Chapter 14: The Madman

After realizing that Shen Zhansi wasn’t the Shen Zhansi she knew, Yan Qingye had been bewildered. She couldn’t understand why someone who had been perfectly fine could suddenly change so drastically.  

She had panicked, doubted, locked herself in her room day and night, yet still couldn’t figure out the reason.  

During those days when she was neither human nor ghost, in the endless cycle of recollection and analysis, she came to understand just how profound her feelings for Shen Zhansi were.  

She loved her. Even when Shen Zhansi avoided her and spoke harshly, she could still smile and watch her fondly.  

The person she loved was only the Shen Zhansi she had known.  

Often, Yan Qingye felt like a monster lurking in the shadows, yet she stubbornly clung to that ray of sunlight, unwilling to let go.  

Even if it burned and scarred her, she was determined to possess it.  

She told her elders she was going on a graduation trip, but in reality, she took Shen Zhansi to a property she owned in a neighboring city. After having Shen Zhansi thoroughly examined, no mental health issues were found.  

This ruled out the possibility that Shen Zhansi’s drastic change in personality was due to some mental illness.  

Yan Qingye gazed darkly at Shen Zhansi, who was tied to a chair before her. After days of close observation, she was certain—this person was clear-minded and independent, nothing like a split personality of Shen Zhansi.  

It was more like she was someone else entirely.  

“Who are you, really?” Yan Qingye’s fingertip traced lightly over Shen Zhansi’s face. Her voice was soft, yet it sent chills down the spine.  

The cold touch lingered on her skin. “Shen Zhansi,” who hadn’t slept properly in days, looked haggard, trapped with no way to escape.  

Who would have thought that the timid, dodder vine-like character from the early chapters could transform into a wolf clamping its jaws around its prey’s neck?  

“I told you, I am Shen Zhansi,” came the weak reply.  

Yan Qingye suddenly laughed—softly at first, then louder, until tears streamed down her face.  

She wiped them away with her thumb, the dampness on her fingertips making her chuckle again. Her eyes, bright with amusement, locked onto “Shen Zhansi’s.”  

“If you’re Shen Zhansi, then where is *my* Shen Zhansi?”  

“Where is she? Can you tell me?”  

Her voice was gentle, devoid of any hostility. With tears still glistening in her eyes, she looked almost tender, her gaze deceptively warm.  

“Shen Zhansi’s” lips trembled visibly. The emotions in her eyes were too complex for Yan Qingye to decipher—except for one she recognized.  

Regret.  

“What are you regretting?” Yan Qingye smiled faintly.  

But no matter how she smiled now, no one would mistake her for harmless. Instead, it sent a shiver down the spine, as if she might pull out a knife at any moment.  

“Believe it or not, I *am* Shen Zhansi,” she finally met Yan Qingye’s gaze head-on.  

Yan Qingye nodded. “I believe you. I believe you’re Shen Zhansi.”

“Shen Zhansi’s” expression showed a hint of softening, but before she could begin to feel joy, Yan Qingye’s next words drained all color from her face.  

“I believe you’re also called Shen Zhansi, just not the Shen Zhansi from the Shen family of Huaicheng. Can you tell me which Shen Zhansi you are?”  

Shen Zhansi stared at Yan Qingye in disbelief, as if stunned by her words. Her lips trembled, momentarily speechless.  

“So, can you tell me which Shen Zhansi you are?” Yan Qingye still spoke with a pleasant tone and demeanor.  

“I—I don’t understand what you’re saying,” she replied, her voice noticeably lacking confidence.  

“You don’t understand?” Yan Qingye chuckled softly, her eyes instantly turning cold. The fingertips that had been lightly tracing Shen Zhansi’s face suddenly tightened, gripping her cheeks and forcing her to meet her gaze.  

“Then why are you so afraid?”  

“I just want the Shen Zhansi I know. Tell me where she is, and this can all be over.”  

“Mmm—”  

Pinched like this, no matter how much she shook her head, she couldn’t break free from the iron grip. Her gums ached from the pressure, tears welling up from the pain.  

“Mmm, I don’t know, I don’t know.”  

Shen Zhansi shook her head, tears dripping onto Yan Qingye’s hand. The warm, wet sensation brought a sliver of reason back to Yan Qingye, who was on the verge of losing control. Slowly, she released her grip, her face paling slightly at the sight of the vivid finger marks left on Shen Zhansi’s face.  

Her hand instinctively moved to soothe the marks but stopped just millimeters away.  

Staring at the bruises, a wave of self-loathing began to rise, threatening to drown her.  

What must Shen Zhansi think of her now?  

Would she despise her?  

Would she blame her for hurting her body?  

But all she wanted was for her to come back.  

“Mmm—” Freed, Shen Zhansi worked her jaw, wishing she could rub the soreness away if not for her bound hands.  

Who would have thought that the seemingly delicate Yan Qingye could have such strength, effortlessly subduing and restraining her without making enough noise to alert anyone?  

To be like this at such a young age—it was terrifying.  

“I don’t know, I really don’t know. I just woke up suddenly and found myself in this body!”  

This time, Shen Zhansi was far more cooperative.  

“You woke up in this body without any idea how?” Yan Qingye’s voice turned icy.  

“Yes! Actually, I’m from another world. My name is Shen Zhansi there too. Maybe it’s because we share the same name that I ended up here, waking up in this body.”  

“Is that so?” Yan Qingye’s gaze was frigid, her lips curling into a cold smile. “But when I first met you, you didn’t seem the least bit disoriented. You adapted quite well, didn’t you?”  

Too well—even enjoying it.  

If someone suddenly found themselves in an unfamiliar world, would they be as relaxed, even flippant and mocking, exuding an air of superiority as she had?  

As if everyone, including herself, were nothing more than playthings she could manipulate at will.

A flash of annoyance crossed “Shen Zhansi’s” eyes, fleeting but still caught by Yan Qingye.

So she was annoyed that Yan Qingye had quickly realized she wasn’t the real Shen Zhansi?

“I don’t want anything else, I just want the real Shen Zhansi back. You can do that, right?” Yan Qingye tilted her head and smiled at her.

“Shen Zhansi” suddenly swallowed hard, her expression and tone completely devoid of the previous haughty mockery, instead appearing somewhat timid and fearful.

“I—I really don’t know! I don’t know how I ended up in this body!” Shen Zhansi suddenly seemed on the verge of a breakdown.

Yan Qingye watched the fearful expression appear on Shen Zhansi’s face and suddenly gave her a gentle smile.

“Then if you’re gone, will she come back?”

“Shen Zhansi’s” eyes widened slowly as she stared at the syringe in Yan Qingye’s hand, exclaiming in shock, “What are you doing? Are you crazy? What’s in that!”

But the only response was the sharp pain of the needle piercing her skin, followed by the cold liquid surging into her veins.

“Mad! You’re insane! Are you crazy!”

Yan Qingye remained expressionless, continuing her actions without hesitation.

She had always been a madman. And without her sun, she had nothing left to hold her back.

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