026 Visht Alpha-Type Dependent Personality Disorder

“Are you one of those ‘yandere’ types?”
“A little, I suppose.”
“…”
Sipping milk tea without pearls, the two sat in a corner, sharing an onion ring combo. In another corner, a group of elementary schoolers enjoyed the air conditioning while playing cards.

Yet, nothing about their game could compare to the intense conversation between Li Jie and the girl known as “Shake, shake, shake.”

“Don’t worry, big brother. I’m not that kind of yandere who’s deeply obsessed with anime. I’ve done some psychological counseling. It’s not that bad.”

As she spoke, Mengyao Su took out a report from her satchel.

The gist was that Mengyao Su had a mild case of “Wechsler Alpha-type Dependent Personality Disorder” (the author’s own invention), not severe enough to require psychological intervention. If she could resolve a few issues, she’d recover fully.

“Do you need medication?”
“No.”
“…”

Mengyao Su stared at Li Jie with her large, unblinking eyes, her lips wrapped around an oversized milk tea straw.

Not bad.

“But why me? I mean, why did you choose me?”
“Because the great hero from my dreams who would come to save me is someone just like you.”
“…”
“Do you know how dashing you looked, leaping into the fire without hesitation? I hug your photo every night when I go to sleep.”
“Please, don’t say things like that…”
“Big brother, did you know? My name wasn’t originally Mengyao Su.”

She pointed at her ID card. “I used to be called Yao Su. I changed it myself, added the ‘Meng’—‘Dream’—character.”

Li Jie felt uneasy watching the fervor in her eyes.

Isn’t this exactly what a yandere is?!

“Li Jie, I’m really not a yandere—not like those in anime, at least.”
“Wait, wait, hold on…”

Li Jie hesitated. “But I never told you my name, did I?”
“Really? I thought you did.”

Mengyao Su blinked her wide eyes.
“Did I?”
“Didn’t you?”
“Did I?”
“Didn’t you?”
“…”

Li Jie tried to retrace the timeline, and his heart pounded with alarm: Damn, had this girl set her sights on him since summer vacation?

Terrifying!

And she had managed to track down his school, too. Not even the “Ten-Year Blacklist” troll group could achieve that, but this eighteen-year-old girl had?

Unbelievable.

“Can you tell me why it had to be me? There are plenty of heroes out there—firefighters, police officers, soldiers… so many brave and selfless people.”
“They didn’t fit my original fantasy.”
“Fantasy?”
“Dream. It was a dream.”

She quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a sketchbook with an ink-wash style.

She’d been drawing since five years ago; each page was dated, and it was obvious that the art style and technique had evolved over time.

The first drawing from five years ago depicted a classical Chinese warrior holding a woman in his arms. Their faces were obscured—one by a helmet, the other by long sleeves.

The composition was simple, but there was something remarkable about it—

Beside that drawing was an illustration of Li Jie’s “Leap of Faith.” Maybe not exactly the same, but close enough.

Impressive.

“You’re the one I’ve been searching for, the person from my dreams. I know you’ll protect me…”
“Wait, hold on. Protect you from what? Are you being blackmailed? Bullied at school?”
Mengyao Su shook her head. “Can I tell you about my family?”
“Go ahead. We’re just chatting, after all.”

By this point, Li Jie was already planning to see her home and then make a hasty retreat. This girl was… not exactly normal.

But he knew psychological disorders weren’t the same as psychiatric ones. Growing up in an orphanage, he’d seen some “siblings” with congenital mental illnesses.

“My parents divorced early. My father left us the house, the car, and some money.”
“He left with nothing?”
“Yes.” Mengyao Su nodded. “You’d think my father cheated, right?”
“Normally, yes.”
“But it was actually my mother.”
“…”
“I still live with my mother.”
“…”
“I don’t like her, but without me, she couldn’t survive. She’s never worked, doesn’t have much education, isn’t great at housework, and is vain. I don’t like my father either—he didn’t do anything wrong, but choosing to leave with nothing? That’s not what a real man would do!”
“…”

Li Jie felt like he was drinking aged liquor rather than milk tea.

With such explosive family dynamics, such a volatile trio, and such a clash of values…

Compared to himself, Mengyao Su seemed more suited to the orphanage.

Say what you will, but all twelve of his orphanage “mothers” were first-class.

“My mother, aside from being beautiful, well-built, and having a nice voice when she was young, has no survival skills at all.”

“Can I see a photo of your mother?”
“Hm?”
“Just kidding. What I mean is, you can’t blame your mother for everything. Your dad must’ve been good at making money?”
“He was, but not anymore. It’s not easy for a middle-aged man to start over after divorce. My mother has no concept of money—if I didn’t manage the household finances, we’d have gone broke ages ago. But I can’t abandon her; she’s still my mother.”
“And so…”
“I wanted to find a ‘great hero’ to save me. I drew that when I was thirteen.”
“So you developed that Wechsler or whatever dependent disorder at thirteen?”
“It’s ‘Wechsler Alpha-type Dependent Personality Disorder.’ If my parents had divorced now, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up a yandere…”
“…”

Girl, the way you talk about this so earnestly is honestly frightening.

Li Jie even sneaked a glance at her bag. Good grief—three utility knives inside.

She really could stab him, couldn’t she?

“Su—”
“Just call me Yao Yao, Li Jie.”
“…”

Terrified!

Li Jie felt like Mengyao Su’s gaze was morphing into that of Anna Jin-no-miya—her pupils seemed to swirl into little pink hearts.

This wasn’t “yandere”—this was pure obsession!

Run!

He needed an excuse to escape, fast!

“Aren’t you curious why I look different in person than in my selfies?”
“Huh? Hey, hey, what are you doing? This is a public place… Don’t—wait, what?!”

Mengyao Su deftly manipulated her hand behind her back and pulled out a strip of fabric with a magic fastener, placing it into Li Jie’s hand.

It was still warm from her body…

She exhaled slowly, then stood tall and looked at Li Jie. “Do I look just like I do in the photos now?”
“Big!”
“…”
“Oh, I mean, yes—exactly the same.”

Damn it!

He really should have refused!

And yet… and yet… why was his hand clutching that warm, black, unidentified strip of fabric so tightly?!

Why?!