It wasn't until the deal fell through that I discovered all the young ladies were yanderes.

"Are you willing to protect the girl next to you forever?" This is what the NPC said to Su Yu. The theme of this escape room seems to be the story of a school beauty being betrayed by her boyfriend and eventually committing suicide.

After the NPC asked the question, Bai Xiaoxiao forgot to cry for a moment and stared blankly at Su Yu, afraid that he would give a different answer.

Although the plan is no longer needed, it's still quite useful to raise the favorability of a young lady who is easily manipulated.

Thinking of this, Su Yu nodded.

Bai Xiaoxiao stared blankly at Su Yu.

Finally, she gently tightened her grip on Su Yu's hand, a sweet smile appearing on her face.

Escape rooms are really great!

Even a simpleton has his own cunning.

The rest of the story is simple. Su Yu and Bai Xiaoxiao finished playing in the escape room and received a gift. It was just a small game, but it made Bai Xiaoxiao smile like an idiot for the rest of the time.

It's a good deal; at least it's made her forget yesterday's unpleasantness.

An Ruxue said she would pick up Su Yu in the evening, but Su Yu knew An Ruxue well; when she said "evening," she usually meant dusk and part of the afternoon.

That's just how she is; Su Yu can't do anything about it.

Trying to be shameless, Su Yu is no match for An Ruxue. After all, An Ruxue has superior martial arts skills, power, and wealth. Even ten Su Yus couldn't defeat An Ruxue.

However, not necessarily in bed...

If you can't outsmart someone by being unreasonable, you can try reasoning with them. An Ruxue wasn't some little girl; she was happy to reason with Su Yu, but Su Yu couldn't win against An Ruxue...

Very helpless.

For the rest of the day, Su Yu took Bai Xiaoxiao for a stroll. She seemed easily satisfied and was happy no matter where they went. She ate a bite of lunch and wandered around for a while in the afternoon, and that was the end of the day.

It wasn't Su Yu who suggested it; Bai Xiaoxiao was supposed to go back anyway. As a freshman, she was actually quite busy.

After dropping Bai Xiaoxiao off at school, Su Yu walked along the road for a while, and soon a luxury car was waiting beside him.

Su Yu checked the time on his phone and nodded.

Yes, as expected of you, An Ruxue.

An Ruxue rolled down the car window, wearing sunglasses, looked at Su Yu and chuckled, then suddenly became playful: "Handsome, can I ask you out for dinner tonight?"

She's in a good mood, which means I can say something sarcastic to her.

"We're not making an appointment, Auntie."

An Ruxue's expression turned cold. Su Yu got into the car and sat in the passenger seat. An Ruxue rolled up the window.

She can drive. Su Yu couldn't find any skill that An Ruxue couldn't do. It seemed like she knew how to do anything, and even if she wasn't very good at something, she could still manage to do it a few times.

Quite a genius.

"Where are we going?" Su Yu looked at An Ruxue. She was wearing a black dress today. Su Yu didn't remember her liking black. She would only wear it on special occasions.

He couldn't help but glance at An Ruxue. Her figure was as stunning as ever. He followed his gaze down her breasts and slender waist, glancing at her exposed legs before looking away.

"Men are so strange. They let you touch them freely, but they only dare to look, and even then, they just sneak a peek."

Perhaps because she had just been rebuked by Su Yu, An Ruxue's tone was somewhat cold. Su Yu shrugged, feeling sleepy.

I didn't sleep at all last night, and I spent the whole day playing with Bai Xiaoxiao today. I'm really tired.

"If you're sleepy, you can take a nap first, and I'll wake you up when we get there."

Hearing An Ruxue's words, Su Yu fell asleep peacefully. As for whether An Ruxue would harm him...

If she wanted to harm me, I would have died eight hundred times over.

An Ruxue avoided the question of where Su Yu was going, because the place they were going to was definitely a taboo for Su Yu.

However, it was precisely because of this that An Ruxue went to that place.

Li Qingqing's grave...

ps

The plot will soon move into the final chapters of the first volume, which is also a minor climax. Then, we'll get to the most exciting part: guess who will succeed first.

Because we're almost at the climax, I'll be adding extra updates irregularly lately.

So please vote for me with your monthly tickets.

138 choices

A dozen minutes later, Su Yu felt the car slowly stop and pulled the handbrake. He opened his eyes, and because his vision was a little blurry, he rubbed them.

"Awake? We've arrived, but you can sleep a little longer, maybe half an hour. I also have some things to take care of."

After saying that, she bent down and helped Su Yu recline the car seat so that he could lie down more comfortably.

Su Yu was still a little dizzy. She glanced at An Ruxue, who had already taken out her phone and was looking at the documents. After thinking for a moment, she decided to linger in the car for a while so that she could spend less time with An Ruxue that evening.

So he turned over, grunted, and went back to sleep.

I said I was going to sleep, but I didn't really fall asleep. I just closed my eyes, my thoughts were sinking, and I felt heavy. Although I was very sleepy, I just couldn't fall asleep.

A vague unease lingered in his heart, making him somewhat flustered.

Why?

Half an hour later, Su Yu heard An Ruxue's voice: "Okay, get up. Go home and continue sleeping. Walk with me for a bit, then we'll go home."

Why is she like this today?

So gentle?

Su Yu mentally complained, sat up straight, rubbed his eyes, and was still a little drowsy.

Suddenly, he felt a warm, soft sensation on his cheek. Su Yu turned his head and saw An Ruxue looking at him with a smile on her lips.

Are you feeling more energetic?

If I say I don't have it yet, she'll probably do it again.

Understanding the situation, Su Yu said, "You're more energetic now."

Getting off the bus, the lights were dim. The place looked familiar, but Su Yu was certain he had never been here before.

Su Yu looked closely and saw the steps winding upwards, the lighting was dim but just right, and the cicadas chirped in waves.

The sound here isn't annoying, nor is it pleasant; it just comes in waves…

My heart is racing...

Because this is a cemetery…

Su Yu remembered where he had seen this place before; in a photograph, in the photograph that An Ruxue had shown him.

This is where Li Qingqing rests in peace…

Su Yu froze, standing there with her head down, motionless.

Although he had seen photos of this place, he had never actually been here.

Not even once.

I've never visited the graves, observed memorial services, or attended Qingming Festival.

Although he knew the place, although he could easily get there, and although he knew that Li Qingqing was buried here, he didn't even want to get close to it. In fact, when he had to pass by, he would take a detour.

Because he was afraid that if he let go of the past, if he let go of the fact that Li Qingqing was no longer there, he would forget Li Qingqing...

That day, Li Qingqing lay in her hospital bed. Her once exquisite and flawless face appeared extremely pale at that moment. She was on a ventilator and no longer had the strength to speak.

She waved at Su Yu, then grabbed his hand lightly; she had no strength left.

She quietly wrote down a sentence.

Will you forget me?

...

We will meet many people on our journey of growing up, many strangers, and many people who will accompany us throughout our lives. We will say that sentence to many people.

He said, "We will stay with each other for the rest of our lives."

As lovers, as friends, as family.

However, those who made promises will eventually disappear from our lives. At first, we may not be able to accept it, but as time goes by, we may meet again, or we may never see each other again.

Or perhaps they are separated by death forever.

What will it feel like then?

It's a sense of relief.

It's the relief of starting a new life.

I will meet new people, experience new things, learn many new skills, and become a better version of myself.

If one day we can meet again, I can proudly say...

"I'm doing great, how about you?"

Su Yu was afraid that she would let go, afraid that she would forget Li Qingqing, forget that period of her life, and start a new one.

He didn't want it to be like this.

Although thinking about Li Qingqing now makes her feel sad, Su Yu wants it this way. She feels it's good this way. She doesn't want to forget that silly older sister who wanted to make her happy even though she couldn't afford to eat.

He didn't want Li Qingqing to become just a memory. He knew his own heartlessness, even though he didn't dare to see Li Qingqing.

"What's wrong? Come on, walk with me here for a bit, then we can go home."

An Ruxue's voice was still as gentle as ever today, but Su Yu now understood why it was gentle—it was a trap, a trap to lure the prey.

Seeing that Su Yu still didn't move, An Ruxue reached out and straightened Su Yu's collar, her voice still so gentle.

"Come on, Xiaoyu, let's go see some old friends."

"... "

Su Yu remained motionless, head bowed, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Her voice suddenly turned cold.