The Squirrel’s Secret

For a moment, Lin Yi’s mind struggled to comprehend. Why would she, with seemingly nothing better to do, catch a squirrel? And it appeared she had been bitten by it.

“Uh… are you alright?”

Hearing this, Gu Yuetong, who was still on the phone, paused, her expression shifting before she looked at Lin Yi with a puzzled gaze.

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Hm? What do you mean, ‘what’s wrong’?”

A voice came from the other end of the phone. Gu Yulong thought his sister was speaking to him.

“Nothing, Brother. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely come back to find you in a bit.”

“Alright, good. Remember to stick close to Lin Yi. If you get lost again, we won’t have any other options.”

“Understood.”

Terminating the call, Gu Yuetong redirected her gaze to Lin Yi. Recalling his recent question, she felt utterly bewildered.

She hadn’t sustained any injuries. Why, then, was he looking at her with such an expression?

A flicker of confusion crossed Gu Yuetong’s thoughts when a scorching drop of liquid traced a path across her fair hand. Her expression froze slightly. It appeared to be the squirrel’s blood.

A sudden jolt of alarm shot through her. She hastily concealed her hand even deeper, desperate to prevent Lin Yi from discovering her peculiar hobby.

“Ahaha, well… I accidentally scratched myself on a tree branch while walking earlier.”

Unbeknownst to Gu Yuetong, however, a single drop of crimson had already stained the pristine white ground between her feet.

Though he couldn’t grasp the full picture, a hint of wariness stirred within Lin Yi.

“Can you show me your hand?”

“Ah? That… no, I can’t.”

Gu Yuetong instinctively pulled her hand further back, still believing Lin Yi hadn’t noticed anything amiss.

Gu Yuetong had no intention of confessing, and Lin Yi decided not to press the matter. What if she became angry? What if, displeased, she decided to silence him permanently?

Therefore, not answering, not asking further, and getting her down the mountain were Lin Yi’s most pressing concerns.

“Come with me. I remember the way down the mountain.”

Gu Yuetong turned around without a moment’s hesitation, subtly retrieving the small squirrel from behind her back.

The creature, once full of life, was now utterly still. Its tiny head hung limply, a clean, precise cut visible across its neck.

Lin Yi couldn’t discern what Gu Yuetong had used to make such a cut.

Observing the fresh blood on her hand, she seemed to connect it to something, nodding slightly.

Looking down, several drops of blood had already merged with the snowflakes on the pristine white ground. It was like a clean sheet of paper stained with a touch of ink—vivid and striking.

Gu Yuetong’s face instantly blanched. Such conspicuous bloodstains meant Lin Yi couldn’t possibly have missed them. This implied he had definitely seen something just now.

As this thought took root, the look in her eyes as she stared at Lin Yi’s retreating back changed. Her peculiar habit of preserving small animals as specimens must never be discovered by anyone, especially not her brother.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to harm Lin Yi. If something happened to him, the consequences would be far graver than her hobby being exposed. Weighing her options, Gu Yuetong ultimately decided to follow Lin Yi for now, leaving other matters for later.

Turning her attention back to the squirrel in her hands, Gu Yuetong meticulously wiped away the bloodstains from its fur, offering it a gentle smile.

“It’s alright, little one. I’ll make sure you stay with me forever. If they object, then I’ll just kill them all.”

****

The two descended the mountain swiftly. It didn’t take long for Lin Yi to lead Gu Yuetong back to the base. Even unfamiliar with the terrain, he could recall the path they had taken uphill.

Upon their return to the camp, Gu Yulong and Lin Yiting had not yet arrived. They were likely still making their way down the mountain and would surely be back soon.

Seated on a small, wooden folding chair, Lin Yi warily observed Gu Yuetong. The blood on her hand had vanished, and even the squirrel was nowhere to be seen.

Adhering to his principle of not asking unnecessary questions or speaking idly, Lin Yi simply sat there in silence.

Gu Yuetong watched his mottled eyes, then subtly bit her lip. This was the perfect opportunity. Before Gu Yulong returned, she needed to confirm whether Lin Yi had noticed anything unusual about her.

“Did you see anything?”

“No.”

Lin Yi shook his head. He had decided that no matter what Gu Yuetong asked, he would feign ignorance.

“Really?”

“I truly didn’t see anything.”

“Hmm… that’s strange then.”

Gu Yuetong lowered her head, lost in thought. She certainly didn’t believe Lin Yi’s words. After all, she had already pointed out the blood earlier; there was no need to pretend ignorance now.

She wondered what Lin Yi was thinking. If he intended to wait for Gu Yulong to return and tell him, that would be the most troublesome scenario. However, if Lin Yi had merely seen it and wouldn’t tell anyone else, it wasn’t a major issue.

Thus, her immediate goal was to ascertain Lin Yi’s thoughts, to trick him into revealing them.

But for someone as reserved as her to try and outwit him was simply ludicrous.

Gu Yuetong had never been one for beating around the bush.

“Lin Yi, do you like squirrels?”

Lin Yi’s expression faltered slightly, clearly unexpecting Gu Yuetong’s directness.

However… her straightforward approach, directly addressing the core of her question without preamble, certainly aligned with her character in the original novel.

After a brief contemplation, Lin Yi decided it would be better to humor Gu Yuetong for now.

“I quite like them. I generally like fluffy things.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuetong’s eyes lit up. If Lin Yi liked squirrels, then he would surely understand her perspective.

Because in her mind, if you liked something, you should keep it by your side forever.

As for the method used, that was irrelevant.

For creatures with shorter lifespans, Gu Yuetong enjoyed turning them into specimens.

She knew these actions caused the small animals great pain, but their lives only lasted a few years. Even if she took them home to raise, they would eventually leave.

Rather than watching them grow old, it was better to preserve them as specimens in their prime, allowing them to accompany her eternally.

Such eternal companionship, she thought, sounded incredibly romantic.

With this mindset, a terrifying expression involuntarily blossomed on Gu Yuetong’s lips.

“Have you ever considered a way to make it stay with you forever?”

*Hiss*~

Lin Yi gasped, a chill running down his spine. He suddenly understood what Gu Yuetong had been doing. Yet, in the original novel’s plot, Gu Yuetong wasn’t a yandere from the start, and none of these incidents were mentioned.

Where exactly had things gone wrong? Gu Yuetong, however, wouldn’t give Lin Yi time to ponder. She hurled another question at him.

“Lin Yi, if something you liked could stay with you forever, no matter how much time passed, wouldn’t that be incredibly romantic?”

Lin Yi couldn’t grasp such a concept of romance. He had never considered such a thing, yet what was this subtle tremor in his heart?

‘Could it be that after so much exposure to a yandere, I’m being assimilated by her?’

Lin Yi clutched his rapidly beating heart, shaking his head vigorously.

“I don’t think… that would be very good. Restricting its freedom wouldn’t make it happy.”