33 Xie Yunhuai's Side Story (2)
Qin Fu'an is a liar.
After dinner, Xie Yunhuai had to face the most difficult moment of the day.
Evening self-study sessions are also exam time that can easily claim countless lives.
As the familiar footsteps drew closer, Xie Yunhuai could clearly hear his heart pounding harder and harder, as if it would explode at any moment.
The proctor has arrived.
Xie Yunhuai had never met this proctor. To be precise, in each cycle, his memories of his classmates and teachers would become fainter and fainter, as if they were being erased again and again with an eraser, leaving only a faint trace in the end.
While waiting, Xie Yunhuai caught a glimpse of a particularly frail-looking girl among his new classmates, who was curled up in pain, seemingly unable to bear the pain in her heart.
Seeing this, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes: Is it really that painful?
But why did Xie Yunhuai feel that she was trying to hide something by acting like this?
Unfortunately, the upcoming exams didn't give Xie Yunhuai much time; the physical education exam was about to begin.
Xie Yunhuai was also prepared to die in various ways amidst the chaos.
He actually wanted to struggle a little, but strangely, Qin Fu'an did not run away to find a suitable place to hide immediately, but sat quietly in his seat.
This also conveniently blocked Xie Yunhuai's way out.
The next second, Xie Yunhuai saw the [Invigilator] sign that had suddenly appeared on Qin Fu'an's school uniform.
Xie Yunhuai had never been an invigilator before, nor did he know what powers an invigilator had, but there was no doubt that, like a temporary teacher, Qin Fu'an was definitely different from ordinary students.
Xie Yunhuai didn't have any particular thoughts on this, only a slight regret: Qin Fu'an probably won't die too soon, will he?
Unfortunately, it seems I won't live to see him leave this world.
Even more regrettably, when the next cycle of reincarnation begins, he will never meet another Qin Fu'an.
Perhaps when I die in front of him, Qin Fu'an will feel some regret and sigh at my passing? How long will he remember me?
Xie Yunhuai was uncertain, but for the first time, he hoped that Qin Fu'an could leave this endless cycle of quagmire alive.
When the monster lunged at him, Xie Yunhuai ignored Qin Fu'an's warning and closed his eyes to await the pain.
The expected pain did not come as expected. He was pulled back by a familiar force, but the familiar smell of blood spread and lingered in his nose.
Xie Yunhuai stared blankly at Qin Fu'an's bleeding arm, where a large chunk of flesh had been bitten off by the monster, and even the tattered school uniform was quickly stained a glaring red.
Xie Yunhuai never clearly realized how much he hated the color and smell of blood.
He felt like vomiting, but beneath the nausea of physiological vomiting lay a panicked sense of helplessness.
"You don't need to save me."
"I won't live past tonight."
Why waste your energy?
If I die, I will be reborn in the cycle of reincarnation, but if you die, you are truly dead and will never appear again.
Qin Fu'an must not know this, otherwise why would he so readily reach out and block that bite?
As Qin Fu'an dragged him uphill, Xie Yunhuai sized up Qin Fu'an's tall figure, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Qin Fu'an found a new hiding place. Xie Yunhuai looked up at Qin Fu'an calmly unlocking the door in the dim night and suddenly felt that if he tried a little harder, he might be able to continue to live.
He knew that it was Qin Fu'an who gave him the confidence to live.
Because Qin Fu'an is there, and because Qin Fu'an has not given up protecting Xie Yunhuai, Xie Yunhuai has a chance to live.
He didn't want to let go of this rare chance of survival.
So when the monster charged at him, he tried to fight back for the first time.
For the first time, they tried to keep up with Qin Fu'an's movements. The two awkwardly squeezed onto the same long ladder and worked together to unlock it.
After hiding on the rooftop, Xie Yunhuai thought the night would pass peacefully like this.
Qin Fu'an went down again.
Qin Fu'an brought back many things: school uniforms, weapons, gauze, and bloodstains all over his body.
And, originally, only Qin Fu'an had the [Invigilator] badge.
He casually tossed it over, and Xie Yunhuai caught it instinctively, then silently tightened his grip on the small tag as he heard the casual remark.
I won't dislike it, I won't throw it away.
He answered silently in his heart.
"Why did you bring me with you?" Xie Yunhuai had been holding this question in for a whole day, and only now did he finally ask it in a low voice.
In fact, before even asking the question, he had already habitually prepared many answers in his mind.
However, after this cycle, it seems that his preconceived notions are broken every time, and he becomes strange in response to Qin Fu'an.
Just like now, Qin Fu'an isn't answering questions properly, and he's saying some strange things.
Souls and all that... This person is just spouting nonsense and fooling around with me again.
Xie Yunhuai glared at him sullenly, suspecting that he was deliberately mocking him for being stupid.
Before he could even get into a good mood, Qin Fu'an abruptly approached and interrupted him.
This was the first time someone had covered their eyes with their hands, and the first time someone had gotten so close to them.
So close... that I could clearly feel the other person's warm breath, and I could also faintly hear the other person's heartbeat coinciding with my own.
Qin Fu'an was right in front of him and behind him. In the pitch-black world, the only being he could sense was Qin Fu'an.
Then he heard Qin Fu'an say, "I didn't scold you, I just... wanted to praise you."
In that instant, Xie Yunhuai felt like a cat without any limits. Qin Fu'an simply stroked the silly cat's fur, and he obediently became docile and submissive. Not only did he stop being angry, but he also became weak-kneed and lost all strength to resist or struggle under Qin Fu'an's praise, which he could not tell was true or false.
Qin Fu'an said that Xie Yunhuai's spirits were very lively, and he liked them very much.
Qin Fu'an said... Xie Yunhuai is more lovable than his soul.
If there were a mirror at this moment, Xie Yunhuai would probably see his own vacant, listless eyes, his cheeks and ears that were still flushed despite the cold, and the helpless smugness that he thought he had hidden well.
Qin Fu'an is a top-notch sophist and a master of deception.
Xie Yunhuai was merely a pitiful prey that Qin Fu'an could easily devour.
Xie Yunhuai's obedience didn't last long.
Because Qin Fu'an started filing complaints.
Listening to him repeat those shameful ramblings word by word with a smile, Xie Yunhuai felt his whole body burning with helplessness and embarrassment again. He was even forced to shed tears by Qin Fu'an's feigned accusation, and even his gaze towards the other person was filled with pleading.
—Stop talking, or I'll die.
Die of shame, and kill those bastards who spout nonsense along with the uncontrollable voices in your heart!
Never before had Xie Yunhuai been so grateful for the appearance of a monster.
Watching Qin Fu'an's ruthless actions, Xie Yunhuai inexplicably sensed a hint of resentment from Qin Fu'an after the atmosphere had been disrupted.
...It probably has nothing to do with me.
Xie Yunhuai feigned composure to escape reality.
But he forgot that Qin Fu'an would hear his true feelings—
Even though nothing had happened, Xie Yunhuai felt as if he were dying repeatedly in front of Qin Fu'an.
Therefore, Xie Yunhuai belatedly realized something even more unsettling: the predator that lured the ignorant prey did not intend to eat it, and those lingering praises were not mere empty words.
The silly cat, without any sense of boundaries, was easily coaxed and its fur was smoothed over. Instead of the expected abandonment and malice, it received an even gentler hug.
Xie Yunhuai's memory became blurred with each loop.
But this was the first time he had ever been so eager to remember every detail, every word Qin Fu'an had said, and even every expression on his face.
So when the chaotic night ended, Xie Yunhuai did not return to his dormitory immediately.
After Qin Fu'an walked away, he sat in the now empty classroom, holding a pen, and carefully wrote many, many words on the paper.
From the moment they met until now, Xie Yunhuai has been burying his head in his work, meticulously writing down every detail, big or small, related to Qin Fu'an that he remembers.
Qin Fu'an bought me candy.
Qin Fu'an fed me chocolate.
Qin Fu'an fed me.
Qin Fu'an helped me fend off the monsters.
Qin Fu'an praised me...
Qin Fu'an...
Finally, he looked at the densely written paper, tore it off the notebook, folded it repeatedly, and carefully put it into his pocket.
Even if it doesn't appear in the next cycle, at least I won't forget it until this cycle ends.
After carefully placing the item close to his body, Xie Yunhuai looked up at Zhao Jiayue, who had quietly returned to the classroom earlier. Zhao Jiayue seemed to have seen him writing something, but Xie Yunhuai was focused on recalling the events and didn't pay any attention to her.
Zhao Jiayue was now hunched over her desk, writing something, and seemed to be crying. Xie Yunhuai wasn't interested in this and got up, leaving the classroom to her alone.
Xie Yunhuai never expected there would be a Christmas Eve, nor did he expect that he would not live to see the third day dawn.
Perhaps he had a premonition, but what he didn't expect was that Qin Fu'an would leave him at this small supermarket.
Xie Yunhuai stared at Qin Fu'an's departing figure for a long time.
The brightly lit supermarket was enough for Xie Yunhuai to notice the changes in himself.
That makes sense. As a member of this school, why should other students become wandering ghosts while he doesn't?
Qin Fu'an told me to wait here for him to come back... but it seems I won't be able to wait any longer.
As the sound echoed across the campus, Xie Yunhuai's muddled mind became clearer and clearer.
He realized that he and the other students at the school, along with the strange creatures, didn't seem to be going away. The Ghost Realm... if he went there, would he still be able to see Qin Fu'an?
Xie Yunhuai didn't know, but he thought that no matter where Qin Fu'an was, as long as he survived, he would definitely find him.
You promised you wouldn't abandon me.
They agreed that they would come to pick me up at dawn.
Xie Yunhuai took out a piece of paper that he kept close to his body from his pocket. Under the watchful, fearful gazes of the two sales clerks, he carefully read through all the words on the paper before borrowing a new pen and paper from them.
Xie Yunhuai could have written a lot on the paper, but when he thought that the note he left was for Qin Fu'an, his hand holding the pen stopped.
After hesitating for a while, he carefully wrote down five words on the paper:
"Qin Fu'an, a liar."
Liar, it's not even dawn yet, I won't be able to wait for you to pick me up.
[Author's Note]
My little cat, Yunzai, gets upset easily and likes to sulk, but once she's coaxed a bit, she becomes incredibly cuddly and affectionate.
See you in the next dungeon tomorrow night, my darlings! *kiss*
.
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine:
1 Xuan;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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