The People I've Been With Have All Become Obsessive [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

The strong liquor burned the throat first, numbing the tongue before the fiery pain spread to the throat and chest, bringing tears to the eyes in an instant.

Bai Song was crying.

Unable to swallow fast enough, the liquor trickled down the corners of her mouth. She couldn’t take it anymore and tried to push the bottle away, but Tong Yao suddenly stepped forward, gripping the bottle with one hand and forcing it down her throat.

“Mmm…” Bai Song gulped down two large mouthfuls, the sharp taste of alcohol rushing straight to her skull. The next sip didn’t go down her throat it went straight into her windpipe.

She nearly choked to death.

Fortunately, Tong Yao withdrew her hand. Bai Song’s fingers couldn’t even hold the bottle anymore. With a loud crash, the bottle shattered, glass fragments scattering everywhere. Bai Song doubled over and vomited, tears and snot streaking her face.

She hadn’t eaten anything before coming, so only the liquor she had just swallowed came back up. Her stomach, empty and hollow, burned with a searing pain.

Her body swayed unsteadily. Leaning against the wall was the only thing keeping her from collapsing, but her vision darkened until she could see nothing at all.

At that moment, a familiar, delicate fragrance cut through the overpowering stench of alcohol, lingering at the tip of her nose. The scent soothed the sting of the liquor, and Bai Song instinctively wanted to lean closer. But as her grip on the wall loosened, her legs gave way, and she finally fell.

In the last moment before unconsciousness, she felt herself pulled into a warm, soft embrace.

That familiar, gentle scent grew even stronger.

In her dazed state, she thought she saw Tong Yao’s face, magnified before her.

But was that possible?

No.

Tong Yao hated her to the core, she must have been cursing her to fall and crack her skull open, or better yet, shatter her bones, leaving her alive but bedridden, paralyzed from the neck down, dependent on others for every basic need.

So how could she have caught her with such tenderness?

Bai Song didn’t have time to think further before she plunged into deep darkness.

When she woke up, she was no longer in the alcohol-stinking private room but in a dimly lit space.

She lay on a bed, her entire body aching as if she’d been run over by a truck.

Her head throbbed especially hard it felt like it was splitting open.

Even the slightest movement of her eyeballs sent sharp pains through her skull.

Slowly, she raised a hand to massage her temples.

Her body, weakened by the hangover, felt unbearably limp. With great effort, she glanced around and her eyes widened in shock.

[System, System, what the hell is going on?!]

[I don’t know!] The system’s voice was filled with exhaustion and despair. In the day and night Bai Song had been unconscious, it had nearly burned out its CPU trying to figure out what had gone wrong with the plot.

The script was supposed to be straightforward: Tong Yao, consumed by love-turned-hatred, would utterly destroy Bai Song.

So, why had it turned into Tong Yao being obsessed with her instead?

The system felt like its database had been infected with a virus.

If even the usually unflappable system was panicking, Bai Song was naturally even more frantic. A sob crept into her voice: [System, what should I do now?]

[…] How should I know?! The system’s CPU whirred at high speed. After a final confirmation, it realized that revenge born of hatred and revenge born of twisted love were entirely different. If Bai Song left the world now, the mission would be deemed a failure.

She briefly explained the general situation to Bai Song, who immediately let out a groundhog-like scream: What do you mean?! The plot has deviated to this extent, and I’m still not considered to have been avenged by Tong Yao? And it still doesn’t count as completing the mission?!

The system was also helpless, shrugging as it said: Rules are rules. The mission requires the scum gong to repent, and the scum shou to receive the retribution he deserves. But right now, Tong Yao’s love for you seems even deeper than before.

Bai Song: […] How terrifying. What kind of twisted psychology is this? Why would this make her love for me grow stronger?

Though Bai Song didn’t voice the question, her expression was so vivid that the system immediately deciphered it and kindly explained: She hates you. Seeing you suffer makes her happy. But at the same time, she loves you deeply, so tormenting you this way doubles her joy.

Cough, cough, cough! Bai Song nearly choked on her own saliva, stammering, Wh-what kind of twisted psychology is this?!

A noise came from the door, and Bai Song instantly fell silent, even holding her breath.

She stared fixedly at the door. After about three seconds, it was pushed open from the outside.

The room was too dim, and since Bai Song was lying down, she could only make out the vague outline of Tong Yao.

She wanted to sit up, but her head hurt too much, so she gave up struggling.

From the moment Tong Yao entered the room to when she reached the bedside though it was a short distance it felt as long as the journey to the West for scriptures.

Time seemed to stand still, the entire room eerily silent.

It was as if a sword hung suspended above her head. Bai Song knew it would fall, piercing straight through her skull.

But she had no idea when it would drop. The rope holding the sword was frayed to a single thread, swaying precariously, yet it refused to give her the relief of a swift end.

Bai Song’s scalp prickled, her entire body numb, her throat dry. She swallowed repeatedly, trying to ease her tension as she stared anxiously at the sword.

Tong Yao’s faint footsteps echoed, step by step, as if treading directly on her heart.

Bai Song’s heartbeat seemed to sync with the rhythm.

By the time Tong Yao finally stood over her, the fear on Bai Song’s face was no longer an act, she was genuinely terrified out of her wits.

Tong Yao looked down at her, her dark eyes like an abyss, bottomless and filled with undisguised, raw desire.

The temperature in the room instantly dropped several degrees. Bai Song shivered, her teeth chattering audibly.

Tong Yao leaned down, her thumb brushing over Bai Song’s soft lips as she whispered, “You’re awake?”

Bai Song’s eyes widened in terror. It took her a long moment to find her voice. “Wh-what does this mean?”

Seeing the disbelief and shock on Bai Song’s face, Tong Yao felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. The pent-up frustration of the past days dissipated in an instant, and the smile on her lips grew more genuine.

But to Bai Song, it only made her tremble even harder.

Bai Song felt as if she were staring at a blood-smeared clown, still grinning.

Those crimson lips parted slightly, revealing the cold glint of metallic teeth beneath.

Struggling to break free, Bai Song’s face flushed with shame and anger. “Tong Yao, not liking you means not liking you. Have you lost your mind?”

Tong Yao withdrew her hand, rubbing her fingers together as if savoring the lingering sensation of Bai Song’s lips. A mocking smile curled at the corners of her mouth. “You’re quite sensible. I thought you’d try to leave right away. At least now you know to ask what’s going on.”

Bai Song felt a headache coming on, it wasn’t like she’d never read novels before.

Besides, she was playing the role of a scumbag bottom, not some white lotus.

Suddenly, the system had an epiphany and blurted out in a rush: [Bai Song, Bai Song, listen to me!]

Bai Song barely wanted to acknowledge it, but she clung to a sliver of hope that the system might save her: [Go on, I’m listening.]

The system: [Tong Yao’s current distorted affection value also known as the blackening level is way too high. You need to try everything you can to stabilize this number. Otherwise, not only will the mission fail, but you won’t be able to leave this world either.]

Bai Song’s eyes widened as she let out a sharp, piercing scream that could have drilled holes into someone’s skull: [What?! Why can’t I go back?! The real world!! Why?!]

Just moments ago, she had been thinking that if things got too unbearable, she’d just bail on this world.

Who knew her escape route would be cut off so quickly!

The system scrambled to reorganize its chaotic database after the shock: [Have you forgotten why you came to this world in the first place? The data was overflowing with resentment and escaped. If you don’t lower Tong Yao’s blackening level now, it’ll just become another ticking time bomb. Who knows when it’ll explode again and force someone else to come fix it?]

[!] Bai Song felt like she’d been struck by lightning. In her daze, she could almost see Tong Yao brandishing a whip, torturing her until she was battered and broken, then dismembering her and subjecting her to a slow, agonizing death.

The system: [You’re on your own. I’ll try to apply for a bonus that’ll satisfy you.]

Bai Song: [While you’re at it, could you check if psychological trauma rehab centers allow free spending?] What good was money if she wouldn’t live to spend it?

A sharp pain shot through her chin, bringing tears to her eyes instantly. Bai Song gasped softly, her vision blurred as she looked up at Tong Yao.

Tong Yao’s gaze turned icy, though her voice remained indifferent. “What, thinking of someone else again? Let me guess this time, is it a man? Or a woman?”

In the story’s original plot, Bai Song was technically bisexual she had flirted with both men and women, something Tong Yao found especially intolerable.

After all, it was Bai Song who had encouraged her to bravely embrace her true self and fight for what she wanted.

But just as Tong Yao mustered the courage to make her choice, the guiding light that had led her suddenly switched sides.

The overwhelming sense of betrayal was unbearable.

Bai Song met Tong Yao’s gaze, pain flashing in her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek and soaked into the pillow beneath her.

That single tear was like a scalding drop of oil splashing onto skin Tong Yao’s grip loosened involuntarily.

All these days, whenever she felt like she couldn’t take it anymore, she had fantasized about the moment she would seize control of the Tong family, gaining the power to overturn the world. She would drag Bai Song back and make her suffer, forcing her to taste the bitterness of regret.

But now, Tong Yao finally understood, what she had thought was hatred and resentment toward Bai Song was nothing but love.

She still loved this woman deeply, even if that woman had stabbed her heart full of holes.

But she couldn’t let go. She just couldn’t.

Even if she couldn’t have Bai Song’s heart, she would at least possess her body.

She wanted her eyes to see only him, her heart to hold only him.

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