The cycle begins to repeat itself today.

Lin Yin shook her head. I remembered she had come up because she was worried I might do something that would affect her position as class monitor. With so many test papers and having borrowed the key from a classmate, she simply didn't have time to do her own work. I told her to get off me and finish her own tasks first. She looked at me hesitantly, still not entirely at ease. I stood up as well, indicating that I would go down with her, and she nodded again. The pressure on her was still immense, something that couldn't be relieved by a few words or a little physical stimulation.

I pushed her out of the classroom, turned around and closed the door. She went down the stairs next to her. I gently pulled her back and walked in front of her, a little worried that the security guard might suddenly appear. Although I felt that such worry was a bit unnecessary, if he discovered our whereabouts, he might check the surveillance footage to prevent any mistakes. At that time, everything I had done would be exposed to him without missing a single detail, which would be a huge problem.

I didn't forget to lock the iron gate again. Locking it didn't require a key. I slowly walked downstairs, back to the first floor. I looked left and right, but didn't see anyone. The light was now quite bright; the faint light at the other end, which had previously been visible, was now completely gone. I couldn't be sure if the security guard was still there, but it didn't matter anymore. I followed the corridor to the office door. Lin Yin had properly closed the door before leaving. I took a few steps and looked towards the library, but saw no one. Perhaps even the most studious students wanted to relax on a precious weekend.

Lin Yin opened the office door, and I followed her in. She went back to work, while I found a seat and sat down. I began to review the information I had gathered since the Lin Xue incident began, as well as the questions that still needed to be explored. Suddenly, I realized that the situation itself was already quite clear. Whether it was the situation of the two sisters, Lin Xue and Lin Yin, or their parents, piecing together the fragmented clues, there wasn't really anything left to investigate. However, I could ask about some additional information about Lin Xue and some minor details about Lin Yin herself, which would be helpful for what I needed to do later.

I had previously speculated that Lin Yin failed to become a replacement because she strived to be like Lin Xue, a person who harbored resentment and even dislike towards me. However, judging from Lin Yin's answer, it seems more likely that Lin Xue didn't allow Lin Yin to become a replacement out of a desire to protect her. Their relationship is very good, and this could also be used as leverage. However, I'm not entirely sure how good their relationship is, and whether Lin Yin is willing to "betray" Lin Xue and side with me is also unknown.

If I ask directly, Lin Yin might lie to me because I'm here and Lin Xue isn't. I'll have to find a more suitable time to ask. But I can't think of a suitable way... Maybe I could take her directly to Lin Xue and ask her. That might yield some results, but that method is quite risky. Perhaps I should reconsider.

The plan to control Lin Xue also needs to be implemented as soon as possible. Today is the day before Ye Zi chose to commit suicide, because tomorrow night I need to personally stop Ye Zi from doing so, and I also need to spend some time working to get back to the state I had with Ye Zi before. This is to ensure that I can maintain the dominant position I have established and control Ye Zi's future. Her parents don't care about her, so I need to make sure I take on this responsibility. This is something I have already decided.

There's no time tomorrow night. As for the daytime, I don't think it's a good time to act. What I need to do is control Lin Xue before she realizes that I might hinder her plans and try to weaken or even eliminate the influence of her parents on her as much as possible. At the very least, I need to ensure that she can't interfere with me rescuing Ye Zi and that she won't deliberately try to kill me afterwards. That's the most fundamental goal.

It's impossible to completely erase her parents' influence all at once; this can only be done gradually. My original plan was to take Lin Xue to a secluded place and use some drastic methods to make her obey me. It wouldn't take long; as long as I could instill in her some statements that contradicted what her parents had told her, allowing the seeds of doubt about her parents already planted in her heart to grow slightly, my words would have some effect on her. This plan was extremely risky. If the influence of her parents was too deeply ingrained in Lin Xue's mind, I would probably be killed by her shortly after I loosened my grip on her. But I had no other choice. To enter her inner world quickly and leave a loophole for continued communication, I had no other way at the moment except through such methods.

If Lin Xue truly likes her younger sister Lin Yin, then Lin Yin's words could also have some influence on her. I'm unsure if Lin Yin will help me, and I'm still hesitant about whether to let her know about this plan targeting her sister.

Chapter 124 Unique Things

Let's put Lin Yin's matter aside for now and consider Lin Xue's matter first.

Because of the information Lin Xue herself provided, I knew that she would arrive very early in the morning, but by a twist of fate, I found Lin Yin, and the information I obtained from her changed my original plan.

The reason for wanting to immediately subdue Lin Xue was not only due to the need to save time, but also because of many other factors. One of these was the issue of intelligence, which was alleviated by Lin Yin's presence. Questions that I would have had to personally investigate have now yielded many leads.

Lin Xue didn't involve Lin Yin in her plan because she wanted to protect Lin Yin. So I can bring Lin Yin into the game and shake Lin Xue's decision. The best-case scenario is that she abandons her plan for Lin Yin, and the worst-case scenario is... she abandons Lin Yin and chooses to complete her plan. In that case, my actions will no longer have any effect.

Seizing influence is simple, but erasing her parents' influence is difficult. Her trust in her parents stems from the fact that everything has been resolved flawlessly according to their methods so far. To shake her trust, the best approach would be to find undeniable mistakes her parents made.

Lin Xue's problems are obvious to me, but she may not see them that way. She chooses to ignore her own mistakes and continues to firmly believe in her parents. However, she also harbors suicidal thoughts or other thoughts that are far from normal, as evidenced by her behavior that night and her ultimate goal of having Ye Zi die in her place. This is where my success might lie.

If she hadn't harbored suspicions about her parents, she wouldn't have developed such rebellious tendencies. She presented herself to the outside world as a good child who wasn't rebellious, yet behind closed doors she was doing terrifying things. The idea that she was an obedient child is fundamentally flawed. While she was obedient, it didn't mean she truly accepted her parents; otherwise, she wouldn't have contemplated suicide.

She wanted Yezi to die because she projected her own thoughts onto Yezi. Yezi possessed many aspects that resonated with her ideal of a perfect "goal," which is why she chose Yezi as a substitute.

Theoretically, Lin Xue's problems stem from the high-pressure tactics of her parents, leading to changes within herself. Therefore, changing these two factors should alter Lin Xue's behavior and thoughts. Taking control away from her parents would allow me to restrict Lin Xue's behavior. This method is difficult, but the rewards are significant. At least if I control Lin Xue, I can effectively prevent her from plotting against me or even trying to kill me while I'm saving Ye Zi.

If this method doesn't work, there's another way to address the symptoms. Lin Xue's parents have a significant influence on her, and I might not be able to change her mind so easily. But what if I told her I knew all her plans and had the means to spread them?

I knew exactly what she was thinking and had experienced it firsthand. Her target was clear: Ye Zi, and no one else discovered it. On the day she found me in the school building, although she seemed unconcerned about being discovered, considering I was already infected and unable to resist, I think there was a possibility of bluffing in her attitude. At that point, her plan had already been ruined by me. If this matter was truly extremely important to her, it's possible she went crazy and acted recklessly, which essentially proves the importance of what she did to her.

Doesn't this mean that suicide was a very important thing for her?

The clues were a bit messy, so I bit my finger, trying to use the pain to keep myself awake.

Lin Xue wanted to kill me in a fit of rage because I ruined her plans. This has already happened, so I'm certain it would happen after I saved Ye Zi. If her goal was to make Ye Zi commit suicide, she should have been observing from somewhere when Ye Zi jumped. Furthermore, how did she know about the promise Ye Zi made? That promise was made six months ago when Ye Zi, contemplating suicide, went to a pedestrian bridge for some fresh air and happened to meet that person. This was very important to Ye Zi; she wouldn't easily tell anyone, especially given the significant difference in their academic abilities. Lin Xue's discriminatory attitude towards students with lower academic abilities and Ye Zi's own low self-esteem make it highly unlikely that such a thing would happen. So, how did Lin Xue find out about this?

Coincidence? Impossible. Lin Xue herself told me she'd been sticking to this plan for a very long time. I don't know exactly how long "very long," but judging from her demeanor, it was definitely not short. Her plan revolved around getting Ye Zi to do what she wanted to do but couldn't, or dared not do. Before confirming Ye Zi as the suitable candidate, something must have caught Lin Xue's attention; otherwise, given Lin Xue's attitude, she wouldn't have noticed Ye Zi, or even Ye Zi's plan. Ye Zi's plan was supposed to be kept secret, but Lin Xue still noticed… no, that's not right. Lin Xue might not have noticed it; this plan might even have been orchestrated by her.

Lin Xue had been under pressure from her parents for a long time, which also meant she had likely been eyeing Ye Zi for a long time, perhaps even before Ye Zi had even considered it. Ye Zi once mentioned meeting a mysterious person; could this person be Lin Xue, who had planned to have Ye Zi complete the things she couldn't do before committing suicide? There must be something special about Ye Zi that attracted her attention—something that would make her stand out even among a large group of people with lower academic levels.

Ye Zi was isolated in her first year of high school. This isolation was far more severe than the gap in academic ability or gender. Ye Zi was the victim, but she was still the one who was isolated. She was isolated to the point that even Lin Xue, who was not interested in people with lower academic ability, noticed her... Is it possible? The answer is yes.

Chapter 125 New Possibilities

I remember Yezi once said that her grades weren't very good. She was only able to get into one of the better classes in the school because of her parents and family background. Although she had tried to work hard, the results weren't great. The school's existing system categorized her as academically weaker, but because of her limited abilities, even her efforts didn't yield good results. Talent certainly exists, but some people show it early, while others show it later. Yezi's talent was buried before she even had a chance to shine.

I don't usually pay much attention in class, so my grades are below average. Yezi sits next to me, and her grades are one place lower than mine, but she's definitely trying. Whether before or after I promised her a favor if she met a certain number of test-taking goals, Yezi has shown a desire to learn and a willingness to work hard. Perhaps her study methods aren't the most effective, but persistence will always pay off. All she needs is a little comfort and some friends she can talk to.

But all of that was destroyed by that garbage.

Although I still feel angry when I think about it, now is not the time to continue discussing this topic.

Yezi's academic ability is limited, and it's quite difficult for her to keep up with her current class. However, our school had already completed the division of students into arts and science tracks in the second year of high school, and I barely managed to squeeze into this class, although I didn't know I would be assigned to it at the time. Besides most students like Lin Xue or me who were assigned based on their grades, there are also students like Yezi who got into this class by paying money. Basically, it's just me and the students after me. We sleep in class and play on our phones every day. Theoretically, we belong to the highest level of class, but in terms of quality, we are not as good as the next level. This is the current situation of our class.

Many of them develop a dislike for learning because they can't keep up with the pace and don't feel a sense of accomplishment, but their teachers and parents are unaware of this. Teachers believe that since they're in this class, they should demonstrate abilities and levels commensurate with it; otherwise, it's the student's own problem. Parents, too, stubbornly believe that a good environment shapes a person, ignoring the adaptability of the environment to their child. Even in the best environment, if the incompatible individual integrates, achieving good results will require an enormous price to pay—a price few can bear.

Yezi is one of them. Fortunately, she's a strong girl with ample patience and motivation, even if her nature has been distorted by her dark past. I'm glad for that; at least she's not dead, which means she still has a chance to recover. Unlike me and others who just drift through life, she still possesses something called belief, even if that belief has become elusive. Yet, Yezi is still striving for it at this stage. This is the fundamental difference between Yezi and me.

This spirit of striving upwards is like a treasure, shining brightly where most people don't notice. Lin Xue, who had been forced to work hard all along, discovered it. She found a girl who perfectly matched her own thoughts, someone completely opposite to her own. Lin Xue's plan likely began from this moment. This also means that Ye Zi only caught Lin Xue's attention after they became classmates, because there was no better place than the classroom to showcase Ye Zi's diligence.

The division between arts and sciences classes took place in the first semester of the second year of high school, which was a year ago. The time span from now is quite long, completely including the time Ye Zi spent meeting that mysterious person. To take it to an extreme, Lin Xue had known of Ye Zi's existence for half a year. Wouldn't it be difficult for her to observe Ye Zi for half a year and devise a plan to have her commit suicide after following her instructions? That would be true for others, but not for Lin Xue.

Judging from Lin Xue's performance so far, she possesses considerable initiative and efficiency, and plans very quickly. After rescuing Ye Zi on the first night, I was immediately followed by her, and attacked the following night. After starting over, I learned the killer's true identity and began investigating. However, in the dead of night, she ambushed me outside my house, following me all the way to the school. Her purpose was very clear, and she never hesitated to act. She also showed absolutely no remorse for killing. She was calm, ruthless, yet incredibly insane, terrifying and chilling. For her, devising a plan was an incredibly simple matter.

Lin Yin deeply respects her older sister. Although Lin Yin also has significant psychological issues, unlike Lin Xue, she is relatively more rational. To her, her sister is more like a perfect embodiment. If she knew her sister was planning such a thing, would she still admire her so much? Judging from their first meeting until now, Lin Yin's actions are purposeful and relatively more rational. Everything she does is to replace her sister, allowing her to escape the pressure from her family. However, murder is undeniably abnormal. Can Lin Yin truly ignore the shock this will cause and continue to admire her sister?

Lin Yin is significantly inferior to Lin Xue. Her grades are in the middle of the class, and she goes to great lengths to please the teacher to maintain her position as class monitor. Her ultimate goal—to replace her older sister—seems almost obsessive to her. To her, Lin Xue is more like a target than a family member. For some reason, this feeling lingers in my mind, and I'm unsure whether Lin Yin's goal is to avoid pressure or to replace Lin Xue.

However, since Lin Xue devised a plan that no one but herself knew about, then Lin Yin should be unaware of it. Perhaps I could ask Lin Yin whether Lin Xue had revealed the plan to her. If she heard even a whisper of it, either Lin Yin's standing in Lin Xue's eyes would rise to a new level in my opinion, or the plan's importance to Lin Xue would be significantly reduced. Either way, I would be guaranteed to profit.

Chapter 126 The Constructed Image

I looked at Lin Yin, who was still cleaning in the office. Her cleaning work seemed to be nearing completion. All she had to do next was organize the test papers.

Extracting information about Lin Xue from Lin Yin isn't exactly easy, but it's not difficult either; it just requires a good timing and entry point. Currently, I'm interacting with Lin Yin as a substitute for Lin Xue. If I openly ask her about her sister, she might become suspicious of my motives and provide information that could be true or false. Since Lin Yin is speaking to me as a substitute and obeying my orders, I should naturally treat her with the same respect to maintain this relationship.

How could I get her to reveal the truth without making her feel awkward? I pondered, carefully choosing my words. Then Lin Yin put all the cleaning tools in the corner and walked towards me. Her homeroom teacher's desk was right in front of me; if she wanted to organize the test papers, she would inevitably come over here. I took this opportunity to strike up a conversation with her.

"You and your sister are really alike, but you seem more capable than your sister. At least I've never seen her clean so diligently."

For Lin Yin, what is her most important goal at this stage? It's undoubtedly replacing Lin Xue. Therefore, what kind of words would make her happiest? Praising her continuous progress towards becoming like Lin Xue is the most suitable starting point I could think of. Telling her that she now resembles, and has even surpassed, her sister is the most suitable topic to discuss. Lin Xue's existence is merely secondary; her role is primarily to make Lin Yin happy and, in turn, to try and use this happiness to make her overlook a small problem.

Our school's cleaning is done in shifts, usually in groups arranged in columns. The cleaning time is generally after school in the afternoon, which is usually when I go to eat dinner. I only go a little later when it's my group's turn. If Lin Yin were more cautious, she might suspect I was lying to her, because my attitude towards her before was different from now. I was talking to Lin Yin from the perspective of having a grudge against Lin Xue and trying to find evidence that she was faking it, but it ended up like this. If Lin Yin were observant and careful enough, she should have noticed some subtle changes that occurred in the past two hours, but she didn't.

I saw a look of joy on her face—a pure, undisguised happiness. She was genuinely happy about what I had just said, happy that she was becoming more like Lin Xue. She had ignored the previous problems, or perhaps her joy had washed them away. While she possessed relatively excellent initiative, the gap between her and Lin Xue became apparent in matters of planning, reaction, and adaptability. Whether it was poisoning the blade, waiting for me on the rooftop, pretending not to notice me, or feigning weakness, each of these actions deepened and made Lin Xue's image in my mind even more terrifying.

Judging from the information conveyed by her expression, I think I have successfully gotten to the point. The next step is to think carefully and ask her about her impression of Lin Xue without her noticing.

"Are you always like this when you're at home? You're more diligent than Lin Xue."

"No, that's not how it is." Lin Yin seemed to want to protect her sister's image, denying my words and trying her best to explain: "My sister and I don't spend much time at home. We're mostly at school during the day and night. When we're at home, my sister does pretty much the same things as me, maybe I do a little more. My sister spends more time studying and stuff."

Although it was meant to be supportive, I could detect a subtle hint of boasting in her tone. Generally, someone who genuinely wants to support someone wouldn't add supplementary sentences like that; those are irrelevant details that might be useful to me, but not to Lin Yin's specific situation.

I gave a soft snort, trying to project a slightly disdainful attitude. This was both to cover up the flaws I hadn't properly addressed earlier and to keep the conversation going.

"All you do all day is study. What's the use of studying? It's just pedantic."

I portrayed a character who was academically overshadowed by Lin Xue, which wasn't acting but a fact. However, I don't actually agree with the extreme statement I just made. After all, learning is a process of gradually acquiring the skills to adapt to and change the future. Even if the knowledge gained is rarely used later, the qualities acquired in the learning process will benefit a person for life. Although I understand this, I don't want to strive for it; I seem to be inherently lacking in that area. This is just a digression and unrelated to the main point.

Saying this is tantamount to giving Lin Yin a vague reason to put me on the opposite side of Lin Xue. Given Lin Xue's personality, she should know how Lin Xue views people with low academic abilities. However, it's not certain. After all, Lin Yin is her sister, and Lin Yin's grades aren't exactly good either. There's a high possibility that Lin Xue genuinely cares about her sister. This means that Lin Xue might not show her contempt for people with low academic abilities to Lin Yin. This can be tested slowly. What I need to do now is to let Lin Yin build a well-rounded and complete image in her mind, so that the image I've constructed doesn't collapse instantly.

Lin Yin's academic level is significantly lower than Lin Xue's, and this issue is also the root cause of Lin Yin's family pressure. Lin Yin would not feel disgusted by my thoughts. Even if she didn't say it, she would only agree with my statement and create a false sense of intimacy with me.

Lin Yin's eyes lit up.

Chapter 127 Interesting Games

"To be honest, I'm a little surprised that you're willing to go to this lengths for your sister. There's something strange about you two sisters; would you normally go to such lengths? Or... is this what you actually wanted me to do?"

"I……"

I wasn't going to give Lin Yin time to think. Using a barrage of questions to force her to answer quickly would increase the chances of obtaining more accurate information. More questions meant less reaction and thinking time, a method frequently used in interrogation. Although I hadn't actually done it, reading many novels or watching numerous TV dramas like this had given me a basic understanding.

"You're now taking the blame for your sister's anger, but do you even know why I hate her and want revenge? I bet you don't. But that's okay, I'm a forgiving person, and since you want to take the blame for your sister, I won't refuse. But in this world, you have to give something else to gain something—that's common sense. Just like you have to put in the time to study hard to get good grades. You offered to take your sister's place, but in reality, it's not a sacrifice; it's just simply changing the target of your revenge from your sister to you. What do you think I've gained from this exchange?"

Lin Yin looked at me, slowly shook her head, her left hand holding her right elbow, looking somewhat depressed.

“I’m getting less. Although you can replace your sister, you’re not her. I can use all my methods on you, but you’re not Lin Xue, just a substitute. There are some things that can’t be perfectly replaced, don’t you think?”

She nodded.

"However, as I said, I am very satisfied with you. It is not a problem for me to have you replace Lin Xue. Apart from not personally inflicting revenge on her, I can do just as much as I can. In fact, the thought of her sister becoming my plaything makes me even more excited."

She looked at me, seemingly ignoring the vulgarity in my words. Her eyes were full of confusion; she didn't know what I was trying to say, which was exactly what I hoped to achieve.

"My target for revenge was Lin Xue, but now it's you, which is a loss for me. However, I'm very satisfied with you, and having you replace Lin Xue is not a problem for me at all. But how can I make up for this gap? Do you have any good ideas?"

"...Money, huh?" She hesitated for a moment before finally coming to this conclusion. I shook my head.

"Money is irrelevant. Or do you think money can replace you, or rather, replace your sister?"

She shook her head. I stood up, walked towards her, and continued, "The reason I want to take revenge on Lin Xue is because she made me unhappy, and the process of taking revenge on her is the process of regaining my happiness. Do you understand? Good that you understand. In other words, if I change the target of my revenge to you, what I'm missing is that part of the happiness. I can accept making up for that in other ways. Don't you think this is a good idea? Let's play a game. The stake is yourself. If you win, I will fully acknowledge that you are Lin Xue's substitute, and I will make you bear all the punishment that should have been borne by Lin Xue. If you satisfy me, it's not impossible to continue what we just did."

I raised a hand and gently stroked her cheek, gazing into her eyes, trying to put psychological pressure on her and disrupt her thoughts.

"But if you lose, I will abandon you and go back to your sister. I will not allow you to regret it, nor will I allow you to tell anyone about this. If you tell anyone, I will make sure you can no longer be the class monitor."

The moment I finished speaking, Lin Yin unleashed a terrifying aura, comparable to Lin Xue's. I was gradually getting used to this aura, and besides, Lin Yin posed far less of a threat to me than Lin Xue; I had plenty of ways to suppress her.

My hand, which was stroking her cheek, hooked around the back of her head and pressed her head towards me, our foreheads gently touching. My eyes lost focus because of the short distance and I could barely see anything, but I didn't show it.

“I’m not joking with you. You’re Lin Xue’s sister. Since I resent Lin Xue, do you think you can completely stay out of it? Besides, you’ve already made contact with me and are standing right in front of me now, powerless to resist. I can do anything to you.”

My other hand rested on her waist again, and I started making some subtle movements. Lin Yin's momentum, however, weakened further, and she was no longer a cause for concern.

"This risk is the price you pay to replace Lin Xue; it's something you have to bear. Do you understand?"

"……Um."

Lin Xue gave a soft "hmm".

"Besides, you don't need to be so afraid. What I just said was all about the outcome of you not winning the game. If you could win the game, none of these things would happen. I can even grant you one request, one... a request that I can do."

My hand slid from the back of her head down to her neck, back, waist, and finally to her buttocks. She was breathing heavily, and her whole body began to burn.

Don't you think this game is fun?

I moved my head slightly away from her so I could see her expression clearly. Her eyes became intense, and she stared into mine.

I turned her around and pushed her from behind to where I had just sat down. My hands were on her shoulders.

"Okay, let me tell you the rules of the game first. You know your sister well, but there's one thing you don't know: she might have given you a clue, something you might find strange. I'm asking you to find this clue while you're working through your exam papers. I won't give you any hints during this process, you can't stop working through the papers, and you can answer as many times as you want. You can try starting with what you know. If you know the clue I'm talking about very well, you'll be able to win this game, and anything else you want. How about that? Isn't it simple?"

Lin Yin didn't make any move, she just kept staring at the pile of test papers on the table.

"Then, let the game begin now."