"Do I really have to change?" Yin Ming looked at the ancient costume in his hand, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

The place Ling Yue said he would take him to turned out to be a street where a costume culture festival was being held.

As soon as they entered a costume experience store, Ling Yue handed them a costume and asked them to change into it with an expectant look on his face.

Yin Ming: ...

Although he doesn't mind wearing ancient costumes in the world of gods and demons and is even used to it, it's still strange to be asked to wear such a unique outfit in a world full of modern clothes like jeans, t-shirts, shirts, and floral dresses...

He'll suffer social death!

Yin Ming isn't exactly a big shot, there's really no need to make things so difficult for him!

"Consider it an exchange to make up for it, okay?"

Ling Yue tugged at Yin Ming's sleeve, a gesture that undoubtedly reminded Yin Ming of Ling Yao once again.

Okay, at least I have someone to wear it with, so it won't be too eye-catching.

Yin Ming comforted himself in this way.

So Yin Ming was coaxed into changing into the red ancient costume in his hands without really understanding what was going on.

***

Yin Ming had never seriously examined himself in ancient costume before, but now he was carefully looking at himself in the full-length mirror...

Yeah, he's handsome.

The key point is that this ancient costume fits perfectly, as if it were tailor-made for Yin Ming, making it hard not to suspect that Ling Yue had prepared it in advance and placed it here.

As for why Ling Yue knew Yin Ming's height and measurements, that's not surprising—

Yin Ming spent two months in the lab, so it's normal that they would have his physical data.

But what was the purpose of making him change into these clothes? It couldn't have been a whim, could it? Yin Ming didn't believe that kind of nonsense.

This feeling became even stronger after seeing Ling Yue, who was also dressed in ancient costume.

because……

He was actually wearing Lingyao's clothes!

What exactly is he trying to do? Why is he impersonating Lingyao?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ling Yue smiled faintly, meeting Yin Ming's gaze without flinching. "You still look as good in this outfit as I remember."

Yin Ming, who had been secretly observing Ling Yue, was suddenly stunned. Huh? From his memory?

"What's the meaning?"

Where did he get his memories of Yin Ming?

By the way, Ling Yue once said that he would organize the experimental data. Perhaps he had seen Yin Ming's experimental records, which is why he saw Yin Ming's ancient costume in the God and Demon Continent?

Although something still feels off, this is the only explanation I can offer for now.

Ling Yue just complimented him on his looks? This... this is kind of embarrassing, hehe.

"There's a lantern festival going on in the streets today, let's go take a look."

Ling Yue did not answer Yin Ming's question directly, but instead took his hand and quickly walked out of the costume shop.

Lantern Festival?!

Wait a minute, this scene looks kind of familiar...

"Young master, would you like to try some riddles? There's a reward for the correct answer!"

"Freshly baked osmanthus cake! Would you like a serving, sir?"

"Lanterns for sale! Young master, would you like to buy a lantern? Releasing lanterns together with your sweetheart will surely bring you a long and happy marriage!"

Yin Ming stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him, his memory seemingly returning to that day.

That was a day before Lingyao's Nirvana, when they had settled in Zhulu City.

Yin Ming vaguely remembered that it was the Lantern Festival in the God and Demon Continent.

Lingyao said he had never properly seen a lantern festival before, so he begged Yinming to take him there.

They first solved more than a dozen riddles, then bought a osmanthus cake. As for releasing the lanterns, Yin Ming refused, saying they weren't a couple.

After the stall owner, a young girl, persuaded him that one could make a wish by releasing a lantern, Lingyao bought one and placed it in the moat, letting it drift away on the current.

Yin Ming remembered that he had asked Ling Yao what wish he had made, but Ling Yao refused to say.

Looking back now, every single moment of the past is so memorable.

"Yin Ming, shall we release lanterns together?"

Ling Yue's voice pulled Yin Ming back to reality. Yin Ming shook his head, about to refuse, but his heart was gripped tightly by Ling Yue's words in an instant.

"Didn't you want to know what I wished for back then?"

Wh...what?!

Why does Ling Yue's tone of voice sound so similar to Ling Yao's today?

Yin Ming unconsciously followed Ling Yue's steps, while the handsome man in white, holding a lantern in his hand, walked to the shore and, just like Ling Yao that day, gently pushed the lantern away.

Ling Yao smiled faintly as she turned her head in her memory, and so did Ling Yue in front of her.

Ling Yao remained silent at that time, but Ling Yue said, "I hope to be with Yin Ming forever."

"...Enough! You've seen my experimental records, haven't you? Why are you deliberately imitating Lingyao? What exactly are you trying to do?!"

Yin Ming could no longer keep making excuses for Ling Yue to deceive himself, so he simply asked him directly what his purpose was.

He knew everything about Yin Ming, yet Yin Ming knew nothing about him. This kind of Ling Yue was truly terrifying.

When faced with unknown dangers, the best course of action is to stay away.

"Sorry, I scared you."

Seeing Yin Ming take a step back with a wary expression, Ling Yue stood up and raised his hands to head height to show him that he meant him no harm.

"But... I was afraid you wouldn't believe me if I told you directly, so I rented this street and found some people to help me recreate the scene from that day."

Ling Yue tentatively took a step towards Yin Ming, "I was thinking that if I let you revisit this place, maybe you wouldn't be so resistant, and you'd be more likely to trust me..."

"Believe in what?" Yin Ming asked, frowning.

A thought vaguely formed in his mind, but he dared not believe it; he was afraid…

He was afraid it was all fake, afraid that Ling Yue was just putting on an act to amuse him.

“Believe me… I am Lingyao.” Ling Yue looked at Yin Ming with a serious expression.

"Impossible!" Yin Ming shook his head subconsciously.

How could Ling Yue possibly be Ling Yao? Although they share the same face, they are clearly from two different worlds!

"Believe me, I really am Lingyao, the Lingyao you met in the VR world."

Ling Yue raised his hand to touch Yin Ming's face, but Yin Ming took a step back and dodged him.

"Then let me ask you, how can you prove that you are Lingyao? Why didn't you admit that you were Lingyao before? Why are you admitting that you are Lingyao now?"

Yin Ming closed his eyes with a complicated expression.

Ling Yue does indeed feel more and more like Ling Yao to him.

Now he has admitted it himself...

Perhaps Yin Ming should be happy now, happy that the boy he has been longing for has broken down the dimensional barrier and come to his side.

But he wasn't sure if this was just another elaborate, fabricated dream.

Perhaps once he believes it, someone will jump out and say, "Fool, it's all fake."

Furthermore, on the day he woke up in the lab, he was clearly so sad. If Ling Yue really was Ling Yao, why didn't he acknowledge him back then, instead of letting him go hysterically?

In short, if Ling Yue doesn't explain everything clearly, Yin Ming really won't dare to trust his identity.

After missing his target, Ling Yue withdrew his hand with a slightly dejected look.

"sorry."