Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 62
by Little PandaVolume 3: Song of the Wanderer
Great Demon King 21
The Game of the Brave
Love too obsessive brings fear to hearts, unless there is mutual compatibility.
Xin Lan made a round, but had only one question.
Where was the path to the rooftop?
The game rules stated that past the third floor, only one person could reach the rooftop.
Yet this floor didn’t even have stairs, seemingly impossible to go up from the surface.
Xin Lan remained silent in thought, Ren Difei also didn’t speak.
Qi Haolin, collapsed on the ground, was in an unconscious state, his brows tightly furrowed.
“Watch him.”
Xin Lan tossed these words at Ren Difei, then went to the bedroom on this floor.
The photos were densely pasted, especially on the wall opposite the master bedroom’s bed, there were numerous frontal shots – if one sat on the bed, it would feel like n identical men were smiling at you from directly across.
Xin Lan had Ling Jiu perform a scan, and found a box under the cabinet.
This box could be considered the most normal furnishing on this floor, as it was just an ordinary tin box without any decorations or photos.
Considering even the kitchen spice containers and bathroom toothbrushes had photos pasted on them, this box without anything attached was truly pleasing to the eye.
Xin Lan opened the box, inside was a small notebook.
Logically, this should be an important clue.
The notebook appeared aged, its pages slightly yellowed.
The title page had several lines of text, the handwriting beautiful and flowing.
————My clopping hooves are a beautiful mistake
————I am not one returning home, but a passerby
Ling Jiu: This is a modern poem from this world, “Mistake” [錯誤 | Cuòwù] by Zheng Chouyu [鄭愁予 | Zhèng Chóuyú]
Xin Lan: What’s the complete poem?
Ling Jiu: I passed through Jiangnan [江南 | Jiāngnán | region south of Yangtze River]
The face waiting in the seasons blooms and falls like lotus
Without east wind, March’s willow catkins won’t fly
Your heart is like a small lonely city
Just like stone streets towards evening
Without footsteps echoing, March’s spring curtains won’t lift
Your heart is a small tightly closed window
My clopping hooves are a beautiful mistake
I am not one returning home, but a passerby
Xin Lan raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and began to flip through the pages.
The notebook didn’t contain much content, only the first few pages had some written words.
‘This thought has spun countless times in my mind, I don’t know if I have the courage to complete it, because it’s insane.’
‘I got what I wanted, happiness and pain, her eyes held both joy and hatred when looking at me.’
‘They say the rooftop holds her secret.’
‘I must ultimately pay the price for my madness, and so must she.’
‘I am not one returning home, just a passerby. This is a mistake, from beginning to end it’s all a mistake.’
Xin Lan’s gaze lingered on the page mentioning the rooftop, undoubtedly this was a matter of relationships, and the ‘she’ mentioned should be the house’s owner.
She closed the notebook, looked up at the photos covering the room, and felt her eyes ache again.
However, she hadn’t come to this room primarily to find these things, otherwise there’d be no need to avoid Ren Difei.
She looked at Yu Wanyan, who tilted her head and met her gaze.
“Do you want to leave this place?”
“Why do you ask that?”
Yu Wanyan neither confirmed nor denied.
“I have no plans to leave, or rather, I have no plans to live. This opportunity given to me would be wasted, but the initiative is mine, I think you should understand my meaning.”
Xin Lan looked at Yu Wanyan, this place wasn’t a home for her, but for others it was.
Between Ren Difei and Yu Wanyan, Xin Lan had to choose one, and in this choice, she would pick Yu Wanyan.
After all, Yu Wanyan had helped her, whether with her violin or herself.
Yu Wanyan didn’t ask why, she frowned slightly and began to think.
She had been following Xin Lan since the game began, knowing everything Xin Lan had said and done, including Xin Lan’s previous conversation with Qi Haolin.
Qi Haolin had been saying the Xin Lan before them wasn’t the original one, but Yu Wanyan didn’t investigate this, it didn’t matter whether they were the same person or not, she didn’t know the original one anyway, she only recognized this one.
Now this person was telling her she didn’t plan to live.
Yu Wanyan felt neither surprised nor absurd, she could see that Xin Lan wasn’t suicidal, perhaps she just wanted to leave, to leave this body.
Where she would go, she didn’t know.
It was as if she was truly participating in this game, and after nearly completing it, or what she considered completion, she would simply leave decisively.
“Why?”
Yu Wanyan still asked.
“No reason.”
“If I want to leave, would you choose me?”
“Of course.”
Xin Lan wasn’t a philanthropist, but as long as the other party was compliant, helping when she could wasn’t a problem, which was why she had brought Ren Difei out when reaching the second floor.
She didn’t need this opportunity, and could give it to Ren Difei, provided Yu Wanyan chose not to leave.
The weight of each choice, Xin Lan naturally had a grasp on.
Hearing Xin Lan’s words, Yu Wanyan felt a bit happy.
This meant she held at least some place in Xin Lan’s heart.
She curved her lips slightly and gave Xin Lan her answer.
“Alright.”
Xin Lan nodded, indicating she understood.
“What does this floor want us to do, is it to find the way out?”
“More or less, though the process will be somewhat complicated, but the danger level isn’t high,” Yu Wanyan paused, “I can also directly open the passage for you.”
“Isn’t that against the rules?”
Xin Lan raised an eyebrow.
“It is, but it doesn’t matter.”
Yu Wanyan shrugged, her long hair swaying with her movement.
“Aren’t rules made to be broken? The worst punishment would just be disappearing.”
Xin Lan didn’t hesitate long before nodding.
This house and that tin box, everything indicated they held secrets.
Xin Lan didn’t care about solving the puzzle, but she thought about Ren Difei.
Ren Difei had gone almost a day without food or water, and Yu Wanyan said this floor might be complicated, complexity meant the timeline would be extended.
Xin Lan had anticipated that the final floor might be time-consuming, otherwise the second floor wouldn’t have forced them to gather within one day, applying pressure.
Yu Wanyan walked in front of Xin Lan, her figure emanating a faint light.
After she walked out, Xin Lan felt trembling beneath her feet, and after about half a minute, the trembling stopped.
“Yu Wanyan, are you crazy?”
Zhen Zhen couldn’t understand what Yu Wanyan was doing, watching as her chosen one was about to leave, the remaining two had no ability to resist, yet Yu Wanyan herself opened the passage first.
This was against the rules, she would be eliminated.
Yu Wanyan didn’t explain, only looking in Xin Lan’s direction.
Xin Lan mouthed a thank you, and Yu Wanyan smiled and shook her head.
Ren Difei couldn’t see Yu Wanyan and Zhen Zhen, and was confused about the recent trembling.
“Was it an earthquake?”
Xin Lan didn’t answer him, approaching the unconscious Qi Haolin.
She bent down, patted Qi Haolin’s face, and seeing no signs of consciousness, increased the force of her hand.
Qi Haolin opened his eyes, his expression still somewhat dazed.
Then his gaze grew increasingly clear, but his eyes looked at Xin Lan with growing hatred.
“I’ve found the way out, do you want to leave?”
Xin Lan lowered her head, asking in quite good spirits.
Qi Haolin was momentarily stunned, looking at Xin Lan suspiciously, not knowing what game she was playing.
Xin Lan had originally planned to put on a pretense, but seeing Qi Haolin’s face made her lose interest.
Xin Lan dragged Qi Haolin to the stairs leading to the rooftop.
She dragged him up bit by bit, and though Qi Haolin was in pain, the pain made him more alert.
At the very top wasn’t a door, but something like a halo of light, emanating hopeful radiance.
Xin Lan released her hand and removed the cloth stuffed in Qi Haolin’s mouth.
“See that? If you climb up one more step, you can get out of here, not only stay alive but also get 100 million.”
Xin Lan said with a smile, watching the suspicious expression on Qi Haolin’s face.
Qi Haolin hesitated, not knowing what Xin Lan was trying to do.
How could Xin Lan possibly give up this opportunity willingly, but he couldn’t be content doing nothing.
That was 100 million yuan!
He could survive and become wealthy!
“What exactly do you want?”
Qi Haolin’s voice was as raspy as sandpaper scratching, but his fingers were secretly moving.
“Just giving you a chance, within one minute, if you can climb up, you win. If you can’t, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Although Qi Haolin found it strange, the opportunity was right before his eyes – only a fool wouldn’t grasp it.
He supported his injured body, his hands too weak to exert force, his legs painful with every movement, but he couldn’t give up.
Qi Haolin gritted his teeth, stretching his bloodied legs on the stairs, struggling to move upward.
Just one step, just getting up there would mean liberation!
Human potential is limitless, and Qi Haolin truly struggled up bit by bit. Just as he was about to reach it, he suddenly felt a pulling force, and his whole body was yanked down.
“You!”
Qi Haolin glared at Xin Lan, his expression fierce, eyes bloodshot with excitement – he had been about to succeed, he was just about to get up there!
“One minute is up.”
Xin Lan said thus, smiling like a demon king.
Her appearance held a hint of demonic aura, usually frightening when cold-faced, but when smiling like this, she emanated an even more sinister air.
Whether the minute was actually up didn’t matter, it was all up to Xin Lan’s say-so.
“But I can give you another chance, after all, you were so ‘good’ to me before.”
Xin Lan smiled meaningfully, and Qi Haolin didn’t want to waste a second, immediately starting to climb again.
But just as he was almost there, he was pulled down again.
Qi Haolin was nearly breaking down, cursing desperately at Xin Lan.
The vulgar words were awful to hear, but Xin Lan wasn’t angry.
To her, this was just a mad dog’s barking, noisy but inconsequential.
The more frenzied, suffering, heartbroken, and hysterical Qi Haolin became, the happier she was.
“Does it hurt? Are you in despair?”
Xin Lan asked with a smile.
The pain and despair inflicted on others, it was time for repayment.
Better this way, dying in a state of unwillingness yet powerlessness, this would maximize the suffering.
Qi Haolin breathed heavily, his heart surging with boundless hatred, he knew this woman wouldn’t let him off easily, she just wanted to torture him!
“Is this what you wanted?”
Qi Haolin’s voice was low and hoarse, sensing his own pathetic state from the mockery in Xin Lan’s eyes.
“Still missing the final touch.”
“Can we let Miss Green Hat devour him now, or should we wait until after he’s dead?”
Xin Lan looked toward Yu Wanyan and asked.
“Now is fine.”
Although knowing Xin Lan couldn’t see her, Zhen Zhen still replied quite cheerfully.
LP: Re-translated on January 31, 2025
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