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墨書 Inktalez
Here, on the twentieth floor, seventy meters above the ground, Liu Xiner stood at the edge of the platform, staring blankly at the city of Silence, now submerged in zombies. She gazed at the buildings stretching to the horizon and silently lowered her head.
Her face bore a look of loneliness and guilt, as scenes from her previous battle with the Second-Stage Zombie replayed in her mind.
At the moment when that Second-Stage Zombie lunged at her, nearly facing that terrifying creature head-on, if it hadn't been for her delayed reaction that put Rain in danger, she wouldn't have been so severely injured…
"Still blaming yourself?"
A gentle voice broke through her thoughts. Liu Xiner snapped back to reality and turned around sharply, discovering Ban Qingya standing beside her without her noticing. They stood together at the edge of the platform, gazing out at the Dead City.
Ban Qingya glanced at her and smiled softly. "You really don't need to blame yourself. No one in this world is an all-knowing superhero. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes; it's not scary to err. What's important is to remember to correct those mistakes… Knowing your faults and being able to change is a great virtue. Rain certainly won't hold it against you."
Liu Xiner shook her head in shame, bitterness creeping into her voice. "But it wasn't just an ordinary mistake; I… I almost got Rain killed..."
"But she's not dead yet, is she?" Ban Qingya playfully winked at her and smiled. "As long as she's still alive, there's always room for redemption. And from what I know about Rain, she wouldn't want to see the girl she fought so hard to save wallowing in self-pity here."
Liu Xiner paused, thinking of her cheerful and optimistic companion, feeling somewhat lost.
"So… what should I do?"
"Just wait patiently and keep your gratitude for her. When she awakens, make sure to repay her well," Ban Qingya said with a mysterious smile. "By the way, you might not know this yet, but Rain likes girls."
"Wait? What?!"
Liu Xiner was taken aback for a moment before realizing what Ban Qingya meant. She instinctively took two steps back as if confronted by a wild beast, clutching her collar in shock and looking at Ban Qingya with wide eyes, as if fearing an imminent invasion.
"Is… is that true?"
She recalled how, ever since joining the camp, Rain had always taken special care of her, her eyes filled with confusion. "How could... how is it possible... to like girls or anything... this... that..."
At first, she thought it was just Rain's special attention towards a lonely girl, but if what Ban Qingya said was true, then Rain actually liked her...
Liu Xiner clutched her collar, her face a mix of chaos and terror, shaking her head vigorously. "No, no, I can't agree to that. I... I already have someone I like. Besides my brother-in-law, I won't agree to anyone... not even Rain... no way, not even Rain..."
Ban Qingya was taken aback. She had only intended to make a joke to lighten the mood, but unexpectedly, the girl in front of her took it seriously and seemed to have said something quite alarming...
After Liu Xiner babbled out those words, she suddenly realized what she had done. Looking at Ban Qingya in horror, the girl opened her mouth and could only timidly ask, "Sister Qingya, did... did you hear everything?"
Ban Qingya forced a smile. What was she supposed to do in this situation? Even if she claimed she hadn’t heard anything, the girl wouldn’t believe her anyway.
However, in order to spare Liu Xiner from embarrassment, Ban Qingya decided to deceive herself and said, "Uh... hear what? I was a bit distracted just now. Xing'er, did you say something?"
"It's good if you didn't hear... uh... what I mean is it's fine as long as Rain is okay."
Liu Xiner shifted her gaze away from Ban Qingya, feeling guilty as she couldn't bear to look at her. Ban Qingya's reaction was somewhat similar. The stage fell into a temporary silence as the two exchanged awkward glances before looking away.
Time passed without either of them noticing. Just when Ban Qingya silently estimated that Liu Xiner should be recovering from the embarrassment and was about to change the topic, Liu Xiner suddenly spoke up first.
"I was thirteen when I met my brother-in-law."
Ban Qingya was momentarily stunned and looked at the girl beside her in surprise. Liu Xiner seemed to have made some significant decision as she gazed at her with determination, quietly sharing her thoughts.
"At that time, my sister was studying at university, and my brother-in-law was her classmate. They had been dating for over a year."
"Many people say that sisters and brothers often have similar conditions for choosing a partner due to their upbringing and life experiences. I don't know if this is true, but when I first met my brother-in-law, I realized that I had developed feelings for him."
Liu Xiner looked up at the clear blue sky, as if recalling something, a hint of nostalgia appearing in her smile.
"The first time we met was an accident. I had gone to my sister's university to visit her, but on the way, I tripped and fell, injuring my knee and bleeding quite a bit. I remember crying so sadly at that moment, yet no one around dared to come help me."
"Just then, my brother-in-law happened to pass by. He pushed through the crowd and came over. After asking me a few questions, he carried me on his back to the school's infirmary to see a doctor."
"At that time, I didn't know he was my sister's boyfriend; I just thought he was so handsome and brave. I really liked him."
Liu Xiner reminisced about that scene, a sweet smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
"I was lying on his back, crying from the pain in my knee. To comfort me, he resorted to some very clumsy and cliché jokes to cheer me up."
"Strangely enough, those old jokes that I had heard many times before made me laugh when they came from him. That silly guy later felt quite proud of his ability to make me smile."
The smile on Liu Xiner's face was most enchanting and warm at this point. But as she thought of what happened next, her expression slowly froze.
She lowered her head in disappointment, clenched her fists, and murmured.
"In the infirmary, the doctor quickly treated my wound. It was then that he learned my sister's name. After that, he went out to make a phone call and soon brought my sister over."
"I was so happy at that time, thinking that since he knew my sister, I would get to see him often... Ah... Yes, I could indeed see him often, but only as my sister's boyfriend."
"Although he always cared for me and treated me with great affection, I knew that kind of care was merely out of love for his girlfriend's sister—not the kind of love I yearned for... But there was nothing I could do; I had already fallen for him."
"The longer time passed, the more I liked him. But I didn't dare to come forward, didn't dare to tell anyone, fearing that others would find out and worrying about putting him in a difficult position."
"He cared so much for my sister, so deeply concerned for her. As her younger sister, receiving his affection was just a natural expression of his love for her. He treated me so well; how could I let him face any trouble?"
Liu Xiner lowered her head, her eyes filled with sorrowful gloom. "At that time, my sister was proud and irritable, never allowing anyone to contradict her opinions at home or school. Many times, she would turn on people without a second thought, completely disregarding their feelings; it was an incredibly annoying trait."
"Many harbored resentment towards her. They wouldn't dare say anything to her face, but behind her back, there were no kind words."
"But only he... only my brother-in-law silently tolerated all of my sister's faults. I had never seen him lose his temper. Even when my sister embarrassed him in front of everyone multiple times, he never got angry; he always faced everything with a smile."
"Others speculated that he was after our Liu Family's wealth, wanting to be a kept man, which allowed him to endure all the humiliation. But I knew it wasn't like that; my brother-in-law simply cared too much for my sister."
"For him, who was blinded by love during that period, perhaps my sister was his entire world. He hoped to change her character through his actions, to help her grow up and not be so childish."
"But unfortunately, he failed."
Liu Xiner smiled faintly, whether it was bitterness or sorrow was unclear as she continued.
"Their relationship reached my father's ears. Due to my brother-in-law's poor reputation at school, his tolerance was seen by everyone as weakness, and thus the title of 'kept man' naturally did not earn him any favor in my father's eyes."
"Like all fathers who discover their daughters are being taken by bad men, my father forcefully intervened and rudely demanded they break up."
"At that time, my brother-in-law was already starting his own business while studying and had achieved some success. Although it wasn't particularly promising, at least he had earned his first pot of gold and could support a family without issue."
"In order to be with my sister, he faced immense pressure. In the end, through my father's connections, he was even expelled from school; he dropped out of college before finishing."
"But he did not compromise; he would rather risk not graduating from university than be apart from his sister. Despite my father's opposition, he boldly stated that he could take her back to Wangcheng, away from my father's shadow, and start anew together."
"He was filled with hope and firmly believed that his girlfriend would stand by him. The countless days and nights over the past three years had proven that their love was unwavering."
"But he was wrong."
"That woman betrayed him."
Liu Xiner smiled desolately, as if she once again saw the lonely figure of that man drenched in the rain, disappearing into the night.
"That night, I hid outside, unaware of what they discussed. But when their conversation ended, he vanished alone into the downpour. And my sister, that fickle woman, left Pear City, having used our father's connections to secure an internship in Jiang Hai, far away from Pear City."
"Ha... Others sacrificed so much for her, yet in the end, she faced such a fate. But she turned her back on it all as if nothing had happened, climbing higher on her own... Ha ha..."
On stage, there was a brief silence.
Ban Qingya looked at the girl before her, clearly someone who had suppressed her emotions for so long and finally could no longer hold them back. She sighed and gently opened her arms to embrace her.
"What happened next?"
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