Love in Cthulhu

Chapter 17 I'm Entangled with You
So artistic! Her voice is also very pleasant, like a clear spring flowing through a bamboo tube, cool and refreshing, but without giving the impression that she is rejecting you. She truly embodies the image of a proper, literary young woman.

"I can hear it. It has mistaken someone's crying for a plea to stay, which is why it lingers on the riverbank. It seems that we are all people whose steps have been held back by the wind."

He didn't turn around, but continued to gaze into the distance with that same pretentious air of profound contemplation, revealing his ostentatious nature as a liberal arts student.

If Jian Xi were here, she would most likely shout clearly, "You're showing off again!"

Therefore, Zhou Nan couldn't act foolishly in front of Jian Xi, as she would ruthlessly expose him. But deep down, he always had a silly side, a side that yearned for justice, a boy who believed in the light, and hoped that one day a helicopter would descend from the sky and take him to do something big.

"It seems the wind has carried some bad things into the town." The girl extended her hand to him, her fingers slender and well-proportioned, as white as jade. "Let's go, before the wind stops."

Wow! Girl, you're way too forward!

Zhou Nan thought that a wild rabbit like Jian Xi was hard to find in the world, so who was this literary girl who wanted to make a date with just three sentences? How could she be so brave? As a literary girl, shouldn't you be delicate, sensitive, fragile, reserved, and shyly holding hands?
"Isn't this a bit too fast... Look, we don't even know each other's names." Now it was his turn to play the reserved, literary young man. He really couldn't believe that this girl in front of him had the face of Daiyu, but inside she was the fierce Xue Pan.

"Gantang," the girl said. "My name is Gantang, like the pear tree."

"The luxuriant sweet pear tree, do not cut it down, do not fell it?" Zhou Nan blurted out.

The girl paused, a glimmer of light appearing in her usually calm and clear eyes. "You know?"

"It's from the Book of Songs, isn't it?" Zhou Nan turned around and smiled. "My name also comes from the Book of Songs, it's Zhou Nan."

His name has quite a history. Going back several generations in his family, there were teachers in every generation. When he was born, he was originally supposed to be named Zhou Guangnan, belonging to the Guang generation.

But his mother felt that forcing the character "Guang" into the name would sound awful, and the family insisted that the name must have some cultural significance.

So, while flipping through the pages, I happened to find an advertisement in the margins introducing the Book of Songs. It said that the "Guofeng·Zhou Nan" section was about folk songs from the southern region under the rule of the Duke of Zhou. Upon further investigation, I realized that this was indeed the Duke of Zhou's territory. So, I decided to simplify the name by removing the word "Guang" (meaning "wide" or "extensive")!
But when he was a child, his grandparents would still call him Zhou Guangnan, which was his nickname.

"What a coincidence."

Most people would smile politely in this situation, but Gan Tang simply nodded, a nod that was somewhere between polite and a simple statement, devoid of any emotion.

"Can we leave now?" Gan Tang asked again.

"No, so urgent?" Zhou Nan was quite surprised.

Could it be that with the end of the year approaching, the hostesses are all looking to make some money and are pretending to be female students to set up a honey trap? But surely it's not like he's the only one who can be identified as a student at a glance. How much profit can a student possibly make?

He couldn't help but look around, trying to find if there were any muscular men waiting somewhere, but the place was next to a school construction site and behind it was the riverside road, with no view at all, so there was nowhere for a muscular man to hide.

"What are you looking at?" Gan Tang asked.

"I was thinking, if I went with you, what if a few outlaws jumped out and beat me up, shouting that they were doing justice for Heaven, and then I had to pay them off to avoid disaster?" He spoke very frankly and even borrowed a classic line from a certain TV series.

But Gan Tang obviously couldn't keep up with his thought process or understand his dry humor. She just moved very seriously in front of him and looked at him. The peculiar fragrance became even stronger, light and airy, making one feel as if they were floating on clouds.

"I just want to find a place to talk to you alone."

I want to talk to you alone! Just tell me you like me!

His childish spirit began to stir again, and the resistance that Jian Xi had honed over the years was teetering on the brink of collapse in the face of the literary girl's ardent advances.

"What should we talk about? Romantic tales and fleeting pleasures, or companionship in this mortal world?"

He mentally berated himself for his restless, throbbing emotions. Although his mind was racing, he wasn't foolish enough to believe in love at first sight.

This boy meets girl thing just happened so suddenly. He was having a fierce battle with Miss Monster in the morning, and then a pretty girl showed up at his door at noon. Fate changes so quickly that it doesn't give anyone any time to prepare. I don't understand why she's so enthusiastic about inviting me out.

“Talk about the wind,” Gan Tang said as if it were a matter of course. “Didn’t you say you heard it? The wind is crying.”

You actually believe the wind can cry?
Zhou Nan felt somewhat helpless, thinking that this was probably a kind of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome). However, while others had the cool and dazzling fantasy of being the master of black flames or the true eye of the evil king, the chuunibyou of the literary girl was more like a fairy tale, imagining herself as a princess living in a high tower, talking and chatting with the wind every day, hoping that one day they could carry her to an unknown distance.

But now he couldn't admit that he had just made it up on the spot, which was a bit awkward. He never expected that a casual remark would hit the nail on the head.

Seeing that he didn't respond immediately, Gan Tang lowered her head and pondered for a while before loosening her trench coat belt.

Zhou Nan was taken aback. This was too wild! To act so recklessly in broad daylight?

However, Gan Tang only took out a white thermos. It's hard to imagine that a girl would carry such a thing with her, especially in the inner pocket of her clothes. Doesn't she find it uncomfortable?

Gan Tang unscrewed the water glass, and Zhou Nan immediately smelled the aroma of tea. When he was a child, his grandfather especially loved drinking tea and had many apprentices, so whenever someone came to visit on holidays, he would bring some tea. He also learned to drink and appreciate tea at a young age.

She used the lid of her thermos as a cup, pouring in a trickle of hot water. There was no filter in the water, and the tea leaves flowed into the lid, swirling gently until it was almost full before she handed it to Zhou Nan.

It's a very ordinary movement, but when she performs it, it exudes a comfortable and graceful beauty.

Mongolian sweat medicine?
Zhou Nan looked at Gan Tang with suspicion, but it was pointless. Gan Tang's face remained expressionless. It wasn't a threat, but there was no fierceness in it. It wasn't an attempt to get close, but there was no indication that she wanted to invite him for a drink. She just stared at him indifferently.

It seems I have no choice but to accept this tea; there's a sense that if I don't drink it, she'll rush over and force-feed it to me.

The tea was hot, but not scalding, at just the right temperature. Zhou Nan held the cup lid and took a sip. The aftertaste was lingering. Just as he was about to praise it highly, he heard Gan Tang say, "Drink it all."

He was a little puzzled. The girl's every move had a strange feeling about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. All he could do was finish the cup of tea in one gulp.

"Please let me see it."

Gan Tang took the cup lid from his hand and carefully examined it. When she did so, her usually expressionless face revealed a rare seriousness.

Zhou Nan instantly understood: tea stain divination relies on the tea stains left at the bottom of the teacup after drinking tea to seek divine guidance.

But isn't this something only Harry Potter would use? Professor Trelawney always says something terrible is about to happen to Harry whenever she sees him. Even when Harry drinks a cup of tea, she claims to see death in the tea stains, and with her terrified expression, she completely fools him. So, girl, you're not just addicted to fairy tales, you also love Harry Potter? You're even imitating him to the point of being a child! No wonder you're hoping for that dreamy scene of a boy and girl meeting by the river.

You've really misjudged her. She's not some literary girl at all; she's a complete idiot.

"you……"

"Am I destined to be a lone star, destined for bloodshed?" Before Gan Tang could finish speaking, Zhou Nan interrupted her rudely.

"No." Gan Tang wasn't angry. She raised her head, her tone still calm, like the rustling of wind through the treetops. "You don't need to hide it from me."

"What am I hiding from you?" His initial goodwill towards her faded, and he began to find her eccentric and somewhat annoying.

“I am the same kind of person as you. I can also hear the cries in the wind, and I can also see what they look like,” Gan Tang said softly.

She turned the cup lid upside down for Zhou Nan to see. Inside, instead of the residual steam from the hot water, there were wisps of black mist, like smoke or particles.

Zhou Nan was slightly taken aback and looked up in surprise. Gan Tang was standing quietly in the wind, holding the lid of her water glass. He suddenly felt that the girl's figure had become incredibly dazzling, like an angel descending to earth to save the world.

It turns out she wasn't being silly... she's the kind of person who's observable.

That's why she noticed him walking by when she passed by. She said the wind seemed to be crying, not because of the actual wind, but because she could even hear the howling of those things. There were quite a few wandering ghosts and spirits around here, and the cup of tea he carried with him was probably some kind of special tool.

He pointed to his forehead and silently asked Gan Tang with his eyes. Gan Tang nodded gently.

In her eyes, Zhou Nan was like Erlang Shen, with a black third eye between his eyebrows. It was deep and dark, and if you stared at it for a while, it felt like your soul would be sucked in.

A tremendous joy exploded in Zhou Nan's heart in an instant, like a meteorite falling into the Pacific Ocean and splashing up towering waves.

It turns out that besides that unlucky fortune teller, there are many more people who belong to that side. So, perhaps I can seek some help from Gan Tang?
He opened his mouth, but then suddenly calmed down and couldn't say anything.

The fate of that old man Li this morning is still fresh in my mind. Although he didn't die, what difference is there between losing his soul and being dead?
Jian Xi would devour anyone who might come into contact with her. Since there is still a part of Jian Xi within me, continuing to contact Gan Tang would only implicate her.

The hope that had just been ignited slowly died down again. He didn't want to involve any more people. He had already confessed his feelings to Jian Xi, but there was still no response. Maybe he could succeed. If he succeeded, he could use the title of boyfriend to control Jian Xi. At this time, it was best not to cause any more trouble.

"I... I don't understand what you mean," Zhou Nan said softly, sounding somewhat forlorn and helpless.

The Sword of Damocles hangs over his head; if it falls, it won't kill him, but it will kill those around him.

A hint of doubt flashed in Gan Tang's eyes. She had clearly seen the boy's fleeting joy just now, the feeling of meeting a kindred spirit.

Why refuse? Did I do something wrong?
"I'm sorry, I should probably head back now." Zhou Nan decided to decisively sever this connection. He was a friend of justice, and a friend of justice shouldn't make others risk their lives for him.

With his hands in his pockets and head drooping, he brushed past Gan Tang. After a brief moment of joy, he returned to his melancholy and despondency.

There was a rustling sound behind him, the sound of boots stepping on the grass. Gan Tang quickly walked up and grabbed his wrist.

He was startled and turned around, wanting to shout and swing it away. At this moment, all talk of literary girls and budding romance is bullshit. This is a matter of life and death, and he must not be soft-hearted!
But he suddenly froze. Gan Tang, who was standing there, held his hands tightly, her lips slightly pursed, as if she would burst into tears if he took another step forward. Tears were already glistening in the corners of her eyes.

Damn it! You're doing this too?
Zhou Nan's mind went blank. Everyone says tears are a woman's weapon, but both kind women and wicked green tea bitches use this weapon, like that monster Jian Xi... Her fake crying speed is Oscar-worthy. Once bitten, twice shy, he'll never fall for it a second time!
He tugged at her hand forcefully, and Gan Tang shook her arm back. He was furious and glared at her fiercely. Surprisingly, Gan Tang wasn't afraid of this formidable figure; she just kept shaking her head, as if she wouldn't let him leave no matter what.

Just then, some construction workers happened to pass by. The older man glanced at the young couple and said dismissively, "Hey, what's the big deal? There's nothing you can do about it. You need to go to a proper hospital..."

Damn it, uncle, if you don't understand, can you stop talking nonsense? This isn't some lovey-dovey couple getting pregnant and breaking up drama; this is like someone just sitting there and getting scammed by a passerby!

A hundred curses ran through Zhou Nan's mind. With his skills, he could easily send Gan Tang flying with a single kick, but what right did he have to treat her like this? Was he supposed to kick her until she cried, and then say, "I'm doing this for your own good"? What kind of scumbag dumping his girlfriend script is this!

"What are you going to do... Do you think it's okay?" Zhou Nan had no choice but to beg for mercy.

“Let’s have a good talk,” Gan Tang said.

"No."

"why?"

"There's no reason, it just simply doesn't work."

"Then I can't let you go."

"What do you mean by forced sale! Are you selling cut cakes?" Zhou Nan was furious. Since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to take some tough measures.

"It's not cut cake, I'm... I don't know how to say it."

"You don't even know it yourself, yet you insist on talking to me?" Zhou Nan thought to himself, "Girl, you're really something. Sure enough, God is never biased. Beautiful girls always have to pay a price. Jian Xi's price is being a bit dim-witted, but you're just plain stupid."

He suddenly stopped pulling away, took a step towards Gan Tang, and lightly stepped out with his other leg to trip her leg from behind, then bumped her with his shoulder.

A classic Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) move would cause the opponent to fall backward, landing on the back of their head, potentially causing fatal injury. So, as he made his move, Zhou Nan reached out to touch her back to help support her and prevent her from hitting her head. He could then push her away as she fell and escape.

But the expected takedown did not happen. Zhou Nan suddenly felt dizzy and everything went black before his eyes. He was the one who had been knocked down.

What? What kind of incredible strength is this? I never would have guessed that you, the girl next door, have grown up to be so strong and powerful!
He fell in a very undignified manner, and Gan Tang repeatedly apologized, then bounced up with a perfect carp-like somersault.

Only then did he notice that there was something extra behind Gan Tang.

It was a pair of long, twisted hands, gleaming with a cold light, as if passing through a layer of invisible water, pressing lightly on Gan Tang's shoulder, slowly tightening, and Gan Tang showed a slight discomfort.

Then a pale head emerged from Gantang's long hair, with hundreds of tentacles wriggling on it. It had no face or features, only a swirling, pitch-black void surrounded by sharp fangs, emitting a piercing shriek that seemed to reach right to the bone, inspiring awe.

(End of this chapter)