Chapter 10: Take a deep breath (jpg)
As Liang Man stood in the kitchen sending the message, she repeatedly stroked her phone.
She hesitated for a long time, but ultimately decided not to withdraw.
The work she was currently working on had indeed come to an end, but the real reason for her sudden return was those persistent, haunting dreams...
But those dreams felt so real.
Like a spectator powerless to change the plot, she watched helplessly as her little apprentice, who was once a sweet, cuddly dumpling who didn't want to practice swordsmanship and would whine, gradually transformed into a gloomy, obsessive, and ruthless demon...
Despite her unease, she eventually returned.
Is it the same as in my dream? Will the light in those dark blue eyes also go out and dim?
Liang Man herself didn't know what she was doing.
So she sent another message.
If I have classes at school and can't come back, that's fine. I can come back next time.
Liang Man walked to the dining table and looked at the dishes her aunt had prepared.
Three dishes and a soup, all appealing in color, aroma, and taste—just what she wanted. But at this moment, she had no appetite whatsoever.
What she should have done was help her friend take good care of Qi Shaoyou, not what she's doing now.
Why should she interrupt that child's normal college life because of her own issues?
Where is your rationality? Liang Man tortured herself again and again.
She sat listlessly at the dining table, not knowing how long she had been sitting there.
Last night's dream kept replaying in her mind. Qi Shaoyou looked at her with bloodshot eyes and asked, "So, you're going to kill me because I'm a born demon?"
The way she looked at Liang Man was like that of a young animal driven to the brink of despair and helplessness.
The child watched as blood and tears streamed down his face, repeatedly calling out to his master and begging her not to expel him from the sect.
The black iron whip lashed at the child again and again, leaving him covered in blood...
"Don't hit her!" Liang Man tried to shout angrily.
However, she said something completely different in the dream.
“You are a born demon, and have never been my disciple.”
Qi Shaoyou, who had been taking the beatings without uttering a sound, finally roared and cried out in pain at this moment.
Upon hearing the last two words, Liang Man swayed as if she were about to collapse. She turned her head away, unable to bear watching the scene.
Listening to the child's wails, even though it was a dream, Liang Man still felt as if her heart had been ripped open.
The pain from the dream even left her somewhat disoriented in reality.
When Liang Man asked to take a vacation, Fang Yuan was the first to agree.
The workload these past few days has been incredibly heavy. Liang Man even increased the intensity of her work, which made Fang Yuan even more worried.
Fang Yuan completely agreed that he could go back and rest for two days.
"Beep beep".
The fingerprint lock's beeping sound startled Liang Man.
She got up almost hastily, nearly knocking over the mug beside her.
As she took those few steps toward the door, countless thoughts filled her mind. What expression should she wear? What should she do? How should she explain her return…?
The moment the warm body crashed into her arms, all her chaotic thoughts came to an abrupt halt because of that embrace.
"I miss you so much, Sister Manman..." Warm breath accompanied by these coquettish words entered Liang Man's eardrums, and her body stiffened.
The person in her arms clung to her like a large dog, the embrace so tight it felt like she might disappear at any moment.
Liang Man hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and gently hugged the overly warm child in her arms.
"Sister Manman..." This title made her vaguely recall another name.
"Master, I miss you so much!"
"Master, this is the first time I've ever found a magical herb!"
"Master, I can fly on a sword now!"
Those vibrant joys ultimately froze in the cold winter, and she lay on the snow, covered in blood and dressed in a black robe.
"Master...it hurts so much..." As she spoke, a large amount of blood instantly stained the snow red.
Unconsciously, Liang Man tightened her arms, holding the real, warm body in her arms even closer.
Fortunately, this is not a dream, and Qi Shaoyou will never suffer the same fate as in the dream.
Qi Shaoyou will live a happy and peaceful life! He definitely will!
[Boss, the task is to touch unclothed skin for one minute.]
[A simple hug, the countdown didn't even start.]
Qi Shaoyou's attempt to exploit a loophole failed, and she could only curse the judgment criteria in her heart. She took a deep breath and buried her face even deeper, pressing it directly against Liang Manxue's snow-white neck.
When his cool cheek touched the delicate, soft, and warm skin, Qi Shaoyou felt the person in his arms tremble.
The glands at the back of the neck make this area particularly sensitive, and Qi Shaoyou's touch was placed very close to the side and back of the neck.
The strong Alph essence hit her face, and Liang Man felt her legs go weak, almost unable to stand.
She instinctively wanted to push away this overly intimate distance, but as she raised her hand, she heard a very soft sob.
The voice was so soft it was like a dream; if the house hadn't been so quiet, Liang Man wasn't sure she could have heard those two sentences.
"Manman... Sister, no alphas at school want to play with me..."
She deliberately widened the distance between Manman and her sister, slowing down her tone to sound more like the mother than Manman.
Qi Shaoyou praised himself for his cleverness! This ambiguous form of address both revealed her dependence and increased the moral constraints placed on Sister Manman!
"Am I not good enough?" Her voice carried a faint hint of sadness.
Qi Shaoyou wasn't entirely lying.
It's true that she was ostracized by other Alphas, but she shouldn't have cared about it.
In countless mission worlds, the things she encountered were far worse than being ostracized.
But when she was embraced by Sister Manman in such a warm embrace, those suppressed grievances involuntarily surged up.
For a fleeting moment, Qi Shaoyou felt that she too had a home to return to.
How could that be?
Liang Man's heart softened like spring water. She gently combed the soft hair of the person in her arms with her fingertips. "Shaoyou is the best child in the world."
The sensation of her hair passing through her palm made her vaguely recall a scene from her dreams these past few days: little Qi Shaoyou, clutching a sword taller than himself, kneeling in the snow, his face flushed with tears.
"They said only Master's disciples can use this sword! I am Master's disciple! I must use this sword! I am Master's disciple!"
"I can practice! If once isn't enough, I'll try again; if one day isn't enough, I'll try a thousand days! This sword will surely recognize me; I am the disciple destined by my master!"
"It will definitely be drawn! Master, you must believe me!"
"Master, please don't abandon me!"
The seven-year-old child, his hands gripping the sword were red and swollen from the cold, yet he still stubbornly knelt upright.
The little girl practiced swordsmanship until her hands trembled so much that she couldn't even use chopsticks.
Liang Man couldn't tell whether her heartache was for the child in her dream or for the pitiful Qi Shaoyou in her arms.
"True friends are hard to find," she comforted softly, her tone gentler than she herself realized, "but Sister Manman will always be with you, okay?"
Qi Shaoyou, who was counting down the seconds, was startled by what he heard. He buried his face even deeper into the warm, soft flesh and murmured an "Mmm".
"Okay." Qi Shaoyou realized for the first time that the strong fragrance of jasmine could also be gentle.
Despite the overwhelming fragrance of the flowers, there was no pungent smell at all; it was like a soothing balm that calmed her down.
It felt so comfortable; it was like lying on a soft cloud.
0527 originally stopped playing his own game to check on the pro player because he felt the pro player wouldn't be able to complete the task.
When 0527 heard what the big shot said, there were more question marks in his mind than craters on the moon.
The alpha ostracized her, so nobody played with her!
Wow, let's be reasonable! Even she, as a system, felt wronged on behalf of those alphas.
Qi Shaoyou was so good-looking that she kept people at a distance. She never smiled, but she was very good at everything she did.
Who dares to speak up...?
Those who approached me with questions were met with the expert's response and then they left...
Besides, there are still those who are stuck in the screen and playing with the big shots... So who is actually being isolated?
If anyone's going to be isolated, it should be Qi Shaoyou isolating all the alphas...
[Mission Complete!]
With the notification from 0527, Qi Shaoyou left that embrace.
"sorry……"
Upon hearing the apology, Liang Man smiled slightly at the girl who was a head taller than her.
"No need to apologize, Shaoyou, you will never have to apologize to me for something like this."
I just played the 0527 version of the adult game, and when I heard this sentence, I couldn't help but say something.
Really? No temporary marker needed?
What about a permanent mark? What if the top player could create multiple clones and play a sandwich-like game?
Qi Shaoyou has decided to delete all the pornographic games from 0527 tonight!!!
What is she doing all day long?!
Filthy! Dirty! What's the game called?!
"Let's eat first. After we finish eating, there's something I'd like to talk to you about."
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This chapter filled my mind with thoughts of: Qi Shaoyou, I can't be your mother, friend, therapist, life mentor, and playmate all at the same time.
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