Chapter 889: Colorful People

"Given how many times you've helped me, I'll be merciful today," Bai She said.

"What?"

"Today, you don't have to join my 'Hu Zhu Hui'. I'll listen to your sad story, try to guide you through it, and even give you a book as a gift afterward. You can return it to me the next day," Bai Hua She said. "Come in, you brat."

Bai She gave me a strange feeling.

He was one of the 'Sheng Xiao' with countless kills under his belt, yet I couldn't sense any malice from him.

Just as I was about to follow him inside, a few 'participants' approached from nearby. They seemed like regulars in Bai She's games.

"Di She!" a chubby middle-aged man shouted. "I can't take it anymore! This time, I won't show any emotion no matter what. Come on! What book do I have to read this time?!"

Di She pulled me forward and snapped back irritably, "Get lost! My sister and I are busy right now. I don't have time for you."

"Huh?"

Before the people outside could say more, Di She turned and slammed the door shut.

"This..." I said, feeling a bit uneasy. "Isn't this a bit rude? You said you're open for business..."

"Brat, didn't I tell you..." Bai She shook his head. "You and your friend have helped me out so many times. Setting up this game space was partly thanks to you two, so I'll return the favor out of mercy. Sit down."

After hearing that, my expression fell a little, and I found a chair to sit in.

"So, it's just you?" Bai She asked again. "What about that love expert?"

No sooner had he spoken than Di She's expression changed.

I kept my head down, unable to answer.

"Wait a minute..." Bai She slowly opened his mouth wide. "You mentioned earlier that you 'broke up with your best friend'?! No way?! What are you two thinking, brat?!"

"I..." I said hoarsely, "I don't know... I only know that we're on different paths, each with our own choices... No... and Jiang Ruoxue can do whatever she wants... so..."

I shook my head, deciding not to sugarcoat it.

I was wrong in this matter; I had to admit it.

So, I just said what was in my heart: "I'm sorry to her. She's helped me so many times without asking for anything in return, but the first time she asked me for something, I refused..."

"Damn it..." Bai She muttered under his breath. "You two don't seem like the foolish type. Why couldn't things just stay fine?"

I smiled bitterly and shook my head, hating my own weakness.

"And she just does whatever she wants... Tsk..." Bai She nodded after hearing that. "That kind of life attitude is something I should learn from..."

"Learn from...?"

"No, I mean, sister... you need to talk it out with her properly!"

I stared into Bai She's eyes, finding it a bit odd.

He was tall and sounded like a man, but he felt like a very gentle big sister to me.

"There's nothing left to say..." I lowered my head again and gave a bitter laugh. "I've been isolated since I was little; that's just what I deserve. You might not believe it, but even the organization I built is of the 'isolated' type... I'm used to being abandoned. You probably wouldn't understand that feeling."

"No... I understand it pretty well..." Di She said with a bitter laugh after hearing my words. "I was treated like a monster by everyone growing up. Boys and girls alike wouldn't come near me. But they didn't know that some things aren't up to me—they're just fated by heaven."

"What...?"

"That feeling? I know it all too well, sister," Bai She said, smiling at me in relief. "Most people in this world turn hostile the moment they see me. They mock me, give me insulting nicknames, and even hit me now and then. Anyone who gets close to me gets dragged into it too. Even my own parents who raised me have no acceptance for me. Is it wrong just because I don't want to be a boy? Maybe my existence is meant only to bring them sorrow."

I never imagined that someone with Bai She's personality had gone through experiences so similar to mine.

In that moment, I saw him not as a monster, but as a real, flesh-and-blood person.

"Brat, I probably had it worse than you in school, right?" Bai She continued. "Even if those classmates were just joking around, their words stuck with me forever. Whether it was 'Niang Pao' or 'Bian Tai', a few words were enough to make me cry myself to sleep at night. Thinking about it, 'being isolated' was actually the best-case scenario. I don't need kindness from the world; I'm content as long as there's no malice."

Bai She lowered his head and fidgeted with his hands, a simple action that revealed immense sadness.

Di She and I were like two reclusive flowers in the world, watered by sorrow until we grew thorns.

But honestly... Bai She really wasn't suited to run a 'Hu Zhu Hui'.

He was too emotional, easily stirred by others' stories to recall his own sadness.

And after hearing his words... I felt even more sorrowful!

Goodness, could this shady organization actually help people overcome their sadness?

Or was it just creating more of it?

"But, brat..." Bai She changed the subject, lifting his head to look at me with a completely relieved expression. "Even for isolated monsters like you and me... we'll still meet people who love us."

"What...?"

"In this world, there are people willing to help us out of isolation and turn us into better individuals. They'll fill in the gaps in our lives with their own strength," Bai She said. "We've been passive our whole lives—it's time we took the initiative to fight for ourselves."

After hearing his words, the sadness in my heart began to fade.

"Whether it's a lover or a friend, it's all the same to us," Bai She said with a smile. "Anyone willing to connect with monsters like us... what else could they be but angels? If an angel comes your way, are you going to let them slip away without trying?"

"You're right..."

I thought for a moment and slowly nodded. I realized that all these years, I had never once taken the initiative to reach out to Jiang Ruoxue.

I was too passive.

Why didn't I go find her?

That day, Jiang Ruoxue had used so much 'Yin Guo', probably leaving her mentally strained and out of sorts.

Why did I have to upset her then?

It would have been so much better to just talk to her properly. Why did I have to stick to my own ideals?

"Thank you... Bai She, I get it now!"

"Damn it... that's great..." Bai She muttered quietly. "After all this time, I've finally succeeded in comforting someone..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, nothing." Bai She shook his head. "If you're not sad anymore, get away from me, brat. When you go out, check if those 'participants' are still there. I'm in a bad mood and might just kill a few to vent."

Uh... I almost forgot he was still a 'Sheng Xiao'.

Seeing I hadn't left, he blinked in confusion: "What's up, brat? Need another session?"

"Aren't you going to give me a book as a gift?" I said. "You mentioned I could return it the next day."

"You little brat, you don't want to miss out on anything, do you?"

Bai She casually pulled a dusty book from behind him—one that hardly anyone had read.

"Here, take this and have fun with it," he said dismissively. "Remember to bring it back tomorrow."

I took it and saw it was a "Gao Deng Zhi Wu Tu Jian".

Well, something is better than nothing.

I stood up, and as I reached the door, I looked back at him and smiled: "Wouldn't the world be so boring with just men and women?"

"What?"

"I think Nv Wa Niang Niang must have thought of that when she created us," I said. "Only with a colorful array of people can we build a colorful world."

"You little brat... you..." Bai She looked like he wanted to get angry, but a few seconds later, tears streamed down his face. "You really are something else, brat..."

"See you!"

With the "Gao Deng Zhi Wu Tu Jian" in hand, I walked out of Di She's space with a smile on my face.

Maybe I was the first person to leave here smiling in a long time.