Walking straight along the road from the subway exit, and before reaching the entrance of the building where Kunlun Technology is located, the massive logo of a human body with a leopard tail and tiger teeth is already prominently visible.

The logo exuded the same commanding presence as Yang Hui in Shen Zhengying's memory.

The depiction of a human figure with a leopard's tail and tiger's teeth is a description of the Queen Mother of the West from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Legend has it that the Queen Mother of the West resided on Mount Kunlun, so it's not hard to imagine the founder of Kunlun Technology's deep admiration for this myth.

The imposing logo at the entrance was just the beginning. Inside the building, an entire wall was lined with merchandise from Kunlun Technology's games. Everywhere you looked, there were cute, chibi-style versions of the leopard-tailed, tiger-toothed human figure. If Yang Hui had a chibi version, Shen Zhengying couldn't help but smile at the thought.

After checking in at the front desk and receiving a temporary access card, she pressed the button for the elevator. As the elevator doors opened in front of her, Shen Zhengying felt a pang of nervousness, unconsciously tugging at her blouse and cardigan. She was used to wearing dark, loose-fitting linen clothes, which Sun Shuxue and Jiang Yuming jokingly called her "sackcloth." That sackcloth was her protective armor. Dressing in a different style to blend back into so-called normal society felt oddly uncomfortable. Thankfully, her oversized glasses served as her last line of defense, offering a small sense of security.

The doors opened, then closed.

Inside the elevator were unfamiliar young faces, none of them familiar.

Shen Zhengying let out a soft sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

On Tuesday, after having afternoon tea with Sun Shuxue, she returned home in the evening and received a call from Yang Hui.

"Are you busy lately? If you have some free time, come and give your input on my project. You can earn some extra money for baby formula."

Yang Hui, a tech industry celebrity, internet mogul, and CEO of Kunlun Technology, rarely bothered with small talk. After a simple greeting, she got straight to the point. In Shen Zhengying's memory, Yang Hui was always sharp and efficient, so it was rare to hear her speak with a playful tone.

"My son is already in graduate school. What baby formula money are you talking about?" Shen Zhengying retorted.

"Your son needs baby formula money too. Our project is a pioneer in the industry. Technically, we've already achieved everything, but ethically, I need advice from professionals. We have psychological evaluators in the company, but you're a psychology professor. I'll also bring in a psychiatrist for a multi-dimensional assessment, only then can we be at ease."

Shen Zhengying had known Yang Hui for over twenty years. Back then, Shen had just graduated from university. Instead of following her parents' advice to start working right away, she married her ex-husband Jiang Bo and had a child. At the time, Jiang Yuming hadn't been born yet. While out running errands, heavily pregnant, someone tried to take her seat on the bus. Yang Hui stepped in and scolded the person.

At the time, Shen Zhengying thought Yang Hui was an extraordinary woman, unlike anyone she'd ever met. Years later, they crossed paths again at an academic event. By then, Yang Hui had become a prominent figure in the tech industry. Many socially adept professors were trying to cozy up to her, hoping to promote industry-academia collaboration. Shen Zhengying, knowing she lacked such skills, felt awkward and was about to slip away when Yang Hui called her out.

"I thought you'd be a full-time mom by now."

The comment left Shen Zhengying speechless.

"Women should still have their own careers."

In recent years, hearing the slogan "She for She," Shen Zhengying realized that Yang Hui had been an early practitioner of this philosophy.

Over the years, the friendship between the two had remained neither too distant nor too close. "Not too distant" meant they always updated each other's contact information whenever it changed, while "not too close" referred to their interactions being limited to occasional likes on social media. Yang Hui was extremely busy, frequently flying between several countries, so the number of times they actually met could be counted on one hand.

Shen Zhengying couldn't refuse Yang Hui's request. She was also deeply interested in the project called "True Illusion," though few people knew about Professor Shen's fascination with virtual worlds.

However, when Yang Hui extended the invitation, Shen Zhengying hesitated immediately.

That mysterious young girl, Hu Lailai, was an employee of Kunlun Tech and involved in the True Illusion project. What if she ran into her? Clearly, the girl had already decided not to show up again. It wasn't like Shen Zhengying could just go chasing after her.

Reason told Shen Zhengying to stay as far away from that girl as possible, but...

But Yang Hui mentioned that hundreds of employees were involved in this project.

Almost as if bewitched, Shen Zhengying agreed to visit Kunlun Tech first.

Surely, they wouldn't cross paths, right?

From the moment she stepped out of the subway station, Shen felt uneasy. Her heart raced as she entered the elevator, fearing that a familiar face might appear on the next floor. It felt as if she owed the girl a huge debt.

Only when she reached the floor of Yang Hui's office and followed the assistant inside did Shen Zhengying's heart gradually settle.

Ordinary employees rarely entered the CEO's office, and those who reported to the CEO were usually mid-to-high-level managers. Judging from the girl's social media, she hadn't reached that level yet.

But why was she so nervous?

At over forty years old, Shen Zhengying had spent years facing crowds—teaching students, training corporate employees. After the initial nervousness, she always handled things with ease, speaking fluently. She had never felt this jittery before.

Shen Zhengying attributed her unease to the awkwardness of having witnessed her son's wild behavior with the girl. Even if it hadn't been her son, watching a po.rnographic film with a stranger would have been equally nerve-wracking.

Once she understood the reason, Shen Zhengying felt much more at ease.

The office had a massive floor-to-ceiling window, offering a view of towering skyscrapers. On clear days, you could even see the river in the distance, making the view exceptionally open.

The interior was simply furnished, with a few pieces of furniture in vibrant colors, giving it a distinctly Western style.

Shen Zhengying had met many entrepreneurs, and those rooted in local culture usually had similar office decor—either dark, heavy furniture or antique styles.

It was as if using dark red mahogany furniture was the only way to assert one's status.

Yang Hui's furniture, however, was modern—ergonomic chairs, adjustable electric desks—perfectly matching her identity as a tech industry leader.

The assistant handed her a bottle of Perrier. "President Yang will be here shortly. Please have a seat, Professor Shen."

Shen took the water, and as the slightly salty sparkling water touched her tongue, it reminded her of the Fuji water in Hu Lailai's car.

After a few sips, Yang Hui entered with a young woman.

The young woman appeared to be around thirty, dressed in a khaki trench coat, a shirt, and tailored trousers, with a pair of high heels. She stood tall, her lips slightly pursed, exuding an air of sharpness that seemed to keep people at arm's length.

"Zhengying, you're here. Let me introduce you. This is Dr. Guan Shiyun, a psychiatrist from X Hospital, and this is Professor Shen Zhengying, an associate professor at H University's School of Psychology."

Both women showed a flicker of surprise before shaking hands and exchanging greetings.

"Hey, Shen Zhengying, do you owe someone a lot of money? Wearing such a big, shabby pair of glasses, are you afraid your creditors will recognize you?"

Shen Zhengying adjusted her glasses and smiled, showing no intention of taking them off.

Yang Hui also took a seat on the sofa. After sitting down, she casually took out a box of dragon beard candy from the coffee table drawer and placed it in front of Guan Shiyun.

"How long has this been here? It better not be expired." Guan Shiyun said, unappreciative.

"Dr. Guan can just check the date and find out." Yang replied dismissively, explaining with a smile.

Shen Zhengying's gaze swept over the two of them. Though her expression remained neutral, her inner gossip antenna was fully raised.

There's something fishy.

If she didn't know what Yang Hui's daughter looked like, she might have thought Guan Shiyun was Yang Hui's daughter. While their facial features weren't similar, their aura was strikingly alike.

Guan Shiyun carefully checked the date and then asked Shen Zhengying, "Professor Shen, would you like one?"

Shen Zhengying shook her head in refusal.

"I briefly mentioned the 'True Illusion' project to you over the phone. Users enter the illusion through a device, and while their brains operate within the illusion, their bodies remain in a resting state. I'm concerned that excessive use could lead to users being unable to distinguish between the virtual and the real. Of course, we can set usage limits, forcing them to log off after a certain number of hours, but there's still the risk of addiction."

"Sounds like a good deal," Guan Shiyun said casually. "If they can live normally without distinguishing between the virtual and the real, then so be it. Not distinguishing could be a kind of happiness."

Shen Zhengying was surprised for the second time. She hadn't expected such words to come from a psychiatrist. Inability to distinguish between the virtual and the real is a sign of cognitive dissonance, and treating patients with cognitive dissonance is the duty of a psychiatrist.

"Excessive exposure to the virtual world isn't beneficial for the physical and mental health of adolescents. Especially since they're still in the developmental stage, blurring the line between reality and fantasy too much could affect their social interactions and judgment in the real world."

"That's a statement very fitting for Professor Shen's identity," Guan Shiyun said, tearing open the packaging of the dragon beard candy in her hand. "But Professor Shen, what is reality? Our brains give us signals, telling us that what we touch and see is real, but is it really? For delusional patients, their brains also give them corresponding signals, and for them, what we can't perceive is also a kind of reality. But how do we judge whose signals are real? You see, our reality is just a set of signals."

Shen Zhengying glanced at the smiling Yang Hui. "Dr. Guan also said that those are delusional patients. I often hear students say how wonderful games are, how great 2D characters are, and that they'd rather live with 2D characters. True Illusion isn't just about 2D characters. While it's possible that in the future, the boundary between reality and the virtual might become less important, and people might prefer to live real lives in the virtual world—that's their choice, sure. But what's important is that we understand how games influence their choices, what consequences they might have, and whether there are risks."

These were all familiar discussions within the project team. What Yang Hui was more concerned about was how far the game could be opened up at this stage, and whether the increasing immersion with longer playtime might distort users' perception of reality.

Yang Hui clapped her hands and said, "The True Illusion is the future direction of development, a groundbreaking product. As far as I know, besides our Kunlun, several global tech giants are also researching it, but no practical applications have been launched yet, mainly due to ethical concerns. Inviting the two of you to participate is just the beginning. The focus of the project will shift to the issue of openness in the future. There's no need to say more. After you sign the confidentiality agreement, I'll have someone take you to experience it."

The matter of the confidentiality agreement had already been mentioned over the phone, and Shen Zhengying and Guan Shiyun had no objections.

After signing the agreement, Yang Hui took the cards handed over by the assistant and gave them to the two, "Here are the temporary access cards and meal cards. The food here is quite good, much better than in hospitals and schools. You can come and experience it more often if you have some free time. Once you find it enjoyable, we can talk about other things. Dr. Guan, I have something else for you, so please stay. Zhengying, I've arranged a liaison for you. You can contact her if you need anything."

Before Shen Zhengying could think of anything else, someone knocked on the door and came in.

A young girl, younger than Guan Shiyun, in her twenties, with delicate features and a strikingly familiar beauty.

Shen Zhengying's heart skipped several beats, truly, what one least expects often happens. Who else could it be but that mysterious Hu Lailai?

Today, Hu Lailai has transformed from her usual lively and playful self. Her soft, curly hair cascades over her shoulders, exuding a femininity that Shen Zhengying has never seen before.

"Leach, I mentioned a few days ago that we needed some external support. Dr. Guan and Professor Shen are here. I'll leave Professor Shen to you. Since you're in charge of psychological evaluations, communicate more with Professor Shen. It's her first time here, so show her around first."

"Understood, President Yang," Hu Lai replied promptly, not showing any sign of recognizing Shen Zhengying.

Earlier, she had been startled when she saw Shen Zhengying through the glass at the door, but after calming down, she felt secretly delighted.

—Heaven has a path, but you didn't take it; hell has no door, yet you came rushing in.

—Since the boss has handed you to me, it must be the boss's arrangement.

Shen Zhengying suppressed her flustered heart, cleared her throat lightly, and said, "Isn't this inappropriate? It might interfere with her main duties."

Hu Lai gave a slight smile and said in the most serious tone possible, "You're too kind, this is also part of my main duties."

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