Like You, Girl in the Mirror

Shen Yu dialed back.

"The number you have dialed is not in service."

Not in service?

It seemed this Weird was indeed connected to Song Xiaojie—at the very least, she knew something about the situation.

Had she been haunted by the Weird, or didn't want to drag him into it, which was why she suddenly sought him out, wanting to explain things?

Or... was she trying to shift the trouble onto him?

Ever since absorbing Bai Zuo's dark, twisted malice, Shen Yu found himself leaning toward the worst possible conclusions when he thought.

After all, human nature is inherently evil!

Shen Yu muttered to himself, "When I'm playing a character card, does the higher the completion rate of the character, the more their emotions and thoughts affect me?"

Still, it was mainly the negative influence from a natural-born villain like Bai Zuo, overflowing with malice, that was strong. Playing a personality like Flying Bird A's, even if affected, probably wouldn't be too severe.

"I need to draw more righteous character cards to balance out this overly negative mood."

Shen Yu wasn't too anxious. He could feel that the malice he'd absorbed while playing Bai Zuo, though it sometimes made his thoughts extreme, hadn't yet exceeded a controllable range.

Shen Yu glanced at the time. "It's already past eight?"

He moved nimbly as he got up from the hospital bed, his agility nothing like what you'd expect from someone diagnosed with a fractured right leg.

If any doctor saw him, they'd probably sign off on his immediate discharge.

Shen Yu grabbed a new set of patient clothes. After showering, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, pinching his bangs and comparing them.

"They're getting a bit long."

But he'd always liked long bangs, as long as they didn't block his vision.

Zzzt!

The light on the ceiling flickered.

The lamp seemed to be broken, its brightness noticeably dimmer.

Whoosh!

The showerhead, already turned off, suddenly sprayed hot water. Shen Yu quickly stepped forward, pressing against the cold sink to keep the hot water from soaking his freshly changed hospital clothes.

He turned to look, a vague premonition rising in his heart.

Zzzt!

The light above flickered on and off, visibility in the bathroom dropping drastically.

An ordinary person would probably be trembling, screaming, or their legs giving out as they tried to flee from this eerie atmosphere.

But Shen Yu wasn't scared at all. He even felt a spark of curiosity, wanting to see what this Weird could do next.

He even critiqued as he went: "First, break the lights to lower visibility—humans fear darkness, so inducing fear and unease is a solid step."

"But what's with turning on the shower?"

"If the showerhead sprayed out foul blood or countless strands of long hair gushing forth, that might actually scare someone."

Shen Yu reached out, testing the water temperature. "Warm water that's not hot? That step was unnecessary."

"Hey, Weird, you still need to work on your scare tactics!"

Zzzt!

As if enraged by Shen Yu's words, it directly destroyed the overhead light. With a pop, the entire bathroom plunged into darkness.

Only a sliver of light came in from outside the door.

The mirror surged with countless strands of black hair, smooth as silk, wrapping around Shen Yu's wrists, ankles, neck, and waist.

Then they pulled taut, trying to drag him into the mirror.

Shen Yu was yanked backward, his feet leaving the ground, his back pressing against the cold mirror surface.

A manic grin spread across Shen Yu's face. "Now that's more like it!"

He reached out and grabbed the black hair tightly. "Got you!"

White spider silk was about to travel up his arm and stick to the hair—once prey fell into the web, there was no escape.

The moment Shen Yu touched the black hair, it shuddered violently, then, as if injured, instantly released him.

"Huh?" Shen Yu grabbed at the hair, but it was too slippery, slipping through his fingers, leaving only a few strands in his palm.

The black hair receded like a tide, all retreating back into the mirror.

Soon, the bathroom returned to normal.

If not for the few strands of hair still clutched in Shen Yu's hand, everything that just happened would have seemed like an illusion.

"That cowardly? Hey! Come out!"

Shen Yu knocked uselessly on the mirror surface, and naturally got no response.

His construction points! Gone just like that!

The mirror's surface was calm and unblemished, reflecting Shen Yu's figure. He stared straight at it, and just as he was about to give up and leave—

Suddenly, a pair of hands appeared on the mirror, pressing against its surface, as if someone stood inside, palms flat against the glass, peering outward.

A black-haired girl's silhouette flickered and vanished.

A familiar voice kept transmitting from within the mirror: "Like... like you... I like you!"

"Shen Yu!"

Shen Yu rubbed his temples, a bit exasperated. "If that's the case, at least come out and say it to my face!"

"Making me talk to myself in front of a mirror—I'm not Narcissus, in love with my own reflection."

There was no other movement from the mirror.

The Weird hiding inside seemed unwilling to come out.

"If you're not coming out, then I'm leaving."

A love letter dropped from the mirror.

From the moment it appeared, it seemed to radiate an inexplicably powerful attraction, a fierce urge driving him.

Pick it up! Pick it up! Pick it up!

Countless urging, seductive voices echoed in his mind, trying to control him, tempt him into picking up that love letter.

Shen Yu's eyes lowered slightly. A white spider deep within his mind opened its eyes, its crimson, demonic pupils fixed unblinkingly on the Weird that dared to encroach on its territory.

It let out a silent roar.

Thick, viscous malice stabbed like venomous needles into the Weird's psyche.

In the domain of mental power, the Heart Gu was the absolute king of playing with hearts and minds.

This Weird hadn't expected such a powerful entity guarding Shen Yu's mind. It was wounded instantly, let out a piercing shriek, and fled in disgrace.

That strange pull vanished without a trace.

The love letter lay quietly in the sink.

Shen Yu didn't touch it.

This love letter was probably some kind of mark—if he accepted it, he'd be branded by that Weird, forging a connection that would be hard to sever.

Besides, he had no hobby of accepting love letters from a Weird whose face he didn't even know, let alone its species.

Since the bathroom was his alone, he'd just leave the letter there for now.

Shen Yu turned and left without a moment's hesitation.

So he didn't see that, after he left, a girl's figure appeared in the mirror. She gazed at his retreating back with deep, lingering affection, her eyes fixed on him for a long, long time without looking away.

Suddenly, blood burst across her body, soaking her clothes in an instant.

Goodbye, and I'm sorry!