As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 48

Noticing Annie’s subtle gesture, Su Fan smiled and teased her lightly.

“You were so full of energy earlier—why so shy all of a sudden?”

“Well… I thought you wouldn’t need…”

Annie wasn’t quite sure how to explain herself.

Su Fan stood up and glanced around.

“When Jamie and I came back, we saw everyone had already fallen asleep,” Rachel explained. “I suggested to Jamie that we move you to Annie’s rest area so you wouldn’t be disturbed while exorcising demons in your dreams.”

“Where’s Jamie?”

“He was worried paparazzi or obsessive fans might sneak in, so he took a talisman and went outside to keep watch.”

Su Fan understood. Though Jamie, as an ordinary person, couldn’t enter the dream to help, he’d done his best to create a better environment for the exorcism—it showed he truly cared.

“Annie, now that Su is alright, can you tell me why you were so anxious earlier?” Rachel was deeply curious about Annie’s earlier behavior.

Though only in her twenties, Annie already carried herself like a movie star—usually cautious and impeccable in how she dealt with people. What could have made her so flustered?

Rachel was both scared and curious.

When Freddy arrived, she had fortunately been out shopping for daily supplies for Su Fan and Jamie in the nearby area, narrowly avoiding the danger. She returned to find people collapsed everywhere and immediately called Jamie in a panic.

Before Annie woke, Rachel had been on edge, repeatedly checking on both Annie and Su Fan, even preparing a first-aid kit just in case.

Annie took a deep breath and gave a rough description of what they experienced in the dream. Though she skipped the details, Rachel still gasped in shock more than once.

“That demon’s cunning and evil far exceeded anything we imagined. I was afraid Su Fan had been trapped in a dream within a dream created by Freddy and might have fallen victim before he realized.”

Remembering the nightmare Freddy crafted, Annie placed a hand over her heart, still feeling a lingering fear. “Fortunately, it was all just my overthinking.”

“Actually, your guess was right. He did create multiple layers of dreams specifically to kill me.” Su Fan’s voice came from the side just then, causing both women to shudder involuntarily.

“After we broke through the wall and saw the white light, we had already fallen into the second layer of the dream. The deeper the dream, the harder it is to maintain your sense of self—that’s why you almost started doubting reality because of the illusions.”

“But… Su Fan, after you broke the second layer, did you return to the abandoned building in the first dream? Wasn’t he defeated by you? How could he still create multiple dreams?” Annie felt her mind growing muddled.

“He wasn’t that weak. The ease with which I drove Freddy back earlier was all an act—he was deliberately feigning weakness to set up his final trick.”

“How did you see through it?” Rachel grew more engrossed and blurted out the question.

“Because he constructed the dreams using my subconscious as the main foundation.”

An ordinary mind can’t sustain more than three dream layers. Beyond that, everything becomes blurred and full of flaws, making it easy for someone like Su Fan to see through and destroy. To create a perfect multi-layered nightmare, Freddy had to rely on Su Fan’s unusual mental strength.

Su Fan himself only realized this through certain clues. For instance, in the dreams, materializing weapons went too smoothly—he never failed once. Why? Because of a system? He’d failed several times even when drawing talismans.

When things go too smoothly, Su Fan instinctively becomes wary. That suspicion led to his later deductions.

Another example: the two people he disliked the most—the director and the old woman, Elizabeth—were absent among the unconscious.

But the most important clue was Freddy’s deliberate effort to hide this fact. Every time Su Fan started pondering, Freddy would almost immediately cause some distraction to prevent him from thinking too deeply.

Especially in the hellscape illusion—Su Fan had only muttered a few words before everyone fell into a black hole.

Freddy’s plan was to expend minimal energy, letting Su Fan indulge in the illusion of easy victories, only to plunge into an inescapable abyss at the moment he thought he’d won the girl.

But Freddy never expected Su Fan to improve so rapidly. He eventually had to expend most of his energy fighting for control over the dream. In the end, the act became reality—he was severely weakened, and after his sneak attack failed, he had no strength left to resist.

He really was a dedicated actor.

“Using your dreams as the foundation… didn’t he consider the possibility that you might turn the tables?” As soon as Rachel asked this, she realized she was taking things for granted. Besides Su Fan, who else could possibly resist even in their own dreams?

“Psychopaths often obsess over certain things. Freddy is obsessed with the thrill of toying with people’s minds. Of course, if he weren’t so fixated on that, everyone outside would probably be dead by now.”

Su Fan shifted the topic. “So, how long are you planning to keep listening?”

Hearing this, Annie and Rachel both looked toward the door in surprise.

Sure enough, once exposed, Megan and the script supervisor walked out awkwardly with embarrassed smiles.

“We… actually came to thank you, Master Su Fan, but we didn’t dare interrupt when we heard you talking with Annie and the others.”

The two were so nervous they struggled to find the right words. They were among those who had spent more time with Su Fan in the dream, which was why they were chosen as representatives.

The others, after witnessing Su Fan’s fierce battle with Freddy in the dream, didn’t even have the courage to approach him! They were afraid he might still remember how they’d sided with Elizabeth and spoken disrespectfully.

“Master Su Fan, we will always remember you saved our lives. If there’s anything you need from us in the future, we will never refuse.”

Su Fan found their behavior rather amusing. “Is that what all of you think? Or does someone believe it was all just a bad dream?”

“No, no, everyone feels the same way,” Megan quickly shook her head.

A few had been doubtful, but after seeing the burns on some people’s hands and bodies, they quickly realized everything that happened was real.

“In that case, tell everyone to hand over $50,000 each.”

Fifty thousand dollars was a bargain for a life, especially for them.

“No problem.”

The two accepted the instruction and turned to inform the others.

To Su Fan’s surprise, in just a short while, a check for $750,000 was delivered to him.

After the terrifying events, everyone in the crew paid up promptly and without hesitation—clearly hoping to leave a good impression on Su Fan.

Su Fan was quite pleased with this unexpected windfall. Doing a quick calculation, he realized all his running around had already netted him nearly a million dollars.

He felt a wave of emotion.

After putting away the check, Su Fan stood up to say goodbye to Annie and Rachel.

“We can discuss the matter of payment tomorrow. It’s getting late—you should rest soon.”

“Let me drive you,” Rachel immediately offered, her attitude sincere. But those dark circles under your eyes are pretty noticeable…

“No need.” Politely declining Rachel’s offer, Su Fan prepared to leave.

“Mr. Su Fan!”

Annie’s voice suddenly called out from behind. Su Fan turned around.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, only managed a stiff, “Goodnight.”

“Mm, goodnight.” Su Fan smiled and walked out.