In truth, it wasn't just them who couldn't understand the girl; even the girl herself sometimes couldn't understand herself.

She was like someone who had been indulged for too long and didn't know how to restrain herself.

But... she clearly didn't want to be like this.

In the end, she became the person she hated most.

Just like the alcoholic man she called her father.

After the *gaokao* (national college entrance exam), she was admitted to a decent university, but before she could even get to know her classmates, she started disappearing again. Her roommates were spreading rumors that she didn't value herself and that staying out all night was a common occurrence.

She didn't get angry when she heard this. She merely seized opportune moments to show off her expensive cosmetics and the brand-name jewelry they could only dream of, reaping a wave of malice from everyone.

Without the slightest extra emotional fluctuation, she simply enjoyed it.

She originally thought she would just continue like this, living and dying in a daze.

Until... one day, she met that man.

A senior a year ahead of her, assigned by the college to provide mental health guidance to freshmen.

He was assigned to her dormitory.

It was a rainy day.

The weather forecast said it would rain, but it never did. The rolling dark clouds looked as if they would press down at any moment, bringing a rare downpour.

She was outside alone at an internet cafe, the sound of her listless keyboard strokes echoing in the empty space.

She was called back by her counselor, a woman not much older than her, who spoke very quickly. Her words weren't pleasant, but she wasn't a bad person.

She always gave her a dressing down after she caused trouble and then ordered her to write a self-criticism.

Coincidentally, she didn't care about being scolded or writing self-criticisms.

Just as she reached the dormitory door, she heard her loudest roommate listing her crimes, even suspecting that she had mental problems, was prone to mania, and might hurt someone.

She stopped outside the door, not going in right away.

Another girl, who lived in the bunk above her, added in a low voice, seemingly defending her, but actually subtly pointing out that she was unchaste, often stayed out all night, and spent money extravagantly, which must be because…

"Did you see it with your own eyes?" The senior's voice was very clear, unlike anyone else's.

The roommates' chattering stopped.

"I... I heard it from others, but it must be true," the girl retorted unwillingly, seemingly trying to win the senior's favor, her voice soft and gentle. "Senior, you can ask in other dormitories."

"If you people in the same dormitory don't know, what results can you get from asking other dormitories?" The senior's voice was calm and steady, sounding very convincing. "It's just another version of hearsay."

"The counselor told me she'll be back soon, so I'll wait for her here."

Everyone has their own *bai yueguang* (white moonlight, an object of unattainable perfection) in their heart. Yu Man thought she didn't, but the moment she pushed open the door, she changed her mind.

"Xia Wan'an, is it?" The senior wore glasses and was the rare type of guy with a clean, refined, and gentle temperament. He held a notebook and checked it carefully, then looked up and smiled. "Hello, my name is Han Jingnian."

A simple fate began, and everything that followed was natural.

They got together.

Yu Man, or perhaps it would be more appropriate to call her Xia Wan'an, also felt that her world had light again the moment she met Han Jingnian.

She met new friends and felt a long-lost feeling, but no one would have thought that the arrival of a nightmare would destroy everything.

It was a real nightmare.

During a graduation trip.

At that time, besides her, Han Jingnian, and several of their closest friends who were traveling with them were also caught in the nightmare.

They arrived in a strange world.

As she saw the world clearly, Xia Wan'an's pupils trembled violently, as did her body. She had actually... returned to the city where she had spent her childhood.

It was as if someone had pressed pause on time. Ten years had passed, and it was still exactly the same, exactly as she remembered it.

Just like most of the nightmares that followed, they were hunted down by an extremely terrifying vengeful ghost, and her friends died one after another at the hands of the ghost.

She was extremely scared at the time, her brain had given up thinking, but fortunately, Han Jingnian stayed by her side at all times, protecting her.

Han Jingnian was very clever. With only a few clues, he had found a way out. The way out was in an underground bar.

But just as they arrived, the ghost arrived with them.

Moreover, it stood crookedly in front of the iron gate leading out.

The hope of leaving slowly disappeared.

Everyone scattered, and screams rang out from time to time in the darkness, as isolated friends were hunted down.

The fog that filled the area in front of the black iron gate became thinner and thinner. A voice in her heart told her that it was a sign that the iron gate was about to disappear.

And after the iron gate disappeared, they would be trapped in this world forever.

What awaited them would be an ending more tragic than death.

The helplessness that had accompanied her since childhood, watching her alcoholic father beat her mother with a belt, surged back into her heart.

She thought she had already escaped the nightmare that this city had brought her, but she never expected that the nightmare would send her back again.

The aura of despair spread, and she could even feel the monstrous malice of the vengeful ghost dragging its half-body across the floor.

At the critical moment, a light flashed before her eyes, and Han Jingnian beside her lit his coat and threw it far away.

The broken wine bottles were all on the ground, and in an instant, the fire spread uncontrollably.

But the ghost also seemed to have blurred vision, lunging left and right, but failing to catch anyone.

The door was not far from them, and although her friends were farther away, there was enough time left for them to run over and leave.

But what happened next subverted Xia Wan'an's impression of Han Jingnian.

He grabbed a wine bottle from the bar and smashed it heavily on the ground.

Immediately, a line of fire burned in front of them, blocking her friends on the other side.

And that side was about to turn into a sea of fire.

"Listen," Han Jingnian grabbed her shoulders, his expression more serious than ever. "Nightmares like this will only have a first time and countless times after that. Now that you've stepped into this, you can never get out again. All you can do is try your best to survive."

The fire was about to burn her friends, and cries of resentment and curses rose and fell.

But none of this affected Han Jingnian in the slightest.

"Remember, don't trust anyone in a nightmare," he took a deep breath, his voice changing abruptly. "And... if possible, try to make yourself the only survivor."

He spoke very quickly, the heat waves coming one after another. "After you get out, you'll have something extra on you. No matter what it is, keep it safe. It will make it easier for you to survive in the next nightmare."