Chapter 63: The Weight of Memory and a Fateful Revelation

Su Linxi took a deep breath, opening the door once more.

Standing at the threshold was none other than Yu Naixi, clad in the uniform of Taisugi Senior High School.

“Come in.”

Maintaining her composure, Su Linxi stepped aside, allowing Yu Naixi to pass.

“Aren’t you curious how I knew you were at Zhong Tian’s house?” Yu Naixi inquired, her face bearing its characteristic half-smile as she swept past Su Linxi and entered the room.

“Because… it’s you… I’m not… surprised.”

“So you think that highly of me,” Yu Naixi remarked, settling onto the sofa. Her gaze swept around the room before finally resting on Su Linxi. “Those glasses of yours, they’re one-way glass, aren’t they? Yes, they certainly obstruct my abilities, but they look rather amusing.”

“……”

“Speaking of which, what happened to your voice?” Seeing Su Linxi remained silent, she pressed on, “Is it a permanent side effect of your ability?”

“…Yes.”

“Well, that’s not so bad, better than my dissociative identity disorder.”

“……”

“Do you intend to stand while we chat?” Yu Naixi inquired, gesturing for Su Linxi to sit with an air of perfect ease, as if she were the hostess and Su Linxi the guest. “Please, sit.”

Su Linxi took a seat, her gaze still meeting Yu Naixi’s through the one-way lenses.

“I’ll be direct,” Yu Naixi stated. Seeing Su Linxi seated, she shed her smile, adopting a serious tone. “How do you know about my ability?”

Su Linxi remained silent.

She was carefully choosing her words.

‘I certainly can’t tell her the whole truth; I’ll need to make some omissions and alterations…’

“……I’ve… experienced it… so I… know.”

“Experienced it? Have we met before?” Yu Naixi narrowed her eyes, seemingly scrutinizing Su Linxi. “I don’t even know your name.”

Su Linxi exhaled deeply, and having made up her mind, she began to speak.

“My… ability… is… rebirth.”

“In my previous… life… you and I… were friends……” Su Linxi paused. “You demonstrated your ability to me, at my wedding.”

“Wh-what?”

Su Linxi’s words entirely surpassed Yu Naixi’s imagination, causing her to display an expression of utter shock for the first time in front of another person. “…Rebirth? Wedding?”

“Yes.”

As she recalled the past, an involuntary look of terror crept into Su Linxi’s eyes, and her body trembled slightly.

“At that… time… you were… my bridesmaid. At the wedding… your ability… evolved… no longer requiring… eye contact to… alter perception… and memory. Simultaneously… you were… completely… overtaken… by your other… personality……”

“And then…… then… you caused… everyone… who attended… the wedding… to bless me… to commit suicide… or to slaughter… each other. You even… tried to… kill me… with your own hands.”

“Stop……” Still reeling from shock, Yu Naixi reached out, halting Su Linxi. “Why would I kill people? This wedding…… I…”

“It… was my… wedding… to Zhong Tian.”

The words Su Linxi uttered, her voice trembling slightly, left Yu Naixi utterly stunned.

A wedding with Zhong Tian……

[Ah, so that’s how it is. If it were me, I would indeed kill everyone~ and then take Zhong Tian away, keeping him by my side forever~]

“Shut up……”

Yu Naixi clasped her hands to her forehead, bowing her head. Her long black hair fell like silken ribbons, obscuring her face.

She was afraid.

Her fear wasn’t rooted in Su Linxi’s revelation of her using her abilities to kill, but in herself—in that fleeting moment just now, she had found it perfectly reasonable……

[I’ve sacrificed so much for Zhong Tian. Anyone who tries to steal him away must surely be killed.]

‘I actually endorsed such an act……’

Su Linxi, having approached her at some unknown moment, gently stroked her back. “Calm yourself……”

“Now… your… other… personality’s… influence… on you… is already… very deep,” Su Linxi explained. “Even a slight… emotional… fluctuation… could cause… her to emerge… to affect you… or even… as last night… to take your place……”

Observing Yu Naixi’s increasingly despairing expression, Su Linxi carefully chose her next words.

“Despite… this… there is… a solution.”

“What solution?”

“You must… undo… the modifications… to perception… and memory… for certain individuals,” Su Linxi stated. “Especially… Zhong Tian’s……”

Yu Naixi sat up once more, her gaze fixed on Su Linxi’s face, remaining silent for a long moment.

“As an ability user himself… the modifications… you made… to Zhong Tian… are your greatest… burden. If you undo… Zhong Tian’s… modifications… and use your ability less… you can… escape… the fate… of being completely… taken over… by the other… personality……”

“……”

Yu Naixi gnashed her teeth, shaking her head vehemently.

“No…… The happy days he lives now are entirely due to the modifications I made for him. If he were to remember… he would break down……”

“Zhong Tian… is a strong… person. I… believe… he can… endure it.”

“His strength is also a result of my modifications!”

This time, it was Su Linxi’s turn to be astonished; this was indeed something she had not known.

“However, this isn’t just about your safety…”

Yu Naixi’s expression suddenly turned feral. “What does that matter?! I can’t let him……”

“He died!” Su Linxi finally interjected loudly, revealing the truth she had intended to conceal. “In the previous… life… Zhong Tian… died protecting… me!”

The expression on Yu Naixi’s face instantly crumbled.

The words struck her like a heavy hammer, pounding at her mind, leaving her almost dizzy.

“Your… protection… of him… ultimately… only led… to both… your deaths! And… many… innocent… people!” Su Linxi exclaimed, her eyes welling with tears.

“Rather… than face… such an… outcome… it would be better… to choose… to trust… Zhong Tian… undo… the modifications… to him… stay by… his side… and help… him through… those unpleasant… memories!”

Yu Naixi remained frozen in place by Su Linxi’s words, her expression betraying an undeniable waver.

“I……”

Again, she clutched her forehead and lowered her head, her teeth tightly clenched.

[Tell me, don’t you think she’s just using you?]

[She merely wants to use you to avert that so-called death, and then snatch Zhong Tian away.]

[Besides, who knows if what she’s saying is even true?]

[Don’t be so foolish, ‘me’.]

Suddenly, Yu Naixi lashed out, her hand shooting towards Su Linxi’s neck.

Su Linxi had no time to react, her neck seized, and her glasses knocked away.

In her panic, she barely managed to close her eyes before Yu Naixi pinned her body against the sofa. Yet, Su Linxi did not entirely lose her wits; with difficulty, she retrieved pepper spray from her pocket, unleashing a chaotic spray towards her attacker.

“Ugh—!”

The spray hit Yu Naixi’s face, instantly blinding her with its stinging burn, and she instinctively recoiled from Su Linxi.

Su Linxi had intended to seize her in return, but with her eyes shut, she failed to grasp Yu Naixi’s arm, allowing her to escape.

She fumbled on the sofa, finding her glasses. Only after putting them back on did she dare open her eyes, only to discover Yu Naixi had already reached the door.

Bang!

The door slammed shut with a heavy thud.

Su Linxi gasped for breath. She wanted to pursue Yu Naixi and calm her, but she dared not. She feared she hadn’t actually sprayed her, that Yu Naixi was merely feigning retreat, waiting just outside the door for her.

Su Linxi felt immense vexation. Yet, at present, she was powerless, able only to hope Yu Naixi would recover on her own…… Even without her abilities fully evolved, what she could accomplish was truly terrifying.

‘I shouldn’t have provoked her just now…’

‘I messed up…!’

She tossed the pepper spray aside, covering her face as she struggled to compose herself.

Yet, her mind was still plagued by flashbacks of the past: relatives and friends slaughtering each other at the banquet, Zhong Tian and Yu Naixi fallen in pools of blood, and herself, clad in a blood-stained wedding dress.

It was these very memories that had made Su Linxi emotional moments ago, causing her to utter words she shouldn’t have, and leading to Yu Naixi’s loss of control.

……

Gripping the pepper spray tightly, she stood, resolved to pursue Yu Naixi nonetheless.

****

Inside the Literature Club.

The final self-study period that afternoon was designated for the Literature Club’s recruitment drive. The club president had informed members to gather in the clubroom.

The Literature Club president, a senior in her third year, had delegated the task of leading the recruitment efforts in the first-year classes to the second-year members, as her own academic workload was demanding.

She divided them into five groups, pairing them off.

Li Jianren and Bai Ruijin were assigned to one group.

“Li Jianren, you have excellent communication skills, so you’ll be responsible for going up on stage and promoting the club to each class,” the Literature Club president instructed them, having finished giving orders to the other groups. “Here’s a script, but feel free to deviate if you have better ideas.”

“Alright, President, I guarantee the mission will be accomplished.”

“Ruijin, you’re in charge of noting down those who volunteer to join the club.”

As she spoke, the Literature Club president subtly winked at Bai Ruijin.

Bai Ruijin quickly nodded, then covertly gave her a thumbs-up in return.

‘Thank you, President!’