GBT Chapter 128

In the 70th hour after Qi Yi Liao woke up in the research institute, all his injuries, big and small, had been treated, and none had severely damaged vital organs.

This was thanks to his quick reaction after falling; otherwise, he would have been found as a still-warm corpse.

Qi Yi Liao recalled the scenes at the foot of the mountain: branches stabbing at his eyeballs, falling even when walking carefully, and a sharp rock waiting below.

All those dangers were the result of him resisting fate.

Qi Yi Liao leaned against the headboard, his shirt open, his chest wrapped in layers of gauze. He lit a cigarette, listening to the sound of water in the bathroom. The eerie feeling from a few hours earlier resurfaced, he savored it, and scoffed. He had been in a meeting when his heart suddenly started pounding for no reason.

On the way back to Lanmo Mansion, he suddenly wanted to go to Mingyuan Mountain, an impulse that was too strong. If he didn’t go, he would regret it for life.

Qi Yi Liao initially resisted, but when he thought about his little sweetheart being on the mountain, his resistance weakened.

Without realizing it, he let that strange thought take advantage, and he entered the mountain.

“Bang.”

The bathroom door opened. Qi Yi Liao scanned the young man emerging through the smoke, recalling the figure he had seen on the mountaintop, half-hidden in the forest.

He only saw it for a moment, but he realized it overlapped with the recurring dream he had.

At that moment, it was as if the hand of fate grabbed Qi Yi Liao’s neck, dragging him over. Then, he and that person fell off the cliff together.

Jiao Bai dried his hair and climbed onto the bed, staring blankly at the small cinnabar mole on Qi Yi Liao’s nose. Falling off a cliff was an old trope: in a cultivation setting, you would find a divine blade, a divine pearl, or some other divine treasure; in a modern setting, if one person fell, they would definitely meet a true love with a mysterious identity; if two people fell, they would have sex.

Qi Yi Liao had said on the mountain that he would come back and explain, but now that he was back, he didn’t know where to start.

“Where’s Li Jue?” Jiao Bai suddenly asked.

Qi Yi Liao took a drag of his cigarette: “Why ask about other people?”

“Was this the first time you met him?” Jiao Bai asked another question.

Qi Yi Liao pulled open his pajamas, his tobacco-flavored kisses landing on his shoulders and neck.

Jiao Bai dropped the towel, letting Qi Yi Liao kiss him in an animalistic, territorial way.

Jiao Bai understood Qi Yi Liao’s deep thoughts and struggles: he just couldn’t say it. The bizarre truth was too heavy to reveal.

Jiao Bai’s neck stung, and he gasped. Qi Yi Liao hadn’t recovered his memories yet and didn’t know he was a second awakening.

“Little Helper, can I reveal my origins?”

[No.]

“What about passively?”

[Depends on the scope.]

“Like, this world is a comic, and everyone is a paper figure?”

[Impossible.]

Jiao Bai laughed angrily. Then what was the point of saying anything?

Fine, he wouldn’t reveal it then. Regarding the nature of the world, both he and Qi Yi Liao were aware; there was only a thin membrane between them. Whether or not it was pierced wouldn’t affect their lives.

This was a comic, wasn’t it? If Qi Yi Liao asked about his origins and they discussed the fate settings, they could consider those parts of the discussion as white space in the comic, keeping it there.

Qi Yi Liao fell asleep, but Jiao Bai couldn’t sleep. One of his hands was being held by Qi Yi Liao, and the other was swiping on his phone.

Good heavens, Li Jue was trending on the hot search list, number one.

The title was “#Mingyuan Mountain Dramatic Forbidden Love#,” which was confusing. Before clicking, Jiao Bai couldn’t imagine what it was about. After clicking, he almost dropped his phone.

Qi Yi Liao had been pulled up by others, but Li Jue had no one to help him; he actually managed to climb up himself. The protagonist’s halo still had some juice left.

Climbing up was one thing, but he was also standing on top of the ancient pagoda in Mingyuan Temple. It was unknown how he got up there. He stood covered in dirt on the side of the ancient pagoda near the lotus pond.

“Shen Er An…”

Li Jue shouted into the phone camera, “Shen Er An!”

Birds flew over and perched on the spire of the tower behind him. In his beautiful eyes, there were glistening tears. His tightly pressed lips loosened, and his blood-stained lips moved slightly, “I wish you happiness.”

“I’m leaving.”

Li Jue revealed a gorgeous smile. He opened his arms, making a gesture as if to fly, closed his tear-soaked eyelashes, and said with a smile, “I’m going to find Grandma… Goodbye…”

The phone shook, followed by a piercing cry, “In the next life, I still want to meet you!”

“Shen Er An, I love you!”

The angle of the video faced upwards. The last scene was of the misty sky.

Jiao Bai quickly browsed the news. The police had verified that Li Jue was dead, dead at the scene.

The video was posted by Li Jue before he fell.

He chose the red and green lotus pond, picking a beautiful place even in death, holding the greatest expectations for the afterlife.

Weibo was full of people regretting Li Jue’s death and being shocked by his beauty.

Even with his face so dirty, you could still see his exquisite features.

The sound Li Jue left for this world would cause Shen Er An to endure a wave of public opinion. Perhaps that was his goal, to make Shen Er An worry about him.

Jiao Bai’s thoughts were interrupted by a strange gaze. He turned to look at Qi Yi Liao, who had woken up somehow, and realized that the other’s expression was off: “What’s wrong?”

“Uncomfortable.” Qi Yi Liao buried his head in his neck.

Jiao Bai put down his phone: “The medicine’s wearing off?”

“Maybe.” Qi Yi Liao couldn’t tell which hurt more, his heart or his head, and couldn’t even discern whether the pain was real or an illusion. He just pressed his nose tightly against the young man’s skin, deeply inhaling the familiar scent.

Jiao Bai looked at the ceiling. Qi Yi Liao’s consciousness had just awakened, and he hadn’t had time to sort it out and digest it, but the effects of the drug had diminished several hours ahead of schedule, coupled with the injuries on his body—triple damage.

“I’ll ask the research institute about it.” Jiao Bai had just reached for his phone when Qi Yi Liao grabbed his hand and stuffed it back into his arms.

Qi Yi Liao’s side effects were more severe than Jiao Bai had anticipated.

Not only was he in pain, but he was also fragile.

Qi Yi Liao had already joined the group chat, his avatar a golden “Hundred” character with cat ears designed at the corners.

If he hadn’t joined the group chat, the White Cat would definitely be listless and shrunken into a ball, occasionally “meowing” softly at Jiao Bai. With his aloof, expensive face, he looked weak and pitiful.

Jiao Bai looked at the group list.

→ This Lifetime’s Fate [Confidants] 0/1

→ Never Let Down in This Life [Dearest Family and Friends] 0/2

→ Guardian of All Lifetimes [Love and Divinity] 1/1

→ Unforgettable Lifetime [Most Familiar Stranger] 0/3

Qi Yi Liao regarded him as a god.

Jiao Bai couldn’t go anywhere. He was confined to the bed by Qi Yi Liao. He was so desperate to pee that he finally went to the bathroom, but the other followed him, his teeth biting the back of his neck.

A stream of pee splashed into an “s” shape, trembling and splattering around the toilet.

Jiao Bai cleaned up casually and was dragged back to bed by Qi Yi Liao. They didn’t do anything else; they just stared at the surveillance wall.

Qi Yi Liao clicked on one scene and demanded that Jiao Bai elaborate on the corresponding clip.

Jiao Bai’s mind was in turmoil. Only Shen Er An hadn’t joined the group chat yet; it was definitely coming soon. He had a premonition. The feeling of having to complete a task at any moment was inexplicably complex.

“What am I going to do if you die? I can’t live either!”

Jiao Bai suddenly heard his own voice. He looked up at the surveillance wall and saw a scene of a medical pod.

In the surveillance footage, Jiao Bai frantically crashed his lips onto Qi Yi Liao’s, tears falling on his nose, sliding down his neck, leaving shallow water marks.

“Let’s not watch this.” Jiao Bai tried to snatch the remote control from Qi Yi Liao to turn off the surveillance, but he was stared at by scarlet eyes.

Qi Yi Liao rested his forehead against Jiao Bai’s, looking at him intently.

The Jiao Bai lying below slid down a little, kissing the buttons on Qi Yi Liao’s shirt, his lips moving upwards, brushing past the gauze on his chest, and sticking to his bobbing Adam’s apple.

“I don’t want to die. I’m tired too. I’ve endured so much. Why are you giving up? Don’t think about falling asleep.”

“…”

“I asked for a condition myself, wanting to be free. I shot myself in the foot. I’ve already thought about how to kick away the stone and find you. No matter how hard it is, I can do it. I’ve been thinking about the future.”

“…”

“Please.”

“Please, live on, don’t die. You have to live on for me. Let’s live together.”

“Qi Yi Liao!”

“I like you.”

Drip—

The large clock on the corridor stopped at three o’clock.

In the 72nd hour after Qi Yi Liao woke up, he fainted on top of Jiao Bai.

A torrential rain began, and the Lanmo Mansion crackled and banged.

Qi Yi Liao fell into a coma, and Jiao Bai anxiously paced back and forth in the room. He would leave after the task was completed. How was he going to leave information behind?

[Warning, Player Jiao Bai’s thoughts are in opposition to the rules and will be erased.]

Jiao Bai froze: “Damn.”

He called Zhang Zhen: “Brother, what are you doing?”

Zhang Zhen said that he was at the psychologist’s and would be back soon. Only after confirming that Third Brother was safe did he learn the general situation. This made him feel guilty and strengthened his determination to recover quickly.

“Bai Bai, how’s Third Brother?” Zhang Zhen asked.

“Asleep.” Jiao Bai said, “I have a few things I want to tell you.”

Zhang Zhen sensed his abnormality: “Brother’s listening.”

Jiao Bai was about to speak when the electronic voice issued another warning.

[Reminder to Player Jiao Bai, what you are trying to do now is futile.]

Jiao Bai continued: “There’s hope as long as you’re alive.”

“You and I have no blood relationship, but I treat you like my own brother. I hope you can get rid of your illness and be the beautiful person you used to be, and always retain the kindness I saw in you back then.”

The Little Helper went silent, seemingly not expecting that Jiao Bai wasn’t just ignoring the advice, but also foolishly trying to reveal some code to the people around him, hoping to return successfully.

Jiao Bai suddenly turned around and met a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Qi Yi Liao’s memory had returned.

The change in his eyes was too obvious. Before his memory loss, Qi Yi Liao’s eyes were young and bright; after regaining his memory, they were much darker.

Jiao Bai hung up the phone and heard Qi Yi Liao say, “Come here.”

He walked to the bedside, and Qi Yi Liao grabbed his hand: “Have you ever blamed Uncle?”

“Yes.” Jiao Bai said.

Qi Yi Liao smiled and kissed his fingertips.

Qi Yi Liao’s first action after regaining his memory was to kiss Jiao Bai. The second was to take out the metal cage from the safe in the bedroom. This wasn’t the one he wore before the accident; it was a spare. He was going to the bathroom to put it on.

“What are you doing?” Jiao Bai stood on the bed, baring his teeth at him. “You’re going to put it on as soon as you wake up?”

Qi Yi Liao said helplessly, “Uncle’s used to it.”

“Fine, you just live with your habits.” Jiao Bai snorted coldly.

The room was silent for a few seconds before being shattered by Qi Yi Liao’s laughter.

“Heh.”

Qi Yi Liao hooked the metal cage in one hand and ran the other through his messy black hair, smoothing it out elegantly. He lifted his eyelids, looking over with a deep and obscure gaze, “Not wearing it, got a problem with that?”

A subtle silence settled between Jiao Bai and Qi Yi Liao again. This time, Jiao Bai broke it. He tapped his feet on the blanket and walked to the edge of the bed: “When your injuries heal, shall we try it?”

Qi Yi Liao was stunned for a moment and turned around.

Jiao Bai was baffled. Why was the old pervert leaving? Didn’t want to try? Fine! Who the hell cared! He jumped off the bed, but before he could put on his slippers, he heard Qi Yi Liao say, “Where are you going?”

“Weren’t we going to try it? Xiao Bai, are you playing Uncle?”

Qi Yi Liao’s indiscernible tone was lost in the “ding” sound. The safe door was opened again.

Jiao Bai subconsciously looked over there. The next moment, he took off running.

Damn, there was a second layer in the safe, filled with things that could make him incontinent.

The old pervert didn’t know how long he’d been preparing. He was truly not human!

Jiao Bai didn’t escape.

Outside, there was lightning and thunder. The castle was as silent as a grave, but the bedroom on the fifth floor was enveloped in the tide of summer, with waves crashing and white foam splattering everywhere.

Whenever Jiao Bai tried to move, Qi Yi Liao, kneeling behind him, would say in a muffled voice, “Uncle’s injured, my stamina is limited. Be a good boy.”

“…” Jiao Bai ground his teeth and cursed, but the words that reached his lips all dissipated.

Qi Yi Liao held the young man down, teasing him until he cried. Three and a half years ago, Qi Yi Liao went to Mingyuan Temple to pray for his mother’s soul and inadvertently saw a young man kneeling in the main hall to pray for blessings. His back and voice were very similar to those in his dreams. Something in his heart was clamoring for him to enter the hall.

That urgent desire came abruptly. Qi Yi Liao stood outside the hall, his face somewhat contorted in restraint, the veins on his neck bulging, his heart throbbing painfully. But he couldn’t leave. He closed his eyes, repeatedly muttering “restraint” in his mind.

When Qi Yi Liao suppressed that thought, he heard the sound of a page turning, accompanied by a blurry image of paper. He saw his name, along with the words “Male Supporting Character.”

Then came his growth and the contents of the dream.

The world was fake.

He was the second male lead, an important supporting character. This world had a protagonist, and his fate was to cooperate with the protagonist.

To prevent himself from being controlled again, he began to increase the surveillance at Lanmo Mansion, especially in the bedroom, where he installed many cameras, as dense as pairs of eyes, constantly monitoring him.

He even installed many in the “Di Ye” rooms where he occasionally stayed for business.

Half a year later, he caught a little wildcat.

Qi Yi Liao stroked the quivering, damp back of the person in front of him, pressing down hard. No matter where you came from, just don’t leave.

And there was no way to leave.

He was embedded in the young man’s soul.

Jiao Bai was wrong.

Dead wrong. What did the donkey do wrong? The donkey was innocent; the mistake was the donkey’s owner.

Jiao Bai didn’t know what time the rain outside stopped that night. All he knew was that Paper Figure 1 was too overpowered, even injured, he was still so capable.

Actually, it was only twice, right?

It was just that the first time lasted more than ten minutes, and the second time spanned from the first half of the night to the second half, that’s all.

He couldn’t be so degenerate. Jiao Bai climbed off Qi Yi Liao, but before his butt could touch the bed, he was grabbed and pressed back down.

After much shuffling, Jiao Bai snuggled in Qi Yi Liao’s arms and fell asleep. Day broke, and the curtains weren’t completely closed, letting in the morning light. In his daze, he heard the electronic voice.

[Player Jiao Bai’s last friend has joined the group. Congratulations.]

[Mission data is being verified. Please wait patiently.]