Chapter 176: What on earth is she trying to do?

It has to be said, Lin Yifan's sense of autonomy is truly strong.

Even in this situation, he still retained his own rationality.

Actually, at this very moment, if he were to lose even a bit of his rationality, he would fall into degeneration within this illusion, degenerating until the moment death arrives.

Lin Yifan fiercely pinched the web of his thumb with his fingernail, using the intense pain from self-harm to force himself to calm down.

Precisely for this reason, he failed to notice that Ruan Qingtan's expression was somewhat strange at this moment.

Especially her pupils, which were faintly flashing with red light.

Seeing Lin Yifan silent, she even took the initiative to ask:

"Yifan, what's wrong with you? You don't look well; are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Lin Yifan, too, finally gathered his thoughts at this moment, and upon hearing her words he asked in a low voice:

"Ruan Qingtan, do you still remember… the Red Moon?"

After asking, Lin Yifan's eyes locked onto Ruan Qingtan, afraid to miss any of her expressions.

Ruan Qingtan, meanwhile, stared blankly for a moment, then tilted her head in confusion and looked at him doubtfully:

"Red Moon? What is that? Are you referring to last night's moon? But the weather was bad last night, so it seems there was no moon."

Her gaze was clear, with no trace of pretense or concealment.

Lin Yifan stared at her intently, trying to find a crack in her expression, but there was nothing.

She seemed to truly not remember.

Or rather, in this cycle, she has not yet "awakened".

But there is another possibility: this person… her acting is too good, to the point that no flaw can be seen.

But regardless of the reason, for Lin Yifan now, it cannot be considered a good thing.

He was certain that everything before him was an illusion, fundamentally not any kind of cycle.

But how exactly to break this illusion, he had no clue.

Originally he wanted to find a breakthrough from Ruan Qingtan, but now it seems she is merely a completely self‑awareness‑less NPC in this illusion.

"What on earth is wrong with you today? You keep saying weird things that I can't understand at all." Ruan Qingtan suddenly reached out and touched his forehead, asking with a worried face:

"Are you feverish? Did you burn your brain? Let me check quickly; if you really have a fever, we need to go to the hospital right away."

Lin Yifan instinctively stepped back, instinctively dodging her touch.

Although those chaotic memories told him that he and Ruan Qingtan were lovers, entangled through 127 cycles, ultimately ending in love‑and‑hate yet still loving each other.

But his instinct told him, it's fake!

All of this is completely fake!

He and Ruan Qingtan are not lovers; they are merely teammates!

Between them, there is fundamentally no relationship that allows physical contact.

His retreat left Ruan Qingtan's hand hanging in midair, her expression somewhat hurt and somewhat annoyed as she said:

"What on earth is going on with you today? I'm your girlfriend—can't I even touch you now?"

"If you want to break up with me, just say it straight; there's no need to stir up this messy nonsense here."

"Although I like you a lot, I'm not someone without self‑respect; I will definitely not cling to you, so you can rest assured."

Ruan Qingtan's sudden annoyance made Lin Yifan panic a bit, and he instinctively defended himself:

"You're overthinking; I don't want to break up with you…"

He stopped speaking mid‑sentence.

Wrong! He and Ruan Qingtan aren't a boyfriend‑girlfriend pair, so why was he explaining that?

Upon careful reflection, his consciousness felt as if it weren't his own, and he involuntarily uttered those words.

But according to his own thoughts, he would absolutely never say such a thing.

Because he fundamentally has no standing to say that!

Obviously, this illusion continues to alter his memory, even his instinct, trying to force him to indulge in this false love.

Lin Yifan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He can't keep delaying; the longer he drags on, the greater the illusion's influence on him.

At any moment he might completely lose himself, sink into this illusion, and never wake up again.

However, wanting to break the illusion, he still has no idea where to start.

Thus, Lin Yifan began organizing all the information he currently knew, trying to find a breakthrough point.

If this illusion is the so‑called cycle restart, then he must clarify two things——

First, what are the "rules" of this cycle?

Second, who is the core of this illusion? Is it Ruan Qingtan?

He lifted his gaze to Ruan Qingtan, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

If Ruan Qingtan is the core of this illusion, would killing her break this phantom formation?

But what if he guessed wrong?

Would he really just kill an innocent person like that?

Looking at Ruan Qingtan's coquettish little‑girl demeanor, Lin Yifan found himself unable to soften his heart.

He even forced out a smile and gave a far‑fetched explanation:

"Sorry! I've been speaking a bit foolishly today; maybe I didn't sleep well last night, feeling a bit dazed—please don't overthink it."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingtan's annoyance vanished instantly from her face.

She affectionately linked arms with Lin Yifan and sweetly said:

"That's good, don't worry! Although I was indeed a little angry just now, as your girlfriend I will absolutely not hold it against you."

Of course you shouldn't be daydreaming either; it's not early anymore, we should hurry up! If we're late, there'll be no seats left at Tushuguan.

She naturally linked her arm with his and pulled him forward.

Lin Yifan's body stiffened slightly, but in the end he didn't break free.

Perhaps killing Ruan Qingtian would break this cyclic illusion realm.

But Lin Yifan hasn't forgotten, this is the rule!

Isn't everything happening before him precisely the punishment he suffers for refusing to follow the rules?

Then he certainly can't give up halfway!

So this time, he will still not act according to the "rules".

He still won't kill Ruan Qingtian.

He also still won't become a follower of the Red Moon.

He must find a third way.

Even if… this path will make him pay an unimaginable price.

What he needs to do now is to maintain his self, not let this illusion realm affect him, and then observe Ruan Qingtian to see what she intends to do.

It's only just past ten in the morning; normally, not many people would go to Tushuguan at this time.

But Ruan Qingtian is so insistent on going to Tushuguan; if you said there wasn't even a bit of cat grease in there, Lin Yifan would absolutely not believe it.

He now wants to take a look and see what exactly is inside that Tushuguan!