Yan Song suddenly grasped her arm, and Yun Ya glanced sideways. The youth hung his head low, his tall frame towering like a mountain, yet still with the delicate air of a young man. "Thank you," he murmured softly, the two words nearly dissipating into the wind as soon as they were spoken. Nevertheless, Yun Ya captured them clearly. Yun Ya smiled, "Brother Yan, there’s no need for thanks between us." The hand that had been on her arm suddenly slid down and gripped Yun Ya’s fingers tightly. His fingers were broad and long, not as delicate as hers, with calluses on his palms that scratched her skin slightly, causing a tingling pain that slowly pulled Yun Ya’s heart into the abyss. He gripped tightly, and Yun Ya felt some pain, "Brother Yan—it hurts." Yan Song lifted his eyes and glanced at her, his profound gaze causing Yun Ya’s heart to contract, then she tilted her head with a smile and cheekily winked. "Brother Yan, do you have time after school tomorrow?" Yan Song paused, "For what?" "I want you to accompany me to a place." Yan Song stared at her face for a few seconds, then nodded, "Okay." Yun Ya gradually loosened his fingers, waving her hand with a smile, "Goodnight, Brother Yan." She turned and drifted off like a breeze. Watching the closed door of the room, Yan Song sat still for a while, looking at his empty palm as if the scent of Yiren still lingered there. He brought his hand to his nose and sniffed, and when he realized what he was doing, his face suddenly turned as red and hot as a boiled shrimp. Yun Ya closed the door, leaning against it with her eyes curving into a smile. Brother Yan, Brother Yan—she called out to him over and over in her heart. With each call, her gaze grew brighter. It was as though she was trapped in a beautiful dream, so intoxicated that she didn’t want to wake up, but another voice inside her head kept reminding her of some harsh truths she didn’t want to face. Cruel truths that she couldn’t escape from. Gradually, she could no longer smile. Sliding down the door to the floor, she hugged her knees, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. "Being with him means you’re destroying him, admit it—whether in your previous life or this one, you’re doomed never to have happiness," the seductive voice whispered at her ear. "No... I can do it. Brother Yan likes me, and I like him too, why can’t we be together?" She clenched her hands into fists, stubbornly questioning herself. "Hahaha, how laughable. Do you think ’like’ is enough to support you through a lifetime? What if one day, he discovers the deepest secret buried in your heart, do you think he’ll still like you then?" "No... Brother Yan isn’t like that. He won’t despise me..." she said, trying to convince herself, but her voice gradually faded. "Stop lying to yourself. You were born with a curse; your very existence is the greatest stain. This is the punishment from the heavens. How can one defy the will of the gods? It’s better to end the pain quickly. Ji Yunya, wake up. Stop drowning in your beautiful dream...." "Shut up...just shut up." She suddenly screamed, clapping her hands on her head, standing on the brink of an abyss, succumbing to the tidal wave of despair. "This isn’t my fault, it’s not my fault, it’s Ji Lanyi, it’s Yun Shen. Why didn’t they strangle me to death when I was born? I hate them, I hate them...." She spun around the room like a decapitated fly, her voice filled with grief and despair. She knelt on the floor, tugging at her hair fiercely, get out of my head, I hate you, stop talking, just stop... "I am the real you, see, I live in the darkness for you, and yet you want to drive me away. Where am I to go? Ji Yunya, only if you die will I disappear...." Only if you die will I disappear... Suddenly, she clasped her own throat, squeezing hard, her breathing growing labored... Death...only death can bring release... Her consciousness was becoming blurred, and the bright and handsome visage of the youth emerged in her mind, his strong radiance dispelling the darkest haze in her world... She suddenly collapsed to the ground, coughing, her cheeks rapidly turning red as if she would cough out her lungs. She kneeled like a curled shrimp, her head banging against the floor, the tremors in her chest making her entire body shudder. She laughed and cried at the same time, looking as dreadful as a madwoman. "Brother Yan~I want to be with you...." she murmured, as if she had exhausted all her strength with those words. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI(F)ire.net