “I feel that after patching up that crack, Brother Qi will recover some rationality, and then I’ll be able to get out!”

Yu Nian’an’s hands washing the wok paused for a moment, then she turned her head and said, “Xiao Cheng, that crack cannot be patched.”

“What…?” Xiao Cheng stood there stunned. “What do you mean ‘cannot be patched’?”

“This matter is beyond your understanding. It’s difficult for me to explain.” Yu Nian’an picked up a steel wool pad and vigorously scrubbed the grease stains off the wok. “If you still try to patch it, I will kill you right here.”

Xiao Cheng blinked. Things were indeed very difficult to understand.

“Sister Yu… did I not explain something clearly enough?” He seemed to have calmed down slightly. “Are you Brother Qi’s lover? He’s sick now, very seriously sick! If we can’t patch up this crack, he might completely lose his rationality!”

“I know, so it cannot be patched.” Yu Nian’an said softly.

“You…” A bizarre answer suddenly emerged in Xiao Cheng’s heart. “You did this on purpose?”

Yu Nian’an smiled at Xiao Cheng, not denying it.

Only at this moment did Xiao Cheng realize just how absurd this entire situation was…

“Sister Yu… you’re the true master of this dream?!”