Progress has now been proven

It was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

There was no temperature, no sound, no air movement. Jiang Songhe didn't know how long he had been trapped here, or how much longer he would be trapped. He thought he was probably already dead.

So this is what death is like: feeling no emotions, a blank mind.

He leaned against the edge of darkness, aimlessly stretching out his arms to measure the space, which must have been a narrow well.

"Do you really want to die like this?"

A beam of light fell from above, illuminating Jiang Songhe's entire body. He looked up at the source of the light.

The well opening was high and far away. A silver-haired head rested in the crook of an elbow, its expression unreadable. A porcelain-white forearm dangled into the well, and slender fingers lazily hooked: "If you die like this, you'll never see me again."

The voice sounded like laughter, cunning and carefree. Jiang Songhe's calm mind was stirred. He was a little angry that the person had broken his peaceful contentment with the status quo.

"Then forget it." He lowered his head and urged, "Have you seen enough? If you have, please leave."

The solid ground beneath her suddenly plummeted, and Jiang Songhe's heart sank, a sense of panic creeping in.

"As you wish."

The beam of light disappeared, the descent gradually stopped, and space returned to deathly silence.

The deeper darkness had warmth, it was cold; it had sound, it was noisy.

Jiang Songhe curled up into a ball, the thumping of his heart echoing endlessly in the narrow space. He exhaled a breath of cold air, stirring up the surging airflow and intensifying the coldness and noise of the space.

How could that person do such a thing?

They appeared uninvited, disturbed his mind, and then suddenly disappeared.

So lonely, so lonely, so lonely, so lonely...

The sound of a heartbeat is visualized as words of despair.

Just as the despairing loneliness was about to transform into a maddening hatred, a ring of light shone around him once again.

"I'll give you one chance to answer again, but only once. You'd better think it over carefully before you speak."

"Uh-huh." The silver-haired man cleared his throat. "I'll ask again, do you really want to die like this?"

Jiang Songhe pursed his lips, bracing himself with his limbs against the transparent boundary of the light that cut through the darkness, to prevent falling again if he answered incorrectly. After a long period of introspection, he could no longer bear the cold loneliness and finally conceded, "I don't want to die like this."

The solid ground beneath his feet lifted him up a little.

"Good boy." The silver-haired man praised with a mischievous grin, then added, "Why do you suddenly not want to die?"

Jiang Songhe thought that compromising and answering would free him from this predicament, but the other person only allowed him to escalate to a negligible level and even maliciously continued to press him for answers. He was rebellious and just as he was about to give up, his legs began to tremble.

"My time is precious, and my patience is limited. I suggest you answer faster." The silver-haired man's voice was somewhat annoyed. "Otherwise, I'll leave you here forever."

Jiang Songhe scratched at the transparent well wall with her fingers: "I... want to see you."

The ascent distance has been significantly increased.

"Tell me, why do you want to see me?"

"For no reason."

"Wrong answer, should be punished."

Falling.

"I want to talk to you!"

It's rising, but not by much.

"I want to know if your injury is getting better! I want to know how many people you've played games with! I want to know if you're just playing around with me too! I want to know if you're thinking about me too..."

Rise, rise, rise, rise...

"Congratulations, you're very close to the right answer." The silver-haired man lowered his hand, lifted Jiang Songhe's chin, and pressed his thumb against his trembling lips. "One last question: why do you want to know all this?"

Jiang Songhe grabbed the mischievous hand and answered recklessly, "Damn it. I! I fucking like you! Okay..."

"warn."

It plummeted.

The solid ground beneath our feet vanished, replaced by a surging, dark wave!

Jiang Songhe gasped for breath, gripped the hand even tighter, quickly glanced down at her legs and feet, which were being swept along by the raging waves, and hurriedly raised her other hand to grab the fair wrist that was like a lifeline.

"I like you," he said resignedly.

“I can pull you up, but if you want to get out completely, you have to prove it to me first.”

Jiang Songhe let out a hoarse and indistinct "hmm".

As soon as he was pulled to the well, he panicked like a drowning man, grabbing the silver-haired man's collar with one hand and wrapping the other around his straight neck, staring intently into those long eyes, breathing heavily without rhythm.

“You’ve made progress.” Jonathan shook his head and nuzzled Jiang Songhe’s nose with his cool nose, encouragingly and urging her. “Now, prove it.”

The awkwardness of being controlled by others and the relief of being free created a strong sense of separation that fueled Jiang Songhe's inner turmoil.

The fire quickly spread through his body, igniting a long-dormant wilderness.

As the flames passed, they left behind scorched and incurable scars. He patted Jonathan's shoulder, chest, and face in return. Whether he was freed or imprisoned no longer mattered. He thought, no, he wanted to take this person who had brought this trouble upon himself with him.

Physical invasion is far from enough; they must also pry open bones and suck marrow, leaving the soul nowhere to escape. To survive, they can only parasitize the body's limbs, bones, and internal organs.

So he fiercely bit down on the thin lips that were hard to distinguish, sucking until they bled and tasting the metallic sweetness. When the jaw opened up due to the pain, he forcefully thrust his tongue in, twisting and writhing against the soft, resilient flesh that was trying to seduce him like a snake.

"What are you hiding from?" The large hand that had been gripping his collar opened up, reached upwards, and clamped down on the back of his neck, pinning his jaw. "I'm proving it."

That soft, supple part stopped moving, allowing him to freely pick and twist it into his mouth, claiming it as his own...

-

On the private jet, painted with the Tang Dynasty totem, Vasin sat cross-legged with his arms crossed and eyes closed, already asleep.

"Hey, Mr. Jiang's got hot, don't you guys have any sense? Hurry up and help him take off his trench coat!"

On the leather recliner diagonally opposite Wasin, Jonathan was holding a candy jar, lying down and staring at the small screen mounted on the telescopic arm, popping one licorice candy after another into his mouth.

On the screen, a woman in a revealing dress pushes the shoulder of a man in a suit, tilts her head, and leans down with her voluptuous upper body, her cascading long hair covering the man's lower body...

The scene freezes here, and a caller ID pops up on the screen. The caller is Tang Fan.

Jonathan swallowed the remaining candy in his mouth, picked up the earphones from the armrest storage compartment, put them on, and pressed the answer button.

"On the plane? You left two days early."

“There was no need to rush.” Jonathan shifted his gaze a little beyond the call bar and landed on the woman’s hand. “I just mentioned to Fang Si that I’ve lost weight recently, and he was worried that the performance outfit he prepared for me wouldn’t fit, so he suggested that I go two days earlier to allow time for adjustments.”

"Oh? The people from the Tang Dynasty said that the person in Room B also happened to return to the Porcelain Kingdom, and even missed his younger brother's rematch. Is there a problem with the collaborative project?"

"I'm not too sure about that; he probably left many days before me. But if you're really interested, I can stop by Yunhe Entertainment on my way and see what they have to say."

"There's no need for that. I agreed to your leave of absence for the rematch to participate in the WANTON WU show so that you could relax in China after that incident. As for work, you only need to record a short video message for the audience after you arrive. You don't need to worry about anything else."

"Yes, I will. I'll be right back. The G-Mills and the pre-release hype for my new single are more important to me."

"Okay, make sure Vasin changes your dressings on time. Your health is the most important thing."

After waiting a few seconds without receiving any birthday wishes, Jonathan simply hummed in response and ended the call with Tang Fan. At this point, the video signal on the screen had also been interrupted.

Jonah took out his phone, turned off the screen mirroring mode, and awkwardly sent a message to his only contact, Wu Fangsi, using the newly downloaded green bubble chat software: "Landing in six hours, CUL (see you later)."

...

Six hours later, Jonathan and Wasin landed at Jingting.

Because we departed from Maner two days earlier to return to China, no one from the Tang Dynasty was there to pick us up at the airport.

After completing immigration procedures and exiting the business jet terminal, Jonathan and Vasin followed the airport area signs, keeping their heads down and sneaking to the most secluded corner of the underground parking waiting area.

As a bodyguard and assistant, finding directions and calling a car should have been his job, but his broken Chinese was only good enough for a simple conversation, and he had to rely on Jonah's remarkable leaps in thinking and his ability to make connections.

Arriving in the Porcelain Kingdom, a country with top-notch public security, his large frame was reduced to a useless laborer and a burden whose very breathing was a nuisance.

Unable to rely on him and having to bring Vasin along, Jonathan rolled his eyes more than ten times behind his exaggerated sunglasses before reluctantly calling Wu Fangsi with a temporary SIM card number from the porcelain district, intending to ask her to pick him up at the airport.

After dialing several times and getting a busy signal, Jonathan stopped calling in confusion and began repeatedly checking the signal status of his phone card, wondering if he lacked common sense and hadn't activated the roaming service he had signed up for before leaving.

The phone suddenly vibrated in his hand. Jonathan flipped the screen and thank goodness, Wu Fangsi had called him. He quickly answered, "Fangsi? Oh God, come to the airport and save me!"

A casual joke elicited a gasp from the person on the other end of the line: "J, are you alright? Did something happen to you too?!"

“I’m fine, it’s just that Vasin can’t speak the language, so he can’t arrange transportation.” Jonathan explained quickly, hearing Wu Fangsi’s anxious and hoarse voice, before belatedly picking out the abrupt word and asking, “What does ‘also’ mean?”

"It's Jiang Songhe. He has alcohol poisoning and we're in the hospital now."

-

Jonathan stepped out of the six-seater luxury car that Wu Fangsi had called, and the moment his feet touched the ground, he was already standing at the hospital, his destination.

It was much colder in Jingting than in Maner. He didn't bother to look up to see what the hospital was called. He quickly zipped up his coat to the top, covering the lower half of his face, and followed the directions Wu Fangsi had sent him on WeChat to find the emergency room building.

Although Wu Fangsi had said that the person was out of danger, Jonathan gripped the doorknob of the closed ward, took a few deep breaths, and then pushed the door open in one go.

The first thing I saw was Wu Fangsi spinning around in place. Despite the cold weather outside, he was only wearing an open-collar shirt. A few seconds later, another unfamiliar face with a buzz cut came into view, took off his coat, and draped it over Wu Fangsi's shoulders.

"Fang Si," Jonathan called softly.

Wu Fangsi and Yuan Cun both looked towards the door, their eyes meeting. Wu Fangsi, her serious expression vanishing, stepped forward, her tired face straining to force a smile. She teased Jonathan Xi, asking him to preside over the proceedings: "This guy threw up all over me, what a disaster, it stinks..."

Jonathan wanted to say a few words of encouragement, but his attention was completely drawn to the toes peeking out from the foot of the hospital bed.

He was a little dazed and confused. He rubbed his lips with his teeth, walked to the bedside, and tiptoed to sit down next to the tall, pale, and extremely quiet body, only daring to occupy the edge.

Then, foolishly, I leaned down and listened to my heartbeat and my breathing.

Wu Fangsi's mutterings behind him gradually subsided, and the ward fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. The faint breathing became clearer, and Jonathan released the stale air that had been trapped inside him for so long, following the rhythm of Jiang Songhe's breathing.

Then he carefully touched his cheek and the back of his hand.

Suddenly, his five fingers were grabbed. Jonathan was startled by the unexpectedly swift movement. His gaze locked onto the large hand that was squeezing him so hard that it hurt. He swallowed hard before looking at Jiang Songhe's face.

Jiang Songhe's eyes were now open, her gaze fixed yet numb.

"How could this happen so suddenly..." Jonathan leaned closer, wanting to see if Jiang Songhe was awake.

Jiang Songhe opened and closed his mouth, making muffled sounds in his throat.

Jonathan leaned closer, trying to hear clearly.

"I miss you so much……"

A cool breath brushed against my ear, leaving a reddish-hot stain, which then aroused a tingling shiver all over my body.

"What did you say?" Jonathan wondered if he had just jolted awake and misheard, but fearing he really had misheard, he urged her anxiously, "You said... you miss me?"

Annoyance surfaced on Jiang Songhe's numb face, and his mouth, which opened and closed with difficulty, began to express his dissatisfaction incoherently: "I... won't... say... you... fucking..."

Let's just pretend we misheard.

Despite being unconscious, Jonathan's high-scoring offense and defense style amused and exasperated him, instantly easing most of his heavy mood.

Just as he was about to get up and offer his belated thanks to Wu Fangsi, the back of his neck was suddenly grabbed. Before he could react, his upper body was pulled forcefully, and Jonathan fell into Jiang Songhe's arms.

"..."

Jiang Songhe's pupils trembled as they met, and he stammered incoherently, "The injury...healed...playing games...playing...I...know...you...um...don't...miss me..."

Jonathan laughed out loud, but at the same time, his eyes and nose stung with tears. Realizing that there were other people around, he used his free hand to scratch Jiang Songhe's chin, using this sly and carefree act to cover up his emotions: "What are you mumbling about? Okay..."

The word "foolish" was abruptly cut off by a shocking remark.

"I like you!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The murmurs of suppressed laughter that had been lingering in the ward were now silenced by the clear, almost growling confession.

"Uh, that's progress." Jonathan's voice was tinged with a nasal tone. "Congratulations, you've grown a mouth."

Jiang Songhe's mouth opened as if receiving a delayed instruction, and remained open for a long time. Despite receiving praise from a top celebrity, his annoyance did not diminish but instead intensified. His eyebrows slowly furrowed, and the lines between his brows formed a "川" character.

Jonathan noticed that the hand on the back of his neck quietly loosened, then slid down around the collar of his coat and grabbed the front of his shirt.

The next second, his nose was slammed hard, his lower lip was enveloped in a dull, frosty pain, and his mouth immediately filled with the taste of blood. He cried out in pain as his jaw was forcefully pried open...

"Whoosh~~"

Wu Fangsi whistled and, in perfect sync with Yuan Cun, bent to the side, blatantly peeping.

Click, the bathroom door in the ward was pushed open.

"What's that noise?" Liang Jinping asked groggily, leaning against the doorframe and stepping out with one leg. "She's asleep inside... Is the princess I ordered here?"

He looked up and was met with Wasin's fierce and menacing face.

Liang Jinping was stunned, then nodded and bowed, waved his hand, and silently retreated, closing the door behind him.

"Excuse me, sir, we've entered the wrong room..."