Wen Xiaoliang’s eyes flickered with pain and confusion, but even more so with that nearly crazed, stubborn love.
“Why are you hiding from me?! Why did you leave without saying goodbye?! Liang… If I find you… I swear, I swear, I swear I’ll never let you leave me again! Even if I have to cut off your hands and feet, I still won’t let you leave me!”
“No, forget it… Maybe I won’t cut them off, you hate pain the most…”
“Mm… I love you the most! Love you the most! Love you the most! Love you the most! Love you the most!”
She clutched the clothes Liang Rou had left behind, curling herself into a small ball, feeling utterly insecure, as if she wished she could melt into them.
Noon.
Inside the office.
“Hoo~”
Liang Rou stretched lazily, twisting her sore neck.
“Senior, you must be tired, right?” Xia Rui immediately put down her work. “Let’s have a bite, take a break, and then come back and finish.”
Liang Rou unlocked her phone and checked the time—it was twelve-thirty. Her stomach growled twice at just the right moment; it really was time to eat.
“Let’s go, we’ll grab a quick bite downstairs and come right back.”
Once she’d decided, Liang Rou led the way to the Bapandian downstairs, planning to eat something simple. If she finished work quickly, she could go home and enjoy the delicious food An Luxi made~ Honestly, out of all the girls she knew, Xia Rui’s cooking was the best, then An Luxi, and finally… Wen Xiaoliang.
Thinking of that woman, Liang Rou’s expression grew dim again.
Memories flooded her mind once more. Liang Rou recalled the first time Wen Xiaoliang had cooked for her and cut her finger. The food was truly indescribable, but back then, she’d felt so happy—so happy that even though it was hard to swallow, she finished every bite.
That was probably the poorest, yet the happiest, time of her life.
The memories ended abruptly as Liang Rou and Xia Rui arrived at the Bapandian.
Liang Rou ordered a bowl of mixed rice and squid. While waiting for the food, she chatted idly with Xia Rui.
Suddenly, Xia Rui spoke up, seemingly casually, “Senior, I’m a little curious… Was An Luxi your first love?”
Liang Rou was taken aback by the question.
First love…
The question unsettled her. Suddenly, she remembered that extremely cold winter day, snowflakes drifting down, when that silver-haired girl had appeared in front of her and handed her a bright red scarf.
She’d said, “It’s okay, you still have me, I can take care of you~”
The girl’s cheeks were red as she spoke—whether from shyness or the cold, she couldn’t tell. Back then, she’d only been sixteen and said, “I’ll take care of you,” those words both laughable and moving.
But she really meant it.
She gave everything she had at the time, tried her best.
She said she had no regrets.
That was probably a young girl’s first flutter of the heart. Even after all these years, she could never recapture that feeling, never reclaim that passionate love.
Nowadays, relationships felt shallow and could end at any moment. But back then, there was only Wen Yanfu—no, Wen Xiaoliang, and Wen Xiaoliang only had her.
The two of them, like little cats licking each other’s wounds, huddled together in the coldest winter, warming each other.
She—
She really couldn’t forget.
“Senior?”
Xia Rui’s voice jolted Liang Rou from her reverie. Liang Rou looked at her and managed a not-so-natural smile.
“Mm, of course, in the truest sense, yes, Xiaolu was my first love.”
As she said this, the last two words trembled. Maybe it was a conditioned reflex—guilt and fear toward Wen Xiaoliang.
A yandere in real life isn’t like those in some anime, who can just kill people so easily. In real life, you have to obey the law. But that’s exactly what makes them so terrifying.
A law-abiding yandere is even scarier, because she’ll think things through, and the ideas she comes up with torment your mind rather than your body, and they don’t necessarily want you dead.
Xia Rui watched Liang Rou thoughtfully and smiled gently.
“So that’s how it is… Alright.”
She said that, but Xia Rui had already seen through Liang Rou’s façade.
“Senior must have an ex-girlfriend, but she doesn’t want to say… I wonder what the reason could be~?” Xia Rui propped up her chin, staring intently at Liang Rou, thinking.
Liang Rou didn’t notice her gaze. Distracted, she looked out the window.
And at that moment, a fleeting figure caught her attention. By the time she snapped back to her senses, cold sweat was already beading on her forehead.
It was Wen Xiaoliang.
But she didn’t seem to notice her. She just passed by, leaving in a hurry.
Thank goodness, thank goodness…
Liang Rou patted her chest in relief.
Yet, her gaze remained fixed outside.
She wondered—what was Wen Xiaoliang going to do? Was she off to her part-time job again? Or was she fighting for her dreams? She always wanted to become a Dadaoyan. Right, I haven’t asked her if she’s achieved her dream yet.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess.
Fortunately, the food finally arrived.
Liang Rou picked up her chopsticks and stuffed food into her mouth, thinking that as long as she was eating, she could temporarily forget the pain.
But that wasn’t the case.
“Is Wen Xiaoliang alright these days? Does she still secretly cry in the middle of the night? Does she still leave scar after scar on her wrists from the pain? Does she still need medicine to sleep? Do I… have to keep holding onto her and never let go?”
“Plop.”
A tear fell into her bowl. Liang Rou hurriedly lifted the bowl and shoveled food into her mouth.
Xia Rui noticed something was wrong.
“Senior?”
She sounded a bit nervous, thinking Liang Rou was feeling unwell.
“Senior, are you feeling sick anywhere?”
“Cough cough cough!”
She’d eaten too quickly and rice stuck in her throat, making Liang Rou cough violently. Her eyes turned red, but she actually preferred it this way—it helped cover up the signs that she’d been crying.
“I’m fine,” Liang Rou quickly downed a large mouthful of Haidaotang and wiped her mouth carelessly. “Just ate too fast and choked, that’s all. Ah, I was really starving…”
Xia Rui didn’t quite believe such a feeble excuse, but there was nothing she could do. She simply sat beside Liang Rou, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath.
“Ding~”
Liang Rou’s phone chimed—a message had arrived.
She glanced at it absentmindedly, and immediately stiffened.
There were only eight characters on the phone screen.
[Wen Xiaoliang: Hehe~ I saw you~]