Eldritch Horror Theatre

”I never thought I’d sink this low...”

He was decisive and ruthless, yet his regret hit him just as hard.

Barely five seconds passed before Young Master Qin realized what he had done and sighed, his face awash in guilt.

Was the legend true? Was the first sip of cola really the only intoxicating one?

Fu Qian clicked his tongue from the side, then picked up his own cup and took a massive, unrestrained gulp.

”Regret is pointless. What is done cannot be undone, so you might as well enjoy the thrill of the fall.”

He spoke in a low, somber tone a moment later.

”I saw a look of displeasure on your face just now. I believe that once this mental barrier clears, you’ll be able to calmly face the darker side of life. Reaching the peak of your career is just around the corner.”

”...I’ll take your word for it.”

Though Fu Qian’s words were utter nonsense, Young Master Qin very much had the attitude of readily accepting good advice.After listening to that drivel, Young Master Qin simply tossed his straw aside and took another swig with absolute peace of mind.

”I have to admit, my head feels completely clear right now. Does the main value of a bottom line really lie in the thrill of crossing it?”

”I’ve felt like I needed a chat with you for a while now. Looks like I need to trust my instincts more.”

”Speaking of which, you’re way too practiced at this. Are you secretly working as some kind of spiritual guru? Saving the world on a psychological level?”

As he spoke, something dawned on Qin Mingze, and he slapped the table.

How could it be considered a secret!

Young Master Qin’s unwarranted praise prompted Fu Qian to do some self-reflection, reviewing his recent actions.

”I’m actually quite blatant about it. At most, I occasionally need an alias.”

”Really?”

Qin Mingze hadn’t expected Fu Qian to actually admit it, and for a moment, he doubted himself.

If it were anyone else, he would have brushed it off as pure nonsense. But given how well he knew Fu Qian, he was well aware of the guy’s ability to bewitch the masses with his words.

If he wanted to, whipping up a small, evil cult in a matter of minutes would be no problem at all.

Of course, Young Master Qin would never guess what kinds of aliases Fu Qian had actually used.

”Really.”

Fu Qian nodded, glancing at the sky outside.

”In fact, I’m getting ready to head out right now.”

”Fine, just say you want me to leave.”

Hearing the melody and grasping the intent, Young Master Qin took the hint.

”Honestly, I don’t even know what I came here for. Anyway, welcome back.”

”By the way, if there’s any actual bad blood between you and Ying, just be the bigger person. She’s a good kid at heart.”

”Do I look like the kind of person who’d hold a grudge against her?”

Fu Qian blinked.

”Fair enough. Besides, I can’t even imagine how Tan Ying could manage to offend you.”

Young Master Qin was clearly bogged down by mundane affairs, unable to catch a break even on a Saturday.

Too lazy to get dragged into the baffling conflicts of the youth, he stood up to leave.

”I’ll head out first. Take your time.”

As he spoke, he casually took his cola with him.

Unable to resist the temptation of depravity, he simply chose to enjoy it.

Strictly speaking, it hadn’t been that long, but it felt like it had been a while.

Fu Qian also finished his cola and stood up. Facing the familiar noisy surroundings, he felt a sudden sense of warmth.

The reason he had chased Young Master Qin away wasn’t because they had nothing left to talk about, but because curing the sick and saving lives allowed for no delay.

Fortunately, the diagnosis was already complete. All that was left was to put the treatment into practice.

...

”I’m no professional, but I think I can feel the artist’s anxiety and confusion in this.”

Inside the quiet studio, Tan Ying, who was frowning in deep thought, thought she was hallucinating for a split second.

But when she looked up, she found that someone else had indeed appeared in the empty studio at some point.

At this moment, the figure was standing with his back to her, looking the painting up and down.

”Why are you here?”

Easily recognizing Fu Qian, Tan Ying felt her brain short-circuit.

”I could ask you the same thing.”

After pretending to admire the artwork for a moment, Fu Qian walked straight over and sat down beside Tan Ying.

”It’s Saturday. Aren’t you working a little too hard?”

Uh...

The forbidden technique of ”answering a question with a question” was truly powerful. Tan Ying was instantly silenced.

”Painting helps me calm down.”

After a brief hesitation, she answered with absolute honesty.

”Ever since yesterday, I’ve been feeling completely restless.”

”I see.”

Fu Qian looked around with an expression of profound agreement.

”It really is a peaceful place. Thinking back to my school days, I used to yearn to be over here. I regretted choosing the wrong major.”

”Regretted it, yet you graduated in just two years.”

Tan Ying snorted, tossing her paintbrush aside.

”Did Young Master Qin brag about me? Honestly, it would be weirder if he hadn’t.”

”It’s not exactly a secret.”

Tan Ying didn’t give a direct answer.

”Anyway, I didn’t notice you having any attachment to school life, and more importantly, I haven’t seen you show any attachment to society either.”

”Is there anything that actually interests you? Exploring the spirit and the flesh?”

This trip was originally supposed to be about curing the sick and saving lives. Why had it suddenly turned into his own psychological counseling session?

Faced with Tan Ying’s barrage of questions, Fu Qian felt a sudden tonal shift in their conversation.

Besides, this girl had good hearing and a great memory. How long ago was that conversation? She actually still remembered it.

”More than just that. I actually have a pretty strong curiosity and a wide range of hobbies.”

Fortunately, Fu Qian had long since abandoned his sense of shame, and he responded without batting an eye.

”Alright... so why are you really here?”

Tan Ying sighed helplessly.

”Simple. You’ve taken good care of me recently, so to show my gratitude, I’m ready to agree to your initial request.”

”Request? What request...”

Tan Ying asked absentmindedly, but then she realized what he meant, her pupils suddenly dilating.

”That’s right, the modeling.”

Fu Qian nodded.

”Huh? Right now? I’m not ready yet...”

As an artist, Tan Ying was in disbelief, and her cheeks flushed pink for a moment.

”Huh?”

Fu Qian mirrored her look of surprise.

”Didn’t you say before that you wanted to hone your artistic skills? Have you just been slacking off all this time?”

”Not exactly...”

Tan Ying looked as if she didn’t know how to explain herself.

”Then hurry up. After today, I might change my mind.”

Fu Qian didn’t give her too much time to think.

”Oh, right. If I remember correctly, you said I could get extra money for full body?”

”I might... have said that...”

”So here’s the question.”

Facing a rarely flustered Tan Ying, Fu Qian smiled.

”What’s your choice? Clothes on or clothes off?”

...

A good doctor, even when faced with the same underlying problem, would tailor different treatments for different patients.

Without a doubt, the dream rule Fu Qian had set for Tan Ying was to make the choice he just offered.

Besides, he wasn’t entirely lying. Considering his apology for accidentally catching her in the crossfire, Fu Qian didn’t mind being a model for her.

Of course, if Tan Ying actually dared to choose a nude model, she would find out right after choosing that she had merely been dreaming just now.