Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 49

Since things had come to this, the first priority was to eat.

Si Xiaoxiao’s nerves had always been tough. An incomprehensible mess that she couldn’t sort out even if she racked her brain, she simply tossed it aside.

Considering that Li Ting was waiting outside, she quickly washed up, did a minimal skincare routine, changed her clothes, and opened the door to leave.

Li Ting was leaning against the cold wall of the luxury suite’s living room, her eyes cast down at her phone screen.

The morning light filtering through the window at the far end plated her with a layer of pale gold, yet it couldn’t dispel the inherent chill emanating from her bones.

Hearing the door open, she didn’t even lift her eyelids, only letting out an extremely soft, slightly hoarse cough from her throat—a sound typical of having just woken up. Her gaze remained fixed on the screen, her tone flat and unemotional: “What do you want to eat?”

Si Xiaoxiao paused her steps, looking at Li Ting’s composed and faintly “morning after” languid posture. The tiny bit of unease she had just suppressed resurfaced.

She was uncharacteristically docile and cautious, her voice lowered: “Eat… something restorative?”

Immediately, her eyes darted nervously, and she tentatively added, “Like… pig kidney? Oysters or maybe pineapple?”

Li Ting finally lifted her gaze from the screen, slowly raising her eyes.

A trace of extremely faint, almost imperceptible amusement flitted across her calm eyes. Her lips curved into a half-smile, and her gaze lingered on Si Xiaoxiao’s face for a moment: “You know quite a bit.”

Her tone was impossible to decipher, but it inexplicably made Si Xiaoxiao’s ears heat up.

“I’m not a child!” Si Xiaoxiao immediately straightened her back, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, trying to use self-righteousness to mask her guilt.

“Indeed.” Li Ting actually nodded in agreement, her tone as flat as stating an objective fact. Her gaze returned to her phone, fingers scrolling the screen, seemingly starting to seriously filter nearby restaurants: “Oysters sound good.”

This attitude—completely refusing to engage, not arguing, and even going along with her words—made Si Xiaoxiao feel even more unsure.

A gigantic question mark ballooned in her chest.

She crept forward two steps, cautiously, almost whispering, trying to fish for information: “Um… Li Ting… Did I do anything… particularly outrageous last night?”

What did I do?

Li Ting’s finger, scrolling the screen, paused almost imperceptibly for a few seconds.

She genuinely hadn’t expected Si Xiaoxiao’s memory loss to be this complete.

Her memory flashed back to the previous night. After the declaration, both drunkenly innocent and cruel, of “a little puppy cannot kiss its owner” amidst the bar’s clamor, the pure and defensive little beast seemed to instantly run out of energy.

She stopped fussing but clung to Li Ting like she had found her only piece of driftwood, her entire body soft and persistent, arms tightly wrapped around her waist, her fluffy head resting against Li Ting’s chest.

Those amber eyes, which were usually wide and filled with the light of defiance, were, under the hazy intoxication, left with only complete, unreserved dependence and trust, staring at her with a moist look.

It was a kind of vulnerability and obedience the sober Si Xiaoxiao would never display.

In that moment, Li Ting clearly felt a long-dormant beast in her chest, the one named Possessiveness, let out a satisfied snarl.

It was completely awakened by this unguarded dependence, savagely gnawing at the edges of her reason.

Yes, possessiveness, and the even more twisted need for control that accompanied it.

Ever since forcibly detaching herself from the “Warden” script world constructed by the System, Li Ting had realized that her mental barrier had once again developed a dangerous crack.

Finding her name was indeed an anchor, allowing her not to lose herself amidst the massive amount of information, but what came next?

A corrosive force, originating from the character’s core personality in the script, had not completely dissipated. Instead, like a stubborn vine, it was entwining her already sensitive mental core.

She clearly sensed the blurring of her self-identity boundaries; the extreme traits granted by the character, such as the near-pathological urge to control her “possession,” were beginning to torment her psyche.

From a medical perspective, this was perhaps closer to a state of stress-induced depersonalization or derealization.

The intense role-immersion experience had shattered the original psychological defense mechanism, leading to a pathological adhesion between the character’s traits and her real self.

The fictional, obsessive Warden’s twisted, absolute possessiveness toward her “dearest friend” was being forcefully projected by her subconscious onto the real-life Si Xiaoxiao like a stubborn shadow.

In other words, a secondary personality had been born within her.

She should have immediately interrupted her trip and returned home.

To see her doctor, seek professional psychiatric intervention and systematic cognitive behavioral therapy to strip away this dangerous adhesion, or even figure out a way to kill this newly born personality.

But the moment this thought arose, it was suppressed by an even more powerful force.

Compared to the precariousness of her own mental state, Si Xiaoxiao’s existence seemed to take a higher priority.

In the past, she had given her up once, causing their relationship to freeze to the point of near strangers.

She didn’t know if she should proceed with that kind of “desensitization therapy” again.

And precisely because it had happened once, she didn’t dare to leave.

So much so that she was willing to bear this ever-present danger, walking a tightrope to maintain the fragile balance of the present, rather than repeat the past and allow that bone-chilling coldness to descend once more.

Si Xiaoxiao made Li Ting desperately want to leave the noisy bar.

After she expressed her desire to Sally to leave first, Sally, though a little regretful, waved her hand, called a friend to drive them back to the hotel, and smiled a slightly ambiguous blessing: “Have a pleasant evening.”

A pleasant evening?

Li Ting suddenly recalled that Sally had also mentioned this phrase when Si Xiaoxiao was choosing a person. It seemed these people truly didn’t discriminate between genders.

What about Si Xiaoxiao?

Would she like women? Would she like… her?

A strange thought took root in Li Ting’s mind.

It must be the other personality acting up, causing her to entertain such a notion.

Just like when she learned that Si Xiaoxiao and You Yilin had become a couple.

Her mind was filled with: Why not me?

Clearly, they were the ones with the most love, the most hatred, the ones even the celestial System acknowledged…

However, Li Ting quickly understood everything; she hadn’t actually misunderstood.

She realized that Si Xiaoxiao didn’t like You Yilin; their relationship as a couple must be fake.

It was evident it was meant to fool that poor eldest miss.

Yet, even with one half of her brain being very calm and able to reach the obvious conclusion, the other half was screaming wildly.

She is mine, she can only be mine. Lock her up, ensure she can never leave, or kill her and turn her into an eternal and beautiful specimen, so they can be together for lifetimes.

These dangerous thoughts came from the other personality; she was so clear that she was step-by-step invading her original one.

Li Ting spent a tremendous amount of effort to suppress those thoughts, to keep her face from contorting into a twisted, terrifying expression.

However, after returning to the hotel, Si Xiaoxiao started fussing again.

She said she wanted to take a shower, she wanted to change clothes.

Li Ting was already worn out and exhausted.

Thus, she became the despicable person who took advantage of someone. Si Xiaoxiao had misplaced her trust.

The urge to make something happen burned like a fierce fire in her heart.

To ensnare the prey before her, to gain physical and emotional satisfaction.

Unfortunately, Si Xiaoxiao was truly drunk.

Li Ting calmly led Si Xiaoxiao into the bathroom, measuring her body with her eyes.

She was even terrifyingly calm, contemplating how she could satisfy her possessiveness while allowing her prey to remain oblivious and continue to offer her trust.

【Then leave everything to me.】

You?

【Leave it to me, and you’ll have an excuse to evade, no longer bound by morality. You can still face her with a clear conscience, accepting her trust with the peace of mind of a wise elder sister.】

This is indecency/molestation.

【You are sick, aren’t you? So what happens next is a very normal thing. It’s all Si Xiaoxiao’s fault for easily giving her trust.】

Don’t lay a hand on her.

【Tsk, boring.】

Boring? No, what I crave is more… I want to completely ensnare her, control her, become her everything.

So, for Si Xiaoxiao, nothing actually happened that night.

She was fully dressed, merely changed into a fresh set of clothes, and was lying neatly back on the soft bed.

But for Li Ting, it was not the case.

She loathed her own perversion, yet she was consciously sinking into it.

The clothes that had been taken off were the best tool for her.

She lay in the bathtub, which had no water, but her body felt so wet, wave after wave crashing over her. Si Xiaoxiao slept peacefully just a few feet away.

The clothes left mottled red marks. Her fingers were clenched so hard that her nails turned white. She sincerely felt a pleasure she had never experienced before.

The System’s definition was indeed correct; she was truly a despicable blasphemer.

【What a pathetic wretch.】

Mind your own business.

【You could clearly blame it on the alcohol, blame it on… me…】

Our affairs have nothing to do with you.

Facing Si Xiaoxiao’s question, after a thousand thoughts raced through her mind, Li Ting finally spoke again.

“Outrageous things?”

Her voice was so steady that no ripple could be discerned.

Putting away her phone, she looked up at the nervous Si Xiaoxiao, her gaze deep. That flat, calm look countered: “Considering your drinking behavior, what do you think would count as outrageous?”

She took a step forward, closing the distance to Si Xiaoxiao. That clean scent of cedar, carrying an invisible sense of pressure: “Why do you care so much? Is it because you dislike me, wishing to stay far away from me, or…”

Then, her gaze lingered for a moment on Si Xiaoxiao’s suddenly wide eyes. Her tone remained flat, yet every word struck Si Xiaoxiao’s tense nerves: “Did you hope something happened?”

Si Xiaoxiao’s face instantly flushed crimson, like a cooked shrimp. Her gaze was momentarily erratic, looking a bit unsettled.

But she still answered honestly: “I don’t dislike you, I’m just purely curious.”

Tsk, a troublesome straight woman.

Li Ting didn’t pursue the question further, choosing instead to change the subject: “Let’s go. The oyster place isn’t far. Shouldn’t the big star treat her little assistant?”

Si Xiaoxiao licked her lips, quickly catching up: “The extra money Sally gave us…”

“It’s yours.” Li Ting naturally saw through Si Xiaoxiao’s desire to keep the money for herself.

Li Ting, who generally didn’t care much for material possessions, naturally wasn’t bothered by this and casually said the words that made Si Xiaoxiao extremely happy.

“Yay!” Si Xiaoxiao was so happy she almost jumped.

Laughing so carelessly she was simply an idiot.

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