Yao Ye genuinely feared that Blank, this foolish netizen, might take his own life.
Though Yao Ye’s tongue was venomous, he never intended to drive anyone to death. He simply enjoyed mocking those fat otakus online he disliked, subtly hinting for them to buy him gifts and game skins, all on a voluntary basis.
Yao Ye never thought he was doing anything wrong.
He was merely forcing these idiots, who dreamt of unattainable swan meat, to face reality. He didn’t ask for money, just small gifts and game skins to satisfy their masculine desires to “provide”, fancying himself a purifying breeze in the world of online romance.
Well, truth be told, Yao Ye was afraid of breaking the law, so he steered clear of scamming money.
This time, he asked Blank for money out of sheer anger, feeling like a hunter pecked by his own prey. He was emotionally deceived by this foolish netizen and felt he deserved some compensation to ease his frustration.
Even so, he wasn’t too excessive, whimsically asking for pocket money in his girlfriend’s name, a harmless trifle far below any prosecutable sum, merely seeking to teach Blank a lesson.
After all, what romance doesn’t cost money? The sweet nothings he usually told Blank weren’t free.
Without him, how could these bottom-of-society otakus ever dream of dating the beauties in his photos?
He was fulfilling their wishes!
Yao Ye always held this lofty attitude, looking down on these otakus with disdain, even though, in a sense, he was an otaku himself.
In Yao Ye’s eyes, only the truly upright wouldn’t be deceived by his fabricated female persona.
He only ensnared those lecherous otakus, who fantasized about women throwing themselves at them, spewing vulgarities online, their minds filled with debauchery.
They deserved to be deceived! He wasn’t breaking any laws, just having fun, and he felt no panic about it, facing at most moral condemnation.
But, if someone deceived by him committed suicide…
That would change things dramatically. He definitely didn’t want to end up in jail.
After all, he had deceived people, and if someone really died, the police investigation would inevitably implicate him, causing a lot of trouble.
Fortunately, Blank was still alive.
Observing the chat room interface, Yao Ye’s slightly tense face relaxed into a sneer.
“Just knew this guy didn’t have the guts to do it!”
Yao Ye felt he had overthought things.
He had seen many like Blank before; most cherished their lives too much to contemplate suicide over a breakup.
Some people always talk about death, even using depression as a badge, as if they’re constantly on the brink of despair, ready to leap from a building, but when it truly comes to dying, they cling to life more than anyone else.
They’re essentially attention-seekers, nothing more.
Clearly, Blank was one of them.
Yao Ye snorted disdainfully, careful not to use too harsh a tone, fearing repercussions.
His pale fingers tapped on the keyboard, slowly typing a message.
—[Glad you’re not dead. Don’t bother me again, let’s part amicably and leave each other with good memories, or I’ll immediately leave the chat room.]
The sailor suit girl avatar flickered against the dark chat room background, strikingly prominent.
Blank’s avatar remained quiet for a while, then unexpectedly sent a non-sequitur.
—[Do you like roses?]
Huh?
Yao Ye stared bewilderedly at this message, unsure what this person was clinging to. Was this some kind of last-ditch effort?
—[Your apartment is called Rose Apartments, isn’t it? Such a beautiful name, just like you.]
!!!
Reading this, Yao Ye’s pupils shrank in fear, and he immediately stood up from his computer chair.
What’s going on? Had his personal information been leaked? Had this idiot doxxed him?
Yao Ye typed furiously, his eyes filled with suspicion and fear.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
—[!!!]
—[You investigated me! You dare dox me? Stop it, or I’ll sue you for violation of my privacy!!!]
Ktlr kjr ecyfilfnjyif; tbk mbeiv atlr lvlba xcbk ktfgf tf ilnfv? Jbeiv tf yf rbwf ufcler tjmxfg?
Dea atja wjvf cb rfcrf. Po tf kjr atja mjqjyif, tf kbeiv tjnf tlcafv ja la ijra wbcat veglcu atflg bcilcf gbwjcmf. Ktlr ibnf-ragemx obbi xfqa cbatlcu ab tlwrfio, qgjmalmjiis agfjalcu tlw jr j mbcolvjcaf, rqliilcu tlr ilof rabgs.
Sitting hunched over in his computer chair, Yao Ye nervously bit his knuckles, leaving a deep indent on his slender fingers.
“What to do… what if he comes here to beat me?”
The thought of this person coming to his house filled Yao Ye with trembling fear.
Though he had never seen this otaku, he knew from their previous interactions that the guy was much taller than his own petite 160 cm-frame, and a beating would be excruciating.
He could be beaten like in his school days, reeling from a punch to the stomach, his abdominal muscles spasming.
Still haunted by his school-age nightmares, Yao Ye’s handsome, boyish face twisted in pain at the memory.
Was he about to relive those days of being bullied all over again?
Sensing Yao Ye’s nervousness, Blank sent a few more messages, his tone gentle.
—[Is Ye’er afraid?]
—[I came to find you, so why are you scared?]
—[Didn’t Ye’er promise that if I died, I could come find you?]
In the dim bedroom, Yao Ye looked at the computer screen, the faint light casting a helpless pallor on his pale face.
His long eyelashes trembled, moisture rising in his pupils, his eyes reddening.
What is he talking about?! Is he trying to scare me?
Find me after death? Does he think he’s a ghost?
Yao Ye was both anxious and angry, gritting his teeth, his fingers flying rapidly across the keyboard.
—[What nonsense are you spouting! I never said such things! Death? I never asked for that! Don’t slander me!]
—[I’m warning you, don’t even think about troubling me! I can call the police at any moment! And you’ve basically exposed your full address already!]
In truth, Yao Ye didn’t remember where Blank lived, just that it was in another far-off state. He was merely bluffing, hoping to dissuade this annoying netizen from causing trouble.
Faced with Yao Ye’s barrage of angry questions, Blank fell silent for a moment, then finally spoke.
—[Why don’t you find me then, Ye’er? I’ve been so looking forward to it.]
He had waited expectantly, minute after minute…
But… until the last drop of blood drained from his body… Ye’er never came.
At the computer desk, Yao Ye despaired over this mentally deranged otaku. His warnings were not about this at all!
—[But it’s okay, if Ye’er doesn’t want to come, I’ll just go to Ye’er. We’ll be together forever.]
Blank continued to type, his tone eerily, bizarrely sweet.
—[Because I love you.]
—[By the way, I’ve found the apartment building where Ye’er lives. Ye’er, I’m downstairs, can you tell me which floor you’re on?]
Damn, a madman!
This guy is a complete lunatic!
Watching this self-absorbed otaku, Yao Ye raged in the chat room, hoping to shame him to death.
But Blank, as if a different person, no longer showed his usual sensitivity and fragility. He ignored Yao Ye’s mocking and kept urgently asking about his floor, making Yao Ye’s palms sweat and his anger surge.
Damn it, Blank must be an idiot! He doesn’t listen at all and only hears what he wants to hear!
Or could he really be downstairs?
At first, Yao Ye thought this person was just bluffing, as they were separated by a long river. But seeing his accurate questioning, Yao Ye couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Could he have found this place in just one night? Impossible.
Hesitantly, Yao Ye walked to the tightly closed curtains, gently parting a sliver of the gray fabric, peering down at the apartment building.
It was early morning, the mist not yet dispersed, the air carrying a lingering chill of late spring as the days turned to early summer. The street below was sparsely populated.
Yao Ye scanned the apartment entrance, looking for the stupid netizen’s figure.
Though he didn’t know what the person looked like, if he really was downstairs, he’d surely be searching for his floor. Yao Ye just needed to see who was peering into the building.
With this thought, Yao Ye’s bright eyes widened further, searching for any suspicious figure.
Soon, a tall figure in a black shirt and pants caught Yao Ye’s attention.
Yao Ye watched the figure standing dumbly below the apartment, his eyes nearly bleeding with hatred.
Damn it, this damned dog had always been so timid. How did he become so bold after a breakup? Why wasn’t he this fierce when his relatives swindled his inheritance?!
He was obviously bullying the weak and fearing the strong! He probably thought that Yao Ye was a “delicate lady” who was easy to bully!
Yao Ye was furious with the disgusting otaku.
Returning to the computer, Yao Ye saw that Blank had sent another message during his absence.
—[Ye’er, are you watching me? Can you tell me which floor you’re on?]
Blank paused, then continued.
—[The first floor?]
—[Or the second floor?]
—[The third floor?]
Seeing Blank’s messages, Yao Ye’s breathing quickened.
He lived on the fourth floor, in the ominous apartment “44”.
Was Blank searching floor by floor for him?
This was too obsessive!
—[I see you, Ye’er. You’re on the fourth floor, right?]
Yao Ye shuddered, jumping up from his computer chair.
How did this person find him so quickly?!
—[Can you tell me which room you’re in? Ye’er, I want to see you.]
Blank pleaded again, the white dialogue box stark against the black background.
—[No!]
Yao Ye was decisive, then quickly ran to the door, peering through the peephole to check outside.
That idiot, was he really on the fourth floor?
Tap-tap—
Tap-tap—
Steady footsteps echoed in the empty hallway outside. Yao Ye swallowed, continuing to stare at the door.
Tap-tap—
The footsteps drew nearer, and Yao Ye even saw the corridor’s old light bulb flickering as it emitted crackling noises, creating an ambiance straight out of an old horror film.
It was as if the one coming to his door wasn’t the foolish otaku, but a spirit from the underworld.
Yao Ye, who was quite afraid of such things, turned increasingly pale. The more he pondered, the more something seemed amiss.
Upon reflection, since sending that message, there was a subtly disturbing, eerie undertone in Blank’s words. The more Yao Ye thought about it, the more panicked he became.
Could it be that Blank was already dead, and the one talking to him was his ghost?
Imagining scenes from horror movies, Yao Ye simultaneously scolded himself for overthinking while shaking uncontrollably in fear.
Suppressing his inner terror, Yao Ye continued to press his ear against the door, listening to the sounds outside, his heart pounding like a drum.
After a while, the footsteps got even closer, but Yao Ye still couldn’t see anyone.
When the footsteps reached very close to Yao Ye, he looked in the direction of the sound.
Still, no one was there.
The narrow, distorted view outside the peephole revealed nothing.
Were the footsteps just his imagination?
Was he overthinking it?
Yao Ye watched a while longer, saw nobody outside, and the footsteps disappeared. With a puzzled face, he left the peephole.
Was Blank just playing with him?
Confused, Yao Ye walked back to the computer and saw another message in the chat room.
—[Found Ye’er’s room]
—[I’m so happy. Ye’er, you’re welcoming me, aren’t you? Will you open the door for me?]
—[We’ll be together soon. Aren’t you glad, Ye’er?]
Blank wrote the messages in a joyful tone, adding many rose icons at the end, using roses as a symbol of love, just like in their saccharine confessions before the breakup.
What’s going on? What does he mean? Is he watching me outside the door? How else would he know I’m standing here?!
Yao Ye was nearly tormented to madness by Blank’s ambiguous words.
His mind was tense, uncontrollably drifting towards the thought that Blank was a ghost. It was a chaotic mess inside.
Staring at the chat replies, Yao Ye breathed heavily, his pale cheeks flushing red. He staggered back to the door and peered through the peephole, only to find nothing again.
Nobody was at the door.
Then, was Blank still downstairs?
Yao Ye walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and, without caring for caution, roughly yanked open the curtains, and looked downstairs.
He wanted to see if this person was playing tricks or if there really was a ghost!
Through the glass window, Yao Ye saw the man in the black shirt and pants still there… phew, he probably wasn’t a ghost. He was just scaring…
Wait, why… did the man outside the glass window appear so close, as if just a short distance away?
Yao Ye stared at his window. As if he’d suddenly realized something, his skin broke out in goosebumps.
Yao Ye’s room had thick, double-glazed windows which often reflected everything inside and outside in the daylight. If not looked at closely, it was easy to mistake whether something on the window was outside or inside.
Outside… or inside.
In a moment of realization, Yao Ye’s face turned bloodlessly pallid, ghastly with fear. He trembled, staring at the tall man on the window glass, noticing a smile curling on his pale face.
—[I’m in now. You’re not quite what I imagined, but Ye’er, you’re still beautiful.]
—[Now, we can be together forever, right?]
“AHHHHHHHH!!!”
Yao Ye screamed out loud, his shrill scream abruptly ending the next second.
A pair of ghastly pale arms affectionately wrapped around him. The man’s ice-cold breaths puffed out from behind him.
“Ye’er, you’re so beautiful.”
Blank smiling outside the window really scared me like gee 😰
Spooky time~ Hahahhahah
That surprised me at the mirror part.(((;ꏿ_ꏿ;)))
oh the mirror reflection, classic.
….don’t mind me covering myself with other blanket layer