"Mr. Fangzheng, you're back. Where's Youji?"
As soon as Fangzheng returned to the guild encampment, he saw Ying Lili greeting him with a smile. Because all the main force of the guild was affected by the debuff, the Clearers were all resting. Ying Lili's favorite thing to do now was to block the players at the entrance.
"Youji isn't back yet?"
Fangzheng frowned when he heard Ying Lili's question. Looking at Fangzheng's expression, Ying Lili also noticed that something was wrong.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? "
"Come to my room."
Fangzheng looked around. Thankfully, it was noon. Most people were resting. Sophie, the night owl, wasn't around either. Only Ying Lili and the kitten were nearby. Therefore, he didn't say anything else. After saying that in passing, he turned and walked back to his residence.
When Ying Lili heard Fangzheng's words, her expression changed slightly. She quickly followed behind Fangzheng and entered his room.
After closing the door, Fangzheng quickly explained the situation to Ying Lili. After listening to Fangzheng's story, Ying Lili was dumbfounded.
"Something like that actually happened …. Mr. Fangzheng, you didn't bully Youji, did you?"
"Do I look like someone who would do something like that?"
Fangzheng rolled his eyes in annoyance. You Ji was the source of joy for everyone in the guild. She was full of energy every day. She was full of energy and drive. She was always cheerful and lively. No one didn't like her.
Why would Fangzheng bully her? He was afraid that it would cause public outrage, alright?
"Have you noticed anything unusual about Youji recently?"
Fangzheng threw the question back to Ying Lili. Asuna was a leveling maniac, and Black Cat was too immature. In the entire guild, Ying Lili and Green Leaf had the best interpersonal relationships. The former was good at socializing, while the latter was diligent and had a good relationship with many people.
Although Fangzheng had a good relationship with all the girls, there were some things that he, as a man, couldn't join in and inquire about. At this time, he could only rely on Ying Lili.
"No, Ji has always been very normal. He's always happy and happy every day …."
Ying Lili pondered for a moment.
"But if you want to say it, this is abnormal enough."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing Ying Lili's words, Fangzheng pricked up his brows. As for Ying Lili, she continued speaking.
"Ever since I met Youji, she seems to be happy every day. She hasn't said anything unusual. But it's strange, isn't it? Although everyone's clearing the dungeon is going smoothly, we're still trapped in a death game. Even Green Leaf would occasionally stare blankly or secretly wipe away her tears …. But I've never seen Ji Ye behave like that. "
"Is that so?"
Hearing this, Fangzheng also began to ponder. As Ying Lili said, even though Fangzheng had given everyone the best possible living conditions to maintain their mental health, they were still just ordinary people. It was normal for them to miss home and their families.
Even a chuunibyou like Black Cat would worry about his sister and parents, so obedient children like Green Leaf and Asuna were no exception. Needless to say, the others were the same.
But did Youji … not have her?
"I haven't. I joined the guild at the same time as Youji, but as far as I can remember, I've never seen Youji act like the others. She seems to be living happily and contented every day …. It's like …."
Ying Lili paused for a moment, as if thinking about the most appropriate words to describe her.
"…. It's like she's a resident of this place."
"…."
This time, Fangzheng did not respond immediately, but he also admitted that Ying Lili's words made sense. It seemed that Youji was indeed hiding something, but she had never shown it before.
"Thank you, Ying Lili. I know what to do."
Thinking of this, Fangzheng made up his mind.
The sun was setting.
Youji hugged her knees and sat on the hillside, staring blankly at the setting sun in the sky. She was no longer as lively and cheerful as usual. She just sat there expressionlessly, motionless.
"You sure know how to pick a place."
A voice came from behind. Hearing this voice, Youji could not help but tremble. Then, she saw Fangzheng walk over from her side and sit down beside her.
"You don't have to worry about being disturbed by the monsters that respawned here, nor do you have to worry about players finding you …. Did you find me?"
"I just found it by accident."
Hearing Fangzheng's question, Youji hurriedly turned her head and rubbed her eyes.
"Big brother Fangzheng, how did you find me?"
"I have my ways."
Fangzheng did not explain in detail. In fact, it was not necessary. He only needed to ask Yui to help him search for Youji's location. For Fangzheng, this was not difficult at all.
"… I'm sorry."
Youji lowered her head and said softly.
"I'm sorry, big brother Fangzheng, I didn't mean it, I just …."
"You're just afraid."
However, before Youji could finish, she was interrupted by Fangzheng. Hearing Fangzheng's answer, Youji raised her head in surprise and stared at Fangzheng beside her with wide eyes.
"Big brother Fangzheng, how did you know …."
"I have some experience in judging people."
Looking at Youji's expression, Fangzheng knew that his guess had most likely hit the bull 's-eye.
"You behaved normally before, but when I was about to touch you, you instinctively chose to resist and avoid me. This shows that you're very afraid of other people having intimate contact with you. This is not because you're heterophobic or you're not good at intimate contact. In this case, if you specifically limit yourself to a certain area …. "
At this point, Fangzheng stared at Youji and did not continue. He and Youji had been together for a long time. Many of Youji's swordsmanship was taught by Fangzheng. And when imparting sword techniques, it was inevitable for both parties to have physical contact. But back then, be it when Fangzheng held Youji's hand or pressed down on her shoulder, her reaction was very normal. There was nothing out of the ordinary.
This time, Youji's reaction was so intense because of one thing, and that was that he planned to kiss her.
Although it was not a mouth-to-mouth kiss, there was only one possibility for Youji to be so afraid.
"…. I really can't hide anything from big brother Fangzheng."
Although Fangzheng did not say it out loud, Youji smiled helplessly. She closed her eyes and said, "That's right, big brother Fangzheng.
"That's right. Just as Brother Fangzheng thought, I'm infected with AIDS."
"…."
Although Fangzheng had already guessed it, when Youji actually admitted it, Fangzheng was still quite surprised. After all, Fangzheng had never seen a real AIDS patient in his previous life and this life. And the feeling that Youji gave him was completely different ….
"My sister and I were infected when we were born because our mother had a difficult delivery and needed an emergency blood transfusion."
Youji's voice was very calm, completely devoid of her usual vitality.
"After my mother learned that our whole family was infected, she wanted to take us away from this world, but in the end, she persevered. Relying on her faith and my father's support, my mother took me and my sister to start a life of fighting against the disease …. "
At this point, Youji's voice began to tremble slightly.
"… I always thought that my disease could be cured, and that one day it would be cured. But … when everyone found out about me, everything changed. My friends began to alienate me, and their parents objected to me continuing to go to school with their children …. "
"…."
Hearing Youji's story, Fangzheng was silent. The discrimination suffered by AIDS patients in society was no longer news. Before Fangzheng's reincarnation, he had occasionally seen big discussions about this in newspapers or on the news. Strictly speaking, AIDS was only transmitted through three ways: sexual activity, blood, and between mothers and children. In real life, shaking hands with AIDS patients or eating together would not infect them.
But it was better to be safe than sorry. This was the current predicament of AIDS patients in society. Even if they could be regulated and protected by the law, it was still humans who enforced the law.
Fangzheng had read a lot of reports about this, but this was the first time he had seen someone he knew infected with this disease.
"My parents passed away two years ago … and my sister passed away a year ago. I didn't have much time left. At that time, the doctor suggested that I switch to placebo treatment … but I didn't want to give up just like that. I wanted to try one more time …. So, I came here."
At this point, Youji looked at Fangzheng again.
"Brother Fangzheng, you may be wondering why I chose my companions through a duel, right? In fact, after I found out that everyone was trapped in this death game, I wanted to rely on my own strength to help everyone leave this world and return to reality. My parents and sister have left me, but they still have their families and loved ones. I want to help them reunite with their loved ones … But I alone won't be enough. I need a strong team, a strong force. Let's work hard together. So … I finally chose to join Darkmoon Sword. "
At this time, a smile appeared on Youji's face.
"Everyone in the guild is very nice. I like life here very much. This place is like a second home to me. I hope to see everyone leave this world safely before I leave. So …. "
Youji bit her lip and clenched her hands.
"I don't want others to know about me, brother Fangzheng too. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that if you know my secret and we did those things before, brother Fangzheng might hate me …. So I …."
As she spoke, Youji looked at Fangzheng and shouted.
"I don't want to …. Ugh …!"
However, before Youji could finish her words, Fangzheng leaned over and covered her lips with his.
"…."
Faced with this sudden attack, Youji's eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, she was completely speechless. After a while, the two slowly separated.
"I told you, I'll save you all."
Fangzheng looked at the girl in front of him and said word by word.
"You too, Youji. Don't think about sacrificing yourself. Maybe you don't understand what I mean yet, but I promise you … I'll save you."
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