The cycle begins to repeat itself today.

"But I want them all, what should I do?"

Chapter 142 The Newborn Devil

After hearing what I said, she pressed my hand down. She turned her head slightly to look at me, and there was less than a finger's width between our faces. I could clearly feel her hot breath and the flushed, angry expression on her face.

"Are you kidding me? If you want her, don't even think about touching me. If you want me, you have to give her up. Xiaoyin listens to me. If you give up Ye Yuqing, I can even have Xiaoyin serve you. But Ye Yuqing, absolutely not." She said this, not hesitating to bring up her own sister to persuade me. She did care about Lin Yin, but it didn't supersede her ability to complete her own plan.

No, perhaps her reasoning was that she didn't see it as a significant loss. People tend to seek the greatest benefit with the least cost. For Lin Xue, perhaps protecting her younger sister from their parents' violence was enough. Her request wasn't unacceptable. Completing her plan was, for her, a matter that superseded her own authority but not her parents'. She would do her utmost to achieve it, but it wasn't unstoppable.

"Tell me first, why do you want to commit suicide?" I tried to pull my hand away, but Lin Xue held it down. Too much resistance would only annoy her, which wouldn't be worth it. Anyway, it wasn't the first time, so I wasn't too bothered by it. "Ye Yuqing is just a substitute for you. You want her dead simply because you want to commit suicide, and you can't deny that. So, tell me why you want to commit suicide. If you tell me, I'll consider your words. Also, lying is not allowed. Don't forget your plan, and your sister's photos are still in my hands; I can send them out anytime."

“I…” She hesitated, lowered her head slightly, and avoided looking at me: “I don’t know.”

"It must be exhausting to consistently rank among the top students in your class, or even the entire grade, right?" I continued to coax her, gently stroking her body with both hands to try and help her relax. "Don't you get bored spending so much time studying every day?"

"No, no, it won't work. You can't get by without spending time studying, and you can't get by without getting good grades." She gasped for breath, still shaking her head.

"Why not? Are you afraid of being scolded by your parents? Or are you worried about your future? You've spent so much time studying, what have you actually gained? Besides good grades, what else have you gotten that you wanted?"

"I……"

"Are you envious? Envious that Ye Yuqing won't be scolded or beaten by her parents even if she fails her exams, envious that she doesn't have to spend so much time studying, envious that she's become the person you once hoped for, envious that not so many people impose all their expectations on her. You probably wish that were true too, right?"

"You spend so much time studying every day but still can't surpass the number one. You've worked so hard but don't get your parents' praise. You have so many things you want to do but can't do any of them. Do you feel happy?"

"Your parents have planned out your future. Are you satisfied with it? Do you think the future they've planned for you will be easy? Do you like it? Are all the things your parents say really correct?"

She pulled her hand away, trying to free herself from my arm. But she was the one who had let me wrap my arms around her earlier; how could I possibly let go so easily now?

“My parents are right. I’ve been doing what they say all this time, and all the problems I’ve encountered have been solved perfectly. I study hard so that I can live a better life in the future. They know better than I do how to live in this world, and their words are never wrong.”

"But if Ye Yuqing hadn't died in your place, would you still have a future?" Lin Xue's body instantly stiffened, and even her struggling movements stopped: "No, that's not right."

She looked at me with hope in her eyes, hoping I would say something to persuade her, but that wasn't what I wanted.

"You've already thought about suicide, you've already lost your future, haven't you?"

"Waaah..." Lin Xue's reaction was stronger than I expected. After hearing my words, tears welled up in her eyes, and even her voice was choked with sobs.

There's no way to seize control through orthodox methods. Lin Xue had already considered these issues, but she was immersed in the easier "success" her parents provided and tried to continue living in this comfortable environment. So she buried these issues deep inside, refusing to think about them. What I need to do is simply bring these issues back to the surface and make her confront them directly.

"How are you feeling now? Are you comfortable? Do you want to continue? Don't worry about what your parents might think; they won't know what's happening here." I lowered my hands, and she tilted her head, looking at me somewhat absentmindedly. I turned her body with both hands until she was facing me, then cupped her cheeks and kissed her.

Everything I'm doing now is something Lin Xue has never experienced, and something her parents could never allow. I'm using her own inner desires to amplify her resistance against her parents, breaking down the defenses they've built in her heart like conquering territory, and taking them over little by little, bringing Lin Xue under my control.

Just as the devil tempts humanity to fall by arousing their inner desires, what I did was similar, with the aim of causing Lin Xue to "fall" under my influence.

I destroyed the outer shell that supported her, and replaced it with the ideas I gave her myself before she could rebuild that protective layer in despair. That was how I seized control of Lin Xue.

I only let go of her, her eyes glazed, when I felt a bit suffocated.

"It doesn't matter if your grades aren't good."

"It's okay if you don't want to study."

"It's okay if you don't want to be a good kid, but just want to do whatever you want."

"Do everything you want to do yourself. No one can force you to do things you don't want to do."

Don't you think people become more motivated when they know nothing about their future?

"You won't regret coming to me."

If someone has to become the devil, if someone has to use such methods...

Why can't that person be myself?

Chapter 143 The Truth About the Name

I don't know how much effect my words had on Lin Xue, but she calmed down a bit. Perhaps I do have a talent for psychology, but I can't completely rely on such vague and ethereal things right now.

I waited for Lin Xue to speak to me. Only after she had calmed down and composed herself could I clearly sense her current state. This was an important piece of evidence for me to judge Lin Xue's current thoughts. Even though there was an element of guesswork involved, I still couldn't let it go.

I watched as Lin Xue closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. Her bright and clear eyes were right in front of me.

Did it fail? Then let's try again with even more extreme methods. If Lin Xue's problem isn't resolved, nothing can proceed. Even if we don't strive for perfection, let's protect both Ye Zi and Lin Xue first. Even if it's a fake insurance policy, it will still have a significant deterrent effect on Lin Xue.

"...If my mom knew, she'd be furious..." Lin Xue said with a slightly regretful tone. I looked at her in surprise, a hint of delight showing on my face. She gave a soft snort: "Why would someone as greedy as you exist? Isn't it enough if it's just me, or Xiao Yin too?"

"Of course not. We've already gone this far; if we don't be a little greedy, wouldn't we be letting ourselves down?"

"You...you'll take responsibility, won't you?" She stared at me, her eyes holding a hint of ambiguity rather than interrogation. But at this moment, what caught my attention more was Lin Xue's clearly agreed attitude.

“You’re the one who shouldn’t think you can get away so easily.” I smiled and confirmed that important matter again: “I will go to the rooftop tomorrow night to bring Ye Yuqing down. Is that alright?”

"Hmph." She crossed her arms and snorted lightly, "Anyway, she's just a substitute. I'm still here. It won't be long before you give up on her yourself."

That's my own business.

I breathed a slight sigh of relief and took out my phone again to check the time. It was 10:37 p.m., almost 40 minutes had passed since school ended, which was much longer than my usual time to get home.

"10:37, that's past curfew. I'm going to get yelled at when I get back." Lin Xue said this as if she felt no pressure at all, simply stating a fact.

I haven't fully figured out how to resolve her and her family's issues yet, and I'm a little worried that Lin Xue might do something too unusual for her.

"Go back first, just like usual, and don't let anything happen."

"Didn't you just say it was okay not to be a good kid? You were so hypocritical."

My hand climbed up her cheek again, forcing her to look into my eyes: "Can't you see clearly whether it's hypocrisy or not?"

A blush spread across her face once more, and her eyes became unfocused. The effect seemed somewhat beyond my expectations, but it wasn't unacceptable.

"Now is not the time, but don't forget that you belong to me now." I felt myself becoming more and more like the devil in my mind: "What time are you leaving tomorrow morning? Alone or with your sister?"

Whether it's her own affairs or matters related to Ye Zi, I have many questions for her. Although I'm somewhat impatient, now is not a good time. I'm relatively indifferent, but I can't predict what might happen if Lin Xue exceeds the curfew for too long. It's finally shown signs of resolving this issue; if something goes wrong and we have to start all over again, even though we know the process, there are many things in this world that can't be done simply by knowing the procedure. Countless transgressions only drag oneself into the abyss.

“I leave home at 5:30 every morning, while Xiaoyin usually leaves a little later. Are you already planning to make a move on her? This is absolutely unacceptable.”

"Having you is enough for now." I casually replied. I only asked her this question to confirm whether I could catch up with her tomorrow. After all, I had a lot of questions to ask, so it would be beneficial to ask them as soon as possible.

However, speaking of this, I'm reminded of a question. A question that has puzzled me for a long time.

"Lin Xue, Lin Wan'er, these are both your names, right?" I asked her, but she didn't seem particularly curious about it.

"Did you hear those guys in class calling you that? No wonder. Both of them are my names, but I don't really like either of them."

Hearing those familiar words again, I couldn't help but want to ask more questions.

Is there something wrong with your name?

She looked at me without speaking. Did she still harbor resentment towards me? This didn't seem like a good thing. Just as I was about to use a firmer approach to force her to reveal the name, she spoke first: "Kiss me."

I heard inappropriate words at an inappropriate time, so I looked at her with some confusion. She didn't back down at all, but looked back at me with a slightly excited expression: "Kiss me, touch me, or do something even more outrageous to make me happy, and I'll tell you. You said it was a fair trade."

I sensed that she seemed to have let loose and become a little out of control after breaking free from her parents' control, so I frowned slightly. But I still wanted to know the answer, so I held her head and kissed her again. Unlike before, she began to consciously respond to my actions. I quickly released her, her face still flushed.

"Just this once." If I let her continue like this, things might get messy, so I have to keep her in check. And she didn't seem particularly unhappy about it.

"Actually, the answer is simple. Lin Xue is the name my mom gave me, and Lin Wan'er is the name my dad gave me. Their relationship isn't actually very good. My mom calls me Lin Xue, and my dad calls me Lin Wan'er. Lin Yin is Xiao Yin's name; her other name is Lin Yue'er. It's really just that boring. Do you think those guys in my class calling me Wan'er means we're that close?" Lin Xue sneered, "To me, it's just an annoying name, like a nickname. Whether it's Lin Xue or Lin Wan'er, it's a name I hate."

As a result, I obtained new information about the Lin family.

Chapter 144 Lin Xue's Attitude

After asking that last question, I sent Lin Xue home. We walked out of the abandoned garden together, but there wasn't a soul in sight. It seemed that apart from vehicles, no one ever walked around here anymore.

We crossed the bridge together and arrived at her apartment building. It was supposed to be me who brought up the topic of her leaving home earlier in the morning, but she did it herself, with a very obvious hint. Her gaze was as innocent and childlike as a child's, yet her true intentions seemed strangely at odds with her behavior. The stark contrast in her attitude was hard for me to accept.

However, since she agreed to let go of the plan she had been working on for so long, I had no reason to doubt or complain. If she was just lying to me... well, the insurance policies I had previously taken out were all fake anyway, so even if it failed, the result would be the same—just start over.

She moved her departure time forward by half an hour, to 5 a.m., a time when it's still dark and the streetlights are still on. Although she had her own purpose, it didn't affect me. I still had a lot of questions to ask Lin Xue, and the earlier departure time suited me perfectly. If I could figure out all the questions by tomorrow night, that would be a good thing for me.

I followed this unfamiliar road toward my home. Because of the delay, I got home later than before. However, I didn't hear Lin Xue's familiar footsteps along the way, which made me feel a little relieved and gave me the real sense that the matter had really been resolved. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, I also understand that this is only temporary. Neither Ye Zi's problem nor the problems of the Lin Xue and Lin Yin sisters are easy to solve. Even if I save Ye Zi's life tomorrow night, the root of the problem will not be resolved. If the root of the problem cannot be completely resolved, then this situation may still recur.

Ye Zi's situation is slightly simpler. She's just experiencing negative emotions build up because she's being ostracized and has no one to confide in, eventually leading to her current state. Lin Xue and Lin Yin's problems are somewhat similar to Ye Zi's—both are caused by accumulated pressure that they can't resolve. However, unlike Ye Zi, whose problems lessen significantly once she finds a outlet, Lin Xue and Lin Yin's high-pressure situation has never disappeared and remains unresolved.

Lin Xue's condition doesn't allow her to relax, because once she does, she'll face immense pressure from her family, and this pressure will never disappear. Even if Lin Xue can distract herself a little by diverting her attention, as long as her parents don't change their minds, whatever I do to Lin Xue will be meaningless—even completely plunging her into that evil abyss won't solve the problem. That would only be like jumping from the seventeenth level of hell to the eighteenth, which is not the method I intend to use to solve the problem.

Lin Xue needs to maintain the current situation, at least the superficial one. I don't yet have a complete solution. After all, Lin Xue herself can't resist her parents who are so stubborn that they've turned her into this person, let alone an outsider like me. This matter needs further consideration.

But overall, I am already somewhat satisfied with how things have turned out. Before I learned about these things, I never thought I would have a day like this. I could only see the corpses of fallen leaves and never see the darkness hidden in Lin Xue's heart. All the things I did, the awareness I gave, and the things I tried to achieve have been rewarded.

I can get some rest when I get back. While the slightly absurd timing of Ye Zi's appearance initially made me feel physically tired, today's events have drained me of a lot of energy, both in terms of thinking and preventing my mental state from spiraling out of control. Having already committed countless bad deeds, I'm still here hypocritically lamenting these things. I truly am a complete hypocrite.

It's so late now, and if I go back, my sister might ask me questions, but that alone makes me feel fortunate. I didn't go through the same ordeal as Lin Xue, which allows me to maintain a relatively normal state. Tomorrow... no, will tomorrow even come?

I suddenly realized that it wasn't up to me to decide whether I could face tomorrow. If I woke up and found myself back in this morning, that would be a real headache. I initially got caught in this cycle because of Ye Zi, but after I saved her and changed her fate of dying, I broke free. Although I was killed by Lin Xue in less than a day, my investigation revealed that Lin Xue and Ye Zi were also connected.

So, did these two problematic girls send me back to the past, or is it Lin Xue's connection with Ye Zi that keeps me trapped in this cycle? I have absolutely no idea. But since saving Ye Zi exposed Lin Xue's situation, I'm more inclined to believe that Lin Xue isn't entirely unrelated to my current predicament. Even if there's no connection, things have turned out this way, forcibly linking us together.

I cannot abandon Ye Zi's problem now, and the same goes for Lin Xue's problem. So, Lin Yin, who is most deeply involved with Lin Xue, seems to be a problem that also needs to be solved.

There are still a lot of questions, both clear and unclear, and I don't have the energy or the mood to sort them out right now. I'll go back and rest for a bit, and if the next day does come, I'll consider the rest.

I walked towards home and soon arrived downstairs. The lights were on in the windows, so my parents and sister should be home by now. I went upstairs and unlocked the door with my key, but I was slightly startled to find my sister standing there.

"You just got back?"

"No, I was just about to go out to buy something." My sister shook her head, then looked at me as if she had thought of a good idea: "Since you just came back from outside, why don't you go out and buy something for me? I'm too lazy to go out."

It wasn't a big deal, so I agreed.

Before I turned around, I saw water droplets falling from her forehead. Had she just taken a shower? No wonder she didn't want to go out anymore.

Chapter 145 My Sister's Advice

I returned home after buying the groceries. My sister had already changed her clothes and took the huge pile of snacks I had asked me to buy from her. However, there were some snacks that I couldn't find even after searching the entire small supermarket, but this should be enough for her.

"It seems like there are fewer than expected." She looked inside the plastic bag. "Are they sold out? But those items often run out of stock."