The cycle begins to repeat itself today.

I realized that what had changed wasn't the real world, but my perspective, or rather, my eyes. I blinked, but nothing seemed to change.

I felt a pair of hands stroking my face. When I turned around, Zhiyun was already sitting up on the bed, her face still showing a gentle and loving expression.

"From now on, no one can stop us from being together, no one at all. I am the person who loves you most in this world, and even if we have to share, it won't change..."

Zhiyun kissed me, and as we exchanged saliva, I was surprised to find that my distorted vision suddenly eased and my field of vision returned to normal.

Chapter 256 The Vanished Crowd

After getting dressed and helping Zhiyun fix her hair, I sat down on the bed, feeling a little tired. Zhiyun leaned closer and said, "Are you tired again? It seems you really need to rest."

Do you think I was lying to you before?

"No, it's just that I couldn't help myself, hehe..." Zhiyun laughed and took my arm again: "I'll keep it a secret from Sister Yezi and the others. You should continue to rest today. Or we can go out for dinner outside the school tonight and treat you to something good. You'll be even more tired in a few days."

I remembered what Zhiyun had told me about her parents leaving for the whole day on weekends. Last night, something like that still happened while they were in the living room; if they were gone, I have absolutely no control or grasp on how things would turn out.

"Alright, it's about time to go to school."

"It's still early, why don't you rest a little longer? I haven't even settled the score with you for sneaking back and searching my room without telling me this time. But you seem pretty tired right now, so I'll let you off the hook this time."

I could tell she originally intended to punish me, but I didn't regret it. And after I vaguely guessed what kind of punishment Zhiyun would give, this price wouldn't make me regret it at all. That kind of happiness was more clearly etched in my mind than ever before. For me, it wasn't a punishment at all. Not only did I confirm Zhiyun's adoption certificate, but I also didn't have to suffer any punishment. For me, it was practically a complete victory.

A complete victory? ...Zhiyun is my sister... How can this be considered a complete victory?

As I pondered, my mood grew heavy. Just as I was lost in thought, Zhiyun kissed me again, instantly snapping me back to reality. The kiss ended quickly; Zhiyun had simply given me a quick peck.

"Look at your long face. Is it because you don't want to be punished by me? You're such a brother who only knows how to bully his sister."

Zhiyun's words interrupted my thoughts. I refocused and shook my head: "I was just wondering how you would punish me. I'm a little curious."

"Do you want to know? Well, I haven't thought of anything yet. But I do have a few good ideas, like not being allowed to ejaculate within half an hour, and if it fails, we can try again. What do you think?" Zhiyun laughed, her words completely contradicting her angelic beauty.

"That seems like a good idea... but let's talk about it after I've rested." Not wanting to continue the discussion, I changed the subject: "Are your clothes all packed? It's about time to leave."

"Okay. Let's go." Zhiyun stood up, still holding my hand, and we walked to the door in that position. She put on her shoes with a little effort, and I opened the door and went out of the house.

As I walked towards the school, I didn't see anything strange. Even the streetlights that had looked a bit crooked on my way home had returned to their original state, which made me even more certain that I had just been hallucinating. I was just too tired.

Everything I saw was normal, without any distortion. I don't know if it was because of my union with Zhiyun or because I was able to relax again. But at least the objects within my field of vision became normal.

As we walked outside, Zhiyun still didn't let go of my arm. I felt this was a little inappropriate. It was fine if we were just being together in private, but why in front of so many people... so many people?

What about people?

I looked around in confusion. The street, which had returned to its familiar state, was now completely deserted. This was incredibly strange. Even if this place wasn't usually crowded, it was only midday, and there was still some time before classes or work, yet I didn't see a single person on the street. It all seemed very abnormal.

Zhiyun seemed completely unconcerned, as if it were perfectly normal for the streets to be deserted.

This wasn't just a matter of normal or abnormal; it seemed rather eerie. It was a sight I only ever saw when I went out in the morning, and even then, I had to get up exceptionally early. I was looking around, and my actions naturally caught Zhiyun's attention.

"What's wrong? You can't look around while crossing the street."

Zhiyun's words made it sound as if there were many people around. And Zhiyun did just that; she held my hand and stood in front of the empty zebra crossing, waiting: "They're all watching us, so I'm a little shy."

"Zhiyun, you..." I couldn't stand the atmosphere and wanted to ask Zhiyun, "What did you see?"

"What did you see? That's a strange question. Do I even need to say what I saw? Just some people and some passing vehicles, nothing different from usual." Zhiyun looked puzzled, and I stood there, afraid to move.

This was beyond my comprehension; I had no idea what had happened. Zhiyun still pulled me across the road: "Let's go, let's go, while no cars are passing by."

I didn't tell Zhiyun about my current situation. Even if I did, it wouldn't help; Zhiyun probably couldn't understand what I'd been through. I hoped it was just my imagination, but it wasn't. Even after arriving at school, I still didn't see anyone, except for a few girls I was close to.

Zhiyun and I parted ways and returned to the classroom. In the lecture hall, we found Yezi and Sanyue reading. I breathed a sigh of relief to finally see the others, but when we returned to the classroom together, there was still no one else there. Perhaps they were, but I couldn't see them.

How did things turn out like this without any warning? I was just a little intimate with Zhiyun and everyone else just disappeared like that? I sat down in my seat and reached for the desk in front of me, where there should be someone sitting... but I didn't feel anything.

Nothing at all.

I can't understand it.

Where exactly did the problem go wrong?

Suddenly, a strong wave of drowsiness washed over me, and I couldn't stop it. I tried to stay awake, but to no avail. I rested my head on my hand and lost consciousness.

Chapter 257 The Twisted Beginning

The drowsiness came quickly and went just as fast. Yezi woke me up when the teacher came to the classroom; less than half an hour had passed. I checked my phone to confirm that it was indeed 2:20 PM that day, and I hadn't suddenly traveled back in time or accelerated into the future.

However, even after I woke up, my mind was still a little hazy. After Yezi woke me up, I still couldn't see anyone except Yezi and Sanyue, but Yezi and Sanyue were both sitting properly in their seats reading books, their eyes also looking at the blackboard, occasionally writing something in their notebooks.

I glanced at Yezi's notebook. It was filled with neatly written text that still retained some information; it wasn't just meaningless words or symbols. In other words... Yezi was absorbing knowledge from something I couldn't see. That thing was the classroom, only one that I, being inside, couldn't perceive.

I really wanted to verify whether the class actually existed, but I couldn't stand up and disrupt it. From Yezi's or March's perspective, since they were able to focus so intently on the blackboard and write meaningful characters that I had never seen before in this space, then the class must have existed.

Since a classroom exists, it means there must be people who receive knowledge and people who transmit it. The people who receive knowledge include Yezi, Sanyue, and other classmates whose situations are unknown. The person who transmits knowledge is naturally the teacher of this class. Both are indispensable. At the very least, the teacher exists.

Judging from Yezi's notes, this was a Chinese language class, but who was the teacher? I checked my copied timetable, but it only listed the course, not the teacher. Generally, there's no need to copy the teacher's name onto the timetable, because you'll always remember the teacher's name when you see them; at least you should remember the teacher's last name. But now I can't see the teacher. I tried hard to recall who the teacher was, but I couldn't remember their name, or even their face.

Ultimately, it's strange that I can't see any girls other than Ye Zi and San Yue. I suddenly remembered what I wanted to do before falling asleep, looked straight ahead, and reached out my hand. A strong drowsiness washed over me again, but then I realized something, pulled my hand back, and the drowsiness gradually disappeared.

To test this idea, I reached my hand towards the deskmate in front of me. I could barely reach him, but as I reached my hand over, drowsiness struck again, and the closer I got, the sleepier I felt.

I withdrew my hand.

So, the reason I suddenly fell asleep was because I wanted to touch the spot where someone was supposed to be sitting in front of me? Why is that? Why can't I touch it?

I glanced at Yezi beside me, thought for a moment, and then placed my hand on her leg. Yezi seemed startled, her body trembling slightly. She then looked at me, her face flushed. I gestured for her to continue looking at the blackboard, while my hand slid up and down her thigh. I could clearly feel Yezi's body gradually growing hot, and her slightly uneasy trembling, but I had absolutely no desire to sleep.

I withdrew my hand, and Yezi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but her eyes still held a longing look. I moved a little closer to her and whispered, "I need to rest today, so it's not possible."

Ye Zi nodded, slightly disappointed. Although she felt a little bad, she had other things to do right now, and she would make it up to her later.

Touching a leaf doesn't make me sleepy; the leaf is a tangible object I can see. But trying to feel a classmate who should be there but is now invisible to my eyes makes me sleepy, and I even fall asleep rapidly just before I'm about to touch them. The difference is quite obvious.

I can see the leaf and sense her; touching her body doesn't have any noticeable effect on me. But it seems different with other classmates I can't see, or even other people. I know where they are, but I can't see them, and I can't touch them—that's the difference.

But why am I now only able to see leaves and March? No, there's also Zhiyun. Lin Yin isn't quite sure, but considering our unusually close relationship, I think the chances of me being able to see Lin Yin are very high. I should be able to observe this during dinner later.

Similarly, if we look at it from this perspective, this is indeed the biggest difference between these four girls and anyone else; the connection between us is deeper than with anyone else.

Normally, what would happen if I touched the student in front of me? I can't imagine, because I would never do such a thing. Could it be that this is why something completely unpredictable might happen, which is why I avoid touching them? As long as I don't touch them, nothing unexpected will happen.

But if that's the case, doesn't it mean that everything happening now was expected? Whose expectations were these? Or did things just happen to turn out this way recently?

When did I start not seeing anyone else? Around noon today? Yes, I started feeling strange when I got home around noon today, like something was off. Looking back now, I don't think I saw any passersby then. It started around that time… no, it must have been even earlier.

It didn't just start at noon today. When I got home at noon today, I saw that many things had changed. For example, the buildings suddenly became wider and taller, and the streetlights started to bend... These things didn't start today.

Was it early morning? When I came back from school... it seemed to be even earlier, much earlier... it was when I went to school to look for March's phone number. The wall that suddenly seemed higher wasn't my imagination, nor was it simply because I was exhausted at the time... it had really changed to some extent.

Chapter 258 The Crimson Target

I suddenly remembered that at noon today when I was at home with Zhiyun, I seemed to see something different from what I usually see. It was at the edge of my vision, moving with my gaze. I could only see a color that was completely different from what I saw at home at the very edge, and I couldn't observe it closely. Whenever my attention shifted to a certain place, that place would return to its original state, and then the area at the edge of my vision would become different.

As I wondered about this, Zhiyun kissed me, and the scene suddenly disappeared. Could I assume that this phenomenon is inextricably linked to Zhiyun?

However, it's too early to draw such a conclusion. From Zhiyun's perspective, her actions at the time weren't abrupt; it could have been a mere coincidence, or perhaps Zhiyun possessed some trait that allowed the situation to disappear. Right now, it's all just baseless speculation. To know the specifics, we still need to conduct experiments.

As for the conditions that led to that situation... it's easy to guess. If my body were to fall into extreme exhaustion, with significant loss of strength and bodily fluids, I would likely end up like that. I first noticed my vision problems when I went to school in the early morning to look up information about March. At that time, I already felt noticeably weak, but after a nap and breakfast, the feeling lessened. Until noon today, when Zhiyun caught me trying to go home to find her adoption certificate, I agreed to her request to get the information on the certificate, once again pushing myself to the limit.

This must be the most I've ever overdrawn my energy. If I don't get proper rest, it'll probably affect my health. And the scene that appeared at the edge of my field of vision became especially clear because of this overexertion. Then Zhiyun kissed me. I must have taken something from Zhiyun, or perhaps Zhiyun took something from me. The scene quickly disappeared.

The distorted scenes, the unseen people—these are all recent problems. What's the most unusual thing that's happened so far? It's that Zhiyun got involved in this, and we had this kind of relationship. In terms of attribution, this should have started with Zhiyun, so this situation should logically resolve itself along with Zhiyun's problem. But there's one question I still can't figure out.

What exactly went wrong with Zhiyun?

Yezi, who sat next to me, had suicidal thoughts because of being bullied. Sanyue, who sat at the front of the classroom, became twisted and crazy due to the high pressure from her parents. Lin Yin became stubborn because she faced both her sister's excellence and her parents' high pressure. However, these factors have improved so far, although in such an abnormal way, they can still be considered resolved.

If Zhiyun were to love me with normal thoughts and feelings, it wouldn't be impossible, but the possibility is very low. So far, the effort, time, and energy Zhiyun has invested in me is anything but normal. I don't know when she started deliberately cultivating her figure, spending countless hours developing skills I would find attractive, and even going so far as to install surveillance programs on my phone to obtain information about me. On the day I stayed out all night and my phone was off, she chose to lay everything bare and be with me… This simply cannot be called normal.

More importantly, from the moment I realized my life had changed, and even before that, Zhiyun had been involved in my life at all times. In other words, even if the process ignored my existence, Zhiyun still seemed to have countless connections with Yezi, Sanyue, and Linyin. The most obvious one was Linyin. Before this, I had never heard of her having any close friends at school, but after Zhiyun joined, she quickly integrated into this small group. Although Linyin was involved, it seemed to me that it was too smooth.

The situation is a bit unclear right now, and I'm not sure what to do.

However… I was slightly bothered by the phenomenon that appeared on the edge of my field of vision. It wasn't something as simple as distortion; it was a different color. Although I couldn't see it clearly, Zhiyun's room wouldn't have that deep reddish hue. That color made me uneasy, as if it exuded some kind of taboo aura, but the more unsettling it was, the more interested I became.

Perhaps it's because I now have the right to undo my actions that I'm no longer particularly concerned about the potential dangers they might pose. More painful than the prospect of an impossible death is the inability to uncover the truth hidden behind it all.

Even if I were to die right now, it wouldn't be unacceptable to me. I should have died long ago; no one can defy that rule and come back to life. But now I have a goal. I want to find out what really happened behind all this, and more importantly… these girls. I have to get their lives back on track, even if I'm reluctant, it's the right thing to do. The more I care about them, the more I want them to live better lives, instead of being comfortably around a twisted person like me.

I can't die yet, and fortunately, I can't die yet.

What should I do now...? I think I should try to figure out why this building is distorted and I can't see anyone else. I need to see if it's coming from myself or from something else interfering with me, and why Zhiyun's kiss erased that scene. Most importantly... what is hidden in that deep red? I have a strong urge to find out. I can feel that something I've been searching for is buried there.

But I don’t know what it is; I just feel that it is very important to me.

I don't have any other goals right now, so it's fine to explore this as a goal for the time being. Besides, I already know the necessary conditions that cause this phenomenon. As long as I can avoid kissing Zhiyun or other girls after that, I should be able to stay in that state.

In that case... the weekend should be a good opportunity.

Chapter 259 Things That Should Be Done

Although I've decided what I should do, my current situation isn't exactly optimistic. I have absolutely no idea how to escape this state of being unable to see anyone. I don't even know the cause of this situation; the only relatively clear starting point is a rough estimate, and even that's impossible to trace, so naturally, I have no way to resolve it.

Regarding this matter, the only thing I can think of for now is that it might be related to the problem with my vision earlier, so that's the only direction I can investigate for now. Alternatively, it might recover on its own after sufficient rest, since physical strength isn't irreplaceable. If it doesn't recover after rest… I think that could actually prove that something disappeared from my body before this happened.

Or perhaps it was looted.

I recalled my encounter with Zhiyun at noon. At that moment, I did feel as if something had been taken from me, but the feeling was so vague and inexplicable. My physical strength and bodily fluids—it wasn't so much that they were robbed, but rather that I willingly surrendered them. This had happened several times before, with different partners, but this feeling only arose with Zhiyun. I hadn't felt this way during my previous encounters with her.

There have been times when I was clearly on the verge of exhaustion, but even then, although I had little energy, I could still see others, and I didn't think it was something to pay special attention to. Since I've reached a similar state before, but I didn't feel like I lost anything, this indirectly proves that it's not a condition that takes something away from my body, at least not the most important condition, or rather, it's definitely not just that one condition.

As for other possibilities, there isn't enough information at the moment, and I can't guess what might be the cause.

I kept my thoughts to myself and looked again at the classroom, where I could no longer see anyone except myself and the two girls.

There is a very serious problem that needs to be considered now. Although I cannot see other people, it does not seem to mean that these people I cannot see cannot see me either. When I want to touch these untouchable people, I am overcome by an irresistible drowsiness. If this means that simply getting close to them will make me sleepy, and I cannot see these unseen people, then contact is naturally unavoidable when I take action.

This will severely limit my mobility, and even create many restrictions during normal activities. It may even prevent me from moving around outside at normal times, especially in densely populated places like schools.

However, I quickly recalled the time I left for school with Zhiyun at noon earlier that day. Although I was preoccupied with thoughts and a bit tired, which made me less observant of my surroundings, I should have been able to see no pedestrians by noon. Yet, as we walked together, I didn't feel sleepy at all. But it's impossible for the streets to be completely deserted at noon, yet I didn't feel drowsy.