Chapter 35: Liva's Illness

Chapter 35: Liva's Illness

The entire game employs a flashback technique.

This is something nearly all players understand.

Carrying their hearts full of confusion, time continues to move forward.

The night before Liva and Johnny got married.

Dressed in formal attire, the two leaned against the lighthouse, chatting under the moonlight.

And on this very night, the lighthouse was given a name—Anya.

Bathed in moonlight, Johnny and Liva climbed to the top of the lighthouse.

Under the glow of the lantern, their silhouettes were cast onto the walls.

Under the silver light, Johnny patiently taught Liva how to dance.

From night until dawn.

A soft, soothing piano melody flowed like a stream, accompanying their dance.

The Atmosphere of the entire game was filled with romance.

The graphics might not be exceptional,

but with the music and Atmosphere working in harmony, this scene felt incredibly romantic and poetic.

"Holy crap, they danced all night long!"

Dong Zhen exclaimed with emotion.

Undeniably, the doubts that had been lingering in his mind were momentarily cast aside.

Because at this very moment, even this Real Man felt something called romance.

Time moved to the next day. In front of the now-named lighthouse—Anya—Liva and Johnny officially became husband and wife.

On the way to the wedding celebration, Liva noticed a small white rabbit that had been run over and killed. Her expression showed sadness, and something peculiar.

But Johnny didn't notice anything unusual.

"So… is this why Liva kept folding origami bunnies later? But what's the connection?" Dong Zhen was puzzled.

Yet he had no clue.

He continued advancing the story.

At the wedding, everyone was joyful, but Dong Zhen caught another detail.

At the ceremony, Johnny's mother used a different name to address Johnny.

Even Johnny's friend Nicolas seemed confused.

Johnny, however, reacted naturally, explaining it was his grandfather's name, and his mother had given him "Joey" as a nickname in honor of him.

"Joey? That name… I definitely smell something fishy here!" Dong Zhen narrowed his eyes.

Time moved forward, bit by bit.

Now arriving at the period before Liva and Johnny's marriage—when they were dating.

At this time, they were visiting a horse ranch.

Riding majestic horses across the field, Liva and Johnny laughed and played.

This was on the doctor's advice—equine therapy might help alleviate Liva's condition.

Like most deeply in-love couples, they shared many intimate moments.

And here, players finally understood what illness Liva suffered from, confirming earlier suspicions.

"Asperger's Syndrome—that's Liva's illness?" Dong Zhen finally learned the name of the illness from the note clues.

But he had never heard of this condition before.

Glancing at the bullet comments, it was clear the live stream room was completely bewildering.

"Patients with this condition exhibit symptoms such as difficulty in social interaction, difficulty in verbal communication, rigid behavioral patterns, and a stubborn insistence on certain special, meaningless routines and rituals."

"Indeed, it matches perfectly."

It suddenly made sense—if she had this condition, then all of Liva's previous strange behaviors could now be fully explained.

Yet while her actions were now understandable, the deeper meanings behind them remained unanswered.

At this moment, Dong Zhen was still filled with curiosity.

Curiosity about Liva and Johnny.

What did the paper bunny represent? What was the true story between Liva and Johnny? Why did Johnny so desperately want to go to the moon?

By this point, nearly two hours had passed.

But why did Johnny want to go to the moon? Why was Liva willing to sacrifice her life just to build that house with a view of Anya? Why did she spend her entire married life folding paper bunnies and asking Johnny questions?

These questions remained completely unexplained.

As the story progressed, it now arrived at Johnny's teenage student years.

During this time, he met Liva.

And Dong Zhen noticed something—specifically, the platypus.

High school Liva always carried that platypus plushie with her.

It seemed the toy held some important significance for her.

And indeed, it became the medium through which Johnny first approached her.

With help from his friend Nicolas, Johnny was pushed toward Liva, who was squatting on the steps reading a book.

'Hello!'

'Uh... hello...'

'Can you hear me?'

Standing before Liva, Johnny appeared awkward.

Then finally, Liva spoke: 'Yes.'

'Then why don't you... never mind... uh, that platypus is really cool.' Johnny scrambled for a conversation topic.

Liva simply put down her book, glanced at the platypus beside her, then returned her gaze to the pages.

'Um... what are you reading?' Johnny tried again.

'A book... a book.'

'About platypuses?'

'No.'

'Oh... well, I think that's cool too.'

Johnny looked extremely awkward. Clearly, he found Liva too cold.

Judging from her behavior, teenage Liva wasn't particularly likable.

One could even say she seemed distant and unapproachable. Even through the screen, viewers could feel just how awkward Johnny must have felt.

How cold the atmosphere must have been.

But through the game's flashback technique, everyone understood—this wasn't the real Liva.

She acted this way only because she had Asperger's Syndrome.

'Lighthouses!' Liva suddenly spoke, interrupting Johnny mid-sentence.

'This country preserves a total of sixteen Tier 2 Fresnel lens lighthouses. Nine are located along the coast, one of which was converted from an ancient kerosene lighthouse.'

'Oh, that's what you're reading? Well, actually... I was wondering, would you like to watch a movie with me?'

'Don't know.'

'It's okay, I can wait for you to think about it.'

'Can't think about it.'

'Why?'

'No date, no time.'

'Um... how about this Saturday at eight? Does that work?'

'Yes.'

This moment made Dong Zhen, who had played this far, feel even more pained—almost heartbroken.

As a normal person, he couldn't possibly fully comprehend what she was going through.

Honestly, he couldn't truly feel how much suffering the in-game Liva must endure.

How agonizing it must be to have thoughts in your heart, yet be unable to express them accurately through words or actions.

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