Forbidden Land – CH 126

Zhang Chao returned from the Seventh Hospital around dinnertime. Remembering the text message that foreshadowed Zhu Xiaoyu being the next victim, and realizing they hadn’t contacted each other all day, he worried about her safety and quickly called her.

Hearing her answer in a normal tone, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Want to have dinner together tonight?”

Zhu Xiaoyu laughed and said, “What, is Boss Zhang treating?”

Zhang Chao said helplessly, “Fine, I’ll treat you then. Let’s study together afterwards.”

“Oh, you seem reluctant,” Zhu Xiaoyu teased. “Since you’re so reluctant, you don’t need to treat me to dinner, and I won’t study with you tonight.”

Zhang Chao clenched his fist but spoke gently into the phone, “Miss Zhu, I sincerely invite you to dinner and to study together, okay?”

Zhu Xiaoyu smiled smugly and hung up. After leaving the dormitory, the two went to the cafeteria together. They found a secluded spot and sat down.

As they were finishing their meal, Zhu Xiaoyu suddenly smiled mysteriously. “Zhang Chao, Zhang Chao, how long are you going to keep lying to me?”

Zhang Chao was startled and asked, “Lie to you about what?”

Zhu Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes and said, “Have you been acting normally lately?”

Zhang Chao made an “I’m completely honest” gesture and asked, “What’s wrong with me?”

Zhu Xiaoyu nodded and said, “That’s it.”

Zhang Chao was confused. “What’s it?”

Zhu Xiaoyu said, enunciating each word clearly, “You—want—to—pursue—me!”

Pah!

What a bitch! That was utterly ridiculous!

Zhang Chao almost cursed out loud, but this woman was always very formidable, so he didn’t dare to curse her to her face. He just shook his head and said, “No, no, how could that be?”

Zhu Xiaoyu snorted coldly and said, “Bai Qiu died, and you went after Chen Rong. After breaking up with Chen Rong, you turned around and came after me. Zhang Chao, you’re definitely the most ridiculous person in Baisha.”

Zhang Chao almost spat blood and couldn’t help but shout angrily, “What are you saying!”

Seeing that he was angry, Zhu Xiaoyu’s tone immediately softened, and she smiled and said, “I was just joking with you; why are you taking it so seriously? Tell me, why are you following me? What are you doing?”

Zhang Chao said, “Nothing, just studying together.”

Zhu Xiaoyu asked, “Have you and Chen Rong… ever been friends?”

Zhang Chao hesitated for a moment and said, “Not really.”

Zhu Xiaoyu smiled cleverly and said, “I understand; you and Chen Rong must have had some irreparable conflict. But you came to me, either to pursue me, or you’re… Hmph, you must know about Bai Qiu and want to ask me for confirmation?”

“Bai Qiu!” Zhang Chao was stunned. Although he had listened to Lin Yi’ang’s words, he didn’t want to believe that Bai Qiu would really cheat on him. Hearing Zhu Xiaoyu’s words, he asked, “Bai Qiu… she… did she… with someone else…”

Zhu Xiaoyu stirred the water in her bottle and said calmly, “You know, many people daydream during class.”

Zhang Chao immediately understood her meaning and asked anxiously, “How did you know?”

Zhu Xiaoyu replied, “Although this is a secret from the college, we are roommates, and given my relationship with her, of course, I know. I heard it from Bai Qiu herself.”

Zhang Chao took a deep breath and said, “Why did she betray me?”

Zhu Xiaoyu sighed softly. “Actually, you can’t entirely blame her. You should look for the reasons within yourself. When you were pursuing her, you were so passionate. But after you’d won her over, all you did was play games in your dorm every day, and you didn’t even bother to invite her out. I really don’t understand. What’s so great about you guys staring at computers? Is your computer going to marry you? Games like World of Warcraft, Blade & Soul, and Journey to the West—are they really fun? They are so boring—”

Zhang Chao interrupted her commentary on games, saying, “To be more realistic, let’s not talk about games; I know more about games than you do.”

Zhu Xiaoyu continued, “Isn’t it all because you were playing games all day and had less contact with her? During finals last year, Bai Qiu asked you to study together many times, but you refused and stayed in your dorm playing games. I heard you even failed a course. She was really exasperated with you during that time. You should know how popular Bai Qiu was among the boys. If you ignore her, someone else will. As a result, a handsome guy from the architecture student council was constantly looking for her. So, you know, sometimes people get distracted.”

Zhang Chao clenched his fists tightly, cursing through gritted teeth. “Those student council brats—what’s wrong with the student council? He really thinks he’s some kind of official, really… Damn it, which sleazy guy is he!”

Zhu Xiaoyu said, “You don’t need to know which one; I’ve only seen him once or twice anyway. That guy was with Bai Qiu for a week or two; who knew he was a playboy and was hanging out with other girls? You know how much it hurts a girl to be played. She said that looking back, she felt very sorry for you, but she was afraid you would find out about her. As a result, the more she thought about it, the more upset she became, and she didn’t speak for a while. Who knew that this would happen later?” As she spoke, there was a hint of sadness in her expression.

Zhang Chao pursed his lips, snorted, and didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say. Was Bai Qiu pitiful or hateful?

But the root cause was his own playing games, which resulted in him not only having to retake the exam at the beginning of the semester but also causing Bai Qiu’s death.

A bloodbath caused by a game!

What the hell was this? Playing games—wasn’t it all Lin Yi’ang’s fault? Otherwise, why would he play online games with him?

In his anger, he placed all the responsibility on Lin Yi’ang. If it weren’t for Lin Yi’ang’s motherly self-righteousness in not telling him about Bai Qiu and instead threatening her, maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t have died. Although knowing about Bai Qiu would definitely have led to a breakup, maybe she wouldn’t have died.

The two were silent for a moment, then Zhu Xiaoyu tentatively asked, “Do you like anyone right now?”

Zhang Chao was taken aback. Who did he like?

Bai Qiu hadn’t only faded from his memory, but it was also difficult for him to feel any sympathy for her now.

Betrayal was truly unforgivable.

But what about Chen Rong? Although she had a terrifying past, she said her illness was cured, and she had always been sincere towards him. Although she concealed her illness, wanting to find a new beginning in her life, that was somewhat selfish. But if it were him, he probably would have kept it hidden and gone to find someone to start a truly new life with.

Anyone would probably make the same choice.

No one was inherently kind; everyone lives only for their own existence.

What did love even matter? Caring for someone was essentially just seeking the happiness derived from caring. When everything fell into place, who would know how to cherish it?

Even couples who had been together for many years weren’t necessarily completely honest with each other. Who you were with—what difference did it make?

You pursue a girl who moved you all your might out of curiosity.

Once you’d won her over and the curiosity was gone, you would find that there were actually plenty of girls in the world who could move you.

A woman’s appearances may vary greatly, but they all had one head and two mouths—weren’t they all the same?

Zhang Chao suddenly felt that Bai Qiu was completely in the past, and Chen Rong should be left in the past. From now on, it really didn’t matter.

Zhu Xiaoyu kept looking at him, seemingly waiting for his answer. Zhang Chao glanced into her eyes and smiled, “No, no one at all.”

Zhu Xiaoyu lowered her head; her eyes seemed to flicker a few times, then she looked up and smiled, “Let’s go; let’s go study!”