Is it just a dream?

‘Why do I feel such a sense of relief after seeing my simulated self get knifed to death?’ Lin Yuxuan wondered.

‘Without me, could Wenwen live a more relaxed life in the simulator?’

‘Or would she simply commit suicide to be with me after I died?’

Regardless, her heart ached. Tang Yawen was truly a gentle child. Even after being so terribly hurt by that bad woman in the simulator, treated as a plaything, a money tree, she never resisted. It wasn’t until Lin Yuxuan got together with someone else that Tang Yawen completely broke down…

‘She truly deserves to be rated as an “angel” by the simulator!’

‘She’s just too insecure, and doesn’t know how to protect herself. It would be troublesome if she ran into bad people…’

Lin Yuxuan felt incredibly sad. Her simulated self was simply heinous! Truly!

‘If I ever become friends with Tang Yawen, I will absolutely not let her suffer any injustice!’

Sigh… poor Wenwen…

‘If I get the chance in the future, I must compensate this poor child well, otherwise, I won’t be able to live with myself. Even though what happened in the simulator isn’t real, it’s just a simulation, Lin Yuxuan still made this decision.’

‘Let’s see what rewards I got.’

[“An Actor's Self-Cultivation”: You are skilled at acting; your acting can win over most people.]

[“Painting Lv1”: You have grasped the essence of Tang Yawen’s yuri manga; you can easily draw very erotic pictures.]

It seems that a higher rating grants more rewards.

The previous simulation result was “poor,” with no rewards given.

This simulation result was “excellent,” giving two skills at once.

Lin Yuxuan decided to test the skills she received.

The skill “An Actor’s Self-Cultivation” wasn’t easy to test, so she put it aside for now.

“Painting Lv1” could be easily tested. She just needed a piece of paper.

Lin Yuxuan was about to stand up, but her legs went weak, and she nearly stumbled.

‘Huh…? Why do I feel so tired?’

[Each simulation consumes the host’s mental and physical energy. There’s no need to worry; it will recover over time. It is not recommended to perform multiple simulations in a short period, as excessive overdraft can cause irreversible damage to the host’s body, such as stroke, paralysis, brain tissue dissolution, brain death, and other adverse consequences.]

“So that’s it. In that case, to avoid affecting my health, I can only simulate once a day from now on.”

Lin Yuxuan quickly had dinner, then went to the bathroom for a bath.

After all, she hadn’t properly acquainted herself with this beautiful body since she got it. It was going to be with her for the rest of her life, so how could she not observe it closely?

Time for a bath!

****

Meanwhile, at Tang Yawen’s house.

The dim room had no lights on, only the still-glowing computer screen emitting a faint blue light.

Tang Yawen, lying on her bed, was drenched in sweat.

She was sobbing in that “nightmare,” and even cried herself awake.

She didn’t know why, even though she loved Xuanxuan so much, Xuanxuan was the one who hurt her the most.

“Why, Xuanxuan…?”

Tang Yawen continued to cry after waking up. The grievances in her heart had nowhere to be released on this lonely night, finally transforming into tears that hit the floor like raindrops.

“So… that was just a dream?”

Tang Yawen realized that she had very little connection with the real Lin Yuxuan. Reality wasn’t at all like the simulator. Lin Yuxuan hadn’t spoken to her after school today, and she had no friends at all…

Her initial grievances entirely transformed into boundless emptiness.

“Those things… they felt so real… why… were they all fake? Boohoohoo…”

Tang Yawen cried even harder.

Because lies and deception don’t wound; cold reality is the sharpest blade.

The reality was, she didn’t even have the right to be bullied by Lin Yuxuan!

Not even a lie, Lin Yuxuan hadn’t said anything to her.

Tang Yawen wanted to message Lin Yuxuan but found she didn’t have her QQ. Although everyone was in the class group, general matters were discussed there. Only true friends would add each other privately for personal chats.

Tang Yawen’s tears blurred her phone screen. The words on the screen gradually became indistinct, like the long dream that had faded into the night. Perhaps no one but her would remember those things?

‘I’m truly so pathetic… even liking her, I only dare to secretly watch her from afar. I can only secretly take her pictures when she’s not looking, then print them into posters and plaster them all over my wall?’

‘Or use her image to draw my favorite character, give her the personality traits I love most, and fantasize in a world of make-believe…’

“If she could be my friend, even if she bullied me for a lifetime, I wouldn’t mind! Boohoo…” Tang Yawen looked at the unfinished drawing in her software. It was a beautiful girl with white hair and blue eyes, bearing a seventy percent resemblance to Lin Yuxuan.

The reason, of course, was self-evident.

This perfect character was Tang Yawen’s tailor-made creation based on her crush. This beautiful figure with white hair and blue eyes had quietly accompanied her through countless lonely nights.

“Xuanxuan…” Tang Yawen, her eyes unfocused, showed a slightly morbidly infatuated expression. She gently stroked the girl on the computer screen while muttering to herself in the darkness…

****

Meanwhile, in a certain villa.

“Don’t hurt her! It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault… Wenwen-senpai?! Ahhh! Murder! Murder!”

The red-haired girl on the bed shrieked in terror.

The girl’s mother rushed in to check on her.

“What’s wrong, my darling? Did you have a nightmare?”

“Mm…”

Mu Yue nodded her small head, her fiery red side ponytail swinging. The girl’s flat chest heaved violently.

After several deep breaths, the girl finally calmed down.

Although she had nightmares before, she had never experienced a dream as realistic as this.

She had actually seen her most admired artist-senpai hack her girlfriend to death with a knife!

It was too terrifying…

“Do you remember what the dream was about?” The beautiful woman, with the same hair color as the girl, asked with concern.

“No… I don’t remember…” Just recalling the content of the dream made the girl feel both shy and horrified.

It was the first time she had felt “liking someone else,” and this was something she couldn’t easily tell her mother.

“Alright, darling, dreams are the opposite of reality. If you don’t remember it, it means it was just a dream and won’t come true.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hm.”

The beautiful woman nodded.

Although she didn’t have to witness such a terrifying scene, Mu Yue felt relieved. But thinking that she would never see that adorable white-haired older sister again, little Mu Yue felt very disappointed.

After her mother left, Mu Yue’s beautiful little face was clouded with worry.

“Boohoohoo, I saw it so clearly in my dream… Sister Xuanxuan must exist in reality!” She vented her frustration by fiercely kicking her long body pillow with her fair little feet.

‘That artist-senpai was such a nice person, even letting Sister Xuanxuan and me stay overnight at her place. How could she suddenly become violent and hurt someone?’

‘But speaking of which… I do have an artist friend I met online, whose pen name is “White Hair Lover Wenwen.” Wait… it couldn’t really be such a coincidence, could it…?’