Chapter 82: Adding Frost to Snow
“Oh my, is this still a bit difficult for you to understand, Juncheng?”
“Of course! I don’t understand what connection there is between these two events! Logically, there’s no connection at all! I just feel like you’re talking nonsense and playing with me!”
“Ho ho ho, don’t get excited. I’ll explain it properly so that you can willingly go to Younger Sister Keling’s room.”
“Please do explain. If you don’t give me a convincing reason, I won’t do it.”
“I thought so. Well then, calm down. Since I’ve said I’ll explain, you should listen calmly.”
“You’re right…”
I patted my cheeks and turned on the air conditioning to twenty-six degrees. The decrease in body temperature cooled my mind.
“Okay, you can start now.”
“Ho ho ho, it seems you’re ready. Then I’ll get into a more comfortable position.” Lan walked to my bed, sat down, took off her shoes, and then jumped onto my bed, hugging my pillow and nuzzling it. She let out a contented sound.
“Mmm~~~ I’ve always wanted to roll around on your bed like this in front of you, Juncheng. Indeed, sneaking into bed when no one is around and sneaking into bed when you’re caught are completely different in terms of the thrill they provide.”
“Whatever. Hurry up and explain.”
Actually, my urgency in spurring Lan on wasn’t genuine. It was mainly because her actions were too alluring. My recently cooled brain was about to heat up again for a different reason. I used to think I was a pure girl, ah… Looking at her now, lying on the bed… I’d say they are completely different people…
If Lan at that time was still in her juvenile stage, she was now a mature form, no, a complete form. It was like an originally ordinary wild fox gradually growing more tails as it gained experience… How many tails does current Lan have? Six or seven? In any case, with nine tails, she would definitely be like Zihua.
“Mmm, I’m telling you, don’t rush~”
I decided to give no reaction and just be an attentive listener.
“First, let’s talk about your current relationship. It’s very different from the original world, which you’ve probably noticed, Juncheng.”
“Huh?”
I nodded. After waking up, even though I knew the reason and tried to improve our relationship, and actually made some progress, it all went to waste now.
“So, what caused this difference?”
It was the revelation of a fact hidden for five years that led to this deviation. Even I only found out about this matter after returning to the past. Although the titles I saw, Xinran’s attitude, and the situation in the Mirror Realm all hinted at it, I finally received definitive confirmation not long ago.
“Yes, it was through this matter that the original stable triangle was broken, and by losing one side, it became a V-shape.”
“In other words, the ‘position’ has changed. In the original world, Younger Sister Keling was always very proactive, right? Her relationship with me was also quite good. Ho ho ho ho, in some aspects, we even had common interests.”
Common interests? Keling and you, Lan? Then… recalling the scene I accidentally saw a few days ago, perhaps Keling does resemble Lan somewhat… No, don’t! If Keling were to become like Lan, I couldn’t accept it! One Lan is enough, another one would kill me! It’s too terrifying! One Lan can make a person depressed, two Lans can drive a person mad, and three Lans could destroy the world! A Lan-class disaster!
“Don’t drift off! Classmate Juncheng! Listen carefully to Teacher Lan’s lecture! Otherwise, we’ll switch to health and physical education class!”
“You’ve already disqualified yourself as a teacher by saying that.”
“Well, I wasn’t a teacher in the first place~ Besides, you already have a teacher figure around you, Juncheng, so you don’t need me to cosplay as one.”
“Teacher, can we continue the lesson?”
“Okay~ Classmate Juncheng, Teacher Lan will teach you everything she knows~ Ho ho ho ho~”
Suddenly playing this inexplicable role-playing game was indeed a bit off. I also suspected it was to pad the word count. Ah, speaking of which, Lan used to be like this before, liking to suddenly say strange things like Lianbing, making me retort and make strange expressions, and she would feel pleased. And now, I can actually keep up with their rhythm.
“Actually, the truth itself isn’t important. What’s important is that through this matter, the original positions were reversed. Younger Sister Xinran held a feeling of ‘guilt’ and placed herself in the role of ‘victor’.”
“Victor?”
“Exactly. She actually felt she had won. Indeed, that was the case until you, Juncheng, came to this world. If it had continued, it would have ended like a melodrama in a Korean drama, with Younger Sister Xinran eventually winning you over. But when you replaced this world’s former self, things became different.”
I probably understood what Lan meant. In fact, Li Nai had told me before that the original me in this world had fallen in love with Xinran. And the current me wanted to start a harem. This point alone is completely different. …I have a feeling I’ve gone down the wrong path. Is that okay, me…..
“But your approach, Juncheng, is not decisive enough. That kind of push-and-pull feeling will only make Younger Sister Xinran more anxious, and then she’ll be influenced by her Destined Ability, which is amplified by her emotions, bringing her to the brink of losing control. This is the perfect opportunity. You need to completely destroy the previous relationship first, and this requires the intervention of a third party.”
“Ah, so that’s why Lianbing wanted me to pretend to be infatuated with Xu Jiaojiao…”
“Yes. At this point, Younger Sister Xinran will suddenly realize that she hasn’t won yet, and someone else might snatch you away. She’ll think, ‘I want to win him over,’ ‘I want to keep him,’ and want to attract your attention by any means necessary.”
“But I just…”
“Right. You just completely rejected Younger Sister Xinran and avoided her. And then, at this moment, if she sees you entering Younger Sister Keling’s room, what will she think? Ho ho ho ho.”
Xinran will feel that she can’t even be a “younger sister” anymore.
“She’ll completely lose you. The ‘conquest’ is complete.”
What kind of conquest is this? If the goal is to make Xinran awaken, then this is indeed a complete conquest route. By completely stripping Xinran of her “position,” destroying her hope and her reliance, it creates a stimulus no less than my death.
“Such schemes… I truly find you all terrifying. You can calculate to this extent.” Even girls who like to bully others wouldn’t think of such a method. This takes into account even emotional changes, dealing a blow directly to the spirit rather than the physical body. It’s the act of a demon…
“Oh dear, I always play the role of the villainess. I’m so pitiful.”
“Ha… I’m the executor, so I guess I’m the villainous man too.”
“Ho ho ho ho, Little Bingbing too, right? We’re all accomplices.”
“Villains.”
“Hee hee, that’s right, we’re a match made in heaven~”
As a result, with such a misleading explanation, I didn’t actually need to sneak in. I just needed Xinran to “witness” me entering Keling’s room. This is the final blow.
“Alright then, I’m going over.” Lan rolled over and said, hugging my quilt.
“Ho ho ho ho, don’t actually make a mistake, okay?”
“I won’t.”
This time, I must settle it. With Xinran, and also with Keling… It’s time.
I turned off the air conditioning and walked to the room door. I glanced back at Lan. She had already closed her eyes to enjoy herself, while Xiao An had stopped playing her game but didn’t turn to look at me. “…If I come back, I’ll restore the Destined Ability connection with you.”
“Heh, then wait for me after you’ve cleaned up.”
I opened the door, shut it behind me, and slowly walked down the stairs. I felt eyes on me. These eyes should be Xinran’s. She was indeed observing my every move. I didn’t know where she was, but I could feel the direction of her gaze. …This won’t really turn into a fratricide case, will it…
I walked to Keling’s room door. After thinking for a moment, I didn’t knock. Instead, I directly opened Keling’s door. Whether to knock or not is very important. Knocking means I’m greeting her and have something to discuss with Keling. Not knocking expresses the intention of ‘what I want to do to Keling.’ The usual Xinran would definitely believe I wouldn’t do anything to Keling, but the current Xinran has lost her reason. She will definitely misunderstand. I just need to open the door and go in while she’s watching, then close the door. EA
I went in and closed the door. The lights were off, but Keling wasn’t sleeping. She was sitting on the bed with her knees hugged to her chest, like a child with autism. The small desk lamp cast a dim light, illuminating only her side profile. She wasn’t flustered at all when I entered, not even looking up, as if she had expected me long ago. She said faintly:
“You knew I was coming?”
“I just… Hmph! If possible, I’d want a celebrity idol brother who is incredibly handsome, has a charm that naturally attracts girls, can captivate thousands of girls with a slight smile, is gentle, considerate, warm, and gives me a cup of brown sugar water that won’t burn my tongue when I have my period, who is both warm and caring, and also very devoted. But since there isn’t one, I’ll just have to make do with you.”
“I also want a younger sister who is naturally adorable with wide eyes, can always heal my heart, gives me headrests, makes delicious food filled with love, has a perfect appearance and figure that makes people envious, lets me hold her while sleeping every night, and is also very capable. But since there isn’t one, I’ll just come to see you.”
“I think what you want isn’t a younger sister, but an inflatable doll.”
“An inflatable doll doesn’t move. How is that as good as a younger sister?” (Lost)
Silence fell. Then, Keling spoke first.
“…It’s not too late. Turn around and leave. Sister Xinran will forgive you.”
Keling, you… you’re such a kind child…
“Then what about you?”
I walked forward with a bitter smile, hugged Keling, and stroked her head.
At this moment… *creak*.
The door opened. A cold wind blew in from behind, carrying endless chill.
