Doll Survival Game - Chapter 61 - The Trap

Xia Lang woke up with a start, gasping for air. His eyes stared blankly at the blanket, but his mind was still trapped in the remnants of his dream.

Blue police uniforms. Indifferent faces. Some people offered him comfort, while others cursed the dead man, saying it was divine retribution, that justice had finally been served.

And amidst the crowd, Luo Yiran smiled at him.

Thank goodness it was just a dream… Xia Lang’s racing heart gradually calmed down. If the dream had gone on any longer, who knows what other disgusting things he might have seen.

Trash. Wearing the purest school uniform while doing the vilest things.

He glanced at his phone, then at the curtains. It was just past four in the morning. Luo Yiran was probably still asleep.

Moving quietly, Xia Lang got out of bed and tiptoed to the kitchen. He boiled some water and poured it into a cup. The water was too hot to drink immediately, so he just stared at the cup, lost in thought.

He still remembered that fateful night when everything changed. Grandpa Luo had fallen ill. He refused to go to the hospital or take any medicine, throwing a tantrum until he finally agreed to take some pills.

The house had plenty of medicine left, except for cold medicine, which had run out. So Luo Yiran took him out to buy some. But as soon as they stepped out, Luo Yiran split off, saying, “I’ll swing by your house. You buy the medicine and wait for me at the intersection.”

At the time, Xia Lang didn’t know what Luo Yiran was up to. Nervously, he went to buy the medicine and obediently waited at the intersection. But now, looking back, he realized Luo Yiran had probably gone to check on his house.

In their village, houses were usually far apart.

Xia Lang took a sip of the hot water. The warmth seeped from the cup into his palm. His father had been universally despised, so no one had come looking for them. In the end, it was up to them to “discover” the man’s body.

Xia Lang paused at the thought. A pair of red eyes flashed in his mind-when exactly had that crow disappeared?

“Xia Lang.”

The voice of a young man came from behind him. Xia Lang turned around-

Luo Yiran stood at the doorway of his room, impeccably dressed in his pajamas. His hair was slightly tousled, but his expression was calm, showing none of the grogginess of someone who had just woken up. “Dreaming about middle school again?” he asked.

Xia Lang froze, then waved his hand. “No, not that…”

Luo Yiran raised an eyebrow slightly. “Then it must be elementary school… What a coincidence, I was just thinking about those days too.”

Xia Lang scratched his head with an awkward smile. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Ranran, back then, did we become friends just because Grandpa Luo said so?”

That night, when Grandpa Luo was sick, he had made a lot of demands. Ranran, clearly annoyed, had responded with a string of “Mm-hm, mm-hm.” One of those demands was for Luo Yiran to acknowledge Xia Lang as his friend. At the time, Xia Lang hadn’t understood. Even now, thinking back, he still couldn’t figure out why Grandpa Luo had insisted on it…

Stop! Xia Lang suddenly slapped his own face hard. Thinking about their childhood, even while deliberately avoiding the memories he didn’t want to revisit, everything still felt shrouded in an eerie strangeness.

Especially Luo Yiran.

That small figure, but one who had never seemed like a child.

Xia Lang looked up at Luo Yiran, who had just poured himself a cup of hot water. Steam rose from the cup as Luo Yiran lifted it and took a sip, his expression calm, as if the heat didn’t bother him at all.

It was like he was truly fearless-

A Demon…

The word echoed in Xia Lang’s mind, the nickname he had secretly given Luo Yiran as a child. Embarrassed, he covered his face with his hands.

“Yes,” Luo Yiran answered matter-of-factly.

Xia Lang was stunned. Then, recalling what he had just asked, his lips twitched. “R-R-Ran?”

“But now, you’re my only friend,” Luo Yiran said lightly. He knew exactly how to phrase things to make people happy; reading others’ emotions was second nature to him.

Sure enough, Xia Lang beamed with joy, his face lighting up with a smile.

Luo Yiran gazed out the window, his thoughts drifting back to when Xia Lang had first moved in with him. During that time, Xia Lang was plagued by nightmares almost every night. Concerned, Luo Yiran’s grandfather had repeatedly urged him to comfort his friend. After two days of incessant nagging, Luo Yiran finally gave in and decided to do something about it.

Fortunately, Xia Lang had trusted him even back then. Being just a child, he was naturally more inclined to believe what he was told. So Luo Yiran had said to him:

“If it’s too much to bear, just think of it as something done by another version of yourself-a version of you from a parallel universe.”

Luo Yiran hadn’t put much thought into his words; it was just a casual attempt to console him. But young Xia Lang had taken it to heart, and perhaps for a long time. The idea had taken root so deeply that from then on, Xia Lang was no longer afraid.

“By the way, Ranran, about the good deed you said we’re doing today… what exactly is it?” Xia Lang asked after gulping down the rest of his water and wiping the corners of his mouth.

Luo Yiran continued to look out the window. The first light of dawn was creeping in, gradually illuminating the world outside. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “You’ll find out when we get there.”

Xia Lang blinked in confusion. Find out when we get there? What does that even mean?

By 9:30 in the morning, Xia Lang found himself trembling at the entrance of the police station. His pupils quivered with panic.

A young officer passing by noticed him and approached with a look of concern. “Hey there, kid. Are you alright? Did you miss your exam?” The nearest testing center was over half an hour away, so it wasn’t an unreasonable guess.

Xia Lang froze for a moment. He had always felt a mix of awe and fear toward police officers, and his body instinctively shuddered. After a brief pause, he suddenly remembered-oh right, today was the second day of the college entrance exams…

No, wait! That’s not the point!

Grabbing the officer’s hand with one of his own and clutching his phone in the other, Xia Lang stammered out the words Luo Yiran had instructed him to say, his expression frantic. “My friend! Please, save my friend!!”

The officer’s face turned serious.

…

Earlier that morning, around 8:00.

This was one of the many unremarkable general stores in Youshun Town.

The town was mostly populated by elderly residents and children attending elementary or middle school, so general stores were plentiful. This particular store was neither too close nor too far from the schools and other busy areas, which meant it didn’t see much foot traffic. Its location was also rather inconspicuous; unless someone was specifically looking for it, they were unlikely to notice it.

The store was run by a husband-and-wife duo. The man had dark, weathered skin, rumored to be from a small village nearby. The woman, in contrast, had a fairer complexion but had a peculiar habit of always wearing hats. Unless someone interacted with her up close and over a long period, it was rare for anyone to get a clear look at her face.

But Luo Yiran had seen it.

When he was still in school, his home was far from the campus, and every day, he would pass by this stretch of road. One day, as he walked past, he decided to stop by the general store to buy Xia Lang an ice pop.

Since Xia Lang’s clothes were often messy, Luo Yiran went in alone to make the purchase. However, he rarely ate frozen treats himself and wasn’t familiar with the options, so he spent quite a while standing in front of the freezer, trying to decide.

Eventually, a woman wearing a straw hat approached him and recommended a particular brand.

What made her memorable to him was her demeanor. Her movements seemed slightly unnatural, as if she were constantly on alert, observing her surroundings. Strangely, her speech carried no regional accent-a rarity in Youshun Town, where most people spoke with a distinct local inflection.

Luo Yiran glanced at her a few more times out of curiosity and noticed faint, unnatural marks on her face, likely from recent cosmetic surgery.

He found it odd. This woman was the only person in the town who seemed out of place to him, and cosmetic procedures weren’t cheap. Could running a general store really be that lucrative?

Still, he didn’t dwell on it. The woman had nothing to do with him, and most of the time, he bought whatever he needed from the stores closer to school. So, after taking the ice pop, he left without another thought.

Yet, because she stood out as the only person in Youshun Town who seemed a little “off,” he would occasionally glance at the store when passing by. Over time, he noticed that the woman had a habit of frequently adjusting her hair, as if she cherished it deeply.

But after Luo Yiran moved to the city for high school, he rarely passed by the general store again.

…

“What can I get you?” The woman behind the counter at the general store sat casually, her posture more at ease than before. Her complexion was no longer as fair, and faint wrinkles had begun to appear on her face. At that moment, she was brushing her hair back from her forehead while looking at her phone. Hearing the sound of someone entering, she spoke first before glancing up.

When her eyes landed on the pale, gentle-looking young man standing by the freezer near the door, she froze for a moment. The drowsiness from her poor night’s sleep seemed to dissipate instantly.

She had always remembered strikingly good-looking people, and this young man was no exception. She recognized him immediately-he was the most beautiful and pristine child she had ever seen in this town.

After he had come to the store that one time to buy something, she had occasionally paid attention to the students passing by.

If she recalled correctly, this boy had just started middle school back then. He would walk past the store every day with a classmate or friend.

She even remembered a period when the boy and his friend seemed to have had a falling out, as he would pass by alone each day.

But she had never learned his name. She rarely spoke to anyone, and there were only a handful of people in the town whose names she actually knew.

The woman had a fondness for vibrant, youthful life. The younger and more beautiful they were, the more she liked them.

Years ago, when she was young and newly married for the first time, her husband had been nearly ten years her senior. Though he was still in his prime, he was inadequate in every way and constantly criticized her. One night, while he was asleep, she went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and stabbed him repeatedly until he was dead.

It was her first time killing someone, and in her impulsive rage, she forgot to close the window. Someone had seen everything and recorded it.

Fortunately, she fled early. After years of running and drifting, she eventually settled in this town. Youshun Town was so peaceful it felt almost unsettling, but that very peace ensured no one would ever discover her.

Now, however, as she looked at the young man standing by the door, her heartbeat became inexplicably erratic.

It was a subtle, uneasy feeling-not exactly friendly.

The young man lifted his head. His features were as soft and graceful as ever, as if painted with flowing brushstrokes. There was a gentle warmth to his appearance, but his gaze was distant, creating a stark contrast with his delicate features.

The woman met his eyes-and froze. That look… why did it seem so familiar?

The young man didn’t respond to her question. Instead, he frowned in confusion, pulling out his phone to scroll through something. The crease in his brow deepened with each passing second.

The woman’s expression shifted instantly. Last night, someone had asked her about a wanted notice, and her mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario. She lowered her head slightly-could it really be happening? After all these years of peace… But surely there was no need to panic. Her face had been altered, and the results had healed well. The traces of cosmetic surgery were barely noticeable now. Even if someone suspected her, it wasn’t likely they’d call the police right away. She just had to wait until nightfall, when she could find an opportunity…

“Excuse me,” the young man’s voice was clear, but tinged with suspicion. “Boss, what’s your last name?”

Her gaze darkened, though her face remained composed. “My last name is Wang,” she replied evenly.

The young man didn’t seem entirely convinced. He didn’t buy anything and instead turned abruptly to leave, his steps hurried. As he walked out, he dialed a number on his phone.

The woman shot to her feet. She could faintly hear the young man speaking to someone-it sounded like a friend. “Hey, I just saw…” His words trailed off, becoming inaudible, but her mind was already racing, filling in the blanks.

She stared intently at his retreating figure. She remembered that during his three years in middle school, no adults had ever come to pick him up. The direction he was heading now had few people and led to a small village…

Watching the young man pedal away on his bike, she reached under the counter and pulled out something, slipping it into her bag. Then, she wheeled out her own bicycle and began to follow him-just to see where this kid lived.

Up ahead, the wind tousled Luo Yiran’s hair. He acted as though he hadn’t noticed someone trailing him, a peculiar smile playing at the corners of his lips as he focused on the road ahead.

His demeanor was calm and unhurried, but his feet pressed harder on the pedals. He didn’t glance back even once. Riding past his house, he continued toward the mountain.

The woman hesitated for a moment.

The area was sparsely populated now. To avoid drawing Yiran’s attention, she kept her distance, watching as he climbed the mountain. She paused briefly in surprise-did he live in the village?

One hand gripping the bike’s handlebars and the other resting on her bag, the woman broke into a smile. Well, well… wasn’t this convenient?

It seemed misfortune and fortune truly went hand in hand. Last night, she’d been mocked relentlessly in a game, but now, despite the risk of being recognized, this young man apparently lived in a remote village…

How perfect for making a move. Lei Jing thought to herself.