Chapter 34

In an instant, a wave of remorse washed over Xie Xubai, almost overwhelming him.

But it is precisely in times like these that he must not panic.

Xie Xubai pinched his fingertips hard to steady his breathing, and when he blinked again, his eyes were clear.

This is not the past he knows.

In his memory, all employees below the fifth floor were laid off during the same period. Lu Xiangcai watched everyone leave from the doorway, and he didn't work in the company either. He only arrived late after buying a new mobile phone.

—The fact that Jiang Kaile has become the King of Devils has not been reversed.

Either Jiang Kaile, who has transformed into a demon king, traveled to the past of a parallel world with him, or this place is a fake space created for some purpose.

—The dungeon "Dragon Slayer" is now open.

Recalling the mechanical voice of the system he heard while unconscious, Xie Xubai's vision darkened.

With all the clues now connected, he was almost certain that they had encountered the latter situation.

With his mind racing, Xie Xubai inevitably overlooked the movements around him.

Two seconds later, he suddenly noticed that the crimson color in Jiang Kaile's eyes had disappeared.

The boy stared intently at him, his eyes not only returning to their normal color but also trembling uncontrollably. His lips moved, slowly forming the word "teacher," as if it were about to escape his lips.

Seeing that Jiang Kaile's memory was unaffected and that she could still recognize him, Xie Xubai was stunned for a moment before being overjoyed and couldn't help but call out, "Jiang..."

thump!

My heart skipped a beat without warning.

Following the global standstill!

It's like a movie that's playing has been paused; everything abruptly freezes in the middle, turning into a static three-dimensional image.

My colleague's hand, raised high, remained motionless as he handed me the document. Someone drank water, and a glistening droplet slid from the corner of their mouth, frozen in mid-air.

The employee, who was apologizing to the customer, held his phone in both hands, grinning and twisting his mouth like a comical mask.

The sounds of wind, voices, and car horns outside all vanished in an instant.

Xie Xubai could no longer hear a sound, but he could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest, each beat stronger than the last.

Thump, thump, thump...!

Everything was so eerie it was unsettling.

In that brief moment, less than a hundredth of a second, Xie Xubai's consciousness struggled frantically, his first instinct being to ensure the safety of his students.

He saw Jiang Kaile standing motionless, her eyes vacant and lifeless, like a puppet who had lost its soul.

The next second, Xie Xubai's vision went completely black.

The dizziness I had just experienced a few minutes ago struck again, making me feel nauseous.

Xie Xubai was like a leaf that had accidentally fallen into the eye of a storm, his consciousness wavering and he felt dizzy.

He gritted his teeth and struggled to resist, and finally, at a certain moment, his soul broke free of its shackles, and he suddenly opened his eyes to a bright light!

"Huff! Huff..."

The fluorescent lights overhead cast a pale, blinding glow, making everything in front of me dazzlingly bright.

Xie Xubai's fingertips gripped the desk, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, feeling weak and exhausted, with cold sweat pouring down his face.

After an unknown amount of time, the buzzing sound in my ears gradually subsided, and the noisy chatter of my colleagues surged in like a tide.

"I've told you so many times, you can't fill this in like that, you have to pay attention to the format!"

"Mr. Wang, Mr. Wang? Can you hear me? I'm so sorry, about the project we discussed a few days ago..."

"The client has been urging me three times, and you're telling me the proposal isn't even written yet? Are you kidding me?!"

Xie Xubai took a deep breath, pressed his throbbing temples, and glanced at the date and time displayed on the computer.

10:44 AM on the 13th.

He lowered his eyelashes.

Perhaps because of the many changes that occurred in such a short period of time, I calmed down faster than I had imagined.

In less than five seconds, a thought struck him.

A cold, detached monologue rang out at just the right moment, drowning out the noisy voices, and methodically recounted the strange phenomenon he had just discovered.

Jiang Kaile and I entered a loop similar to a game instance at the same time. Fortunately, I hadn't forgotten everything that had happened before, and he still remembered me too.

Unfortunately, just as I wanted to reunite with him, the world suddenly stopped. I witnessed an extremely bizarre scene, then fell into a coma. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back at the very beginning of the loop!

Does this cycle of rules not allow Jiang Kaile and me to recognize each other?

Jiang Kaile will appear at the company gate in 3 minutes. I need to observe the situation further.

Just then, Lu Xiangcai's anxious voice came: "What's wrong with you? Did you have a nightmare? Look at your forehead, it's covered in sweat, wipe it off quickly."

He handed over a tissue as he spoke.

Xie Xubai looked at the undisguised worry on the face in front of him and paused.

He was now certain that the space before him was fake, and that everyone, including Lü Xiangcai, was fake too.

And there is a high probability that he and Jiang Kaile are confined to a specific space, just like the real Lü Xiangcai, and thus trapped in a meaningless cycle.

Why are you staring at me? Is there something dirty on my face?

Seeing Xie Xubai hesitate, Lü Xiangcai couldn't help but touch his face, then suddenly raised his eyebrows with a teasing look: "Or have you finally realized my charm and fallen in love with me?"

"..." Xie Xubai took the tissue, glanced at Lü Xiangcai's smug look, and suddenly sighed with a smile, "I haven't noticed any charm, but your skin is as thick as ever."

"Hey, you're hurting my feelings by saying that!" Lu Xiangcai exclaimed dramatically. "I don't care, you have to treat me to a meal this afternoon to soothe my wounded heart."

Xie Xubai smiled and shook his head, then pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Just as he expected, a familiar commotion arose at the door within two minutes.

The crowd gathered in front of the glass, gazing enviously at the beautiful and imposing Rolls-Royce not far away, watching the young man appear at the gate holding the brocade box.

Xie Xubai paid special attention and noticed that the boy's walking speed was almost the same as last time.

He knew Jiang Kaile well; if Jiang Kaile had retained the memory of recognizing him last time, she wouldn't have been able to be so composed.

This time, the boy looked precisely at his location, just as accurately.

Xie Xubai remained outwardly calm, but secretly observed his actions.

Without his prompting, the boy stared at him with trembling pupils and uttered those two words without hesitation: "Teacher!"

thump!

When a heartbeat fails, the world stands still.

Then came the familiar fainting spell, the familiar struggle for consciousness, and the familiar time rewind.

Xie Xubai broke free from the darkness, his body drenched in cold sweat.

He immediately realized that the physical exertion required for each restart of the cycle would increase.

After falling into a coma and waking up three times in a row, Xie Xubai's mind was still functioning, but his body was unable to take it. His arms slumped down, and he almost collapsed onto his desk.

Lu Xiangcai, who was standing next to him, immediately turned around and saw that the young man's face was as pale as a sheet. He was so frightened that his heart almost jumped out of his throat. He hurriedly supported him and asked, "What happened? Are you feeling unwell? Let's go to the hospital!"

Xie Xubai grabbed his wrist and said breathlessly, "No, wait a few more minutes."

"What are you waiting for now, given your condition!"

Lu Xiangcai, unusually fierce in his tone, grabbed the young man and tried to forcefully carry him to the hospital.

Xie Xubai suddenly looked up and glanced at him.

That resolute and unwavering gaze froze Lü Xiangcai in place.

Xie Xubai smiled and said, "Please, let me wait a few more minutes. I want to confirm some very important things."

"You...tsk!"

Seeing how weak he was, Lü Xiangcai felt really sorry for him. He had no choice but to get him some tissues to wipe his sweat: "You're always like this, just like last time..."

He suddenly stopped, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes.

Last time? Where did you get a last time from?

Xie Xubai was usually very gentle and easy to talk to, so how could he be so stubborn and inflexible?

Xie Xubai could not quite hear what Lü Xiangcai was saying.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, and when the other person handed him warm water, he accepted it, thanked them, and sipped it.

After waiting for three minutes, Jiang Kaile did not appear.

Xie Xubai waited for two more minutes before finally hearing the familiar exclamation.

Surrounded by colleagues, Jiang Kaile made a high-profile appearance, her pupils surprisingly being a normal black.

Xie Xubai almost instantly remembered that before Ping An met him, she would also use trickery to disguise her bloodied and mangled body as if it were perfectly intact.

The boy immediately looked in Xie Xubai's direction, his expression seemingly excited, but he refrained from calling out to anyone, and walked towards the elevator with his eyes straight ahead while holding the brocade box.

Xie Xubai lowered his eyelashes to calm himself down.

The moment he reached his conclusion, the narration began.

[After this regression, I can confirm that the rules of the loop are preventing Jiang Kaile and me from recognizing each other.]

As for the purpose, Xie Xubai could not draw any conclusions yet, as there was too little information.

If I were to openly acknowledge them, then after time rewinds, I would be the only one who retains the previous memories.

If Jiang Kaile were to acknowledge me, then both he and I would regain our memories after the time travel.

Although I can have all the memories, going back in time will consume a lot of energy.

For the sake of my safety, it's best to pretend I know nothing until I find a way out of this predicament.

I think Jiang Kaile's decision to leave just now was also because he realized this.

During the time Xie Xubai was deep in thought, Lü Xiangcai had been silently observing him.

Lu Xiangcai never expected that the important thing that Xie Xubai was willing to see despite his illness was actually the eldest son of the Jiang family.

He was puzzled. How did a proud son of a noble family and an ordinary low-level employee meet?

But judging from Jiang Kaile's arrogant demeanor just now, could it be that Xie Xubai is the only one who cares? That would make sense.

This, however, made Lü Xiangcai unhappy again.

It's unclear whether she's upset that Xie Xubai cares about Jiang Kaile, or that Jiang Kaile looks down on Xie Xubai.

A few more minutes passed.

Seeing that the young man hadn't looked away and seemed speechless and disappointed, Lü Xiangcai frowned. An inexplicable impulse made him blurt out, "I heard that the Jiang family is looking for a tutor for their young master. If you'd like to go, I can help you get an introduction."

Xie Xubai paused for a moment.

Xie Xubai suddenly looked up.

Xie Xubai grabbed Lü Xiangcai's hand tightly!

Are you serious?

Looking into those bright, shining eyes, Lü Xiangcai felt a mix of emotions, both bitter and astringent.

They've known each other for so long, but Xie Xubai has never been this excited about him before.

But seeing the expectation in Xie Xubai's eyes, and glancing at the other's bloodless lips out of the corner of his eye, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to refuse: "Of course, when have I ever lied to you? The condition is that you have to come to the hospital with me later."

Xie Xubai paused for a moment, then said truthfully, "It might not work later. If Young Master Jiang knew that I wanted to be his tutor, he would probably be eager to take me away."

"..." Lu Xiangcai looked at Xie Xubai's gentle and refined face and never expected that the other party could be so narcissistic as to say such shameless words.

Just to be on the safe side, Xie Xubai emphasized, "Don't tell Young Master Jiang what you said, or the consequences will be severe."

Lu Xiangcai's lips twitched.

It's quite serious; I'll probably get a good scolding from the arrogant young master Jiang.

After saying that, Xie Xubai lay back down on the table.

He was really exhausted. Jiang Kaile would probably be down for a while, so he took the opportunity to rest and recover his strength.

Looking at the young man who had entrusted everything to him, Lü Xiangcai was unsure whether to be happy that the young man trusted him so much, or speechless at Xie Xubai's magnanimity.

He moved his lips, hesitated for a long time, and then suddenly noticed that Xie Xubai's back was wet with sweat. He subconsciously took off his clothes and covered the person with them.

After doing all this, Lü Xiangcai paused, inwardly cursing himself for becoming a sycophant.

Just then, Xie Xubai felt the movement on his body, turned his head, and with his head resting on his arm, smiled his beautiful eyes at him: "Lu Xiangcai, thank you. I am really glad to have a friend like you."

Lu Xiangcai's breathing became erratic for a moment.

He didn't come to his senses until Xie Xubai changed his lying position. He clutched his pounding heart, his mind racing with thoughts.

Depend on.

Never mind, let Xie Xubai be as carefree as he wants. He just wants to become the Jiang family's tutor. What can't Lü Xiangcai handle?

Less than ten minutes later, Jiang Kaile stepped out of the elevator and was immediately pulled away by Lü Xiangcai.

"Don't be afraid, Young Master Jiang, I am Lü Xiangcai. I heard your grandfather is looking for a tutor for you, you must be very unhappy about that, right? Let me tell you, why don't you strike first and find one yourself..."

Before Lü Xiangcai could finish speaking after he had been pondering for a long time, he heard Young Master Jiang utter a single word with a resounding tone: "Good."

Before the former could react, the latter eagerly looked at Xie Xubai and asked, "What candidates do you recommend? Tell me."

Lu Xiangcai paused, followed the boy's unwavering gaze to Xie Xubai, then looked back at the boy.

He must be blind to not see that Jiang Kaile was asking a question he already knew the answer to!

The key question is, how did Jiang Kaile know that he was going to recommend Xie Xubai?

Lu Xiangcai frowned and asked, "Do you know him?"

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Kaile shook her head decisively: "I don't know you. It's the first day we've met."

He added, "But I saw you talking to that person before I came in, so I just made that assumption."

Is that really the case?

Lu Xiangcai recalled Xie Xubai's strange words from earlier and looked suspicious.

Before he could ask any further questions, Jiang Kaile strode up to Xie Xubai as if afraid he would suddenly get up and run away: "So you want to become my tutor?"

Their aggressive demeanor was truly unbearable to look at.

Remembering Jiang Kaile's reputation for being irritable and rebellious, Lü Xiangcai, despite his doubts, was also afraid that Xie Xubai might be startled and offend him, so he hurried over.

Upon closer inspection, Xie Xubai appeared to be adapting well, nodding calmly: "Yes. To be honest, I've recently adopted a lot of cats and dogs, but with my current intern's salary, it's really a bit..."

"Come to the Jiang family!" Jiang Kaile said with gleaming eyes, "I'll give you 100,000—"

thump!

A rapid heartbeat sounded, but it came from Jiang Kaile's chest.

The boy immediately stopped talking, frowning in displeasure. Judging from his muttered words, he seemed to be complaining: "100,000 is a lot?"

Xie Xubai maintained his smile, pretending not to know anything, to avoid giving himself away and causing another backtracking.

It seems that they cannot act too intimately, as that would fall under the category of not recognizing each other.

I just don't know if this silly kid is aware that his teacher also has memories.

Lu Xiangcai was stunned. He had never seen a rebellious teenager be so attentive.

Jiang Kaile took a deep breath, trying to make her expression look as normal as possible, and looked at Xie Xubai with concern: "You look very unwell. Fortunately, the Jiang family has a family doctor. Why don't you come back with me now?"

To make it more believable that he was taking Xie Xubai with him, he also lied without any expression: "There's another thing, my grades are very bad, but I have deeply realized the importance of learning and urgently need a teacher to let me be influenced by knowledge."

Xie Xubai suppressed a laugh, finding it truly a great pleasure to watch his child put on such a great performance.

Most importantly, the other person seemed to be in a good state and mood, not as bad as he had imagined.

Xie Xubai's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled back down.

He smiled calmly and said, "For the sake of your grades, let's not delay. I'll go with you now."

If it really is a cycle, then he needs to immediately gather clues and find a way to get the two out of their current predicament.

Without wasting a second, Xie Xubai greeted Lü Xiangcai, then turned around and, amidst the incredulous exclamations of his colleagues and the envious glances of passersby, got into the Rolls-Royce Phantom with Jiang Kaile.

Lu Xiangcai stood there stunned for a long time, not even snapping out of his daze when he heard the young man say goodbye. He stood there in a daze, watching the car drive away.

After a moment, it suddenly dawned on him: "Tsk, that guy wasn't narcissistic after all... wait, these two are obviously not strangers, are they just pretending to be strangers for fun?"

The car carrying the two drove all the way to the Jiang family's door.

Jiang Kaile got out of the car first and opened the car door for Xie Xubai.

Xie Xubai's discomfort worried him the whole way, and he tried his best to take him to see a doctor.

Just then, the old butler, who had been waiting at the door, stepped forward and said, "Young Master, where did you go? The Master has found seven tutors for you, and they have been waiting for you in the classroom for a long time!"

Xie Xubai noticed that the old butler was actually using honorifics when addressing Jiang Kaile, which startled him. Jiang Kaile's attitude then surprised him even more.

The boy's face darkened, and a fierce glint appeared in his eyes: "Didn't I tell you not to find me any tutors? Or are you all tired of living?"

Faced with Jiang Kaile's impolite threat, the old butler did not refute it on the spot. Instead, his body trembled and his face showed an indescribable fear.

Upon seeing this, Xie Xubai knew that things had ultimately changed.

He paused for a moment.

Seven tutors are too many. Even if the Jiang family head wanted to put people around Jiang Kaile, he wouldn't be so reckless.

Moreover, times have changed. Jiang Kaile has become an unassailable and treacherous king, and the Jiang family head would never risk his life to offend him.

If he wasn't mistaken, those seven people might be players like Yan Yue and his group.

Xie Xubai said to Jiang Kaile, "Why don't we go take a look?"

Wherever there are players, you can always find useful clues; in some ways, these people are even more accurate than gem detectors.

The old butler couldn't help but feel terrified. The young master usually hated others making decisions for him. How could he not get angry after hearing this?

But to everyone's surprise, Jiang Kaile pouted and said in an extremely gentle tone, "No, you have to see a doctor first."

“Okay, after I finish seeing the doctor, let’s go meet those seven tutors, okay?” Xie Xubai said with a smile. “I also want to get to know my new colleagues.”

Jiang Kaile frowned, wanting to announce on the spot that he would only have Xie Xubai as his teacher.

But that won't work.

"Alright." Seeing the old butler's jaw nearly drop in astonishment, Jiang Kaile sighed in resignation, "Since the teacher wants to see it, then of course we have to go and take a look."

Author's Note:

Sorry I'm late, I got so engrossed in writing QAQ Apologies for the late update, I'll send out 100 small red envelopes as compensation, first come, first served. Yuncheng will definitely pay attention to the time next time.