Chapter 68: The Freezing Period

Chapter 68: The Cooling-Off Period

After listening, Luo Lan rested her chin in her hand and thought for a moment. "Are you sure Mengling didn't manage to find Zheng Zhe later?"

"Definitely. All the way back, she was complaining that the map you gave her was inaccurate, which was why she couldn't find Zheng Zhe's house."

"A blessing in disguise. That's actually great." Luo Lan nodded with satisfaction. "Xiaoling, it looks like both of us will be able to go home soon."

"Go home? You mean... back to the real-world?" Fang Xiaoling smelled her own arm and applied another layer of body wash. "Why is that? Li Mengling yelled at him, so Zheng Zhe must be furious by now, right?"

"Pfft, and that's why, no matter how powerful a spirit in the Starlight Realm is, you still have to follow Sister Luo's lead. There's still a lot you need to learn." With that, Luo Lan tore a towel from the rack, wiped the steam off the mirror, and slightly raised her chin. "Mengli, explain it to your Sister Fang."

Li Meng璃 inside the mirror sighed softly and said, "Sister Luo calls this 'finding a way to live by facing death'. If you're certain that a boy has already fallen for you, you can subject him to a cooling-off period. It makes them love you more and more without even realizing it..."

"Why do you sound so unconfident? Do you still not trust me?" Luo Lan wiped the mirror again. "Mengli, you can rest easy. I have a premonition that I'll be able to return to the real world in the next couple of days, and by then, you'll be able to use your own body to date Tian Hu."

"But Sister Luo, I miss Tiger so much..." As soon as she finished speaking, Li Meng璃 looked as if she were about to burst into tears. "Please let me see him tomorrow! I promise I'll work hard to make him love me even more!"

"No way!" Luo Lan's tone was firm. "However much you miss him right now, he misses you twice as much. Hang in there—perseverance is victory."

"Do you really believe in those tricks of yours?" Fang Xiaoling curled her lip. "I just don't get how deliberately hiding and refusing to see someone can actually make them fall for them more. It makes no sense at all."

"Does love need logic? You're still in love with that scumbag Shen Yi to this day—does that make any sense?"

"Sister Luo, let's talk things through, but please avoid personal attacks!"

"Fine, fine, I won't bring up your personal affairs." Luo Lan gave a half-smile. "Let me ask you this: if the man you like confesses his feelings to you, what would you do?"

"Well... instantly accept, of course?"

Hearing this, the corners of Luo Lan's mouth lifted slightly. "Good. Question number two. If you go to buy an item of clothing, and the boss immediately agrees after you try to haggle, what's your first reaction?"

"That the clothes aren't worth that much, and I should have haggled for an even lower price?" Fang Xiaoling seemed to realize what Luo Lan was getting at, and quickly added, "But men and clothes are two completely different things! If someone confesses to you and you still don't accept, do you even like them or want to be together? Let me ask you, if you don't accept, are you supposed to just reject them instead?"

"Actually, this is a classic scenario with a precise, textbook response." Luo Lan said with absolute confidence, "At this moment, a woman should clearly express her concern—is the man just confessing on an impulse? For example, the standard textbook answer: 'Contact me at this time tomorrow. If you still want me to be your girlfriend then, I'll agree.'"

"What's the point of that? A day early or a day late, isn't the result the same?"

Luo Lan shook her head. "The point is huge. That one-day interval is the so-called cooling-off period. The purpose is to give the man the illusion that he has thought things through deeply. During this time, psychological consistency will drive the man to come up with all sorts of rational explanations for his prior confession. Look at it from another angle: people develop an obsession for something that is right within reach yet narrowly out of grasp...

Just like a string dangled in front of a cat—if you just throw it to it, it might play with it for a bit and lose interest. But if you dangle that string right in front of its eyes and keep it just out of reach, the more it will want it."

"Too cunning!" Fang Xiaoling turned off the faucet and wrapped herself in a bath towel. "I refuse to use these tricks to deceive people."

"That's easy to say, but you and Mengling have already started using these tricks without even realizing it." Luo Lan grabbed another towel from the rack, tossed it to Fang Xiaoling, and continued, "Zheng Zhe waiting for Mengling after school means he's already fallen for her. Mengling went from being a proactive, enthusiastic girl who ambushed him with a forceful kiss, to an irritable girl cursing and driving him away. This reverse operation will create a massive psychological gap for him. A gap like... thinking you've aced an exam you studied hard for, only to end up ranked dead last. Do you think a proud boy like Zheng Zhe would just let it go? He's probably going to spend the entire night figuring out how to win Mengling back at school tomorrow."

Fang Xiaoling dried her hair and walked up to Luo Lan. "I don't believe it. I still think he'll just be angry."

"Regardless of how those boys act." Luo Lan hooked her arm around Fang Xiaoling's shoulder, pulling her to look into the mirror together. "Tomorrow, let's go out and have some fun, and get a good rest. How does that sound?"

"Tomorrow? But Mengling and I have classes tomorrow." Fang Xiaoling was the first to object, though she offered an alternative proposal, "How about Saturday? The day after tomorrow?"

The two sisters in the mirror exchanged glances. Li Meng璃 asked, "Sister Luo, why the sudden urge to go out and play? Isn't the mission objective the most important thing to you?"

"Precisely because the mission is almost over." Luo Lan's tone gradually grew calmer. "Meng璃, Mengling... Xiaoling and I are going to leave this place soon. Trust my transmigration and dating experience; Tian Hu's conquest is nearly complete, and Zheng Zhe is just a high schooler—after experiencing the cooling-off routine, who knows when the love in his heart will suddenly erupt? If we don't seize tomorrow, the day after tomorrow we might not all be able to gather together anymore. It might be me leaving first, or it might be Xiaoling."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent. After a moment, Fang Xiaoling murmured, "I agree to go out and play tomorrow."

Seeing that they were feeling somewhat melancholy, Luo Lan forced a cheerful smile. "Don't be so gloomy! I always celebrate whenever I have a premonition that I'm returning to the real world, so don't ruin the mood. Sister has plenty of money, and I'll make sure you both have a great time tomorrow!"

While the group was chatting away in the bathroom, the mother was in the corner of her own room, speaking in a low voice into her mobile phone. "Mom, I checked again just now, and it's just like you said—she isn't afraid of powder at all! She isn't Meng璃! I realized something was wrong a long time ago, and Mengling keeps acting like herself one moment and someone else the next... It's basically the same situation as Xiaoyu back then...

Mom, I'm begging you, please come quickly. I remember Mengling saying right after Li Hai's accident that he was murdered by Luo Lan. Now that Luo Lan is inhabiting Meng璃's body, I can't guarantee what she might suddenly do. For all I know... Xiaoyu might have been murdered by her too!"

On the other end of the line, the elderly woman's voice was remarkably calm. "I couldn't save Xiaoyu back then because my foolish son refused to believe me and insisted on sending her to a psychiatric hospital. Now Hai'er is gone too, leaving only an old wretch like me... From the moment you married into our Li family, I've treated you like my own daughter. Don't worry—even if I have to risk my old life, I will make sure that Luo Lan gets the retribution she deserves!"