The Venue for a Date: Quietly Crazy in the Dead of Night

Shen Buyao adjusted the height of the camera.

From an initially level angle, she tilted it slightly upward before finally securing the stand with satisfaction.

When someone starts caring about their appearance, it’s either because they’re in love or preparing to be.

Who would’ve thought?

Even the ethereal yet foul-mouthed "antique sister" couldn’t escape the common fate.

Such a small gesture was all too telling.

"Lin Yu, I bet you can’t guess what I’m about to say when I call you right now."

Shen Buyao rested her hands on the wooden desk, smiling as she waited for Lin Yu to decipher her thoughts.

Honestly, judging by Shen Buyao’s confident grin,

it definitely wasn’t something easy to guess.

Something about Shen Jiuyi?

Unlikely.

Every time "Big Cow" was mentioned, Shen Buyao was all fire and fury.

She’d never joke around with Lin Yu about helping Shen Jiuyi.

Since he couldn’t figure it out, he might as well—

"Simple. You miss me."

Lin Yu cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Shen Buyao gave him an unimpressed look and retorted,

"Don’t flatter yourself!"

"I just thought of a fun place for Sunday. Downtown shopping… well, it’s alright."

"But the spot I have in mind is way more interesting. Wanna hear it?"

Lin Yu: "…"

This wasn’t just similar to his guess—it was identical.

So she was already planning their Sunday date!

Had their dream entanglement subtly shifted her mindset?

Playing along enthusiastically, Lin Yu asked with feigned anticipation,

"Oh? I was gonna discuss tomorrow with you too. Shopping does sound a bit bland."

"Not worthy of our first… official date."

Shen Buyao pointed at the camera.

"See? I totally predicted your thoughts!"

"Hah, I’m such a genius."

Lin Yu’s inner voice: Yeah, yeah, sure.

He pressed on curiously,

"So then, oh great genius, where do you think we should go?"

Shen Buyao adopted a serious expression.

"I remembered Big Cow mentioned a few days ago that she had someone clean up the 'old mountain house' our grandparents left behind again this month."

"Apparently, there’s a bunch of fruits and vegetables growing there too. Aside from an old caretaker she hired, no one else is around."

"So I was thinking… maybe we could give the caretaker uncle… a day off on Sunday."

As she spoke,

Shen Buyao rubbed the bridge of her nose, studying Lin Yu’s reaction.

The implications of her words required some contextual analysis.

Mountain. Old house. No one around.

It bore an uncanny resemblance to the fake mountain pavilion from their dream.

No doubt about it—

The dream infiltration had worked wonders!

In the real world, no matter how much Lin Yu tried, he could never plant such natural hints.

But in the dreamscape, it became the woman’s "own idea."

All they needed was to convince themselves, and the emotional progress would follow.

This mental technique was truly brilliant!

The old house Shen Buyao described? Lin Yu could roughly picture it.

Definitely not some isolated shack in the wilderness.

At the very least, it’d be on par with a high-end homestay or agritourism spot.

As a getaway, it’d be beyond comfortable.

Given the antique sister’s bold personality,

with a bit of luck, they might even unlock a few more… scenarios.

Noticing Lin Yu’s silence,

Shen Buyao added,

"If you’re worried about travel time, don’t be."

"It’s only about an hour’s drive—we’ll definitely make it."

"If we leave early, I definitely won’t let you stay out all night..."

"With my driving skills, keeping it under an hour is totally doable!"

"Though it’s called the mountains, you can actually drive in. I have a car."

Lin Yu’s inner thoughts:

Hiss!

An isolated mountain area… and a car at that…

What else could he even say?

Elder Sister’s arrangements were absolutely flawless!

Lin Yu still put on a thoughtful expression and analyzed:

"Buyao, I’m not worried about the time."

"The mountains… the scenery must be amazing, right?"

"I just happen to be planning to buy a new DSLR tomorrow. Maybe we could take some landscape shots—or even some portraits of a certain beauty?"

"If you have any nice outfits, you should bring them. You’ll be the first girl in my camera!"

[Ding!]

[Masterful move! The beautiful interplay of dreams and reality leaves your Dao Companion enchanted, lost in a daze!]

[Reward: 50 Spirit Stones]

Shen Buyao: "!!!"

A camera, pretty clothes, a photoshoot in the mountains…

Lin Yu’s words coincidentally mirrored the ripples of her dreams.

And what’s more—

"First girl in my camera"? Smooth talker.

"My suggestion’s pretty good, right?"

"Judging by your reaction, I’ll take that as a yes!"

Lin Yu flashed an "OK" gesture and replied:

"With Buyao handling the rides and providing the date spot, how could I say no?"

"I don’t have much to contribute, so I’ll just pitch in with some manual labor..."

Shen Buyao snapped, "Cut the crap, you little—! Quit making dirty jokes! Young and already so shameless!"

Lin Yu blinked innocently:

"I was talking about preparing ingredients, good wine, and putting in the effort to cook a nice meal. How is that shameless?"

"Or should I just lie around like an emperor and wait for others to do everything?"

A faint blush spread across Shen Buyao’s face:

"O-oh, that kind of contribution… You should’ve been clearer!"

"Also, Big Moo is alone in her room, and I didn’t let Rongrong disturb her."

"I know why she’s looking for you. No matter what you see in the fate chart tonight..."

"Lin Yu, I hope you’ll be straightforward with her. This has haunted her for years."

"Very few things linger in her mind like this."

As she spoke, Shen Buyao brought up Shen Jiuyi’s matter again.

What Shen Jiuyi herself had described as a personal concern now seemed even more enigmatic through Buyao’s words.

Just copying someone’s fortune-telling hobby—was it really that serious?

Lin Yu agreed politely.

...

Late at night, 12:30 AM.

"Tap… tap…"

A soft knocking sound came from the door.

So quiet that one might miss it entirely if not listening carefully.

Had Lin Yu not known Shen Jiuyi would come and stayed awake waiting, she might’ve been knocking for a while.

Lin Yu walked to the door and turned on the light beforehand.

When he opened it, there stood Shen Jiuyi, hands tucked into the pockets of her oversized blue-and-white baseball jacket.

On her head, the same black-and-white striped snapback she’d worn when they first met sat reversed, holding her short hair in place.

A pair of ankle socks peeked out from her slippers, stark white against her skin.

Shen Jiuyi fixed Lin Yu with her usual aloof gaze.

"Good evening, Lin Yu."

"You’re staring at my feet, aren’t you?"

"My foot shape is considered aesthetically pleasing."

Lin Yu: "???"

That familiar feeling was back…

He still couldn’t quite pin down Shen Jiuyi’s personality.

Now...

What a quietly unhinged vibe!

Speaking the most unexpected words in the calmest tone!

...

(Second update today—more chapters coming soon. Keep supporting!)