Chapter 15: Helpless
Lu Zhiyin, with headphones on, slumped over the keyboard. The looping song only worsened her already terrible mood.
Already miserable from worrying about the future, she had then encountered the person she least wanted to see. Lu Zhiyin cried silently.
She vented the accumulated dissatisfaction in her chest with tears.
“…”
Beside Lu Zhiyin, Ouyang Qing took off her headphones, her gaze shifting from the computer screen. She quietly watched the girl slumped over the keyboard.
She watched the girl’s slightly trembling shoulders, extended a hand, and felt hesitant.
Should she imitate humans and comfort the toy in front of her?
Ouyang Qing couldn’t decide.
Closing her eyes, she pondered for a moment, then patted Lu Zhiyin’s shoulder with her hand before returning to her game.
This was the most intimate gesture she could manage at the moment.
“…What’s wrong?”
Sensing a touch on her shoulder, Lu Zhiyin looked up.
Through her blurred vision, she saw Ouyang Qing still immersed in her game.
Ouyang Qing did not speak, and Lu Zhiyin didn’t know what to say either, so they fell into silence again.
Lu Zhiyin slumped back down and closed her eyes.
…
Time flew by. Hours passed in the blink of an eye. Ouyang Qing played games for hours, while Lu Zhiyin listened to songs for hours.
“It’s time to go.”
Looking up, the hours had been enough for Lu Zhiyin to adjust her mindset. She rubbed her slightly red and swollen eyes and reminded Ouyang Qing that it was time.
“Understood.”
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Qing took off her headphones and turned off the computer.
She followed Lu Zhiyin out of the internet cafe.
“Hoo…”
Lu Zhiyin took a deep breath as she exited the internet cafe.
Unknowingly, it was close to noon, and the previously bright sky had turned dark, suggesting it was about to rain.
The barbecue stalls that had been doing good business were now deserted due to the weather and were preparing to pack up.
“Do you want to eat barbecue?”
Lu Zhiyin looked at Ouyang Qing, who was following her. Her face was as beautiful as ever.
“Yes.”
Ouyang Qing nodded.
Lu Zhiyin led Ouyang Qing to a barbecue stall that hadn’t started packing up yet.
She spent money to buy two pieces of bean curd and several skewers of scallions.
As for meat skewers, she didn’t have that much money to splurge on. Eating something vegetarian was already good.
Waiting beside the barbecue stall with Ouyang Qing, after the skewers were grilled, Lu Zhiyin paid. She took one skewer of scallions for herself, and the rest she gave to Ouyang Qing.
“Let’s go, we should head back to school.”
Still not in a good mood, Lu Zhiyin walked, eating the tasty grilled skewers.
Ouyang Qing noticed her bad mood and didn’t know what to say. She just continued to follow Lu Zhiyin, eating quietly.
There weren’t many grilled skewers, and Lu Zhiyin finished her share in no time.
She listened to the sound of the girl behind her chewing, and the worrying question resurfaced in her mind.
What if the deity goes back on their word?
The chewing sound behind her gradually disappeared. Lu Zhiyin took a napkin from her pocket, turned around, and handed it to Ouyang Qing.
Ouyang Qing hesitated for a moment, took the napkin from Lu Zhiyin’s hand, and wiped the corners of her mouth that were stained with oil.
“Was it good?”
Lu Zhiyin made small talk, forcing a smile.
“Yes, it tastes good… I’ll praise you a little then.”
Dropping the napkin, Ouyang Qing’s gaze was somewhat uncertain as she tried to comfort the girl in front of her.
However, she was not human after all and did not know the knack of comforting people, so her words still sounded condescending.
“…Yes, as long as it tastes good.”
Lu Zhiyin smiled again and turned away.
…
They walked in silence for a long time. Ouyang Qing began to feel troubled. Why was she considering the feelings of a toy? She didn’t need to care about this person’s feelings at all. This person was just inexplicably upset, not going to die.
Just because she had taken her out to play, should she worry about her?
Ouyang Qing kicked a stone by the roadside.
Lu Zhiyin in front did not know what Ouyang Qing was thinking. She just walked silently.
“Ouyang Qing…”
Her voice paused. Lu Zhiyin hesitated, not knowing whether she should voice her doubts.
Would her question displease the evil god behind her? Could she accept the answer if she received it?
Lu Zhiyin became increasingly confused.
“…”
Ouyang Qing did not reply. she was too lazy to bother with Lu Zhiyin anymore.
Picking up a stone from the ground, she tossed it in her hand and then threw it towards the sky.
The small stone flew higher and higher, until it pierced through the dense clouds, allowing a beam of sunlight to pass through the thick clouds and shine onto the ground.
This beam of light soon disappeared.
“…”
Unable to get a response from Ouyang Qing, Lu Zhiyin became more uneasy.
She quickened her pace.
As time passed, the sky grew darker, and Lu Zhiyin and Ouyang Qing drew nearer to the school.
At the school gate, Lu Zhiyin couldn’t help herself. She asked Ouyang Qing her question.
“Will you lie to me? After completing the task, can you really let me go home?”
Lu Zhiyin reached out her hand, grasping empty air twice.
The humidity in the air grew thicker, and she could almost directly feel the moisture in the air.
“…”
Ouyang Qing did not answer.
“…”
Lu Zhiyin’s heart sank with each passing moment of Ouyang Qing’s silence.
If she lost even her only goal, what else could she do?
Lost in confusion, until there was a dull rumble in the sky, and heavy rain poured down. The large raindrops hit her body, causing pain.
Lu Zhiyin came back to her senses and ran towards the dormitory.
Ouyang Qing, unhurriedly, conjured an umbrella, opened it, and strolled in the rain, admiring the teaching building in the rain.
Ouyang Qing slowed her pace. While enjoying the scenery, she was also thinking about how to answer Lu Zhiyin’s question.
Should she let go of this toy that brought her a moment of joy? Ouyang Qing hadn’t figured it out yet.
When Ouyang Qing returned to the dormitory building while strolling, Lu Zhiyin was sitting on the stairs, quietly waiting for her.
The girl’s school uniform and long hair were inevitably soaked, clinging tightly to her body.
Because of the rain, Lu Zhiyin’s vision became blurry, and her head ached slightly.
She saw Ouyang Qing close her umbrella and walk into the dormitory building, and she immediately stood up.
“Ouyang Qing, can you tell me the answer?”
She desperately wanted an answer.
After completing the task, could she go home? It didn’t matter whether she could or not. If she could, she would continue to work hard. If not, she wouldn’t have to do useless work and could just give up.
Of course, compared to giving up, she would more likely collapse completely and become a walking dead.
After all, she had endured months of torment for that illusory goal.
“Hmm… It depends on your performance.”
Ouyang Qing chose to give an ambiguous answer, not fully grasping her own thoughts.
However, even if she really decided to keep Lu Zhiyin by force, she wouldn’t tell Lu Zhiyin her true thoughts. That would be no fun.
“…I understand…”
The ambiguous answer made Lu Zhiyin listless. Being in such an in-between state felt terrible. It prevented her from stopping her efforts and also from putting her worried mind at ease.
She was helpless.
