Yu Ning hung up the phone. Her mind was in a whirl, and she suddenly felt lost as to what she should do next.

Before, she had worried that her boyfriend wasn’t “normal” because of her dreams, but now it seemed like the dreams themselves were the problem.

After pondering back and forth, she decided to seek outside help.

Lao San was busy preparing for exams and needed to focus all her energy on her studies, so Yu Ning crossed her off the list of people she could vent to. She cycled through several other options in her mind before finally sitting back down in front of her computer.

Hand-Cut Lemon: Are you there?

Bionic Wonder House: Yes, yes, yes, I’m here! You didn’t send a single message all afternoon yesterday. Did something happen?

Yu Ning concisely summarized the content of her dream.

Bionic Wonder House: Are you doubting the authenticity of the dream now?

Yu Ning typed a few words on the keyboard, but before she could send them, a new message popped up from the other side.

Bionic Wonder House: I personally lean toward the idea that your dreams are real.

She hesitated for a moment and deleted the words she had typed in the chat box.

Hand-Cut Lemon: Tell me your thoughts.

Bionic Wonder House: First of all, while some details in your dreams indeed deviate from reality, some things have happened exactly as you dreamt. Is there a possibility that something you did in reality caused the future to shift?

Bionic Wonder House: A recent example is Lao San. In reality, you didn’t let him get close to her. Since he didn’t have the chance to provoke her, and he saw how much you care about her, he didn’t treat her the way he did in your dream, right?

That made some sense. Yu Ning nodded.

However, Bionic Wonder House’s reaction made her feel even more peculiar.

The messages were returned almost instantly, as if the person was deeply invested in her affairs. Were netizens online really this enthusiastic?

Hand-Cut Lemon: But I also think that couples should trust each other.

Bionic Wonder House: Your boyfriend is special. It doesn’t hurt to test him a bit more.

It was getting stranger and stranger. Yu Ning stared at the computer screen.

Before, they had comforted her, saying that Ling Wangjin’s behavior in reality was a bit different from the dreams and that she should give him another chance. But now, they were saying he was “special” and urging her to test him more…

Hand-Cut Lemon: Fine. Anyway, he said he wanted to conduct an experiment with me.

Bionic Wonder House: Just wait and see, then. Be careful not to get played.

The experiment was quite simple: Ling Wangjin would come to find her.

To control the variables, Yu Ning randomly chose a mall, changed every single item of clothing she was wearing, swapped the electronic devices she carried, and even took the time to wash her hair.

Then, she checked the popular rankings on her phone, picked a hot commercial district at random, and walked to the roadside to hail a cab.

After getting into the car, she put on one earbud and shoved her phone into her pocket.

The car swayed slightly as it moved. Perhaps it was because of the stress of the dreams over the last few days, or because she hadn’t rested well at night, but a wave of sleepiness quietly crept up under the gentle motion.

She blinked, closed her eyes, and her consciousness suddenly sank.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw a pair of hands fiddling with phone components.

She had seen these hands many times; she knew at a glance that they were Ling Wangjin’s.

She hadn’t expected to have a dream while taking a nap in the car.

The phone parts looked very familiar. Although they were dismantled in a way she didn’t recognize, the casing was still there.

Wasn’t this the phone she hadn’t replaced earlier?

The phone screen had several cracks. He poked at it a few times and pulled out a button-shaped metal component from the guts of the phone.

He had a new phone sitting beside him. She watched as he pried open the casing of the new phone and took out a new button-shaped part.

Good grief, he really did install a tracking device in her phone.

Yu Ning felt both helpless and speechless.

After finishing this, he packaged the new phone up, took out his own, and made a call.

“Ningning, the cost of repairing that phone screen is almost enough to buy a brand new one.”

Yu Ning stared at the phone lying in pieces beside him.

“…”

The sound on the other end of the line was very noisy. Yu Ning held her breath and listened for a while.

“Forget it, then.” She heard her own voice come through. “I’ll go buy one myself. Thanks, love you~”

Before Ling Wangjin could say anything else, the person on the other end hung up directly.

Yu Ning saw him maintain his posture, seemingly stunned for a few seconds.

Afterward, he threw the new phone into the trash can.

Yu Ning woke up from the dream with a laugh.

It was the first time she had seen Ling Wangjin get thwarted in a dream. Yu Ning had originally planned to find a milk tea shop after getting out of the car, but after thinking it over, she realized she always ran to milk tea or coffee shops.

In the end, she walked into a KFC. It had been a while since she’d had it, and she really had a craving.

She ordered a Coke and fries at KFC and played mobile games for a while.

The time in the top right corner ticked to eleven o’clock. A WeChat message popped up—it was Ling Wangjin.

Little Darling: Has the experiment started yet?

Hand-Cut Lemon: It has. Guess where I am.

Little Darling: You need to be well-fed to have the energy for experiments. Do you want me to order takeout for you?

Hand-Cut Lemon: Don’t try it. Are you trying to trick me into telling you my location again?

Little Darling: Can I call you?

Yu Ning pondered for a moment.

Hand-Cut Lemon: Fine.

After answering the call, Yu Ning spoke immediately, “Start guessing.”

There was no sound from the other side for what felt like ten seconds. Just as Yu Ning was about to urge him on, Ling Wangjin spoke.

Ling Wangjin: “KFC or McDonald’s?”

Yu Ning was shocked. “And you say you didn’t install a tracking device.”

Ling Wangjin: “It seems I guessed half right.”

“You wouldn’t go to a milk tea shop because you go to those places often. To test me, you’d most likely do the opposite. As for restaurants…”

Ling Wangjin paused for a few seconds, baiting Yu Ning into urging him to continue.

Ling Wangjin: “I hear it’s quite noisy on your end and there’s music. Are you at a popular commercial district? Most restaurants in malls don’t open until after eleven, so it’s unlikely you’re in a restaurant. Plus, it’s been a while since you’ve had KFC or McDonald’s, so I took a gamble.”

Logical and well-reasoned, and he had even guessed her thoughts. Yu Ning was speechless.

“Ningning.” He sighed, his tone softening significantly. “I don’t need to install a tracking device.”

Yu Ning finally felt the reality of how well he understood her.

But she still felt a bit unconvinced. “Then tell me, which KFC am I at!”

Ling Wangjin laughed. “Now that’s asking the impossible. There aren’t enough clues; I haven’t figured it out yet.”

Yu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. “You go ahead and be busy. I’m eating out for lunch.”

After hanging up, Yu Ning was eighty percent convinced that he hadn’t installed a tracking device.

However, she still felt a little annoyed; Yu Ning felt like she had been completely handled.

She watched two movies at the mall, had dinner, and only when she felt bored and alone did she slowly turn around and prepare to head home.

During this time, other than one message asking when she would be back, Ling Wangjin had been very quiet.

This actually made Yu Ning, who was used to being clingy, feel a bit uncomfortable. She inexplicably wanted to talk to him.

Hand-Cut Lemon: Guess where I am now?

After sending it, Yu Ning saw the message—which felt like she was just making small talk—and immediately recalled it.

Little Darling: Okay.

She had originally planned to hail a cab, but after seeing that reply, she put her phone away. If she took a cab, he would most likely block her right at the door.

Thinking this, she entered the subway station.

As a result… she was blocked at the subway station exit.

Ling Wangjin was holding a bouquet of gardenias. Seeing her come out, he handed the flowers to her.

Yu Ning: “No roses?”

“If I’m going to give a gift, I should give you something you actually like.”

Yu Ning took the gardenias and glanced up at his face.

There were beads of fine sweat on his forehead. His hair, which was usually immaculate, had a few strands sticking up, and his cheeks were slightly flushed.

Yu Ning: “Did you run here?”

Ling Wangjin: “Time was tight. I was in a rush on the way.”

Yu Ning: “How did you know I was here this time?”

“Other than this morning, you didn’t look for me all day.” Ling Wangjin said, “I guessed that you might have wanted me to come find you at that time, but you felt it was an experiment, so you’d likely do the opposite. You take cabs the most, so the opposite would be taking the subway.”

Yu Ning: “There are so many exits. How were you sure it was this one?”

“I wasn’t entirely sure. There are two exits near our home, but fortunately, they both pass through the same corridor. I just had to stand in the middle and observe… I just had to run a bit.”

“I can’t fully grasp your every move.” Ling Wangjin smiled. “Of course, doing all this isn’t to prove how well I understand you.”

Yu Ning held the bouquet, staring blankly at him.

Ling Wangjin: “Loving someone means wanting to understand them, to please them, and to make them happy.”

Hand-Cut Lemon: He probably didn’t install a tracking device. It seems the dreams aren’t entirely accurate, and I also feel like I should give him more trust.

Bionic Wonder House: What happened?

Hand-Cut Lemon: Thank you for counseling me during this time. I think instead of venting my emotions online to find a way to solve the problem, it’s better to communicate with him in reality and face the issues together.

Bionic Wonder House: Oh my god! Don’t be fooled by him! Ningning! Your dreams are real!

Bionic Wonder House: Believe me, Ling Wangjin is going to kill many people in the future!