Eastern Young Lady's "Strange Dream": The Self-Deceiving Dr. Tang

Men's Dormitory.

Ye Cheng stood bare-chested on the balcony, taking a deep drag from his no-brand iced tea-flavored cigarette before exhaling slowly.

"Is it just my imagination?"

He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him. He’d felt it yesterday too, but today it was even more pronounced. To test his instincts, Ye Cheng had decided to "take the bait."

In simpler terms, he was fishing—waiting to see if yesterday’s suspicion was just paranoia. If it was, he’d finish this cigarette and go back to bed. If not… well, who the hell was staring at him?

Could there really be a creep lurking around campus?

Ye Cheng took another drag, then struck a ridiculously flashy pose on the balcony, flexing his already well-defined muscles to near-perfection. The visual impact was downright explosive.

Even from several kilometers away, the little secretary could feel the overwhelming vitality radiating from Ye Cheng through her binoculars. Right now, his appeal was on par with a freshly baked cupcake.

Her big, sparkling eyes widened as she stared unblinking through the lenses, letting out muffled, excited noises.

"Ehehe, how can he just—ahh, hehe…" The little secretary giggled like an idiot, her grin stretching ear to ear, nostrils flaring with excitement.

Her hands clawed at the air in front of her, making gestures that looked downright… sinister.

"Drip, drip…"

She didn’t even notice when her nose started bleeding again—this time much heavier than before. Dongfang Zhixia, standing behind her, watched the scene in silence.

Dongfang Zhixia hesitated, debating whether to interrupt the little secretary’s… moment. But considering how skittish she was, she’d probably faint from shock if startled now.

So Dongfang Zhixia crossed her arms and waited, deciding to catch her in the act later. No point traumatizing the poor thing mid-fantasy.

People tend to freak out when startled while hyper-focused.

"Huh? What’s this… wet? Blood?! AHH—"

THUD.

Mid-stare, the little secretary suddenly felt something warm and sticky trickling down her neck. She swiped at it, only to see her hand covered in blood. Blinking in confusion for a second, she let out a shriek, legs stiffening before she collapsed face-first onto the floor—out cold.

Dongfang Zhixia: "???"

Well. Turns out she’d worried for nothing. Even without a sneak attack, this idiot had scared herself into oblivion.

"So stupid. If your nose is bleeding, stop staring!" Dongfang Zhixia gritted her teeth, glaring at the unconscious heap on the floor with sheer exasperation.

Sighing, she bent down to drag the little secretary back inside. But as she passed the binoculars, her steps slowed. A single, intrusive thought crept in:

Was he really that good-looking?

What the hell had this dummy even been staring at? It couldn’t be that mesmerizing—just some jerk…

A jumble of thoughts swirled through Dongfang Zhixia's mind as her body moved uncontrollably toward the "culprit" who had caused her assistant to faint earlier. She eventually stopped at the same spot where her assistant had stood, raising the binoculars to peer at the male dormitory on the opposite hill.

What met her eyes this time was different from what her assistant had seen earlier. While the assistant had witnessed Ye Cheng flexing his muscles, Dongfang Zhixia now saw him working out.

He was doing pull-ups—simple in concept, but since the male dorm lacked proper exercise equipment, Ye Cheng had improvised by using the clothes rack embedded in the ceiling as his makeshift pull-up bar.

Some time had passed since the assistant fainted, and by now, Ye Cheng had already completed several sets of pull-ups. Later, as if finding the exercise too easy, he switched to one-handed pull-ups without losing any speed.

Dongfang Zhixia’s pupils constricted.

"Just how fit is this guy?!" Her voice was full of shock.

During their earlier chase, Dongfang Zhixia had already realized that this bastard had extraordinary stamina—but she never imagined it could be this impressive. Ye Cheng usually dressed conservatively, making it impossible to tell he had such a well-built physique.

In just half a minute, through the binoculars, she watched him complete over a dozen pull-ups without slowing down—if anything, his pace seemed to be increasing.

Averaging less than two seconds per rep!

This level of endurance was practically superhuman.

Dongfang Zhixia herself worked out regularly, so she knew exactly how much strain these "simple" exercises placed on the body. An average person would struggle to do twenty reps, needing breaks in between.

But Ye Cheng? One-handed, no rest—completely shattering her expectations.

The Dongfang Family’s bodyguards were professionally trained, some even ex-military, yet they still had to pass rigorous assessments. Regardless of other test categories, Ye Cheng’s current display alone surpassed even the most meticulously selected Dongfang Family bodyguards.

And Dongfang Zhixia remembered—Ye Cheng’s only known workout experience was working as a laborer in a shady logistics company?

It seemed to prove the saying: Don’t challenge a professional with your hobby.

"I’ll see just how many he can do!" Dongfang Zhixia sneered, then… kept watching.

One minute passed.

Five minutes passed.

Ten minutes passed.

Fifteen minutes later, the assistant finally woke up.

"Ugh…" The assistant groaned, her face slightly contorted from the throbbing pain in her head. She had fainted too quickly earlier—thankfully, her extra padding had cushioned the fall, or else she’d be covered in bruises instead of just feeling sore.

The first thing she saw upon waking was her young mistress, which nearly scared her into another faint.

Young Mistress!!!

She immediately squeezed her eyes shut, pretending to still be unconscious, feigning ignorance. And so… she lay there for another ten minutes before finally giving up and deciding to go back to sleep. But the moment she lifted her hand and saw it covered in blood, she passed out again.

The assistant booted up only to shut down once more, while Dongfang Zhixia remained "seriously engrossed" in studying the limits of Ye Cheng’s physical endurance.

An entire hour slipped by like this.

The little secretary couldn't take it anymore. After yet another "reboot," she quietly slipped down the stairwell without alerting her young mistress, and Dongfang Zhixia remained oblivious to the fact that her unconscious secretary had vanished behind her.

On the other end of the telescope.

Due to the prolonged high-intensity workout, Ye Cheng's sculpted muscles gleamed as if polished with wax, a shimmering testament to effort and sweat.

"Done."

Ye Cheng clapped his hands together, hopping down from where he’d been hanging. He glanced down at his sweat-drenched state and muttered to himself, "This body is still too weak. Can’t even handle this level of training?"

Shaking his head, he indulged in another bout of self-deprecation before finishing with two sets of stretches. Finally, he switched off the balcony light and retreated inside, disappearing from view.

Only after Ye Cheng left did Dongfang Zhixia reluctantly pull her gaze away, though her mind kept replaying the sight of his earlier exertions.

It was absurd—a full hour of relentless training, and he hadn’t even shown signs of exhaustion.

Dongfang Zhixia began to suspect that when she’d previously kidnapped Ye Cheng, he’d just been humoring her. With his physical prowess, he might not take on ten men at once, but if he wanted to escape, no one could’ve caught him.

So… had she been played for a fool from the very beginning?

Frowning, Dongfang Zhixia mulled over Ye Cheng’s baffling nature. Now that he was gone, there was no point in keeping the telescope trained. She closed it and glanced up at the sky—had it gotten this late already?

Wait… had she forgotten something?

A sudden realization struck her, and her heart lurched. She frantically scanned the rooftop for her secretary, only to find the woman long gone.

Meaning, the secretary had likely woken up at some point, seen her engrossed in her… observations, and discreetly slipped away without disturbing her.

Dongfang Zhixia: "…"

Her face flushed crimson at visible speed. She wanted to scream in frustration but feared her secretary might hear. Instead, she clamped a hand over her mouth, crouched on the ground, and let out muffled sobs, her expression a mix of defeat and fury.

"Bastard… it’s all your fault, wuu…"

This was only the second time in her life Dongfang Zhixia had felt so utterly helpless. The first was back at the factory, when she’d tried to humiliate Ye Cheng, only for him to bite her—an act that shattered her worldview in an instant.

Ye Cheng was so absurdly inhuman!

Being outsmarted once was bad enough, but this time she’d meant to catch her secretary red-handed. Instead, the tables had turned, and she’d been the one exposed.

The audacity!

Half an hour later.

Dongfang Zhixia descended from the villa’s rooftop to find her secretary already curled up in bed like an obedient child, clutching her blanket and nibbling at the fabric while murmuring in her sleep.

"Hehe… meat…"

Dongfang Zhixia: "…"

She’d steeled herself, prepared countless excuses and explanations to face her secretary—only for the woman to be fast asleep?

Sighing in relief, Dongfang Zhixia rummaged through the wardrobe for fresh clothes, then headed to the bathroom.

The sound of running water soon followed.

The sound of running water soon echoed from the bathroom, steam filling the air as a stunning figure swayed behind the frosted glass. Occasional grumbles of frustration could be heard between clenched teeth.

"That jerk… I’ll never forgive him…"

Dongfang Zhixia blamed Ye Cheng entirely for the embarrassing humiliation she’d suffered in front of her assistant earlier that day.

After what felt like an eternity, the rushing water finally stopped. With a soft thud, the bathroom door swung open. Wrapped in a towel, Dongfang Zhixia dried her hair before slipping into bed.

The bed was massive—custom-made, in fact. Ever since her assistant had started sharing it with her, a standard-sized mattress just wouldn’t cut it anymore. The girl had somehow grown increasingly… substantial, forcing them to upgrade.

Modeled after the luxurious king-sized beds of five-star hotels, it ensured ample sleeping space—especially necessary since the assistant had a habit of being restless in her sleep.

Dongfang Zhixia lay down, closed her eyes, and soon drifted into slumber.

"Oh my, could this really be our esteemed Student Council President? Surely someone as righteous, as dignified, as student-council-perfect as you wouldn’t secretly break school rules, right? Surely you wouldn’t sneak around with binoculars to spy on the boys’ dorm, would you? Surely—"

"No way, no way… The President wouldn’t actually lead the charge in violating school regulations, would she…?"

In her dream, Dongfang Zhixia’s relaxed brow furrowed as that infuriatingly smug voice echoed in her mind. Her hands, resting limply at her sides, clenched into fists.

"Meat… hehe…"

Meanwhile, the assistant, as if guided by thermal sensors, sensed her mistress’s presence on the bed. Still asleep, she instinctively "locked onto her target," releasing the corner of the blanket she’d been gnawing on and wriggling closer.

Plop. She latched onto Dongfang Zhixia, then immediately went for her ear—nipping at it gently before settling into a rhythmic, sleepy grind of her teeth.

"Mmm…" The assistant’s face twisted into bliss, her eyes crinkling into tiny wavy lines.

In stark contrast, Dongfang Zhixia—now treated as a chew toy—found her earlier scowl melting into something far more flustered. Her cheeks burned crimson as she instinctively tried to squirm away, only to be trapped in the assistant’s ironclad embrace.

Like being smothered by an oversized marshmallow—soft, warm, and utterly inescapable—Dongfang Zhixia’s breathing grew increasingly erratic.

And in her dream, the plot took an even stranger turn.

"Heh heh heh… Madame President, you can scream all you want—no one’s coming to save you now…"

Already tormented in her dream, Dongfang Zhixia now faced real-world "interrogation" from her assistant. That night, she experienced her first-ever… unusual dream.

"Nn… stop…"

Her whisper was barely audible, her face burning hotter by the second.

———

3:00 AM

Faculty Apartments

Tang Yuyao’s eyes flew open as she bolted upright, relief flooding her when she recognized her own bedroom.

"Wait… Didn’t I… throw up?"

Fragmented memories rushed back—holding a fruit knife to Ye Cheng’s throat, forcing him to call her "Mommy," drunkenly sobbing into his arms over some past heartache, then… kissing him.

Blah blah, all this nonsense—Tang Yuyao remembered every bit of it.

Sure, she was drunk, but not blackout drunk. Those TV dramas were full of lies, so… did she really do all those things?

"No, no, this must be a dream. It has to be. I must still be asleep. That’s the only explanation…"

Tang Yuyao kept trying to convince herself, patting her chest lightly.

"Ugh, always scaring myself like this. Must be the stress from work lately—hallucinations, that’s all. Sleep. Just go to sleep."

Muttering to herself for a while, she closed her eyes and tried to drift off peacefully.

3:30 AM.

Tang Yuyao’s eyes snapped open, bloodshot and wide awake. No amount of self-deception had worked.

"Wahhh, I wanna die… wahhh…"