"Hey? Perlin, it’s me, Luo Ling…" Ling Luo spoke into the phone in a boyish voice. "I’ve got stuff tonight and won’t be back at the dorm—just heads-up… Yeah, hanging up now."

She ended the call, leaned back with hands propping herself up, and muttered, "Ugh. First time getting a hotel room in college… and it’s ’cause I can’t go back to the dorm? So ridiculous. Should’ve been for something way more meaningful."

To conserve magic, Ling Luo kept her female form until morning—tucking away non-human traits cost almost no energy. But dorm stay? Impossible. A bit lavish, sure, but better than roughing it under the open sky. She’d grab an hourly room later.

Might as well save that hour’s fee—it was barely nine. Leave at 11 PM. But… how to kill two hours?

"Wait… no one’s come to the rooftop tonight? Did my urban legend die *that* fast? Internet memory’s short, but c’mon!"

Only after the earlier mess and gnawing hunger did she notice the emptiness. Last night, three or four had taken the bait. If not stuck in that stupid team activity, she’d have signed multiple contracts already—not reduced to sleeping out just to save magic…

Shi Wuyou’s face flashed in her mind. Ling Luo blushed deeply.

That moment had been mortifying. Roommates teased her all night. Words failed her.

"She’s a Demon Hunter. I’m a Succubus. Why do our paths keep crossing?! Makes zero sense! Worst part—she wrecked my life! I’ll get my revenge…"

Gurgle~

"Ugh… so hungry…"

Curled on the ground like a worm, she looked pitiful.

"Please… just generate some energy already… I’m starving…" she pleaded weakly. Her voice, soft and feeble, reached no one.

So what *were* the two contractors doing?

The student burned midnight oil, studying hard.

The middle-aged man, fresh from overtime, savored a warm dinner.

Full lives. Zero need to "generate."

To distract herself, Ling Luo scrolled her phone.

"Check my post first… Huh? Did I open it wrong?"

Gone. She sat up, double-checked—deleted by mod. Account shadow-banned.

"Who did this… *good deed*…" Anger flickered—then her stomach growled. Poof. Gone.

"This mod’s… ugh. Too hungry to think. Mindless stuff it is."

She binge-watched lolicon novels all night.

"Ah, bed’s so soft… blanket’s huge… Too bad no one to roll around in the sheets with. Hehe, kidding~"

At 11 PM, she checked into a nearby hotel. A tiny hiccup: the clerk’s utterly stunned face at her ID, double-checking the age again and again. Funny in hindsight.

Fresh from the shower, Ling Luo flopped onto the bed and rolled solo.

Snacks? Tempting. But with this bottomless appetite? Risk eating herself broke. Nope.

Soft mattress eased her mind. Sleep came fast.

"Ah… this place…"

Eyes open. Floating in true form within a surreal void—no ground, no direction, only swirling kaleidoscopic lights.

Right. The *Primordial Dream*. A Succubus’s dream hub. Starting point.

"Huff… Time to work."

Four spheres materialized, each her height. Two gray, faintly glowing—dormant dreams of contractors who hadn’t generated energy all week. Too distant. The other two shimmered with shifting colors: Senior Hao Lin’s and Senior Jing Hua’s.

Ling Luo manipulated Hao Lin’s sphere and dove in.

"Mmph… Why’s my body so heavy? Can’t move…"

Instant discomfort. Strength drained. No hunger—but this felt worse.

"Low magic = bad state. Risky…"

Mom warned her. But promises mattered. Just uncover what happened between Hao Lin and Shi Wuyou. Quick in, quick out.

…

Dawn. Ling Luo checked out, trudging back to campus, body running on empty.

Magic-depleted dream entry had multiplied her drain.

She’d calculated carefully: even without today’s spiritual energy, conserving should’ve lasted till night. Now? Might not survive the morning.

Shifting back to Luo Ling’s form, he headed to the dorm—to explain, ask roommates for leave. A call would’ve worked, but vanishing all night demanded a face appearance.

Steps faltered. Just shy of the dorm, Luo Ling slumped against a roadside tree. Darkness swallowed him. Dormant.

"Isn’t that Luo Ling?"

Xiao You, passing by, spotted him slumped against the tree. Thought he was napping—until she checked. No breath.

But warmth remained. She laid him flat, started chest compressions, then pressed her lips firmly to his without hesitation.