“He stayed away from me for a while and I thought he had given up.” Bai Liu paused. “Then one day at noon, I arrived at the backyard to find a doll of the Slenderman.”
It was a very clumsy-looking thin ghost. The doll’s suit and costume were made from bedsheets unwanted by the welfare home. The hat was tattered and looked like a failed handiwork made by a primary school student. The Slenderman doll waved his scarf hanging from his ragged clothes and said hi to Bai Liu in a silly manner.
During that time, all of Bai Liu’s books were stories about the Slenderman because no other books of the same type had been donated to the welfare home. However, Lu Yizhan mistakenly thought that Bai Liu liked this strange, legendary creature very much. The teenage Lu Yizhan stayed up all night, furtively hiding under the quilt to make such a doll. Then he set it on his head and stood in front of Bai Liu, grunting and sweating as he danced. His eyes were clear but red from staying up all night.
Lu Yizhan regarded Bai Liu as a child who liked animated characters. He purely hoped Bai Liu would be happy because of this. He didn’t want Bai Liu to thank him. Of course, Bai Liu didn’t mean to thank him because it was really…
“…He is so stupid.” Little Bai Liu (6) spat out without changing his emotions.
“Yes, I felt so at that time.” Bai Liu gave a low laugh. “I looked at him like he was a fool and politely explained that I’m not a fan of the Slenderman. I just like the horror stories where monstrous creatures eat stupid and bad people.”
Little Bai Liu (6) was quiet for a moment. “I like it too but he shouldn’t… like it.”
It could only be said that normal children wouldn’t like it. At that time, Bai Liu was a freak in the welfare home because the books he read and his drawings weren’t normal and were very bloody. He belonged to the type that teachers paid more attention to. They felt that he had antisocial tendencies. Soon, the strict supervision of the teachers meant they threw away all the things Bai Liu liked.
It was the books, games and even the doll toys that Bai Liu looked at more often. They guarded against Bai Liu like he was a prisoner doing reform through labor. To a certain extent, this type of defense was also correct.
Bai Liu curbed his blatant hobbies and pretended to be a good kid who was lost and had reformed.
Lu Yizhan didn’t like such unconventional horror stories and games. Yet just because he didn’t like it didn’t mean he couldn’t let Bai Liu like it. He knew that Bai Liu liked it but that Bai Liu pretended not to like it.
“He really didn’t like it but that guy has always been very popular. I don’t know where he obtained it all but he found many horror games and story books.” Bai Liu’s eyes were closed as he recalled it. “There was really a lot. Then he hid them from the teachers and secretly gave them to me to let me play with them and see them.”
Little Bai Liu (6) was silent for a moment before asking, “Why did he want to do this?”
“That’s what I asked him.” Bai Liu’s voice was so soft that it could barely be heard. “He said, ‘Aren’t we friends? This is something I can do for you so I did it.’”
Little Bai Liu (6) wondered from the bottom of his heart. “When did you become friends with him? I remember that you didn’t agree to this matter, right?”
“I don’t know,” Bai Liu answered. “Lu Yizhan just determined it with wishful thinking. I told him that I am probably a freak and there is a high probability I will do bad things in the future. He was very serious and honest as he told me that if I wanted to be a bad guy, he would become a police officer to catch me.”
Bai Liu chuckled lightly, “Thus, he reassured me that he wouldn’t let me be bad. It is because a police officer can’t be friends with a bad person.”
“He played a lot of horror games with me for many years. Later, he gradually realized that I wasn’t a normal person but he insisted on being friends with me.”
“Why?” Bai Liu (6) wondered again, a bit confused this time. “You can’t understand each other at all. Will being friends with you bring him any benefits?”
“There are no benefits. I am a very troublesome person in all aspects.” Bai Liu readily admitted it. “I’m not good at being a human being but he said he didn’t become friends with me for benefits.”
“Then for what?”
“He just wanted to be friends with me.”
Lu Yizhan’s reason was that simple. He wanted to make friends with Bai Liu. He wanted Bai Liu to be happy a bit and for Bai Liu to have a friend. There was no sympathy or pity involved. He just thought this and did it.
Lu Yizhan was the first strange human being in Bai Liu’s cognition. The existence of this man almost subverted Bai Liu’s three views. This was a superior person with no personal purpose. He had high moral standards and even if his brain wasn’t good, he was a pure good person. In Bai Liu’s worldview, he was the textbook definition of a self-sacrificing fool.
He was Bai Liu’s only friend in this life.
“There are still such pure good people in this world. Their existence is contrary to the theory of evolution and human instincts so their lives are very hard.” Bai Liu spoke softly. “Still, they do exist and you will soon encounter them.”
‘Yes, Bai Liu (6). You will soon meet a friend who is willing to accompany you to play games with you, pretend to be the Slenderman to make you laugh and spend many years with you,’ Bai Liu spoke softly in his heart.
“This type of person is rare, right?” Little Bai Liu (6)’s tone was still casual. “You might’ve met a miracle in the world but I won’t encounter this type of idiot who gives so easily.”
“You will.” Bai Liu smiled. “You met me, didn’t you?”
“I knew you were a bad boy, Bai Liu (6), and I knew you might betray me, but I eventually told you my plan.” Bai Liu’s tone was soft and filled with a strange temptation. “You are more important to me, more important than any plan and even more important than my own life.”
“You are the most important person in this place.” Bai Liu laughed. “I promise you that I am your strange and reliable friend.”
This time, Bai Liu (6) was silent for a long time. Just as Bai Liu thought he had hung up, Bai Liu (6) changed the subject in a very blunt manner. “You also like horror games? Have you ever played any fun ones?”
Bai Liu lowered his eyes and the corners of his mouth curved up unnoticeable as he slowly chatted with Bai Liu (6). “Yes, I’ve played two very good games. One is called Siren Town and the other is called Exploding Last Train.”
At the age of 14, he was still easy to cheat and he would be slightly moved by the self-sacrificing type of big fool like Lu Yizhan.
If Bai Liu had met the 24 year old Bai Liu then it would’ve been much more complicated.
Bai Liu didn’t have much leisure to do psychological counseling for his 14 year old self and he felt that little Bai Liu (6) didn’t need it either. He told such a long story in order to pave the way for little Bai Liu (6) cooperating with him wholeheartedly. It was because unfortunately, the best tool to seduce little Bai Liu (6)—his points (money) had all been given away to Miao Feichi.
This was very dangerous. The total sum of his points, or money, that Bai Liu had under his control was less than Miao Feichi and the others. The total number of items to control Bai Liu (6) was also less than his enemies.
Soon after seeing them the next day, the very keen little Bai Liu (6) would quickly notice that Bai Liu didn’t have as much money as Miao Feichi.
This was very embarrassing. Once little Bai Liu (6) knew about the hostile relationships, Bai Liu (6) was bound to turn to the one who had more knowledge based on his understanding of himself. He would likely sell Bai Liu’s information to the Miao Feichi duo. Bai Liu knew that he wasn’t a very obedient child at the age of 14. At present, little Bai Liu (6) was only obedient to money.
Bai Liu (6) didn’t care if this would lead to Bai Liu’s death. When he was 14 years old, his desire for money was much stronger than it was now.
Therefore, Bai Liu needed something besides money to contain little Bai Liu (6) from doing things for money. This something should be equal to money. Based on experience, Bai Liu knew a great weapon to contain himself. It was Lu Yizhan.
Lu Yizhan could restrain the money-hungry Bai Liu from walking on the path of breaking the law and committing crimes for many years. In addition to this person’s unusual stubbornness and the desire to be friends with Bai Liu, there was another reason why it was possible—it was Bai Liu’s curiosity toward Lu Yizhan.
Bai Liu was a relatively curious person. He was full of the desire to explore all types of bizarre non-human behavior. His curiosity toward Lu Yizhan had never diminished even after so many years.
Bai Liu was curious about how Lu Yizhan, a freak like himself, could be such a good person and what was the driving force behind his behavior. Once this type of curiosity was strong enough, it could even offset Bai Liu’s desire for money.
Lu Yizhan didn’t exist in this dungeon. Therefore, Bai Liu told little Bai Liu (6) that there was such a person while he would play the role of Lu Yizhan. Bai Liu extracted the element of Lu Yizhan that had the most restraining power on him—curiosity.
Little Bai Liu (6) was curious about him and wanted to explore his behavioral logic. This was the beginning of all stories.
It was just like how he acted toward Lu Yizhan.
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Proofreader: Purichan
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