Hearing the woman's voice inside, Ren Suo blinked and exchanged glances with Gu Yueyan.

He valued Gu Yueyan greatly, not just because he had promised to protect her, but more importantly, because Gu Yueyan might just pull off a Miracle that could skyrocket them to the fourth, fifth, sixth, or even the seventh stage!

Of course, aside from his utilitarian thoughts, when Gu Yueyan reminded him to adhere to the citizens' moral code, like the "Eight Honors and Eight Shames," Ren Suo wouldn't refuse. He didn't have the outdated belief that 'I am older, so you should listen to me.' Since Gu Yueyan made more sense, he would listen to her.

In fact, he was only a few years older than Gu Yueyan, who seemed to have matured a bit in her dreams. Her looks and figure had slightly changed, making her appear almost his age, which was entirely different from Ren Xingmei—every time Ren Suo saw Ren Xingmei's chest, he subconsciously still thought of her as an elementary school student.

Gu Yueyan sighed. "Whether a blessing or a curse, what's fated cannot be avoided. Let's go in together."

First, there was a small changing room inside the private bath, and passing through it led to the hot springs.

The hot spring was outdoors. Aside from a few stone lamps around its edge, the biggest source of light was the waning moon above.

Fine snow was falling in the area. There was no wind, and the flakes gently descended from the sky, landing in the scalding hot spring and igniting a wisp of light mist.

Looking over, Ren Suo and Gu Yueyan saw... a large TV screen.

Yes, a roughly 65-inch LCD TV screen stood right in the middle of the hot spring. Beside it were two transparent glass speakers, blasting out cries of "Tear off the enemy general's clothes!" and similar battle shouts.

They walked around the edge of the hot spring and saw, in the direction the TV screen was facing, a water sofa situated in the hot spring. Next to the water sofa, two racks floated on the water's surface. One rack held chips, fries, fried chicken wings, roasted lamb, roasted beef, grilled chicken gizzards, a plate of peeled crayfish, and other things. The other rack held drinks, which, by their color, appeared to be cola, Sprite, orange juice with pulp, and matcha milk cap tea.

A black-haired girl was lazily lying on the water sofa, soaking in the hot spring, playing video games, eating snacks, and drinking beverages all at the same time.

Ren Suo was downright dazzled—

"Don't look!" Gu Yueyan jabbed Ren Suo hard in the ribs. He immediately turned his head to look at the moon, saying awkwardly, "Ah, the Moonlight is indeed beautiful tonight."

If it were another time, Gu Yueyan might have thought Ren Suo was cultured, but now she was filled with rage and shouted, "Xianyu, put on some clothes!"

Indeed, soaking in the hot spring, entirely nude, was Lin Xianyu!

You wouldn't know it from her usual dopey demeanor, but her body dazzled Ren Suo so much he could hardly keep his eyes open. Her arms were holding the gamepad. Her forearms squeezed her chest's "two big bunnies" so hard they seemed to bulge. Moreover, the bunnies were just above the water surface, adorned with glistening, flowing Water Pearls.

The last time Ren Suo saw such an explosive scene was on a screensaver on Zhao Huo's phone.

Lin Xianyu, still lazily lying in the hot spring, focused intently on the game screen, skillfully maneuvering the gamepad. She sighed deeply, "Why wear clothes in the hot spring? I'm soaking in a private one~"

"Because we're watching you!"

"So what if you look? I'm not going to lose any flesh. And, Class President, your chest is way naughtier than mine; you surely won't be jealous of me~"

"But Ren Suo is also here!"

"If Big Brother Ren wants to look, let him. As long as I'm not looking at Big Brother Ren, it's fine~"

"Just put on some clothes!"

"Putting on clothes is such a hassle~"

"Then come over here!"

"I don't want to move; it's too much trouble~"

No matter what Gu Yueyan said, Lin Xianyu refused to come over or put on clothes, dragging out her words, her voice almost overflowing with the indolence of a Salted Fish.

Gu Yueyan stamped her foot in fury. She knew Lin Xianyu was lazy, but she hadn't realized she was lazy to this extent!

"Let's go!" Gu Yueyan grabbed Ren Suo's hand, urging him.

Ren Suo turned his gaze back from the moon. "Shouldn't we talk to her for a bit? Maybe she could help us…"

"Anything she can do, I can do!" Gu Yueyan said, puffing her cheeks in anger.

Really? She's bathing in the hot springs without any clothes right now… Ren Suo, of course, wasn't foolish enough to say such a thing. He could only scratch his head and let Gu Yueyan drag him away.

Just then, Lin Xianyu suddenly said, "Hey~ I have something to tell you~"

Gu Yueyan stopped in her tracks and asked, "What is it?"

"Come over here, and I'll tell you," Lin Xianyu said lazily.

Gu Yueyan and Ren Suo exchanged glances. Then, she told Ren Suo to stay put while she walked along the edge of the hot springs to get behind Lin Xianyu—Lin Xianyu's water sofa was against the bank.

Gu Yueyan squatted down and asked, "What do you want to tell me?"

"I want to tell you… this!"

Suddenly, WITH A SPLASH, Ren Suo glimpsed from the corner of his eye Gu Yueyan being pulled into the water by Lin Xianyu, who then giggled and hugged Gu Yueyan, saying, "Class President~ let's soak in the hot springs together~"

Gu Yueyan, coming to her senses, brushed the wet hair from her face and looked at Lin Xianyu, who was very close. Angrily, she said, "You—"

"Leave him."

Lin Xianyu suddenly leaned close to Gu Yueyan's ear, whispering, "Don't sink any further. Leave him. I'll be there for you when you're sad. I'll comfort you continuously, until you build a tomb in your heart to bury that not-yet-deceased person. I won't leave you until then."

Gu Yueyan was slightly stunned. She glanced at Ren Suo, who was standing in the distance with his back to them. The anger quickly faded from her face, her lips pursed, her expression complex.

"You really won't consider it, will you?" Lin Xianyu sighed. "I really shouldn't have said this… it's too troublesome."

Gu Yueyan said, "Thank you."

Lin Xianyu calmly accepted Gu Yueyan's Thanks and whispered, "I've always felt you deserve better… Not that Big Brother Ren isn't good, but you should be the only one, not… Ah, forget it. Those two are also very, very good. I shouldn't say this; it's meaningless."

"I'm sorry." Gu Yueyan felt she had let Lin Xianyu's expectations down.

"Why apologize? I will always help you, Class President. Even if the opponent is a powerhouse who could crush me with a single finger, or a schemer who could devastate me with a mere thought… Ah, forget it. I shouldn't have gotten involved. I can barely protect myself…"

Gu Yueyan said, "You've never said these things to me before."

"Is that so? But whenever I see you, I want to say them. I've wanted to say them for a long, long time…" Lin Xianyu rested her hand on Gu Yueyan's shoulder, speaking in a languid tone. "Maybe it's because I dislike trouble that I never said it…"

Although unverified, Gu Yueyan knew that the Lin Xianyu before her was a projection, not her True Form.

In reality, Lin Xianyu always encouraged her and helped her, never advising her against anything—perhaps because Lin Xianyu knew she simply couldn't bear to give up.

The Lin Xianyu in the dreamscape, a reflection of reality, thus had fewer scruples and more impulsiveness. She found a way to trick Gu Yueyan into the water just so she could confide in her the advice she'd been desperately wanting to share.

"Don't worry. I trust myself, and I trust him too. We will definitely have a happy ending," Gu Yueyan said. "Of course, I believe in you too. Whether I am joyful or sorrowful, you will share it with me, right?"

"Of course," Lin Xianyu smiled.

"Then could you let go of your hands? You've been touching for quite a while."

"Ah, sorry, sorry~ But Class President, yours have gotten bigger! They're so soft and springy, so comfy to touch. Big Brother Ren must be dying to get his hands on them—"

SLAP! Then another SPLASH. Ren Suo tilted his head slightly and, from the corner of his eye, saw Lin Xianyu seemingly get smacked into the hot springs by Gu Yueyan.

He moved a little further from the edge of the hot springs, lest he too be pulled in.

Watching Lin Xianyu emerge from the hot springs, Gu Yueyan said irritably, "Well, I'm going back."

"Wait, I have something important to tell you."

"Haven't you said it already?"

"That was just my heartfelt thoughts. What I meant to tell you is *this*."

As Lin Xianyu pointed, Gu Yueyan then noticed a small part of the hot spring, hidden in the Shadow of the wall, with only a bit of the water's surface reflecting the Light and Shadow. And in this small section of the hot spring, a person was floating motionless on the water.

Gu Yueyan immediately walked over and discovered that this person was Luna, the blue-haired girl whom Ren Suo had been tracking!

"She just fell from the sky and hasn't moved since. She might be dead. Help me carry her away," Lin Xianyu said languidly.

"Why don't you do it yourself?"

"I don't know how to heal, and she looks like she's about to die anyway, so I couldn't be bothered to move her." Lin Xianyu lay back down on the water sofa and added, "It's lucky you guys showed up; otherwise, the spring might have turned red…"

As Gu Yueyan wrapped Luna in her cloak and carried her to shore, she asked, "But there's a dead body right beside you… Aren't you afraid?"

Although dream projections differ from reality, basic thought processes should be similar. Gu Yueyan struggled to imagine how Lin Xianyu could simply ignore someone lying beside her, possibly dead, just out of laziness!

Ren Suo, however, could understand Lin Xianyu. Just as Lin Xianyu had said, she didn't know Healing or First Aid. Her 'dream' was to soak in the hot spring and play video games, not to save someone.

"Living people are scarier than dead ones." Lin Xianyu picked up her game controller, resuming her game. "Class President, you're too easily swayed by societal values, like fearing the dead, pursuing love, valuing achievement…"

"Don't make excuses for not studying!" Gu Yueyan retorted, then hurriedly carried Luna over to Ren Suo. Ren Suo had already prepared Healing Magic and quickly administered simple Healing to Luna.

Luna had sustained a gunshot wound. Coincidentally, Ren Suo had just performed Healing for a gunshot wound, so his hands were still warm, so to speak.

He skillfully treated all of Luna's wounds, stopped the bleeding, relieved the pain, and healed the injuries. Then, holding Luna, he said, "She's all right now, at least not in life-threatening danger. Some wounds require removing clothing to treat, so we should head back."

Gu Yueyan nodded. Although she didn't understand why Ren Suo cared so much for Luna, she also didn't want to just watch Luna die. Even if Ren Suo's care stemmed from attraction, he wouldn't normally go to such lengths; his laziness was usually enough to suppress his hormonal urges.

"Xianyu, I'm leaving now."

"Goodbye, Big Brother Ren."

"Bye, Xianyu!"

"Class President, come hang out with me when you're free," Lin Xianyu said lazily, continuing her game as she lay in the hot spring.

The trip back home was quick; in fact, they hadn't wandered far after the silver-white light column dissipated.

Once in the clinic, Gu Yueyan helped Luna out of her clothes and took the second Silver Moon Crystal from her, as Ren Suo had requested. She covered Luna's modesty, allowing Ren Suo to treat Luna's wounds in depth. They then dried Luna's body with a towel and changed her into clean patient attire. This entire process took almost an hour.

Gu Yueyan, exhausted, sat down to rest. Suddenly, a shiver ran through her body, yet at the same time, she felt the room was very warm and cozy. She thought for a moment, then asked Ren Suo, "Are you radiating heat?"

Ren Suo nodded. "Aren't your clothes all wet? I started radiating heat as soon as we got back, though it seems a bit slow…"

Earlier, Gu Yueyan had been dragged into the hot spring by Lin Xianyu, soaking her clothes. Between returning and treating Luna, she hadn't noticed that her clothes were still damp.

Luckily, the nurse uniform was opaque. Even wet, it only clung more to her body. But Gu Yueyan, already dressed like such a seductive Little Nurse, didn't mind this slight increase in allure.

However, a thought struck Gu Yueyan. She moved a stool next to Ren Suo. Meeting his puzzled look, she said, "It's so uncomfortable wearing wet clothes, and I don't have any dry ones to change into right now. I'll have to rely on you to dry them quickly."

Then, she hugged Ren Suo from behind, resting against his back, and whispered, "Turn up the heat a bit."

Acutely aware of his role as a human heater, Ren Suo immediately increased the temperature, though his attention was now entirely on his back.

Lin Xianyu was right; Gu Yueyan's chest was far more obscene than hers, causing Ren Suo's mind to swirl with indecent thoughts...

Gu Yueyan, utterly unaware of the Mental Whip she was administering to Ren Suo, lay comfortably against his warm back, her mind replaying Lin Xianyu's advice.

You deserve better. You deserve to be someone's only.

But in truth, right here, right now, in this place, in this moment, I am already his only.

If...

A thought suddenly flashed through Gu Yueyan's mind.

Of course, she didn't want them to stay on The Dark Side of the Moon forever. The trial was bound to end, and the love she longed for wasn't this kind of fugitive elopement.

Deep inside, she craved recognition more than anyone; she yearned for her romance to be blessed by everyone, and she wasn't in the habit of escaping.

In reality, she continuously retreated. But on The Dark Side of the Moon, it was almost her home turf, and there were no opponents in this away game.

This time, she had a tremendous advantage!

The blue-haired girl on the patient bed suddenly sat up. She grabbed Ren Suo's shoulders with both hands and, with a trembling voice and tearful eyes, looked at him and asked, "Where is my Silver Moon Crystal? My huge Silver Moon Crystal?"

Gu Yueyan was so frightened that she stood up instinctively and touched her own chest—the two Silver Moon Crystals were hidden inside.

She swallowed and asked tremblingly, "What… what do you want?"

Ren Suo wasn't nervous at all. He even reached out to smooth Luna's bangs, tilted his head, and smiled. "Silver Moon Crystal? What's that? I don't know what you're talking about."

So this is how pleasurable it feels to trick the main character for the game system.

I took your Silver Moon Crystal, but you have no clue. You even think I'm just an NPC.

"You were found abandoned at the clinic's doorstep again. The nurse changed your clothes… Yueyan, did you find anything when you were changing her clothes?"

Gu Yueyan shook her head and pushed away Luna's hands, which were resting on Ren Suo's shoulders.

Luna calmed down, but her expression was one of her little canines biting her lower lip, eyes brimming with tears. Her head drooped, and she grabbed the blanket to cover herself, looking up at them pitifully and adorably.

She looked at the Moonlight outside the window and said, "Give me my clothes. I'm leaving."

After changing, Luna suddenly moved closer to Ren Suo, sniffed him intently, and said, "I will be back."

"Have a pleasant journey," Ren Suo smiled.

Watching Luna's retreating figure, Gu Yueyan's absolute confidence in her 'unique' advantage began to waver.

Ren Suo seemed to care about Luna for some reason. However, both times he interacted with Luna were to save her. Each time, he also managed to get Silver Moon Crystals that greatly increased Gu Yueyan's strength, so Gu Yueyan had no grounds to blame him.

Luna had obviously started to care about Ren Suo too, though it was uncertain if she would return. In her eyes, Ren Suo should just be a native; she wouldn't invest more emotions, right?

For a mere passerby, a beautiful girl like her must have met countless people. How could she fall for him just because he saved her life once or twice? Besides, she's in the middle of a trial; how could she have time to develop feelings for an idle person? She's only known Ren Suo for such a short time and doesn't understand his usual self at all. How could she possibly like this stranger?

Yes, that's right. Luna still has to compete for Silver Moon Crystals; she won't have time to come back looking for Ren Suo. What she said earlier must have just been a casual remark.

This time, I have a massive advantage!

Her spirits renewed, Gu Yueyan heard Ren Suo ask, "Are we still going out?"

"No, we're not going out!" Gu Yueyan said immediately.

If they went out and encountered Dong Chengling or Qiao Muyi, or if they stumbled upon Luna again, Gu Yueyan would truly question her life.

"I see… well, okay." Ren Suo thought for a moment, then suddenly rubbed his palms together, licked his lips, and shifted his gaze, saying somewhat sheepishly, "Then, Yueyan… I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"Could you… take off your clothes and get on the bed?"