Chapter 143#
The tears are so hot; so this is the temperature of love.#
He also desperately wanted to know what exactly was going on.
Qin Mu comforted Yu Shu with a cold face for a few moments, waiting for the woman’s emotions to gradually stabilize.
He hung up the phone, smashed the device onto the table, and turned to glare at 77.
“What exactly is going on?” He gritted his teeth, his voice leaking from between them. “Why is Qin Zhao in a coma! Why has your color faded? What have you been doing behind my back?”
77 flashed with blue light. When its calm electronic voice sounded, Qin Mu could distinctly hear a hint of grievance in it.
【At that time, I asked you, and you said you wanted to stay here.】
Qin Mu’s movements stiffened. He remembered the conversation with the system that day, and the fury of being toyed with rose rather than subsided. He unconsciously raised his voice: “Isn’t the mission already complete? Why can’t I stay here? And what is going on with Qin Zhao?”
77 bowed its “head,” its light dimming a bit further: 【Host, you and Qin Zhao exist in a relationship where one waxes as the other wanes. The stronger you become, the more fragile she becomes. When you choose to remain in this world, her mental strength is insufficient to sustain her, and she can only fall into a coma.】
These words struck Qin Mu’s heart. He tightened his fists, his anger surging: “Why? What’s the reason? I want to know everything—the reason why Qin Zhao falls into a coma just because I stay here.”
The screen shrunk back for a moment and stopped speaking.
Qin Mu stared at the silent system, a cold sneer escaping his throat.
The arc of his lips held no warmth, and the words he spat out were cruel: “Not talking? You think just because I could force the protagonist to trigger a world reset in the original world, I can’t do it now?”
“Child of Destiny? Heh…” He gave an extremely cold, mocking laugh.
“Jiang Yunhan, Qin Zheng—as long as I want them dead, they won’t live until the grand finale, and this world will have to reset all the same.”
Detecting the violent killing intent in his heart, 77 shuddered violently. It looked at Qin Mu and finally began to explain helplessly:
【Your world originated from the obsession of this world’s Qin Zhao.】
The featureless electronic voice recounted the root of everything.
【Qin Zhao hoped her brother would be strong and smart so he could protect her. She hoped her mother would be gentle and kind, and love her forever.】
【Under the influence of her obsession, your original world came into being, and subsequently developed its own trajectory. Every character was assigned their own fate, and you were the most special one among them.】
【You were so strong and intelligent that you even surpassed the character itself. Because of this, you developed ‘self-awareness,’ which is what is known as ‘awakening.’ Under your interference, the protagonists could not end up together, and the tracks of fate deviated several times. Therefore, you were extracted and brought back to this world to perform the task of ‘suppressing the villain.’】
【The stronger you are in this world, the more of Qin Zhao’s mental strength must be consumed. Since you have now chosen to stay here, Qin Zhao will fall into a deep sleep.】
Qin Mu ground his molars, his hands clenching involuntarily. He swept a cold gaze over the system and demanded: “So this is why you said this mission could only be done by me?”
【Yes. This mission could only be completed by you, because you yourself are ‘Qin Mu.’】
“Then why didn’t you tell me!” Qin Mu roared. “Why did you never tell me?!”
77 fell into an eerie silence. After a long time, it replied: 【Host, this is strictly forbidden. I have already violated the regulations.】
【After you chose to stay, I should have been reclaimed. But I guessed… that you might make a different choice, so I did not leave. This is also why my color has become lighter.】
Qin Mu went silent for a moment. Looking at its now semi-transparent blue form, his throat felt parched.
He tightened his fists and looked away. He tried his best to keep his voice calm, but his clenched hands were trembling slightly: “If… if I don’t leave, what will happen to Qin Zhao?”
77 blinked and gave an honest answer: “She will die.”
Qin Mu’s heart skipped a heavy beat. He closed his eyes, and his tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed.
A very soft sigh suddenly echoed in the quiet room.
77 disappeared into the air. Qin Mu’s gaze was heavy as he looked at the dagger that appeared out of thin air on the table, making no move.
The words the system said before disappearing kept echoing in his ears.
The way back was very simple.
To die in this world was to wake up in the original world.
After a long time, Qin Mu stood up. He picked up the dagger from the table. The cold sensation spread from his fingertips as he slowly closed his fingers around it.
Jian Yunchen pushed open the door against the darkness of the night. The empty hospital room was not only unlit but also deathly quiet.
He panicked instinctively for a moment and flipped on the light with a “snap.”
The light flared to life, but Qin Mu was nowhere to be seen in the room.
His attention was seized by a smear of red on the table. Jian Yunchen rushed over with frantic steps, his fingertips trembling slightly as he picked up the dagger.
Chaotic thoughts filled his chest. Just then, the sound of a door opening came from behind him.
Jian Yunchen whipped his head around. His vision was pierced by the white gauze on Qin Mu’s wrist.
His eyes turned red instantly. Jian Yunchen grabbed Qin Mu, who was approaching him, and slammed him into the sofa behind him with a heavy thud.
Qin Mu looked up at Jian Yunchen, who was pressing down on him, before he even had a chance to explain.
The tip of the blade, stained with a bit of red, was stabbed fiercely into the backrest of the sofa beside his ear.
Jian Yunchen leaned over him, his fingers gripping the hilt so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
His face was grim and his gaze was cold as he stared fixedly into Qin Mu’s eyes.
“You want to die? Why?”
“Who gave you permission?”
His fingertips began to shake, and his breathing became unstable.
“If you want to die, I’ll fulfill your wish right now!”
Jian Yunchen gritted his teeth and spoke coldly.
Yet, tears fell from his bloodshot eyes, landing directly on Qin Mu’s face.
One after another, warm tears kept falling, sliding slowly down Qin Mu’s cheeks.
It looked as if Qin Mu himself were crying.
The tears are so hot; so this is the temperature of love.
Qin Mu let out a nearly inaudible sigh and reached out to pull the man tightly into his arms.
All the fierce pretenses crumbled the moment they embraced. Jian Yunchen clung to Qin Mu’s chest aggrievedly, tossing the dagger in his hand onto the floor.
Images of Liu Yi’s cold corpse kept flashing through his mind; death had never been so close to him before.
He could not accept that Qin Mu would also become like that.
Those seductive peach-blossom eyes would be closed forever, and the corners of that mouth would never again curl into those annoying arcs.
Cold, without a hint of warmth.
Just thinking about it made his heart ache so much he couldn’t breathe.
Jian Yunchen buried his face in the crook of Qin Mu’s neck, sobbing, “I won’t allow you to die! You have to live for a lifetime! Even if I die, you can’t!”
Qin Mu couldn’t help but laugh. He rubbed the soft hair of the person in his arms, tilted his head to take a deep breath, and whispered helplessly: “Wasn’t it just an accidental cut… is there a need to cry so miserably?”