Miss Su Yanlan is a Strange Person

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.”

I stood up, patting the non-existent dust from my skirt, smiling as I wiped the mutant’s blood from my neck.

I really couldn’t figure out this pink-haired young lady.

Why would she suddenly ask me to try and win her over?

I didn’t know, didn’t understand.

And her hobbies were so bizarre.

Peeling the skin off living things.

She didn’t tell me the consequences of failing, but I figured it couldn’t be much better than the fate of the mangled corpse on the table.

Life was becoming increasingly exhausting.

I had to spend so much time serving the leader, and on weekends, Qin Dai would visit my home.

Now, I had to carve out even more of my already limited free time for this Su Yanlan.

It was all my own fault.

If I hadn’t been so promiscuous in the past, so intent on destroying others’ relationships, would I be in a better position now?

I had no plan to win over Su Yanlan.

I knew next to nothing about her.

The only thing I could do for now was accompany her to collect her “specimens.”

But such cheap companionship wouldn’t move the heart of a psychopath.

I knew that.

I needed more time to understand her.

“Just rest here.”

She grabbed my wrist, not wanting me to leave.

Her fingers gently stroked the white stockings on my leg, the fabric making a soft, rustling sound.

The sensation was unsettling.

She had said she had no interest in me that way, so what was she doing now?

I didn’t know.

She picked up the scissors again, its bloodstained blade resting lightly on my wrist.

A slight sting.

The skin broke.

I was stunned.

“Miss Yanlan, what are you doing?”

I couldn’t stop her.

I could only try to pull my injured hand away.

I failed.

“Mutant blood weakens ordinary people, makes them prone to illness, and even shortens their lifespan. This is a punishment for a scumbag… a down payment, if you will. If you fail to make me like you…”

She didn’t finish, but I knew the rest.

If I failed, my lifespan would be irrelevant.

She’d kill me long before any of that mattered.

Honestly, I wasn’t that scared.

I don’t know why.

Maybe I’ve already broken somewhere along the way.

My current mindset was to just get by, not actively seek death, but not cling to life either.

As long as I didn’t suffer too much when I died, and wasn’t turned into food, I probably wouldn’t feel much of anything.

I’m a bit of a coward when it comes to pain, and a bit traditional.

I want a proper burial.

“The wound… doesn’t match my clothes.”

She finally put the scissors down and frowned at the cut on my wrist, stained with who-knows-whose blood.

She pulled a cute bandage from her pocket, one with a puppy design, and carefully applied it to my wound.

I was taken aback.

Medical supplies were incredibly expensive.

Ordinary scavengers in the camp could barely afford them.

The girl in front of me, head bowed as she tended to my wound, seemed to merge with the image of the one who had hugged me earlier that day.

She was a gentle person, but beneath that gentleness, she was hiding something else, something rarely seen.

First she hurts me, then she regrets it and treats the wound.

She’s such a strange person.

The scent of lavender filled the air.

Does she wear perfume even at night?

I wondered.

“Miss Yanlan, are you planning on having me sleep on the floor of your shop? If so, I probably won’t be able to go out with you tomorrow. My cold hasn’t gotten any better.”

I wasn’t lying.

I really did feel unwell.

No medicine, no time to take any.

It’s just a cold, it’ll pass.

But if I slept on a cold floor again, I wasn’t sure if it would turn into a fever.

“Don’t worry, Miss Qin Yue.”

She didn’t seem to intend for me to leave.

She handed me the scissors and went back into the room where she had been working on the corpse.

After a moment of rummaging, she came out carrying two thick quilts.

The pale green quilts were piled so high they completely obscured her figure.

The sight was almost comical.

She threw the quilts on the floor, then carefully spread one out, smoothing it and weighing down the corners with a few boxes.

“Make do with this. The shop doesn’t have a bed. The other one is for you to cover yourself with.”

She gently pushed me down onto the makeshift bed and covered me with the other thick quilt.

The familiar lavender scent, mixed with the smell of sunshine.

This must be her own bedding.

How did I know?

It was so thoroughly steeped in her perfume, how could it be anything else?

“Isn’t this your quilt, Miss Yanlan? If I use it, what will you do?”

Lying in the bed, I unconsciously snuggled into the soft quilt, my eyes half-closed as I looked up at the pink-haired girl.

It was just a polite question.

I didn’t actually care about her comfort.

I’m that selfish.

As long as I’m comfortable, who cares about anyone else?

“…I’ll just sit and rest for the night.”

After a moment of silence, Su Yanlan walked to the door and drew the curtains.

That’s right, a shop with curtains.

I had only just noticed.

Does she often sleep among these racks of clothes?

I didn’t know.

The room grew dark, with only the white light from the back room illuminating the doorway.

In the dim light, I glanced at my watch.

Only nine o’clock.

An early night, for once.

I should be able to get a good night’s sleep.

“Goodnight, Miss Yanlan.”

I said goodnight, closed my eyes, and prepared to sleep in the home of someone I had just met today.

A long time passed, but I couldn’t sleep.

I realized that without something to hold, it was really hard for me to fall asleep.

Damn that teddy bear.

I opened my eyes and saw Su Yanlan standing over me, her head bowed, staring straight at me.

Hey, hey, hey, this is really creepy in the middle of the night…

“Why aren’t you sleeping?”

She asked.

So, she knew I was awake?

How long had she been standing there, watching me?

I didn’t know.

Miss Su Yanlan is such a strange person.

With that thought, I reached out my hand to her.

Just sleeping together… that’s not cheating, is it?

I was confused.