Chapter 180: Brainwashing

“Responsible?” Liu Hui froze for a moment. After a while, she seemed to understand… Did he say he wanted to be responsible for her? Did he… understand the meaning behind her unspoken words earlier? Did he want to become her boyfriend and start dating her?

“Ah… I mean, since the two of us already did that… umm… you know…” Lin Yin confidently explained to Liu Hui. Topics like one-night stands or ‘sex’ were something she just couldn’t bring herself to say out loud.

“I… understand!”

Liu Hui quietly replied to ‘Lü Yang,’ her face blushing with embarrassment. After answering, she wasn’t even sure what exactly she ‘understood’… Had her expression of admiration for him just now been too much?

“Dad doesn’t want to persuade you one way or another; you decide your own matters. If you truly like him and there is a bond between you, Dad believes that you will naturally meet again one day.”

“Life is very short. Only by chasing after things and putting in effort can you avoid feeling regret when you leave this world.”

Liu Jianhao’s words echoed in Liu Hui’s ears. Late at night when everything was quiet these past few days, Liu Hui repeatedly asked herself if she had come to like him… if she had fallen in love with him…

If not, why did she keep thinking about him? Why couldn’t she stop herself from recalling every scene they had shared together?

The more she questioned herself like this, the deeper Liu Hui sank. Plus, her persistent search for Lü Yang these past few days made her more and more certain of her feelings.

However, Liu Hui was completely unaware of a deeper, more important reason… Over the last two days, there was a woman she couldn’t remember, hiding in a place she could never see in the Real world, constantly brainwashing her, telling her that she must make Lü Yang her own, no matter what, by any means necessary.

Although Liu Hui didn’t remember this woman, the woman’s brainwashing had clearly taken effect. It subtly but seriously affected Liu Hui’s normal thinking, making her longing and possessive desire for Lü Yang reach an almost abnormal level. It even made her believe that he was the one she must love and stay with for life, otherwise, she would die…

Not remembering the woman’s brainwashing, and being so fixated on Lü Yang, Liu Hui naturally looked for reasons within herself. She naturally concluded that she had already fallen deeply in love with him and would marry no one else.

And now, he said he wanted to be responsible for her…

The words “responsible,” coming from a man, were extremely important to a girl.

Happiness was right in front of her; it just depended on how she grasped it.

“Um… well… then…” Lin Yin again didn’t know what to say next.

“Where are you? I really want to see you right now!” Liu Hui seemed somewhat unwilling to hide her feelings anymore. Her heart was beating very fast right now; she wished she could grow a pair of wings and fly to his side immediately.

“About that… today… it’s too late today. Let’s meet somewhere tomorrow?” Lin Yin decided to delay. Maybe after a night’s sleep, she and Lü Yang would swap back tomorrow morning. If that happened, this headache wouldn’t be hers to deal with; it would be up to Lü Yang to decide what to do.

“Tomorrow?” Liu Hui’s tone was disappointed. After this phone call with ‘Lü Yang,’ she understood her own feelings even more clearly. She didn’t want to wait a second longer now; she desperately wanted to see him immediately.

Furthermore, she was very worried that after one night passed, he might suddenly not want to see her anymore. If he changed his number and address, where would she even go to find him?

“Yeah, tomorrow! It’s not safe for you to come over so late.” Lin Yin tried her best to put it off.

“You’re not trying to avoid me, are you?” Liu Hui asked worriedly.

“How could I? Don’t worry! Tomorrow, I will definitely go see you tomorrow.” Lin Yin forced a dry laugh and made a rather irresponsible promise to Liu Hui.

“You won’t disappear like last time, becoming impossible to find no matter how I search, will you?” Liu Hui pressed again, still very uneasy.

“Of course not!”

“Then… can you stay on the phone and talk with me a bit longer?” Liu Hui asked ‘Lü Yang.’

“This… ah… sure, go ahead…” As long as they didn’t meet, Lin Yin wasn’t too worried. Chatting with her a bit more might actually help her understand how Lü Yang had gotten involved with the Liu Family young lady behind Yi Ya’s back.

“I… I know you… always have your girlfriend in your heart… but I don’t care… I… I just… want… to be by your side.” Liu Hui nervously told ‘Lü Yang’ what she wanted to express.

“You don’t care?” Lin Yin couldn’t help but find it strange. This Liu Family young lady actually didn’t mind that Lü Yang had a girlfriend. This wasn’t feudal times; did she want to be a concubine?

“I don’t care… as long as I can be with you… I will definitely treat you better than she does… I won’t force you to forget her… just leave a small place for me in your heart…” Liu Hui continued.

“…”

Lin Yin was speechless at Liu Hui’s words. She also felt very sorry for this Liu Family young lady and became even more dissatisfied with Lü Yang’s unfaithful behavior.

If Lü Yang was really such a person, then maybe it wasn’t necessary for Yi Ya to be with him. Lin Yin knew Yi Ya’s personality all too well. Before she and Lü Yang got together, it might not have mattered, but now that they were dating, if Yi Ya found out Lü Yang had other women outside, had a one-night stand with someone else, and took a girl’s first time, she would definitely break up with him immediately.

Rather than that, maybe it was better to push Lü Yang and this Liu Family young lady together. Otherwise, after what Lü Yang did to the Liu Family young lady, how could she ever marry someone else in the future?

And Yi Ya had always been proud and aloof. Lin Yin felt her willingness to date Lü Yang was mostly out of gratitude for him saving her a year ago. For Yi Ya, Lü Yang having another girlfriend might actually be a kind of relief.

“You… don’t agree? You won’t even leave a small place for me?” Liu Hui quietly asked ‘Lü Yang,’ as if she would start crying again if Lü Yang didn’t answer.

“How could that be? I didn’t say I wouldn’t! I will definitely be responsible for you!” Spurred by a sudden surge of righteous indignation, Lin Yin blurted out this reply to Liu Hui.

After saying this to Liu Hui, Lin Yin felt some regret. Should this decision be hers to make? Lü Yang probably loved Yi Ya more, right? Otherwise, why would he hide from the Liu Family young lady after the one-night stand? He must be afraid Yi Ya would find out and hold him accountable.

But if Lü Yang took responsibility for Liu Hui, wouldn’t that be very unfair to Yi Ya?

Lin Yin had always treated Yi Ya like a younger sister. How could she tolerate Lü Yang deceiving Yi Ya’s feelings like this? Lü Yang deceiving Yi Ya felt like deceiving her as well.

“Really? I… I…” Hearing such a definite reply from Lü Yang, Liu Hui was so overjoyed she started crying immediately.

“Uh… we only had that one night together… Do you really love me this much?” Lin Yin decided to test how deep Liu Hui’s feelings for Lü Yang had actually developed.

“Are you doubting me? I can swear to you, I will only love you for the rest of my life! I will marry no one but you! If I break this vow, may I die immediately by my own hand!” Upon hearing ‘Lü Yang’ say this, Liu Hui became emotional and made a deadly vow to ‘Lü Yang.’

“No, no, no… I’m not doubting you… No need for such a terrible vow, right?” Lin Yin was completely shocked and dumbfounded now. During this phone call with Liu Hui, she had been hesitating about whether to protect Lü Yang and Yi Ya’s relationship. But then, influenced by her own momentary emotions, she said some things without careful thought, leading to this current situation.

The Liu Family young lady swore a deadly vow to marry no one but Lü Yang. If Lü Yang didn’t marry her, she would kill herself. Wouldn’t that mean causing a person’s death?

Yi Ya and Lü Yang had just started dating; their feelings probably weren’t that deep yet. If Yi Ya stepped away now, she probably wouldn’t be too heartbroken, right? Given Yi Ya’s personality, she wouldn’t likely do something as impulsive as killing herself.

Thankfully she found out about this side of Lü Yang in time, otherwise Yi Ya’s life would be ruined by him!

“Once I’ve decided on something, I won’t change it. My vow is witnessed by heaven and earth! If you ever stop loving me one day, I will die immediately!” Liu Hui added firmly.

After learning about her father’s terminal illness, Liu Hui had considered suicide several times. She was at her lowest point emotionally right now. Meeting Lü Yang near Lutou Town, and that night he carried her on his back on Donkey Head Mountain, made her feel her life had gained a new sense of expectation and hope.

Back then, she was still very confused about whether this was love or not. But after the secret brainwashing by the mysterious woman, Liu Hui could no longer distinguish things rationally.

When ‘Lü Yang’ said he would ‘take responsibility’ for her, Liu Hui felt like a drowning person clutching a life-saving straw. She immediately invested all her emotions in Lü Yang. Therefore, her words, “If you ever stop loving me one day, I will die immediately!” were no joke; they truly reflected her current mental and emotional state.

“Hey, hey, hey! You don’t need to be like this!?” Lin Yin was terrified by Liu Hui’s words. Only now did she realize her careless talk had caused a huge disaster.

“You still don’t believe me? This life of mine is (saved by) you, and my whole person belongs to you. If you don’t want me, what meaning is there in me living?” Liu Hui cried very, very sadly — truly sad… Lin Yin, being a girl herself, could definitely tell.

“Of course I believe you! Don’t cry, and stop talking about dying and living! Please don’t think of doing anything drastic! Let’s talk properly when we meet tomorrow…” Lin Yin quickly replied to Liu Hui, her own heart growing more panicked.

“These past few days, I’ve thought about you every day, every moment…” Liu Hui held back no longer and poured out her feelings to ‘Lü Yang.’

Lin Yin broke out in a cold sweat listening. It seemed she had to be very careful with this phone call. Otherwise, tomorrow’s front page of the Guishe Evening News might very well carry the news of the Yida Group’s Liu Family young lady found dead by suicide…