The Monster - Chapter 2

After everyone’s emotions gradually settled, I prepared to go inside the hospital. Unexpectedly, the moment I turned around, an unidentified object fell into my arms.

I immediately shoved it onto the ground.

When I took a closer look, it turned out to be that frail youth.

He looked terribly aggrieved, the corners of his eyes slightly red and glimmering with tears.

Not only that, he was lying on the ground facing me, and, as luck would have it, half of his gleaming white collarbone was exposed.

He looked at me with pleading eyes. “Ah~ Sis, it hurts so much~

“I’m so scared~

“The boss is so scary π_π.”

He looked so pitiful that it made people want to bully him.

Me:

Where did this male demon come from?

Was he trying to seduce me?

The comments had already exploded—

[Oh my god! That face, that skin—he’s the anime male lead chosen by heaven!!!]

[A whole pile of dirty thoughts just flashed through my mind.]

[Fuck him senseless, fuck him senseless.]

[Baby, you took the initiative this time (kekeke).]

[Stop letting lust get to your heads. What normal person would act like this after entering a game? Could he be the instance boss?!]

……

That comment was quickly pushed up and out of sight by the flowing barrage.

I had intended to walk around the youth and ignore him.

But by chance, I met his gaze.

The youth had a pair of very beautiful eyes—shimmering peach-blossom eyes, with long, curled lashes. No matter whom he looked at, he seemed deeply in love.

It was very easy to make one’s heart soften.

He was staring straight at me. When he saw me looking back, his eyes instantly filled with tears, as if he were an abandoned puppy.

So pitiful.

Looking at him reminded me of a Samoyed I had raised when I was little.

Back then, I was busy with school and often came home very late. Little Ye would tirelessly wait by the door. Every time someone passed by, it would excitedly stand up and wag its tail. Once it saw that the person wasn’t me, it would crouch back down in disappointment.

I sighed, crouched down, grabbed the youth’s open collar, and pulled it up, covering him tightly.

Then I lectured him solemnly. “You’re so young, yet instead of learning anything good, you’re learning bad things.

“Don’t pull that on me, okay? The most important thing for a boy is to respect himself. A man who doesn’t respect himself is like a rotten cabbage—no one wants him.”

……

The youth’s eyes darkened slightly. He scrambled to his feet and asked, “Sis, can you take me with you?”

I refused without hesitation. “No.”

Hearing that, the youth looked extremely disappointed.

But I was a cold and heartless woman. I turned and walked away.

Unexpectedly, the next moment he suddenly called after me. “Sis, my name is Jiang Yubai.

“The Jiang Yubai from the line ‘The river gleams green, the birds fly whiter still.'”

I turned back in surprise, only to meet his exasperated expression.

I smiled. “My name is Wen Zhinian.

“Live well.”

After parting from Jiang Yubai, I continued looking for clues.

The area around the hospital was empty, so I went inside.

The wards were dim and gloomy, with a thoroughly horrifying atmosphere.

Maybe it was psychological, but I suddenly felt cold all over.

Unfortunately, I found no useful information in the first few wards.

So when I saw the room with the director’s nameplate—and especially when I saw the patients’ medical records laid out on the desk—my eyes lit up at once.

I was so excited that, for a moment, I committed a grave taboo and forgot to watch my surroundings.

The rules of the game were still unclear. If this was a role-playing instance, the information I had found would be extremely useful—truly crucial information.

Just as I was feeling rather pleased, someone shouted behind me, “Look out!”

I had no time to turn around before someone knocked me to the ground.

I immediately drew the dagger at my waist, preparing to stab him, only to discover that it was Jiang Yubai.

A pitch-black monster had just been preparing to ambush me. If he hadn’t saved me, I might already have been dead.

Cold sweat broke out across my back.

Killing monsters in the horror game came with rewards. This looked like a minor monster, so I instantly got to my feet, ready to finish it off.

Who knew that the monster, as if it had seen something, would suddenly begin trembling violently, then vanish from the spot in an instant.

I was utterly puzzled.

Had I already become that intimidating?

After the monster left, I hurriedly turned back to check on Jiang Yubai.

He was sitting on the floor, rubbing his arm pitifully, his shimmering peach-blossom eyes slightly reddened.

“Sis, it hurts.”

I felt terribly guilty.

I had only just refused him, and then he had turned around and saved me.

Honestly, I would have to say, “I really am the worst,” before going to sleep that night.

I crouched down and pulled up his sleeve. His skin was actually red over a large area.

Oh my god!

He was far too delicate!

I found some medicine and, while tugging at his clothes, chatted with him. “You’re so delicate and frail. How could your family bear to let you enter the game?

“Did you sneak in?”

Jiang Yubai pressed his lips together. “I don’t have a family anymore.”

Huh?

Before I had time to think about the weight of that sentence, I saw the dense scars and needle marks covering his wrist.

Together with what Jiang Yubai had said, my mind instantly filled in an entire family ethics drama.

I immediately dropped his sleeve and silently recited in my heart: [I can’t see it, I can’t see it. I mustn’t interfere in another person’s karma.]

But when I stood up, I saw Jiang Yubai lower his eyes forlornly, his lashes trembling like butterfly wings, as if he were crying.

……

Ahhh, I couldn’t take it anymore!

My conscience really couldn’t bear it.

So I abruptly sat back down, met Jiang Yubai’s startled gaze, and applied medicine to him while unleashing a torrent of colorful abuse at his parents.

As I went on cursing, Jiang Yubai suddenly laughed.

The youth already had the kind of delicate beauty that stood out. When he smiled, it was as if the clouds parted after rain and the sky cleared, making the whole world bright.

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

And so, with my mind blank, I finished bandaging his scraped skin, then rose in a daze and headed for the door.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yubai tugged at my sleeve. In a pitiful voice, he said, “Sis, are you leaving?

“Don’t abandon me, okay? I want to follow you.

“I’m very useful.”

As he spoke, tears began to fall, one after another.

My reason slowly returned.

Actually…… maybe there was no harm in taking him along?