Peach-Orange! – Chapter 354 – The Beginning of “Character” Collapse

——Xiaocheng, we’re both girls, how could we possibly be together! ——I’ve always thought of you as a sister! ——Even if I like you, don’t misunderstand, okay? Of course I like you as family.

How familiar these words sound, don’t they, Tao-Tao?

Chi Xiaocheng watched as the girl laughed wildly, her timid, rejecting expression still tinged with a trace of loneliness and reluctance.

She also wanted to agree.

She also didn’t want to treat Su Tao this way.

Hundreds of cycles of memories, in Xiao Hei’s eyes, she had only lived an extra twenty-plus years in another small world.

But experiencing something firsthand is different from observing it as an outsider. In Chi Xiaocheng’s perception, her past life was a real world.

She couldn’t forget her past, just as she couldn’t forget all the rejections she had given Su Tao after returning to this original world.

She wanted to be with Su Tao more than anyone.

But it wasn’t possible.

Before the rich female antagonist appeared, before your character’s narrative weight diminished, the will of the world would obstruct us from being together.

This was the reality in so many cycles.

‘We got together, and then something unexpected would inevitably happen.’

‘Even if it wasn’t yet December 25th, we still couldn’t truly confess or embrace.’

‘Not even for a moment.’

‘You should like me even more.’

‘Your possessiveness toward me should be at 90.’

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‘In the Status Glasses, you shouldn’t still have gender biases.’

‘Tao-Tao, I can’t help you with your worldview, so I hope you can break through it yourself.’

‘Even though I’m the same type of person as you, I still hope you can realize how different I am from others.’

‘Girls are such lovely creatures.’

‘So, love me even more than before.’

‘Okay?’

The girl’s eyes had been full of hope and clarity, but after her wild laughter, Chi Xiaocheng clearly saw a faint reddish-brown tint in Su Tao’s gaze.

With her Darkening skill, she knew all too well—

Su Tao was becoming obsessive.

Her mindset was shifting.

If she couldn’t possess her now, how much would her possessiveness increase?

The numbers didn’t really matter. What Chi Xiaocheng was looking forward to was the change in Su Tao’s thoughts, the transformation in her personality and character.

The girl quieted down but only stared at Chi Xiaocheng with an unsettled gaze.

Xiao Hei, who had been absent all this time, quietly leaned against Chi Xiaocheng’s side. “Her inner thoughts are starting to change. Her character weight is continuously dropping.”

[Host, this move of yours is brilliant. It’s practically the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. If Su Tao’s character weight was still at 95% before you lost your memories, now it’s probably just a little over 80%.]

[If she continues to act out of character, her character weight will keep dropping.]

[Once it falls below 50%, the world’s attention on her will drastically decrease. By then, even if you openly confess your feelings and get together with Su Tao, there won’t be any problems.]

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But by that time, the rich female antagonist might make an early appearance.

Just like the common narrative rhythm in novels.

One villain falls, and a new one rises.

A supporting character falls, and a new minor character is already on the way.

If the protagonist falls and cannot be “revived,” the author will select a new “protagonist” to keep the story going.

Even now, the system blatantly reminded Chi Xiaocheng:

[Emotional value from Su Tao +1314…]

The turmoil in the girl’s heart was evident.

Xiao Hei patted Chi Xiaocheng’s shoulder. “Don’t overthink it. No matter what you do, I’ll stand by your side.”

Chi Xiaocheng nodded imperceptibly but deliberately put on a timid expression. “Tao-Tao, you… your expression is a bit scary. I… I’m scared.”

This wasn’t just an act.

After her wild laughter, the girl’s entire demeanor seemed to have changed.

Her eyes, tinged with a reddish-brown hue, were filled with undisguised possessiveness, along with a struggle within. Her fists clenched, her posture rigid, her bangs covering half of her eyes as she stared straight at Chi Xiaocheng.

That gaze wasn’t malice or hatred.

It was something else, something even Chi Xiaocheng couldn’t quite define.

Hearing Chi Xiaocheng’s fearful words, the girl suddenly flashed a strange smile. “Hahaha, it’s nothing, Xiaocheng. Just pretend I didn’t say anything earlier. You looked like you weren’t fully awake, so I played a little joke. You’re so easy to tease, actually taking it seriously.”

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The speed at which Su Tao’s expression shifted left Chi Xiaocheng momentarily stunned.

Aside from her still slightly off gaze, Su Tao seemed to have returned to normal.

The 1,000+ emotional points had fully registered.

But why did it feel like Su Tao hadn’t changed much?

With her intermediate acting skills, Chi Xiaocheng should’ve easily seen through it if Su Tao was pretending.

Perhaps this was the protagonist’s privilege. Her ability to self-regulate was just that fast.

Maybe Tao-Tao was waiting for Dongfang Wen and Professor Su to arrive before making a decision.

After all, in Tao-Tao’s eyes, the hypnosis had just ended, and the treatment might’ve only completed one session.

Chi Xiaocheng reassured herself and didn’t dwell on it. Meanwhile, perhaps alerted by Su Tao’s earlier wild laughter, Si Chen quickly rushed over.

The moment he pushed the door open, he instinctively called out, “Chi Xiaocheng, are you okay?!”

He knew Chi Xiaocheng’s plan.

He also knew that Chi Xiaocheng’s hypnosis was likely an act and that she might continue pressuring Su Tao after waking up.

If Su Tao snapped, Chi Xiaocheng would be the one hurt.

So at the first sign of commotion, he rushed over without delay, his concern spilling out unprompted.

But before Si Chen could even steady himself by the door, Su Tao suddenly turned around.

Her eyes seemed to glow with a reddish-brown flash, locking onto Si Chen with an almost undisguised hostility.

It was as if she was blatantly asking: Why are you concerned about my Xiaocheng?

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That strange, aggressive glare lasted only a moment before Su Tao’s face melted into a warm smile. “Si Chen, you’re here. Don’t worry, Xiaocheng’s fine. She’s awake, and her memories are back too.

“Professor Dongfang Wen is truly amazing~”

“Uh…” Si Chen instinctively sensed something was off. After confirming Chi Xiaocheng was unharmed, he immediately added, “Then, Tao-Tao, you two wait a moment. I’ll go call Professors Dongfang and Su over!”

Weird, weird, weird, weird, WEIRD!

Su Tao was even stranger than before. That earlier look couldn’t have been an illusion, right? Did she want to stab me?

That spine-chilling feeling… he hadn’t felt it since he carved “Never Love Tao” into himself.

But then, Su Tao’s smile afterward seemed completely normal.

Even as a psychology student, he couldn’t tell if she was faking it.

Si Chen felt things weren’t as simple as they seemed when he suddenly ran into Dongfang Yang walking over.

The tall boy was still in his red battle robe. Seeing Si Chen, he asked, “Si Chen, where are you headed?”

Si Chen’s eyes flickered. “Chi Xiaocheng’s awake. I’m going to call the professors. Oh, and Chi Xiaocheng said she wanted to see you. You should hurry over.”

Dongfang Yang’s face lit up. “Chi Xiaocheng’s first thought after waking up was to see me?”

Si Chen nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Dongfang Yang laughed heartily as he strode toward Chi Xiaocheng’s room. “Hahahaha, as expected, that little fool can’t forget this young master!”

Watching his retreating figure, Si Chen’s sense of crisis abruptly faded.

‘Dongfang Yang, you’ll always be my big brother!’