Cannon Fodder – Chapter 24 – Do You Know What a Yandere Is?

Long before recruiting Chen Qian, Chi Xiaocheng had already considered this:

Su Tao must be utterly confused about her behavior right now. Given Chi Xiaocheng’s peculiar circumstances, Su Tao wouldn’t discuss it with Ye Liang or Dongfang Yang, so she would inevitably turn to someone else for answers.

Now, just two months into university, among the side characters close to Su Tao, Chen Qian, still undercover, was one of them.

If Su Tao asked Chen Qian about her, Chi Xiaocheng would have plenty of room to maneuver.

Thinking this, Chi Xiaocheng sent a message to Chen Qian: “What exactly did she say to you?”

Chen Qian: “She said something really weird. Something about what to do if someone who was originally normal suddenly starts acting strange… having breakdowns, feeding their blood to someone else, stuff like that.”

Chen Qian: “You went that far? You fed Su Tao your blood?”

Chi Xiaocheng: “Why do you assume it’s me?”

Chen Qian: “You told me to stay close to her without revealing myself, so obviously you’re trying to trick her. Just tell me how you want me to reply.”

Chi Xiaocheng broke into a slight sweat.

Was she that obvious?

She sent over a WeChat ID. “Tell Su Tao to add this account. It’s a professional psychologist.”

Chen Qian: “Psychologist?”

“Just say it’s a reliable acquaintance of yours. That’s enough.”

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Chi Xiaocheng quickly switched to a secondary WeChat account and logged into yet another alternate identity.

This “psychologist” persona was entirely her creation. Both the content on the Moments feed and the contacts list were meticulously crafted to appear authentic.

As for how she managed it? That was thanks to a skill she had drawn from the system’s gacha: Hacker (Intermediate).

At first, Chi Xiaocheng hadn’t thought this skill would be particularly useful. The original host was just an ordinary student, and she was already grateful she didn’t start off in debt. She certainly didn’t have the money to buy proper hacking tools.

No botnets? How could she even call herself a hacker?

But then it occurred to her: Even without the tools, she now had the knowledge. At the very least, she could disguise her own information on a basic level.

For example, creating this perfectly crafted psychologist account, or, knowing that her sudden behavioral changes would be investigated by Dongfang Yang and Ye Liang, she had already spread plenty of misleading information to cover her tracks.

Take bullying, for instance.

The original host had always been bullied. Chi Xiaocheng could easily use that to explain her psychological shift.

Given Su Tao’s personality, if she found out Chi Xiaocheng had been bullied, wouldn’t she blame herself for failing to protect her?

Though Chen Qian didn’t understand Chi Xiaocheng’s motives, she followed instructions and recommended the “psychologist” WeChat account to Su Tao, along with a few fabricated justifications.

Before long, Su Tao sent a friend request to Chi Xiaocheng’s alternate account.

Chi Xiaocheng glanced to the right, as if she could see through the wall to where Su Tao sat on her hospital bed, phone in hand, her delicate brows slightly furrowed in that adorable way.

A faint smile tugged at Chi Xiaocheng’s lips as she sent the first message.

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Dr. Cheng: “Hello (handshake).”

Peach ¹ ’Tao’ can also mean “Peach” in Chinese. Here it’s pronounced kinda like her name : “Hello, Doctor. I’m so sorry to bother you.”

Dr. Cheng: “No need to apologize. As a doctor, it’s my duty to help patients with their troubles. Besides, you were referred to by my distant niece. Please, go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind.”

Peach: “Well, it’s like this… I have a friend, and because of certain incidents, someone close to her has started acting very strangely. I’ll try to keep it brief.”

Reading this, Chi Xiaocheng couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Ah, the classic “I have a friend” excuse.

“Tao-Tao, you’re so naive. It’d be so easy to trick you.”

Without hesitation, Chi Xiaocheng dismantled Su Tao’s flimsy cover.

Dr. Cheng: “Miss Peach, I’m a doctor, we’re also complete strangers. If you think I’m unqualified, we can just block each other. There’s no need to hide things. If you don’t tell me the truth, how can I analyze the situation properly?”

The lengthy reply left Su Tao in the next room blushing furiously.

She had instinctively avoided mentioning Chi Xiaocheng’s bizarre behavior head-on. It wasn’t something she felt comfortable discussing.

But with a sigh, she relented.

“She went out of her way to recommend her uncle to help me. I can’t just waste her kindness!”

So Su Tao steadied herself and began recounting recent events to “Dr. Cheng.” Starting with the basement incident, then the rooftop. She placed particular emphasis on Chi Xiaocheng’s severe self-harm tendencies.

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Finally, she asked:

Peach: “Doctor, why do you think she’s become like this?”

Chi Xiaocheng pretended to deliberate before typing:

Dr. Cheng: “A drastic shift in personality always stems from some unbearable trauma. Has your friend ever experienced a major emotional letdown because of you?”

The moment Su Tao read this, she immediately thought of Chi Xiaocheng’s confession.

Peach: “Yes. We grew up together. When we were kids, she was bullied, and I helped her. Even back then, she had some psychological issues. She was very insecure.”

Peach: “So I’d often comfort her with things like, ‘You’re the most important person to me,’ or ‘I’ll never leave you.’ And I genuinely meant it.”

Peach: “For years, there were no problems. But now that we’re in university, a lot of guys have started pursuing me. She misunderstood the situation and started self-harming, saying things like she loves me and that I shouldn’t be with anyone else.”

Peach: “Doctor… is it possible Xiaocheng has developed… feelings for me?”

Feelings?

Of course she has feelings!

I adore you, Tao-Tao!

Mentally sighing, Chi Xiaocheng typed with a straight face:

Dr. Cheng: “That’s possible. Long-term emotional deprivation and insecurity can lead to mistaking dependence for love.”

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Peach: “I knew it! I mean, we’re both girls. Her saying she likes me like that… it’s really troubling.”

Dr. Cheng: “But that’s unlikely. Based on what you described, I think she might genuinely be in love with you.”

Peach: “Huh?!”

Peach: “B-But we’re both girls!”

Dr. Cheng: “That’s irrelevant.” ² YURI!!!!!

Peach: “H-How is that irrelevant?!”

Dr. Cheng: “I’ve counseled countless patients. Romantic issues between same-sex partners are common. To me, it’s perfectly normal. Love transcends gender.”

Dr. Cheng: “But let’s not go off-topic. The real issue is your friend Xiaocheng’s condition.”

Dr. Cheng: “Based on my years of experience, she is almost certainly psychologically dependent on you. This is an unhealthy mental disorder, as severe as common depression.”

In the next room, Su Tao froze, completely steered by Chi Xiaocheng’s narrative, so much so that she didn’t even notice the inconsistencies in the “doctor’s” responses.

Flustered, she typed:

Peach: “Doctor, please, just tell me straight.”

Dr. Cheng: “Don’t rush, Miss Peach. Have you ever heard of… yanderes?”

Peach: “Yandere?”