Yandere girls and my fragmented daily life - Chapter 18

Hm… Hm… With a rather sultry sound, Ling Fan groggily got out of bed, shaking his head and stretching with effort.

It was a great sleep.

The weather in mid-March was still a little chilly. Even though Ling Fan was awake, he had no desire to get out of bed. He glanced at his phone to check the time and realised it was already past noon.

Ling Fan, who had felt nothing in particular before, suddenly felt his stomach protest the moment he saw the time.

With a drowsy demeanour, Ling Fan reached for the lone cup of instant noodles resting on the small table beside him. As if on autopilot, he instinctively snatched two sausages from the nearby plastic bag. He eagerly ripped open one and popped it into his mouth, then turned to handle the cup of noodles.

On weekends, Ling Fan’s usual routine was to come back on Saturday night and stay up all night playing games, then eat a cup of instant noodles in the morning and start sleeping.

However, yesterday, Ling Fan was busy all day and came back so disoriented that he could hardly find his way.

Although Ling Fan really wanted to turn on his computer and start playing, as the dungeon’s cooldown had reset, he seemed to hear the call of heaven in his ears. So, Ling Fan was reluctantly forced to quit his internet addiction for the night.

After finishing his instant noodles, Ling Fan turned on his computer, started organising his thoughts, and began to plan for the day.

Saturday was already gone, and it seemed like he hadn’t done much. So, as long as he gets through today, it will be fine.

Today, as long as he stays home, he will be safe. It’s not possible that someone will suddenly break in, right?

Ling Fan couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up to his wise decision.

However, Ling Fan had a vague feeling that Saturday’s events might not be as simple as they seemed…

At least, not as straightforward as they appeared. As for Su MoRan, although she had been a bit too clingy to him yesterday, Ling Fan believed it was probably because her family wasn’t home, and she felt a bit lonely. After all, Su MoRan was only in the first year of junior high.

Moreover, it was also the first time Ling Fan had seen Su MoRan alone at home. Su Wen and her husband were different from Xu ZhongHao. Ling Fan had seen Su Wen’s husband, Su ZhengGuo, many times.

In contrast, Xu ZhongHao rarely spent time with his daughter. Even though Xu YanRan had been receiving tutoring for a year, Ling Fan had never met Xu YanRan’s mother, who, according to Xu ZhongHao, was living abroad.

Therefore, Ling Fan felt that he could still logically explain Su MoRan’s behaviour to some extent.

But something felt off yesterday afternoon, particularly at Xu YanRan’s house. Even now, Ling Fan’s legs felt weak from the terrifying aura that seemed to lock onto him, as well as the sense of isolation.

Could Xu YanRan be the one planning something against him?

Thinking of this, Ling Fan couldn’t help but chuckle. It was impossible. Not only had he never done anything to harm Xu YanRan, but he had even been lending her a hand. This wasn’t his first time interacting with Xu YanRan.

Xu YanRan was not only a beautiful and kind girl but also very intelligent and rational. Ling Fan had always thought so.

Xu YanRan likes him? That was even more unlikely. If Xu YanRan liked him, pigs could climb trees. He was plain-looking and poor, while Xu YanRan’s appearance was something Ling Fan had a bit of perspective on.

Ling Fan believed that if there were some kind of “Campus Beauty” ranking at ChangLi, Xu YanRan would definitely be in the top spots. Her admirers could stack themselves up like a skyscraper.

Ling Fan’s guess was correct. At ChangLi, there were two prominent beauties, one in the junior high and one in the senior high, and Xu YanRan was one of them. Most boys believed that Xu YanRan was the more beautiful of the two.

More importantly, Ling Fan had no such thoughts himself.

To him, romantic relationship seemed like a troublesome matter. Ling Fan wasn’t one to seek out trouble, and he was very content with his current life of solitude.

Besides, wasn’t love supposed to be a sweet and pleasant experience? How could it be that chilling, oppressive aura, a feeling of helplessness with no escape?

Although Ling Fan had never been in a relationship himself, he wasn’t entirely clueless—he’d seen a couple of pairs in his class and frequently noticed them around campus.

From hundreds of meters away, he could smell the sour scent of romance.

Whether it was love or hate, it was impossible that Xu YanRan had anything against him.

At that moment, the flickering light from the computer screen interrupted Ling Fan’s thoughts.

The monitor lit up, and Ling Fan launched the online game [Stigmata World]. [Stigmata World] is a Western fantasy MMORPG filled with swords and magic, dragons and demons, epic storylines, and eye-popping special effects that burned through its budget. Its rich skill system and dynamic world quests had made it a hot game within less than a month of its release.

Ling Fan accessed his character in the game. In [Stigmata World], he had embraced his old passion and played as a wizard.

In game, Ling Fan was even more carefree.

If one had to categorize him, Ling Fan would fall into the high-level player category. As a young gamer with quick reflexes, sharp awareness, and a willingness to spend and grind, coupled with his innate flair.

But let’s not dwell on that.

Ling Fan wasn’t particularly fond of PvP (Player vs. Player) combat.

To earn a rank PvP reward—a dazzling set of wings—Ling Fan had participated in a stint of PvP matches. Thanks to this flair, he won all 53 battles without a single defeat.

Once he achieved his desired ranking, he stopped attending PvP matches. However, his flawless record of 53 consecutive victories remained very prominent in his character profile.

WeiYang: Time, where have you been? You weren’t around yesterday. The only ones commanding were Autumn Fall and ChengXiaoShi. And XiaoShi is a girl, so trying to tackle the new dungeon with them was a real struggle. The temporary players we picked up had inadequate gear but no skill.

MoMoMo: Yeah, it was a disaster. The new dungeon needs thirty-six players—twelve for each boss—and with no strategy guide, those wild players were split evenly between DPS and tanks. It was a complete mess. We spent all night on it, and it felt like a disaster movie.

As soon as Ling Fan logged in, he was greeted by messages in the guild channel.

Huh? Did these guys went dungeon diving with the guild yesterday?

[Stigmata World] had released a high-difficulty dungeon update the day before. The top-tier gear of the current version was only enough to meet the entry requirements. The first four bosses were within reach, but the later bosses required top-tier, endgame gear even to have a chance at challenging it. That was how the official website had described it.

Time: Oh… I had something to do yesterday and was too tired at night to log in.

After replying, Ling Fan planned to clear his weekly tasks and then take a look at the newly released dungeon since his gear was already at the top tier for the current version.

Ling Fan was very serious about his gear. The guild he was in now wasn’t the first one he had joined. Previously, he had switched guilds due to a dispute over an endgame weapon.

At that time, Ling Fan was committed to gear progression. He actively participated in dungeon hunts and guild raids every day. Eventually, a weapon template he needed for his dream epic weapon dropped. Although it was only a slight upgrade from his current weapon, every bit counts.

Another priest on the team also needed that weapon template. Since the priest was a girl and somewhat attractive and often chatted with the team’s otaku members, the team and even the guild leader encouraged Ling Fan to give the template to her.

Ling Fan was very displeased. Why should he give up the weapon? He had the highest contribution in the whole guild and needed the weapon himself. Without hesitation, Ling Fan put all his contribution points on the line and forcibly secured the weapon.

This made those who had urged him to give it up very awkward, and the guild leader felt embarrassed.

But Ling Fan couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. He left the guild and joined the current one.

“If it’s not mine, I don’t want it. If it is mine, no one else can take it,” Ling Fan thought. Initially, he had planned to avoid joining any guilds and just enjoy the game on his own. But after seeing the benefits and bonuses offered by the guilds, he thought,

“Oh damn, brother. Is your guild still recruiting? I’d like a spot.”

MoMoMo: Brother Time, I have a feeling you were out having fun yesterday.

WeiYang: Oh, nice! Were you having ‘fun’ all night?

Time: You think I’m like you guys, forgetting even where the sun rises when you see a pretty face?

WeiYang: Seriously, you’re so hard to tease

Night Song: You guys sure are in good spirits, chatting away here. Oh, isn’t this Time? Time, how come you’re here? I haven’t seen you online in a while. Last night, without you, it felt like our backbone was missing; it was as if the sky was falling.

MoMoMo: Yeah, even though Time doesn’t talk much, his critiques are spot-on, and he’s a fundamental pillar of support. Compared to certain people, it’s night and day. Just look at Autumn Fall—what a mess.

Ling Fan couldn’t help but wonder, how are these guys so lively? Don’t they feel tired after getting wiped out all night?

It seems video games is indeed a world where sleep is optional.

Autumn Fall: Why do I feel like someone’s talking bad about me?

MoMoMo: ….You must be hallucinating. Go back to sleep.

Time: Are you all triathlon champions? You’re all so full of energy, like you’ve taken some Viagra. Don’t you guys get tired from staying up all night?

Autumn Fall: We went to sleep in the morning. At least I’m almost done with my sleep now.

Empty City: Oh, so lively… Time, where did you go last night?

MoMoMo: Time was off ‘enjoying’ himself yesterday.

Empty City: ???

Autumn Fall: Empty City, don’t listen to that old pervert. Time said he had something to do yesterday and was too tired to log in.

Empty City: Oh, I see.

Time: Girl tank. Did you also go dungeon diving yesterday?

Empty City: Yeah, we got wiped out all night. Autumn Fall is really a salty presence.

Empty City was a female paladin in the guild and also a girl, often taking on the tank role, so Time casually referred to her as the girl tank.

She had often tried to argue with Ling Fan about this, but Ling Fan had selectively ignored her complaints.

Unable to persuade him, she reluctantly let it go but vowed to give Ling Fan a good beating if she ever found him.

Foolish deer, you’ll never find me. Ling Fan has already set himself up with a flag.

Autumn Fall: I’ll take the blame, alright? Enough of this, everyone. Give me a little face.

Empty City: You still have the nerve to talk? We’ll discuss this next time we play together, Time. I’m going to grab a meal with Old Dream now.

Old Dream was a priest. Empty City always said Old Dream was her sister, but Ling Fan suspected they might be involved in a Yuri relationship.

As the saying goes, “Empty City and Old Dream warm the heart!”

Autumn Fall: This is so frustrating. Why is the treatment between me and Time so different!

MoMoMo: Look at you with that smug face. And you call me an old pervert? I bet your mind’s full of 18+ stuff.

Autumn Fall: How dare you! After three days of no beating for three days, you think you’re invincible now? Want to come to the arena and have a match?

MoMoMo: Grandson, I’ve been meaning to do just that. Grandpa will set up a room and pull you in so you can find out if the pot is cast iron or wrought iron.

Time: …..You guys haven’t changed a bit. Where’s WeiYang?

Autumn Fall: Checked the friends list. Looks like he’s in the arena, fishing in a regular room.

MoMoMo: Haha, he’s fishing? Last time, he almost drowned in the fish pond. I bet he just wants to become a fish and get beaten. Autumn, hurry up and come over. Grandpa’s room is ready.

Autumn Fall: Mo dog, just watch how I’ll take care of you. This time next year, it’ll be your Memorial Day.

Ling Fan watched the banter between them and couldn’t help but feel a little amused.

Suddenly, Ling Fan saw a notification pop up in his friends list.

Crap, that troublemaker is online! I’d better make a quick exit.

Ling Fan immediately set his status to invisible.

But it was too late.

The guild chat was already buzzing with messages.

ChengXiaoShi: Time, stop hiding. I can see you. Think you can run? Quickly explain why you haven’t been online recently and where you went last night. Confess honestly, and you might get leniency; resist, and you’ll face strict punishment!