Chapter 146: Unclear

The moment she stepped onto the second floor, Bai Hang only then realized a serious problem.

The sensor lights in the stairwell lit up in sequence with their steps, and the soft illumination lit the tidy corridor—one side a wall, the other side lined with three doors.

She stared blankly and counted: one was the door to her own bedroom, one was Xi Tong's room door, and the remaining one… was the locked storage room.

The guest room is on the first floor, assigned to Jing Liu.

She couldn't possibly have Bai Lu share a bed with that chilling Former Sword Leader, could she?

Just imagining the scene made Bai Hang feel her fox fur bristling.

That left only two options: Bai Lu could either sleep with her, or… sleep with this System.

Bai Hang instantly felt a headache.

She halted, watching Bai Lu beside her curiously examining the holographic star map on the corridor wall, then glanced at the System ahead, already stopped at her own door, about to open it.

(First ask System Miss… what if she agrees?)

Clinging to a faint hope, she gently tugged the System's sleeve and signaled with her eyes to speak a step away.

The System halted, its face still bearing that neutral expression, but seeming to understand Bai Hang's cue, turned and walked a few steps with her toward the end of the corridor, moving slightly away from Bai Lu, who was tiptoeing to touch a virtual planet in the star map.

"Um… System Miss,"

Bai Hang lowered her voice, plastering a flattering smile on her face, "Just want to discuss something? You see, Miss Bai Lu is staying over tonight, the downstairs guest room is occupied by Jing Liu, so… could she share a night with you?"

She asked cautiously, not really hopeful inside, but she had to try.

The System almost immediately shook its head, the motion crisp and decisive, without any hesitation.

"Why?"

Bai Hang grew a bit impatient, her voice unintentionally rising, then quickly lowered it again, "Your room… should be fairly spacious, right?"

She recalled the supplemental setting in her mind about Xi Tong Jie's personality being reclusive yet particular about life.

The System didn't answer directly, but instead looked at Bai Hang with those calm, unruffled eyes, and, with a hint of inquisitiveness, asked back, "Why don't you want her to sleep with you?"

"I…"

Bai Hang was choked by the question, suddenly not knowing how to answer.

Indeed, why?

She subconsciously rejected that option.

It wasn't that she disliked Bai Lu—on the contrary, ever since she first "picked up" this runaway Little Dragon Girl on the street, she'd felt an inexplicable, baseless affection.

That feeling was like a forgotten corner of her heart being gently touched—warm, yet slightly sour.

Precisely because of that indefinable feeling, she kept meddling to provide cover, even bringing the person back home again today.

But that overly strong affection also left her vaguely uneasy.

She is now "Bai Xing," an ordinary traveling merchant, a civilian who, in theory, should keep proper distance from the noble Little Dragon Girl.

Could excessive closeness and acceptance arouse suspicion?

More importantly… deep inside, she seemed to have an instinctive… dread of spending the whole night with this Little Dragon Girl?

As if fearing some buried thing silently awakening in the quiet night.

"I… I can't explain it either."

Bai Hang, finally a bit irritated, raked her fingers through her hair, making her normally sleek white locks a little messy, "It just feels… not quite appropriate. After all, she's a lady Dragon Girl, and my place… is shabby."

Even she found that excuse flimsy.

The System stared at her quietly for a few seconds, its gaze so calm it seemed able to see through any disguise.

Then, in a matter‑of‑fact tone, it said slowly, "It's related to you."

"Related in what way?" Bai Hang was startled.

"Your 'unexplained affection' toward her."

The System's tone remained flat, but like a pebble dropped into Bai Hang's heart lake, it added, "And your subconscious resistance. Both stem from the same source, tied to your past and her 'essence.'"

Bai Hang's heart skipped a beat: "W‑what essence? System Miss, what exactly do you know?"

She pressed on, but saw the System's expression briefly freeze, a faint glimmer flickering across its calm eyes.

The System raised a hand and gently pressed its temple.

A few seconds later, it lowered its hand, looked at Bai Hang, and said in an unruffled tone, "No time to explain for now. I'll communicate with you later."

Bai Hang: "…huh?"

She felt like a puppet hanging in midair, its strings held by someone else, swaying without ever touching the ground.

"It's not… System Miss! Saying it only half…"

She couldn't help but complain, yet didn't dare raise her voice, "What exactly is the relationship? At least give a hint!"

The System didn't answer her question, but walked straight back to its own door, and in an unquestionable tone made an arrangement: "Tonight, Bai Lu will stay with you."

"Eh? But…"

"The reasons are as follows."

The System cut her off, its hand already gripping its door handle.

It turned its head, looked at Bai Hang with those calm eyes, then—gently pushed the door open a crack.

It was truly just a crack, about ten centimeters wide.

Bai Hang subconsciously peered inside through the crack.

Then, she was stunned.

Inside the door, there was no floor, no walls, no furniture, nothing that a "room" should have in her imagination.

Only a pure, uniform, boundless expanse of "white".

It had no texture, no depth, even giving a visual sense of weightlessness.

Standing at the crack and looking inside felt like gazing at an endless blank canvas, or… an as‑yet‑undefined framework of a world.

A familiar sense of déjà vu fiercely struck Bai Hang.

This scene, this feeling…… She had definitely 'seen' it somewhere before!

A term almost uncontrollably jumped out from deep in her memory, and she blurted: "System Space?!"

The system beside the door nodded slightly, the movement small but definite.

Bai Hang stood with her mouth open, unable to close it for a long while.

Her mind was a mess; many tiny feelings of dissonance suddenly linked together—why were the memories of this 'home' only 'unlocked' as needed? Why did the furniture style have a subtle 'pieced-together' feel? Why did she clearly 'know' some details yet feel them vague?

She was about to move closer to the crack in the door to get a clearer look, to ponder carefully, when suddenly light footsteps and a curious inquiry came from behind:

"Miss Bai Xing? Sister Xi Tong? What are you doing? Can't you open this door?"

Bai Lu had somehow finished her 'stellar exploration' and came bouncing over, her little head straining to peek through the gap between Bai Hang and the system.

Bai Hang was so frightened her soul nearly left her body; she almost reflexively spun around and slammed the door shut with her back with a 'bang'!

The force was so great that even the door frame trembled slightly.