Chapter 40#

World 1: The Tragic Supporting Male Lead Changes the Script Online#

It was three days later when he woke up again.

“Today is Xu Yizhi’s funeral.” 996 squatted on the cabinet beside the hospital bed and said dryly.

Qin Qing sat up slowly, stunned for a long time before gradually retrieving the memory of that day. The broken time and space, the car crashing head-on, Xu Yizhi’s face covered in blood but still smiling gently.

Tears fell suddenly, carrying a scorching temperature.

Qin Qing lifted the quilt and staggered out of bed, took off the hospital gown with trembling hands, and changed into the white shirt and black trousers placed in the cabinet.

“Shen Mingshu’s car was obviously not driving fast, but it could kill Xu Yizhi. He is really weak! You also stood there like a fool, insisting on someone to save you. I even reminded you!” 996 didn’t know what happened at all.

“Shut up!” Qin Qing turned his head and scolded, his bloodshot pupils soaked in miserable tears.

This was the first time he spoke to 996 in such a cruel tone. His pale thin lips trembled slightly, and he could no longer make a sound. He turned his head back in embarrassment and barely changed his clothes and pants with weak hands.

“Hey, Mr. Qin, where are you going? Your body hasn’t recovered yet!” A nurse pushed the door open and walked in, holding Qin Qing’s wrist.

Qin Qing didn’t even have the strength to break free. The broken time and space eventually caused him some harm. If he couldn’t even withstand such a local collapse of time and space, one could imagine what awaited him when the world restarted.

Soul scattered, doomed eternally… How much better could such an end be than now?

“I’m going to attend my boyfriend’s funeral, can I?” Qin Qing asked tremblingly with tears in his eyes.

Such a picturesque face was shattered by unbearable grief, making the nurse feel distressed too. She slowly let go of Qin Qing’s hand, pushed a wheelchair over, and quietly sent him to the car without telling the head nurse.

Inside the funeral home, Xu Yizhi’s body slept in a pitch-black coffin. Pure white roses were tied into huge bouquets, filling the mourning hall.

Xu Yizhi’s family was not close to him, and at this moment, they just stood in the last row as guests.

Standing in front of the spirit to receive guests was Cang Ming.

Every guest who came forward to pay homage with a white rose would receive a solemn bow from him. The outside world said that he and Xu Yizhi were like brothers, which seemed to be true.

Another guest walked in at the door. Seeing his face clearly, the relatives and colleagues standing behind Cang Ming began to whisper.

Cang Ming looked up, his face indifferent. Unlike the surprise, anger, and rejection of the people around him, he had no reaction to this person’s arrival.

Seeing that he didn’t stop him, Xu Yizhi’s family had to swallow their anger.

Qin Zishi, who took a white rose from the staff, breathed a sigh of relief secretly. He had long expected Cang Ming to react like this. That person was like a god high above, having long abandoned the emotions of ordinary people.

He wouldn’t be angry, wouldn’t drive him away, and wouldn’t point at his nose and scold him as the son of a murderer.

Shen Mingshu had been arrested, and the case was under trial, but it didn’t implicate Qin Zishi. Qin Zishi came today, firstly to see Cang Ming’s reaction, and secondly to apologize in public. After all, he was a relative of the murderer, and he had to say “sorry”.

Even if Cang Ming didn’t accept this useless sentence, it could at least leave a good impression on him. Reporters were also mixed among the guests, taking photos and posting them online, which could also whitewash him a bit.

Qin Zishi lowered his head, hiding the pleasure in his eyes. Xu Yizhi harmed him so miserably, and suffered retribution the next day. And when he was selling his family property, he suddenly discovered that he had bought a villa in Pu City with the lucky money given by Qin Guangyuan and Ji Mingtang in his early years.

After the economic takeoff of Pu City, the selling price of that villa was as high as hundreds of millions of yuan. And the Qin family and the Ji family didn’t know the existence of that house at all.

Selling that house and part of the property, Qin Zishi had filled the hole and reached a settlement with Youtu.

Those who wronged him, now one dead and one injured. And the crisis that was enough to overturn his life was easily resolved under the gifts of the Qin family and the Ji family.

This is fate! Some people can turn bad luck into good luck no matter what they do. Some people, even if they exhaust their strength, are just floating in the mortal world.

Even God is helping me; what I want will eventually be obtained, right? Thinking this way, Qin Zishi came.

At this moment, he looked sad on the surface, but was extremely happy in his heart. In the dark, he even had a premonition that even Cang Ming, this man high above, would eventually belong to him. Everything best in this world would belong to him!

Under the agitated mood, the flower branch in his hand was squeezed flat, oozing some green liquid. Qin Zishi frowned in disgust.

He walked step by step towards that black coffin. The corpse lying in the coffin made his gloomy eyes ooze a trace of pleasure.

Retribution… A light sigh was held in his throat, waiting to be expressed, when a slender hand suddenly pushed Qin Zishi away.

The mourning hall, which originally had some strange noises, was really noisy at this moment.

“Qin Qing, why are you here? Is your health okay?” Ji Lan, standing aside, asked worriedly.

Cang Ming, standing in front of the spirit with a cold face, looked up suddenly.

Qin Qing pushed Qin Zishi away, staggered towards the black coffin, his slightly red eyes looking unblinkingly at the pale corpse.

Cang Ming quickly stepped forward, wanting to grab him.

Qin Qing extended his pale hand, pressed against Cang Ming’s chest, not allowing him to stop him. This push had no strength, even trembling slightly, and could be broken free with a casual brush.

But Cang Ming seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall and could no longer move forward. His dark deep eyes closely followed this staggering, thin, and pale figure, his resolute and cold face uncontrollably showing a look of distress.

As soon as Qin Qing arrived, the much-anticipated Qin Zishi instantly became an unseen shadow. The flower branch in his hand was suddenly broken, with deep hatred and unwillingness.

Qin Qing walked to the coffin, looking down at Xu Yizhi’s handsome face as if asleep.

Why could this person break the imprisonment of time and space to save him? Why did this person possess the power to contend with the Heavenly Dao? Why, clearly also a supporting male character, could he dominate fate?

Are these doubts important?

Before, Qin Qing thought they were very important; he even repeatedly probed and speculated. But now, when life passed away and all thoughts became empty, everything became unimportant.

It turned out that the most important thing was that in this world, there must be your existence…

But you no longer exist…

A tear fell on Xu Yizhi’s pale face. It is said that a soul stained with tears will have particularly heavy steps on the road to the underworld.

Qin Qing wanted him to be heavy, so heavy that he couldn’t move his legs, so heavy that he turned his head, so heavy that he had to walk back.

Qin Qing leaned down, and under the extremely astonished gaze of all guests, kissed Xu Yizhi’s already cold lips.

Kissing a person who had been dead for many days at a funeral, this picture exceeded the tolerance of many people. Some felt disgusted, some felt fear, and some felt dirty.

The entire mourning hall became more and more noisy. Qin Huaichuan and Qin Guangyuan had pushed away the surrounding guests and rushed forward anxiously.

They thought Qin Qing must be crazy! Only a madman would disregard decency, fear no gossip, and kiss a dead person in full view!

However, faster than their movements was Cang Ming. He strode forward, pulled Qin Qing into his arms, and regardless of the fact that lying in the coffin was his only friend, slammed the coffin lid shut.

With a loud bang, the three incense sticks in front of the spirit trembled, and the broken incense ash fell into the furnace.

Qin Qing began to struggle, and Cang Ming imprisoned his body in his arms with a cold face.

Cang Ming held Qin Qing’s waist tightly with one hand, and quickly took off his suit jacket with the other hand, wrapping Qin Qing’s thin body.

“He is already dead!” He warned heavily with an extremely suppressed voice.

Qin Qing shook his head and choked: “The one who died should be me.”

This sentence made broken light burst in Cang Ming’s dark eyes. He covered the back of Qin Qing’s head with his large palm, and with irresistible force, pressed Qin Qing’s head into his shoulder socket.

Hot tears soaked the shirt fabric, stinging Cang Ming. His tense face showed a painful expression.

Qin Zishi, standing aside, looked at this flustered, suppressed, and painful Cang Ming almost in horror. Before Qin Qing appeared, the death of his best friend couldn’t bring him a trace of emotional fluctuation. After Qin Qing appeared, he suddenly fell from the altar as a god high above.

He became a powerless ordinary person. In front of Qin Qing’s pain, he could do nothing, so he was more painful than Qin Qing.

Qin Qing was still struggling, wanting to take a few more looks at Xu Yizhi. Cang Ming hugged him harder, pressing his head so that he couldn’t see the black coffin.

“In this world, even a flower and a tree have reasons for existence, why should you die?” He even said such a compassionate sentence.

Qin Qing kept shaking his head, crying silently. His struggle was weak, but so firm.

Cang Ming lowered his head, his cheek fitting Qin Qing’s messy hair, whispering gently constantly: “Don’t cry, even if he is gone, I can hold up this world for you.”

“But I only want a world with him.” Qin Qing murmured with a dead heart, silent for a moment, and then struggled more violently.

Cang Ming’s eyes darkened suddenly, and he actually increased his strength to hug Qin Qing more closely. Neither of them was willing to let go, only one for the lost person, and the other for the unattainable person.

All guests were watching.

But Cang Ming couldn’t care about anything. He hugged Qin Qing tightly, tightly, stroked Qin Qing’s trembling back again and again, kissed Qin Qing’s messy hair again and again, and comforted gently time and time again: “I’m here, I will always be here. Without Xu Yizhi, there is still me.”

Couldn’t hide it anymore, but actually he never thought of hiding it.

Yes, he loved Qin Qing, ignoring morality and principles, ignoring everyone’s gaze and criticism, rebelliously loving his friend’s partner. He even embraced this heartbroken person desperately at his friend’s funeral.

Although the guests tried their best to restrain themselves, they still showed surprised expressions. Qin Zishi, standing in the crowd, crushed the white rose in his hand fiercely.

Why can Qin Qing always get the best? No, he didn’t get it, he snatched it! What he got should have belonged to me! Qin Zishi’s eyes oozed extremely vicious cold light.

996, who followed into the mourning hall, happened to see this scene and trembled with fear.

Cang Ming’s deep voice echoed in his ears all the time, like a slowly flowing river, with boundless tolerance. His shoulder socket emitted a clear cedar scent, with a little heaviness of ebony and warmth of citrus.

Qin Qing cried while listening and smelling. In a trance, he actually felt that the person hugging him was Xu Yizhi. That person seemed to have never left.

His back was constantly stroked by a warm big hand, bringing stability and comfort. The trembling and struggling Qin Qing finally slowly regained calm. He was unwilling to look up at Cang Ming, only willing to indulge in the illusion that Xu Yizhi was still in the world.

Cang Ming hugged him all the time until he no longer cried, no longer struggled, and fell into a deep sleep.

“You preside over the funeral, I’m leaving first.” Cang Ming picked up Qin Qing, looked down at his red eyes from crying and pale face, and said to Xu Yizhi’s relatives with pity in his voice.

Xu Yizhi’s parents had passed away, and his distant uncles immediately stood up and nodded repeatedly.

Holding a soft and rotten flower in his hand, Qin Zishi could only watch helplessly as Cang Ming walked away. The other party didn’t even notice that there was a relative of a murderer in the crowd.

At midnight, Qin Qing woke up in his bedroom.

Cang Ming had left, but his scent still lingered by the bed. It could be imagined that he must have sat here waiting for a long time, and stared for a long time.

At the moment when time and space shattered, someone repaired his body and soul with vast power. Was that person Cang Ming? What exactly were his and Xu Yizhi’s identities?

This thought flashed by and was quickly ignored by Qin Qing. No amount of speculation and doubt was important anymore.

Qin Qing walked into the bathroom, took off his robe, and checked the pearly, pink-colored bud on his shoulder blade in the mirror. Two petals were unfolded, and the rest were still curled together; it would never bloom again.

996 walked cautiously to the bathroom door and poked half a head out to peek at Qin Qing.

“Want to know what this is?” Qin Qing gathered his half-removed clothes and asked hoarsely.

996 blinked its round eyes, and then nodded hesitantly: “Yes, will you tell me?”

“There is nothing I can’t tell you now.” Qin Qing hooked his thin lips and smiled faintly.

This smile was not like relief, but more like the emptiness of despair.

996 jumped onto the washstand and tilted its head to look at Qin Qing.

Qin Qing stroked the small bud on his shoulder blade backhand.

“I am not a rose.” His low and soft voice rippled in the closed bathroom.

“I guessed it long ago, meow. You are the Flower of Evil, right?” 996 snorted coldly.

“Flower of Evil? Similar to that.”

Qin Qing put on his robe, walked to the balcony, lay slowly in the rocking chair, looked at the night sky with empty eyes, and murmured absently: “Flower of the Red Dust, have you heard of it?”

“Flower of the Red Dust?” 996 was stunned. How can red dust bloom flowers?

“Just as strong malice can spawn the Flower of Evil, the love and desire, sorrow and joy in the rolling red dust and surging turbid world, people’s greed, despair, reluctance, and attachment can also turn into soil and nurture a flower. The sun, moon, and stars are the dew of this flower, the morning clouds and evening glow are the petals of this flower, and love and desire are its nutrients.”

Qin Qing tapped the ground lightly with his bare toes, and the wooden rocking chair swayed gently in the evening breeze.

996 listened to this passage dumbfounded.

“I said I would die without love, I never lied to you.” Qin Qing laughed low, bitterness hidden in the laughter.

“As long as there is love, I can survive, so I don’t need any divine power, let alone points. Coming here, I wanted to try to find someone who loves me. A long, long time ago, when I just condensed into a flower seed, I was accidentally obtained by a person. That person watered me with blood and nourished me with spiritual power. I thought that was love, so I quietly signed a life-and-death contract with the other party and became his companion flower.”

Qin Qing closed his eyes and recalled: “But, by his side, I never bloomed. Instead, because of that life-and-death contract, I helped him withstand death tribulations time and time again. When he advanced, I took the thunder tribulation for him; when he was in danger, I blocked swords for him. Remember my back full of withered vines?”

996 seemed to understand something, and its throat felt dry.

Qin Qing opened his eyes and smiled miserably: “Every time I helped him block a death tribulation, my vines withered an inch. Inch by inch, until doomed eternally, soul destroyed. I thought this was my fate. I thought every Flower of the Red Dust needed to go through thousands of tribulations worse than death to seek a love to survive on.”

Teardrops fell unconsciously, wetting Qin Qing’s face.

“But, following you here, meeting Xu Yizhi. Suddenly, in just such a short night, without a sound, my withered vines actually bore a small bud.”

Qin Qing straightened up, leaned down, looked at 996 curled up at his feet, and asked hoarsely: “Do you know how it came?”

996 stared blankly at Qin Qing’s tearful eyes; the deep pain made it speechless.

“It is Xu Yizhi’s love.” Qin Qing smiled gently with tears: “No need for thousands of tribulations, no need for cruel probing and testing, no need to pay spiritual energy and lifespan, he fell in love with me. Do you know what price he needs to pay to condense such a flower with love?”

Qin Qing put down his feet resting on the rocking chair, stepped on the cool floor, lowered his head, and asked hoarsely.

996 shook its head, feeling extremely shocked.

However, what was even more shocking was Qin Qing’s next words.

“His luck, lifespan, power, and everything will be shared with me. Without such determination, such a flower cannot be condensed. When the bud emerged, the inherited memory told me such a fact that even I found hard to believe. Whatever he has, he gave to me. And I have never been loved like this.”

A few hot tears fell by 996’s paws, making it step back a few steps in fear.

Qin Qing was still narrating: “He treated me like this, how can I be stingy? As long as he wants, as long as I have, what’s the harm in giving it all to him? That’s why I refused that strategy task, do you understand now?”

996 nodded stiffly, its brain in a mess.

It finally understood why Qin Qing said he had always been trying hard to live. As long as he got such a love, he could live without the repair of divine power.

But now, he lost even this only love.

996 suddenly felt sad for Qin Qing.

“Now that Xu Yizhi is dead, what will happen to you?” It vaguely guessed the ending.

“Soon, when the bud withers, I will die too.” Qin Qing said indifferently.

“Then aren’t you too miserable? Love can make you live, and can also make you die. Isn’t it unlucky to fall in love with a short-lived ghost?” 996 really couldn’t understand this strange race.

“How could that be? As long as you don’t sign a life-and-death contract with the other party, you can unilaterally enjoy the other party’s lifespan, luck, and power. Constantly inducing others to fall in love with me, while I firmly guard my own heart, one day, I can reach the top of the immortal path and exist for eternity.” Qin Qing shook his head.

996 opened its eyes wide: “Meow, then your race is very powerful! Are you stupid? Why did you sign life-and-death contracts twice?”

“The first time was to repay kindness; after all, it was that person who brought me into this world. The second time was because of love. For such a heartless, blind person, I could give everything. For Xu Yizhi, what else can’t I give? I know this is a gamble, but whether I win or lose, I don’t care.”

Qin Qing smiled, not looking desperate or sad at all.

“As long as Qin Zishi dies, this world can restart, right? After restarting, everyone can return to their original positions?” He asked in a low voice.

996 was startled and said quickly: “Everyone can return to their original positions, except you! Your soul will be scattered!”

Qin Qing stroked the bud on his shoulder blade and laughed lightly: “Do you know what the mission of a flower is?”

996 said hurriedly: “It is to bloom beautifully! You can still survive for a while, right? Then enjoy this time well, okay?”

Qin Qing shook his head: “No, the mission of a flower is to fall into the mud after withering and nourish the next life.”

After saying this, Qin Qing immediately stood up, changed into a black casual suit, and drove away from the Qin residence in the middle of the night. 996 followed in a hurry.

More than an hour later, Qin Qing arrived outside the villa Qin Zishi bought for Shen Mingshu. He mortgaged his car at the rental agency and drove away an SUV. Strange model, strange license plate, even if glimpsed by Qin Zishi, the other party would not be alert.

996 was about to cry with anxiety: “You don’t want to hit Qin Zishi to death, do you? I tell you that’s impossible! You are just a bitter male supporting character, but he is the protagonist, and the Destined Person, protected by the Heavenly Dao! You don’t know yet, the 140 million he owed has been paid off! He still has a luxury house in his hand. After selling it, besides paying off the debt, the remaining money is enough for him to start a company. He is God’s own son! If you want to kill him, only you will die!”

Qin Qing shook his head, his tone calm: “I don’t want to hit him to death, I just want Xu Yizhi to come back to life.”

“Why bother! Anyway, the bud hasn’t withered yet, you can live a little longer, why seek death?” 996 tried to dissuade him earnestly.

“How did Pang Yongan find Qin Baoer? Was it arranged by Qin Zishi? The people around him piled up his rapid rise with extremely miserable fates. Isn’t that how it is written in the script? There are many supporting male characters like me, right? Everyone is his stepping stone, either used, squeezed, or sacrificed. Why isn’t he the one who dies? Does he deserve to live?”

For the first time, Qin Qing said such words in a resentful tone. In the past, he always ignored Qin Zishi.

996 was speechless. In fact, it didn’t quite understand why the Heavenly Dao chose such a person.

While waiting, it suddenly started to rain. The rain drawn golden lines under the illumination of street lamps. The grass blades and flower stems on the roadside trembled under the beating of golden lines.

Such a scene reminded Qin Qing of the kiss mixed with moisture with Xu Yizhi in the rain waterfall under the bridge hole. From now on, no one would hold an umbrella for him, nor would anyone nourish a flower of life for him with lingering love.

Hot tears fell from his slightly swollen eyes, and deep-seated hatred dyed Qin Qing’s pupils red.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, waiting patiently.

He thought he would have to wait until tomorrow morning at least, but he didn’t expect Qin Zishi to come back at this time. The family car was smashed by Shen Mingshu, and two other cars were sold to pay off debts, so he could only take a taxi.

He paid the money, got out of the car, and fumbled in his briefcase, seeming to be looking for an umbrella.

This gave Qin Qing enough time to impact.

996 threw itself onto the steering wheel and shouted anxiously in a low voice: “Qin Qing, don’t do stupid things!”

Qin Qing pushed it away and ignited the engine.

The headlights suddenly lit up, shining on Qin Zishi not far away. He raised his hand to block his face, showing a puzzled expression.

Just as Qin Qing was about to step on the accelerator, a big hand suddenly pulled open the car door, unfastened the seat belt, and dragged Qin Qing down forcefully.

996 shouted in astonishment: “Cang Ming?”

Cang Ming dragged Qin Qing into the rain, grabbing his two arms, letting him suffer the pouring of cold raindrops.

“What do you want to do? Xu Yizhi is gone, do you want to disappear forever too?” Cang Ming’s gloomy tone suppressed extreme anger and pain.

Even the night could not cover the flames burning in his dark deep eyes. At this moment, he was like a beast severely injured and on the verge of death.