Chapter 22: Empathy
Lingling doesn’t know either.
Doesn’t know either.
Oh~
Actually, the voice is still okay. Yuan Xiaoling’s soft tone, with a little hook at the end, though annoying, Bai Ling has already gotten used to it and developed some resistance.
But her pose of tilting her little face up, her pure and innocent eyes, make it seem like there’s nothing wrong with her, but rather something wrong with Bai Ling herself.
So Bai Ling can’t help herself, flips her hands, lunges forward, and pushes Yuan Xiaoling down, pinning her.
”I’ll give you another chance, speak properly!”
Yuan Xiaoling blinks her eyes, thinking that it’s strange, she completely followed Gu Hui’s method, so why is Bai Ling still upset?
After observing, pondering, even taking several seconds for this stage, she then says it in a tactful way.
The clever little brain thinks for a while and concludes – since there’s nothing wrong with me, then there must be something wrong with Bai Ling.
In Bai Ling’s view, after she pins Yuan Xiaoling down, this busty cute girl pretends to think for a moment, then innocently says:
”There’s nothing wrong with how I talk, I can’t say who the problem is.”
Bai Ling’s eyelids twitch slightly.
”Other people don’t have the same issue, only you do. Could it possibly be your problem? Is your brain not working well?”
Upon hearing this, Bai Ling laughs in anger: “By what you’re saying, you’re planning to enlighten me?”
Yuan Xiaoling hasn’t had time to reply, just feeling uncomfortable with the position, slightly arches her back, unexpectedly causing Dabeitù to expand, and the buttons on her collar fly off like runaway horses—
Snap!
Looking at Bai Ling’s murderous expression, and the small red mark on her forehead – that’s the mark left by the flying button.
Yuan Xiaoling panics a bit:
”Sis, it’s a misunderstanding.”
”I’ll fry your sister!”
Fry is a type of stir-frying, anyway…she’s going to fry Lingling’s sis now.
Assassinate Monarch Thrust → Energy Tilt → Fleeting Glimpse → Chaotic Quick Cut → Needle Cluster Shot!
Half an hour later, when Gu Hui and Qiao Lili return together, they walk to the dormitory entrance and hear the sounds of struggle inside, feeling somewhat… accustomed.
Gu Hui sighs, she knew it would end up like this.
Going through the motions isn’t important, what matters is the person doing them. That little devil goes through whatever motions, but in the end, it always ends up with wormwood.
”Our plans for tonight…”
Qiao Lili was about to ask if they should stay over at the next door, when suddenly they hear the storm calming down inside.
”So fast?” she instinctively says.
Gu Hui gently pulls her and corrects: “Bai Ling must have more important things to do today.”
Listen to that, that’s what high emotional intelligence sounds like.
Since Bai Ling will be coming out soon, the two go to the corner first to avoid her, and only return to the dormitory to check on their roommate after she leaves.
They see Yuan Xiaoling lying on the bed, eyes vacant, breathing more than exhaling.
”Xiaoling!” Qiao Lili is shocked, “Is she being too harsh today?!”
Won’t she really be dying?
”No, just like that,” Yuan Xiaoling says weakly, “I’m just a bit mentally exhausted.”
It’s not physical fatigue, but mental exhaustion.
Why? Everything was done perfectly, the procedures were all completed, why didn’t it work… No, why did it have the opposite effect?
Gu Hui sighs and tries to persuade her: “Xiaoling, life is like that, you put in a lot of effort, and think you’re heading in the right direction, but in the end, you still fail.”
”That’s right, failure runs through the entirety of life,” Qiao Lili also agrees, “this is life.”
Yuan Xiaoling flaps on the bed twice: “No, I must have missed a step somewhere, Gu Hui, help me analyze. I understand now, could it be the part about putting oneself in others’ shoes, empathy?”
Gu Hui wants to advise her, what procedures or steps are these, useless, some things depend on talent. Like that Gryffindor’s Seamus, every magic he uses turns into an explosion curse. And you Yuan Xiaoling, every word you say turns into a female demon riding your face, but from another perspective, isn’t this also a kind of talent.
Organizing her words, just about to open her mouth, a cold beauty’s voice comes from the dormitory door:
”What is this empathy?”
All three turn around simultaneously, startled.
”Bai Ling, how are you still here,” Yuan Xiaoling blurts out, “Ah no, I mean…you’re back.”
”I just went to wash my hands, came back and heard you guys talking strangely,” Bai Ling looks at these girls, “What is this empathy?”
Gu Hui shivers, blurts out: “Not taught by me.”
”?”
”Empathy is the ultimate level of perspective-taking, making you think from the other person’s point of view,” Yuan Xiaoling seriously says, “the highest essence of understanding the other party’s thoughts, you wouldn’t understand!”
So she was playing delay and riddles with me earlier, trying to put herself in my shoes?
Bai Ling rolls her eyes: “Sounds good in theory, wait until you can achieve half of it before speaking so confidently.”
She returned hastily, and as soon as she returned, she dealt with Lingling, hadn’t even had time to eat yet. After Yuan Xiaoling recovers a bit, the two go to the cafeteria together.
Walking on the school path, Bai Ling finally remembers a skill she used to use frequently – cognitive interference.
Classmates pass by one after another, walking and chatting on the night road.
”Are you finished with your activity liver?”
”Not yet, haven’t cleared all the stages, one stage per day.”
”Really? I’ve been busy watching Miss Water Dragon King, haven’t had time to grind.”
”Yuan Xiaoling is great, hehe, when she won the campus beauty queen title for the first time, I knew she would become great.”
”Great? Do you even need to see?”
A few boys walk by, clearly calling Yuan Xiaoling by name, but didn’t notice that Miss Water Dragon King is right beside them.
”Why didn’t you use this trick when I was exposed and surrounded outside the dormitory?” Yuan Xiaoling curiously asks.
”To teach you a lesson,” Bai Ling tightens her pretty face, “so you know, being too flashy comes with a price.”
Reality is, she forgot.
Yuan Xiaoling pouts her little mouth, thinking to herself that after I expose myself, I’m almost becoming a goddess in Tianhai City, where’s the price?
There aren’t many choices for late-night snacks in the cafeteria, but they are all stir-fried in exquisite small pots, so the taste is better.
”Master, two portions of fried…fried noodles please…”
Yuan Xiaoling originally wanted to order fried rice, but caught a glimpse of Bai Ling’s crimson eyes out of the corner of her eye, and couldn’t help but shiver.
Still remembering the incident from last life when she knocked over Bai Ling’s fried rice? (See Chapter 1 of Volume 1, forgot which chapter)
So stingy, Lingling mutters quietly, saying clearly this life she let Bai Ling stir-fry it back.
”Hmm? What?” Bai Ling asks.
”Nothing, I said stir-fried pork belly is delicious.”
Sitting in a small corner of the cafeteria, with cognitive interference turned on, no one will disturb them.
Bai Ling continues to tell her about today’s gains, and mentions the scout team from the Yun family.
”In terms of professionalism and methods, they’re much stronger than when Yun He was around, probably newly arrived recently, along with that Yun family young master.”
”Too arrogant,” Yuan Xiaoling presses her small hand on the table, “what to do, strike first, explode with him?”
”He’s at the late fifth-tier.” Bai Ling calmly says.
”Oh yes, almost forgot, let’s plan long-term then.”
Yuan Xiaoling silently sits back, a bit worriedly asks: “Do we need to do something?”
Bai Ling shakes her head: “Probably not necessary, the situation is completely different from the previous timeline, Tianhai City is on our side, those people were quickly dealt with today.”
And, it might be a misconception, but Bai Ling feels that the group of Yun family members in Tianhai City from her previous life didn’t particularly urgently want the Inner Stone of the Mind, otherwise they wouldn’t have slowly operated for ten years.
”The main enemy right now is still the Inner Stone of the Mind,” she says, “if we can get rid of it, the Yun family young master is nothing.”
The pseudo-sixth-tier Inner Stone of the Mind, the fifth-tier Bai Ling, both sides have one goal – to consume each other, become true sixth-tier, and open the divine ascension path.
”Then…加油?” Yuan Xiaoling cutely blinks her eyes.
Thank goodness, at the last moment of today, the blonde busty girl finally stopped attempting her high EQ.
Otherwise Bai Ling wouldn’t be able to leave the house tomorrow.
”In a certain sense, this counts as me letting her off easy.”
Back in the dormitory, Yuan Xiaoling tells her roommates thus: “Otherwise, whether she could even leave this dormitory tonight would be uncertain.”
Gu Hui secretly wipes a sweat, smiles.
”You’re right, Xiaoling, you’ve always been right.”
Of course, does that even need to be said?
The night passed without major incidents, for the students of Tianhai University, it was just an ordinary day.
It’s just that the limited-time event of Heart’s Sea opened another level, and someone in the school showed off a flashy new car.
Bai Ling didn’t know about this matter until she reached the parking lot at the school gate the next day.
No wonder the counselor was so willing to lend the car today.
This time driving all the way to the destination, Bai Ling didn’t find anyone tailing her on the road.
Maybe because the scout team suffered heavy losses yesterday, the Yun family young master doesn’t want to take risks anymore. Or maybe the McLaren is too fast, earth-dodging can’t catch up.
Of course, the biggest possibility is that they know the person is already in Miss Water Dragon King’s base, sending scouts again would be meaningless.
”Miss Bai Ling, you’ve arrived.” Fang Hui comes down to greet her, “Sister Ding has already woken up, waiting for you.”
Ding Shumei looks a little better, seems like she got some sleep, after meeting, she thanks Bai Ling first, and pours the tea she brewed.
Today’s tea is warm.
”I understand, what you want is a memory,” she says, “a very special, beautiful memory for him.”
This is what Fang Hui analyzed.
Bai Ling nods: “That’s right, exactly.”
Alright, much easier to understand than her “Inner Anchor.”
But Ding Shumei sighs: “Miss Bai, I’ve spent nearly forty years with him, there are many memories that fit these two requirements.”
The first encounter in the countryside fields, the first time rolling into the wheat fields unnoticed by adults, the first trip to town, tasting the legendary cotton candy, sitting on the edge of the small town pit, planning their self-built house…
Bai Ling pauses.
Seems like, the condition scope is indeed a bit broad.
Forget about these sisters, even aunties and cousins, even she, a blossoming teenager, has quite a few memories that fit both conditions.
The first date with busty girl, the flames and explosions resembling fireworks. The first time entering a hotel with busty girl… and every subsequent time entering a hotel with busty girl.
Even ignoring the hotel, there are at least several scenes worth recalling, such as cheerleading at basketball games, Arona cosplay on Children’s Day, bikinis at the beach… and so on and so forth.
No, focus on the task at hand, can’t daydream anymore.
Bai Ling shakes her head and says to Ding Shumei: “Think carefully again, there must be something special.”
Ding Shumei shakes her head: “I thought all night, Miss Bai, could you give some hints?”
”If you can’t think of it, I definitely can’t, I can’t possibly know him better than you…”
Wait, really can’t think of anything?
Bai Ling suddenly remembers, Ding Shumei knows her husband well, but that’s only from daily life. But in fact, during certain periods, encountering certain special events, the identities of the two have completely changed.
Fu Yong is an awakened Spiritual Energy Manipulator.
At this moment, she inexplicably recalls Yuan Xiaoling’s words from last night—
”Empathy is the ultimate level of perspective-taking, making you think from the other person’s point of view, the highest essence of understanding the other party’s thoughts, you wouldn’t understand!”
Automatically ignore the last five words, to prevent credibility affecting attention.
”Wait, let me think.”
Bai Ling closes her eyes, trying to sketch Fu Yong’s image from a year ago in her mind.
