A collection of four short stories:
"Criminally Insane": In a future world of rapid technological advancement, an outdated monarchy still persists. Kong Xiang, a young but cunning min...
Yandere is contagious
Thinking about it this way, Yan Kui felt her blood boiling, and she performed even more energetically.
She glanced tentatively at the handsome doctor and quickly took the business card from his hand.
That feeling of unease and subtle excitement in a young girl is both familiar and strange.
Yan Kui found it laughable to herself and almost couldn't help but show it.
She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. If she had Shen Xiuyan's skills, she would have tortured the person opposite her until his worldview collapsed.
This thought surprised her, but she didn't think about it too much. She gave Xie Chi a shy smile, whispered her name, and quickly turned around and went back to her room.
Xie Chi watched the girl's series of actions and felt quite pleased. He continued walking forward, marveling at the naivety and beauty of youth.
After entering the room, Yan Kui did not leave immediately, but instead stayed close to the door to observe what was happening.
After discovering that Xie Chi had not retreated into the elevator but continued forward, her doubts deepened.
He really lived on this floor; he didn't come out specifically to chase after her.
When Yan Kui booked a room for Qin Yuan, there were no rooms available on that floor. This meant that Xie Chi had made preparations in advance, and everything should have proceeded as planned.
But the change of location made it impossible for her to ignore the current situation.
From Northern Europe to Japan, she really couldn't understand this change. Had she also triggered a butterfly effect? But before this, she and Xie Chi were complete strangers.
If it were a cheesy fate arrangement from a movie, she'd really like to yell, "Screw your fate!"
These things are too fantastical. She has been reborn twice, and Yan Kui doesn't know how to sort out her thoughts now.
It's better to do what she wants to do first. If she has to reincarnate, she has to be happy first.
After making the decision, Yan Kui went about her business, washing up and going to sleep, not even sure when Yang Tao would return.
Over the next few days, she, Yang Tao, and Qin Yuan (who was also a burden) visited all the places they wanted to go. Yan Kui would occasionally run into Xie Chi at the hotel. Sometimes he was alone, and sometimes he was with his colleagues. It seemed that he was there on a business trip.
Every time they met, they would greet each other in a friendly manner. Xie Chi would give the two girls some delicate pastries, and in return, Yan Kui would share some random things she had bought with him.
They maintained this seemingly polite but actually ambiguous, plastic relationship with ease, and Xie Chi did just that, while Yan Kui simply copied the past.
Having had enough fun, Qin Yuan strongly urged to go home. He hadn't prepared anything for his trip abroad and had survived entirely by buying things as he went.
It's time. Yan Kui looked at the flight time she had booked and decided to leave tomorrow morning.
Don't say he can't stand it, she can't stand it either.
Making her couple walk with her is the most painful torture. These two fools argue every now and then, and then make up again. It's so sickeningly sweet that it drives her crazy.
Do young people all like dating like this? Was she subjected to such brain-draining shocks in her previous two lives?
Yan Kui wanted to recall the past, but the thought of Xie Chi's face made her feel nauseous, so she decided to put all the foolish things she had done out of her mind for the time being.
"You're going back to China?" Xie Chi looked at her, feigning surprise. "I'm leaving tomorrow too."
Yan Kui knew, of course, and she even knew which flight he was on, thanks to Xie Chi and his helpful colleagues.
Moreover, she suspected that her colleagues would likely tell Xie Chi about her asking for information, since they always had a mocking look in their eyes whenever they saw her. How could they possibly miss such an opportunity?
"Really?" Yan Kui looked at him in surprise. "I thought I would have to say goodbye to you tonight!"
Xie Chi had been waiting for this, and with a smile, he wanted to pat her head. Yan Kui used the sharpness of someone playing dodgeball, quickly lowered her head and swayed in place, pretending to hesitate.
It's one thing to mess with him, but you absolutely can't touch someone she finds disgusting.
"After you go back, will we still be able to see each other?" she whispered, glancing at him nervously.
Her performance was even more affected than before, and she was worried that she might be rushing things.
Fortunately, she underestimated the allure of youth, beauty, and innocent love to adult men, and overestimated Xie Chi's judgment.
“We’re in the same city, so there’s definitely an opportunity.” Xie Chi’s voice was gentle as he looked down to meet her gaze. “You said you also want to study medicine? I can give you some suggestions when we get back.”
She had heard his reference twice, and the locations were slightly different each time.
Yan Kui was taken aback. She remembered her first life, when she had already been in contact with Xie Chi for some time. He asked her to meet him at the medical school, but when she was halfway there, he called her and said that he had some documents to deal with at home and could not keep the appointment for the time being. He also apologized to her and said that he would definitely find a time to make it up to her.
She was young and naive, and thinking that he was only doing it for work, she understandingly said that she could go to him, and that she would leave after finishing her business and would not disturb him.
Xie Chi hesitated before agreeing, but she went without thinking. Little did she know that she would be gone for a whole day, and she almost did something outrageous with him. Fortunately, a phone call came, which brought her back to her senses, and she ran away feeling ashamed.
In the second life... Xie Chi didn't have a chance to give her any special tutoring. Her mother somehow got the news that she wanted to study medicine, so she had a few doctor friends create a group chat, pushed her out to use up the old relatives' greetings during the New Year, and then shared a lot of useful information and even campaigned for their own schools.
That day, she finally understood one thing: her mother had a really wide circle of friends.
Because middle-aged and elderly people don't like typing and prefer to send voice messages, her ears were almost bursting. When she was struggling with this decision, Xie Chi even messaged her asking if she wanted to go to him for advice. If it weren't for her feelings for him, Yan Kui would have thrown her phone away.
Going out was definitely out of the question. She had initially agreed to video chat with Xie Chi, but because an elder had been secretly advising her not to study medicine, she had to tell him it wasn't convenient so as not to be distracted. The two of them then calmly completed the task.
It's worth mentioning that even after she finished talking with Xie Chi, the elder was still trying to persuade her. Judging from his voice, he was a grandfather, and he even knew the popular saying that persuading someone to study medicine would be like being struck by lightning. She had become quite interested in talking about psychiatry, but then he said it was Friday and he had to pick up his grandson from school, and after saying he would definitely do it next time, he disappeared.
What are you worried about?
Xie Chi waved his right hand in front of her eyes, pulling her wandering thoughts back.
Yan Kui snapped out of her reverie and smiled apologetically, "No, I was just thinking about my score."
"No matter how bad your grades are, I will help you," Xie Chi said, looking at her with a gentle expression.
She had heard that sentence three times already.
When she heard this before, she felt both helpless and moved. After all, she had studied hard since childhood in order to surpass the other children in her family. She grew up in a strict and challenging environment. Others only knew how to praise her for being good, but no one knew what she really wanted.
At that time, she wanted someone to support her, a solid backing.
But that person has no right to deny her right to work hard, nor can they meticulously dissect her and pretend to be her only one.
Yan Kui immediately looked up and replied, "My grades are pretty good, among the top in my grade."
If she hadn't forgotten her purpose, she could have added that it wasn't just you who could help.
Xie Chi didn't seem to care much. "Then there's even less to worry about. Are you free tomorrow? I'll take you to visit my school."
Yan Kui hesitated for a moment, "I'm free, but..." She glanced at Xie Chi, "Will it bother you?"
Xie Chi immediately put on a troubled look, "There may be some things I haven't finished taking care of yet, but I can show you where I work, so those things are nothing."
Yan Kui felt a little nauseous, glared at him angrily, and ran away with her head down.
Sometimes I really admire him; how can anyone be so obsessed with the "playboy" persona?
Just bear with it a little longer, it will be fine by tomorrow.
The next day, it was already light, but the sky still looked somewhat hazy due to the cloudy weather.
Shen Xiuyan sat at Yan Kui's desk, with her sketchbook on the left and her diary on the right.
The sketchbook was turned to a certain page, on which was scribbled a scene: a refined man in a white coat raised his hand, holding a gleaming knife, which was thrusting into the chest of a monster. Behind this monster was an even larger monster. He placed his hand on the shoulder of the smaller monster in front of him, as if to push her out or pull her back.
Shen Xiuyan smiled self-deprecatingly, indicating that she wasn't completely unaware.
And the diary on the right...
He looked at the childish handwriting in the diary, which recorded her joy at having a brother, then her suspicions about his motives as the handwriting became stronger, and finally, her deep disgust for him.
Everything has been done according to his plan, so why hasn't it turned out the way he wanted it to be?
Shen Xiuyan remembered something, his face darkened, he closed the diary and threw it back into the desk drawer.
However, he still didn't put the picture book back. Instead, he stuffed it into his backpack, stood up, glanced at the room full of life, picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and turned to leave.
After leaving home, he got into his car and was about to head to his planned destination when Qin Yuan suddenly called, his voice filled with worry.
"Xiuyan, the squad leader ran off with that old man as soon as we got off the plane. I'm worried something might happen. Why don't you try to talk to her?"
These past few days, Qin Yuan has been diligently passing on messages to him, and his nickname for Xie Chi is simply "old man." He is filled with deep suspicion about this kind of man who is seducing girls more than ten years younger than himself.
Yang Tao rolled her eyes at him, "Xiao Kui knows what she's doing, okay? Judging from her expression, she just doesn't want us to follow."
“I know, but what does the class monitor know about men? There are plenty of two-faced people in this world, and it’s hard to guarantee she won’t fall into a trap.” Qin Yuan continued to say to Shen Xiuyan, “We didn’t stop her just now, but we’ve come to our senses now. She’s still replying to messages, but she just won’t tell us where she went. You should go and look for her too.”
After hanging up the phone, Shen Xiuyan glanced at the turned-off phone screen, put the phone away, and decided not to get involved.
Since you have the memories, you should bear the consequences of your own choices.
With that thought in mind, he inadvertently touched the hard corner of his sketchbook in his backpack, and changed his mind.
"Master, please change your route."