My left and right hemispheres fight each other.

"Brother Chen, what are you looking at?" A cold, almost emotionless voice reached his mind. Chen Xin's forehead felt cold, and a sense of panic welled up from the depths of his heart, leaving him momentarily speechless.

"Me? I was just looking at the night view and getting some fresh air," Chen Xin said with an awkward smile, pretending to be nonchalant.

"You're lying to me," Su Ruier concluded decisively.

"Huh? Huh?" Chen Xin didn't understand what was going on, and didn't know why she felt so uneasy about the questioning from a petite girl.

"You lied to me." Su Ruier repeated, but her tone softened and became tearful, no longer as hard as ice.

Just as Chen Xinqiang had calmed down, she suddenly bent over, as if burying her face in her hands and sobbing, "You promised me..."

"Is this punishment for my breach of contract with you?"

A sense of anxiety welled up inside Chen Xin. She wanted to hug the girl in front of her and comfort her broken heart, but the girl stood up first, revealing an empty face.

It's not that it lacks facial features, but rather, literally, it lacks facial skin and flesh, and is devoid of the facial bones that provide cover.

Looking through the empty face, one can see that the thin skull is completely empty, with only a layer of soft flesh attached to the scalp and the trachea connecting to the neck.

Shock caused Chen Xin to freeze and stiffen briefly. The ensuing horror and shock completely stunned him. It was at this moment that Su Ruier's exposed trachea and esophagus began to writhe, emitting eerie sounds:

"It's too late."

"What's too late?" Chen Xin asked instinctively.

To everyone's surprise, the monster stretched out its withered, decaying hand, pointed behind him, and forced out a grotesque, wailing laugh:

"Hehe...hehe...it's right behind you."

Chen Xin turned around abruptly and saw a dark mass rushing towards him, covering his face and exploding in the air with a shrill whistle that seemed to pierce his eardrums.

"A facehugger?" Feeling the size of the strange creature on his face, Chen Xin couldn't help but think of a movie he had seen before.

The biting sensation on his cheek was excruciating, piercing to the bone. In that life-or-death moment, he frantically tore at the soft, boneless object, screaming into his heart:

"Chen Jing! Chen Jing!"

"Chen Jing! Chen Jing!" Chen Xin shouted, almost roaring. He practically jumped out of bed, but when he regained his sight, he was shocked to find himself standing on a soft bed. There were no monsters or facehuggers anywhere.

He gasped for air, breathing heavily; the pounding of his heart and the lingering pain on his face indicated that what had just happened was no illusion.

"What... is going on?" Chen Xin was momentarily confused. After a moment of disorientation, he rushed to the bathroom to check the appearance on his face.

It turns out to be...

"Completely unharmed?" Chen Xin gradually regained his composure. He played with his face at will, but could not discern anything unusual.

"It's definitely a genuinely handsome face, no doubt about it." This thought arose from the depths of his being, and Chen Xin immediately retorted angrily, "What time is it? You're still in the mood for narcissism?"

"To be honest, he is quite handsome." Chen Xin changed the subject and looked back at the mirror.

In the smooth mirror reflection, his delicate face was not dull, but clean, only his hair was more messy and there were a few streaks of blood in the whites of his eyes, but this only added a unique beauty to it.

"hehe."

"Fuck your mother! I called you just now, why didn't you respond?" Chen Xin simply washed her face.

"Just now? Which time are you talking about?" The seemingly trivial voice rang out, but Chen Xin's expression suddenly turned serious:

"You mean, you saw what I saw in my dream too?"

Chen Jing remained silent, but Chen Xin chuckled softly, "Isn't it when I'm asleep your most free and active time? Why are you sleeping with me this time?"

"I don't remember when I fell asleep, and I have no recollection of you going to bed."

"I don't remember it either, and I had such a vivid dream; it's rare to have one like this." Chen Xin sighed briefly, then asked nervously, "Tell me, was it a mistake for me to agree to treat her?"

There is no right or wrong choice.

Chen Xin nodded, but her inner thoughts continued:

"And aren't you curious about what exactly happened?"

Chen Xin remained silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "I'm afraid we can't afford the price of curiosity."

"No price is unbearable."

Chen Xin didn't comment. He turned around, and the scene in front of him almost scared his heart out of its wits.

Su Ruier, dressed in pajamas, stood languidly behind him, quietly watching him.

"Rui'er, you scared me to death! Can't you make some noise when you walk?" Chen Xin's legs trembled, and she almost lost her balance, so she had to lean against the sink.

It wasn't until he confirmed that Su Ruier's face only had the delicate features of a young girl, and not the skull inside, that he realized this wasn't a terrifying dream.

Su Ruier's expression suddenly showed surprise, and the stubborn sleepiness that had not yet faded was swept away: "I didn't expect that Brother Chen could be so emotional."

"What do you take me for? Everyone has emotions, okay?" Chen Xin covered her face and sighed, then said with a wry smile, "Besides, people scaring each other can be terrifying!"

"Hehe, I know!" Su Ruier jumped in nonchalantly, rummaging through the small cabinet to find unopened toothpaste and toothbrush, acting as if she were in her own home.

"I'll start the treatment after breakfast. Wasting my time is wasting your money," Chen Xin said, shaking her head as she walked out, earnestly advising her.

He is now trying to avoid Su Ruier as much as possible, and it's best to minimize close contact.

……

"Tap...tap...tap..."

With the gentle sway of the silver pocket watch, a drowsy, crisp sound echoed through the well-insulated psychotherapy room.

Seeing that Su Ruier's pupils were beginning to dilate and her body was completely relaxed, Chen Xin slowly brought the pocket watch closer to his face: "Now, look into my eyes."

Tell me, what did you see?

Su Ruier's somewhat unfocused gaze sharpened again, and she slowly opened her mouth: "I saw it, Brother Chen's eyes."

Chen Xin pouted, somewhat annoyed: "Even though I've removed the nine hours I need to sleep, every single minute now is as precious as gold."

"I understand," Su Ruier said dejectedly.

Chen Xin didn't say much, but simply repeated the technique she had just used, and continued gently, "Now, look into my eyes."

Following the guidance, Su Ruier's attention involuntarily focused on it.

Chen Xin slowly put away the silver pocket watch, but Su Ruier's eyes remained unfocused, as if she were lost in endless shimmering ripples.

Chen Xin nodded in satisfaction, and Su Ruier also shifted her gaze up and down as his eyes moved.

"Now, tell me, what do you see?"

"I saw... a window? A mirror? In it, there is myself." Su Ruier's pupils remained dilated, never closing, so Chen Xin's words broke through the window of her soul without hindrance. At this moment, she had no ability to think or defend herself, and could only follow her instincts, speaking intermittently.

How are you feeling right now?

"I feel... Brother Chen's eyes are so beautiful..." Su Ruier said with a charming and innocent expression.

Chen Xin frowned, about to say something, but then realized that Su Ruier showed no signs of waking up from the hypnosis.

He seemed to understand something and gently got up, his gaze always meeting hers. But as if he had eyes in his butt, he slowly retreated to the cabinet beside him, groped for a blue incense stick, and did so without making the slightest sound.

He silently lit it and placed it in the potted plant on the table between Su Ruier and him, then sat back down.

"It seems she has a high resistance to this level of hypnosis. Is it because of my hypnosis last time?" A doubt flashed through Chen Xin's mind, but he put it aside for the time being and focused on the matter at hand.

"Now, you are in your bedroom, sitting quietly on the bed."

Su Ruier's blank expression wavered slightly, and a hint of unease appeared on her face.

How are you feeling?

"It's a bit...cold."

"Cold?" Chen Xin silently noted it down and continued, "You just had a big fight with your parents and went on a hunger strike for a day to force them to change their minds, but your parents seem to be very angry too. They haven't invited you to eat yet, as if they're just letting you go."

Su Ruier's expression was clearly anxious, and her hands, which were restless on her knees, began to fidget.

"Did you feel anything?"

"It's so cold..."

Chen Xin raised an eyebrow and moved closer to Su Ruier, wanting to take in every subtle detail of her expression: "At this moment, you feel hungry, and you look urgently towards the door. Now, what are your thoughts? Are you expecting your parents to knock on the door, apologize, invite you out for dinner, and have a proper discussion to resolve this matter, or is it something else?"

Su Ruier shuddered upon hearing this. She didn't follow Chen Xin's guidance; she merely glanced at the doorway before abruptly averting her gaze as if electrocuted.

Her voice was pitiful: "Outside the door...it's deathly silent."

"There was no sound... not the sound of someone calling me to eat... but a deathly silence devoid of any sign of life..."

"I'm scared... I'm so scared."

The girl's heartbreakingly trembling voice sent shivers down Chen Xin's spine. He felt a chill run down his spine and goosebumps rose all over his body: "What's going on?"

A hypnotized person will almost always just follow the guidance of the hypnotist and rarely think more complexly. At this moment, the girl actually uttered the word "dead silence," a word that would not normally be uttered immediately.

This suggests that the girl in the room must have been lost in thought for a long time, and the scene she was in must have left a deep impression on her, one that she could not shake off.

However, this could also be a sign that the other person is about to break free from hypnosis.

"Should we end it here?" Chen Xin hesitated for a moment, but after a brief consideration, he finally made another choice: "Deep hypnosis shouldn't be entered too frequently. Let's hurry up and ask her some more questions that I care about."

"Now, look at the window, the window that reflects your image. When you see it, what comes to mind? Do you think of yourself, what do you want to say to her? Or do you think of escaping, of breaking free from this oppressive environment?" Chen Xin's voice carried a deep, alluring quality, yet was gentle enough that one couldn't bear to refuse, nor could one refuse.

Unexpectedly, even though Su Ruier seemed to have some kind of lingering fear about the window, she followed Chen Xin's words and gently turned her gaze away without any fear whatsoever, a stark contrast to her reaction when she looked at the door earlier.

"How could this be?" Chen Xin fell into deep thought.

But soon, he had to interrupt his thoughts.

Su Ruier gradually looked towards the window, the window that revealed brilliant light, the mirror that reflected her own image.

However, she did not show any sense of relief or self-examination upon seeing herself, nor did she express any desire or longing for freedom and the dawn.

Instead, he revealed a smug, wicked grin.

She grinned, the curve of her mouth so exaggerated it almost reached her earlobe, her expression particularly sinister and twisted.

Chen Xin's hair stood on end. He leaned back slightly, thinking, "Are there really humans in this world capable of making such a bizarre expression?"

It was still on the face of a beautiful young girl who had just been so pitiful.

But the world wouldn't wait for him to process his emotions, because he saw that the girl's expression changed rapidly, instantly turning into terror.

She was horrified and terrified, not knowing what she had seen, she broke down on the spot, speechless, and tears streamed down her face in anguish.

She instantly broke free from the deep hypnotic state, screaming frantically and howling in agony, kicking her legs wildly as she desperately tried to escape the source of the nightmare, the embodiment of terror.

This shocking scene aroused Chen Xin's intense curiosity, but he didn't dwell on it. He quickly picked up the distraught girl.

"It's okay, I'm here." The magical voice can soothe most emotions, but it's not always effective.

The girl was still terrified, and her horrifying screams almost pierced Chen Xin's eardrums.

Chen Xin wasn't annoyed; instead, he felt as if he'd been doused with cold water. A crashing sound suddenly came from behind him, as if something was rapidly climbing up the wall!

He couldn't help but wonder: "Is she afraid of the window in her imagination, or the window in my real home?"

A tremendous sense of unease quickly overwhelmed Chen Xin, and he stiffly turned around, afraid of seeing a horrifying scene.

But when he turned his gaze back, all he saw was an open window, and a gentle breeze lightly ruffled the various papers and hems of clothes inside.

Chen Xin remained vigilant, cautiously scanning the room, but still couldn't find anything unusual.

Looking down, he realized that the girl had fainted at some point, her tightly closed eyelids still trembling, revealing her unease.

Chen Xin gently patted her back, briefly calming her emotions in her sleep, and then he stood up and walked towards the wide-open window.

"Is the chill I feel just the cold wind blowing in from outside?" Chen Xin quietly walked over and carefully examined everything, but this time she couldn't even find the strange palm print.

"But I remember locking the window. I couldn't possibly open the window during deep hypnosis; outside noise would ruin my setup." Chen Xin calmed herself down, prepared herself mentally, and then peeked out to look downstairs, but still found nothing.

"Am I crazy? What on earth could climb up to such a height?" Chen Xin covered her face and chuckled, then closed and locked the window.

As the cold wind dissipated, Chen Xin suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten something. After careful consideration, he realized that he had forgotten to confirm whether the handprint in his dream actually existed in reality.

Chen Xin looked at the girl who had collapsed and fallen into a deep sleep, and continued to move her feet quietly.

But just as he stepped over the girl's body, a sudden sound disrupted his plans.

"Knock knock knock..." Someone is knocking on the door.

The girl rubbed her eyes, startled awake from her dream, and tried to get up from the ground.

"Rui'er, your parents should have arrived." Chen Xin said with a smile. He didn't want Su Rui'er to know that he was going to investigate that strange palm print, which seemed to be her sensitive spot.

He was somewhat afraid that the other party would discover what he wanted to secretly observe, and if that happened, everything in his dream might come true.

Upon realizing this, his expression suddenly froze.

A dream come true? Why would I even think that?

It's just like...

Psychological suggestion!

He suddenly felt a chill and grew increasingly terrified.

"Knock knock knock..." The knocking seemed to grow more and more urgent. This soul-stirring noise was so unsettling that Chen Xin turned around in annoyance, ready to see who was knocking so urgently.

However, Su Ruier suddenly grabbed his clothes, preventing him from moving forward. After this obstruction, he finally realized something and stopped turning the doorknob.

This is a well-soundproofed room. Because external noise can disturb the patient's state of mind, he specially spent a lot of money to build this room to prevent the deep hypnosis from being broken.

In psychotherapy, soundproof glass makes it difficult for sound to travel, and the patient is even less likely to forget to close the window.

Because this is his "common sense".

The sound of knocking on the security door outside the house could never have reached here.

So...

The person knocking on the door... was in his own room!

But this house is for his work, he lives there alone, and he is the only one who has the key.

So... the person on the other side of the door...

Who is it?!

"Thump...thump...thump..."