Only when he opened his eyes inside the redwood coffin did he finally come to his senses.
From the very beginning, he had obtained nothing at all. Every so-called gift tossed in front of him had already been marked with a price. The more one tried to take everything, the more one would end up with nothing.
Through the thin barrier of the coffin, he could hear his mother’s suppressed sobbing.
One wrong step led to every step being wrong.
She was still dreaming that her son, with the help of some divine medicine, could break out of the sealed coffin and return to life. That he could stand before her, shield her from the wolves outside, and protect the wealth of the household.
In the end, everything was torn apart and devoured to the bone.
The uncle who had long coveted their family, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, had been plotting for years, waiting precisely for this moment of collapse.
He Sheng, that sickly man, had been hanging on by a thread in bed all this time, with endless medicinal soups and physicians coming and going like flowing water. The He residence had once been a renowned and wealthy household, and even such expenses had made him feel heartache.
Sooner or later, he would take all of it. Every extra day that sick man drank his medicine, meant one less grain of gold for him in the future.
He could not wait any longer.
He deceived his sister-in-law into feeding her son a gu medicine disguised as a tonic, creating the illusion of temporary recovery.
In truth, it only accelerated He Kang’s death.
He Zhong did not care about kinship or family ties. He only cared about money. The day he locked that mad woman in the cellar, he finally slept peacefully.
From that day on, everything of the He household would belong to him.
Wen Shuyu slowly sorted through the chaos in his mind, but he still did not fully understand.
What exactly was the “most important thing” of the Paper Bridal Attendant?
Was it a successful career, or immortality?
How was he supposed to find it within this nightmare and bring Tang Li out?
Just as Wen Shuyu was growing increasingly frustrated, a pair of small hands suddenly held out a box to him.
“Are you looking for this?”
Tang Li tilted her head and looked at him, her eyes bright with innocent charm.
Wen Shuyu opened the box in her hands.
Inside was a delicate pastry.
!!!
He immediately recognized it.
It was very similar to the “Xuan Paper Cake” Tang Li had once developed. Beneath it was a soft, fluffy base, topped with a thin layer of crisp pastry, only missing the painted floral and bird pattern.
“Li’er, where did you find this?”
“Hmm…”
Tang Li lowered her head, thinking for a moment.
“In madam’s room…
Master Zhong wouldn’t let the madam come out of the cellar, so I wanted to bring it to her to eat.”
Wen Shuyu looked at the box and suddenly noticed a red slip of paper pressed beneath the pastry. He pulled it out and examined it carefully. On it were a row of gilded characters:
“I am not skilled in cooking. After days of study, I have finally achieved some results. I named this ‘Ning’an Cake,’ and presented it to my wife and child Ning’an. My promise remains unchanged, worth more than a thousand gold.”
Was this Master He’s final message to his wife and son before his death?
The irony was that what he himself did not value was exactly what his wife and child desired most, while what he longed for the most was discarded like dirt.
A moment of greed had destroyed the two people he loved most.
One could only wonder what Master He would think in the afterlife, seeing his younger brother and outsiders divide the family estate, his beloved son turned into a monster, and his wife forced into madness and locked away in a dark cellar with no daylight.
As his fingertips brushed over the gilded writing, a small phantom figure suddenly ran past before him.
“Father! Mother!”
Under the eaves, the madam was leaning against her husband. Hearing the voice, she set down the pastry in her hands and smiled as she waved.
“Come here, Kang’er. Your father personally used walnut powder to draw flowers and birds on this cake. It’s sweet, do you like it?”
“Yes… mmph!”
Before the small phantom could reach his mother, a large hand scooped him up.
“Kang’er, let your uncle see if you’ve grown taller!”
He Zhong deliberately tickled his nephew’s armpits. The small figure struggled free and rushed into his mother’s arms to complain.
“Kang’er likes sweet cakes! He doesn’t like Uncle! Uncle is bad…”
The parents above them did not defend him. Instead, they laughed even harder.
Seeing that the child was about to cry in anger, the three adults quickly bent down to coax him in turn.
So they had once shared such fleeting warmth.
What a pity that everything had changed beyond recognition.
【Ding ding ding!】
Suddenly, a clear copper bell sound controlled by the System rang out from behind the side chamber.
Found it.
The pastry Tang Li had accidentally brought over was the key item needed to leave the Paper Bridal Attendant’s nightmare.
But… How could this be the most important thing to the Paper Bridal Attendant?
Could it be… this wasn’t the Paper Bridal Attendant’s nightmare at all?
It was Master He’s perspective!
Wen Shuyu tightened his grip on the red slip of paper, realization striking him. There was no time to think further.
【Host, the nightmare is collapsing. Please leave immediately…】
Once a nightmare begins to collapse, it cannot hold for long. The System had said that after finding the key item, one only needed to follow the direction of the copper bell sound to escape.
With no time to explain to Tang Li, Wen Shuyu grabbed her and ran toward the sound.
Soon, a red door appeared out of nowhere before them.
As long as they passed through it, they could leave this nightmare.
Wen Shuyu’s hand had just touched the door when a sharp pain suddenly struck his chest.
He turned back.
Tang Li was holding a dagger dripping with blood.
“You lied to me.”
Her gaze was cold, each word falling like ice.
“I’m going to kill you.”
Wen Shuyu covered his wound, but a mouthful of blood surged up his throat before he could speak.
“Li’er…”
The exit was right before him. He could even feel the wind seeping through the crack in the door.
The dagger in Tang Li’s hand was the very one Wen Shuyu had once given her for self-defense.
Now it had pierced his chest without mercy.
“You want to leave. You are not from this world.”
Everything in the dream was collapsing. The courtyard walls crumbled, and a gust of wind brushed past her skirt, the silver bells at her waist trembling softly.
“Only if you die… can you stay with me forever.”
Tang Li said.
The copper bell outside the nightmare rang more urgently, announcing that he had little time left.
The strike she had just made was precise and ruthless. It was a killing blow.
Wen Shuyu’s vision darkened. Logic told him he was gravely injured, and the nightmare was collapsing. Tang Li had been assimilated by the dream and, according to the System’s rules, would definitely kill him.
If he did not leave now, not only would he fail to save her, he would die here as well.
He wiped the blood from his lips and forced himself toward the red door.
He knew he had to escape.
Just before being stabbed, he had already pushed the door open a crack. With just a bit more strength, he could leave this nightmare and survive.
But his hand still paused on the cold, rough surface.
He looked back one last time.
Tang Li seemed like a different person now.
Her pupils had turned blood-red, the dagger still dripping with fresh blood, her face filled with rage as she muttered continuously.
“Kill you… I’m going to kill you…”
She was not supposed to be like this.
Tang Li had once been the one who borrowed money to buy medicine for herself and ended up in debt, forced to create the Xuan Paper Cake just to repay it. Who could have known she would be dragged into this nightmare so cruelly?
How could he blame her? This had all happened because he had failed to protect her.
It was all his fault.
His Tang’er had always been so timid. How could he leave her alone in this place?
Wen Shuyu’s fingers turned, lightly pressing on the door to leave.
His face was already deathly pale, yet the corners of his dry lips still forced out a faint smile, filled with longing.
“Li’er…”
Outside the nightmare, he had pretended to have amnesia, carrying a heart full of resentment. He had hated her in his past life for deceiving him and falling in love with someone else, trampling on his heart.
But at this moment, on the brink of death, he only wanted to hold Tang Li once.
Even if the world was collapsing, even if it lasted only a moment, even if it cost him his life.
He did not fear it. He would not regret it.
He reached out to her, his eyes shedding all pretense, filled with longing and tenderness.
He watched as Tang Li walked step by step toward him, raising the blade high above her head.
His vision blurred further. He slowly closed his eyes, waiting for death to arrive.
A single bitter tear suddenly fell onto his face.
“…A’Niu…”
Wen Shuyu opened his eyes.
Tang Li’s clarity returned for a moment as she looked at him fixedly.
“Li’er…”
She had recovered!
Tang Li had remembered him!
Ignoring the dagger still in her hand, Wen Shuyu pulled her into his arms.
But before his joy could fully surface, her pupils slowly began to darken red again.
She lowered her head in pain, soft groans escaping her lips as she struggled against something within her body.
Her head felt like it was splitting apart.
After entering this nightmare, after being discovered by Wang Cuihua, also known as Madam He, as an outsider, she had lost consciousness.
Before she could even react to why A’Niu was here, she had already woken to find him stabbed by her own hand, his warm blood covering her fingers.
“…A’Niu… run…”
Another consciousness inside her grew stronger, forcing her arm to raise the blade toward him again.
Tang Li clenched her left hand tightly around her right wrist, stopping the blade from falling.
Her slender wrist was already turning purple from the force.
“Don’t worry about me… run!”
“Li’er! You…”
Wen Shuyu lifted her face, his eyes filled with worry.
Her right hand still held the blade, her body moving as if controlled, ready to strike again.
Yet Wen Shuyu did not move. He simply wiped away her tears, the corners of his always-cold lips carrying a faint, gentle smile, his gaze full of attachment.
He looked as if he were ready to die without fear.
Cold sweat rolled down Tang Li’s forehead. She was growing more and more conscious.
The nightmare was already half-collapsed. The stone slabs beneath their feet began to loosen.
They had little time left.
She bit her lip hard, the pain making her even clearer-headed. A’Niu could not die. He was innocent. He must have been dragged into this because of her.
Suddenly, her gaze shifted to the door behind Wen Shuyu.
He had nearly escaped earlier but gave up. She was not worthy of him doing this for her.
“A’Niu, close your eyes.”
The man in front of her obeyed without hesitation, thinking she had given up and was choosing death with him.
Wen Shuyu closed his eyes, a calm smile still on his lips.
In the next moment, he was violently pushed backward into the door.
“Li’er!”
Wen Shuyu roared, eyes blood-red.
The world before him began to fade. He reached out to grab her, but could not reach her at all.
He saw Tang Li standing outside the door, stabbing the dagger into her own chest, blood spilling from her lips as she smiled at him.
“Live well…”