Five years after my wife's death, she came back!

Shi Ying sat on the large bed, the soft quilt wrapped tightly around her body, but she felt a strange chill on her back.

Why did she dream about the girl in the photo?

This place is just a virtual world to her; everything that happened here before has nothing to do with her.

But Shi Ying belatedly realized that it was after she came here that she started having frequent dreams.

Is the person in my dream related to her?

Outside the window, all was quiet, except for the moths fluttering under the dim streetlights. Shi Ying glanced at the clock; it was two in the morning.

She was wide awake and opened the task panel.

Players entering the virtual world all have a task panel, but because the technology is still being upgraded, the panel doesn't have many functions yet. The in-game store and gift packs haven't been launched yet, so Shi Ying thinks it's not very useful and hasn't opened it since entering the game.

However, the panel allows you to consult customer service or force yourself to exit the world before the mission ends if you encounter danger.

Shi Ying opened the chat with customer service.

Customer Service Representative #666: [Honey, how can I help you?]

Shi Ying: [Would encountering a ghost here be considered a work injury?]

666: [...]

666: [Honey, we only provide strategy guides and management games, not horror games~]

666: [The boss is a materialist; there's no trickery in the technology he develops.]

Shi Ying: [But I feel like something unclean is clinging to me.]

666: [Why are they bothering you? (Eating melon seeds.jpg)]

Shi Ying: [I always have strange dreams.]

666: [Honey, it's possible you're not sleeping well. I recommend a powerful melatonin supplement for only 200 RMB.]

Shi Ying closed the panel.

She won't buy from that shady customer service; she'll go to the pharmacy tomorrow if she wants to buy it.

Shi Ying tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. She was thirsty, but the cup on her bedside table was empty, so she had to put on her slippers and go downstairs to get some water.

As soon as Shi Ying stepped out, she heard a "crack" sound, like glass breaking.

The corridor was quiet, making the sound seem particularly jarring.

Shi Ying shuddered and immediately turned back to her room.

She peeked through the door and saw that the study at the end of the corridor was lit, with a dim yellow light shining through the crack in the door.

Is Shang Chenyan still awake?

Then, another "glug" sound rang out, like the sound of a bottle rolling on the ground.

Shi Ying looked hesitantly toward the study. It was so late and he was still not asleep. Could something have happened to him at home?

Just as Shi Ying was pondering whether to go and take a look, she noticed what seemed like smoke drifting out from under the door.

Oh no, there's a fire?

Ignoring everything else, Shi Ying rushed over and opened the study door.

The acrid smell of smoke made her cough a few times.

Shi Ying rarely came to his study. The study was large, with several bottles of wine on a black sandalwood table, and wine bottles lying haphazardly on the floor. Several cigarette butts were scattered in the ashtray.

Shi Ying breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it wasn't a fire.

But she didn't think she had ever seen Shang Chenyan smoke; she had always assumed he didn't have these bad habits.

Through the hazy mist, Shi Ying saw the man sitting in a chair. His eyes were closed, his tall figure looked somewhat slumped, and his face was pale, as if he were ill.

"President Shang?" Shi Ying walked in tentatively and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

The night was dark and inky, but the room was lit by a bright yellow light, and two figures, one standing and one sitting, were reflected in the large French windows.

Shang Chenyan heard a familiar, gentle voice and opened his eyes.

His dark eyes framed the deep night, profound and somber.

In a daze, he saw Shi Ying walking towards him.

She was wearing pink clothes, like the pink dress she wore in the graduation photo, and also like the pink cotton coat she wore when watching the snow at the lakeside pavilion.

The smoke was thick, and her face was blurred, making it hard for him to tell if it was a dream or reality.

"Wife..."

A man's hoarse voice rang out, but Shi Ying couldn't hear what he was saying. She leaned closer and asked, "What did you say?"

Suddenly, the man's unique, rich scent approached, and Shi Ying's wrist was gripped by a strong hand. She was pulled uncontrollably into his arms.

The strong smell of alcohol and tobacco felt unfamiliar to her; these smells shouldn't be on Shang Chenyan.

Shi Ying gasped in surprise. Before she could react, an arm grabbed her waist, pinning her against the desk and trapping her in the man's strong embrace.

"Shang Chenyan! You're drunk!"

Shi Ying cried out in surprise, but the rest of her words were stuck between her lips and teeth.

The moment their lips met, Shang Chenyan felt his whole body tremble. The person in his arms was incredibly soft, and the familiar sweet scent filled his mouth and nose, making his blood boil and his scalp tingle.

He held her tightly in his arms, kissing her passionately, doing what he had fantasized about countless times in his dreams over the past five years.

Whenever he was in this empty study, he would think of how Shi Ying used to sit beside him and how she would sneak into his arms and cause trouble when he was in a meeting.

This black desk bears too many traces of their passionate love.

He held the girl tightly by the back of her neck, and with his other hand he reached into her pajamas and slowly stroked upwards along her spine.

"Ugh..." Shi Ying trembled all over, her eyes wide with shock as she struggled desperately.

This drunkard! Is he crazy?

Sensing the resistance of the person in his arms, Shang Chenyan's breathing became heavier. He held her waist, turned around, picked her up, and pressed her against the bookshelf behind the chair.

He was so strong that Shi Ying was almost completely trapped between his chest and the bookshelf, her tiptoes barely touching the ground.

She was completely too exhausted to struggle.

Two intertwined figures were reflected in the floor-to-ceiling window; the man was tall and almost completely blocked the girl in his arms.

"Wife..." Shang Chenyan called her name repeatedly, his words muffled.

"I'm not your wife..." Shi Ying turned his head away, wanting to retort, but the next moment he swallowed the words back down.

Her pajamas were already in a mess, and Shi Ying gritted her teeth and bit his lip hard.

She bit down very hard, and almost immediately the taste of blood spread in her mouth.

Shang Chenyan paused for a moment, and Shi Ying immediately pushed him away forcefully, picked up a cushion from the chair and threw it at him, stopping him from reaching out.

Reason gradually returned.

Shang Chenyan met those beautiful, round eyes that were filled with tears and looked extremely aggrieved. He subconsciously touched the wound on his lower lip.

It hurts so much; it wasn't a dream after all.

"You...pervert!"

Shi Ying cursed angrily and ran away in a panic.