Chapter 41: A Hopeless Conversation 

“Okay.”

“Okay, my ass, you pervert!”

Xu Yinsheng cursed silently in her heart.

However, remembering that the other person was mentally ill, she thought that over-stimulating them might be counterproductive.

Xu Yinsheng waved her phone in the air, starting her act.

“Oh no, I can’t hear anything. I’ll hang up. My internet here isn’t good—”

Just as Xu Yinsheng was about to unilaterally hang up and then block him, a faint male voice abruptly sounded from the other end of the phone, interrupting her movement to click the hang-up button.

“When did you gain your transformation ability?”

“Ah… ah, Old Zhao, what are you saying? I don’t understand.”

Xu Yinsheng suppressed her panic and tried her best to appear calm.

“Last chance.”

Zhao Yicheng had lost his patience, no longer wanting to play cat and mouse with her.

“Come out and meet me.”

“No.”

Xu Yinsheng flatly refused.

There were only ten-odd days left until the end of the month.

As long as she wasn’t “gored” this month, the history she spoke of would change, and she could avoid becoming “effeminate.”

He fell silent for a moment on the other end of the phone.

“What are you worried about? What are you afraid of? Or do my feelings disgust you?”

His voice was filled with deep mockery.

“It’s not that serious, but it’s close enough,” Xu Yinsheng mumbled softly.

Imagine a good brother you’ve played with for over ten years, someone you could trust with your back.

One day, you suddenly discover that he not only harbors malicious intentions and schemes against you, but also covets your body and wants to pin you down on the bed and “gore” you.

The feeling in her heart was indescribably awkward.

“What did you say?”

In a trance, Xu Yinsheng saw his eyes, filled with madness and hatred.

She was startled.

“N-nothing… I was just kidding…”

“Then come out and let me see you.”

Zhao Yicheng issued a final ultimatum, his tone becoming agitated, slightly neurotic, and threatening.

“Either you come out, or I come in. Don’t think a single iron door can stop me.”

This…

Xu Yinsheng timidly shrank her head a bit.

This could be considered a personal threat.

Should she call the police?

Seeing Xu Yinsheng’s long silence, Zhao Yicheng also seemed to realize something was amiss.

“Sorry, my tone was a bit harsh.”

His tone immediately softened, as if he had instantly transformed into a different person.

“Xiao Yin, I… I have a sickness. My mind can sometimes be extreme. I apologize for my tone just now.”

“It’s fine. Just see a doctor more often.”

Xu Yinsheng was a typical soft touch.

If you played hardball with her, she’d resist to the death.

But if you played soft, she might just go along with it.

“Come out and have dinner with me,” Zhao Yicheng seemed to sigh, or perhaps give up, as if burying his last shred of hope.

“Let’s talk properly and put an end to this delusion of mine.”

“After this meal, I’ll go abroad and won’t bother your life anymore,” he said in a low voice.

“Don’t worry, I’ll never let myself appear in your sight again.”

On one hand, she could agree, use one meal to make him give up his delusion, and ensure he wouldn’t bother her for the rest of her life.

On the other hand, she could refuse.

Based on Xu Yinsheng’s understanding of Zhao Yicheng’s personality, he had a stubborn streak in his bones.

If she didn’t cut ties quickly now, it would become a tangled mess in the future, a lifelong entanglement, a lingering ghost.

“…Okay.”

Xu Yinsheng hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing.

To prevent Zhao Yicheng from making arrangements in secret, she added, “I’ll choose the place. I’ll send you the address after I arrive.”

“Okay, no need to transform. I prefer your previous appearance,” Zhao Yicheng said softly.

***

In a private room on the second floor of a popular restaurant in a busy street in Binhai City.

Zhao Yicheng had returned to China three months ago, and Xu Yinsheng had hosted a welcoming dinner for him at this very place.

Now, the two were gathered here again, but without the previous relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

They arrived at the agreed-upon private room and sat down, each lost in their own thoughts.

The waiter placed dishes on the table one by one, then bowed and retreated.

A deathly silence filled the room, the air thick with tension.

“What do you want to talk about?”

Xu Yinsheng broke the silence first.

If someone were to look from behind him, they would notice his right hand, hidden beneath the table, tightly gripping a beer bottle, his fingertips slightly pale.

The thought of “being gored within two months” had been haunting his mind like a black mist, refusing to dissipate.

Xu Yinsheng was very uneasy about Zhao Yicheng, extremely uneasy.

Although she knew she was no match for him, the beer bottle in her hand still provided a small sense of security.

***

“Xiao Yin, what am I like in your heart?”

“What?”

Xu Yinsheng was slightly startled.

The question came so suddenly that he didn’t react immediately, but it was clear that Zhao Yicheng still cared deeply about how Xu Yinsheng perceived him.

“What kind of person do you think I am?”

Zhao Yicheng’s deep, mellow voice echoed in the private room.

“An old friend,” Xu Yinsheng replied.

He didn’t say the latter half, but both understood, “an old friend” only referred to the “past.”

“Hmm.”

Zhao Yicheng didn’t dwell on it.

He picked up a mouthful of shredded potatoes, put it in his mouth, and chewed.

“Eat. Consider this your brother’s last treat.”

Xu Yinsheng nodded silently but didn’t pick up his chopsticks, only taking a sip of juice.

Seeing that the other person didn’t trust him at all, Zhao Yicheng gave a wry smile.

He picked up a half-eaten pork rib from his own bowl and placed it in Xu Yinsheng’s bowl.

“Don’t worry, it’s not drugged.”

Looking at the half-eaten pork rib in his bowl, Xu Yinsheng didn’t move his chopsticks.

Instead, he glanced at Zhao Yicheng, as if to say, Don’t you find it disgusting?

As if he understood Xu Yinsheng’s thoughts, Zhao Yicheng didn’t insist. 

He stood up and poured some juice into Xu Yinsheng’s empty glass.

“Xiao Yin, you know my parents, right?”

“Yes, they were friends with my mom and dad when they were young,” Xu Yinsheng replied, sipping his juice.

“One an entrepreneur, one a pianist.” 

Zhao Yicheng chuckled and shook his head, his tone full of deep sarcasm. 

“To the outside world, they were a model couple, mutually achieving, mutually supportive, and acting very much in love.”

“But I knew it was just their disguise. You want wealth, I want fame. One was self-serving, one was hypocritical—an exchange of interests.”

He let out a laugh full of significant meaning.

“Tell me, as the product of these two interest exchanges, what am I like?”

Xu Yinsheng felt a sense of foreboding.

He wanted to take a few steps back, but just as he stood up, he was forced back into his seat. His mind grew dizzy.

His vision slowly darkened.

Zhao Yicheng stood up, a slight smile on his lips, and gracefully walked towards him.

“As for me, if I want something, I’ll get it, even if your heart isn’t with me, your body will be.”Chapter 41: A Hopeless Conversation