[BL] Daily Disposable Persona

54: The Astrologer 08

"Oh, so you're not friends ah." The investigator smiled mysteriously. "A friend is a good thing, like a crowbar and an old seal."

Ye JingMing: My intuition says there's something wrong here, but I don't know what it is

At any rate, this conversation helped Ye JingMing understand Zong Yan's status in the occult world, which seemed to be quite awesome.

He remembered when he was lying on the dissection table and his head was about to be separated from his body. The Night Watchman dropped down from above with a black umbrella, like he was glowing in the darkness. Ye JingMing really felt lucky that the other party hadn't bothered with him for so many years.

"I did a lot of bad things before." Ye JingMing took a deep breath. "I'm fully aware of my mistakes and I sincerely apologize to you. I hope you can forgive me."

"It's okay." Zong Yan shrugged. "I accept."

In fact, Ye JingMing had been displeased with Zong Yan for a very long time. He tripped up Zong Yan wherever he could, openly as well as secretly, but Zong Yan never seemed to take it to heart. He always looked lazy and relaxed.

Just like when they were freshmen in high school, Ye JingMing quietly put angry notes in Zong Yan's desk, inviting him to the playground after school for a one-on-one bout. As a result, the other party was the first to leave the classroom at the end of the day, the same as always, and the angry notes ended up in the classroom trash bin.

Xia KeYan even talked to Ye JingMing privately about it, which made him feel even worse inside.

However, Ye JingMing was too superior to get his little brothers to beat people up. He had no idea what Zong Yan's family conditions were, so all he did was exclude him however he could.

As for Zong Yan, he didn't care at all.

Isolate him? Zong Yan didn't have any friends to begin with. He didn't care what people thought.

Angry notes? Zong Yan just ignored them. He always went directly home after school.

His calm and careless attitude made Ye JingMing feel very dissatisfied inside.

It was like he was performing a one-man show. The other party didn't pay any attention to him at all.

Ye JingMing turned around and leaned against the railing. With his hands on the bar he looked at the parent-teacher meeting in the classroom.

"I don't know why I hate you." Ye JingMing fell silent for a moment. "Maybe it's because she likes you."

Zong Yan was finally stunned. "Who likes me?"

"Xia KeYan." Shocked, Ye JingMing looked back and saw that the expression on Zong Yan's face didn't look fake. His heart grew even more painful.

What, could it be that his love rival was wishful thinking too!

"Huh???" Zong Yan's eyes were about to pop out. The two young men stared at each other in the hallway.

Zong Yan was really surprised. He never thought a school beauty-level figure would like him.

"Maybe you made a mistake? I only ever talk to Classmate Xia about school. It's inappropriate to say that kind of thing about a girl. What if you hurt her reputation."

Ye JingMing: ...

He was feeling desperate.

When he thought of the past three years of secret jealousy and wrangling with a love rival, which turned out to be his own personal carnival, he couldn't extricate himself from his inner depression.

"... Xia KeYan and I have been friends since childhood." Ye JingMing's voice was as thin as a thread. "The way she treats you is special."

Zong Yan wanted to say, I really don't get that feeling, brother.

"So it's like that. You think Xia KeYan likes me, so you targeted me. Let's reverse the reasoning. Do you like Xia KeYan?" With immense compassion he patted Ye JingMing on the shoulder. "Brother, if you like her you have to go for it. It's already senior year. You don't have time to wait. In the future we'll go to university and we'll all be separated. This is a rare moment. Seize the opportunity ah."

Ye JingMing was still a little confused about the situation. Only after a while did he react. It seemed like he'd just been given a pep talk by the person he'd imagined was his love rival. For a time, his mood grew even more complex.

"She doesn't like me, and I don't know if I like her myself." As he spoke, Ye JingMing pulled his collar in annoyance. "Maybe I just like her out of some kind of hatchling dependency syndrome."

Zong Yan: ? ? ?

He was about to speak when the classroom door suddenly opened.

During their conversation, the parent-teacher meeting had ended.

Then Zong Yan saw Yog-Sothoth's benevolent eyes.

The evil god didn't give Ye JingMing a single glance. He looked at Zong Yan with a smiling expression. He was still holding the report card that had a glorious number starting with '3' printed on it.

As Zong Yan's bad feeling got worse and worse, the other party spoke.

"Come back and do a make-up lesson with me tonight."

Zong Yan: *slowly types out a question mark*

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The author has something to say:

Zong Yan: The day has finally come

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TL Notes:

got straight to the point - 开门见山 - The door opens on a view of mountains; come straight to the point; come straight to the question

flag-raising platform - 升旗台 - Most schools in China have one of these. It's where flag-raising ceremonies and school announcements are made

power and influence over the world - 话语权 - discursive power - the capacity to influence policies and political processes through the shaping of norms and ideas (via Google)

Little Monster - 小怪兽 - I don't know this creature's name in English. When I google it I just see little cartoon pictures of a cute T-Rex type creature and even some CP fanfiction... it's a creature from Ultraman

Armor Heroes - from 铁甲勇士 (Armored Heroes) which maybe is supposed to be 铠甲勇士 (Armor Heroes) - a 2009 TV series that looks similar to Power Rangers

The Story of Hongmao and Lantu - 虹猫蓝兔七侠传 - Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes - known as "Howie & Landau" in English, a 2005 Chinese animated series

Knowledge Is a Major Path to Ruin - from 知识是通往灭亡的重要途径 - Knowledge is an important road to destruction, etc.

a friend, a crowbar, and an old seal - known as an investigator's "three-piece suit" or three most helpful items. This may be Call of Cthulhu RPG lore in the Chinese fandom. I couldn't find a reference in English. "When you're chased by a monster, first you give the old seal to a friend and tell him what to do. When that doesn't work, give your friend the crowbar and have him face the monster, buying time while you run away (correct usage). Incorrect usage is when your friend knocks you out with the crowbar, leaves you to the monster, and runs away himself." (, paraphrased)

hatchling dependency syndrome - 雏鸟情节 - "hatchling circumstances", "fledgling plot" - Chicks are young birds that rely on adult birds. Hatchling circumstances describes a person who has a strong dependency on someone else, which could be a classmate or friend (Jikipedia)