My Strange Tale Love Strategy Simulator

"My bracelet?"

Li Danyang glanced down at his wrist. He had worn this jade bracelet for so many years; he knew its weight all too well.

"This bracelet of mine isn't worth much." He looked up, his tone wary and scrutinizing. "What do you want it for?"

He thought Zhang Ying was still playing some underhanded tricks.

Zhang Ying shrugged, picked up the long-cold Americano from the table, and downed it in one gulp. The bottom of the cup hit the table with a dull thud. He rested his chin on his hand, tilting his head to look at Li Danyang.

"Clearly, I'm testing your sincerity."

His tone was casual, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"How do I know you won't kill me after I leave? I don't want to die in the gutter without knowing why."

He paused, but the smile on his lips remained unchanged.

"Since Executive Li won't even grant me this small request, I think we have nothing more to talk about."

silence.

Li Danyang stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Alright." He laughed and shook his head, as if amused by a greenhorn. "I'll show you my sincerity. It's just a bracelet that's been with me for years. As long as it can bring us peace, it's nothing."

He lowered his head, his right hand gripping the knot on his left wrist, and slowly, circle by circle, he removed the bracelet. His movements were slow, yet showed no sign of reluctance.

"To be honest, I admire you." He said this without looking up, his fingers still untying the knot. "I don't know who's backing you, but you dared to confront me face to face. That method, that courage, I can't help but admire."

He raised his eyes, his gaze passing over the jade beads on his wrist and landing on Zhang Ying.

"How about it? Want to consider working for me? You absolutely can't refuse the terms I offer."

Zhang Ying chuckled a few times.

His gaze did not fall on the jade bracelet that was being slowly removed, but remained fixed on Li Danyang's eyes.

"Executive Li, you're joking. My meager skills are hardly worthy of someone as great as you..."

The last syllable was drawn out.

The moment his peripheral vision caught the bracelet completely detach from Li Danyang's wrist and land on the table,

His tone suddenly rose!

"...The scriptures!"

Zhang Ying raised one hand high above his head and clenched his five fingers into a fist.

"Let's do it!"

Two words burst out softly from the depths of his throat, like a muffled thunderclap that had been suppressed for too long.

Li Danyang's pupils contracted sharply. He didn't know what was about to happen, but an extremely ominous premonition surged through his entire body in that instant!

He tried to move, but it was too late.

In Zhang Ying's eerie vision, the six half-dead spirits behind Li Danyang, like hunting dogs that had broken free of their chains, roared and rolled with overwhelming resentment, and all rushed into Li Danyang's body!

Li Danyang's body stiffened abruptly. His eyes rolled upwards, revealing large patches of white, and he trembled and stiffened like a puppet with its strings cut, falling into a state of deathly stillness.

Six half-dead thoughts frantically fought for control of his consciousness, pounding into his brain wave after wave!

While the mental control abilities of a half-dead thought are not comparable to those of a complete dead thought, their sheer numbers allow them to accomplish far more than a single thought can.

Under the continuous output of the half-dead thought, Li Danyang's consciousness was repeatedly washed, torn, and crushed.

The six half-dead thoughts were like six torrents, pouring into his mind in turn, peeling away his memories, judgments, and reason layer by layer, like a tide washing over a sandcastle, hollowing it out little by little.

In the end, Li Danyang sat upright against the back of the chair, her eyes wide open and unfocused, like a doll whose power had been cut off.

He can still move, can still follow simple instructions, and still retains some basic consciousness, but his comprehension ability has been destroyed to the level of a six-year-old child.

This state will last at least a year or two. At most, it will stay with him for life.

But in either case, Li Danyang never got the chance to experience it.

Given the mistakes he made, his only fate was death.

"Come back."

Zhang Ying stood up from his seat.

As soon as he finished speaking, the six half-dead thoughts floated out of Li Danyang's stiff body and lingered around him.

Perhaps because they had just released their pent-up emotions, the blackness on their bodies had faded slightly, revealing a faint dark red hue.

He reached out and picked up the jade bracelet on the table, putting it on his wrist. The jade felt slightly cool to the touch, yet it brought a sense of warmth to his body.

If Li Danyang hadn't taken off the jade bracelet, he might have really been in a desperate situation.

But based on his understanding of Li Danyang over this period of time, he realized that Li Danyang was willing to give up anything as long as the benefits were sufficient.

As a trophy of this standoff, this blessed bracelet naturally belongs to me, which does not violate the requirements of the simulator mission.

With it, he could face Li Ziqing with more peace of mind.

Zhang Ying walked around to Li Danyang's side and helped him up from his seat. Li Danyang obediently stood up, his movements stiff and slow, like a rusty machine, as Zhang Ying supported his shoulders and led him step by step out.

As he passed the bar, the coffee shop owner looked up. He noticed Li Danyang's listless eyes and unsteady gait, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

But it was only for a moment.

The shop owner knew better than to pry into his customers' privacy; when running a business on this street, it was better to avoid trouble. He looked away and didn't ask.

I just muttered to myself: How rare it is that someone can get drunk from drinking ice water?

As Zhang Ying helped Li Danyang leave, he noticed that the man who had been reading a newspaper by the window was now seated empty. The newspaper was neatly folded and placed on the table, under an empty coffee cup.

He didn't think much of it; he probably finished reading the newspaper and left.

The café fell silent again.

The shop owner looked at the empty store, sighed, threw the rag into the sink, and muttered to himself.

"The whole morning is over, and only two people have come to the store. It seems like we should really consider moving."

Zhang Ying helped Li Danyang out of the coffee shop. The wind chimes on the door tinkled behind them, and a spring breeze blew in, carrying the damp and dusty smell unique to the old streets.

The sniper had just returned from the fourth-floor window of the building across the street that was being demolished.

He repositioned the makeshift sniper rifle, placed his eye on the scope, and slowly moved the crosshairs across the street, quickly locking onto two figures.

Li Danyang, and his goal.

The two were leaning against each other. Zhang Ying was supporting Li Danyang's arm, and Li Danyang was stiffly moving in sync. From the camera's perspective, they looked like a close friend despite their age difference. The sniper stared at the scene on the screen, his brows furrowed.

First, they called him and told him to leave. Then, halfway through his departure, they told him to come back. Now, these two are suddenly so close. Should I kill them or not?

The sniper looked for a moment, then finally exhaled heavily from his nostrils and removed his finger from the trigger guard.

He deftly disassembled the gun, stuffed the parts into an inconspicuous canvas bag, and turned to disappear into the darkness of the demolition site.

A black, extended Rolls-Royce was parked quietly on the side of the street. The driver, Xiao Liu, was looking in the rearview mirror, carefully grooming his hair with a small comb in one hand.

The moment he caught a glimpse of someone approaching out of the corner of his eye, he snapped the comb shut and straightened up.

"President Li—" He stopped mid-sentence, noticing Li Danyang's condition, and his voice caught in his throat.

Li Danyang was impeccably dressed in a suit, but he seemed to have lost his soul. His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly agape; Xiao Liu had never seen such a dejected look on President Li before.

Xiao Liu quickly stepped forward to help, but hesitated to offer his hand rashly. He could only lower his voice and ask Zhang Ying, "Mr. Li, what happened? Weren't we going to a coffee shop to discuss business? How could you get like this after just having coffee?"

"It's not the coffee that's the problem," Zhang Ying said calmly. "Mr. Li learned something at the coffee shop and was a bit upset. He probably won't be in a good mood lately, and his condition might be poor. Take him home and let him rest."

Xiao Liu opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask more, but in the end he just nodded solemnly. He opened the car door, carefully helped Li Danyang into the back seat, and then helped him fasten his seat belt.

Li Danyang showed no resistance whatsoever, acting like an obedient puppet, doing whatever she was told.

Xiao Liu walked back to the driver's seat and started the engine. The black, extended Rolls-Royce smoothly merged into the traffic, its taillights fading into the distance in the night.

Zhang Ying stood on the street, watching the car disappear into the city skyline.

He took out his phone, opened Green Bubble, and found the chat box with his cousin.

My fingertips tapped rapidly on the screen, typing out a line of text.

"Hey bro, wanna do some good deeds?"

The message was sent successfully. The white light from the screen reflected on his face, revealing a very faint smile at the corner of his mouth. He put away his phone, turned, and disappeared into the old street.