Chapter 57

In the dream, the Lu Yan of that world felt that Shen Su’s death was suspicious and suspected someone was out to harm her. However, the final investigation results slapped her brutally in the face.

Shen Su’s death had been entirely orchestrated by her own hands, and she had even thoughtfully prepared everything for Lu Yan beforehand.

But why did she seek death?

Lu Yan couldn’t understand it, and for a very long time, she remained deeply immersed in guilt. She blamed herself for failing to notice any abnormalities in Shen Su.

This dream was too painful. She struggled to wake up from it, and looking at Shen Su sleeping quietly beside her, her frantically beating heart gradually settled down.

It was just a dream…

Yet, as she recalled the recent dreams she had about Shen Su, she felt as though they could all be linked together. Was it really just a dream? Could it be a matter of past and present lives?

Lu Yan clenched her fists. No matter what, she would not repeat the same mistake.

The next day, Lu Yan contacted an old classmate of hers—a psychological counselor—and the two agreed to meet this Sunday for a consultation. However, Lu Yan didn’t tell Shen Su about this directly; she was hesitating on how to bring it up.

On Saturday, Lu Yan accompanied Shen Su to meet Shen Su’s parents again. They mainly discussed some arrangements for the engagement, setting the date for late October.

That night, they stayed over.

Shen Su waited until her parents were asleep before quietly slipping out of her room. She turned the doorknob to Lu Yan’s room, and the door opened easily.

“Yan Yan?” Shen Su closed the door behind her with utmost caution.

Lu Yan, lying in bed, wasn’t asleep either. She rolled over and beckoned Shen Su with her hand. “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you forever…” As she spoke, she let out a yawn, a physiological tear forming at the corner of her eye, which she casually wiped away.

“My parents were like they’d been pumped with adrenaline tonight. They didn’t sleep all night and went to the home theater to watch a movie. I only dared to come in after I finally heard their bedroom door click shut.” Shen Su walked lightly to the edge of the bed.

Lu Yan blinked. “We’re getting married anyway, so it shouldn’t matter even if we’re seen, right?”

Shen Su slipped under the covers, wrapping her arms around Lu Yan’s waist. She lowered her head to press a kiss into the hollow of Lu Yan’s neck. “Strictly speaking, it doesn’t matter, especially since we have the genetic test report results as an excuse, but I don’t want to complicate things either. I’m afraid of them bringing up the compatibility issue again.”

“What if, one day, they find out?” Lu Yan cradled Shen Su’s face, placing a cautious kiss on the corner of her lips.

“They won’t.” In the coming month or so, she would guard the secret well. A few days after the engagement concluded, she would use the gift pack provided by the System.

“What if they don’t allow us to be together?” Lu Yan’s voice grew progressively fainter, carrying a trace of an aggrieved sob. “Back when I used Sheng Suyu as a substitute, her mother wouldn’t let us be together and threw a check to humiliate me. And that Xu Ming, she did the same thing…” As she spoke, fat tears began to drop patter-patter down her face.

A stray, warm tear fell against Shen Su’s neck, sliding slowly down. She reached up to wipe it away, offering gentle comfort. “Our situation has nothing to do with people like Sheng Suyu or Xu Ming. Your compatibility with Sheng Suyu wasn’t low; her mother refused to accept you simply because of family status or rank. And Xu Ming just wanted to drive away a love rival. Don’t take what those people say to heart. You really are wonderful, Yan Yan.”

“But I’m just so insecure…” Lu Yan wrapped her arms around Shen Su’s neck, burying her head into the crook of her shoulder, seizing the opportunity to voice the words she had been brewing for a long time. “I want to go for a psychological consultation. Can you come with me?”

Shen Su agreed without a single moment of hesitation, then asked, “Alright. What time tomorrow?”

Lu Yan froze slightly. She hadn’t expected Shen Su to agree so quickly. After a brief hesitation, she said, “Three in the afternoon.”

“Okay, I’ll go with you then,” Shen Su said. She felt that Lu Yan’s willingness to seek a consultation was a good thing.

She never expected that Lu Yan’s true target was her.

When Lu Yan walked into the consultation room, Shen Su stood in the hallway waiting. Just then, a female Alpha dressed in a white suit approached, leaning over to ask, “Hello, is this seat taken? May I sit here?”

Shen Su thought for a moment, figuring that Lu Yan would probably come out shortly and they’d be able to leave, so she nodded.

The female Alpha asked again, “Are you here for a consultation?”

“No, I’m just accompanying my girlfriend for hers,” Shen Su offered a polite smile.

“I see.” The Alpha nodded thoughtfully. “I’m also accompanying my girlfriend for a consultation. She’s been suffering from severe insomnia lately. What about yours?”

“Me? I’m just here with her too.” Mentioning Lu Yan, Shen Su’s tone softened, losing the aloofness from before. “My girlfriend lacks a bit of security, but she doesn’t have insomnia.”

The Alpha said knowingly, “So, you’re [bailiantales.com]the one suffering from a bit of insomnia? Otherwise, how would you know your girlfriend hasn’t been losing sleep?”

Shen Su froze slightly. She hadn’t looked at it from that angle just now. “No, I sleep quite well. It’s just that my girlfriend has never mentioned insomnia to me, so I took it for granted that she didn’t have it.”

“Ah, it seems I misunderstood.” The Alpha let out a helpless chuckle, picking up her phone to play with it for a bit.

Shen Su had no intention of making small talk, so she began scrolling through Lu Yan’s social media posts instead. The female Alpha sat for about two minutes before taking her leave.

When Shen Su looked up again, Lu Yan was walking out of the consultation room.

“Sugar, why don’t you go in and check it out too?” Lu Yan sat down beside Shen Su, asking tentatively.

“Hmm?” Shen Su put her phone away, looking somewhat bewildered.

“Alright, I’ll tell the truth.” Lu Yan weighed her words and said, “The purpose of coming here today wasn’t for my own consultation—it was for yours.”

Now, Shen Su was completely floored. “For me? Why?”

“It’s hard to explain in a couple of words. I’ll explain it to you when we get back, alright?” Lu Yan linked arms with Shen Su. “Besides, going to a consultation doesn’t mean there’s a psychological issue. Just chatting to relieve stress is perfectly fine too!”

On second thought, Shen Su realized she had been promoted recently, and her workload had indeed increased quite a bit, so she nodded. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

She walked into the consultation room, her eyelid [Read on BaiLianTales]jumping as she saw that the person sitting there was the exact same Alpha from the hallway.

“I apologize for not telling the truth just now. Initially, Miss Lu wanted me to help relieve your stress from the perspective of a passerby, but the effect wasn’t great. So, I suggested we conduct a formal consultation instead.” The female Alpha stood up, extending her hand. “Hello, I am Li Sisi, a psychological counselor.”

“Hello.” Shen Su gave an indifferent smile, sitting down opposite Li Sisi.

Lu Yan sat in the seat Shen Su had previously occupied, feeling a bit anxious.

When she was sitting inside the consultation room earlier, Li Sisi had come in to tell her that Shen Su’s defensiveness was exceptionally high. It was very difficult for her to lower her guard around a stranger, and her answers were merely polite; trying to gain a deep understanding of her psychological state under the guise of a passerby was proving to be too difficult.

So, she had gotten Shen Su to come in and speak with Li Sisi directly.

It was normal to be wary of strangers, but she constantly felt like something wasn’t quite right. There was a strange sense of dissonance…

Lu Yan squeezed her palms anxiously until the two inside the room walked out with smiles on their faces, allowing her to finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Sugar, are we heading home?” Lu Yan hooked her finger around Shen Su’s pinky.

“Yes,” Shen Su smiled and nodded, turning to look at Li Sisi. “It was great chatting with you today. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Li Sisi watched the two walk away, the smile vanishing from her face. She picked up her phone, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately sent a message to Lu Yan.

Once Shen Su and Lu Yan returned to the car, Lu Yan spoke up: “Sugar, are you angry?”

“What would I be angry about?” Shen Su raised her eyebrows, letting out an indifferent laugh.

“Actually, I…” Lu Yan curled her fingers, pausing for a moment before saying slowly, “Do you remember that nightmare I told you about before? I dreamt that you died… and then I had another dream related to it. I dreamt that your death was something you orchestrated yourself.”

Shen Su’s smile remained unchanged. “So you think I have self-destructive tendencies, and that’s why you brought me for a consultation?”

Lu Yan nodded. “I know making such a deduction based on a single dream is absurd, but I was still worried. I thought it would be best to come check.”

“Yes, it’s just a dream. Do I look like someone who would destroy herself?” Shen Su chuckled. “Alright, don’t overthink it. In fact, your own sleep quality is what needs attention. Do you wake up in the middle of the night?”

Lu Yan gave an “mm,” then looked down at the message Li Sisi had sent her.

【Your girlfriend shouldn’t have self-destructive tendencies. Quite the opposite—her attitude toward life is very optimistic, and she is quite conversational. She does maintain a degree of wariness toward unfamiliar things, but after our communication, I feel her caution is both necessary and normal. All in all, I don’t see any major issues. Of course, this doesn’t rule out another extreme scenario: she is putting on a facade.】

Lu Yan stole a glance at Shen Su, a seed of doubt sprouting in her heart. Could it be a facade?

Following that, Li Sisi sent another message.

【If anything, I feel the person who needs more attention is yourself. You seem a bit anxious and lack a sense of security.】

Then, Li Sisi pushed a contact card over to her.

【This is my colleague. If you feel the need, you can go look for her.】

Lu Yan froze slightly. Reflecting on her recent state and pondering for a moment, she replied with a “Thank you” before putting her phone away.

“Maybe I’ve just been too busy lately, so I’m a bit anxious…” Hearing the words of both Li Sisi and Shen Su, Lu Yan began to suspect that the issue might truly lie with herself.

Shen Su offered comfort, saying, “Don’t think too much. If you feel exhausted, take some leave and let’s go out to unwind?”

Their time was running short. Shen Su didn’t want to waste excessive energy on work.

“Sure! Ever since I joined the company, I’ve never taken my annual leave. I might as well request a long block all at once so we can have a proper relaxation before the engagement!” Lu Yan stretched comfortably, looking toward Shen Su with a beaming smile.

“Then it’s a settled deal.” Shen Su’s eyebrows curved into a smile.

She started the car and drove toward the apartment.

Back home, the two played around on the sofa for a while. The kitten attempted to join them but was mercilessly rejected. Shen Su scooped Lu Yan up in a bridal carry, causing Lu Yan to put on a show of shyness. “Oh my, the kitten is still right here watching!”

“It’s fine, she’s still just a child.” Shen Su planted a loud kiss onto Lu Yan’s cheek.

She had completely opened up her mind—since they were just dreams, she would let them be. Regardless, the mission for ​unauthorized copy​this world was nearing its completion.

In short, she was letting go and coasting.

Left with no one to lean on, the lone kitten stared at the tightly closed bedroom door and the intimate sounds drifting out from inside, flopping onto the floor with a completely bewildered expression.