“Because she hasn't fully recovered yet, the current Kayako is sick. She's insecure and timid, indecisive about everything, socially anxious and unwilling to interact with the outside world, and desperately lacking love. I want to slowly heal her. That's why I always treat her with kindness. If my tone even gets slightly harsh, she'll retreat into her shell again, desperately apologizing and taking all the blame. Only when she's like an ordinary person, sunny, cheerful, and active, has her own friends, can cry and yell at me… only then will she have truly recovered. If she still likes me by then, maybe I wouldn't be able to refuse.”
Although he couldn't refuse if Kayako really confessed to him now, Kayako's current personality wouldn't do it either. She wouldn't dare to gamble. If Kayako were a normal human, then everything Lin Ze said would be true. But she's a curse, and her problems are far more serious than Lin Ze mentioned by a magnitude.
“I… I can like you too…”
The sudden words startled Lin Ze. He stared blankly at Fu Jiang, realizing he had said something he shouldn't have. Fu Jiang's expression was a mix of awkwardness and shyness, and then… she got angry.
“What do you mean? I'm not good enough?”
Lin Ze shook his head, laughing wryly. “You're the same as Kayako, Fu Jiang. You both lack a sense of security. You haven't truly interacted with me, you haven't gotten to know me. You're just envious of Kayako, so you say these things. Really… what do you think I am?”
“A player!” Fu Jiang said with absolute certainty.
“How am I a player?” Lin Ze was completely bewildered. “How can you just accuse me like that?”
“At the hospital that day, you went to visit Hanako, didn't you? You're already being nice to Kayako, but what about Hanako? You're a man who spreads his love around like a fan, I know it!” Fu Jiang looked at Lin Ze with disdain. Don't think she didn't see through him.
“Ah, you mean Hanako? Her situation is a bit complicated. I can't say much about it. But I can tell you that Hanako is a person who can't refuse others. She's petite and easy to bully, so she was bullied. Later, some other things happened, and I happened to save her. That's how we became friends. She took the initiative to be friends with Kayako, and it was only after being around us that she gradually revealed her true nature.”
“So… so was I mistaken?” Fu Jiang smiled awkwardly.
“Besides, even if I am a player, to be shameless for a moment, I believe that if Kayako is truly in love with me, she might actually agree to share me with someone else. But would I do that?”
“Who knows…”
His fists clenched. “Fu Jiang, do you think I'm being too easygoing right now?”
Lin Ze's words made Fu Jiang shiver. “Oh, alright, I was wrong, okay? Really… why are you so fierce even in my dream? Look at the impression you've left me with.”
“Alright, stop it. Anyway, Fu Jiang, don't mind what others say. Just be yourself. I'll protect you the same way I protect Kayako and Hanako.” As soon as Lin Ze finished speaking, the scene suddenly disappeared.
After Lin Ze opened his eyes, he went to the bathroom to wash his face. “Close call… Fu Jiang's heart is filled with too much despair. It's a good thing Fu Jiang pulled me into her dream tonight. Otherwise, if this dragged on, something would have gone wrong sooner or later. I comforted her and teased her to distract her thoughts. That should make her feel a lot better. I have to pay more attention to her in the future.”
When he came out of the bathroom, he didn't know if the eight-foot woman upstairs was asleep or not. He didn't bother her. Instead, he took out his phone, checked the time, hesitated for a moment, and then called Qin Zi.
“Lin Ze?” A thick nasal voice rang out, heavily sleep-laden. Qin Zi finally got some sleep, only to be woken up by him. But there was nothing he could do about it.
“Qin Zi jie, Fu Jiang pulled me into her dream.”
Lin Ze's opening words immediately woke Qin Zi up. “What? What happened?”
“Some things happened at school today. Fu Jiang was exposed to gossip because of her contact with us. Then, I think it must have been because of the stimulation, I was pulled into her dream and saw her past. Kayako told me that although she was blocked by Fu Jiang's power, she could feel the despair-filled atmosphere there.”
“Fu Jiang's mental power is too strong. Although her power is different from Kayako's, it's definitely one of the most powerful. So, it's normal that they can suppress each other and block each other for a while. After all, it's Fu Jiang's dream, her territory.” Qin Zi calmly helped Lin Ze analyze.
“Yeah, the real reason for Fu Jiang's parents' death was that her adoptive father had designs on her. She was driven by jealousy and fear, so she made him die and disappear. That's why they had a car accident in the middle of the night. It wasn't because of fatigue driving, but because they were mentally controlled.”
At that time, Lin Ze and Qin Zi thought something was wrong. Lin Ze guessed that it was probably because of Fu Jiang. He was already putting himself in the shoes of the future Fu Jiang, even guessing that she had deliberately killed her adoptive parents for their property. Therefore, he had always been wary of Fu Jiang. Even when he was joking with her, he was testing her. It was only after seeing the whole picture that he realized Fu Jiang had been the victim all along.
This served as a wake-up call for Lin Ze. Some things were changing more in this world. He couldn't rely entirely on past life information, but had to verify it himself.
Lin Ze continued in a low voice, “Fu Jiang is very sensitive. She cares about other people's opinions and looks. Her charm makes people want to get close to her and like her, but it hasn't reached the point where she can completely influence people's minds as she will in the future. Qin Zi jie, you know what will happen in this situation, right?”
“I can imagine. She cares about other people's opinions, so she'll live a fake life. She can't do anything that makes the people around her unhappy, otherwise she'll be criticized. Jealousy will erupt at that moment.”
“That's right. Because she's hanging out with everyone who is hated in school, Fu Jiang stood up for us and refuted them. That's why rumors spread about her. But I already comforted her in her dream, and about the rumors, it's a coincidence. A few people were spreading them when I heard them. I wanted to take action, but the principal said he'd handle it and stop the rumors from spreading.”
“Such a coincidence?”
“Yeah, such a coincidence. I even suspect it was Fu Jiang's doing. She didn't want to hear the rumors, so the subsequent situation happened. But who knows? Maybe it was just a coincidence. But I have an idea.” Lin Ze called this time precisely to ask Qin Zi for help.
“Tell me about it.” If she could stabilize Fu Jiang's problems, Lin Ze could call her in the middle of the night, even make her run errands for him in the middle of the night, and she would accept it.
“Transfer Fu Jiang to our class. It's safer to have her under our noses. Besides, she can form a small group with Kayako and Hanako. If there are suitable people in the future, I'll also have you transfer them to our class.”
In a flash, Qin Zi understood Lin Ze's meaning. “You want to slowly create a friendly social circle around these people?”
“That's right. Their negative emotions are almost entirely related to their surroundings. If we create a suitable social circle for them, a social circle that belongs to them, and let them play together, encouraging and supporting each other, wouldn't that be better?”
“No problem.”