Unexpected Encounters and Hidden Intentions

Chu Hanxi froze, every muscle in her body locking up the moment she saw Chen Sishi’s vacant eyes. It was as if a pause button had been pressed, rendering her utterly still.

Seeing her reaction, Chen Sishi impatiently waved a hand, then sent a message to her bodyguards.

“Bring this person down. Kill her, make her lose her memory, I don’t care – just make sure she never bothers Lin Ling and me again.”

****

Lin Ling waited for a while, but there was no reply from the other end of the phone. He picked up the showerhead, intending to rinse off once more.

Just as he turned on the spray, his phone suddenly buzzed. Lin Ling’s hand jerked in surprise, nearly spraying water into his ear. He glanced at the illuminated screen, a twitch forming at the corner of his mouth.

[Chen Sishi: Hey… Lin Ling, how about I bring you some medicine tomorrow?]

[Wind Chime: No, that won’t be necessary. My sister is good at massages, and I’m already feeling much better.]

The moment he sent that message, Lin Ling felt a pang of regret. ‘What would that imply? It would imply Lin Yiting touched him, and a yandere wouldn’t tolerate another person of the opposite s*x touching someone they liked. Augh~’

‘I’m doomed, completely doomed. Is it too late to order a coffin now?’

He broke out in a cold sweat, relieved when Chen Sishi’s next message seemed relatively normal.

[Chen Sishi: Oh, I see. Well, take good care of yourself, Lin Ling.]

[Wind Chime: Mhm, I will.]

[Wind Chime: Bye, I’m going to take a shower now.]

[Chen Sishi: Mhm, go ahead.]

Scratching his head, Lin Ling couldn’t quite decipher Chen Sishi’s intentions, so he simply ended the conversation. On the other side, Chen Sishi, having just finished chatting with Lin Ling, had flushed cheeks and her legs clamped tightly around a large plush toy on her bed.

“Lin Ling… Lin Ling talked to me! He likes me, he likes me, hehehe.”

As she spoke, Chen Sishi picked up a tattered exercise book and clutched it fiercely to her chest.

“Lin Ling… Lin Ling… Lin Ling, I like you so much, I like you so much. But why aren’t you主动理我 now?”

Lost in thought, Chen Sishi lowered her head, her beautiful eyes utterly devoid of light.

‘Is he scared? He must be scared. Did I… did I do something to him?’

****

Stepping out of the bathroom, feeling utterly refreshed, Lin Ling immediately spotted Lin Yiting still trying on clothes. Although she had already tried them on at the women’s clothing store, she wanted to see how they looked in the comfort of their home.

As Lin Yiting stood before a full-length mirror, Lin Ling carefully observed her. She was wearing the same white outfit from before, though this time paired with a light grey mini-skirt. The skirt barely covered a third of Lin Yiting’s thighs; if she were to add a pair of white stockings, Lin Ling felt he might lose all self-control.

Apparently hearing footsteps behind her, Lin Yiting turned around, asking with a bright smile,

“How is it? Does it look good?”

“Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.” The words tumbled out, Lin Ling unreserved in his praise. Lin Yiting maintained a faint smile as she then walked into the bathroom.

“Little Ling, I’m going to borrow your shower. I’m all sweaty from running around today, so I need to clean up quickly.” Lin Yiting mumbled to herself as she disappeared into the bathroom. Through the frosted glass of the bathroom door, Lin Ling could vaguely make out the silhouette of a graceful young woman.

After only a few glances, Lin Ling turned his head away. Those few looks had been purely subconscious, and he reminded himself that familial affection must not turn into something else. Musing on this internally, Lin Ling pulled out his phone and opened a game.

This wasn’t a game Lin Ling had downloaded; it belonged to the original male lead. Since transmigrating to this world, he hadn’t really explored its entertainment industry.

It was a shooting game with three modes: Campaign, Desperation, and Street Fight. Campaign mode involved a hundred players on each side capturing points on a vast map. Desperation mode was akin to a battle royale, with many small teams evading zombie hordes on a large map. Here, the ‘poison circle’ wasn’t poison but a zombie tide; being caught inside wouldn’t cause health loss but overwhelming attacks from countless zombies. Street Fight was a standard team deathmatch, with two teams of about a dozen players. Firearms were provided on the map, allowing players to choose their weapons.

The game interface was quite minimalist, remarkably simple compared to the multiplayer games Lin Ling had played before.

The main page displayed a map scene, with the game mode in the upper left corner and various other options like friends and settings below. Lin Ling didn’t notice any game events or activities.

Just as he logged in, a team invitation suddenly popped up in the upper right corner. Lin Ling paused. He didn’t recognize the person, but they were on the original male lead’s friends list, so they must be someone he knew.

To maintain the original male lead’s persona, Lin Ling accepted the invitation.

“Lin Ling?”

The moment he joined, a familiar voice spoke — it sounded like Qin Ruoxue’s. There were five people in the team, and with Lin Ling’s arrival, it was full. The other three players also had their microphones on: two girls and one boy. Their voices sounded somewhat familiar; they were likely classmates.

“Lin Ling, how do you have time to play games today? I haven’t seen you online for days.”

Lin Ling activated his microphone and replied to Qin Ruoxue,

“I wasn’t in the mood to play these past few days. Today, I just felt a bit bored.”

The five played a round, but halfway through, Lin Ling was the only one left. He maneuvered his character cautiously, sneaking into the final circle.

Truth be told, the game’s art style was incredibly realistic. The faces of the zombies, the vivid red blood – it made Lin Ling feel a bit nauseous. He couldn’t fathom why Qin Ruoxue would play such a game; a gory game like this hardly seemed appropriate for a cute girl.

It was then that Lin Ling suddenly remembered the original novel had mentioned the male lead playing games with Qin Ruoxue. It just hadn’t specified what kind of game. It was truly something that the original male lead would think to play a horror game with a girl.

‘Was he trying to scare Qin Ruoxue so she’d seek comfort from him? Augh~ The more I think about it, the scarier it gets.’

After internally criticizing the original male lead, Lin Ling shot and killed a few more players.

Fortunately, Lin Ling had a talent for shooting games; even with all his teammates down, he could still carry the team alone. There was a period when Lin Ling couldn’t find a job, and he dedicated time to honing his gaming skills. He had initially thought of starting a live stream to earn some money. He liked gaming, and it could be a source of income—killing two birds with one stone.

However, the confident Lin Ling later encountered a former esports streamer in the game and was utterly crushed. From then on, Lin Ling rarely played that particular game; it effectively cured his internet addiction.

Even though he hadn’t touched such games in a long time, Lin Ling’s talent remained evident. Now, only five players were left in the game.

He crept to a cover and lay prone. Besides the zombies’ howls, he couldn’t hear any gunshots. Lin Ling’s heart sank, realizing that the remaining four players were likely on the same team.