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墨書 Inktalez
The reasons that could make a man angry, Xu Nuan guessed some things in extreme shock, but Rationality told her it was impossible. She wouldn’t do such a thing; she wasn’t a puppet being manipulated by others. How could she act without her knowledge?
However, no matter how much she tried to convince herself internally, the confident and somewhat playful expression on Shen Shen's face left her feeling panicked and bewildered.
"You seem quite confused," Shen Shen's smile appeared to Xu Nuan like a devil's grin at that moment. "Anyway, your people and things are all here. I don't mind clarifying things for you."
As Shen Shen approached Xu Nuan, before she could react, he pushed her down and buried his head in the crook of her neck. It wasn't until the sharp pain registered that Xu Nuan realized the predicament she was in. She hurriedly pushed at Shen Shen with her bound hands.
Shen Shen took the opportunity to release her, not lingering too long, but still wearing an expression that hinted at lingering amusement.
"How disgusting."
Xu Nuan bluntly expressed her feelings. If her hands were free at that moment, she would have drawn the dagger from her waist and stabbed the man before her. But now she realized that the short dagger at her waist had already been taken away and thrown some distance away.
"Heh heh."
Shen Shen merely chuckled at Xu Nuan's comment, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"You don’t really think Gu Ze and Xu Hang saw this kind of scene, do you? If it were just this, their attitude towards you over these past few days wouldn’t have been so strange."
"You've been following us?"
Xu Nuan struggled to keep herself from imagining what had happened at the Supply Station. She feared falling into Shen Shen's trap; he was clearly using a divide-and-conquer tactic. There must be a purpose behind binding her here, and she couldn’t fall for it—she absolutely couldn’t.
She kept encouraging herself in her mind, but Shen Shen continued to strike at her mercilessly, as if he found pleasure in seeing her psychological defenses crumble.
"You really think this game is just for fun? Your vigilance is getting worse and worse, especially yours. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have failed to notice our presence. I’m genuinely curious how you managed to get this far with such skills."
Xu Nuan glared at Shen Shen, refusing to respond. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dong Keyong meticulously checking the contents of his backpack, which only deepened her confusion.
However, her moment of distraction allowed Shen Shen to notice her intentions. He reached out and held her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"You really are a clever person; you almost fell for it. Let's return to the topic we left unfinished."
As he saw Xu Nuan's evasive gaze, the smile on Shen Shen's lips widened.
"Back at the Supply Station, we were quite intimate. You were the one taking the initiative while I was passive. Your expression back then was truly enticing. If it weren't for time constraints, I surely would have been swayed."
I was the one taking the initiative?
Xu Nuan, who had been telling herself not to be influenced by Shen Shen's words, couldn't help but waver at this statement.
To an outsider, her being affectionate with Shen Shen meant that she had a very close relationship with him. No wonder Gu Ze would say such things. Qin Yaojie had barely passed away when she got involved with Gu Ze, and she had even appeared unable to resist in the lounge with Shen Shen...
For some reason, she recalled the scene in the lounge: her hands wrapped around Shen Shen's neck as they kissed, leaning against him without a care even when Gu Ze and Xu Hang walked in. She remembered Gu Ze's furious expression, Xu Hang trying to mediate, and Fan Beibei lying unconscious. Finally, she lost consciousness while Shen Shen was saying something to her.
That person wasn't herself. Xu Nuan's eyes widened as she looked at Shen Shen in panic, seeing a demon before her.
"What did you do to me?"
She had completely forgotten what had happened at that time. No, that wasn't the point; the point was that she understood why Gu Ze had misunderstood her. She should find Gu Ze and explain that it wasn't voluntary.
As this desire surged within her, Xu Nuan slumped back down again. No, she had already ended things with Gu Ze. Whether it was their previous argument or Gu Ze's doubts about her or even believing Shen Shen's words and handing over her backpack—all of it indicated that her relationship with Gu Ze was completely over; a romance that ended before it even began. Since it was over, it didn't matter whether Gu Ze misunderstood her or not. And looking at her current situation, there was no escaping.
No escape.
Xu Nuan's expression grew increasingly dazed as Shen Shen continued to strike at her.
"I hadn't planned on putting on such a show in the lounge, but unfortunately, I had too many questions and not enough time. I could only let them know about our relationship before taking you out later for a proper discussion. Look at this—your companions all believe me now; they've all given up on you."
Had she given up on her?
No, it was she who had been abandoned.
Xu Nuan did not know when she lost consciousness. When she slowly regained awareness, she found several flashlights placed strategically around the cave, illuminating the entire space.
She realized that she was still tied up, her hands and feet numb. Perhaps it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but she felt very cold.
As her vision cleared, she noticed Shen Shen sitting outside her meters, resting his chin on one hand, deep in thought. Dong Keyong was nowhere to be seen.
As her brain began to function again, Xu Nuan recalled what had happened before she lost consciousness. Her pupils constricted sharply as shock washed over her once more. Just moments ago, she had learned from Shen Shen's words about the strange events that had transpired involving her, leading Gu Ze and Xu Hang to misunderstand her. Now those people believed she was familiar with Shen Shen and acknowledged that she had distanced herself from the team.
Xu Nuan let out a self-deprecating laugh; much of this situation stemmed from her own actions. It was her obsession with Qin Yaojie from long ago that had led her to disregard her own life. She hadn’t properly explained to Gu Ze and the others why she was fixated on Ning Han and Zhang Xiao either. It was also the familiarity with Gu Ze and Shen Shen that contributed to this mess.
Her concealment and ambiguity had resulted in the current predicament; ultimately, it was her own doing.
Useless.
Xu Nuan suddenly felt all support slip away as she leaned despairingly against the rock, staring blankly at the cave ceiling, seemingly uninterested in everything around her.
The two people in the cave remained silent—one lost in a daze, the other deep in thought.
Time passed without Xu Nuan noticing until Shen Shen's murmurs jolted her awake. She turned to look at him and found him still immersed in his thoughts, his brow furrowed—a rare sight.
Whatever troubled Shen Shen must have been significant. As this thought crossed her mind, Xu Nuan suddenly remembered something.
She had inexplicably lost consciousness; she had done things without even realizing it. In recent nightmares, she had called out the name of someone she didn’t know. During those two days of unconsciousness, it felt as if someone were peering into her psychological state.
The truth seemed to be on the verge of revelation.
“Is it your doing that Fan Beibei is going crazy?”
Xu Nuan even recalled the time when Fan Beibei lost control, and how Deng Yinyin had seen Fan Beibei in a dazed state.
The person before her was not an ordinary Game Designer.
After Xu Nuan spoke, Shen Shen stopped thinking and turned to her, looking at her with a peculiar gaze, praising her.
“You're indeed the last person to know that secret. Qin Yaojie really risked his life to tell you.”
Her heart began to race violently, as if someone were banging on her head with Drumsticks. Every part of her body, every cell urged her to distance herself from this man, who was a reaper cloaked in the guise of a refined doctor.
“Have I seen you outside the game?”
She vaguely guessed that Shen Shen had used some trick to make Fan Beibei act that way back then, and it was very likely that she had fallen into the same trap.
Shen Shen's smile widened, revealing a sense of admiration.
“I didn't expect you to remember. I actually gave you a hint to make you forget me. It seems that the medicine Qin Yaojie gave you affected my suggestion; that's my oversight.”
A suggestion?
Psychological suggestion?
“Are you a psychologist?”
This was a field Xu Nuan found both fascinating and terrifying.
Shen Shen waved his hand dismissively.
"I prefer you to call me a Game Designer."
All Game Designers, regardless of their outward appearance, are inherently very proud.
Xu Nuan thought about the illusions she had seen in games so far, likely the result of psychologists like Shen Shen combined with some drugs. Although she wasn't clear on the specifics, the integration of such abilities into technology ultimately gave this game a magical effect, proving the talent of the person before her.
"You came to the hospital when I was admitted, right?"
In reality, Xu Nuan had not broken through Shen Shen's psychological suggestions and had not found any trace of this person in her distant memories. However, she could infer what had happened in the past based on her general impressions.
"Did you know me back then? Were you close with Qin Yaojie?"
She had two guesses: either Shen Shen learned of her existence through Qin Yaojie and came to see her with ulterior motives, or this person was someone who had been very familiar with Qin Yaojie, even someone deeply trusted by him, invited to the hospital by Qin Yaojie.
"No need to probe further," Shen Shen said with a knowing smile that made Xu Nuan feel quite embarrassed. "You're very clever, but unfortunately just an ordinary person without ambition. I can read all your thoughts from your expressions and actions. Of course, I can also make you reveal what I want to know. Everyone must hide themselves in front of me."
Such arrogant words! Yet, shocked and panicked, Xu Nuan believed what Shen Shen said was true. She became increasingly certain that Shen Shen had deliberately pushed her to the brink of collapse so that it would be easy to send her into unconsciousness.
So, what did this Shen Shen want to know? What had she done unconsciously?
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