章 21: Mind Wonder
Ye Delun had always been a complicated child. He was quiet and observant, his eyes could pick up on things that others would never be able to see. He was hard to understand from just the outside. His blank face and dispirited eyes. Most people would assume the man was depressed or having hard times in his life. But in reality, that's just the way he was. He was actually a very simple-minded guy. Deep-minded thoughts were a rarity.
He had trouble understanding other people, and his mind would use his mouth without his permission. He spoke without thinking, most of the time leading to an awkward situation.
It wasn't that Ye Delun was bothered by those situations. For him, they were the norm. He had learned long ago how to maneuver around some conversations. A skill learned through experience.
He had chosen Xiang Tingfeng as the first person to conversate with. The message screen dinged at the choice and dissipated into its usual sparkles. Without his control, his body moved on its own. With his glass of chocolate milk in one hand, he sat down on the same sofa as Xiang Tingfeng. The spot Kang Maixiu was sitting at moments before.
Xiang Tingfeng seemed surprised at his movement. His tense shoulders loosened at the familiar person's proximity. He was anxious about being left alone. The large man, who could pound everyone in this room to the ground, was scared of them. A frail old woman, a man fed with a silver spoon his whole life, a young harmless girl, and him. Although his form currently had a good amount of muscle, it was nowhere near his. And with Ye Delun's inexperience in using his strength, he was akin to giving a child a gun left on safety. Seemed dangerous, but unless he was experienced with it, it was the same as a toy.
The only one who made sense was Shen Lin. The strong woman stood in the corner searching through the bookshelves.
"O-oh, Ye Delun. Why are you here?" The big man stuttered. But he seemed more relaxed with Ye Delun sitting there with him.
"I just wanted to talk." He dully replied.
"You want to talk? With me?" His brown eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Ye Delun in disbelief.
"Is that a problem?"
"No, no. It was just that I wasn't expecting you to approach me." He shyly scratched his neck and his long eyelashes lidded over his to cover the feeling of nervousness from pooling out. A large awkward grin grew on his face as he asked Ye Delun, "So what do you want to talk to me about."
[Choice! Choice!]
[Choose how to start your conversation with the character 'Xiang Tingfeng'!]
[Are you alright...]
[That dead body was so...]
"Are you alright? You don't seem like you're doing so well." His mouth opened automatically as he chose an option.
Xiang Tingfeng once again seemed surprised by his question. "I'm alright. It's just that... It's terrible what happened to that guy. If there really isn't a murder like Yin Meng said, then I just hope that we can figure this out before someone else gets hurt. I don't want to see any more of that."
Xiang Tingfeng wasn't the kind of guy to feel scared for himself. He felt panic, and he's had trama of his own. But when it came to this, his heart was pure to the center. To him, seeing a life taken felt the same as losing his own.
"And Maixiu... what if that guy ends up killing Maixiu next." His arms shook at the thought. Losing Kang Maixiu would feel worse than himself dying. Just the possibility scared him to his core. It filled his heart with anxiety and panic and the sudden sense to find the cold man would shoot into him like a shot of adrenaline. His legs bounced up and down as a trick to calm himself down.
Ye Delun felt something get stuck in his throat. The man in front of him was scared that another would die. The sense of guilt made in entrance into his heart. It wasn't until he reminded himself that these weren't actual people, but characters, that it faded away.
[Choice! Choice!]
[Choose how to reply to the character 'Xiang Tingfeng'!]
[What about killing Kang Maixiu?]
[How are you and Kang Maixiu related?]
[-stay silent-]
"Speaking of Kang Maixiu, you two seem really close. How do you know each other?"
'We've known each other for as long as I can remember." A reminiscent smile appeared on his face. "Our families are friends with each other, so as children we would be forced together. Maixiu never wanted to play together and would always spend time in his room. He never let me take a single peek into that place until..." He paused as an unwanted memory made itself into his brain. His smile froze and his face paled. It wasn't until Ye Delun placed his hand onto Xiang Tingfeng's shaking thigh that the trance broke.
"S-Sorry. My mind wondered for a second." He waved off his odd behavior with a laugh. "As I was saying. Me and Kang Maixiu have been together for a long time so it's only natural for us to care for each other. Maixiu is always so stressed and busy with his schooling so I work at his family's business to help out."
"That's very considerate of you." The words come effortlessly out his mouth. It surprised him for a moment as the system didn't give him a multiple choice.
"Y-Yeah? You think so?" The tips of his ears and his neck turned red. Ye Delun didn't know why exactly. "I'm just doing what I can."
At that moment, Kang Maixiu and Yin Meng entered through the door. Yin Meng, with his sharp features, looked even more aggressive and his mood only seemed to have worsened. Ye Delun spotted a wound on his hand. He recognized it as a burn.
Kang Maixiu held several more lanterns that used to be attached to the wall. He walked up to where Ye Delun was sitting and looked down at him. His mood was noticeably better than Yin Mengs. The cool aura surrounding him stayed as calm as ever. And his uninterested eyes glanced between Ye Delun and Xiang Tingfeng.
"Maixiu! You're back!" The big man beside him said. The nervousness from before quickly disappeared and replaced with a large puppy-like man.
"What? Did you think I was going to die out there? I'm not that weak." His ice-blue eyes seemed to criticize Xiang Tingfeng, but no sense of hostility came off of him. In fact, to Ye Delun, it looked like he enjoyed it.
"Of course not. It's just that I'm not used to leaving you alone after all that time." He sheepishly stood in front of the shorter male.
Kang Maixiu's eyes narrowed, but again, Ye Delun didn't see any malice behind it. "It's been years, Xiang Tingfeng. There's no need for you to play bodyguard anymore."
"I know that. It's just that I'm not used to it just yet. Especially in a place like this. What if there really is a murderer and they end up getting to you while you're walking through the hallways? What if Yin Meng is the murderer!? And he was making this all up so that he could pounce on you without you suspecting him?!"
"..." Kang Maixiu looked at the big baby with the same unimpressed look he always gave him.
"..." And Ye Delun watched once again that someone else got accused as a murderer, but not him. He looked back at the suspicion bar and a sense of nostalgia ran through him.
'Ah, dear suspicion bar, why do you move no more?'
At least back then, he would feel anxious that people would find him out. But the chance of a murderer has been revoked and Ye Delun felt that he's lost his purpose.
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