《Delusional World》


 Chapter 1

    Xuesong curled up into a ball on the ground, his breathing heavy. His eyes blurred. His room was dark and lonely, the only light coming from tiny cracks between the curtains. Xuesong''s stomach growled, reminding him of his hunger.


    He closed his eyes.


    Two bright lights flashed in his head. A boy he couldn''t remember looked up to him in a small hospital room.


    "Xuesong... I don''t want to die." The boy had started to tear up. There was another boy, the two of them were identical, both with black hair, brown eyes, and matching beauty marks on the corner of their mouths. They were holding hands. One lay on the bed, the one with tears in his eyes. The other one looked at him blankly.


    "Baixiang, do you think I''ll die?" The boy with tears asked the other boy. Baixiang said nothing. The room was silent for a while until Xuesong opened his eyes, hearing his coarse breathing on his arms.


    Baixiang was the boy with blank eyes. The boy on the bed was his twin brother, Baihua. There was also another one, with bleached yellow hair.


    He picked up his phone. He hadn''t called, or even talked to or seen, Hehuan in a long time.


    He pressed the call button, wondering if Hehuan would pick up. If Hehuan did pick up, would he be mad? or would he break down crying, like the way Baihua did in Xuesong''s memory?


    Hehuan picked up the phone.


    "Xuesong?"


    "Hello." Xuesong didn''t know why he called Hehuan. Perhaps just to hear his voice. Somebody else''s voice, before his eyes blurred into darkness.


    Hehuan laughed into the phone. "Wow, the man himself. I thought this was some police guy calling, reporting your death from starvation." Hehuan realized after he said that sentence. "Wait, Xuesong, are you okay? What have you been do-"


    "Where are you?" Xuesong cut him off.


    "Ah- I''m at the... the usual place." The call was silent for a few seconds. Xuesong sat up from his position on the ground, putting his phone to his ear. He didn''t have a reason to call Hehuan. He thought he would have one if he called, but he didn''t.


    "Okay. Goodbye."


    Before he hung up, Hehuan suddenly shouted, "Wait!"


    More silence.


    "What is it, Hehuan?"


    "Uhm... Xuesong, how have you been these days?"


    "Normal. Nothing worth noting."


    "Ah.. well..." Xuesong wished Hehuan would stop talking and hang up. The more he listened to the other boy''s voice, the more memories filled his brain. "Xuesong, why did you call me?"


    It was Xuesong''s turn to be silent. Instead of answering, he asked another question.


    "Why do you live, Hehuan?"


    "Well, I hold onto the tiny hope that you''ll show up here with your picnic blanket."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Pff, are you just sitting in the grass, waiting for me?" Hehuan chuckled a little through the phone. Xuesong''s vision started to blur again. "Next question. Why should I live?"


    There was a slight panic in Hehuan''s voice as he spoke, this time. "Xuesong, if you can''t find a reason to live, you should live for me, your friend!" Xuesong felt a faint beeping in his ears. "If you live, I''ll be happy. B-but, then again, you should live for yourself. It sounds cliche, but if you don''t have a reason now, live to find a reason to live."


    Xuesong slumped over. He couldn''t really hear Hehuan''s words anymore.


    "W-well... love... nobody else... live...


    ...


    Xuesong closed his eyes and breathed out slowly. His phone clattered on the ground silently.


    -


    (A few years ago)


    Xuesong laid down his picnic blanket on the rain-soaked grass. The sun was setting, around six in the evening. He brought a basket with him, with two sandwiches inside. He had seen these scenes in movies, where the character seemed to enjoy sitting outside very much. He couldn''t understand why.


    He ate the first sandwich. It tasted the same. Not of the hard work it took for him to make it, not of the satisfaction when he finished, or the eagerness of going picnicking. He never felt any of those, and haven''t now either.


    The sunset didn''t look out of the ordinary. The river he was sitting beside had still but murky waters. He found no joy in it.


    There was nobody here today. The town was usually quiet, but today it felt lonely. The wind brushing his hair felt cold and unwelcoming.


    There was no such thing as happiness in the still water or dry sunset. Or the now wet blanket, or the sandwich he ate in indifference.


    The next day, he tried again. The grass was dry that day, so his blanket wasn''t wet when he sat on it. He held the same sandwich he had made in his hand. And ate it while watching the sun set.


    Days turned into weeks. Once, a family came to the lake to play. A few times, actually. A woman running with her dog. An old lady. A man running alone.


    Then, another boy came. Around his age, eleven or twelve. He had black hair and brown eyes, like everybody else in the town. Although, he looked sad when he smiled at Xuesong.


    "What''s a little boy like you doing out here?" Xuesong looked up.


    "Aren''t you the same age?" The boy laughed, then asked if he could sit on the blanket, to which Xuesong nodded.


    They sat there in silence, watching the sunset. At one point, the boy spoke.


    "I''m Hehuan. What''s your name?"


    "Xuesong."


    At another point,


    "I see you here every day. You come here so often."


    "I watched it from a movie about a girl enjoying the sunset. I thought, if I stayed here long enough, I would understand her joy." Hehuan laughed.


    "Do you not have anything else to do?"


    "No, my parents are never home, and I finished my schoolwork."


    "Man, lucky. My parents always force me to study. Since I got a 100 on my test, they let me out today."


    "Hehuan, are you smart?"


    "Eh, I''d say so. My parents are just really pushy. Even if I get one question wrong, they start beating me up." He laughed again, unconsciously rubbing his right arm. After that, they were silent.


    The next day, he didn''t show up. But, Xuesong had brought a first aid kit- although he didn''t know how to use one.


    He came back the next week. His eyes looked sadder, but his smile was still the same. Xuesong offered him the kit, and Hehuan was taken aback.


    "Why''d you bring that, Xuesong? I''m not hurt."


    "You said your parents beat you up."


    They stayed silent.


    Then, at some point, Hehuan rolled up his sleeves and hesitantly took out a band-aid. There were bruises and cuts on his arm. Xuesong looked at his arm, eyeing the injuries, then quickly took the band-aid from Hehuan. Hehuan flinched, relaxing more when Xuesong just silently put on the band-aid.


    When they were done, Hehuan''s arms were covered in band-aids. Xuesong offered him a sandwich.


    The next week, Hehuan didn''t show up. Or the next. Xuesong stared at the sunset silently, alone. With two sandwiches and a first aid kit.


    A month passed. Two months. Hehuan reappeared. They sat there silently, the two of them. Hehuan hugged his knees and put his head in his arms. Xuesong saw his shoulders shake silently. He treated Hehuan again, without asking questions. This time, there was no conversation.


    After those three encounters, two years passed without Xuesong seeing Hehuan. Xuesong waited for him every day, sometimes when it rained, he waited under a tree. Sometimes, he fell asleep and woke up to the sunrise, but no boy with bruises and sad smiles.


    He thought, perhaps Hehuan and him were only meant to briefly cross paths before moving on. Despite that, he stayed there. Maybe waiting for Hehuan. Maybe waiting for somebody else, to come talk to him.


    In summer, a man smiled at him. Patted him on the head. Whispered, "I love you." Then disappeared.


    When fall just arrived, two twin boys arrived with it to his picnic blanket.

 Chapter 2

    Xuesong woke up before the alarm on his phone rang 6:00. It was August 16, the first day of high school. He could only hope high school would be less tiring and boring than middle school, but that chance seemed very slim.


    He lay in bed for a few minutes before his alarm rang, and got up from bed, did his daily routine, except an hour earlier.


    The bus waited for him expectantly, and he chose a random empty seat like he always did. He watched the windows collect fog as the bus drove on, laying his head on the cold glass, almost falling asleep.


    "Xuesong!" Xuesong was awakened from his daze as a boy started shaking his shoulder vigorously. He scooted to the side so the boy could sit next to him.


    "''Morning, Baihua." Baihua smiled at him cheerfully. Behind him stood a boy who matched Baihua''s messy black hair and the beauty mark on the bottom left of their lips, and everything else. He sat on the empty seat across from them, scrolling indifferently through his phone. Baixiang.


    "Good morning, Xuesong! Are you ready for high school?!!"


    When Xuesong didn''t look interested, Baihua pouted. "Xuesong, you should look mooore happy!! Otherwise, you''ll start to look like the always-grumpy Baixiang."


    "Baihua, stop acting like a little girl. It''s embarrassing to our family name," Baixiang retorted, eyes not leaving his phone."


    Baihua was uncharacteristically silent after that. At one point, Xuesong stopped looking at the fog to glance over. Baihua was hugging his bag loosely, but there was no expression on his face.


    Did he not like being called a little girl? Or did he have family issues?


    When Baihua noticed Xuesong staring, he gave Xuesong a calm smile. Xuesong smiled back, a little bit forced and dry. Baihua didn''t like it when Xuesong pried into his family problems, so Xuesong stayed silent. The only noise was the excited chatter of the other students on the bus, and the motor as the bus stopped and started again.


    Xuesong''s class didn''t have any of the twins. There were instructions on the board regarding where to sit. According to the formation, desks were put in a way where everybody would have a partner, the teacher called them "deskmates," sitting beside them. Xuesong''s "deskmate" hadn''t come yet. He laid his head in his arms, pretending to be asleep so nobody would come up and talk to him.


    Soon after, his deskmate arrived. After his deskmate sat down, he instantly hurled himself into conversation.


    "Hello, my deskmate! My name is Xiao Hehuan! What''s your name?" Xuesong didn''t respond. He pretended to be asleep. "Hellooo? Knock knock, anybody there? You can''t be asleep on the first day." Xuesong sighed and looked up. They boy''s hair was short and a little messy, but completely bleached into a soft yellow color. Xuesong noticed some girls glancing in Hehuan''s direction and whispering.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Yang Xuesong," Xuesong told him. The boy was taken aback, but Xuesong didn''t ask why. He simply laid his head back down.


    "How dare he talk to Hehuan that way"


    "How dare he mistreat Hehuan"


    The girls must really like Hehuan. To Xuesong, perhaps because he wasn''t attracted to men, Hehuan didn''t look too out of the ordinary. Other than his blaring blonde hair, of course.


    The second teacher came in. Then, the third.


    The bell run, and they left. Xuesong''s phone started buzzing. He started an argument with Baixiang. There were some remaining girls, looking tentatlively in Hehuan''s direction. Hehuan seemed to notice, and, as Xuesong was getting up to leave, he clutched Xuesong''s arm. Xuesong''s phone kept buzzing.


    "Xuesong-senpai? C-can I, perhaps, have lunch with this handsome Xuesong-senpai?" Xuesong looked at him in disgust, about to shake him off, when loud footsteps in the hallway inturrupted them. And everybody else, as well.


    "YANG XUESONG. WHERE THE **** ** **** ***** *** *** ****" Baihua was desperately holding back a shouting and cussing Baixiang. Hehuan didn''t seemed bothered by this.


    "Oh, Xuesong-senpai. Please take me with you for lunch." Baihua wasn''t strong enough to retain Baixiang, who came storming into the classroom, and dragged Xuesong in a chokehold to the cafeteria. Hehuan can in tow, clutching onto Xuesong''s leg, and Baihua followed hesitantly behind.


    In the cafeteria, while the two twins were getting food, Xuesong asked Hehuan. "Why are you so insistent on following me?" Hehuan looked confused.


    "What? Don''t we know each other?" Xuesong didn''t remember, so he shook his head hesitantly. Hehuan''s face fell into a frown. He opened his mouth to say something, but the sound that came out was more of a strained gasp as Baixiang slapped him on the back.


    "Hey, what''s your deal with Xuesong? You two can''t be friends, since Xuesong doesn''t have any."


    "Ah! Baixiang, that''s so mean!" Baihua gasped. He looked at Xuesong with woried eyes. "It''s okay, Xuesong. We''re your friends." Xuesong couldn''t tell if Baihua was mocking him or not.


    "No way, we go waaay back," Hehuan replied to Baixiang, wrapping his arm around Xuesong. Xuesong stabbed his broccoli with a chopstick, uninterested in the conversation.


    Baihua looked at Xuesong earnestly, clutching the hand that wasn''t holding his chopsticks. "Xuesong, is this mean stranger harrasing you at school? You can always let Mr. Baihua know." He was definitely mocking him now.


    "Go away and eat your food," Xuesong said, pulling his hand away from Baihua and pushing Hehuan away. Baixiang had already sat down, looking at Xuesong and Hehuan suspiciously.


    Hehuan seemed to get along well with Baihua, the two of them doing most of the talking. Baixiang occasionally put in a few snarky comments, and Xuesong ate in silence.


    Baihua and Baixiang seemed to attract even more attention to the table. They were both somewhat popular in middle school, a partial factor because they were identical twins, but they were getting more attention in highschool. Xuesong found it suffocating, with three shining and sparkling boys sitting at his table, but at least he wasn''t attractive enough to also join the tow.


    The day ended after long hours. Hehuan had given them his number, so now they could exchange information. Xuesong rode the bus back home with Baihua and Baixiang. He walked up the stone steps to his house. He grabbed the key from his pocket and turned it in the keyhole. The door opened with a slight creak. He got in and closed the door.


    The house was dark compared to the morning. Evenings were always sad like this. Xuesong sat down on a chair and scrolled through his phone listlessly. A note by his mom said she would be home late today. She was always late, and had been for the past three years. It seemed lonely in his dark, cold house.

 Chapter 3

    It was the third day of school when Hehuan racked up his first confession.


    "Hehuan, I have been thinking about you, ever since middle school. Ever since you approached me and picked up my pencil, the day we touched hands, I knew you were the one." She sighed. "I- I like you, Hehuan."


    "Ah, okay," was Hehuan''s reply, before returning to play piano tiles on his phone. The girl''s face flushed bright red.


    "H-Hehuan?" Then, she clenched up in anger. "Hey, Hehuan! Were you even listening to me? If you don''t like me, just reject me, you coward!" Hehuan''s face twitched a little and he put down his phone.


    "Okay then. You''re rejected." The girl glared at him, and left with a "hmph."


    A week later, a Hehuan fan club was started.


    "Ahhh Hehuan! You''re so popular now!" Baihua said at the lunch table with stars in his eyes.


    "Sure, this guy probably made it himself to attract more attention," Baixiang sighed.


    "Oh, I don''t have the time to do that," Hehuan laughed, accidentally giving one of his charming smiles that struck the hearts of all the girls within a five-meter radius. Baihua pretended to hide behind his brother to avoid the girl''s stares.


    Xuesong was curious about the fan club, though. He had never been to one, and the only thing he could think of was the fan club being a bunch of creeps stalking Hehuan''s social media, or stalking him in real life. Maybe both.


    "Hehuan, do you know what they do in the fan club?" Xuesong asked. Hehuan shook his head.


    "Ooo, are you interested in joining?" Baixiang teased. Xuesong ignored him.


    "Are the people there supposed to stalk you and put pictures of you on their club walls?" Xuesong asked.


    "Uhm, I don''t think it''s that serious..." Hehuan muttered.


    "-And make bracelets with your name and post photos of you in a group chat and take turns confessing to you-"


    "Er, Xuesong.."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "-And figure out your hobbies and where you live and your social security number and credit card information-"


    "Xuesong, stop." Hehuan put his head in his hands. "I-I don''t think they''d go that far," Baihua whispered to Baixiang something about Xuesong becoming talkative. Hehuan seemed to be in a state of confusion.


    "Maybe Xuesong means that you should check out the club to make sure they aren''t borderline stalking you," Baixiang suggested with some sarcasm in his voice.


    "Ah- well, they''re just a bunch of silly high schoolers. Why would they do that?"


    This time, Baihua whispered to Baixiang loud enough for Xuesong and Hehuan to hear. "He''s in denial." Baixiang nodded vigorously.


    A few days passed before Hehuan finally decided to go check out his club. The clubs were after school, and usually, Hehuan went back home to study. But he had made an excuse saying he was going to one of the academic clubs.


    "Ah, this feels like such a waste of time," he had commented.


    Before school even ended, a girl with long dark hair and cold eyes approached Hehuan.


    "Hehuan, do you know why you haven''t been getting any confessions recently?"


    Hehuan was taken aback by her abruptness. "Err, I only got one confession, so maybe because I''m not popular?" (This dumbass has a fan club, how can he not be popular, Baixiang whispered to Baihua.)


    "That''s partially correct. After your rude response to Meihua''s confession, most girls don''t like you anymore." That was a lie. Even Baihua''s idiot brain could''ve processed that Hehuan was still very popular.


    "Ah- well, what about the fan club?"


    "Nobody is there. Just me." The girl''s cold demeanor suddenly turned soft. "I love you, Hehuan. Choose me as your girlfriend. Everybody else wasn''t loyal after they saw how you talked, so they left. Only I persisted. My love is true, and if you choose me as your girlfriend, I''ll love you forever and ever."


    This girl was obviously lying.


    "None of your shit makes sense," Baixiang spoke up. "Unless you think you can seduce Hehuan into losing all his brain cells with your average looks, we''re not gonna believe you." The girl glared at Baixiang.


    "Err... Well, I don''t really know you that well..." The girl''s face returned to a smile.


    "That''s okay! I know you very well, Hehuan, and I can tell you everything you need to know about me! For starters, my name is Yuxi Li-"


    "Well, thank you, Yuxi Li, but I''ll be on my way now." Hehuan left hurridly in a random direction. Xuesong and the twins followed him.


    When they were out of sight, Hehuan sighed in relief.


    "Wow, why didn''t you rudely reject her like that first girl, Meihua, was it?" Baixiang asked.


    "She seems like the kind of person who you don''t want on your bad side," Hehuan muttered. There was a look of strained unease on his face.


    "Ah, well, Hehuan, do you feel good enough to go to your fan club today?" Baihua asked. Hehuan didn''t answer. He was in deep thought.


    Baixiang punched Hehuan''s arm. "Hey, my brother asked if you have the balls to go to a meet and greet with all your stalkers."


    "Don''t put it that way," Hehuan groaned, pretending to lean on Xuesong for support. "Hey, do we even know where the fan club is?"


    "I dunno. We''ll just walk around until we see a room with a lot of your photos on the walls."


    "Wow, Baixiang. So helpful." Then, Hehuan sighed. "Okay, let''s go. And hopefully, we don''t bump into that yandere girl again."

 Chapter 4

    They found the room soon enough. Baihua went in as a spy and sacrifice, pretending to look around and check out the club while recording the conversation with his phone in his pocket.


    It wasn''t exactly how Xuesong described it. Ten or so girls sat around a table and discussed what they loved about Hehuan, gushing over seeing him in the hallway, and creating self-insert fanfictions about him. Meihua was there, and she seemed to be enjoying herself, despite how her confession had gone. The Yandere girl never showed up.


    Baihua reported no psychopathic behavior. Hehuan sighed in relief. Then, the twins went home, since their mother was calling for them. Hehuan was forced to stay and wander the school since he told his parents he was in a club, which typically lasted an hour or two, while their "spying mission" had only taken fifteen minutes.


    Xuesong followed Hehuan. If he went home, he would just be greeted with the loneliness of his house.


    They walked until they were alone in an empty classroom. Hehuan turned to Xuesong.


    "Do you really not remember me?" Ah, this question again? Xuesong looked away.


    "Not really." Hehuan frowned. He walked up to Xuesong and grabbed his face, holding it up so they looked each other in the eyes. Hehuan was slightly taller than Xuesong, so Xuesong had to stand on his toes. "Err... me looking closer at you won''t make me recognize you more." Hehuan sighed and put Xuesong down. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments. The sunlight flooding through the windows started to turn from yellow to orange as the sun went down.


    Hehuan rolled up his right sleeve, showing a bandage hastily wrapped around his arm. Bruises and scars were hidden underneath.


    "Hmm?" Xuesong didn''t quiet understand the situation. He flinched when Hehuan shoved his arm in front of Xuesong, so he could see it clearly.


    "Don''t you remember this?" Hehuan asked, his voice going a little on edge. Xuesong saw band-aids underneath the bandages. Xuesong shook his head, pushing Hehuan away. Hehuan looked shocked and hurt.


    "Did I do this to you?" Xuesong asked, looking a little dazed.


    "Yes, you did. Don''t you remember?" Xuesong looked down, at Hehuan''s arm, then back at his face. His eyes were desperate and angry.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Ah- Uhm- Sorry, Hehuan." Xuesong ran away.


    He hid in the bathroom while trying to recollect his thoughts. Wow. He was a dumbass. He probably looked like a coward running away. But, the pieces had finally clicked in his brain.


    In the past, did he hurt Hehuan? His only faded memories were of the sunset and the faint taste of a ham and cheese sandwich. But he had forgotten everything. What had happened when he was twelve? Well, he life did go in uneventful blurs, but there was just a gap in his brain he didn''t know how to fill.


    Suddenly, his head rang. He let it ring, simply wallowing in the pain. The image of a boy smiling at him with sad eyes.


    What...?


    A memory of band-aids and bloody cotton balls. Picking glass shards.


    Then, of hands, hitting him, the sound of a door slamming. Somebody screaming.


    "Fuck you, this is all your fault. You don''t deserve to live."


    Did he say all those things to Hehuan? So why did Hehuan approach him with a casual smile?


    Did he want revenge?


    The face of a man, smiling, flashed in his head. Then, fading.


    Ah.


    What was he thinking about again?


    Xuesong returned from his retreat into the bathroom stalls. He heard a girl''s voice.


    "Hehuan, I heard you went to your fan club."


    "Yuxi Li? When did you appear?" Xuesong stopped and listened in. Yuxi Li was the stalker, wasn''t she?


    "I was watching you, Hehuan. To make sure you were safe. Why don''t you trust me? I told you, everybody in that fan club hates you."


    "Huh? You didn''t say that. And, please stop following me."


    "Are you doubting me, my dear Hehuan? Although I am deeply hurt, my love won''t waver."


    "Don''t call me that, Yuxi Li. It makes me uncomfortable."


    "Oh, honey. Don''t you think you can at least start calling me Yuxi? It would make me very happy if you did so."


    "Yuxi Li-"


    "By the way, are you okay, dear? I saw the scars on your arm. Xuesong did that to you, didn''t he?" What? What did he do?"


    "How did you know? I only showed that to Xuesong."


    "Pff, Hehuan, didn''t I already tell you I follow you to make sure you''re safe? You''re so silly sometimes. That''s what I like about you."


    "Yuxi! Stop following me, you stalker!" Xuesong peeked through the cracks in the door. Yuxi seemed to be slowing backing Hehuan into a corner. She smiled at him with her hands held behind her back, standing on her toes, as if she was about to kiss Hehuan.


    "Oh my Hehuan! You finally called me by my name! I''ll get rid of anybody that hurts you, my Hehuan! I''ll get rid of that annoying pest Xuesong that flies around you and tries to hurt you. Ah, just thinking about him torturing my poor Hehuan makes my blood boil."


    "No, Yuxi. Don''t do anything to Xuesong." His voice was raised. "Actually, don''t do anything bad to anybody. Also, I''m done with this bullshit." With that, he stormed towards the door. Xuesong instinctively rushed away, although he didn''t know why.


    Did Hehuan hate him so much he wanted to hurt Xuesong himself, instead of getting that yandere girl to do it?"


    "Where are you?" Hehuan texted.


    "I went home, sorry," Xuesong replied, hiding in the bathroom again to once more recollect his thoughts.

 Chapter 5

    The next day Xuesong made a conscious effort not to talk to Hehuan. But, although he made the effort, it was not enough.


    When the lunch bell rang, Xuesong attempted to make a run for it. "Xuesong!!" Xuesong quickened his pace. Unfortunately, Hehuan caught up. "You! Xuesong!"


    Xuesong turned around, acting as if he simply didn''t hear Hehuan. "Ah, what is it?"


    "Ugh, Xuesong. Why are you always ignoring meee?" Hehuan complained. "Are you scared of my creepy-looking arm?" He gave Xuesong a look full of mock hurt. "That''s very mean, Xuesong." It was strange hearing Hehuan talk about his arm so casually now. Back then, Xuesong remembered his desperate and angry eyes.


    Xuesong opened his mouth, but bit his tongue when somebody slapped his back. Quiet aggressively as well. Baixiang and Baihua were standing behind him, both looking tired from the morning lectures.


    Xuesong slapped Baixiang back. "What are you two doing here in the middle of the hallway?" Baihua asked.


    Hehuan crossed his arms. "We were just having a veery serious conversation about Xuesong ignoring me."


    "Huh, maybe you''re just being extra delusional today. Xuesong ignores everybody," Baixiang replied, rolling his eyes and rubbing the place he was hit. Hehuan stuck his tongue out at Baixiang.


    "Oh! Also," Baihua suddenly lowered his voice. "I saw that creepy yandere girl today. During break time, I saw her staring at you in the hall." Hehuan frowned.


    "Are you sure?"


    Baihua nodded contently. "You should confront her about it."


    Hehuan sighed. "I''ll think about it during lunch."


    During lunch, Hehuan was indeed thinking. Or, more like he was contemplating whether he should confront her. The three of them ate in silence, letting him think about the serious decision he was about to make.


    "Ugh, we have no evidence," he complained after a while, putting his head in his palms.


    "Hmm, so you just need evidence, right?" Baihua asked. Hehuan nodded. "Well, I can stalk her, if you want. I''m very good at it." Baixiang side-eyed him judgementally.


    "Baihua, stalking isn''t good," Hehuan told him.


    "Well, do you have a better idea to gather your ''evidence?''" Baihua countered. It was strange to see Baihua even consider stalking somebody. Typically, he would be heavily against it.


    "On the day she approached us, she said some really fake things, didn''t she?" Baixiang cut in, trying to keep the conversation back on track.


    "None of them hint at her being the stalker, though," Hehuan pointed out. "Frankly, I don''t think people would believe it if we said she lies. She''s the second in our class, and has too many friends and connections."


    "Who''s the first?" Baihua asked out of curiosity. Hehuan''s face fell and he looked ashamed.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "It''s me."


    Baihua laughed awkwardly, the conversation stopping.


    The walk back to class was typically silent, but this time, Xuesong spoke.


    "You two had a talk after I left."


    "Huh? How did you know?" Hehuan looked suprised. "Didn''t you leave?" Xuesong averted his gaze.


    "I overheard."


    After a few moments of silence, Hehuan spoke up again.


    "I recorded the conversation," he confessed. "since I felt uneasy. But, I don''t want people hearing about my bandages."


    "Cut it out then."


    "Ah- well, that part also has evidence of her stalking." He gave Xuesong a strained smile. "You understand where I''m coming from, right?" Xuesong sighed, nodding silently. Secretly, he wasn''t convinced that Hehuan couldn''t cut it out.


    Their walk to class was left undisturbed until they got close to their classroom. Suddenly, a girl ran up to them.


    "Xiao Hehuan! Yang Xuesong!" Xuesong turned around. The girl who confessed to Hehuan was running towards them.


    She caught up, and in gasping breaths, she said, "If you.. have a.. moment.., Hehuan, I''d like to.. apologize.. to you." She turned to Xuesong. "Oh, and you can... uhh.."


    Xuesong turned continue walking to the classroom, understanding the situation.


    "W-wait!" Meihua called. When Xuesong looked back, she stuttered a little. "U-uh..."


    Xuesong, seeing she didn''t have anything to say, entered the room.


    "Hmm? So this two-faced bastard showed up after all." The classroom suddenly went silent. The air turned from lively to quiet, cold, and suffocating. Eyes watched him. He turned away and sat down.


    Suddenly, Yuxi walked up to face him. Her eyes glared down into his with anger and scorn, in a condescending way. The whole class seemed to hold their breaths.


    Suddenly, Yuxi burst into tears. "Oh, Xuesong! How could you do this to Hehuan?"


    What?


    He echoed his thought. Her eyes shot daggers at him through fake tears.


    "Sniff. You''re so two-faced, Xuesong. I thought you two were friends. Who knew you were such a bad person?" ''Yuxi is more two-faced than me,'' Xuesong thought.


    But, whispers filled the room. "Ah, such a bad friend." "Who let him near Hehuan?" "Poor Hehuan, he didn''t deserve to be treated like that by this bastard."


    The air felt like glass, that would shatter the moment Xuesong breathed. A thought crawled into his brain. A quick change in mood.


    Did he give Hehuan those wounds? He didn''t remember.


    Perhaps he did.


    Yuxi''s tears dripped onto Xuesong''s desk. He looked down at them, then back at Yuxi.


    "Huh? What did I do?" It didn''t even matter what he was going to say. The whispering would continue on either way.


    Then, Yuxi''s hand came down on his cheek. It burned dimly, compared to the shock.


    "How dare you!" Yuxi shouted. "How dare you pretend you don''t know!" She pointed angrily at Xuesong, facing the class. "See this? The audacity of this asshole!" The whole class glared at Xuesong. He felt like a cornered mouse, having nowhere to run.


    He decided to raise his voice. The hit on his cheek gave him a rush of adrenaline. "What are you even talking about? Explain it clearly, Yuxi. Explain it to this cowardly two-faced asshole who doesn''t know shit." He stood up, making Yuxi flinch. "And, who gave you the right to hit me? Do you want me to hit you back so badly?"


    He didn''t care about the people whispering.


    "B-but, who gave you the right to hit Hehuan?" Yuxi shouted back.


    Huh?


    Xuesong was taken aback. "What do you mean??" Yuxi glared at him, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.


    "Did you know, yesterday Hehuan finally worked up the courage to tell me something he so desperately wanted to hide for so long? He told me that you bullied him every day, after school. He even showed me the scars on his arms. Did you know that I saw fresh wounds there too? I was so horrified. You must be still doing this, up until now!"


    Did he do that? Was that what happened during his twelfth year that he had forgotten?


    "Oh, how awful." "He must have suffered so much." "It scares me to think about it." Eyes looked back at him. Pins and needles of unease pricked his skin.


    No, that didn''t make sense. At least, part of her statement was wrong. He didn''t bully Hehuan recently. He didn''t remember.


    He didn''t... remember.


    "See??" Yuxi shouted. "He''s all quiet now since he knows I''m right-"


    The door of the classroom slid open. Meihua glanced inside, looking at Xuesong worriedly. Hehuan had an unreadable expression on his face.


    He walked in, slamming the door behind him. The whole class was silent. Suddenly, the focus of the classroom shifted from Yuxi to Hehuan. His steps echoed dully on the ground.


    He walked up to her, until they were face to face.


    "Oh? Care to explain to poor Hehuan what happened?"

 Chapter 6

    Yuxi stepped back, her face turning from angry and shocked to worried.


    "Oh, Hehuan," she began with sorrowful eyes. "You can tell me the truth." She brushed his cheek with her hand, sighing in pity. Then, she turned to glare at Xuesong.


    The whole class held their breath. Xuesong did too. After all, he didn''t know if he hurt Hehuan either. He knew it wasn''t possible, but doubt was starting to sink in.


    The two of them, Yuxi and Hehuan, stood there for a long time.


    Then, a tear dropped from Hehuan''s face. Yuxi was taken aback, but she wiped it away from his face with sad eyes.


    Hehuan slapped her hand away. Her eyes widened.


    "Hehuan? Are you okay?"


    Hehuan looked up, tears starting to form.


    "Y-Yuxi, what did I ever do to you?" Hehuan asked through shaking breaths. "W-why are you pinning my best friend for something he didn''t do?"


    Yuxi held up her act. She smiled gently at Hehuan. "Oh, my poor Hehuan. You told me Xuesong did this, didn''t you? You must be in a lot of confusion right now to have forgotten." Then, she gasped. "U-Unless, Xuesong manipulated you!" What she was saying was bullshit.


    Hehuan sniffed. "Yuxi, m-my wounds are a very sensitive topic to me. A-And, I never told anybody else except Xuesong about them. A-Also, Xuesong wrapped bandages on my arms and took care of me every day."


    Huh? Xuesong didn''t remember that. And, it sounded too cheesy to be true.


    But a small shower thought, if it did happen, he was fourteen now. He had forgotten his memory when he was twelve... Did Hehuan never change his bandages in two years?


    Xuesong decided not to think too much about it.


    Yuxi was taken aback. "W-what?"


    Hehuan continued, wiping his tears away. "Why would you think about doing something so cruel as pinning the blame on Xuesong?"


    Yuxi bit her lips in uncertainty. The class had started to shift tones, their glares targeted towards Yuxi now. They seemed so easily swayed. Yuxi''s thick skin seemed to have thinned.


    Yuxi pulled out her last card. "Hehuan, then, if you could kindly tell me, what did cause those injuries?" Hehuan flinched, unconsciously rubbing his arm.


    "Ah- uhm.." he seemed uncertain, his gaze shifting towards Xuesong, as if saying "help me." What? Was Xuesong supposed to know the answer? Xuesong gave Hehuan a small smile, for the lack of anything better to do. Hehuan looked at him back in betrayal.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    He turned back towards Yuxi, making his eyes well up more tears. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He seemed speechless for real this time.


    The bell seemed to make everybody flinch. Hehuan wiped away his fake tears and sat down, the rest of the class slowly moving to gather their books as the teacher walked in. The intense aurora of the class still lingered there faintly.


    The teacher himself seemed taken aback at the mood of the classroom. "Ah- good afternoon, class." The class echoed back hollowly. Some still eyed Hehuan and Yuxi quietly. The teacher flipped through a binder that Xuesong assumed was for attendance, glancing at the students, then back at his binder. After a while, he set it down and sighed.


    "It''s been a few weeks into school, but I think all of you have worked very hard, so I have decided... to take you all on a trip." What. Xuesong groaned internally. The class''s mood seemed to brighten exponentially, though. "Oh, of course, since this is a psychology course, we will be doing something psychology related." The class''s mood dimmed. "We are going to go see a haunted house, then, when we come back, I want you all to write a two-page essay about different factors that may cause fear and how fear is registered throughout your body."


    A haunted house. Sounds like a pain in the ass.


    After giving his grand field trip reveal, the teacher continued to ramble on about the trip. Xuesong listened half-heartedly, staring at the Hawaiian shirt the teacher was probably forced to wear since it was Friday. He noticed Hehuan glancing at him, as if trying to get his attention. Xuesong looked away.


    After class, Xuesong attempted to make a run for it again without talking to Hehuan. The whole day, his encounters with Hehuan had been so awkward, so he wasn''t in the mood to talk. But, of course, Hehuan was.


    "Heeey, Xuesong!" Hehuan caught up to him quickly. "You promised you wouldn''t ignore me again."


    "I''m not," Xuesong said monotonously. "I need to piss really badly." Hehuan frowned.


    "No you don''t, the restroom''s the other way." Xuesong sighed, turning around to look at Hehuan, who was walking beside him now. He really wasn''t in the mood to talk, and just wanted to go home, but Hehuan wasn''t going to let go of him.


    "Listen, what do you want, Hehuan?" Hehuan crossed his arms and pouted.


    "Don''t you have something to say?"


    "Huh? Oh, I''m sorry about Yuxi" Xuesong didn''t know how to answer that question.


    "No! Aren''t you curious about how it happened?" Oh. He must be talking about his arm. Xuesong shook his head. He genuinely wasn''t. And, Hehuan said it was a sensitive topic, even if he was faking it, so he wasn''t going to ask. But, Hehuan''s face turned darker. "Unless you already know."


    Xuesong was taken aback. "What?"


    "Huh? You don''t remember?" Hehuan''s eyes dulled momentarily, then shifted to his usual tone. Xuesong looked at him, confused. "You don''t remember meeting me at your little picnics?" When Xuesong''s face hadn''t cleared, Hehuan''s mood seemed to darken.


    "Ah- Hehuan?"


    "Oh, it''s okay, Xuesong. It was only three times, so you probably don''t remember." He smiled, returning to his usual self. Xuesong was still confused, and a little worried. He had never seen his friend make that kind of face before.


    Hehuan seemed to notice, slapping him on the back. "Hey, cheer up, Xuesong!" he said loudly. "Anyway, don''t think too much about it, it wasn''t a big deal."


    Xuesong''s brain wasn''t done registering when Hehuan walked away to retrieve something he had forgotten.


    Xuesong... didn''t remember a picnic. But, the word made him feel conflicted.


    When Xuesong met Hehuan, Hehuan felt like somebody Xuesong had seen before. He had a comforting but cold presence, like somebody Xuesong knew but didn''t understand.


    When he was twelve, had he forgotten about... a picnic?


    But, Xuesong knew that something bad happened to him to cause him to forget something. It was called a trama response. There was also amnesia, but Xuesong hadn''t forgotten anything but when he was twelve.


    What had happened during his "picnic" that was so big his brain forced him to forget?

 Chapter 7

    "Huh? Why is she here?" Baihua asked, setting down his food tray. Meihua smiled at him, waving awkwardly. Baixiang glared at her from behind.


    "She''s part of my master plan," Hehuan replied casually. "Oh, and if you asked, Baixiang, she apologized to me. To be fair, I was kinda rude too." Meihua was wedged between Xuesong and Hehuan, picking stiffly at her food.


    "Your master plan?" Baihua looked puzzled, going back to the topic at hand. Hehuan nodded.


    "That''s correct. My master plan to destroy Yuxi once and for all."


    "And..." Baixiang rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If I''m understanding you, part of it is getting together with Meihua?" Hehuan gasped.


    "Woah! How did you know?"


    "That''s a dumbass plan, Hehuan. It''s just gonna make Yuxi madder."


    "Well, my plan is to draw out Yuxi''s bad side, since that two-faced bitch is now going around making herself the victim." Xuesong agreed that it wasn''t one of Hehuan''s best ideas.


    "So, how are you gonna do this?" Baihua asked. "I heard your psychology class is going on a field trip. Are you two going to act all lovey-dovey with each other?" Meihua turned slightly red. Their soon-to-be fake relationship was pretty one-sided, after all.


    "Oh, maybe. I''ve never dated anybody before." Baihua and Baixiang stared at Hehuan in shock.


    "Baixiang, are you going?" Baixiang was taking psychology as well. Baixiang shook his head.


    "Baihua would probably sob and piss his pants if I was gone." Baihua laughed nervously.


    "Anyways, now that we are officially technically a couple, we''re gonna be all lovely dovey and piss off Yuxi, right, Meihua?" Meihua blushed.


    "R-right." Baihua whispered to Baixiang something about the fake dating trope.


    When they were in class, Hehuan and Meihua performed their first scene. Xuesong sat down to watch. Meihua sat down at her desk, brushing her hair back softly. She sat next to the window like a main character, her hair looking brown in the sunlight.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Hehuan entered, smiling at her. He set down a strawberry milk on her desk. Five girls perished when he smiled.


    "Did you have a good lunch, Meihua?" He asked, ignoring the fact that they ate together. Meihua slowly turned around, her hair flowing delecately in the breeze.


    Hehuan-senpai is so charming, she seemed to think. She smiled back.


    "Thank you, Hehuan. Every day is good when you are around." The class seemed confused by their sudden change of tone. Meihua looked down at the chocolate milk. "Oh! Is this for me?"


    "Of course. It''s sweet, just like you."


    Vast amounts of viewers dropped after hearing that line. Some classmates cringed.


    "Oh, thank you! I''ll cherish it very much," Meihua replied, holding it close to her chest.


    Hehuan returned to his seat. The first act of their performance was over. Xuesong clapped in his head. Meihua was a good actor.


    The second act was in a few days. During the bus break on their field trip, said to last the full weekend. Meihua sniffed, putting her hand on her cheek.


    "Oh, I get rather sick on this bus usually," Meihua sighed, leaning against the window of the bus. Hehuan looked at her in concern.


    "My dear Meihua. Please tell me if anything is troubling you. Perhaps, you would like some fresh air." Meihua smiled at him.


    "Hehe, if only it''s with you, Hehuan."


    Xuesong didn''t hear the rest until Hehuan came back. But, when he did, he was unusually quiet, rubbing his arm again. Xuesong asked Meihua what had happened.


    "Yuxi stalked us," Meihua said after some time. "There were notes." That was all she said.


    Later, at night, Xuesong heard the full story. A note had been taped on a tree that Meihua and Hehuan had walked past. It said, "Remember to look behind you."


    Meihua had grabbed the note and tore it up. She then turned to Hehuan with a smile. "Let''s go back, Hehuan. We''ve walked quiet far."


    Then another note. "Five feet away." It seemed to be torn from a newspaper. It was taped on a wall. They returned.


    Hehuan was quiet while they set up in their rooms. There were two bunks per room, so two "desk clusters" shared each half of the room. At one point, Xuesong saw him text Meihua "are you really okay with this?"


    At night, Xuesong heard him mutter in his sleep. "Please, Mom. I''ll try harder. Don''t hit me. I''ll do everything I can. Mom. Stop it. Help me."


    The next day, somehow, their one-week relationship seemed already at the brink of falling. Something strange was going on. Meihua seemed half-hearted when she talked. Hehuan seemed genuinely worried.


    Later that day, they entered the haunted house. It lift the mood a little. Xuesong learned that Hehuan was scared of many things. He was jumpy the whole time. Meihua seemed to enjoy watching the horror on Hehuan''s face when he saw a fake dead man sitting on a chair. Xuesong was stone-faced the entire time.


    Some places celebrated Halloween in mid-autumn. The place the teacher had offered was open all year long, but only on Sundays. It didn''t have the most realistic scares, but it was better than nothing. Really helped him learn about how a person''s body registers fear. Hehuan was an especially big help.


    When they headed back, Xuesong saw a note Meihua was holding. "Don''t get too close. Your room is 406."


    At night, Hehuan was sitting on his bottom bunk, eyes staring dully at nowhere. He didn''t seem to notice as Xuesong got down to go use the restroom.


    Sometimes, Hehuan seemed out of it. Not particularly looking at anything. His eyes void of any light.


    They both flinched when they heard a muffled scream from above them.