I seem to have slept for a long time!

Except for my body feeling a bit weak, my energy is fully restored!

The sky was already dark. I carefully recalled and couldn't think of any dreams or scenes from dreams.

Qin Jun was not at home. I walked into the bathroom, picked up a comb, and tidied my messy hair, simply tying it at the back.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of shock!

I stared blankly at

the mirror, reaching out to touch my neck, where there was a scar.

Am I in a dream!?

"Bang, bang, bang!"

The violent knocking on the door startled me. I walked to the door nervously and looked through the peephole, seeing a burly man standing outside the door.

Is that Yang Xiao!?

I reached out to turn the handle but stopped abruptly, "Who's there?"

"Teacher Song, you're home. That's great, Teacher Song, please open the door. There's no time."

The soft voice was indeed Yang Xiao whom I knew.

I opened the door, and Yang Xiao pulled me out immediately.

"What are you doing? Let me go, you..."

"Teacher Song, there’s no time. We need to leave here first. I'll explain everything once we get to a safe place!"

We went downstairs, and Yang Xiao stuffed me into a taxi, giving the driver an address.

During the drive, he didn't speak again but kept looking around nervously. When we reached the destination, he finally breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been freed.

After leading me to a room, Yang Xiao completely relaxed.

"What is actually going on? Why did you say you didn’t know me before? What exactly are you afraid of? And..."

"Teacher Song."

Yang Xiao interrupted my questions loudly, looking at me with a serious expression, "Did you fall asleep over there?"

Over there!

Where exactly? I stared blankly at Yang Xiao. How did he know I fell asleep? This is my dream. Why isn’t he controlled by my thoughts and can act freely, or is the dream itself like this?

"Take a look at this first."

Yang Xiao handed me a few A4 papers, which were printed news reports. One was about a home invasion murder case where the criminal was eventually released due to insufficient evidence.

Another was about a man who committed suicide by jumping off a building. The photo of the deceased was Wang Leng.

Wang Leng!?

Didn't he commit suicide by slitting his wrists? Why did the news report it as jumping off a building?

"Where did you get this news? As far as I know, Wang Leng committed suicide by slitting his wrists in a psychiatric hospital..."

"Look at the date."

November 5, 2022!

That’s not right. The date is also wrong. Wang Leng clearly committed suicide on December 5.

"What exactly is going on? Wang Leng clearly committed suicide by slitting his wrists on December 5. Why does the report say... No, this is a dream. This is my dream. None of this is real, and neither are you."

Lost in despair, I took steps backward, wanting to leave here. Yang Xiao looked at me painfully, "This is not a dream, Teacher Song. This is not a dream, and all of this is real. This is also the real world. The Wang Leng here died a long time ago, jumping off a building. The Wang Leng over there is the one who slit his wrists."

I stared at Yang Xiao in disbelief.

"At first, I didn't realize it. I sought your help repeatedly, thinking you were pretending not to know me. In my agitation, I held you hostage. But eventually, you recognized me. After being captured, they said I had mental issues and sent me to a psychiatric hospital. After escaping, I no longer sought you out but began to investigate secretly."

"I investigated Luo Cheng's clinic. I got in touch with many patients. After a period of treatment, they became completely different people. I had some speculations in my mind."

"I haven't found a way back yet. Going back is definitely not as simple as sleeping or passing out. I tried many things here, but I’m still here."

Yang Xiao covered his face in frustration. I struggled to digest his information, "So why did you bring me here?"

"Your husband, to be precise, your husband in this world — I saw him contact Luo Cheng. I’m worried you are in danger. I think only you can find a way back."

Yang Xiao's words reminded me of the insurance and the night Yang Xiao held me hostage, and Qin Jun's eerie smile.

Is all this a coincidence, or have they calculated all of this together with Luo Cheng?

They want to use Yang Xiao to get rid of me and claim the high insurance payout, but Yang Xiao is not completely under their control.

Putting aside my random thoughts, no matter what, to be absolutely safe, I must return to the original world.

"Perhaps only Luo Cheng knows the way back."

"But his place operates almost 24 hours. We can't sneak in quietly."

"Did Luo Cheng ever mess with you during your time here?"

Yang Xiao thought for a moment, "No."

"Then it makes sense. He doesn't dare commit crimes openly. Why do we have to sneak in?"