The villain, caught in a chaotic situation, only wants to boost his popularity.

Instantly, everyone's eyes were once again fixed on Xue Li!

In the darkness, those eyes glowed with an eerie red light, like hungry wolves lurking in the abyss.

It was as if the claws would tear through the air at any moment, dragging them into the gaping maw and devouring them until not even bone fragments remained.

But this time Xue Li didn't panic.

Although she couldn't figure out what the halo following her meant, she could clearly see Mu Jing's profile—his expression was as calm as a deep lake, as if the strangeness around him had nothing to do with him, and he was in complete control of everything.

In that instant when my breath caught in my throat.

Mu Jing stood up, slightly raised his left hand, palm facing upward, his posture as elegant as a prince inviting a princess to dance: "Ms. Xue Li, may I have the honor of dancing with you?"

Xue Li's fingertips touched his palm—his palm was warm, carrying a reassuring power.

She suddenly understood; this was the key to breaking the deadlock.

"Of course." Her voice was soft yet steady, like a swan treading on ice.

Mu Jing took her hand and led her to the center of the hall.

The halo of light followed them like a shadow, outlining their figures in white against the darkness, creating an illusion of a noble banquet.

But the moment they stood still, the music suddenly started—

That's a melody that no human could compose!

The prelude is like an octopus in the deep sea rubbing its tentacles against the rocks, the rustling sound carrying a salty, fishy, ​​and damp feeling.

Interspersed with the soft sound of bubbles bursting, like a dying fish exhaling its last breath;

There is no fixed rhythm; sometimes it is so slow that it seems as if time has been frozen, and every note has a sticky trailing tone.

At times it suddenly accelerates, like countless piano keys being smashed down, so chaotic it makes your heart stop.

Xue Li blinked her crystal-like eyes, glancing at Mu Jing out of the corner of her eye.

The light in his obsidian-like pupils became increasingly clear, revealing a hint of...confidence?

She guessed what was going to happen next, but couldn't help but wonder: Could he really help me get through this bizarre dance?

"Then, let's begin." Mu Jing's voice was like shards of ice striking silver, clear and firm.

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted.

…………

Holy Spirit Bureau, Director's Office.

Xuehua clenched her fists until they were red.

She stared intently at the two people in the mirror; the light from the screen reflected in her eyes like two flickering flames.

Sometimes they spin around, sometimes they embrace, like a perfectly in sync couple.

Her fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, trying to keep up with the chaotic rhythm, but the more she tapped, the more chaotic it became.

She closed her eyes, and an image appeared in her mind: the white-haired woman bending backward in the image had her face transformed into hers—Mu Jing's left hand was loosely placed on her waist, his chest was pressed against her forehead, and the tip of her nose was almost touching his collarbone.

That intimate gesture made Xuehua's heart tighten.

Thinking of this, Xuehua's lips curled into a stiff and cold smile, like a knife chilled to the bone.

As the camera moved, the comments section scrolled wildly at the bottom of the screen:

"Wow, that's awesome!"

"The NTR in the trenches has caught up from the prologue!"

"Is this the legendary Stand Play + Brain Destruction?"

"Forgot the beginning, forgot the middle, forgot the end; another pair of star-crossed lovers."

"Are the production team even human?! They're targeting Xuehua to persecute her!!!"

"Xuehua's expression is a bit off!"

"Oh no, is this going to be Makoto's ending?!"

"The prison mirror is surrounded by lightning!"

"To be honest, Lao Jing is amazing. Even his dancing is so smooth; he's a genius!"

"It still takes Prison Mirror's intervention. In the original work, none of the Yukari characters survived, and Takari is still struggling to break free of the illusion."

"The production team really went all out; they even included an unromanceable character from the original work who wouldn't survive half a day in the main story!"

Meanwhile, in the Tower of Echoes—the first floor, the [No Thoughts Floor].

Mu Jing's hand suddenly tightened, and he spun her around.

Xue Li subconsciously followed his force and began to spin.

The two began to intertwine their dance steps.

Sometimes he would lean back with her, her back almost touching the ground, his chest against her forehead, the tip of her nose brushing against the skin of his collarbone, his warm breath falling on the top of her hair.

Sometimes he would spin her around and push her away, and she would be like a piece of paper blown by the wind, but just as she was about to lose her balance, he would pull her back into his arms.

Xue Li's heartbeat gradually synchronized with his steps, and the initial resistance and awkwardness disappeared.

She followed Mu Jing's movements, jumping and spinning, her body becoming more and more relaxed.

She suddenly remembered how her older sister carried her home when she fell in the snow as a child.

My sister's back is small, but it's as steady as a mountain.

As they moved in rhythm, she felt a similar sense of security, forgetting the red light and strange noises around her, focusing only on the curve of his jawline, rising and falling with his rhythm.

As the last eerie note faded, Mu Jing gently pushed Xue Li, who straightened up like a closed flower.

The two walked hand in hand back to the long table, and the beam of light finally dispersed, the particles of light drifting into the darkness like fireflies.

"Clatter—"

The lights in the hall suddenly came on, and the light dispelled all the red glow.

As soon as Xue Li sat down, she heard Mu Jing say, "Ms. Xue Li, it's up to you now."

Her heart sank.

—Was all that tacit understanding just now fake?

—Has he grown tired of me and stopped helping me?

—Is his calm and composed demeanor all an act?

—But he's not that kind of person… He's different from those who only know how to flatter!

She stared into his obsidian-like eyes, her golden-crystal pupils filled with confusion.

Mu Jing did not answer directly, but instead picked up the knife and fork on the table.

The knife and fork gleamed coldly, their blades as sharp as scalpels.

He put his knife and fork into his pocket before slowly speaking: "Stripping away is the essence of the power of [Crippling]."

His voice was lowered, but carried an undeniable authority: "From now on, we must trust each other unconditionally in order to reach the end."

This is precisely why he was determined to defeat Xue Li in the Holy Spirit Bureau that afternoon, even if it meant launching a sneak attack.

Xue Li is proud and arrogant, and her status as "someone trusted by Xue Hua" alone is not enough to make her truly cooperate.

The dance just now was both a test for the Tower of Echoes and his "training in teamwork".

If there is even the slightest hesitation in cooperating, the original story will repeat itself—the creatures in the darkness will swarm forward, and Xue Li will slaughter all the creatures in the [No Thought Layer] in order to protect herself, but this will lead to her death in the [Heartless Layer].

Using an "approachable" facade, he built an ice wall between himself and others, keeping everyone at arm's length.

This is the true nature of the person named Xue Li.

Mu Jing must break down this wall step by step.

But Xue Li suddenly adopted her usual aloof and indifferent expression, raising an eyebrow as she retorted, "Mu Jing, I have a lot of faith in you—don't you trust me?"

Mu Jing met her gaze, his eyes resolute: "Ms. Xue Li, I have always believed in you."

That gaze was devoid of any impure thoughts or desires; it was like the rising sun, piercing through the ice and shining directly into her heart.

Xue Li was about to say something.

Suddenly, a staircase appeared in the void at the edge of the hall.

The steps are made of dark gray stone, each step engraved with twisted patterns.

The plaque at the very top has six scarlet characters: "Second Layer [Heartless Layer]".

The sound of clothes rustling could be heard from all around.

Those who had been glowing red just moments before now stood up like puppets and mechanically walked toward the steps.

"Let's go." Mu Jing didn't wait for her reply, stood up on his own, and walked steadily towards the stairs.

Xue Li bit her lip and glared at him in dissatisfaction—this answer was too perfunctory!

But she still followed in his footsteps, her shoes making soft, rustling sounds as they touched the ground.

She knew that she had begun to trust him, even though he always left things unsaid.

As they ascended the gray-black steps, Mu Jing and Xue Li's footsteps seemed to be treading on solidified shadows, each step carrying a heavy, upward-climbing sensation.

As the view rises, a huge bowl-shaped building made of dark red sandstone comes into view.

Twenty-four enormous glass hourglasses stand at the edge of the building, their golden sand slowly seeping out like melting sunset rays, refracting an ominous glow into the air.

Xue Li lightly touched the back of Mu Jing's hand with her fingertips, her voice carrying a barely perceptible tension: "Mu Jing, where is this...?"

"Listen," Mu Jing said in a very low voice.

Before he finished speaking, the huge glass hourglass suddenly emitted a dull tremor.

From left to right, one beat after another, like the drumbeats of fate, until the twenty-fourth beat abruptly stopped.

The guests and waiters, who had been walking stiffly like puppets, suddenly became agile, and their eyes held a strange liveliness.

One of the waiters stepped forward and gently touched the guest's collar, as if to smooth out the wrinkles.

"Pfft—"

The dull thud carried the resilient force of tearing flesh, like a blunt knife piercing wet cotton.

"Tick-tock—"

Then came the soft sound of liquid dripping, slow and sticky.

The waiter's hand had already pierced the guest's chest, his fingertips drawing out a heart-shaped hourglass—the guest's heart.

As the hourglass heart was removed, the blood-red sand began to seep out rapidly, shimmering with an eerie red light in the sunlight.

In an instant!

The blood-red sand disappeared and then transformed into light, appearing on the waiter's chest.

The waiter's lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile.

Upon seeing this, Xue Li quickly sensed the connection between her heart and Mu Jing's.

A shocking discovery!

Their hearts had already turned into hourglass shapes.

It seeped through the blood-red sand and shimmered with an eerie red light.

…………