Lu Yi’s panicked figure disappeared at the end of the flower corridor.
The boy crushed the white rose in his palm, faintly sensing the lingering cool touch.
That trembling, chilly, delicate skin was completely different from the warmth in his dreams…
Yet the emotions overflowing from those black eyes remained exactly the same.
A strange crimson glow flickered within Lin Che’s eyes as he shook off Lin Yu’s restraining arm, irritation burning in his voice.
“…I don’t like this so-called fiancée. I like Lu Yi!”
“You don’t like her either.”
Lin Yu maintained his composure, though his words were merciless.
“You simply dislike being arranged and controlled.”
“Brother Yu.”
Lin Che lowered his head.
“I dreamed about her.”
“……”
The relaxed expression on Lin Yu’s face instantly stiffened.
“What did you dream about?”
The special abilities of noble snow foxes were connected to dreams.
Entering others’ dreams, luring people into dreams, fabricating dreams at will…
Before adulthood, snow foxes didn’t dream at all.
Once dreams began appearing, it signified their power was awakening.
And every detail within those dreams would affect the evaluation of their dream abilities.
“I dreamed…”
Lin Che’s cheeks flushed crimson.
His forearm trembled slightly.
The words stuck in his throat, almost impossible to say aloud.
He looked toward the direction where Lu Yi had disappeared, his breathing rough and uncontrollable.
“In the dream, I kissed her, touched her… and I even…”
“That’s enough!”
A powerful voice of suppression interrupted Lin Che’s spiraling emotions.
The red glow in his eyes vanished almost instantly.
Reason and calm finally returned.
A cold mechanical voice sounded.
【Irritability index: 43%. Please use a sedative immediately.】
Lin Yu gave a cold snort, removed a syringe from his pocket, and injected it directly into Lin Che’s skin.
“It’s merely an erotic dream caused by your agitation period.”
“A timid, ordinary commoner female isn’t enough to awaken a Silver Dream.”
Lin Che still struggled to argue.
“But this has been happening for an entire week—”
Lin Yu clearly didn’t want to hear further explanations and decisively ended the discussion.
“Tonight is your birthday banquet. The council elders will evaluate your dream abilities.”
“As for those vulgar dreams of yours… you’d better not honestly tell them.”
Silver Dream snow foxes were the easiest to lose control.
They were tortured by lust, destroyed by love and obsession…
For hundreds of years, the Lin family had not produced another Silver Dream fox.
And from now on, there never could be one again.
“Brother Yu, isn’t this just self-deception?”
Lin Che looked on the verge of collapse.
“I really dreamed about her… I can dream about her because I like her.”
“She isn’t a female fox.”
Lin Yu silenced him with cold logic.
“Or do you also want to end up like the traitor from a hundred years ago?”
“Falling from the heights of noble status into the mud of commoners?”
However, Lin Yu had clearly underestimated just how rebellious his younger brother truly was.
The moment he allowed a commoner to freely enter the estate, Lin Che had already slipped beyond control.
“You think I care that much?”
Lin Che laughed mockingly.
“Brother Yu, you’re hardly convincing.”
“Look at yourself. Haven’t you repeatedly delayed your own engagement… until it finally got pushed onto me?”
“Do you really think I’m that stupid?”
“After being around you for so many years, do you think I learned nothing?”
His gaze fixed upon the blood-red earring symbolizing power.
Without another word, he ran in the direction Lu Yi had fled.
The ground was covered in scattered rose petals—
Just like Lu Yi’s broken and chaotic expression moments ago.
On Lin Yu’s pale, elegant fingers, traces of black paint still lingered.
Just like the black-haired girl from his dreams.
Suddenly—
Lu Yi’s face overlapped with the girl’s.
Merged together.
A peaceful and gentle portrait appeared within his mind.
Faintly, Lin Yu caught the scent of cheap milk-scented body wash…
He shifted his foot, crushing a petal beneath his shoe before seemingly aimlessly leaving the garden.
The Lin estate resembled a giant maze.
Lu Yi had clearly followed the garden path while escaping, yet the scenery around her became more and more unfamiliar.
The white rose walls were gradually replaced by crimson roses, as if peeling away the disguise hiding Lu Yi’s bloodthirsty nature.
She stopped beside a pavilion, cheeks flushed red from excessive running.
“This is bad…”
Her resignation papers required an official seal.
Which meant she’d have to see Lin Che again…
But remembering the terrifying strength in the boy’s grip instantly killed that thought.
She could only try stealing the seal herself!
Looking around carefully, Lu Yi finally found her bearings.
After wandering for ten more minutes, she spotted the familiar magnificent castle.
Entering through a side door she didn’t recognize, she counted the rooms according to memory before finally stopping in front of a familiar double wooden door.
This should be it.
A faint scent of paint lingered in the air—
Yet it was overwhelmed by an even stronger floral perfume.
Confusion rose in Lu Yi’s heart…
At that moment, relaxed footsteps sounded nearby.
No longer hesitating, Lu Yi pushed open the door and slipped inside.
“…Wrong room.”
The interior was dim.
Only traces of sunlight filtered through thick velvet curtains, casting a beam of light onto a canvas like a stage spotlight.
On the painting sat a girl quietly supporting her chin as she gazed beyond the frame.
Her smooth black hair was dotted with rainwater.
A thin T-shirt clung to her damp body, revealing the pale skin beneath.
The girl had no facial features painted—
Yet strangely, Lu Yi could somehow still sense her expression.
Click.
Someone stopped outside the door.
Lu Yi snapped back to reality and hurried behind the heavy velvet curtains.
Hugging her knees, she sat hidden in the cold silent studio, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
The moment Lin Yu entered the room, he smelled the faint milk-like scent lingering in the air.
Someone was hiding beneath the curtains in the dark corner.
Expressionless, Lin Yu approached and mercilessly pulled away the intruder’s cover.
Sweat-dampened bangs clung messily to her forehead.
Those frightened, trembling eyes reflected his snowy white curls.
…It was Lu Yi.
Her tiny delicate features formed an adorably vulnerable face.
Blocked beneath Lin Yu’s tall figure, she resembled a startled rabbit.
Lin Yu’s heartbeat skipped unexpectedly.
Instinctively, he began placing Lu Yi into the scenes from his dreams.
“M-Mr. Lin Yu… hello.”
Her stiff, mechanical voice interrupted his thoughts.
The rabbit-like girl’s eyes flashed with relief as she awkwardly lied.
“I-I accidentally wandered in… would you believe me?”
“If I said I would, would you tell the truth?”
He reached down to pull Lu Yi up—
But misjudged his own strength.
Instead, he accidentally yanked her directly into his arms.
“Sorry!”
Lu Yi instinctively tried retreating again.
But losing balance, she nearly slammed her head into the canvas behind her!
Lin Yu immediately grabbed her once more.
His warm palm pressed against her back, helping her upright like they were dancing together.
“It’s too cramped in here.”
The entire studio was piled high with abandoned paintings and art supplies.
Even though the smell of paint filled the room, Lin Yu could only smell the faint fragrance of body wash from the girl in his arms.
Her cool body temperature.
Her fragile wrists.
Her petite frame…
Every detail resembled the person from his dreams.
And yet—
She was Lu Yi.
A normal commoner female.
Not the enchanting silver-haired woman who had stolen countless artistic inspirations from him…
“You…”
As if possessed, Lin Yu pointed toward one of the paintings in the distance.
The alley painted there contained the familiar words from the streets where Lu Yi had grown up.
Her breathing instantly halted.
“Have you seen that place before?”