Chapter 162 Chapter 162 What Will Be The Price Of The Lie?
Chapter 162 What Will Be The Price Of The Lie?
"Sister Su Tao, where is Sister Xiao Cheng?"
The innocent, cute voice caught Su Tao's heart, stopping it for a moment.
Since Chi Xiao Cheng's departure, Su Tao had feared nothing more than facing Chi Xiao Cheng's friends and family.
She'd hesitated for a day, not even daring to tell Chi Song about it.
Because she didn't know how to answer.
Where did Xiao Cheng go?
When will she be back?
Was she supposed to say that Xiao Cheng had gone to another world and would never return?
That anticipation struck Su Tao's heart like a hammer.
It reminded her that Chi Xiao Cheng had died because of her while also adding a burden and a pressure.
It was like being choked, making it hard to breathe.
Lost in thought, Fang Ning asked, confused, "What's wrong, Sister Su Tao?"
Su Tao quickly snapped back to reality, hurriedly changing the subject, "Speaking of which, Fang Ning, how did you and Xiao Cheng meet? Xiao Cheng never mentioned you to me."
She unlocked the door with her fingerprint and, moving aside, handed Fang Ning a pair of slippers, "Come in."
Entering the familiar house for the second time, Fang Ning felt a wave of warmth wash over her as she replied, "I met Sister Xiao Cheng a month ago. I was about to freeze to death in the snow when she saved me."
"Saved you?"
Su Tao was surprised, her pupils contracting slightly.
"Yes," Fang Ning said, a little embarrassed, sensing that Su Tao recognized her. "I used to follow Liu Guijia, but then she didn't want me anymore, and I was thrown outside. It was snowing really, really hard."
"I had nowhere to go and was about to freeze to death when Sister Xiao Cheng passed by and saved me. She comforted me and said she would help me survive, and then she contacted Brother Dongfang."
"Brother Dongfang saw that I didn't have any schooling, so he let me watch the dormitory gate."
Fang Ning walked into the house, her smile still bright, "Now the school has paid me half a month's wages! I want to buy some gifts and repay Sister Xiao Cheng."
"Without her, I might have died long ago."
It was as if she was recalling something very tragic, yet Fang Ning's words made it sound extremely happy.
It was as if she wouldn't have met Chi Xiao Cheng if she hadn't almost died back then.
Her smile was innocent and carefree, but to Su Tao, it was heartbreaking.
So much so that she froze in place as she was pouring water.
Only when the hot water overflowed the cup and burned her hand did Su Tao cry out in pain and come back to her senses.
"Sister Su Tao, are you alright?"
Su Tao forced a smile. "I'm fine. I just haven't been resting well lately. Sit for a while, and I'll pour you another cup of hot water."
Perhaps it was because she hadn't properly interacted with anyone for days, or perhaps Fang Ning's obedient nature reminded her of Chi Xiao Cheng, but Su Tao and she quickly became friends, sitting together on the sofa.
She tried, intentionally or unintentionally, to avoid topics related to Chi Xiao Cheng.
But Fang Ning kept steering the conversation in that direction.
It was as if Chi Xiao Cheng was her whole world.
The intense emotions she expressed were certainly felt by Su Tao.
That was why she was even more heartbroken.
This child had been saved by Xiao Cheng, how could she tell her such a tragedy?
How could she possibly say it?
But she had to face it eventually.
After chatting for almost an hour, Fang Ning still asked innocently, "Sister Su Tao, you still haven't told me when Sister Xiao Cheng is coming back."
Su Tao lowered her head, slightly tightening her grip on the water glass in her hand, her downcast hair hiding her guilty eyes, "Xiao Cheng, she... went on a long trip. She probably won't be back for quite a while."
Fang Ning asked, puzzled, "Did something happen?"
Su Tao replied, "Dongfang Yang needed Xiao Cheng to help with something, so Xiao Cheng went back to Beijing with him. I'm not sure when she'll be back. It seems like it will be at least a month or two."
Fang Ning didn't suspect anything, but her voice became much more regretful, "Okay, then when Sister Xiao Cheng comes back, you must tell me, Sister Su Tao."
"Mm."
Seeing that her deception had worked, Su Tao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up to ask, "By the way, are you going back so late? Should I make a guest room for you?"
"No need," Fang Ning smiled sweetly. "I have an early shift tomorrow, so I have to get up early. I'll stay in the school dormitory. Don't forget to tell me when Sister Xiao Cheng comes back!"
"Okay!"
Smiling, Su Tao saw Fang Ning off at the entrance of the complex before slowly returning to the house.
With a "bang," the door slammed shut. The living room, with the air conditioning running, still gave Su Tao a bone-chilling sense of loneliness.
She was only hiding the truth from Fang Ning for now, but what would happen once she found out?
Su Tao didn't dare to think about it, only feeling the pressure spreading throughout her body once again.
Forcing herself to smile in front of others, hiding the pain in her heart, she looked ahead at the endless loneliness and torment.
"So, this is what it feels like to lose someone?"
Su Tao walked back to the sofa, her eyes again landing on the patch of bright red on the carpet.
The glass door had already been replaced by the complex's security guards, and even during her hospitalization, all the windows in the house had been replaced with bulletproof glass.
But in the end, some things couldn't be erased.
Like before she met Chi Xiao Cheng when she was a child, although she had many friends, none of them looked at her with the same adoring eyes as she did.
"What would the ending have been like if I had loved her from the beginning?"
Or was this the unique ending that fate had given her?
Xiao Cheng didn't become completely *yandere*, didn't kill off everyone around her one by one.
Nor was she tortured to death by Ye Liang, like in the second dream.
But on this third path, what couldn't be changed was still… death.
Just as Su Tao was sitting on the sofa in a daze, something furry rubbed against her feet.
With a cute "meow," Da Wang's stomach rumbled.
While she was away, Da Wang had been eating wild game on its own. It hadn't eaten cat food for three days.
"Meow~~"
Another sweet cry made Su Tao immediately understand what this proud cat meant.
It wanted to lick cat treats.
Helpless, Su Tao picked up Da Wang, revealing a hint of envy, "If only I could be as carefree as you."
The cat's presence added a touch of warmth to the empty house.
Da Wang's nest was in a corner of Chi Xiao Cheng's room. Su Tao took it back and took the opportunity to feed it.
The healing cat diluted some of her pressure.
But this room, filled with memories, still made Su Tao feel suffocated.
Su Tao reached into her pocket and took out her phone.
A small pill accidentally slipped out of her pocket along with it.
It was Chi Xiao Cheng's anti-anxiety pill.
Su Tao stared at the pill in a daze, suddenly finding it somewhat laughable.
If she had taken this pill back then, would things have turned out differently?
If she had followed Xiao Cheng's wishes and been locked in the room by her, perhaps there wouldn't have been that argument, and this wouldn't have happened by chance on the balcony.
Su Tao reached out and picked up the pill, throwing it into her mouth.
Let it be... a belated apology.
As the pill entered her mouth, Su Tao turned and collapsed onto the bed, hugging the large brown bear pillow tightly.
It was as if she was hugging Chi Xiao Cheng, hugging her tighter and tighter.
In the dead of night, tears… flowed again.
But what she didn't notice was that in the pile of stuffed animals in the corner, a cute scarecrow doll was staring at her without moving.
Even after she fell asleep late at night, this doll magically took out a pair of glasses.
As the "state glasses" were put on, a string of data text slowly appeared in front of Chi Xiao Cheng's eyes.
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