Yuan Ling

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yuan Ling (元苓)
Alias(es)	Old Yuan; Yuan Li (dream identity) 137 371 372
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Zheng Wuyou's circle; Nanting Alley survivor group 211 432
Occupation/Role	Dream experience officer; survivor and ranged combatant 40 426
Status	Active 498
First Appearance	Chapter 40, “Shared Dream” 40

Background

Yuan Ling is Zheng Wuyou's childhood friend and dormmate. When Zheng first receives the Dream's wake-up notification, Yuan's phone alert and lit bed curtain make Zheng suspect that they experienced the same dream; Yuan later confirms that she, Zheng, and Wushen have all entered nightmares. 40 41 432

She values color and drawing from childhood, recalling that she asked her mother for watercolor pens because she disliked paintings without colorful embellishment. This memory helps the group interpret the childlike logic behind the Sweet Dream scenario. 57

Appearance

Yuan Ling is a small-framed young woman with conspicuous pink hair, described in sunlight as blending pink with platinum blonde. Its dye later fades toward white-gold. 208 329

• Her hair carries a faint lotus fragrance. 202 473
• She is frequently seen carrying a bow and arrows; she later also uses a crossbow and firearms. 208 426 474
• Her pink hair and compact build make her immediately recognizable to Zheng and the other survivors. 208 418

Personality

Yuan Ling is outspoken, theatrical, and quick to challenge people she dislikes. When dreamers accuse her and Zheng of trapping them in the Sweet Dream, she responds with sarcasm rather than appeasement. 45

Her ideas can jump unexpectedly between clues, but she is highly observant and often finds the connection others miss. She links the Incandescent people's lost sense of touch to the group's stolen senses, recognizes the reversal behind the “Big White Sheep and Little Black Wolf” rule, and later identifies the structure of a two-sided door puzzle. 67 68 412

She is intensely protective of Zheng Wuyou. Yuan repeatedly prioritizes Zheng's safety over rules, danger, and her own condition, though this devotion can make her impulsive or emotionally overwhelmed. 71 374 417

Abilities & Skills

Archery and Marksmanship

Yuan Ling is the group's most consistent ranged fighter, using a bow in dreams and later adapting to guns in reality.

• Fires on the Incandescent people during the “Big White Sheep and Little Black Wolf” dream. 69 70
• Uses a bow to defend Zheng's group against monsters near Xing Ying's home. 208 210
• Has better aim than Zheng with a firearm, though the gun's recoil initially affects her shots. 426
• Carries a crossbow during the school rescue operation after Ben Yu replaces it with a gun due to her limited arrows. 474

Rule Analysis and Field Knowledge

Yuan Ling combines genre familiarity, game logic, and practical knowledge to interpret dangerous environments.

• Recommends plant ash as a sterilizing and hemostatic treatment for her abdominal wound. 63
• Deduces that the Incandescent people may have taken the group's senses and identifies their lack of touch as a tactical weakness. 67 69
• Recognizes the relevance of the Classic of Mountains and Seas and recalls Lu Wu's place in the Western Mountains Classic. 336
• Helps Zheng determine that the office door mechanism requires both sides' progress bars to align simultaneously. 412

Erosion Reward

Yuan Ling possesses a reward that can erode living things, which manifests through a corrosive liquid.

• Uses the ability to destroy Kapa and save Zheng when ordinary attacks prove insufficient. 427
• Corrodes a vehicle's chassis to free Jiang Mi's trapped leg. 454
• Uses the liquid against the giant face blocking the group’s route, opening a temporary passage. 418
• Overusing the reward leaves her unconscious for a full day. 450 452

Acceleration Reward

Yuan Ling has an acceleration-type reward with a severe mental side effect.

• Its first documented use grants power at the cost of a stated thirty-percent reduction in intelligence. 418
• The side effect nearly endangers both Yuan and Zheng during their escape through the office passage. 418

Unknown Binding Substance

Yuan Ling can control an unidentified mud-like material that restrains and releases targets.

• She binds Zhu Tiao and Wenshu after they become disruptive in the office area, then dismisses the restraints. 413
• The substance's origin and full limitations remain unexplained. 413

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Bow and arrows — her primary weapon through multiple dreams and early real-world battles. 69 208
• Crossbow / firearm — later issued a gun after her limited arrow supply becomes a concern. 474
• Corrosive-liquid reward — erodes organic targets and metal structures. 427 454
• Purple grape plush pendant — gifted by Zheng after a supply run because Zheng knows Yuan left behind merchandise from someone she loves. 350
• Booklet from Xun Cao — floods Yuan with information about the future before dissipating. 439

Relationships

• Zheng Wuyou — Childhood friend, dormmate, and closest companion. They repeatedly protect one another in dreams and reality, argue fiercely when hurt, and reconcile through an ice pop after their elevator conflict. 40 147 148 374
• Ben Yu — Initially a fellow dreamer and archery enthusiast whose concern for Yuan becomes increasingly personal. Their relationship is strained by Ben's insecurity, but Yuan eventually confesses that she likes him and chooses to stay with him. 150 434 473
• Wushen — Friend and early fellow dreamer. Yuan comforts Wushen after their first shared nightmare, while Wushen later trusts Yuan's judgment during the school rescue. 41 453
• Xun Cao — An NPC who contacts Yuan during her coma, gives her future knowledge, and urges her to help Zheng change what is coming. Yuan remains suspicious of Xun Cao's motives. 439
• Zhou An — Yuan's former boyfriend. Yuan ended their relationship when his plans to study abroad made their futures seem incompatible. 433 435
• Zhou Xiao Wan — A later ally whom Yuan nearly shoots during a misunderstanding before apologizing and welcoming her into the group. 340

Story Role / Major Arcs

Shared Dreams and the Black-and-White World

Yuan is among the people who awaken from the early shared dreams with Zheng. In the Sweet Dream arc, she reunites with Zheng on a bamboo raft, confronts hostile dreamers, and becomes an essential source of rule interpretation. 40 45 48

During the Incandescent-world dream, Yuan suffers a deep abdominal wound in a gale. Despite fading consciousness, she directs Ben Yu to use plant ash, later helps uncover the Incandescent people's sensory weakness, and fights with a bow. 53 63 67 69

Nanting Alley Survival

After the world's collapse, Yuan becomes part of the Nanting Alley household. She serves as a lookout, participates in rooftop defense, helps clear Kapa bodies, and remains vigilant whenever Zheng leaves the safe house. 347 426 432

Her first attempt to shoot Zhou Xiao Wan reveals both her readiness to defend the group and her willingness to immediately admit fault once Zheng identifies the newcomer. 340

Office Dream

Under the identity Yuan Li, Yuan enters the office-themed dream alongside Zheng, who uses the name Zheng You. She discovers the cafeteria's dishwashing rule, warns Zheng before the dark serving-window entity attacks, and later assists in solving the sixteen-pattern door mechanism. 372 374 410 412

When Zheng disappears into darkness during the escape, Yuan believes she has lost her. In the aftermath, she kills Zhu Tiao to prevent him from exposing her secret, then suffers immediate shock and fear upon learning Zheng survived. 417

Xun Cao's Future Knowledge

After collapsing from reward overuse, Yuan meets Xun Cao in a dreamlike space. Xun Cao gives her a booklet containing overwhelming information about the future and tells her that Zheng must be helped to “change.” 438 439

The knowledge leaves Yuan anxious about events at the school, especially the auditorium gathering and the deaths she believes will follow. 453 498

School Rescue

After waking from her coma, Yuan insists on joining the rescue of Zheng's captured group. She coordinates with Ben Yu, Wushen, Gu Yunting, and Zhou Xiao Wan, using her future knowledge and combat ability to guide decisions amid the escalating conflict around the school. 453 455 470

Notable Quotes

“I like to pester the people I like. No matter the outcome, I'm sticking with the landlord of 136 Nanting Lane.” 473

Trivia

• Yuan's dream alias, Yuan Li, is used while she and Zheng Wuyou conceal their real identities in the office dream. 371 372
• She reacts dramatically to Zheng's claim of being the Dream's “protagonist,” immediately worrying that she will become a disposable “second female lead.” 329
• Although she often calls Zheng “Little Zheng,” she uses the more intimate “Wuyou” when Zheng is emotionally devastated. 202