“Stop, stop for a moment…” Wei Xicheng panted heavily, struggling to push himself up from the bed so his face could emerge from the pillow. He took a deep breath.
He glanced at Yu Beiyan behind him and rolled his eyes. Ever since he followed him home that day, there hadn’t been a single day when he wasn’t sore all over.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Beiyan pressed close, blowing gently into his ear. “Is your waist hurting again? Want me to massage it?”
“Get lost.” Wei Xicheng kicked his legs, but since he was completely pinned down, the action looked rather comical. He realized it himself, and his face gradually turned red—whether from heat or frustration, he wasn’t sure.
Yu Beiyan chuckled softly. “Now you know what sleep paralysis feels like?”
“…Get out, thanks.”
The two of them had been living like this, shameless and carefree, for quite some time now. When Wei Xicheng transmigrated into this world, it was right after the college entrance exams. Based on his grades, the best he could do was get into a third-rate university near QH University. Given the original owner’s personality, there was no way he would have chosen to major in acting, so for Wei Xicheng, it didn’t really matter which school he attended.
During the two-month summer break after the exams, Wei’s mother, worried about her son’s weak health, didn’t let him go out much. This turned out to be a blessing for Wei Xicheng, as his fair skin only became even paler under the scorching summer sun.
“Chengcheng, your classmates are here! Come out quickly.” Wei’s mother’s voice came from outside, filled with delight. Through the door, both Wei Xicheng and Yu Beiyan could hear her enthusiastically welcoming his “classmates.”
Wei Xicheng glanced at Yu Beiyan and saw that the amused expression on Yu Beiyan’s face had vanished, replaced by a cold, indifferent look. He was obviously unhappy.
“What’s wrong? Who’s here that’s making you pull a long face?” Wei Xicheng reached out with two fingers to pinch Yu Beiyan’s face, feeling curious himself—who would come to visit him?
Urged by Wei Xicheng, Yu Beiyan reluctantly concealed his form, turning into a transparent shadow that lingered behind him as they stepped out of the room.
The weather wasn’t as scorching as before, but it was still quite warm. However, since the house had air conditioning, Wei Xicheng wore a white shirt—partly to cover the marks on his body and partly to conceal his skin tone.
A healthy, tanned complexion was what Wei Xicheng preferred most, but unfortunately, the system seemed to be working against him. Every time he transmigrated into a body, it always had the same pale skin as his real one.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw his mother carrying a tray of fruit and cold drinks to the two guests sitting on the couch. “Come, eat some!”
Out of motherly instinct, Wei’s mother had always felt that her son wasn’t very well-liked at school—after all, he was withdrawn and had a cold personality. This was the first time classmates had come to visit, so she assumed he must have finally made some friends at the last gathering. She was determined to treat them well.
He Cheng sat on the couch with a dark expression, silent. Meanwhile, Lin Yan sat upright. He took the cold drink from Wei’s mother with a shy smile. “Thank you, Auntie. Please don’t trouble yourself.”
“What brings you here?” Wei Xicheng leaned against the doorframe, neither stepping out nor inviting them in, simply observing them.
Lin Yan’s eyes lit up when he saw Wei Xicheng. He almost stood up. “I haven’t been able to contact you for a while. Actually, our class is organizing an event again, and I didn’t see your response in the group chat, so I—”
“Why are you pulling me?” Lin Yan turned to look at He Cheng, who pressed his lips together, lowered his head, and avoided looking at the increasingly dark-faced man standing behind Wei Xicheng.
“You’re not going?” Wei Xicheng kept his hands behind his back, letting Yu Beiyan toy with them. Lin Yan’s behavior was odd, so he decided to observe for now.
“Huh? Why not?” Lin Yan was surprised.
“Why should I?” Wei Xicheng countered.
“It’s just for fun with everyone…”
“Doesn’t sound fun to me.”
Lin Yan wanted to continue persuading him, but He Cheng quickly cut him off. “If Wei Xicheng doesn’t want to go, then forget it. He probably has his own things to do. Lin Yan, stop pushing.”
After everything that had happened recently, He Cheng’s demeanor had changed significantly. His words piqued Wei Xicheng’s interest.
In the past, He Cheng had an unyielding personality—whenever something didn’t go his way, he would always get involved. But now, he was actually helping someone back down from a situation? That was unexpected.
Wei Xicheng glanced at Yu Beiyan, silently asking for an explanation. But to others, this action looked more like an impatient gesture to shoo them away.
“You…” Lin Yan took two steps forward, wanting to speak to Wei Xicheng more closely, but he suddenly found that his feet were stuck to the floor. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t lift them. His eyes widened in shock.
He Cheng noticed his reaction, then glanced toward the doorway. The tall man behind Wei Xicheng held him possessively, his cold gaze sweeping over them, sending chills down He Cheng’s spine.
He understood the ghost’s message loud and clear—he was telling them to leave.
Though He Cheng felt reluctant, he knew this wasn’t the right time to talk to Wei Xicheng. He had no choice but to back down for now.
He grabbed Lin Yan’s hand and whispered, “Let’s go. Wei Xicheng doesn’t seem to be in a good mood today. We’ll come back another time.”
Lin Yan moved his feet. “Huh? I can move again?”
He Cheng forced a bitter smile. Lin Yan was truly naive—he had gone along with the crowd when they treated Wei Xicheng badly, and now, after learning the truth and feeling guilty, he suddenly wanted to make amends.
But the person he wanted to make amends with now had a much stronger protector and didn’t care about his remorse at all. Besides, some wounds could never truly be healed.
He Cheng knew far more than Lin Yan. His gaze drifted to Wei Xicheng’s wrist—only to see that it was firmly held by that man.
He smiled bitterly and forcefully pulled Lin Yan out the door.
“Huh? You’re leaving already?” Wei’s mother came out of the kitchen with a plate of freshly cut watermelon, looking puzzled. “You just got here.”
“They have other things to do, so they’re leaving,” Wei Xicheng yawned and grabbed a piece of watermelon from the tray. “It’s really sweet. Thanks, Mom.”
“You little rascal, then eat more if it’s sweet,” Wei’s mother said, her eyes turning misty. Ever since her son had gone through a near-death experience, his personality had changed a lot. But he was better off like this than before—at least now, she didn’t have to worry as much.
Once she went back to her room, Wei Xicheng nudged Yu Beiyan. “You definitely know why He Cheng came.”
He wasn’t blind—He Cheng’s expression and demeanor were obviously off.
“Mm.”
“Then hurry up and tell me!” Wei Xicheng felt irritable in this late-summer heat. Even their nightly activities didn’t seem to ease his frustration.
“Let me taste if it’s sweet.” Yu Beiyan leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips, licking away the cool juice before nodding. “Very sweet.”
“Stop changing the subject!”
“He Cheng’s master was Purple Daoist’s junior disciple. He probably already knows that his master died at my hands,” Yu Beiyan said flatly, as if it didn’t matter.
Wei Xicheng’s eyes darkened. He leaned against Yu Beiyan’s chest and was silent for a long time.
“Beiyan, this is a parallel world. They’re just virtual data. Don’t burden yourself too much. We’ve drifted through so many worlds, seen so many storms. Don’t shackle yourself down at the very end.”
His voice was slow but firm.
If he didn’t know how to adjust his mindset, he might have gone crazy long ago. It wasn’t until he met Yu Beiyan that he truly began to immerse himself in these worlds, using his own heart to experience their warmth and coldness.
This world was likely the last virtual world they would go through—dangerous and unknown. Yu Beiyan had taken care of the immediate threats, but he had also personally acted, and Wei Xicheng could see how he was restraining his own emotions.
They both came from a peaceful era with a sound legal system. No matter how cold-hearted a person was, it was impossible to accept, with complete peace of mind, the act of taking a life by their own hands.
Wei Xicheng leaned against Yu Beiyan, doing his best to let him feel his presence and companionship.
Yu Beiyan’s gaze gradually softened. He looked at the top of Wei Xicheng’s head and let out a helpless smile. It seemed he had to speed things up—only by returning sooner could he truly have this person for himself.
“You…”
Hearing that sigh, Wei Xicheng also smiled as he was pulled into the bedroom. The lingering summer heat easily made people drowsy, especially when they hadn’t been getting enough sleep. He needed a good rest.
“Are you ready?” Yu Beiyan’s expression was serious. They had spent thirty years in this world, and his spiritual form had long since fully infiltrated and taken control of the system. After Wei Xicheng’s parents passed away, he had suggested leaving. In this world, neither of them had anything left to hold them back.
“Yes.” Wei Xicheng’s face was equally tense. No one knew if they would return to their original world after this next jump, or what might happen next. But some things had to be done.
“Then I’ll begin…”
“Go ahead.”
Author’s Note:
The next world will be the real world. We’re really nearing the end now. Thank you, my dear readers, for staying with me until now~ Mwah~
