“Feelings. Do you truly understand what they are?”
“They aren’t something you can obtain by killing.”
“You must learn to take the initiative, to get close, to seize the upper hand. Just like I said before, once you have a foundation, everything becomes simple. The moment you take that most crucial first step, you should be eighty percent of the way to success.”
“The human heart, in some ways, is very large. And in others, it can only hold one person at most.”
The Rabbit Mask person crouched on the rooftop, her gaze sweeping over every figure in the alley. Her eyes were deep. What she was saying was simple, not difficult to understand.
Yet a strange silence hung over the alley. No one spoke. Everyone was staring intently at Rabbit Mask.
Perhaps they were all thinking about how to kill this Rabbit Mask. But they had indeed taken Rabbit Mask’s words to heart.
Just as Rabbit Mask said, did they truly understand this thing called feelings? They had no clue how to capture Lu Liangting’s heart. As the old saying went, if you asked them to kill, they were absolute professionals. But how to make a man fall for them? That was truly a challenge.
If it weren’t for this, they wouldn’t have gathered here.
They hadn’t initially recognized each other’s identities. Because of Lu Liangting, they hadn’t even fought much among themselves.
Once they got together, a few words were enough to reveal the worries in everyone’s hearts.
Since they didn’t know how to win over Lu Liangting, why not team up to eliminate everyone else first? Once there weren’t so many competitors, they could take their time thinking of a solution. There would be plenty of time then, and Lu Liangting couldn’t run away anyway.
“Since no one has anything to say, I won’t say more either. You’re all smart people.”
“That’s all I’ll say. There’s only one Lu Liangting, and you only have one target. Meaning only one of you can survive. If you don’t work harder, hope won’t just be slim—it will be completely nonexistent.”
“Oh, right. While you’re all focusing your attention on Lu Liangting, don’t forget: he’s not the only protagonist.”
With that, Rabbit Mask vanished from the rooftop. But her words lingered in the hearts of the beauties below.
Indeed, they truly didn’t understand feelings. And perhaps striking first really did have some logic to it.
Securing a place in Lu Liangting’s heart—then approaching him however they wanted afterward would be no problem. Things would develop quickly.
It was just that one thing didn’t seem quite right.
Could a man’s heart really only hold one woman?
They’d had many, many, many before. A whole bunch in every Mission World.
In the alley, because of Rabbit Mask’s words, the atmosphere began to shift in a very eerie direction.
~
~
Lu Liangting still had no idea what terrifying scenes awaited him in the future, all because of one person’s speech.
At this moment, he was searching for Zhao Mingyue in the corridor. Only after learning from the chat app that Zhao Mingyue had already returned home did he breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at Li Nan on the floor, he decisively dialed the police and emergency services.
Tonight was destined to be another sleepless night.
In less than a week, Lu Liangting had called the police twice from the same location. Once because someone had died, and this time, which was no less serious, because someone had gone mad, losing even basic consciousness.
Even the lead officer, upon seeing that the caller was Lu Liangting again, couldn’t help but shake his head.
Why is it you again, kid?
The corridor quickly fell silent. After all, Li Nan wasn’t dead; he’d merely lost consciousness and become a vegetable. That was on a completely different level from a murder case.
Inside Room 404, Zhao Mingyue listened to the commotion outside. Once she was sure everyone had left, she spoke. “Bai Yu, about Xiao Lian… we should deal with her soon. It feels very dangerous. If not for you tonight, we’d both be dead.”
A Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost, one that had gone out of control—unless dealt with, it would be a source of endless trouble.
Before, there had been the Old Landlord to trap her on the Fourth and Fifth Floors. Now the Old Landlord was gone. Given enough time, she’d have access to the entire building.
“Yes, she does have to be dealt with.”
“Mm… Also, what was that all about tonight with Lu Liangting and Li Nan?”
“Li Nan is someone’s pawn. They wanted to kill you, and they have designs on Lu Liangting too, though they won’t kill him.”
“A pawn?”
“No need to ask more. You’ll come into contact with her soon enough. Alright, go rest now.”
The whole night was quiet. Nothing else happened. Only Zhao Mingyue found herself suffering from insomnia again.
That world was interfering with her life, even without her actively accepting Quests.
And the key point: it had only been a few days since she’d come into contact with that world.
The next day, when Zhao Mingyue arrived at School, she watched Li Nan’s seat. Would Li Nan walk into the Classroom like before, sit in his seat, and start sleeping or playing on his phone?
The answer was no. By the second period, he still hadn’t shown up. The Teacher seemed to already know something. Gazing at Li Nan’s empty seat, she said nothing and continued the lesson.
Zhao Mingyue secretly broke off a piece of chocolate from her desk and slipped it into her mouth. Who knew the Teacher would pick that moment for a random recitation check, and that it would be her turn?
“Bai Yu, do you think Li Nan really won’t come back?”
Punished with standing outside the Classroom, Zhao Mingyue murmured quietly in her heart to Bai Yu.
“Of course. That Black Shadow on him was in a symbiotic relationship with him. The Black Shadow is dead, so naturally Li Nan can’t live. Even if he does, he won’t have consciousness anymore.”
“Who killed the Black Shadow on him…”
Just as Zhao Mingyue asked this, a graceful figure appeared in the hallway. Her steps were light and unfocused, yet it didn’t give off a sloppy impression. Instead, each step seemed to carry an indescribable rhythm.
The young woman wore a black School uniform, her hair in two buns on either side of her head. Her features were delicate, her narrow phoenix eyes cold, her face devoid of expression.
She carried a Medical Book and a black crystal cup in her hands. She walked into the Classroom across from Zhao Mingyue and handed the items to a Teacher with long, wavy hair who was sitting inside with her legs crossed.
As the young woman stepped back out and closed the door, Zhao Mingyue suddenly noticed the young, cross-legged Teacher looking at her, even flashing her a smile.
What a beautiful teacher. But is dressing like that at School really okay?
Closing the Classroom door, the bun-haired young woman cast a deep look at Zhao Mingyue, gave a cold snort, turned, and left. Zhao Mingyue was left baffled, finding it utterly inexplicable.
“What kind of look was that? Why the snort? Do I know her?”
“You might not, but Lu Liangting does.”
