Seeing Ji Ning’s tears fall made Zhou Rin’s entire chest ache with pain.
He had never seen Ji Ning cry like this before and it froze the air in his lungs. It took a moment for him to regain his senses, reaching out to wipe the tears away from Ji Ning’s face, “Don’t cry.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
It was only when Zhou Rin’s fingers touched his face that Ji Ning seemed to realise he was crying. He turned his head away quickly and raised his hands to wipe his face. He said in a low voice, “I’m sorry to show you this pathetic side of myself, I didn’t mean to blame you.”
He looked up at Zhou Rin again with a slight caution in his eyes, “…Can we still be friends in the future?”
Yes, they wouldn’t only be friends, but also family…
Looking at his damp face, Zhou Rin’s throat tightened. His heart was already grieving. He knew the words he should say, but his voice felt choked and he couldn’t manage to speak a word.
“Are you going abroad by yourself? Will you be lonely?” Ji Ning smiled, not meeting his eyes. His eyelashes were still stained with water and his voice was very soft, “Then I wish you all the best over there. Be sure to tell me when you leave, and I’ll come to see you off.”
By this point, they’d walked a full circle around the campus and returned to the entranceway of Ji Ning’s dormitory. Ji Ning looked into the light of the corridor, continuing to speak without meeting Zhou Rin’s eyes.
“Then I’ll leave first. You should go back too, don’t forget to tell me when you get home.”
“Also…if I caused you any trouble, I’m sorry. Please pretend I didn’t say anything that day.”
“See you next time.”
He turned and walked into the dormitory building, his slender figure casting a long shadow on the ground.
Zhou Rin watched him go. Every time he’d sent Ji Ning back, he’d watched him leave like this, hoping their next meeting would come sooner. This time, when Ji Ning went, he probably wouldn’t see him again for a long time.
Ji Ning stood at the door of the student building and swiped his student card across the electronic reader. With a beep, the door unlocked. He put a hand on the handle and slowly pulled it open.
Unexpectedly, he turned his head slightly, to glance at Zhou Rin behind him.
In that moment, looking into his eyes, hundreds of images filled Zhou Rin’s head.
The fragrance of epiphyllum.
Blood.
The smell of damp earth in the graveyard.
Icy rain.
Tears, sorrow, and the painful despair that enveloped his heart.
In the cloudy and rain filled sky, he’d half knelt, holding a black umbrella that hid his movements from the people behind him. He’d once lowered his head to place a final kiss on the coffin lid.
Only death could sever his love.
Thud.
With no one around, the sound of the student card hitting the ground was exceptionally clear.
Under Ji Ning’s stupefied gaze, Zhou Rin pressed him against the wall and kissed him feverishly. Just like his embrace, the sombre scent of pine wood wrapped tightly around Ji Ning, overwhelming him.
Ji Ning’s body trembled, unsure how to respond. His sudden joy was entangled with nervousness. After a few seconds, he slowly closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around Zhou Rin’s back and delicately responded to his kiss.
Zhou Rin closed his eyes as well, sweetness and pain constantly intertwined in his chest. His soul was half in heaven, half in hell, eternally falling.
How could he make Ji Ning sad?
Did he do this all over, just to miss the person he loves once again?
Sorry.
I’m sorry brother.
He spoke silently in his heart as he tightened his hold on the person in his arms.
Even if he had to bear this sin forever, he would still be with Ji Ning.
Never.
He would never lose Ji Ning again.
His whole family was happy to hear that Zhou Rin and Ji Ning were together. Zhou Cun also smiled and congratulated Zhou Rin, “I’m happy for you Gege.”
“…I’m sorry.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“Tbe cfnfg tjnf ab jqbibulrf ab wf.”
Zhou Rin held Zhou Cun’s hand and said sincerely.
He would spend the rest of his life making up for his sin, and this time, he would never let his brother or Ji Ning die prematurely.
Zhou Rin clearly remembered the car accident his brother was in a few days before Ji Ning’s birthday. That was where the tragedy began.
For half a month, Zhou Rin personally drove Zhou Cun to and from school. Whenever Zhou Cun left the house, Zhou Rin felt anxious. Whenever he couldn’t accompany him, he told his secretary to stay with the teenager, never letting Zhou Cun walk alone on the street.
On the day of the accident, he told Zhou Cun not to go to school and said it would be good if he didn’t leave the house at all that day.
“What’s the matter with you Gege?” The teenager, who had been stopped at the door, asked with a laugh, “You’ve been on edge lately and you’re acting nervous around me. Do you think I’ll commit suicide because of a broken heart?”
Zhou Rin didn’t smile. He looked into his brother’s eyes and said, “I’m not worried you’d kill yourself, but there are other reasons why you shouldn’t go out today.” He paused, then said, “You have to trust your Gege.”
“…That’s fine.” After studying Zhou Rin’s expression for a while, the teenager nodded and put down his schoolbag, “I’ll stay at home today and read.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Rin had asked for leave from the company that day and didn’t go out either. He didn’t let the teenager leave his sight until his original time of death had passed. It was only when the boy fell asleep and the next morning safely arrived that Zhou Rin’s tense nerves finally started to relax.
“Can I go to school today?”
Zhou Cun woke up at his usual time and came downstairs, asking Zhou Rin who was eating breakfast.
“Yeah.” Zhou Rin replied, hooking his lips into a faint smile, “I’ll take you there.”
“Actually, there’s no need for you to bother, I can go by myself.” The teenager said, “I know you’re tired from work, so you should try and sleep more.”
“It doesn’t matter, it only takes a few minutes.” Zhou Rin put down his chopsticks and stood up, “I’m finished eating. When you’ve eaten, tell me and I’ll take you.”
“Thank you Gege.”
Zhou Rin drove towards the school. The roads were busy, so he had to park about a hundred metres from the gate. As usual, he walked Zhou Cun up to the school gate.
“Go quickly.” The teenager waved him off.
Zhou Rin stood there for a moment, slowly let out a sigh of relief, then turned to leave.
As he walked back to his car, he felt a slight weight in his suit pocket. He looked round to see a hand leaving his line of sight, deftly taking his phone out of his pocket.
He grabbed the retreating wrist and asked in a cold voice, “Are you stealing from me?
The person he’d caught was clearly a young man with little experience. Having been discovered, he panicked and pulled a knife from his pocket, turning it towards Zhou Rin, “Let go of me!”
Zhou Rin frowned, but before he could speak again, the thief became agitated and stabbed the knife into him in a frenzy. Caught off guard, Zhou Rin was stabbed several times in the chest.
Blood quickly soaked through his white shirt, burning pain spreading through his chest. A blanket of static seemed to buzz through his head.
“Gege!!”
Deaf to the screams around him, Zhou Rin fell to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhou Cun’s pale face. His eyes filled with tears as he screamed for Zhou Rin, pushing the people around him out of his way as he desperately rushed forward.
“Don’t come here…”
The blood loss was gradually blurring Zhou Rin’s consciousness, but he didn’t want the teenager to come over when he could still be in danger.
The moment before he fell unconscious, he felt a sudden strange peace of mind. Lying on the ground with a pale face, the corners of his lips hooked into a small smile.
Fortunately, this time it wasn’t his brother in danger.
Fortunately, he hadn’t marked Ji Ning. Even if he died, Ji Ning would be fine.
They were still alive and well.
It was finally coming to an end.
He had no regrets.
When Zhou Rin opened his eyes, he saw a snow white ceiling. He was stunned for a while, before realising that he seemed to be alive.
He propped himself up on his forearms and saw that he was lying inside a hospital ward. The room was very quiet. He had a drip inserted in his arm, and his chest was tightly wrapped with bandages. Repetitive beeping noises came from the ECG monitor beside the hospital bed as waves of lines ran across the screen.
There was no one in the ward, so Zhou Rin lay back on the pillow, his chest throbbing. He was about to call someone over, when he heard the door open and someone walked into the room.
“You’re awake!”
It was Ji Ning who’d come in. Seeing Zhou Rin awake, his eyes went teary and he ran over, ringing the call bell as he said, “Don’t get up. Let the doctor check your condition.”
He pulled a chair closer to the bed and happily sat next to him, clutching Zhou Rin’s hand. His eyes were reddened and his voice heavy with emotion. Zhou Rin didn’t know how long he’d been unconscious, but he could tell from how haggard Ji Ning looked that he hadn’t had a good rest in a while.
“You were in a critical condition and almost died, we didn’t know if you were going to make it until the doctor came out of the operating room.”
Ji Ning rubbed his eyes and continued, “Afterwards, you stayed in the ICU for observation for a week, before being transferred to the general ward a few days ago. You don’t know how worried your family’s been about you…”
Zhou Rin listened quietly, staring at Ji Ning’s face, his eyes burning hot, almost greedy. Ji Ning talked for a while more before he became aware of the gaze he was being watched with. He stopped speaking suddenly, a faint blush rising on his cheeks as he asked, “…What’s wrong?”
“Good boy, come closer and let me kiss you.”
Zhou Rin’s voice was slightly hoarse as he coaxed him in a low voice. The blush on Ji Ning’s face darkened, but he didn’t refuse. Avoiding the various medical equipment and Zhou Rin’s wounds, he slowly lowered his head, moving closer to Zhou Rin’s lips.
Tap tap.
There was an abrupt knock on the door before it opened and a group of doctors and nurses poured inside to examine Zhou Rin.
They paused in surprise at the situation inside the room. Zhou Rin had raised his hand to hold the back of Ji Ning’s head, preventing him from moving away as he gently kissed the boy.
He had longed for this kiss for a long time.
So what if he was seen by others? He didn’t care.
He wanted everyone to know that Ji Ning belonged to him, that he was his beloved Omega.
Zhou Rin’s injury healed quickly and soon the stitches were removed from the wound. There were no serious problems with his walking or daily activities, so the day he was due to be discharged from the hospital approached without incident.
On his birthday, he was given permission from the doctor for a half day out so he could have a meal with his family before returning in the evening.
The rest of his family left first in tacit understanding, leaving only Zhou Rin and Ji Ning. Zhou Rin took Ji Ning into his ward, pulled him onto his lap and kissed him roughly, holding him tightly by the waist.
The scent of pine wood and epiphyllum grew more intense inside the room. Luckily, this was one of the best hospitals in the city and he was staying inside a private ward, so no matter how strong the pheromones inside, the scent wouldn’t reach outside the ward.
When the kiss finally ended, Ji Ning’s eyes were misty with tears. He wrapped his arms around Zhou Rin’s neck, gasping slightly and said to him, “I want to give you a present.”
“Didn’t you give it to me just now?” Zhou Rin kissed the corner of his lips again and said with a smile, “What else could you have prepared for me?”
“There’s also…”
Ji Ning pursed his lips, then suddenly stood up in front of Zhou Rin and pulled off his shirt.
“There’s also…me.”
He dropped his shirt to the ground, his face flushed pink. Lowering his gaze, he slowly approached Zhou Rin. As soon as he’d started removing his clothes, Zhou Rin’s throat had gone dry and his brain blank.
“Please mark me, Zhou Rin.”
Ji Ning grabbed Zhou Rin’s hand and whispered, his voice trembling slightly.
“But you…”
Zhou Rin’s fingers tightened sharply, clenching around Ji Ning’s wrist. His breathing was unsteady and he could feel sweat drip down his forehead. His pheromones had swelled to their peak alongside a rush of adrenaline, but he was still hesitant to mark Ji Ning.
He knew what marking Ji Ning meant. If something happened to him in the future, Ji Ning would never accept anyone else’s mark, choosing to die with him.
“I know what you want to say.”
The Omega’s voice was very soft, like a whisper from a dream, but Zhou Rin couldn’t imagine a dream more beautiful than this.
“But that’s why I said…I want to give myself to you.” He looped his arms around the back of Zhou Rin’s neck, “From now on, my life is yours. So even if it’s only for me, you must live well.”
“Please make me yours, and please become mine.”
“…”
The young Alpha closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around the Omega’s waist, and responded with a kiss.
The scent of their two pheromones blended together, quietly changing until they were indistinguishable from one other.
Even death could no longer separate the two of them.
Ji Ning withdrew from the illusion, finding himself in Fu Qinghan’s cave once again.
Before, Fu Qinghan had sent him back to the villa to rest. After he’d slept for the night, he had returned to continue satisfying the wishes of the protagonists, starting with Zhou Rin.
Inside the illusion formation, although he could control the direction of the illusion to a certain extent, the phantom illusion is ultimately controlled by the heart of the person at its centre. Because Zhou Rin had never been able to let go of his brother’s death, the illusion had almost failed before Ji Ning finally managed to turn it around.
Seeing the pain and struggle Zhou Rin suffered made Ji Ning’s heart feel extremely uncomfortable. After he left the phantom illusion, he didn’t speak for a long time. Fu Qinghan didn’t make a sound, quietly accompanying him.
The line of fate gradually disappeared in front of him. Now, there were only a few intact threads remaining, but Ji Ning suddenly realised there weren’t as many as there should be. There were only three.
If he didn’t include Gu Chen, there should be four threads left. Ji Ning was stunned for a little while, then felt a slight sense of relief that lifted his gloomy mood as he counted the number of threads again.
Ark, Herinos, Lai, and Huo Wuling. He’d cut the lines of fate of four of the protagonists. If he didn’t include Yun Yuan and Fu Qinghan, there should be those four people left. Who was missing? Who hadn’t been discovered by Yun Yuan?
“Can you show me who is in the rest of the phantom arrays?”
After a moment of hesitation, Ji Ning looked at Fu Qinghan and asked.
“Okay.”
Fu Qinghan nodded lightly and stretched out his hand to conjure the remaining three illusion formations. The mirage of illusions slowly spread out, revealing the scenes inside.
One of them showed Ark. Inside the phantom array, he slowly blinked his silver eyes, his body drifting inside clear water. Ji Ning was surprised to see that Ark had no wings on his back. They had been replaced with a silver fish tail on his lower body. He had no idea what was happening inside that fantasy.
Another formation showed Herinos. The blood prince sat on the very top of a twisted tower, his slender legs swinging together. He toasted a glass of rich, crimson liquid, leisurely glancing up at the bright silver moon that hung in the night sky.
The final mirage showed Huo Wuling’s face.
Ji Ning couldn’t see Lai in any of these three illusions.
Had Lai hidden himself somehow?
Ji Ning wondered to himself. As he’d expected, the person who hadn’t been discovered was Lai.
At the end of the Western fantasy novel ‘Dark Kingdom of Heaven’, Lai became a demigod. Having mastered the power of a Necromancer, his abilities were unpredictable and he could travel the river of time at will. Although the fantasy novel had a different power system to the cultivation novel, Ji Ning suspected that Lai had the power to fight Yun Yuan.
Maybe he could use this as an opportunity to fulfil Yun Yuan’s wish?
The thought that flashed across Ji Ning’s mind surprised him, and he suddenly felt very tired of himself.
Why was it that even when he was upset, all he could think about was his tasks? Although he wasn’t allowed to fall in love with the characters of these novels, he didn’t want to act so ruthless all the time. To act so callously, there must be something wrong with him…
“Are you okay?”
Noticing Ji Ning’s frustration, Fu Qinghan asked him, “Is there something wrong with the phantom array?”
“…No.”
Ji Ning hesitated for a moment, then slowly shook his head, not mentioning that Lai was missing from the illusions.
“If you’re tired, it’s okay for you to go and rest again.” Fu Qinghan said.
“It’s fine.” Even though he knew something was wrong with his emotions, Ji Ning shook his head and said, “Let’s go.”
Maybe once the plane fusion was over, he wouldn’t think about this anymore.
“Where do you want to go first?”
“Just…that place.” Ji Ning pointed to Ark’s phantom array.
“Okay.”
Fu Qinghan raised his hand and was about to send him into the phantom array, when the two of them simultaneously heard a strange noise behind them and turned their heads.
Large clouds of black gas spilled from Huo Wuling’s illusion formation as countless spirits ate their way through the mirage. The handsome man with lustful eyes gracefully left the phantom array and tilted his head towards Fu Qinghan, giving him a cold smile.
“Hmm…since I don’t know the time, I can only say good morning, good afternoon, and good evening.”
He laughed.
“Mister, I think you should return Ningning to me.”
I’ve missed this lunatic – I’m so happy to write him again <3
(-_-) I’ve just realised I got my days mixed up, so I guess the chapter’s a day early – this is to make up for all my late chapters~
I can already imagine Huo Wuling staring into the mirage like that help– 😭
He’s a complete menace!!
From sadness ➳ happiness ➳sadness ➳ to finally happiness
My boi Huo wuling finally CAAMMMEEE I MISS HIM SMMMN…
My FAV ML GOT TO BE
❧ huo wuling
❧ Yun Yuan
❧ Fu qinghan
❧ Qin Ruwang
ALTHOUGH if I’ve to choose among all of them then I’ll not hesitate to choose
#Huo wuling >///<
(The way he calls ji Ning *Ning Ning is WAY TOO ADORABLE…THE FLUFF IS OVERLOADED )
N LOL when our dear translator put up the pic of how huo wuling will be looking through the illusion…I burst out laughing xD
Tysmmmm for the ch ●°\\°● muah muah
Thank you thank you!! Huo Wuling is my favourite too!! (Don’t tell the others~)
Yesssssss Yessssssss MY BOI
zhou rin should really learn to be more selfish 😭 this is the first time ji ning is willing to humour him!!
my heart just went cold when i got to the part where Z hou Rin got stabbed after that tears just kept coming until i got to the part with Ark with fish tail (like what??) but Huo Wuling staring image dried them all away 😭😂
At first, I hated Huo Wuling, but I’ve honestly fallen in love with his character.