Circle of Inevitability

"Yes." Jenna also expressed confusion, "I thought I would be kicked out of the dream immediately, but nothing happened."

Franca thought for a moment and spoke, "Is it that telling the truth about this world to dream figures other than Zhou Mingrui and a few others doesn't trigger an abnormal reaction? Or is Luo Shan special, a character lightly corrupted by that evil god of the Fantasy Association, no longer closely connected to the dream's main consciousness?"

Jenna shook her head and answered honestly, "I don't know."

She paused, her eyes turning slightly as she said, "If we can pacify Luo Shan this time, we can find an opportunity later to mention Mr. Fool to her, and see if there's any special reaction, or if it causes me to be kicked out of the dream."

"We can also try telling corresponding things to other dream figures and see what results." Franca made an affirmative sound, reaching out both hands to support Jenna as she stood up from the toilet.

After finishing her washing up, she returned to the living room to see Lumina watching TV.

An idea struck her, and she said to Jenna, "Should we invite Luo Shan over to play cards? Four people can play Shengji."

"I'll ask and see if she's willing." Jenna understood that Franca wanted to find something for Luo Shan to do, some entertainment to ease her emotional state, and they could also use the card-playing opportunity to provide subtle psychological guidance.

Jenna immediately picked up her phone and sent Luo Shan a message.

After about seven or eight minutes, Luo Shan replied: "Okay, after I eat breakfast. I just woke up."

"She's willing to come," Jenna told Franca and Lumina.

Lumina knew Luo Shan, aware that she was her colleague, and quickly stood up saying, "Should I change back into men's clothes?"

"No need, no need. Just pretend you don't know her, act like you're another friend of ours," Franca hurriedly shook her head.

If she really changed into men's clothes, wouldn't that make Luo Shan think of Li Ming?

After all, you two do look a bit alike!

Of course, as long as Lumina didn't wear men's clothes or pretend to be a man, no one would associate her with security guard Li Ming. Not to mention the fact that one was male and one was female, even in terms of appearance, at first glance, the difference was quite large, because when Lumian played the role of Li Ming, he used the Lie earring to lower his attractiveness and modify details.

Seeing this, Jenna, on behalf of the still somewhat muddled Franca, went through in her mind the potential problems that might arise when Lumina and Luo Shan meet. She then chatted with Anthony via WeChat about Luo Shan knowing the truth of the world, and consulted on the direction and strategies for psychological guidance.

Soon after, Luo Shan arrived on the 23rd floor and rang the doorbell.

At the same time, Jenna received a reply message from An Ruide: "Talk to her about her past."

Using a certain, experienced, and personally realistic past to reduce the current sense of disillusionment? Jenna roughly understood Anthony's intention.

She immediately followed Franca's instructions and found two decks of playing cards.

The four of them gathered around the coffee table and started playing Shengji, with Lumina and Jenna as partners, and Franca and Luo Shan on the same team.

They weren't gambling for money—Jenna, Franca, and Lumina had no spare cash to gamble. Instead, they bet that whichever pair of partners first upgraded to A could stick five small paper notes on the losers' faces or draw funny patterns with washable paint.

After successfully upgrading to "3", Jenna looked at Luo Shan and casually started chatting, "You mentioned before that your father was a police officer?"

"Yes," Luo Shan's mood had been low all along. As she pushed her cards towards the center of the coffee table, she said, "He was… severely injured while pursuing a cult leader with lots of blood on his heads, and died in the hospital."

"Was he honored as a martyr?" Franca asked.

"Yes." Luo Shan suddenly gave a self-deprecating smile, "When I graduated from university, I actually had the opportunity to work as a civilian employee at the police department, but I also received an offer from the administrative department of the Intis Group. I hesitated for a long time, feeling that I was just an ordinary person who didn't like exercise, so I wasn't suitable to be a police officer. Hence, I finally chose the Intis Group."

Perhaps that's not the only reason? Franca didn't pursue the question.

She simply felt that ordinary people without much ambition couldn't refuse a position in a public department, and it was just a civilian role, not requiring the arrest of criminals.

While waiting for the cards to be dealt, Luo Shan made a sound of agreement.

"This was actually my mother's wish too. Seeing police officers would remind her of my father's death."

"Your mother is in your hometown, not living with you?" Jenna asked, already knowing the answer.

Luo Shan looked at the cards in front of her, her voice gradually becoming distant.

"When I was in university, she fell ill and was hospitalized… It was on and off, she struggled for two years but still didn't make it…"

Before Franca and Jenna could comfort Luo Shan, Lumina suddenly spoke, "My mother was also seriously ill once, frequently going to the hospital. I was still young then, standing at the hospital entrance, watching her being pushed in, my father bent over, accompanying her by her side… I don't remember who was watching me then, I only remember that I was very quiet, didn't cry or make a fuss…

"I was luckier than you, my mother was cured later."

At this point, Lumina's eyes suddenly became misty, her voice suddenly deepening, "I miss her so much…"

Franca and Jenna suddenly exchanged a glance, both looking a bit surprised.

This wasn't part of Li Ming's background information, nor was it content they had instilled.

Could it be… Franca quickly had a guess.

"I miss my mother too," Luo Shan responded to Lumina.

She seemed to recall her past life, remembering the days when she and her mother depended on each other. Although her emotions were sad, that lifeless feeling had faded considerably.

In the time that followed, Luo Shan's state improved somewhat—while playing cards, Jenna and Franca chatted with her about university life and career experiences, and Luo Shan recounted those events that were deeply etched in her memory.

Franca and Jenna could clearly hear that towards the end, Luo Shan's whole person became excited, as if trying to prove something.

"Let's end this; it's almost noon, I'll go make lunch for you all," Jenna stood up, smiling as she spoke.

Today's losers were Franca and Luo Shan, their faces covered with paper notes written with various funny phrases, and they suffered the indignity of having photos taken as a memento.

"I object! You're trying to kill me by taking advantage of my illness." Franca was, after all, still in a state of illness, her mind not so sharp, and she had done a good job of dragging Luo Shan down in the card game. She grumbled, "I'm bullied when I'm sick and weak!"

Jenna was amused by her.

"Wait until you're better and try again, you used to often lose to me before."

This referred to her Showy Diva days, often being dragged to play cards by the market district's boss "Red Boots" Franca.

Wasn't I just letting you win? Otherwise, how hard would it be for the mighty Witch to use a bit of mystical power to cheat and win easily? Franca grumbled inwardly.

At this moment, Lumina also stood up and said to Jenna, "I'll help you cut the vegetables."

"I'll help too." Luo Shan raised her hand. "The patient is responsible for resting!"

She took the opportunity to peel off the paper notes on her face and walked briskly into the kitchen.

Watching the three of them busy in the kitchen, with occasional laughter and cheerful voices, Franca leaned back against the sofa, peeling off the paper notes on her face, and spontaneously thought, If only this wasn't a dream…

After happily enjoying lunch, washing the dishes, and scrubbing the pots, Luo Shan said goodbye.

She had plans with a university friend in the afternoon.

Jenna and Franca, who was still a bit unsteady on her feet, saw her to the door.

Luo Shan turned sideways, her mouth open as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she just turned her gaze away and waved. "Bye bye."

She quickened her pace and walked straight towards the elevator.

Franca and Jenna watched her enter the elevator before turning back inside, each picking up their own phone.

Seeing their behavior, Lumina finally remembered that she had lost an important item.

"Where's my phone?"

It seemed to have disappeared last night…

"I have it," Franca took out Lumian's phone from her Traveler's Bag.

Before this operation, they had made contingency plans for different developments. Except for Franca, everyone was prepared to be kicked out of the dream, so they simply didn't bring their phones, or gave them to Franca for safekeeping, or left them at home. This way, when kicked out of the dream, they basically wouldn't be found by the Celestial Worthy through their phone contacts, and they wouldn't need to delete their contact list again—it would be too troublesome to add them back later.

Lumina took the phone and unlocked the screen with her fingerprint.

"'Intis Group Grimm' sent me a message… Why is the director sending me a message?" Lumina looked confused.

Franca leaned over and saw that Grimm had sent a emoji: "As expected of you!"

Obviously, Grimm had recognized that the woman who walked out of the screen with Zaratulstra was Lumina, and believed that Zaratulstra's death was done by the Child of God.

Jenna's thoughts raced, searching for an explanation for the relationship between Grimm and Lumina that didn't involve the supernatural.

She carefully fabricated, "Grimm has seen you in women's clothes and has become deeply infatuated with you. He's a masochist who sees you as his master. The more arrogant and cold you are to him, the more satisfied he is. Anyway, just ignore him and let him indulge in his own fantasies."

"Eww… pervert," Lumina looked disgusted.

Then she asked, "What does he mean by 'as expected of me'?"

"Maybe he saw a video or photo of you appearing with Zaratulstra and thinks you killed Zaratulstra," Jenna felt a fatigue from her brain working overtime. "Don't worry, he won't betray you. Instead, he'll keep this secret even more tightly and feel self-satisfied about it."

"…" Franca was left speechless listening to this, feeling that Jenna had been somewhat corrupted by the Internet lately.

"I see." Lumina breathed a sigh of relief.

The three of them each occupied a position, quietly being on their phones while digesting the food they had eaten at lunch.

Suddenly, Franca came across a local news item: "Crimson Moon Hospital's affiliated restaurant launched several mushroom set meals yesterday, which were well-received."

Devil's set meal—no, mushroom set meal? Franca's eyelid twitched, having heard about Li Keji from Lumian and seen the latest episode of "The Great Adventurer".

She remembered that not long ago, Lumian had gone to instigate Li Keji to create a new type of mushroom that could cure the vegetative patient An Xiaotian.

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