Zhou Xiao Wan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zhou Xiao Wan (周小婉)
Alias(es)	Xiao Wan; High Hat (her daytime counterpart in the amusement park) 309
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Zheng Wuyou's group; resident of 136 Nanting Alley, Shancheng's northern district 306 340 342
Occupation/Role	Dream player; amusement-park staff counterpart associated with High Hat, a daytime joy creator and nighttime sorrow cleaner 309
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 237

Background

Zhou Xiao Wan initially enters the amusement-park dream alongside her brother, Zhou Xing. Her brother is protective of her, while Xiao Wan is comparatively cautious and unwilling to repeat past mistakes; she resolves to survive for him. 237 240 246

She possesses a foresight-type reward but is painfully aware of its limits: it can reveal possibilities, not save someone from a foretold death. Zhou Xing is ultimately eliminated after becoming a statue, leaving Xiao Wan to mourn him and use the game coin he concealed for her to continue onward. 240 241 247

Personality

Xiao Wan is observant, sharp-tongued, and more capable than her initially anxious demeanor suggests. She quickly notices connections between dream mechanics, amusement-park locations, employee records, and the identities hidden behind them. 276 300 301 496

Her experiences make her guarded about trust and new attachments. Even so, she repeatedly chooses to protect others, face situations that terrify her, and remain beside Zheng Wuyou despite being warned away. 269 291 303 317

She carries deep grief over Zhou Xing, but refuses to let that grief reduce her to helplessness. In an illusion of her former home, she recognizes that the apparent Zhou Xing is not truly the brother she lost and deliberately leaves him behind to pursue the truth. 321 322 323

Abilities & Skills

Prophecy Book

Zhou Xiao Wan's reward manifests as a blank book and feather quill. It evaluates possible outcomes and can identify a more favorable route through a situation. 247 283

• Allows her to foresee possibilities and assist with route selection. 283
• Cannot directly save others or override the Countdown Nightmare's control. 247
• Helped her identify the importance of the amusement park's interconnected attractions. 276
• Her trial in the Hell of Ripped Tongues centered on the theme of betrayal by friends. 274

Piano Performance

Xiao Wan can play the piano and complete missing passages in the piece “Alice.” Doing so inflicts severe pain on her fingers, yet she continues until the performance is finished. 250 254 256

• Relived High Hat's life through the performance and recognized the discrimination she endured. 256
• Played through pain to fill gaps in the music while others prevented phantoms from disrupting her. 254
• Her completion of “Alice” contributed to changing the scene surrounding the Wutong Tree. 256

Investigation and Deduction

• Connected witchcraft to the Ice and Snow Kingdom and recalled its relevance after leaving the forest. 300
• Recognized employee faces among the human-face curtains and prevented Zheng Wuyou from attacking without checking the roster. 303
• Helped identify the face-covered monster as the amusement park's missing former leader. 304
• Noticed the watches identifying internal testers during the school investigation. 496

Survival and Improvised Combat

• Used the Incandescent Longsword as a lever to free herself from a roller-coaster safety bar. 316
• Escaped an apartment illusion by jumping from a window after recognizing an entity posing as Zhou Xing. 317
• Subdued the unstable Xiao Ai despite being attacked with a sharpened pencil. 324
• Assisted Zheng Wuyou against the puppet tourists and the former leader monster. 304 326

Items

• Prophecy Book — A blank book accompanied by a feather quill; used for foresight. 283
• Incandescent game coin — Used as a light source while investigating the leader's office. 303
• Heavy sword — Borrowed from Dou Zhao to cut the Wutong Tree branch. 256
• High school textbook — Carried with her during the Clown Club stage. 254

Relationships

• Zheng Wuyou — Fellow dream player, protector, and later close companion. Zheng repeatedly leads Xiao Wan through dangerous stages, while Xiao Wan supports her investigations and eventually joins her group at Nanting Alley. 285 306 340
• Zhou Xing — Her older brother. His death and final concealed game coin become a central source of Xiao Wan's grief and determination. 240 241 247
• Dou Zhao — Companion during the amusement-park stages. They bicker but cooperate closely; Xiao Wan tries to help Dou Zhao navigate the Hell of Ripped Tongues before Dou Zhao dies. 250 274 276
• Xiao Ai — Amusement-park employee connected to High Hat and the doll designs. Xiao Wan attempts to awaken and save her from her obsessive state. 306 324
• Bai Fan — Former ally whose betrayal leaves Xiao Wan distrustful and openly hostile toward him. 276 300
• Fang Huai — A fellow survivor with a sibling-like dynamic with Xiao Wan; she often rebukes him but also protects and reassures him. 477 496
• Xu Yao — A newer member of the Nanting Alley group whom Xiao Wan encourages during their patrol. 433
• Wushen — Initially intimidating to Xiao Wan, but later shown to care for her welfare despite her harsh manner. 343 364

Story Role / Major Arcs

Clown Club and the Ice and Snow Kingdom

Xiao Wan introduces herself and Zhou Xing to Zheng Wuyou's temporary group during the Clown Club stage. She becomes involved in the carousel, piano, and Ice and Snow Kingdom trials, where she demonstrates both foresight and a willingness to act despite fear. 243 247 254

After Zhou Xing's elimination and Dou Zhao's death, Xiao Wan endures the Hell of Ripped Tongues and continues alongside Zheng Wuyou. She recognizes that the amusement park's rides are linked and that understanding their shared stories is necessary to escape. 240 274 276

High Hat and the Amusement Park Staff Mystery

Xiao Wan experiences High Hat's memories through the piano and identifies with the disabled worker's mistreatment. She later learns that High Hat is her daytime counterpart, tying her own role to the amusement park's staff system. 256 309

She assists Zheng Wuyou in investigating the Ice and Snow Kingdom's employee records, the area manager Wei Lai, the human-face curtains, and the former leader monster. Her recognition of employee faces and diary clues is essential to their escape. 291 301 303 304 306

Roller Coaster and Xiao Ai

During the roller-coaster stage, Xiao Wan confronts repeated illusions involving Zhou Xing and learns to distinguish memory from reality. She investigates Xiao Ai's room, recognizes the building's patrol restrictions, and escapes a false domestic scene through a window. 316 317 321

On the fifth floor, she confronts the controlled Xiao Ai and discovers that Xiao Ai created designs connected to the amusement-park dolls and Zheng Wuyou's dress. Though attacked, Xiao Wan persists in trying to bring Xiao Ai back to reality. 324 325

Joining Nanting Alley

After escaping the amusement-park dream, Xiao Wan travels alone by bicycle to Zheng Wuyou's base at 136 Nanting Alley. Despite arriving exhausted and wary, she insists on properly meeting the residents and gradually accepts the villa as a safe home. 340 341 342

She begins adapting to the group's self-sufficient life, helps Yu Chuan in the kitchen, and chooses to provide rear support for Yuan Ling and Gu Yunting rather than overestimate her physical ability. 342 344 345

School Rescue Operations

Xiao Wan later participates in the group's school operations, monitors Yuan Ling's condition, investigates the teaching building with Fang Huai, and notices details others miss, including the internal testers' watches. 450 477 496