Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Waaaah——!!

　Yuan Xiaoling is utterly confused.

　What does “congratulations on completing the task” even mean? She didn’t do anything, didn’t even say a word, and yet Bai Ling was somehow humiliated?

　All she did was let out a little sigh. Come on, Bai Ling is the reborn heroine who’s seen it all—there’s no way something this trivial could offend her.

　Then she tilted her little head up and saw the icy face of the white-haired maiden, her crimson gaze like it wanted to devour her whole.

　Yuan Xiaoling’s face paled. “You’re actually mad?”

　Her muttering reached Bai Ling’s ears. The white-haired girl didn’t explode with anger but instead gave a sinister smile.

　Yuan Xiaoling shrank back, trembling uncontrollably.

　She just couldn’t figure it out—how had she managed to insult her?

　【Ding dong, just a reminder: during this time in the heroine’s past life, not long after, her index finger would be broken during an assassination attempt. So for her, fingers are a precious treasure regained.】

　Ohhh, so that’s how it is. Got it.

　“It’s fine,” Yuan Xiaoling said softly, “Even if they’re small, they’re still cute.”

　She remembered how the gentle big sisters in manga always consoled others like that.

　But she wasn’t sure if it worked. The room was too dark to see Bai Ling’s expression clearly. Still, she kept her head bowed slightly, silent and unmoving, probably reflecting on her actions…

　【Ding dong, congratulations to the host for achieving the milestone “Pouring Oil on the Fire of Boob Comparison.” Newbie Task Reward has been slightly increased.】

　Yuan Xiaoling blinked blankly.

　What’s this nonsense? System, don’t make things up. I was clearly complimenting her—how could it possibly be… uh?

　She noticed Bai Ling pressing one hand against her little head.

　“I must admit, I’m happy,” the emotionless voice of the white-haired maiden echoed from above.

　Yuan Xiaoling felt relieved inside, thinking, “See? I got her smiling again. How could it be ‘pouring oil on the fire’?”

　”I’m happy to see you’re still the same as before—so utterly clueless about your own mortality.”

　…Huh?

　”This is great because I can now act without any hesitation or guilt.”

　Bai Ling’s eyes glimmered faintly as some unseen force flowed through her hand into the blonde girl’s brain.

　Yuan Xiaoling started to panic. She could feel changes happening to her body, though she wasn’t sure what exactly.

　【Ding dong, the host’s body is being invaded by Mental Power, forcibly modifying certain bodily functions. Nerve current speed increases, pain reflex intensifies.】

　What does that mean?

　【In short, Sensitivity +50%, Pain Perception +50%.】

　WHAT?!

　“Please, please stop, Bai Ling! I beg you!” Yuan Xiaoling was genuinely panicked now. “It’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!”

　She was timid and extremely afraid of pain.

　Bai Ling’s other hand gently caressed Yuan Xiaoling’s cheek, whispering softly, “Don’t be scared. I already told you, don’t resist suffering. Suffering is a gift from life—it makes you more acutely aware that you’re alive.”

　“No, you didn’t say that!” Yuan Xiaoling’s voice trembled. “That’s not what you said earlier!”

　She was truly terrified because Bai Ling seemed exactly like the classic villainous blackened character right now.

　Wait, wasn’t she called Blackened Aristocrat anyway…

　”Hmm, did I not say that?” Bai Ling tilted her head and smiled. “Alright then, this is the first time I’m saying it. Little Xiaoling should remember my words well.”

　Yuan Xiaoling was almost crying.

　“I’ll remember, I promise! Whatever you say, I’ll remember! Just put me down, I’ll get a notebook and write it all down, save it as a text file on the cloud!”

　”Hehe, good girl.”

　Bai Ling released her grip on the little head and leaned forward, placing both hands on Yuan Xiaoling’s thighs.

　Such a great feel—soft, smooth, hard to let go of. No wonder so many people wanted her in the previous life.

　“But still,” she said, “I want you to remember this with your body, deeply engraved in your neural memory.”

　The deaths of family members on the streets, endless assassins, the pain of broken fingers and legs, the betrayal of allies’ knives—all these things, along with the bloodshed of countless people in those final three days, flowed into the river. As night fell and the moon hung high, the tides carried all the fury.

　The moment she opened her eyes, she had already decided to return every drop of blood and every ounce of pain doubled to those who deserved it.

　Starting with this reckless Blonde Busty Girl who loved showing up first thing to mock her.

　Pfft—gurggle!

　Yuan Xiaoling’s cherry lips curved into a wavy line. She told herself not to cry, but less than half a second later—

　“Waaah! Waaaahhhh!”

　So much pain. Too much pain.

　Why am I here to suffer? Why is this happening to me when I came to this world for happiness?

　Bai Ling, why, why are you doing this to me, waaaah…

　Yuan Xiaoling passed out within half a minute, only to be forced awake by Bai Ling’s Mental Power.

　She seemed tireless, reveling in the process.

　“I’ve wanted to do this for such a long time, you know, since very early on.”

　“The first time we met at school, you called me Minnow and mocked me for losing my parents.”

　“You said I didn’t deserve to stand beside you because I wore old clothes.”

　“You bought up all the affordable bread at the cafeteria breakfast and threw it to the neighborhood pet dogs, claiming I didn’t deserve to compete with the dogs for food.”

　“You…”

　With every sentence Bai Ling spoke, her strength and agility grew, quickly stacking near-max levels of Close Combat Conqueror and Fatal Tempo.

　Yuan Xiaoling would pass out, only to be immediately awakened again.

　On this pitch-black night, even escape became a luxury.

　“Waaaah, I, I didn’t do anything, waaaah, I didn’t do anything at all!” cried the blonde girl.

　Bai Ling chuckled.

　“Funny, neither did I back then, yet you still did so many things to me. And when I asked you why, you never bothered to answer.”

　She leaned down and nibbled on Yuan Xiaoling’s ear, whispering like a lover, “Now you finally understand how I felt, don’t you?”

　“No, waaaah, I don’t,” Yuan Xiaoling sobbed, “There’s no way anyone could ever understand something like this.”

　Bai Ling released her mouth and tilted her head thoughtfully, “Hmm, so this isn’t enough? Looks like I need to turn it up a notch.”

　“N-no, that’s not what I meant, please don’t… waaaah!”

　Waaaaah.

　Eeeep.

　Ssssss.

　Waaaah.

　Ding dong~

　The alarm clock set for early morning rang, signaling daylight.

　Bai Ling stopped her actions, sitting aside to watch the sunrise outside the window, breathing lightly.

　The ruby-red pupils retracted their eerie crimson glow, masking a hint of soft pink.

　Turning around, she looked at the blonde girl who had fallen unconscious, occasionally whimpering in her sleep, clearly having unpleasant dreams.

　The moon had set, the bright moon departed, and the tide receded, taking all the anger back beneath the river—for now.