[Another Xie Chi?!]
[Xie Chi is hugging Xie Chi.]
[Hahahahaha?? Cursing yourself?]
[Two people are talking but it feels like a love triangle hahahaha.]
[Seducing Xinglan in front of the original partner.]
[Hahahahaha eating your own vinegar?]
Xie Chi clasped the hands around his waist to prevent this person from running away. “Say it, are you the one who texted Yi Hesong?”
The other Xie Chi rolled his eyes at Xie Chi. “That is no fun.”
Xie Chi, “……”
The elevator shook suddenly and the ensuing violent shaking made Xie Chi unsteady. The body of the Xie Chi in black became transparent in an instant. Xie Chi couldn’t hold him and had to watch as he passed unimpeded through the steel elevator doors.
The black-clothed Xie Chi turned his head. The blood-red eyes were novel and there was more scrutiny and weighing in them. He seemed hesitant and mysterious. Xie Chi felt the look in his other side’s eyes was extremely complicated. His other self seemed to have made a very difficult decision but as he was about to say it, he was struggling and regretting it. It seemed this decision would have an indelible impact on him and the consequences might be something he couldn’t afford.
The black-clothed Xie Chi finally spoke slowly. “Xie Chi, haven’t you always claimed to be smart? Prove it to me. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
It was hard not to have a more competitive heart when meeting another self.
Xie Chi frowned. He stared calmly at this person for a while before finally understanding something. Then he nodded and said, “Thank you.”
The Xie Chi in black was stunned before becoming amused. “I was originally so smart.”
Xie Chi had been serious one second. The next second, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
The black-clothed Xie Chi turned into black fog and disappeared. The elevator stopped shaking at this time.
[After the two Xie Chis met eyes, they achieved something but I don’t understand.]
[Don’t panic, you’re not alone.]
[Just watch it.]
[Exciting! Black Xiao Chi gives me this feeling.]
[No falling in love with someone else!]
[What falling in love with someone else? Black Xiao Chi is also Xiao Chi!]
[Eh? I thought it would be a big fight. What is the direction now?]
Xie Chi stepped out of the elevator. “Brother, he deliberately brought us here.”
“Yes,” Xie Xinglan replied.
He had seen it a long time ago. The time required for a scalpel to fall from the second floor to the first floor was extremely short. In the blink of an eye, the black Xiao Chi could already flash from the massage chair to the stairwell in the corridor. This was his true speed.
It stood to reason that even after increasing his speed, it would be impossible for Xie Xinglan to catch up with the black Xiao Chi so quickly. Yet after a few floors, he caught the black Xiao Chi in the narrow elevator.
It showed that the black Xiao Chi deliberately slowed down a bit. The real intention was to wait for Xie Xinglan. He had something to say. Moreover, the black Xiao Chi appeared only when he and Ren Ze were on the first floor. There was no one else. He seemed to be specifically avoiding the eyes and ears of others.
Xie Xinglan said, “I originally thought there was an ambush. After all, there is another ghost. I didn’t expect him to come to… reveal information. Very…”
Xie Chi stated, “Don’t praise him.”
Xie Xinglan stopped immediately before going with the flow. “No matter how great he is, you are the same.”
Xie Chi looked down and thought about it. The other him had only said a few sentences but the information revealed was huge. The other self defined this encounter as an ‘opportunity he gave himself’. This in itself was intriguing. His choice to show up should be the result of repeatedly thinking. Even he wasn’t sure if this action was right or wrong, the result good or bad.
Since they were the same person, Xie Chi found it relatively easy to understand the black Xie Chi. After Xie Chi substituted himself and wondered under what circumstances he would make such a decision, the answer seemed to surface.
His other self was in a difficult situation and made a choice. There was a problem waiting for him and Xie Chi seemed to be the key to solving this problem. He chose to meet with himself despite it being likely to make things unfavorable for him. He seemed to have something to verify. He was very anxious and had deep doubts about something in his heart. He urgently needed Xie Chi to prove to him that helping was the right decision.
It meant that if Xie Chi seized the opportunity, there might be a turning point. However, if he couldn’t grasp it then things would be out of control.
“Brother, I suspect that we have a conflict of interest with them,” Xie Chi said.
Xie Xinglan was surprised. “Them?”
Xie Chi laughed. “The one who threw the glass and the scalpel, his boyfriend.”
Xie Xinglan paused, his voice slightly awkward and strange. “Xie Xinglan?”
Xie Chi’s mood was also a bit complicated. He was a person but had two complete personalities. The app always counted the two personalities as two souls. After he saw the true face of the dark shadow, the identity of the other ghost became self-evident. It was another Xie Xinglan. The other Xie Xinglan was with the other Xie Chi.
‘Obviously, Xie Chi already has another Xie Xinglan yet he was still holding my Xie Xinglan,’ Xie Chi couldn’t help thinking.
“Xiao Chi?” Xie Xinglan called out softly after seeing Xie Chi not speaking.
Xie Chi returned to his senses and coughed hurriedly. “He has already made many concessions. Seeing me is likely to harm himself but the situation was urgent. He chose not to fight and to go to me.”
Xie Chi’s approach would be the same as the Xie Chi in black if they had exchanged positions.
Rather than procrastinate and wait until the last moment anxiously, it was better to take a risk and give it a try. It was because if you didn’t give it a try, you might be giving someone else the right to choose. The result might end up a false alarm but it proved the previous worry was unfounded.
Trying could be counterproductive and make things worse but it could also turn defeat into victory. He hated passively waiting for the final sentence.
Xie Xinglan wondered, “So the previous behavior of ‘Xie Xinglan’ throwing the glass and the scalpel could be defined as… ‘throwing the game’?”
“Yes.”
If the ghost Xie Chi could move quickly and pass through walls then Xie Xinglan, whose strength was several times higher than his, would definitely rise to a higher level after transforming into a ghost. Even if he didn’t kill Xie Chi in a single blow, he still had the ability to inflict a lot of injuries.
Yet the reality was that the first time, only Xie Chi’s face was scratched and the second time was just a scratch on the back of his hand. In addition, Ren Ze who could heal was by his side both times. The other Xie Xinglan’s act of hurting him was just to reveal information to him or to bluff and cover other people’s eyes. Either way, it wasn’t really about killing them.
Xie Chi continued, “The position that the app gave them is most likely to kill us. This is the simplest, most direct and fundamental conflict. Then for some reason, the other Xie Chi hesitated. He thought about it and weighed the benefits before he and Xie Xinglan reached a consensus. They decided to appear in front of us.”
Xie Chi stared into the distance and spoke after a long time. “We will either be friends or enemies in the end. Whether they act depends on what I find later.”
Xie Xinglan’s voice was slightly gloomy. “Xiao Chi, the text message…”
Xie Chi sighed. “They aren’t the ones who want to kill me. This is the scariest thing.”
All the actions of his other self and the other Xie Xinglan showed their attitude of not acting seriously. It wasn’t important if his other self convinced Xie Xinglan or the other Xie Xinglan convinced his other self. The conclusion was that they reached an agreement not to kill him and Xie Xinglan for the time being. Since their attitude was like this, how could they send messages to Yi Hesong and provoke Yi Hesong to kill him?
If he fought against Yi Hesong without the help of any external force then the odds of winning were estimated to be zero. The other Xie Chi and Xie Xinglan must also be very clear about this. If they really revealed his progress to Yi Hesong then they wanted Yi Hesong to kill him. This was completely different from their current attitude.
So there was another person who wanted to kill him. A vague figure appeared in Xie Chi’s mind.
“Xie Chi!”
Ren Ze was at the top of the stairs and rushed over to see if Xie Chi was okay. Then he sighed with relief.
“You chased after a ghost!” Ren Ze had a lingering fear. The black shadow’s eyes were blood-red and it obviously wasn’t a human. Xie Chi had wanted to catch it. If something happened…
“I’m fine,” Xie Chi told him.
“Fu*k, you scared me to death.”
Ren Ze cursed like an old man. At the same time, he checked Xie Chi up and down like an old mother. He only felt relieved when he saw the injury on the back of Xie Chi’s hand. The two of them returned to Xie Chi’s ward. Seeing Xie Chi lock the door, draw the curtains and check for bugs and cameras in the room, Ren Ze knew he had something important to say.
Xie Chi sat down and pressed a hand against his temple. “We didn’t read into our characters’ settings enough.”
Ren Ze was surprised. “Why? The app said that the character setting is important in this movie. We have analyzed enough and even know about the relationship chain…”
After Xie Chi and Yi Hesong fought each other, it took a lot of effort to explain the relationship chain they currently knew. He felt that he and Xie Chi had dug deeply enough. In terms of the role, he was Xie Chi’s half-brother, their mother was Ye Lan and Ye Lan’s future was Ye Xiaoxiao.
Xie Chi was adopted and became a doctor when he grew up. He married a vulgar woman and had a disobedient son. He also had an extramarital affair and his illegitimate son was Yi Hesong. As for Ren Ze, he grew up safely and happily, went through a gender change surgery, become a woman and then… he got together with the middle-aged Xie Yang.
Yi Hesong retaliated against society in his old age and caused the car accident…
Ren Ze felt they had dug well enough.
Xie Chi looked up. “I thought so but there are indeed some… deeper things.”
“For example?” Ren Ze always believed in Xie Chi’s words but couldn’t find a place to dig deeper.
Xie Chi’s expression was a bit weird. “For example, a family history of mental illness.”
“What?”
“You and I are both Ye Xiaoxiao’s sons. We both happen to have another personality. Then for my son Yi Hesong, his character has schizophrenia. We all have a mental illness and this is even included in the role.”
“Fu*k!” Ren Ze almost stood up. Xie Chi saw that he understood.
Xie Chi grabbed a paper towel, dipped it in some water and wiped off the dried blood on the back of his hand while speaking quietly, “Have you ever thought about why your character is transgender?”
Ren Ze thought carefully and his expression visibly became ugly. “Is it because of my sister?!”
Before Xie Chi could reply, Ren Ze had figured out the cause and effect. “Since I have a female personality, the app script extended my personal experience and gave me the plot development of changing genders later?”
Xie Chi nodded. He didn’t know if he should laugh or comfort this person.
Ren Ze struck the table. “Fu*k me, it still brings in private things like this?!”
Xie Chi opened his mouth. “In addition to proving that Yi Hesong is my son, it also implies another point. I might have two distinct selves in this instance.”
“What?” Ren Ze was at a loss again.
Xie Chi explained, “The follow up development of your character should be that your male personality is swallowed up by your female personality, your disease is cured and your mind is that of a woman. So you wanted to change genders because in your mind, you are a woman.”
Ren Ze was embarrassed but Xie Chi was frankly talking about business.
“Ren Ran is too young. The app previously didn’t count her as an actor so she shouldn’t be regarded as a ghost now. This means you don’t have to worry about the difficulty increasing.”
Ren Ze frowned. “I don’t have to worry? Then what about you?!”
Ren Ze’s heart jumped. He suddenly remembered that in the last movie, Xie Chi’s two personalities were regarded as two actors.
“Wait, why is it counted as a ghost? Are you talking about yourself who died in a car accident? Don’t you just need to identify who it is and call out its name? What does it matter if there are one or two?”
Xie Chi shook his head and his voice didn’t waver. “We are looking at the problem with still eyes and our perspective has always been in the past. From the beginning of the movie to the present, most of our energy has been spent on exploring what happened in the past. However, this horror movie is always developing, flowing and moving forward.”
Ren Ze’s heart beat faster. He had a feeling that what Xie Chi said next would be terrifying.
Xie Chi spoke casually, “The movie began. Due to the car accident, the you who died in the car accident became a ghost. It is the one that can be killed as long as we call out the name. Meanwhile, we are alive and wounded in the hospital.”
“This part is the past.”
“However, there is a future.”
“What… is the future?” Ren Ze was extremely nervous.
Xie Chi stared up at him. “I had a fierce conflict with Yi Hesong. If I hadn’t realized that Yi Hesong was my son in the midst of the crisis, I would’ve died. In this incident, there is a possibility that I survived like now. There is also the possibility that I didn’t think Yi Hesong was my son and was killed by him, or I figured it out but Yi Hesong didn’t believe me and killed me. Other possibilities are that Yi Hesong killed me before I could figure it out or I was accidentally killed by him. These are all real possibilities. However, the battle is over and there is only one answer. I am still alive. Nevertheless, it is true that I could’ve died in the process.”
“In another world, Xie Chi died in this conflict and became a ghost.”
“Schrodinger’s cat, have you forgotten the definition I told you? Since the possibilities aren’t impossible, they split into a new world, a new parallel space and a new self. In events where there is a possibility of me dying, there will be a dead Xie Chi.”
Ren Ze started to think about it and his face paled. “You… you mean that in the conflict with Yi Hesong, the part of you that might’ve died became a ghost in this world?”
Ren Ze thought of something else. “It’s over! Previously, my past self tried to kill me and you saved me. There was the possibility of you dying and a ghost appeared! Then the glass smashed at you and there was the possibility of you dying, so another you was born. There was another you from the conflict with Yi Hesong and another one when the scalpel fell from the top and almost killed you. It is over!”
Ren Ze stood up, his face completely drained of blood. “There are at least four ghosts that look exactly like you in this hospital!”
This was the future that Xie Chi mentioned! The past was trivial! Compared to the future, the past crisis was simply not worth mentioning! He had wondered how it was possible to solve the biggest crisis just by speaking. As long as they continued to encounter danger, they would create more ghosts exactly like themselves!
Ren Ze felt numb and his legs were weak from fear. He lowered his head and found Xie Chi was sitting calmly drinking water. “Why are you so calm?”
Xie Chi put down his water glass and glanced at Ren Ze. “It is because I have already met him just now.”
“You mean the shadow on the massage chair just now? In addition, the one who threw the scalpel from upstairs?” Ren Ze asked nervously, “Just two?”
“Just two.”
Ren Ze sighed with relief. “Fortunately it is just one. If the hidden four, five or six look for you together…”
Xie Chi smiled slightly. “I should’ve seen all the Xie Chis in this horror movie.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It is because the rules of this movie should be… superimposition.”
Ren Ze was frightened again and started sweating.
Xie Chi explained, “The first conflict gave birth to the initial ghost Xie Chi. In the second conflict, the second ghost Xie Chi was born but in order to prevent confusion, all the Xie Chis were superimposed together. They formed one ghost Xie Chi.”
“It is reasonable that in every conflict and crisis, the new dead Xie Chi will merge with the original ghost Xie Chi. This is the most appropriate instance rule I can think of.”
“So for the average person, this movie will produce another self and their power will become stronger and stronger from it. It is because people can’t avoid conflict if they don’t know about it. Once there is danger and conflict, a new ghost will form. They will overlap and become more powerful.”
“I was favored by the dungeon because I have two other selves, one Xie Chi and one Xie Xinglan. They might come to kill me in the future.”
Proofreader: Purichan
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