Peach-Orange! – Chapter 222 – Code Phrase: Never Love Tao-Tao

The waiting time felt incredibly long.

Su Tao waited all morning but still didn’t receive a reply from Dr. Cheng.

She even mentioned the matter to her close friend Chengcheng, but Chengcheng seemed to be in a closed-door research session with her advisor and couldn’t access her phone for the time being.

No one replied to her, and now, with Chi Xiaocheng’s condition, she couldn’t even go in to talk or chat with her.

It was winter break, nearing the New Year, and the class group chats and friend circles were all quiet. There were very few friends she could normally discuss this with.

For a moment, Su Tao felt as if the world had abandoned her.

Back when she was trying to understand yandere culture, she had joined a few anime-themed yandere fan groups. However, those group members either posted NSFW artwork or discussed international politics. They never talked about yandere-related topics unless they had nothing better to do.

She still remembered the last time she tried to ask about Chi Xiaocheng’s situation using the “I have a friend” approach.

The moment she spoke up, one of the moderators posted a single line—”NSFW time!”

Then, a flood of anime NSFW images and forwarded links followed, completely burying her question.

Unsurprisingly, the ones who helped her the most in this regard were still Dr. Cheng and Chengcheng.

One was an elder who had never charged her much and always replied earnestly whenever she had questions.

The other was a confidant who never indulged her, spoke bluntly, and even scolded her awake when she was lost.

How many people like that could one meet in a lifetime?

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While Su Tao was lost in thought, Dongfang Yang walked in again. “Let’s go grab lunch first. Chi Xiaocheng’s situation won’t be resolved in a short time. We’ll have to wait for the doctors’ examinations.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Su Tao stood up, only to notice Dongfang Yang sizing her up. Curious, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Dongfang Yang waved his hand and smiled. “I thought you’d be even more downcast. Guess I worried for nothing.”

Su Tao forced a smile. “I can’t say I’m in a good mood, but I’ve done a lot of thinking this morning. At least Xiaocheng woke up, right? I’ll adjust my emotions. I’m not like how I used to be!”

After months of enduring pressure and constant mental preparation, she could at least manage basic emotional regulation.

If she started wallowing in despair again now, how would that be any different from before?

Xiaocheng had woken up. She was just experiencing memory confusion, not actually dead like before.

Repeating the same mistakes would truly be letting Xiaocheng down.

After lunch and a brief discussion about Chi Xiaocheng’s situation, it wasn’t until the afternoon that Si Chen arrived with Dr. Lin.

Along with Dr. Chen, the duo who had previously evaluated Chi Xiaocheng’s yandere tendencies were reunited.

Unlike last time, when Dr. Lin had held more information and Dr. Chen had been hastily summoned without knowing Chi Xiaocheng’s past experiences, this time the two doctors gathered to compile and discuss all the details of Chi Xiaocheng’s history.

Naturally, the information was organized by Dr. Lin, who worked for Si Chen.

And Si Chen was part of the Orange Faction.

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The information wasn’t entirely truthful, and Dr. Lin, being a professional, could easily mislead Dr. Chen by exploiting the information gap.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Si Chen inquired about Chi Xiaocheng’s current condition.

“Memory confusion, emotional detachment, or emotional blunting….” Si Chen murmured, stroking his chin, his glasses reflecting a glint of light.

He asked Su Tao and Dongfang Yang very seriously, “Are you sure?”

Dongfang Yang replied, “This is just our speculation based on our conversations with Chi Xiaocheng. The specifics will have to wait until Dr. Lin and Dr. Chen meet her in person.”

“Fair enough.” Si Chen nodded, then adjusted his glasses. “I’ll go see Chi Xiaocheng too, to confirm her condition.”

“Should we come with you?”

“No need. I’ll go alone. Based on what you’ve described, I’ll see how she perceives me. You two don’t have to follow.”

Si Chen naturally prevented Su Tao and Dongfang Yang from accompanying him.

The hospital room had no surveillance. Usually, Chi Xiaocheng’s condition was monitored through the instruments attached to her, along with a nurse checking on her every half hour.

This was to prevent any insiders from recording Chi Xiaocheng’s condition and selling the footage.

Dongfang Yang had even hired a world-class hacker at great expense to protect the hospital’s data, ensuring complete security.

Si Chen knew the full details of Chi Xiaocheng’s situation and was fully aware that her death had been faked. His so-called “inquiry” was actually about confirming Chi Xiaocheng’s next steps.

Soon, Si Chen arrived at the hospital room door. After waiting for a nurse to finish changing Chi Xiaocheng’s IV, he knocked on the doorframe and entered.

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He closed the door behind him, creating a brief moment of privacy for the two.

Noticing the faint smile on Chi Xiaocheng’s face as she turned to look at him, Si Chen frowned slightly, sensing a hint of incongruity.

Calm and composed, he took off his coat and sat on a chair about a meter away from Chi Xiaocheng. “I’m glad to see you awake. How are you feeling?”

Chi Xiaocheng nodded. “Thank you for your concern, Young Master Si Chen. I think I’m doing quite well. The doctors say I’ll be able to walk again after a few days of rest.”

Hearing this, Si Chen’s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly.

His question had carried a double meaning.

—How was the plan to manipulate Su Tao progressing after the faked death and revival?

—How was her physical condition?

If this were the Chi Xiaocheng before the faked death, she would’ve immediately grasped the underlying meaning of his words.

Perhaps this was just her acting.

Si Chen decided to probe further, asking about various matters related to himself.

To his surprise, Chi Xiaocheng’s replies were completely off-topic.

After nearly having his face slashed open in that alleyway, Si Chen had gradually joined the Orange Faction. Not only did he know about Chi Xiaocheng’s yandere tendencies, but he also had her activation passphrase.

He had collaborated with her multiple times on how to control Su Tao.

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Yet, in Chi Xiaocheng’s current responses, this part of her memory contained none of the yandere-related incidents.

Instead, the entire narrative had been reshaped into Si Chen, out of jealousy toward Ye Liang’s relationship with Su Tao, asking Chi Xiaocheng, as her younger sister, about Su Tao’s affairs.

In simpler terms, in Chi Xiaocheng’s current memory, Si Chen had become Su Tao’s simp.

This was the absolute last possibility that should’ve happened!

With his allegiances clearly branded on his back, how could she possibly think he’d become Su Tao’s simp?

Even at the very beginning, his fondness for Su Tao had only been that of a somewhat special, charismatic ordinary friend.

For a moment, Si Chen truly couldn’t tell whether Chi Xiaocheng was pretending or genuinely suffering from memory confusion.

After all, her acting skills were top-notch.

Si Chen fell silent for a long time, even peeling an apple beside her, before he finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“Chi Xiaocheng, do you remember our agreement?”

He glanced back at the closed door, then whispered the code phrase to her:

“Never Love Tao-Tao?”