Chapter 96

Chapter 96

There was indeed no point in hiding any longer.

Since Priestley could call out her name so accurately, he was clearly certain she was hiding here rather than just bluffing.

Unlike the predatory gaze of the Head Nurse, he didn’t seem to have any intention of calling her to account.

Tu Nan thought for a moment before finally stepping out from behind the bookshelf.

Priestley heard the movement and looked toward her, a confident smile playing on his lips.

“You really are here.”

“How did the Dean know I was here?” Tu Nan asked in a low voice.

“It was quite a coincidence.” Priestley stepped forward, sauntering over to her side. “This afternoon, I happened to be at the dormitory building, happened to walk by the window, and happened to see something interesting.”

His emerald eyes locked onto Tu Nan as he asked in a leisurely tone, “Can you guess what I saw?”

“…”

Tu Nan realized that Priestley had a bit of a wicked streak in him.

Her expression remained unchanged as she spoke calmly. “Since the Dean chose not to expose me then, why are you doing this now?”

“I’ve never been particularly fond of the Head Nurse. Seeing her get frustrated once in a while is a rather pleasant experience.”

Priestley frowned slightly, a troubled look appearing on his face.

“However, I am the Dean, after all. I can’t exactly watch people run wild, can I?” He sighed. “Miss Tu Nan, you’re really making things very difficult for me. Breaking into the Archives Room in the middle of the night… how do you think I should punish you?”

Tu Nan looked up at him slightly. Surprisingly, she didn’t look panicked at all.

She smiled faintly, the candlelight reflecting in her eyes like flickering flames.

“If you really wanted to punish me, you would have done so this afternoon.”

Tu Nan spoke calmly.

“Lord Dean… oh, no… perhaps I should call you a… Player?”

A dark glint flashed through Priestley’s eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. ‘Player’… what is that?”

“You’re acting very well,” Tu Nan said, her face impassive. “Actually, I had my doubts at the beginning. Many things could be explained away, but… there is one point you cannot deny.”

Priestley raised an eyebrow.

“In this dream, we have never met. When I first met the Head Nurse, she didn’t know my name, so you shouldn’t have known it either.

“The current hospital likely doesn’t have my employment records… So how did you know my name is Tu Nan?”

Tu Nan remained neither humble nor arrogant as she asked for enlightenment. “Can you give me an answer?”

She had initially had a fleeting suspicion about Priestley’s identity, but given his special position as the Dean, she had been more inclined to believe he wasn’t a Player.

It wasn’t until more and more clues pointed toward it that she was forced to doubt his identity again.

Priestley stared at her fixedly without saying a word.

Since he didn’t speak, Tu Nan wasn’t in a hurry either. There was always someone who would lose their patience first.

In terms of status, she was at a disadvantage, so she had to remain even more composed to maintain the initiative.

The man in front of her suddenly laughed.

“You really are very clever.” Priestley didn’t deny it, which served as an indirect confirmation of her guess. “When Tang Yuan told me about you, I didn’t expect us to meet so soon.”

“Tang Yuan is…” Tu Nan frowned slightly. “Your Teammate?”

“In a way.” Priestley shrugged. His tone was no longer forcedly mature, sounding much more relaxed. “Strictly speaking, she is my Captain.”
“She’s the Captain?” Tu Nan asked in surprise. “Then why are you the Dean while she’s just a doctor?”

“That’s a long story.” A look of dissatisfaction crossed Priestley’s face. “The position of Dean comes with too many restrictions and not enough freedom. However, it was a position we had to secure, so she dumped this troublesome role on me.”

He finished with a click of his tongue, clearly disgruntled.

“But regardless, the position of Dean must be quite useful, right?” Tu Nan watched him closely.

“You think being the Dean is easy?” The man before her sighed, his tone hovering between sincerity and jest. “The Rules impose too many restrictions; my hands are tied. Take your internship, for example-if I were truly that powerful, wouldn’t it be better if I just exempted you from the assessment entirely?”

The identity of the Dean of the Fairy Tale Hospital was too unique. If there were no restrictions, wouldn’t one be able to clear the Instance directly?

“Tell me then, what is your purpose for appearing here?”

Everyone had their own secrets and trump cards; Tu Nan didn’t intend to pry too deeply.

While Players were comrades in a sense, at the end of the day, no one was foolish enough to hand over their trust to someone they barely knew.

“Why don’t you take a guess?” Priestley countered.

Tu Nan certainly wasn’t vain enough to think Priestley had come here in the middle of the night specifically to help her out of a predicament.

Setting aside the fact that the Head Nurse waking up had been an unexpected turn of events, Priestley had only met her twice. He had no reason to do such a thing.

What other reason could there be for coming to the Archives Room in the dead of night besides checking the records?

Perhaps he hadn’t lied to the Head Nurse.

Since she could sense that this was a recurring dream, there was no reason Priestley wouldn’t have realized it too.

Maybe their goals were the same.

“Were you dragged into the dream as well?” she asked tentatively.

Priestley nodded appreciatively.

“To be honest, this dream is actually quite interesting.” He walked over to a row of bookshelves and pulled out a file. “It took me some time to figure out whose dream this actually is. When I saw you at the dormitory window today, I guessed what you were planning to do.”

Given Priestley’s identity, he could check the archives whenever he wanted, yet he had deliberately chosen to appear at this specific time.

“I figured you would definitely come tonight.”

Sure enough, the file he held in his hand belonged to York.

Judging by his practiced movements, he had likely already read it.

“Who knew we’d run right into the Head Nurse?” He shrugged. “I thought you had already dealt with her.”

“There was a slight complication,” Tu Nan said succinctly. “So, you came here specifically to find me?”

“He Ling is your roommate, after all. It’s more convenient for you to interact with her. Now that we’re trapped together, we should naturally help each other.”

Tu Nan felt like laughing at his words.

He talked a good game, but if he truly wanted to help, he could have approached her when he saw her that afternoon. Instead, he had waited until now, timing his appearance so precisely.

Was he trying to do her a favor, or was he intentionally testing her?

However, Priestley held a special status. Cooperating with him would indeed provide her with many conveniences.

Both sides clearly had something to gain from the other’s identity. In that case, entering a temporary cooperation wasn’t out of the question.

“It’s a deal.”

Tu Nan reached out her hand toward him.