Chapter 58 : Chapter 58
Chapter 58: This Is Hope
At this moment, the two humans and one ghost were each preoccupied with their own thoughts.
Shen Shuyun was thinking about her mission and how to find the old director, while Zhao Mingyue’s thoughts were more complicated, mainly because of what Shen Shuyun had said earlier.
She knew that Bai Yu’s past was mysterious, and Bai Yu had never spoken about it. In Zhao Mingyue’s view, however, that was not important. She did not necessarily need to understand Bai Yu’s past.
But she truly did not want to become Bai Yu’s burden.
Bai Yu’s past was not simple, and now she was attached to Zhao Mingyue. If Zhao Mingyue remained weak, then no matter how powerful Bai Yu was, that strength would still be restrained.
So perhaps it was time for her to make some small changes.
For example, completing certain tasks on her own while Bai Yu was not beside her.
As Zhao Mingyue thought about this, her resolve grew stronger.
Yes. That was what she would do.
If she did not become stronger, then today some seductive vixen might reach out to Bai Yu—and tomorrow even more little temptresses would come flirting around!
After all, who would not like a cute little female ghost like Bai Yu?
Even worse, some men might appear as well.
A youthful, beautiful Fierce Ghost who would never grow old, who could only rely on you for her entire life, obedient, considerate, hiding in your shadow during the day to secretly protect you, and appearing in the quiet of night to share your worries and ease your troubles—who would not like that?
Those “old friends” from Bai Yu’s past must all be familiar with her.
Forget those friends—even Zhao Mingyue herself would definitely be tempted if she were in their place and understood the situation.
The sense of crisis rising in her heart made Zhao Mingyue strengthen her determination.
Her deep, bright eyes seemed to contain countless stars as she stared firmly at Bai Yu’s back. Her small fist quietly clenched as she silently encouraged herself.
Bai Yu seemed to sense something from ahead and glanced back at Zhao Mingyue.
Zhao Mingyue’s outfit today was very ordinary—light gray casual clothes paired with white sneakers, her hair casually tied into a ponytail.
It could only be said that her natural foundation was enviable. From her stunning appearance to her temperament, everything about her was flawless.
But no matter how beautiful she was, it could not hide the fact that she was still only a high school girl.
Just earlier, Zhao Mingyue had almost gotten into a conflict with Number 652 precisely because she was still too young.
Most of the time she behaved very well. At the very least, she was not like those foolishly innocent female protagonists in comics. Her occasional small flaws instead made her seem more like a normal young student.
In many situations like hers, the more sensible someone was, the more it made others feel sorry for them.
Putting Zhao Mingyue’s matter aside, Bai Yu lifted her head and looked at a building not far away.
She was thinking that if this place was Number 652’s memory, then would the other participants of the game experience the same thing?
This school clearly was not a coincidence. If other participants could also have such an opportunity once…
Then what about her?
Would she also return to that monastery?
Would she also need to recover her memories through the ghosts who had died there?
If those who died there all became ghosts who remained forever like the ones in this school… then could she see her younger sister again?
“Sister Yu.”
On the road approaching the youth center, Zhao Mingyue suddenly reached out from behind and grabbed Bai Yu’s arm.
“What is it?”
“I still have several tasks that I have not completed yet, right? I… I want to try doing them myself!” Zhao Mingyue said firmly, pointing at Shen Shuyun. “You go somewhere else with her first. You two have things to do, right? After half an hour, I will still be waiting for you here.”
“No.”
Bai Yu spoke two words. Her voice was soft, but her tone was resolute.
“Let me try. Everyone needs to grow. I think you must have been the same in the past. Without hardship and danger, how can someone grow? I cannot let you protect me forever, and besides, we do not have much time left!”
Zhao Mingyue had learned this speech from a certain comic. She definitely could not have come up with it herself.
Based on her understanding of Bai Yu, these words were the most effective. They would certainly work better than acting spoiled or throwing a tantrum.
“You are right,” Bai Yu said after two seconds of silence.
Zhao Mingyue felt delighted when she heard that. Before she could say anything, Bai Yu added another sentence.
“But in a certain sense, I actually can protect you for a lifetime.”
“Ah… what?”
Zhao Mingyue never expected Bai Yu to say such a thing so seriously. It completely contradicted Bai Yu’s usual style.
Her cheeks warmed slightly, and the tips of her ears turned red. Zhao Mingyue felt that although the words did not match Bai Yu’s usual image, they truly moved her.
“What you said is correct. Hardship and danger help people grow. But you overlooked one thing—hardship and danger can also turn you into a corpse before you grow strong enough.”
“Living under someone else’s wings is not entirely a bad thing.”
At this point, Bai Yu turned around again. Her gaze returned to Shen Shuyun as she glanced sideways toward the direction of the Cafeteria and then toward the nearby youth center.
“If you really want to try doing something alone, that is fine. We will meet here again in twenty minutes.”
Bai Yu changed her mind so quickly that Zhao Mingyue almost could not react. All the arguments she had prepared in her mind vanished instantly.
“Mm… alright.”
Leaving Zhao Mingyue behind, Bai Yu said to Shen Shuyun, “Let us go to the Cafeteria.”
“Fine. I will follow your lead.”
They walked along a small path toward the Cafeteria. Zhao Mingyue was already out of sight when a smile appeared on Shen Shuyun’s face.
“You are leaving her behind alone. Are you not worried?”
“I am not.”
“Heh… as long as you are not worried.”
The atmosphere fell silent. Shen Shuyun could not figure out what Bai Yu was planning. She said she would leave Zhao Mingyue behind, and she really did leave her to complete the task alone.
“The female protagonist is still just a child who smells of milk. I do not understand why you treat her so well. Even if you truly want to use her to complete the mission, there is no need to go this far.”
After a moment of silence, Shen Shuyun spoke again.
She had already noticed that Bai Yu’s attitude toward Zhao Mingyue was not normal. It had nothing to do with the mission.
Developing genuine feelings for a character within the storyline was extremely dangerous.
That was how the Scum Game worked. If it discovered your feelings, then after the mission ended, a final task would be triggered.
That task would revolve around the story character you had fallen in love with.
Failure meant death, while success… no one knew what would happen, because until now no one had ever succeeded.
“Stop talking nonsense. Go complete your mission. If you fail it, I will kill you.”
“Kill me? That is my mission, not yours. And did you not say it yourself? There is no punishment for failure in your mission.” Shen Shuyun frowned.