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"Anzi, are you sure about this? Xiao Yi is so well-behaved and filial. How could she be a stalker?" Mr. Du thought his son had lost his mind.

"Besides, what could she possibly gain from following you? Does she fancy your age? Are you telling me she wouldn't go for a handsome guy like you?"

Du An looked at his father thoughtfully. "You really don't know why she might be following you? Are you keeping something from me? Let me remind you, it was back in junior high."

At the mention of junior high, Mr. Du immediately connected the dots and frowned at his son. "You know about that incident?"

"At least I found out," Du An sighed. "Dad, you should have told me about it back then."

Mr. Du's eyes darted around. "You were still young, and so was Xiao Yi. When you brought her home, I was even preparing to welcome my future daughter-in-law. There's no point discussing the past now."

After saying that, Mr. Du seemed to have a realization. "Could it be that you're suggesting Xiao Yi is..."

Du An had already pushed open the hotel room door and was looking at the closet. He took a deep breath.

Recalling Master Chu's words, he slowly pulled open the closet door.

This time, Mr. Du was prepared and stood guard at the suite's entrance.

The wardrobe door swung open.

When the woman hiding inside saw Du An's face, she froze for a moment before attempting to dash out. However, there was still someone blocking the way.

Du An grabbed the woman by her arm, removed her hat, and then pulled down her mask, revealing a delicate face.

"Xiao Yi?" Mr. Du was stunned. "It's really you?"

Realizing that she had been discovered, the woman pushed Du An away and rubbed her arm. "Yes, it's me."

Du An was in so much emotional pain that he couldn't find words. All the genuine feelings he had invested and the mutual affection he believed they shared seemed to have turned into a mockery.

He sat on the bed with his head buried in his hands.

The three of them stood in an awkward stalemate.

Upon learning that someone had entered the room, the hotel staff immediately called the police. In no time, the officers arrived at the scene.

Considering Mr. Du's previous incident with being followed, Xiao Yi was cuffed.

As they left the room.

Xiao Yi looked at Du An, hesitantly apologizing, "I'm sorry."

Seeing his former lover in handcuffs, Du An's lips trembled.

Aside from their romantic relationship, they were childhood friends.

Their past affection was genuine.

Finally,

Du An sighed.

"Please don't let something like this happen again."

Over at Temple Street.

Having just bid Du An farewell, Chu Yuening turned to the next customer in line. She interlaced her hands and stretched gently, loosening her muscles.

"The next reading."

The approaching client was a handsome young man, dressed in a loose-fitting light gray suit. He looked distressed and scratched his head upon taking a seat.

"Master, I haven't had a good night's sleep in a week. Please help me."

No sooner had he spoken than the onlookers burst into laughter.

"Young man, were you up all night playing video games, huh?"

"I get it. When I was your age, I did the same. Staying awake for gaming."

Yu Guan sighed loudly. "No, it's not that. I've genuinely had nightmares every night for a week. It feels like I'm asleep, but I'm not really sleeping."

Someone standing by the shop entrance chimed in, "Science says we're always dreaming when we sleep. The difference is that sometimes we remember our dreams, and other times we don't."

"I used to have trivial dreams, but lately, they've been rather peculiar," Yu Guan mused, utterly perplexed.

This single sentence piqued the interest of his neighbors.

They had heard their share of nightmares.

But someone seeking an expert due to a nightmare was a first.

Eager for more, they prodded him.

"What kind of dream was it? Tell us."

"Ah, did you dream about someone you fancy? No need to hide, Uncle understands – we were all young once."

Seeing everyone's curiosity, Yu Guan stood up, took the teapot, and poured himself a cup of tea into a clean cup, taking a sip to quench his thirst from waiting in line for so long.

Only after sitting down did he let out a contented sigh.

"The one in my dream was actually my grandfather."

"My grandfather passed away three years ago, and among his three grandchild, he doted on me the most. He was too fond of me to ever scold or punish me. As my mother would say, he cherished me as if he were afraid to drop me if held in his hands, and feared I might melt if I were in his mouth."

"After Grandpa passed away, I was so heartbroken that I pleaded with him every night to visit me in a dream. But three years have gone by, and not a single dream has come."

"Until recently, I started having consecutive dreams about him for several days in a row."

In every such dream, he appears with a twisted face, wielding a cane as if to strike me, gritting his teeth and scolding me for my carelessness and recklessness. He tells me to go back home, stay indoors, and devote more time to studying instead of playing games. He warns that I shouldn't rely on my good looks thinking everything will be fine.

Though it was a dream, the fact that Yu Guan, whom he had revered the most in his life, treated him this way, couldn't help but evoke a sense of desolation within him.

Chu Yuening took hold of Yu Guan's eight characters and performed a calculation. Lifting her gaze, she said, "Ordinarily, people don't dream of deceased relatives unless they have done something significant."

Her implication was already quite clear.

There seemed to be more to Yu Guan's story that he hadn't shared.

The neighbors then stepped in to offer their advice.

"Young ones, now that you're with Master Chu, there's no secret that can't be shared."

"Indeed, if you seek peace of mind, reveal what you've been hiding."

Yu Guan was initially hesitant, but seeing the openness of the neighbors, he let go of his worries and smiled warmly.

"Well, it's not really a big deal, but... I accidentally mixed Grandpa's ashes with lotus root powder. Would that count?"

Upon hearing this, the street fell into an eerie silence.