Most of her body was hidden under the umbrella's canopy, and Lu Yuan could only see her from the knees down.

He knew Xia Zhijing had an introverted personality, possibly even a degree of autism.

But he never expected her social anxiety to be this severe.

She was extremely shy.

The small red umbrella remained motionless.

Finally, under Lu Yuan's slightly exasperated gaze, a shy and nervous voice emerged from beneath it.

"I... I'm afraid my current appearance might scare you."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan froze. Has the Lady of Nightmares' power started to affect Xia Zhijing more? was his first thought.

His expression tensed slightly, but he kept his tone as gentle as possible. He chuckled and shook his head. "How could that be? Among all the girls I know, you're one of the most beauti..."

Before Lu Yuan could finish, the small red umbrella in front of him suddenly flipped backward.

It revealed a girl in a white down jacket and a red hairpin, her head bowed, face hidden.

"Really?"

The girl whispered, then slowly lifted her face towards Lu Yuan.

The instant he saw her face clearly, Lu Yuan's heart seemed to stop, his pupils contracting violently.

What he saw was—

Under the neatly trimmed black bangs... was a smooth, flat expanse, devoid of any facial features!

"Really?"

"Do you really mean it?"

"Am I pretty?"

"Do you like me?"

"Lu Yuan, answer me!"

The sharp, feminine voice, growing more insistent with each question, hammered at Lu Yuan's ears.

Lu Yuan's eyes widened, and he stood frozen on the spot.

The sound of pouring rain filled his ears. He suddenly realized the surrounding streets had somehow become deserted; not another soul was in sight.

Not only that, but the streets, trees, shops, the traffic lights—the entire world had turned gray.

The only things retaining color were the girl relentlessly questioning him and the small red umbrella she clutched tightly, a red so vivid it was piercing.

"Who are you?!" Lu Yuan growled, throwing a punch.

But he halted his fist right before it was about to land.

No! If this really is Xia Zhijing, merely influenced by the Lady of Nightmares' power, this punch could kill her...

"Get lost!" Lu Yuan roared at the girl, his face contorted with fury.

The girl seemed startled by Lu Yuan's outburst. She stumbled backward—THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—her Martin boots making a frantic, uneven rhythm on the ground.

But just a second later, the "startled" faceless girl nonchalantly rested the small red umbrella on her shoulder. Tilting her head, she let out a series of crisp, bell-like giggles—KEKEKE—directed at Lu Yuan.

"You like me! You really do like me! KEKEKE..."

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth, a murderous glint in his eyes. He spread his fingers wide and thrust his hand forward.

"God Elephant. Dragon Capture!"

A dense, platinum-gold Universe Qi flowed from Lu Yuan's fingertips. As he made a clawing gesture, distorted, platinum-gold ripples spread through the air.

The terrifying force of his grip created a small, blurry, concave distortion in the air before him.

The girl, caught within the range of this terrifying attack, neither dodged nor flinched. She simply tilted her head and chuckled softly...

Then, like a bubble, she shattered and disappeared.

***

"Sir! Sir!..."

A series of calls brought Lu Yuan back from his trance.

Lu Yuan snapped back to reality. He blinked, his eyes focusing on a female staff member in a mask and a Flavor Tour Tea Shop uniform, who was looking at him with concern.

"Here's the milk tea you ordered."

The staff member handed Lu Yuan the two cups of hot milk tea from the counter, adding casually, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Uh... um."

Lu Yuan replied vaguely, picked up the two cups of milk tea, and quickly walked away.

What's going on?!

Lu Yuan stopped several meters from the Flavor Tour Tea Shop. He watched the rain, now mixed with snow, falling harder on the street, his expression shifting rapidly.

Was all that just a dream?

His gaze flickered. Lu Yuan suddenly grabbed one of the milk tea cups, roughly tore off its seal, and began to gulp it down.

His unrestrained behavior drew curious glances from a couple of passersby.

GLUG, GLUG—

Lu Yuan swallowed large mouthfuls of milk tea, chewing on the tapioca pearls inside.

The taste, texture, and even the temperature were all too familiar.

Just ten minutes ago, he had drunk one exactly like it!

It wasn't a dream. How could I perceive temperature and taste so clearly in a dream?

Lu Yuan put the milk tea cup down, gently wiping the residue from the corner of his mouth, his expression solemn.

But if it wasn't a dream, how could all this be explained? What exactly did I just experience?

Lu Yuan quickly took out his phone to check his chat history with "Quiet Zhu Bao."

The last message, from 9:40, was from before he had gone to buy the milk tea.

Xia Zhijing had told him that she was on her way.

Lu Yuan's eyes darted around as he quickly began typing a message to "Quiet Zhu Bao."

However, halfway through, he deleted everything he had typed.

He let out a long breath, closed his eyes, then opened them again.

His expression had become completely calm.

He did nothing more. Just as before, he stood there holding the milk tea he had bought for Xia Zhijing, waiting quietly.

TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK.

The time was 9:55.

Lu Yuan turned his head, looking in a certain direction.

A familiar little red umbrella appeared in his line of sight.

Under the umbrella were dark brown women's Martin boots, splashing through the puddles—SPLISH, SPLASH—with each step.

Expressionless, Lu Yuan walked quickly towards the red umbrella.

His pace quickened.

A few breaths later, he arrived in front of the red umbrella and abruptly lifted it...

"Ah!"

The girl under the umbrella was clearly startled, looking at Lu Yuan with an expression of astonishment.

A red hairpin, bangs, large eyes, a small, delicate face tinged with an innate shyness and timidity...

It was Xia Zhijing!

Lu Yuan's tense heart finally relaxed.

"You..."

Lu Yuan steadied his emotions, about to speak gently and explain.

But at that very moment, all the color around them began to rapidly fade.

The world, like an oil painting washed by rain, steadily faded to gray.

Xia Zhijing began to tremble, large tears welling in her eyes.

She stretched out her hands, as if wanting to embrace Lu Yuan.

Yet, like a soap bubble, her form rapidly disintegrated and vanished.

Lu Yuan instinctively reached out, but could only watch, helpless, as Xia Zhijing, her expression filled with sorrow and despair, vanished completely before his eyes.

"You... go... quickly..."

***

"Sir! Sir!..."

At the Flavor Tour Tea Shop counter, the female staff member was calling out.

The young male customer slowly snapped out of his daze.

"Here is your milk tea."

The staff member handed two freshly made hot milk teas to the young man.

"I don't want them anymore."

He shook his head, his voice choked. Turning, two clear tear tracks streamed down his otherwise blank, handsome face...

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