Chapter 127 I'm willing to die for you, can't you try to come back to life for me?

When Li Xiao asked Yu Qingzhou to kiss him, he was actually extremely nervous.

So his eyes darted around the whole time, and he almost never looked directly at the other person.

So much so that when the other party suddenly leaned in, Li Xiao was completely caught off guard.

He stood frozen in place, as if he had been immobilized.

Only when the pleasant scent suddenly faded away, leaving a lingering warm sensation on his cheek, did he belatedly touch his face, his movements as stiff as if he had just pressed his arm against it.

"alright."

Yu Qingzhou's businesslike tone jolted Li Xiao out of his sleepwalking state.

The latter blinked several times in a row, and as the blinking frequency increased, a bright peach-pink color gradually spread across the boy's face.

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, Li Xiao belatedly showed an incredulous expression.

Wait, that's it... that's all?!

He wasn't prepared at all, and it was over before he even had a chance to feel anything!

Also, who said he wanted to be kissed on the cheek? He clearly wanted to be kissed on the cheek... clearly...

Li Xiao didn't know where to begin, and just kept glancing at Yu Qingzhou's lips.

Strictly speaking, Yu Qingzhou doesn't have a stunningly beautiful appearance, but she is certainly pleasing to the eye.

Whether it's the eyebrows, eyes, nose, or lips, each feature is just average on its own, but together they create a wonderful attraction.

It's so captivating that you can't help but look at it again and again, wondering how someone could be born with such perfect proportions.

At this moment, Li Xiao stared at those pale lips, lost in thought.

Suddenly, I realized that Yu Qingzhou's lip color was not as pale as I had imagined, but rather it gradually changed, becoming more vibrant closer to the lip line and midline, as if she had just lightly applied lip rouge and hadn't had time to spread it evenly.

It makes you want to go over and rub it with your fingertips.

Suddenly, his lips parted, revealing white teeth through the crimson lips. His two upper front teeth were slightly longer, and when he spoke, the lower ends of his teeth would intentionally or unintentionally brush against his lower lip, adding a touch of softness and childlike innocence to his handsome face.

Yu Qingzhou said, "It's about time, let's go back early."

Li Xiao blinked, incredulously asking, "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Yu Qingzhou said helplessly, "You said you'd give me a kiss, and I did. It's the middle of the night, aren't you going home? Are you going to stay here and linger?"

"How is that considered defaulting?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao became unhappy and muttered, "Can't... can't you just let me stay here for one night? Besides, it's been so long since we last saw each other. Do you really not want to see me?"

"To be honest, it's not that I particularly want to," Yu Qingzhou said calmly.

Li Xiao choked on his words: "You..."

"If you really want to stay, it's not impossible," Yu Qingzhou changed the subject, "but you can only sleep on a recliner. If you don't mind—"

"I don't mind!" Li Xiao quickly replied.

Just kidding, he grew up sleeping on rocks and in caves.

Such an opportunity is rare; he could make do with the night even on the floor, let alone a deck chair.

He had slept enough during the day, and he didn't really want to come here to sleep.

He just wanted to... to see Yu Qingzhou, to hear her voice more, to be sure that she was right beside him, truly and vividly.

Li Xiao did not tell Yu Qingzhou about the dream she had while lying on the table.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a nightmare in the true sense; there were no terrifying or bloody scenes in it.

Instead, it was a strange room filled with all sorts of cabinets and countertops that Li Xiao couldn't quite place.

Strange points of light floated on the surfaces of those objects, forming unfamiliar symbols that resembled writing. These symbols constantly changed, accompanied by ticking sounds and strange buzzing.

Near the center of the room stood a huge metal cylinder.

Long tubes of varying thicknesses extend from the cabinets and countertops placed throughout the room, converging at the top and bottom of the cylinder to form a dense, colorful network.

Li Xiao stood in front of that huge cylinder, looking up at it.

His view was blocked by the cold metal barrier, and although he couldn't see anything, he had an unwavering conviction in his mind that the person he wanted to see was here.

With her heart pounding, Li Xiao walked over, turned her head, and pressed her ear against the glass.

—I can't hear anything.

The cold touch of the metal against his skin unexpectedly felt familiar to Li Xiao.

Even though it was the first time I had this dream, it felt like I had done it countless times before.

Tap the metal wall repeatedly with your bent knuckles.

Perseverance, yet all efforts were in vain.

This is a place without day or night, where people are almost unaware of the passage of time.

Waiting was incredibly boring. And his words, like the tapping sounds he made on the cylinder's surface, never received a response.

Perhaps, long ago, he stopped expecting a response.

"It's okay, I'll stay here and watch over you. You can just fall asleep without any problems."

He heard his own voice.

If... if you really don't want to wake up, me going to stay with you is the same thing.

What if there's already a version of myself in your dreams? That's a real headache. In that case, I might kill that version of myself out of jealousy.

But if I didn't have it, I would be very, very sad.

Although he said he was sad, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Then, she switched to a proud tone, seeking praise: "Look at you, I'm willing to die for you, can't you try to live for me?"

He paused here, as if listening intently.

Nothing happened.

He then sighed again.

He was only halfway through sighing when he started coughing violently and uncontrollably.

I instinctively reached into my pocket and opened the medicine bottle, only to find it was empty... When exactly did I take the last pill?

I don't remember at all.

He thought it wasn't really anything particularly important.

He swallowed the metallic taste in his throat and chuckled to himself.

[So, you only believe me when you see me die? What a heartless guy. But alas, I, this young master, have chosen to suffer this pain by falling in love with you. What am I to do?]

—What should we do?

The words were clearly complaints, yet they carried a sweet smile.

[Even if I were to die like this, I wouldn't be afraid of going to hell. What I'm afraid of is that I still won't be able to see you there...]