ely, they grew increasingly baffling. Regardless, it was just a dream, and only Duke Zhou (God of Dreaming) could explain it. However, today's dream was so vivid, as if revealing the face of that woman was as urgent a need as oxygen to a newborn.

Tao Ci even felt the impact and pressure of each step on the ground transmitted to his ankles, the drumbeats resonating in his eardrums, their sound waves penetrating deep into some desolate space within him.

He shook his head and slapped his cheeks a few times. At that moment, the work bell rang abruptly. The melodious male voice crescendoed, the rhythm of a popular Western song slowly singing out, seemingly narrating both sorrow and joy.

Soon, daylight would recede, and darkness would take over the remaining half of the day. In this season, it was already dark by the time everyone headed home. The warm streetlights lit up at just the right moment, illuminating the small trees nearby. The bustling streets were just slightly less crowded than the morning rush. Most white-collar workers were on their way home, the flow of people intermingling, everyone wearing cold masks, showing a façade of having had a bad day.

Despite this, human desires could not be concealed. Tao Ci often stole quick glances at the opposite sex passing by, sometimes out of sheer instinct rather than intention.

The mutual attraction between sexes is nature's most magical creation. Sometimes the young woman being glanced at would return the look, sometimes she would pretend not to notice. After all, beauties had to sift through a lot of unwanted attention, becoming used to it.

Tao Ci turned his gaze back, watching the beautiful legs in stockings walking behind him. "Xiao Peng, did you see that woman? Barely clothed in these winter stockings, isn’t she afraid of the cold?"

The skinny young man next to him glanced back, "Nice legs." Li Jie, equally skinny and wearing a black wool coat, chuckled teasingly, "Peng, do you really have a girlfriend? Tell us the truth, even if you don’t, we won’t laugh at you."

"Whatever, say what you want," Xiao Peng retorted, making them all burst into laughter. This was Tao Ci's usual routine after work. Out of a hundred employees, these two were the ones he got along with, so they often walked together after work. Initially, they only discussed work-related topics, but as they grew familiar, jokes flew freely.

"Do you guys often have strange dreams?"

"..."

Receiving no answer, Tao Ci’s concerns about dreams weighed heavy on his mind again. However, being inherently optimistic, he soon forgot about his worries, and the three continued chatting and laughing as they walked into the subway.

The dim white light of the incandescent lamps on the walkway wasn't too eerie given the peak hour crowd. Midway, 

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