Will the plagiarism girl be a substitute for the preference for women?

There will probably be times when the symptoms flare up again, right?

As her thoughts began to wander, Mu had unknowingly returned home.

A thought flashed through her mind—something she would do in front of her parents—and her heart skipped a beat.

However, when the door was opened, all that could be heard was the sound of the housekeeper cooking dinner.

Are Mom and Dad home?

"Miss, they are not here."

"..."

Mu lowered her eyes, a mix of complex emotions welling up inside her.

There is a regret and urgency that the idea cannot be put into practice immediately, but this emotion is as fragile as a bubble and as fleeting as a cloud, disappearing in an instant.

The thought of “threatening my parents by hurting myself” had been popping into Mutsu’s mind time and time again ever since China mentioned this method, but it had not accumulated or grown.

Perhaps it's because I've been quiet for too long, and my emotions always dissipate in a state of dullness.

Sometimes, it's a rare instance of parental concern that makes you feel "there's no need to be so extreme."

In any case, Mu has been trained to be someone who doesn't get angry easily and whose brain is good at quickly regulating emotions.

She went into her room, where all sorts of plush toys were neatly arranged on her desk, bed, and in the corners.

"The punching bag"

When Mu's gaze wandered over the doll, the word came to mind.

"As an artist, the most important thing is to be able to withstand criticism."

She recalled her mother's murmur after dinner, and her lips drooped slightly as she closed the door and curtains, making the room dim.

"I... caused Crychic to disband because of Xiang."

Mu spoke to a blue jellyfish plush toy on the bed through the sheer white curtains. The plush toy had watery, somewhat aggrieved eyes on its face.

"Even though he was an accomplice, Xiang never gave me a kind look afterward..."

Mu lifted the bed curtains, cradled the jellyfish in her arms, and gently sat down on the bed.

“I never imagined that the person who improved Xiang’s mindset was her younger sister, whom I had never met since I was a child. She used to have a bad temper and didn’t like to interact with others.”

“I think that if I help Xiang with money and resources, she will be dissatisfied because of her dignity.”

"Um... I'm bad at speaking, I can't speak like China."

Mu held the jellyfish even tighter and lowered her head to press her face against the jellyfish's.

"Yes, China will also make me a healthy person, she won't let me fall into depravity, she won't let me become like she used to be."

"It's impossible for us to fall into depravity together."

Mu held the jellyfish high.

"Can you dance?"

After a while, she looked at the other dolls.

"Yes...you are lifeless puppets."

"It can only move when controlled by the lines."

"I can move, but the line doesn't want me to move around."

"Anyway, please dance." Mu released the jellyfish doll.

As if swimming in the ocean, the puppet's body moved gracefully in mid-air, its body soft and light.

It raised its two tentacles, took a blue whale from beside the bed, and they swam together in the bedroom.

The snowmen, penguins, bears, and dogs on the table and the ground also joined in the merriment, dancing around the campfire.

A doll girl holding a red guitar accompanies them.

The peaceful scene cheered Mu up a little.

"Miss, dinner is ready."

The housekeeper knocked on the door and opened it slightly.

The bedroom was dimly lit, with only a few rays of the setting sun filtering through the curtains, casting dappled light and shadows.

A large pile of dolls lay scattered on the ground, but Mu's expression remained remarkably calm. Upon closer inspection, the corners of her mouth seemed to be slightly upturned.

"Miss, were you angry just now?"

The housekeeper often overheard Ms. Senmei and Mu talking. Although Mu would obediently nod and say "yes," there was always a sense of oppression in the atmosphere.

"No."

Mu answered calmly, turned on the light as usual, and put the doll back in its original place.

"Let me help you..." The housekeeper slowly took a step forward.

"No need, Auntie, you eat first."

"Okay..." The housekeeper gently closed the door.

"The party ended way too fast, I can't stand it."

As Mu reminded everyone that the bonfire party was over, a turkey plushie complained on its way back to its spot, and the other plushies all glanced at it.

……

On the other side, at China's house.

Back in the bedroom, China saw Shoko composing music at her computer desk.

"Sister..."

Just as China was about to complain about not being fully awake yet, Xiangzi went home on his own. But then she heard Xiangzi give a loud shush and continue to immerse himself in thinking about the score.

It seems he suddenly had an inspiration and couldn't wait to get back to his computer, ignoring his younger sister.

It wasn't that they really abandoned him; after all, they left Mu to look after them. It's just that what happened afterward...

China couldn't help but demonstrate the action of clenching her fist.

No, it's difficult to fulfill a request like choking someone.

If we switch to a method with a lower safety factor... that wouldn't be right either, would it? It's always the same approach of using physical pain to alleviate mental anguish.

At that moment, Mutsu sent China a hand emoji.

What does this mean?

As soon as China made a gesture with her palm, she couldn't help but think in a certain direction, but she still asked blankly.

"Does Xiao Mu want me to read her palm?"

Mu further hinted with his expression.

"Okay, I don't know... If there's anything you need to discuss offline, just tell me directly."

After replying, China sighed softly.

Looking up, Xiangzi was once again engrossed in working on his musical scores.

"Career man, what's for dinner?" China asked lazily.

"You eat first, I'll eat later," Xiangzi said briefly.

"Then I'll find someone else to eat with."

China turned around and strode out. After taking two steps, she turned back and looked back. Shoko was still staring intently at the screen.

"Sigh, musicians..."

She shook her head, walked out the door, and turned on her phone.

"Xiao Aiyin, shall we go find a place to eat first?"

“Okay.” Ai-yin replied quickly, even though she had already eaten.

Chapter 195 Pain? Love

When China goes on dates with Aine, she isn't very devoted to her partner.

She would occasionally glance at Yu Mu's chat interface under the table.

The quotation marks in the chat box are really too eye-catching.

Even though China clearly sensed the meaning, she still harbored a slight avoidance mentality, struggling to guess whether there was another meaning.

Why did it turn out like this? Why do I have to inflict pain on such a pitiful person?

She then reminded herself not to forget her own experiences, not to forget why she got sick, so that she could naturally understand Mu, just like she could understand herself.

Which experience should we focus on?

Recalling the multiple memories in her mind, China seemed to be sorting out the messy icons on her desktop.

After fiddling around for a while, it was finally divided into two sets of memories: the "previous life" and the "original owner".

Both are considered "valuable references," but they lead to the same conclusion through different means.

In her past life, her parents were by her side quite often, but what the girl feared was that they would both be there when she came home from school.

Then, their nagging, criticism, belittling, and supervision take up most of the time in an attempt to mold the girl into an ideal child.

The original owner grew up in a single-parent family. Her mother didn't spend much time with her or listen to her stories. She longed for companionship and had some unpleasant experiences during her school years.

Thinking about Mu's situation... her parents arranged a lot of training courses to mold her into a puppet who could inherit the entertainment industry.

As her parents are celebrities, they may not be able to spend much time with her.

Yes... It was precisely because I realized this that I felt so deeply for her, and that's why I wanted to write a song for her, wondering if it was possible to save her.

Why... why did it feel like a third party analyzing life's images when I was recalling my own and the original owner's memories?

Who am I, really?

"Chika, are you alright?"

Ayane's worried question across the table pulled Chinat out of her reverie.

"Yeah, it's nothing." China lowered her hand from her forehead.

It was after this brief moment of reflection that she realized her approach to responding to Mu should change.

She needs to boldly assume that Mu is a "fellow patient," instead of constantly belittling herself and thinking, "How could she have developed to this point?"

Perhaps, some physical pain is indeed necessary to relieve mental stress.

But that must be something gentler and safer than "choking"...

Playing the stock market...

Just as Mu implies.

With no prior stock trading experience, China is finally tasked with taking on this important responsibility and accepting Mutsumi's special feelings.

What goes around comes around...

"Little Ai-yin, it must be a lot of a burden for a patient like me to keep saying I can't live without you," Chi-na said meaningfully.

"How could that be?" Ai-yin said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Indeed, whenever Aine recalls the phrase "cannot live without Aine," she always feels quite heavy-hearted, but also very excited—someone is completely dependent on her.

Just like a band performance, it attracts attention, but rehearsals are always accompanied by pressure and fatigue.

When taking care of others, it's not easy to just say a few words of comfort, and Aine doesn't like a depressing atmosphere.

During performances, it's not enough to just casually strum the strings; the lovely voice also resists the tedium of practice.

Gaining attention and dependence always comes with sacrifices, though the choice between the two may not be so difficult as to force a decision based solely on energy levels.

However, if I had to make a choice...

Aine gazed gently at China, and instead of trying to lighten the mood when things were quiet, she remained silent for a while.

She was the one who was troubled by Chika's strong dependence on her, and she was also the one who took the initiative to invite Chika on a date this time.

At this moment, China spoke up: "I'm feeling relatively better lately, so you can probably relax a bit more when you're with me."