Chapter 16: Miss Yang’s Cat

Beneath the moonlight, Lin Xiao made his way toward Central Avenue. His shop was located in the city’s prime downtown area, yet it did not face the street directly. Meanwhile, Miss Yang’s Dream Experience Store stood on the busiest pedestrian commercial street.

Fortunately, the distance was short—a mere five-minute walk.

It was already late at night. Even in such a bustling area, few pedestrians remained. Only solitary utility poles stood along the roadside, their wires casting shadows at Lin Xiao’s feet.

He noticed that the poles were plastered with countless small advertisements, like stubborn patches of urban grime. Lin Xiao sighed, “These pesky flyers are everywhere—even in another world, they’re impossible to escape.”

Yet curiosity gnawed at him. What kind of advertisements did this world have? Were they also pleas from wealthy women seeking children, clinics specializing in infertility, or male health centers?

Stopping before one pole, his eyes caught the most prominent flyer:

“I am female, 19 years old, 169 cm tall, weighing 103 jin. Yesterday, I carelessly lost 2,000 yuan in cash here. If anyone finds it, please contact me. I am willing to accompany the finder as a girlfriend for 60 minutes as thanks.

Contact: XXXXXX…”

Lin Xiao was speechless.

Damn, how envious!

Not because she earned more than he did selling memories, but because of the delicate way she phrased it. It was enough to make anyone jealous.

With that envy stirring inside him, Lin Xiao pressed onward. The faint glow of Miss Yang’s shop lights appeared in the distance.

That faint light seemed to him like a probing gaze, piercing straight into the most secret corners of his heart.

If it were up to him, he truly did not want to cooperate with Miss Yang—no matter how beautiful she was.

But this city had only three Dream Experience Stores. The other two had firmly rejected his cooperation requests, leaving him no choice.

One must admit, earning money is never shameful.

To outsiders, both provided virtual experiences, but Dream Experience Stores seemed to outclass Memory Experience Shops by a wide margin; cooperation seemed impossible.

Yet Lin Xiao understood well that, while competitive in some areas, the two offered complementary differences.

Dream experiences did not perfectly mirror reality. Sensory realism was only about 30% to 50%, logical coherence below 40%, but emotional intensity was amplified to 200%.

Many had felt this—waking up after dreaming of crying uncontrollably, only to realize upon awakening that the event wasn’t truly so sorrowful.

Thus, the overall sense of dream realism hovered around 50% to 60%.

In contrast, Lin Xiao’s immersive memory experiences achieved about 90% realism; reliving a memory felt close to experiencing the real event.

This gap between dreams and memories allowed clients to choose based on their needs—whether to experience dreams or memories.

If they preferred more freedom, they chose dreams; if they desired higher authenticity, they chose memories.

Beyond these differences, the two possessed strong complementarities.

Memory experiences could compensate for dreams’ “missing material,” which often made many dreams impossible to have.

Lin Xiao had long hoped to find a Dream Experience Store willing to cooperate—to refer clients mutually and grow the pie together.

But when he approached the first two stores, their owners rejected him outright.

Not because those owners were male and jealous of his good looks.

Rather, Dream Ability users tended to be too laid-back, unwilling to exert effort or deal with hassle.

Lin Xiao fully understood; if he had such powers, he’d probably just eat and sleep all day.

In dreams, he was a god with limitless power; whatever he wished for appeared.

He could traverse time and space, gathering his many wives: Liu Yifei, Gao Yuanyuan, Gulinazha, Dilraba, Zhao Liying, Yang Mi, Zhang Ruonan, Monica Bellucci, Julia Delpy, Sophie Marceau, Marina Aleksandrova...

Beyond endless romantic fortune, any wealth and glory were naturally within reach.

Dream Ability users might not be the strongest, but they were undoubtedly the happiest.

After being turned down by the first two, Lin Xiao did not hold out much hope as he knocked on the last store’s door.

That’s when he met the breathtakingly beautiful Miss Yang Shuai.

If time could rewind, Lin Xiao might not have chosen to open that door—at least, not to exchange experiences with Miss Yang.

That night, he had a wonderful dream. In it, the hypersonic missile model he had worked on for six years was finally successfully test-fired.

The wave-riding warhead struck a target 3,000 kilometers away at Mach 16 with pinpoint accuracy.

In the dream, he and his colleagues whooped like children, tears streaming uncontrollably.

Countless days and nights of dedication had finally led to this triumph.

The blissful feeling was so vivid that waking left him disoriented, as if it had slipped away.

At that moment, he noticed Miss Yang’s gaze had shifted—an inquisitive look that pierced him.

“You have a big secret,” she said.

Her words instantly put Lin Xiao on high alert.

Fortunately, her next sentence eased him somewhat:

“Keep your secret safe.”

Lin Xiao wondered if she had glimpsed his dream and formed some conjecture.

His vigilance in this extraordinary world was instantly heightened. As a traveler from another world, countless methods could be used to pry into his secrets.

So, when Miss Yang later presented him with a “Time” wristwatch, one phrase made him abandon refusal:

“This watch can protect you against psychic abilities.”

What else could he do? He had no choice but to owe her a favor.

Lin Xiao knew the IOU he held wouldn’t fully repay this debt, but every little bit counted.

Lost in thought, Lin Xiao finally arrived before Miss Yang’s Experience Store and looked up at the sign:

“Dream Paradise.”

Well, it was a poor name choice.

At least it was straightforward and simple—better than his own pseudo-literary “Amber of Time.”

A “Closed” wooden sign hung on the door, but it was unlocked.

Familiar with the place, Lin Xiao didn’t ring the bell; he simply pushed the door open.

Inside the entrance stood a rugged artificial rock formation rising from a pool. Moss covering the stones reflected on the water’s surface, making the pool appear even more emerald.

In the water floated a plump white cat, paddling with pink paws in a doggy paddle, a look of utter contentment on its face.

The scene made Lin Xiao involuntarily murmur:

White cat floats on green waters, pink paws stir clear waves.

Hearing the noise, the cat perked its ears and turned.

Recognizing Lin Xiao, it squinted its amber eyes and offered a charming smile.

Leaping lightly out of the water, it shook vigorously, sending sparkling droplets flying.

After drying itself, it trotted gracefully over to Lin Xiao and rubbed its head affectionately against his pant leg, leaving faint wet marks on the fabric.

It raised its long tail, wagged it back and forth, and gave a flattering bark:

“Woof!”