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"I want to become one with you and take control of the Demon Realm again," he said, walking closer to me step by step.

He forced me to back away step by step, and I stammered, "You...you don't come any closer, you must have made a mistake, I don't understand a word you're saying...but that 'merging into one' thing is too disgusting, I won't do it."

"It's not up to you." His cold laugh was extremely eerie. Seeing someone who looked exactly like me giving me a strange smile, I was going crazy.

He drew a circle in front of his chest with his hand, and immediately a tremendous suction force tried to pull me into his body. I circulated my inner energy to resist, but the suction was too strong, and I soon couldn't hold on any longer. Just as I was about to be swept towards his body, a long whistle suddenly sounded in my ear. The flute-playing messenger's expression changed, and he said, "Mind your own business." Then his suction force suddenly disappeared, and his figure vanished. Poor me, I was still using my inner energy to resist. Without the suction, I fell backward due to inertia and bumped into the door. In my dizziness, I don't know who pushed me hard, and I fell to the ground with a cry. Huh, why is the ground so soft? I opened my eyes abruptly. The bed was creaking under my weight. I sat up. I was still in the room. Was I dreaming? But everything in the dream was so clear. I looked at my watch and it was past three in the morning. But I was disturbed by the dream and couldn't fall back asleep. My intuition told me that this was not just a dream, but I had no clue what was going on.

I went to work this morning with dark circles under my eyes. Ayu was already in the office looking at documents. When she saw me, she smiled and said, "Senior, you're here. You don't look well. Didn't you sleep well last night?" She was back to how I saw her yesterday morning, which made me feel more at ease.

I said, "Don't even mention it, I had nightmares all night... How are you? Did you enjoy your dinner last night?"

"Dinner last night?" She paused, as if she didn't know what I was talking about.

"Yes, didn't you and Sima Xiao go out to dinner last night?"

"Sima Xiao?" Her eyes flickered, then she smiled and said, "Oh, yes, we went to eat. I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."

"Forgot?" I found her reaction quite strange.

"Stop talking about that, let's get back to work. The editor-in-chief came over this morning to urge us to be more efficient."

"What? The editor-in-chief arrived so early. He really sets a good example!" I complained and picked up a document to look at.

"Ah Ming," I was looking at the documents when I heard Sima Xiao call me from the doorway. He had already come in as he spoke.

"Ah Yu," he said, his tone full of affection, which made me frown.

Ayu simply nodded indifferently to him, while I rubbed my somewhat heavy head and asked, "Lord Sima, what brings you here so early?"

"I'm here to see you." He looked at me with a grin.

"Looking for me?" I glanced at Ayu and saw that she was just looking at the documents as if it were none of her business, so I asked again, "What do you want?"

"I have a few words I'd like to say to you."

"Speak your mind."

"Let's go outside and talk."

"Boss, can't you see I'm swamped with work here? Just say what you need to say here."

"You idiot! How am I supposed to say this in front of a beautiful woman?" he glared at me.

I was scolded for no reason and was a little taken aback. Seeing his anxious look, I could only say, "Fine, fine, let's go outside and talk about it. I want to hear what kind of nonsense you're spouting."

"Go to hell." As I said this, I followed him outside to a secluded spot under a tree in the outer room.

I asked impatiently, "Alright, now you can talk."

"I should thank you."

"Thank me?"

"Thank you for not going out for dinner last night, which allowed me to be alone with Ayu again."

I yawned and said, "Don't thank me, it was Ayu who wouldn't let me go last night."

"What? It's Ayu... It seems she has feelings for me, doesn't she?" Sima Xiao looked at me excitedly.

"Right?" I said casually, then asked with some curiosity, "How was it for you two last night?"

"It was absolutely wonderful. I pulled out all the stops, and she kept laughing. I guarantee that last night's wonderful moments will stay in our hearts forever."

"Really?" That's strange. Why did Ayu say she almost forgot when I asked her? Oh well, maybe girls are shy. I said, "Then congratulations! I wish you win the heart of your beauty soon."

"Hehe, thank you for your kind words. I called you out not only to thank you, but also to ask you some questions."

"What do you want me to know?" I asked, puzzled.

"I'm asking you... do you really have no feelings for A-Yu... do you really not want to pursue A-Yu?"

"Who said that? Who said I didn't want to pursue Ayu?" I asked him, somewhat amused.

"But, but you didn't go last night, did you?" Sima Xiao asked anxiously.

I looked at him and asked with a smile, "What exactly do you want to say? Stop beating around the bush and just say it."

He stared at me for a moment, then finally said, "Okay, I called you out to say hello. I'm going to officially pursue A-Yu. We're good brothers, so don't... don't let a woman cause any unpleasantness."

I paused to think for a moment before slowly asking, "What are the benefits?"

"What?"

"I asked myself, what would be the benefit if I gave up pursuing Ayu?"

He said happily, "If you keep your word, I'll treat you to dinner every day."

I laughed and said, "Alright, I'll treat you to ten or eight meals a day. You can handle it if I treat you every day, but I can't."

"So you're saying you won't use your job to pursue Ayu?"

I sneered, "Do I look like that kind of person?"

"Great, buddy, thanks for making this happen. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

I yawned again and said, "Forget it, I'm so sleepy right now. I'm going to go home and sleep as soon as I get off work. You can treat me another time."

He chuckled maliciously, "Why are you so sleepy so early in the morning? Did you go thievery last night?"

I yelled, "You can't expect anything nice to come out of a dog's mouth! Do you think I'm like you, stealing every day? Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore. I have a ton of work waiting for me. The editor-in-chief is definitely trying to work me to death." I said as I walked back to my workroom.

Chapter Five: The Wonton Stall on Sixth Street

When Ayu saw me return, she asked casually, "What did Sima Xiao say to you?"

"It's nothing, nothing, just chatting."

Ayu sneered, "Really? You weren't talking about me, were you?"

"No, no," I replied guiltily. Seeing A-Yu's expression change again made me feel really strange. After that moment before leaving get off work last night, I had an indescribable feeling towards A-Yu. Simply put, she was very tempting to me, but this temptation also seemed to carry great danger, like a rose, beautiful and fragrant but covered in thorns. After thinking it over again and again, I decided not to pick her. I felt that I was more suited to gentle and beautiful girls, and I really couldn't handle A-Yu's multifaceted personality. I wondered if Sima Xiao had ever experienced A-Yu's personality. I secretly wished him good luck.

Seeing my denial, Ayu didn't press further and continued working. I picked up the document and looked at it for a while, but my eyes felt heavy, as if the words on the document were about to jump out of my eyes. I felt like falling asleep. Looking at Ayu, who was focused on her work, I said somewhat shyly, "Ayu..."

"What? Senior Brother A-Ming?"

"Um... I didn't sleep well last night, I was thinking of going to my dorm to lie down for a bit... just in case the editor-in-chief comes..."

"No way, senior, you're skipping work again? The documents here are due the day after tomorrow."

"I know, I know... Don't worry... I'll work overtime tonight to finish it, but I'm really too tired right now. Sitting here like this isn't efficient at all. I'll go get some sleep and recharge before I come back to work."

"Well... okay then... when the editor-in-chief comes, I'll tell you to go out and proofread the manuscript."

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll leave this to you, Ayu."

After I finished speaking, I rushed back to the dormitory, collapsed onto my bed, and fell into a deep sleep. I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly I heard a voice in my sleep say, "Why aren't you going yet? Hurry up and go!"

I mumbled, still half asleep, "Where are we going?"

"Sixth Street Wonton Stall"

The wonton stall on Sixth Street—I think I've heard of it somewhere before. I asked, "Where is it? Why should I go there?"

"It's on Luoshen Street, the sixth wonton stall on the right side of Qixia Bridge. You'd better hurry, or you'll be too late."

"Why is it too late? I don't understand what you're saying. Who are you?" I asked as my mind gradually cleared.

"You!" the man said angrily, "Still dreaming here? I'll wake you up." As soon as he finished speaking, I felt as if I had been hit on the head with a big iron hammer. I screamed and jumped up. When I opened my eyes, it was just another dream, but my head really did ache.

My suspicions grew stronger, and I had a vague feeling that something was about to happen to me.

"Sixth Street Wonton Stall" I muttered to myself, feeling a sense of familiarity. Oh right, it was mentioned by a girl who shared the same name and surname as A-Yu and looked exactly like her. Thinking of that girl, my heart skipped a beat again. Why would she look exactly like A-Yu and share the same name? She was not an ordinary woman either.

"You are me, and I am you." That's what the Flute-Playing Messenger said in my dream last night. If it applied to both A-Yu, wouldn't that also be true? Could they be the same person...? No, no way. What am I thinking? I'm under the influence of the Flute-Playing Messenger's spell, letting my mind wander. But why would there be two identical people? One is a mortal woman, and the other is some unknown being. Are they twin sisters...? No, that can't be either. I look exactly like that Flute-Playing Messenger, but I've never heard my parents mention any twin brothers. Besides, he's not from the mortal realm. So why does he look exactly like me? Now that I think about it, he wouldn't impersonate me, would he? His magical power far surpasses mine.

Never mind, since I had this dream, I'll go check out that wonton stall on Sixth Street.

"What sixth street wonton stall? Young man, you must be mistaken. We only have five wonton stalls here, named first street, second street, third street, fourth street, and fifth street. There has never been a sixth street wonton stall."

"Really not?" I asked doubtfully.

"Definitely not. I've been eating wontons here for decades and I've never seen a wonton stall on Sixth Street," the old man I asked told me with a serious expression.

I looked down and thought for a moment before saying, "Thank you." I walked to the Fifth Street Wonton stall, which was in a very narrow dead end. It seemed that this Sixth Street Wonton stall was not a street food stall; if it were in this area, it would probably only appear at certain times.

I checked my watch; it was already noon. I figured this wonton stall on Sixth Street probably wouldn't open until midnight. I decided to go eat first, then work overtime this afternoon and come back later in the evening. I started walking back.

When I arrived at work in the afternoon, Ayu was nowhere to be found. She left a note saying she was accompanying the editor-in-chief to the countryside. I felt a little more at ease without her. I hastily finished my case work, and soon it was time to leave. I went to the fifth street wonton stall on the right side of Qixia Bridge on Luoshen Street and ate a bowl of wontons. Then I found a secluded spot to hide and quietly waited for the sixth street wonton stall to appear. Time passed quickly, and around 10 p.m., all the wonton stalls closed up shop. The wind picked up, and I used my inner energy to protect myself from the cold. I waited patiently, and there were very few pedestrians on the street. After more than an hour, I suddenly heard the clatter of high heels. I looked up and saw a woman with an extremely sad face walking towards me. She walked to my side, looked at the dead end next to the fifth street, and said sadly to herself, "Why hasn't she come out yet?"

I thought to myself, "Is she talking about the wonton stand on Sixth Street? It seems so, but how does she know about this wonton stand?"

Just then, she noticed a change in the dead-end alley. First, a wonton stall slowly appeared, then two people appeared, and the dead-end alley disappeared. The young woman excitedly ran forward and asked, "Is this the Sixth Street Wonton Stall?"

One of the two men said, "Yes, miss, but could you tell us how you knew?"

"I found out in my dream. I've been dreaming about it for several days, and someone keeps telling me that the wonton stall on Sixth Street can grant my wish. I came here today specifically to try it out, and I never expected you to actually show up."

The two men exchanged a glance and said, "Miss, did you tell yourself in your dream that fulfilling your wish would come at a high price?"

"I know, but I'm not afraid of any price if my wish can come true."

"Alright, miss, tell us your wish, and we will charge a fee based on how difficult the wish is."

"Okay, I broke up with my boyfriend, I..."

"Miss, do you want to get back together with your boyfriend? No problem, we can do it."

"No, no, I hope to find a better boyfriend than him."

They exchanged another glance and said, "I'm sorry, miss, we can't help you with this."

"Why? You can grant any wish I have, so why can't you grant this one?"

"Miss, we can only grant wishes that you cannot fulfill on your own. As for wishes that you can fulfill, we cannot help you with them. You have to rely entirely on yourself."

"What? You mean I can fulfill this wish myself?"

“Absolutely, miss. We already know that your boyfriend left you because he wanted to marry a rich girl. If you want to get back together with him on your own, you probably won’t succeed. But if you want to find someone better than your boyfriend, there are plenty of them on the street. You don’t need us at all.”

"But I feel very distressed because I have absolutely no confidence in myself."

"Miss, how about this? You can have a short-term wish granted: tonight, a handsome man will accompany you."

"A handsome man to accompany me?"