Chapter 77: Selfishness
The small eyeball finished speaking, and the room fell deathly silent.
Even the deepest grave couldn’t be this quiet. All sounds of the mundane world vanished, even the dust motes ceased their dance.
As if… the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for Xiang Er’s response.
Xiang Er stared at the small eyeball for a long moment.
Her heart, cold and hard as stone, she didn’t say a word, just scoffed, rolled out of bed, and left the room.
She completely ignored the small eyeball, which, behind her, opened its slit-like mouth wide, its single eye wide with anguish, transparent tears dripping onto the floor.
Hearing the soft patter of tears, Xiang Er’s steps faltered slightly, but then… she quickened her pace.
The small eyeball, seeing her hesitate, perked up, then, its hopes dashed, drooped, its tears flowing as it listlessly wiped them away with one of its cleaning tools.
All it could do now… was clean, like a child of divorcing parents, trying to be good, hoping to be wanted.
Xiang Er, her bare feet padding softly against the floor, stepped out of the guest room and looked around.
Hearing a sound from the kitchen, she glanced towards it, then turned and walked towards the balcony.
She had slept, and now it was night again, the moon bright, the stars sparse, the wind rustling through the branches of the trees outside, a familiar scene that seemed like a lifetime ago.
And it was, in a way. She had died, and been reborn.
Xiang Er stood at the edge of the balcony, looking down. It wasn’t enclosed, and a thought flickered through her mind: Jump.
The next second, a thick tentacle, appearing from nowhere, wrapped tightly around her waist, and a beautiful female voice echoed in her mind:
“Don’t.”
Xiang Er’s body trembled, and she cursed mentally, her voice filled with rage:
“Get out!!!”
The voice immediately disappeared. Xiang Er struggled against the tentacle, but it was no use, the thick, suckered appendage wrapped around her waist, heavy and inescapable.
Akhe, in Shen Yuhe’s form, appeared on the balcony, wearing an apron, holding a spatula, her hair tied back, the image of a domestic goddess.
She stood behind Xiang Er, bathed in moonlight, her face delicate and beautiful, her expression gentle and concerned:
“Please don’t jump, okay?”
Xiang Er was momentarily disoriented. She looked… almost exactly like before.
Except for… the thick, dark red tentacle coiled around her waist, everything seemed normal.
Xiang Er gritted her teeth, grabbed a potted plant from the balcony, a withered, lifeless thing, and smashed the pot against the tentacle, again and again, dirt and broken pottery scattering.
The tentacle remained unfazed, unmarked, only slightly dusty. Xiang Er, enraged, continued to strike, then picked up a sharp shard of pottery and slashed at the tentacle, wanting to sever the disgusting thing!
But… Akhe, enjoying this violent display of affection, her face filled with a blissful satisfaction, said:
“If you like, there’s more…”
Several more potted plants appeared on the balcony, conjured by Akhe.
Akhe said:
“Continue…”
And on the tentacle, where Xiang Er had cut it, realistic-looking wounds appeared, oozing black blood.
Xiang Er, of course, knew it was all fake, and she felt a surge of disgust.
How could this creature be so shameless?
Xiang Er pressed the shard of pottery against her wrist:
“Get away from me.”
Akhe immediately retracted the tentacle, her head bowed humbly, the tentacle disappearing beneath her clothes.
Her voice soft, she said:
“Please don’t do this, I’ll do anything you say, just don’t hurt yourself.”
A sense of grim satisfaction filled Xiang Er. She looked down at Akhe, her gaze cold and aloof, and said:
“I want you to leave this planet, leave this universe, go back to where you came from.”
Akhe looked up, her voice filled with sorrow:
“Is that so… is that what you told Shen Yuhe as well?”
Xiang Er scoffed, the shard of pottery piercing her skin:
“Shen Yuhe never existed!”
But the next second, black slime covered her wrist. Akhe suddenly moved closer, pressing against Xiang Er, her delicate, white hands gently grasping Xiang Er’s wrist.
She lifted Xiang Er’s wrist to her lips and kissed it softly, her voice a whisper:
“I can’t do that.”
Xiang Er felt a wave of nausea, she tried to pull her hand away, but so close, she couldn’t escape Akhe’s sweet fragrance, couldn’t avoid the sorrowful smile on her beautiful face:
“If you truly hate me that much, then let’s just… live like this. I’ll stay with you, take care of you, love you deeply, until you die. And when you die, I’ll die with you, at least we’ll be together in the end, a happy ending of sorts.”
With a resounding slap, Xiang Er struck Akhe across the face!
“Get away from me! Who wants to die with you!”
The sharp crack echoed through the air, and Akhe’s face instantly reddened and swelled.
But Akhe’s eyes lit up, a mixture of pain and amusement in her gaze, as she reached out, gently cupping Xiang Er’s hand:
“You touched me? Does it hurt… why did you hit me so hard? Is your wrist sore? Let me heal it…”
Xiang Er, unable to bear it any longer, kicked Akhe hard in the stomach, pushing her away, and retreated to the living room.
As she walked, she grabbed anything within reach and threw it, ornaments, plants, cushions, chairs… everything!
“Little Ears? Little Ears, are you okay? Don’t move, I’ll throw them…”
That disgusting voice followed her, a persistent shadow, tentacles reaching out, and Xiang Er realized she couldn’t touch anything anymore, the tentacles intercepting her, mimicking her actions, throwing things behind her.
Akhe even let out occasional grunts of pain, as if she had been struck by the objects.
Xiang Er, having run out of things to throw, stood panting in the middle of the living room, the moonlight, like liquid mercury, casting a cold, distorted glow on everything, a world of madness and despair.
She stopped, the absurdity of it all hitting her, and she turned to look at Akhe.
Under the moonlight, Akhe was like a dark, expanding shadow, a mass of tentacles writhing around her vaguely human-shaped form, her dark gaze filled with concern.
Akhe’s voice, soft and gentle, said:
“Are you tired? I made dinner, why don’t you eat something? Living on nutritional supplements isn’t good for you.”
“Aaaaaaaaaaah—”
Xiang Er screamed.
She grabbed her hair and pulled, but it was no use, even her hair was under the Evil God’s control, she couldn’t hurt herself, nor could she hurt it!
This madness, this absurdity, it was worse than hell!
What could she do? Even her life wasn’t her own, defenseless, powerless, she would become… the very thing she loathed most… a plaything!
She screamed and cried, desperately trying to hurt herself, but she couldn’t!
She couldn’t even… hurt herself!
Xiang Er finally collapsed onto the floor, staring at the ceiling, her mind blank.
She couldn’t do anything… nothing mattered anymore.
Only one thing remained to be said:
“I will never love you, not until I die.”
She glared at Akhe, her teeth clenched, the words a venomous promise.
Her heart, her mind, were the only things she could still control, and these would be her final words.
For the next few decades, she would live like a walking corpse, a soulless puppet under the Evil God’s control, so be it.
The Evil God would never have her love, she would make It regret this, forever!
Akhe, hearing those words, her tears flowed again, bloody teardrops staining her apron.
She wiped her eyes, walked over, gently lifted Xiang Er with a tentacle, her voice broken and hoarse:
“I’ll go check on the food. I made chicken soup today, with red dates, it’s good for you…”
She shuffled away, her countless tentacles dragging across the floor, her large, ungainly form seemingly weak and defeated.
Xiang Er, lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, laughed, a harsh, broken sound, saliva and tears mixing, dripping onto the floor.
She had hurt it, she knew, this time, it was real, she had truly hurt it. Hehehe… hahahahaha! It was good, she had a weapon too, It claimed to love her, and she would use that love as a weapon, to pierce through Its lies! Hahahahaha…
Xiang Er’s laughter turned into sobs, a deep, heart-wrenching sorrow.
The person she loved never existed.
She would rather Shen Yuhe had been real, and dead.
Than this… this non-existence, a fabrication of lies and deceit, hatred and betrayal.
She wished Shen Yuhe had been real, and dead.
Akhe had made chicken soup and three stir-fried dishes, clearly a novice cook, the food slightly burnt.
Xiang Er took the pot of chicken soup and dumped it over Akhe’s head, then smashed the plates of food on the floor, the soup and gravy splattering everywhere. She tried to cut her wrists with a shard of broken pottery, but she was stopped.
Her clothes stained with soup and gravy, Akhe removed the pot from her head, wrapped her in tentacles, lifted her, and carried her to the bathroom to clean her.
Xiang Er tried to bang her head against the faucet, but she was restrained. Akhe undressed her, placed her under the shower, and gently, carefully, washed her body.
Even cleaning her… private parts… with a tentacle. Only Xiang Er’s head was uncovered, and she cursed and raved until her voice was hoarse.
After cleaning her, Akhe dressed her in pajamas, carried her to bed, turned on her computer and phone, and, using a pleasant, synthesized female voice, read her the news.
“Nationwide sanitation campaign underway…”
“New discoveries in human genetics research…”
“Increased radiation sickness reported in Lǜ’è City, residents urged to remain calm…”
Xiang Er kicked and screamed, thrashing and sobbing, but eventually, exhaustion claimed her, and she fell into a deep sleep.
Akhe climbed into bed beside her, her arms wrapped around Xiang Er, her face buried in the crook of her neck.
Tears of blood continued to flow, but Akhe was used to it by now, it was the price she had to pay, the bitter fruit of her own actions.
She deserved this, but to give up on Xiang Er… she couldn’t.
Humans said love was selfless, but Akhe couldn’t be selfless, she was selfish, she just wanted to be with Xiang Er, forever, no matter the cost.
Once, she had yearned for Xiang Er’s love, but that was a distant dream now, all she wanted was to be with her, to stay with her, forever, regardless of love or hate, just being together was enough…
But… Akhe’s tentacles trembled, gently touching Xiang Er’s heart.
The small eyeball hopped onto the bed, nestled beside Xiang Er’s pillow, a thin tentacle reaching out to pat Akhe’s tentacle gently.
Like a child’s clumsy attempt at comfort.
The moonlight, like shattered glass, scattered across the floor, as Akhe and the small eyeball huddled beside Xiang Er, savoring the endless sorrow and heartbreak.
As dawn broke, someone approached the building.
In the stairwell, a tentacle and An Yue, in her uniform, sat facing each other under the moonlight.
The tentacle touched An Yue, its message echoing in her mind:
“I was completely honest, but… it still failed.”
It replayed the events of the day.
An Yue, having witnessed everything, was stunned. Was this the logic of a lovesick fool? This Evil God had truly made the worst possible move!
An Yue composed herself and asked:
“Do you want her to love you?”
Akhe:
“I yearn for it, but she hates me…”
An Yue:
“Then if she doesn’t love you, are you willing to leave her?”
Akhe:
“No, I’ve decided, I’ll stay with her, until she dies, and then I’ll merge her soul with mine, and we’ll die together.”
An Yue:
“If an Evil God is willing to commit suicide, that makes things easier…”
Akhe:
“I heard that.”
An Yue quickly changed the subject:
“Actually, Evil God Madam, I came here to tell you that I now have a second rule, and this rule is very scientific and effective, developed by the combined efforts of all the investigators in the country, do you want to hear it?”
Akhe’s voice was instantly filled with eagerness:
“What is it?”
And immediately started rummaging through An Yue’s memories. An Yue quickly stopped her:
“The second rule is! Charm! Always, no matter the time or place, exude a charm that captivates her heart…”
As dawn broke, the conversation between the black tentacle and An Yue finally ended, An Yue leaving, satisfied, the black tentacle retracting into the apartment.
An Yue’s dangerous mission, infiltrating the enemy camp, was once again a resounding success.
A new day had begun.
Xiang Er woke up in the quiet, empty room.
She didn’t get up, just lay in bed, turned on her phone, looked at it, then turned it off again.
The world seemed to be in chaos, but what did it matter to her? She was just a walking corpse now, she didn’t care about anything anymore.
She lay there, staring at the dappled sunlight on the ceiling, her mind blank.
After a while, Akhe’s voice, using Shen Yuhe’s familiar, melodious tone, called out:
“Little Ears, let’s go on a date today, shall we?”
Xiang Er closed her eyes and ignored her. But soon, warm, slimy tentacles lifted her from the bed, sat her up, opened her closet, and held various clothes against her body.
Xiang Er, like a lifeless doll, stared blankly, passively enduring it.
Akhe entered the room, her beautiful face serene, a gentle smile on her lips, as if nothing had happened, her tentacles caressing Xiang Er’s face as she whispered:
“Darling… I want to go on a date with you, how about you? Do you want to go on a date with your Little Fish?”
Xiang Er didn’t answer.
Akhe’s tentacle gently touched her lips, then, after a moment, sighed, and said:
“Let’s go.”
The tentacles dressed Xiang Er, then bent down and, using delicate white hands, put on her shoes.
Meanwhile, outside the residential complex, government agents, following a carefully planned strategy, were preparing for a large-scale operation.
The operation, classified as top secret, was overseen by a team of elite strategists, its codename: Evil God’s Rules of Romance.
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