Chapter 889: The Colorful Person

“Considering how many times you’ve helped me… I’ll be merciful today,” the White Snake said.

“What?”

“Today, you don’t need to join my ‘Support Group.’ I’m willing to listen to your sad story and try to guide you. After that, I’ll give you a book as a gift—just return it the next day,” the White Snake continued. “Come in, you brat.”

There was something strange about the White Snake.

He was one of the “Zodiacs,” a killer who had taken countless lives, yet I couldn’t sense any malice in him.

Just as I was about to follow him inside, a few “participants” approached from a distance. They didn’t seem like first-timers in the White Snake’s game.

“Earth Snake!” a chubby middle-aged man shouted. “I damn well refuse to lose this time! There’s no way I’ll show any expression—come on! What book do you want me to read this time?!”

The Earth Snake yanked me forward and turned his head with a huff. “Scram, scram! My sister and I have business to attend to. No time for you lot.”

“Huh?”

Before the outsiders could say another word, the Earth Snake slammed the door shut.

“This…” I hesitated. “Isn’t this bad? You said you run an open business…”

“Brat, didn’t I tell you?” The White Snake shook his head. “You and that sister of yours have helped me countless times. This game arena exists partly because of you. So, out of mercy, I’ll help you. Sit.”

My expression faltered for a moment before I found a chair and sat down.

“Why are you alone?” the White Snake asked. “Where’s that love expert?”

The moment he finished speaking, the Earth Snake’s expression shifted.

I kept my head down, unable to answer.

“Wait a minute…” The White Snake’s jaw slowly dropped. “You just said you ‘cut ties with your best friend’?! No way! Brat, what the hell are you two doing?!”

“I…” My voice was hoarse. “I don’t know… I just know we’re walking different paths now. We made our own choices… No… Jiang Ruoxue does whatever she wants… so…”

I shook my head, deciding not to sugarcoat it.

I was in the wrong—I had to admit it.

So, I spoke the truth from my heart: “I failed her. She helped me selflessly so many times, yet the first time she asked something of me, I refused…”

“Damn it…” the White Snake muttered under his breath. “You two don’t seem like fools. Couldn’t you just get along?”

I smiled bitterly and shook my head, hating my own uselessness.

“And she just does whatever she wants… Hah…” The White Snake nodded slowly. “I should really learn from that kind of attitude…”

“Learn from it…?”

“No, sister… I mean you should talk to her properly!”

I stared into the White Snake’s eyes, feeling something odd.

He was tall, and his voice was unmistakably male, yet he gave off the warmth of a gentle older sister.

“There’s nothing left to say…” I lowered my head again and let out a weak laugh. “I’ve been isolated since childhood. It’s what I deserve. You might not believe it, but even the organization I founded is built on ‘isolation’… I’m used to being abandoned. You probably wouldn’t understand.”

“No… I get it…” After hearing my words, the White Snake also smiled bitterly. “Since I was little, everyone treated me like a monster. Boys and girls alike avoided me. But they never understood—some things aren’t my choice. They’re just fate.”

“What…?”

“I know that feeling all too well, sister.” The White Snake sighed, his expression softening. “Most people in this world take one look at me and feel disgust. They mock me, give me humiliating nicknames, and sometimes even hit me. Anyone who gets close to me gets dragged into the same abuse. Even my own parents never truly accepted me. All because I didn’t want to be a boy—is that so wrong? Maybe my very existence… is just sorrow to them.”

I never imagined someone like the White Snake would share a past so similar to mine.

In that moment, he didn’t feel like a monster—just a person, flesh and blood.

“Brat, my school days were probably worse than yours,” the White Snake added. “Even if those classmates were just joking, their words stuck with me to this day. Whether it was ‘sissy’ or ‘freak,’ a few words were enough to make me cry myself to sleep at night. When I think about it, being ‘isolated’ was actually the best-case scenario. I don’t need kindness from the world—just the absence of malice is enough for me.”

The White Snake lowered his head, rubbing his palms together. Such a simple action, yet it radiated overwhelming sorrow.

We were like two lonely flowers in this world, watered by sadness, growing into thorny beings.

But honestly… the White Snake really wasn’t suited to running a “Support Group.”

He was too emotional, too easily drawn into the sorrow of others’ stories.

And hearing his words… only made me sadder!

God, could this broken organization of his really help people overcome grief?

Wasn’t it just manufacturing more pain?

“But, brat…” The White Snake suddenly changed his tone, lifting his head to look at me, his expression now serene. “Even freaks like you and me… can find people who love us.”

“What…?”

“There are people in this world willing to pull us out of our isolation, to help us become better. They’ll compensate for everything we lacked in life, all on their own.” The White Snake smiled. “We’ve been passive our whole lives. It’s time to fight for something ourselves.”

Hearing this, the sorrow in my heart began to fade.

“Whether it’s a lover or a friend, it’s the same for us.” The White Snake grinned at me. “People willing to reach out to monsters like us… what else could they be but angels? If you don’t fight to keep an angel, who will?”

“You’re right…”

I pondered for a moment before nodding slowly. I realized that in all these years, I’d never once taken the initiative to seek out Jiang Ruoxue.

I was too passive.

Why hadn’t I gone to her?

That day, Jiang Ruoxue had used so many “causalities”—she must have been mentally exhausted, barely coherent.

Why did I have to provoke her then?

Why couldn’t I have just talked to her properly? Why did I have to cling to my own stubborn ideals?

“Thank you… White Snake. I understand now!”

“Damn it… that’s great…” the White Snake muttered under his breath. “After all this time, I’ve finally successfully comforted someone…”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, nothing, nothing!” He shook his head. “Brat, if you’re feeling better, get out of here. On your way out, check if those ‘participants’ are still around. I’m in a bad mood—might kill a few to vent.”

Ah… right. I almost forgot he was still a “Zodiac.”

When I didn’t move, he blinked in confusion. “What’s wrong, brat? Need another session?”

“Aren’t you giving me a book as a gift?” I said. “You told me to return it tomorrow.”

“You brat really don’t like taking losses, do you?”

With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a dusty, barely-read book from behind him.

“Here, take this for fun.” He scowled. “Remember to return it tomorrow.”

I took it and glanced at the cover—”Advanced Botanical Illustrations.”

Well, something was better than nothing.

I stood up and, as I reached the door, turned back to him with a smile. “Wouldn’t the world be boring if there were only men and women?”

“Huh?”

“I think Lady Nuwa had a vision when she created us.” I grinned. “Only a colorful humanity can build a colorful world, right?”

“You… You damn brat…” The White Snake looked like he wanted to snap, but within seconds, tears welled in his eyes. “You really are the worst…”

“See you!”

Holding “Advanced Botanical Illustrations,” I walked out of the Earth Snake’s arena with a bright smile.

Maybe, after all this time, I was the first person to leave this place laughing.