“I understand, Xiaoya. Could I… ask you for a favor?”
“If possible, I’d appreciate it if you could look after Yueli. Tell her to balance her work and rest; she shouldn’t push herself so hard. Please help her pay attention to her health and mood.”
“She used to take things too seriously, always feeling like she hadn’t done enough, even when she had already exceeded the requirements.”
“Since you two are good friends, can I count on you?”
‘She can get tired from just that? Is she really that fragile?’
Tong Ya’s eyes widened. ‘She looked plenty energetic to me!’
‘He hasn’t told Lizi yet, but he’s about to say it… and he wants me to care for her. Is it because he can’t directly express his concern after being dumped? This… doesn’t feel as satisfying anymore…’
‘Why, Brother Yichen… why are you so good to Lizi? Is this how you behave when you fall for someone? I’m starting to look forward to seeing how you’ll look when you love me.’
An indiscernible, dark glint flashed in Tong Ya’s eyes. She turned her head and stole a glance at Luo Yueli with a complicated expression.
She saw Luo Yueli leaning back against a cushion, her gaze fixed on the ceiling with a scattered focus, looking as if her mind was full of worries.
**[Tong Ya’s Love Value +5]**
**[Tong Ya’s Hatred Value +5]**
Inside the taxi, Su Yichen received the notification for Tong Ya’s five points of Love Value and five points of Hatred Value.
It seemed the message he just sent had worked. As for the part about being “about to tell Luo Yueli”…
That was obviously a lie.
Su Yichen had no intention of telling Luo Yueli about this; he didn’t even plan to contact her. He and she were currently in that messy, lingering post-breakup phase.
If he wasn’t careful, the old flames would reignite instantly. If that happened, getting rid of the deviation value originating from her would be far more difficult than it was now.
It would be equivalent to adding another capture target—one whose difficulty far exceeded a cat-like green tea girl like Tong Ya. A natural-born scum who was a white moonlight without even realizing it.
Anyone could guess the difficulty of capturing a “scum girl,” let alone a peak-tier natural-born scum. She was the “fighter jet” among scum.
Generally, if a scum girl knows she is one, she has a clear purpose. No matter how high her level is, she has weaknesses. But a natural-born scum is different. Take Luo Yueli, for example—she doesn’t even know she’s a scum.
Therefore, the character persona tag of “natural-born scum” wasn’t much weaker than “Gemini.”
Gemini was difficult because it targeted two targets simultaneously, whereas natural-born scum represented T1 solo capture difficulty.
As for the messages he sent afterward, they were all meant to maintain the persona Tong Ya had imagined for him.
After their interactions during this period, Su Yichen already knew what kind of image he held in Tong Ya’s heart.
A beautiful youth who was devoted, cold, possessed high self-esteem, and had certain “older brother” attributes. Her love and hatred would both stem from that.
‘Tong Ya should be into me… the kitten has taken the bait.’
‘However, usually, liking someone should result in at least 50 points of Love Value.’
‘Excluding the five points just added, my Favorability with Tong Ya is only 20 points. This doesn’t match the data I’ve gathered from past experiences.’
‘Was it love at first sight? Or is it the numerical gap caused by the SSS-rank void realm difficulty? After all, my past experiences never included a void realm of such high difficulty.’
‘Is Tong Ya hating me? Or… is it more than just me?’
‘I just mentioned Luo Yueli in front of her.’
Thinking of this, Su Yichen’s expression darkened slightly. Could it be that with Tong Ya, everything would always circle back to Luo Yueli?
But Su Yichen also knew that after yesterday, it was best not to contact Luo Yueli anymore. She was the only person in this void realm capable of restricting him.
The deviation value could not exceed 5, and it was already at 2 points. This meant he had at most three more chances for error.
Since Luo Yueli had mentioned they were childhood friends during the “breakup” that day, he had naturally followed through by handing down the judgment of “childhood friends” to her.
Thus… the seemingly gentle actions and words yesterday were all part of a cage named “childhood friend” that he had placed her in. He had trapped her firmly inside.
Break free?
Heh.
Su Yichen gave a cold smile. How could that shackle be so easily broken? Luo Yueli had forged it herself. A doctor cannot treat themselves.
For Luo Yueli, who was not a capture target, Su Yichen’s plan was to set her aside—a literal “abandonment play.” If she were a capture target, his method of handling her would certainly be different.
So what if she was a natural-born scum? Could she be more of a scum than him? If there were a title for it, Su Yichen felt he would surely be the “Greatest Scum of All Time.”
As of now, Luo Yueli hadn’t even touched a boy’s hand, let alone toyed with a man.
Being a “physically and mentally pure” natural-born scum was just a potential within her persona. She was as pure as a little white flower.
But what about himself?
Su Yichen pursed his lips and smiled silently. He smiled without showing his teeth. He was nothing but a pair of worn-out shoes.
Through the constant process of capturing targets, caught between love and lust, he had already… rotted to the core.
**[Perhaps, the one who truly needs salvation was never those young girls.]**
**[She and she were in the same space, thinking of the same person, yet harboring different worries.]**
***
Female Dorm, 502.
Luo Yueli didn’t know how many times she had picked up her phone, or how many times she had opened VX to look at her chat window with Su Yichen.
She couldn’t understand why they could chat so happily yesterday, only to suddenly become like strangers today. She couldn’t even find a topic to start a conversation.
‘Why is it like this? Why…’
‘Su Yichen…’
Even now, Luo Yueli still held a bit of hope—hope that Su Yichen would send a message. She had been waiting since they parted yesterday, to the point where she couldn’t focus on anything else.
But now she knew he wouldn’t. He had already changed, and he was continuing to change. He was changing in a direction called “distancing.”
‘Is this a death sentence? Should I… send him a message? But… what should I say?’
‘…”What are you doing?”‘
‘Or…’
‘…”Have you eaten?”‘
‘Isn’t that what he used to send me all the time? Back when we were still in that twisted relationship. That… wouldn’t be right, would it? That kind of dialogue is a product of that twisted relationship.’
Luo Yueli remained silent for a long time before finally tossing her phone onto the desk. She leaned back in her hanging chair, staring at the plain white wall. She let her long hair hang down naturally.
“Lizi~”
“Xiaoya?”
Luo Yueli had just sat up when Tong Ya’s slender arms wrapped around her neck from behind. “You were just lecturing me, but don’t you have something on your mind too?”
“You look so distracted. It looks like you’re thinking about a boy you like.”
“I’m not.”
Lying seemed to be a natural skill for every beautiful girl, and Luo Yueli was no exception.
She said the word “no” without blushing or skipping a beat. “I was thinking about the freshman welcome gala. I’m afraid I won’t play well.”
Hearing this, Tong Ya sighed inwardly.
‘Brother Yichen really does understand Lizi… She’s already met the requirements, but she still feels it’s not enough and wants to do better. Isn’t that exactly how Lizi is acting now?’
“How could that be? We’re the College of Liberal Arts, not the Art Academy.” She thought for a moment and said, “Su Yichen told me you’re amazing at the piano. You’ve been practicing for ten years, right?”
“I really admire you. I definitely couldn’t do it. I just love to play around; that’s all I’m good at.”
“Isn’t it good to be able to play?” Luo Yueli reached up and playfully pinched Tong Ya’s soft cheek. “It’s better than being at the prime age for fun but having no time for it. Xiaoya, you…”
“Have you been in contact with him lately?”
“Him?”
Tong Ya knew exactly who she meant, but she scratched her head and pretended to be clueless. Luo Yueli remained silent, watching her as if trying to read something from her face.
“Su Yichen.”
“No,” Tong Ya paused, pursing her lips as she spoke.
She lied too. Perhaps because she, too, was a girl who wouldn’t lose to her.
“Hasn’t he contacted you?” Tong Ya asked. “You two seemed to have a pretty good relationship.”
“Yes, it was quite good. We even had dinner together yesterday.” Luo Yueli casually toyed with her hair, her movements appearing natural. “Xiaoya, Yichen said you’re a very good girl.”
‘If it’s the current Su Yichen… he would be more than a match for Tong Ya, wouldn’t he? Brave, confident, and so handsome… even if it meant offending a roommate, he didn’t hesitate.’
‘He said… no matter what happens, he can stand by my side. If he’s like that even for me, his childhood friend… he’ll only be better to his future lover.’
Luo Yueli suddenly felt a bit envious of Tong Ya. Back when they were eating hot pot, she had indeed heard Su Yichen mention Tong Ya’s name.
That was the first time she had heard another girl’s name come out of his mouth. She didn’t think much of it then, but now…
It was a feeling that was hard to describe. It was a bit like a final goodbye, and yet also like… Luo Yueli couldn’t find the words.
And now, hearing Su Yichen’s name from Tong Ya, she remembered her previous idea of trying to set the two of them up.
“Xiaoya, he seems to really want to get to know you. How about we find a chance to have a meal together? I’ll formally introduce Su Yichen to you. What do you think?”
‘If he and she get together, I’ll have a reason to talk to him, and we’ll have something to talk about, right? Su Yichen, you… you probably still don’t know how to get along with girls, do you?’
‘It’s an art, you know—getting along with girls. I can teach you, because I’m a girl too. I’ll teach you how to be the best lover in the world, because… I’m your childhood friend.’
The girl tilted her head back, her snowy-white neck appearing elegant and long.
‘Yichen, it seems I… am going to betray our promise and our faith… Can you forgive me? You… you can forgive me, right? I’m sorry, because… I can no longer find a way to speak to you…’
Tong Ya stood frozen in place, her thoughts a tangled mess. She suspected she had misheard. For some reason, looking at Luo Yueli like this, she caught a scent of something called “sadness.”
**[In the moment before falling off the cliff called “Loss,” the girl finally found the only way to open the “cage” before being completely trapped. It was a key named “Betrayal.”]**