Chapter 15: Entering the Dream Again, Becoming Bolder
Yun Sheng’s heart tightened, but her face revealed nothing.
"General Bai was just following your instructions to bring me back. Aside from the necessary questioning, we had no other contact on the way. His attention today probably has to do with the riot at the research institute. I saw Si Jin, and he warned me not to talk about it."
The moment the two words "Si Jin" clearly left her lips, the air in the study seemed to freeze for an instant.
An extremely complicated look flashed across Lin Zhenye’s eyes—shock, apprehension, and even a difficult-to-catch trace of... grief?
The emotions swirled so quickly, one could almost mistake it for an illusion.
He quickly regained his composure, but that brief flicker of strangeness did not escape Yun Sheng’s eyes.
’It seems Si Jin carries a lot of weight in the Lin Family, or rather, in Lin Zhenye’s heart.’
Lin Zhenye quickly concealed all his emotions. His gaze returned to Yun Sheng, growing deeper and sharper.
"Bai Ye and Yue Yao are engaged. He’s an SSS-level Sentinel, and the strain on his spiritual landscape is beyond what an ordinary person can imagine. Only an S-class Guide like Yue Yao has any chance of helping him stabilize it.
As for Si Jin... he is not someone you should be in contact with, let alone mention. Stay away from him, and stay away from Bai Ye too. Yun Sheng, you’ve just returned. Keeping your head down is the best choice for the Lin Family, and for yourself. Understand?"
These words were both a warning to Yun Sheng not to have improper thoughts about Bai Ye, and a strict prohibition against her having any further association with Si Jin, drawing the lines crystal clear.
Yun Sheng met his scrutinizing gaze without any expression, only the faintest tug at the corner of her lips.
"I understand. You can rest assured, I know my place. I won’t think about people I shouldn’t, and I won’t meddle in things I shouldn’t."
She paused, then added, "I only came back to find a place to stay. I won’t cause any trouble for the Lin Family."
Lin Zhenye studied her for a long moment, as if trying to see past her placid expression, but ultimately just waved a hand.
"As long as you understand. You may go."
Yun Sheng stood up and left, gently closing the study door behind her.
She returned to her room, closed the door, and leaned her back against it, finally letting out a slow, pent-up breath.
Physical and mental exhaustion washed over her like a tide.
She walked over to the armchair by the window and sat down. Staring out at the impenetrably thick darkness, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, her vision blurring...
Soon, she sank once more into that bewitching dream.
This time, upon seeing the figure seated amidst the hazy void, Yun Sheng only paused for a moment before quickly walking over.
She reached out a hand, her fingertips lightly tapping the taut line of the man’s shoulder blade.
The moment she made contact, the man’s body shuddered violently. An icy, formidable spiritual power instantly coiled back around her, locking her firmly in place.
"You again! Who the hell are you?!"
Yun Sheng didn’t answer.
She could feel his spiritual power probing her, carrying an aggression that was impossible to resist.
She didn’t pull away. Instead, she gently pressed her palm against his back, letting it roam without any pattern.
The man spun around, grabbing her wrist in one swift motion, as if trying to drag her in front of him to get a clear look.
In that instant, as he pulled, Yun Sheng’s body suddenly pitched forward, and her warm lips pressed directly against the corner of the man’s mouth.
"!"
Bai Ye’s pupils contracted sharply. Shock and fury erupted in his eyes like a storm.
But Yun Sheng, in that moment of contact, felt a surging, majestic, pure power madly pouring into her parched spiritual landscape through that tiny point of contact.
Taking advantage of his stunned moment, she made an even bolder move.
She wrapped her arms around his lean waist, pulling herself fully into his embrace.
At the same time, one of her hands, clumsy yet bold, caressed his firm chest, even attempting to explore lower...
And her lips once again fiercely sealed the man’s slightly parted mouth.
"Mmph... Insolent!"
Bai Ye’s grip on her was so strong it threatened to crush her. His breathing was heavy and ragged, roiling with a barely suppressed, explosive rage, as well as a strange, unfamiliar heat and loss of control that had been thoroughly ignited.
He tried to shove her away forcefully.
But Yun Sheng clung to him like a vine, even using the force of his rejection as a point of contact to greedily absorb his power.
Chaos, entanglement, plunder, resistance.
Until...
"Get out!"
A low roar filled with rage exploded along with a terrifying power. Yun Sheng was thrown back violently, completely ejected from that hazy void.
The moment her consciousness returned, she snapped her eyes open. There wasn’t the slightest bit of grogginess; instead, a flash of urgency crossed her eyes.
She immediately sat up on the sofa, not even bothering to calm her racing heart or wipe away the cold sweat covering her body, and focused all her attention deep within her spiritual landscape.
Mobilizing, sensing, concentrating...
’Success!’
A current of spiritual power, far more immense than any she’d had before, was slowly flowing and settling within her parched and fragile spiritual landscape, like a newborn stream.
Her theory was proven once again.
The deeper and more intimate the contact in the dream, the stronger and more stable the power she could "steal"!
’Yun Sheng had no clue where this bizarre ability came from, but right now, it was the only lifeline she could cling to in this perilous environment.’
’Only...’
’Bai Ye was already suspicious of her, and now she had "violated" him like that in the dream... The next time she entered his dream, it probably wouldn’t be so easy to get what she wanted!’
Yun Sheng frowned, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the arm of the sofa, as another, even more dangerous name popped into her mind: Si Jin.
’Come to think of it, she had clearly dreamed of Si Jin first. How did it turn into Bai Ye afterward?’
’There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to how this ability was triggered.’
’But... compared to Bai Ye, perhaps Si Jin... would actually be easier to "handle"?’
’At least, in the dream, he was pretty friendly to her.’
The thought struck even Yun Sheng as absurd. As she mulled it over, she leaned back into the sofa and drifted off to sleep.
...
「The next morning.」
When Yun Sheng came downstairs, breakfast was already set on the table.
Lin Zhenye was sitting at the head of the table, reading the digital morning paper. Su Wan sat beside him, her face clearly anxious.
Lin Yueyao’s and Lin Hao’s seats were both empty.
Yun Sheng merely glanced over with an indifferent gaze before quietly taking her seat.
"Zhenye," Su Wan finally couldn’t help but speak, her voice filled with unconcealable worry. "Xiao Hao... he hasn’t come back all night. I’ve called him several times, but his phone is off. That boy... something hasn’t really happened to him, has it? Should we send someone to look for him?"
Lin Zhenye looked up from his morning paper, his expression displeased.
"Look for him? For what? He left on his own. If he’s got the guts to leave, he should have the guts to come back on his own. He’s a grown man, still playing this running-away-from-home game. What a joke!"
"But he’s never done this before. I’m worried..." Su Wan’s tone grew even more anxious.
Just then, the sound of urgent footsteps came from the direction of the stairs.
Lin Yueyao rushed into the dining room. Without even taking the time to sit down, she began to speak urgently.
"Father, Mother, it’s terrible! I just got news... Xiao Hao... something’s happened to Xiao Hao!"