Chapter 128 Time
Obsidian, also known as Apache Tears, is a black stone that was transformed from tears shed for deceased relatives. According to legend, whoever possesses obsidian will be forever happy and will never cry again.
It was much later that Lin Qiushi learned the meaning of the name Obsidian. He asked Ruan Nanzhu who came up with the name Obsidian.
Ruan Nanzhu said that the name was given by his predecessor.
At that time, there was another group of people staying in the obsidian, but time changed, people came and went, and the only thing that remained unchanged was the name.
After noticing something strange about Lin Qiushi, Ruan Nanzhu took a long vacation and took Lin Qiushi to a tropical island.
The island was warm and humid, with a beautiful azure sea, white sand, and tall coconut trees. Occasionally, you'd spot a cute hermit crab scurrying across the beach. The fine sand felt a bit hot under bare feet, and the soft sand slid between my toes, giving me a slightly itchy sensation.
Ruan Nanzhu was standing in the sea, with his trouser legs rolled up, looking down and touching something. Lin Qiushi was sitting under a parasol not far away. He saw Ruan Nanzhu suddenly stop, turn around and walk towards him.
This was a small island, sparsely populated and exceptionally quiet. Having lived here for over a month, Ruan Nanzhu's fair skin had become quite tanned. However, the chocolate-colored Ruan Nanzhu looked even more appetizing. He casually removed his damp T-shirt, revealing his beautiful, tanned abs. Water droplets still slid down his skin, flowing down his neck to his chest and disappearing into his lean waistline.
Ruan Nanzhu walked up to Lin Qiushi and handed him something. Lin Qiushi took it and saw that it was a beautiful, colorful conch shell. He took it with a smile and asked, "Can you blow it?"
"I don't know." Ruan Nanzhu sat down next to Lin Qiushi, crossed his legs, picked up a coconut, cracked it open, inserted a straw and drank slowly.
Lin Qiushi began to try to blow the conch, but as he had no experience, he couldn't make any sound. He tilted his head with a slightly distressed expression.
Ruan Nanzhu took it and after studying it for a while, he pointed at the bottom of the conch and said, "It looks like this part needs to be ground off."
Lin Qiushi: "Then try grinding it off?"
"I'll go find some tools later." Ruan Nanzhu said, "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Lin Qiushi stretched lazily. "Let me do it. Didn't you borrow the grill?... You don't eat fish."
Ruan Nanzhu nodded, and then the two of them lay down under the parasol and dozed off.
Who knew that after a while, the weather would not cooperate. Thick dark clouds covered the blue sky, and waves began to form on the horizon. Ruan Nanzhu woke up first. He turned around and saw Lin Qiushi lying next to him, still sleeping soundly. With a sudden thought, he leaned over and kissed him on the lips, waking him up: "It's going to rain."
Lin Qiushi opened his eyes dazedly, and before he could react, Ruan Nanzhu picked him up and carried him into the small room behind him.
Lin Qiushi was placed on the soft bed, a pair of slender hands weaving through his hair. The comfortable feeling made it difficult for him to distinguish between dreams and reality. He mumbled, "I had a dream."
"What dream?" Ruan Nanzhu asked.
"I dreamed you died," Lin Qiushi said. "I was very scared."
Ruan Nanzhu grabbed Lin Qiushi's hand and kissed his fingers: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
"I also dreamed of Qianli," Lin Qiushi said. "I dreamed he was sitting next to me and asked me if I wanted to see a movie, but I've seen that movie many times." He opened his eyes. "It felt so real..."
When Ruan Nanzhu saw Lin Qiushi's appearance, his heart ached slightly.
Lin Qiushi's reaction to death was previously indifferent, but when Cheng Qianli left, all his emotions suddenly burst out.
All the emotions accumulated deep in his soul surged out, making Lin Qiushi breathless.
Lin Qiushi rambled on, recounting his bizarre dreams. He dreamed that Ruan Nanzhu had participated in Tan Zaozao's film and instantly became a superstar. Tan Zaozao was still alive, she got married, and gave birth to a lovely girl...
As he spoke, Lin Qiushi's voice became lower. He seemed to realize that what he was describing were all impossible dreams.
Ruan Nanzhu called his name and kissed him, pulling him out of this state of fantasy. He said, "Qiu Shi, I'm here."
Lin Qiushi's expression suddenly dawned on him. He widened his eyes and said, "Nanzhu."
Ruan Nanzhu said, "I won't abandon you." Seeing Cheng Yixie's expression, some of his thoughts became more resolute. He said, "If something happens to me, I won't force you to survive."
Lin Qiushi stared at Ruan Nanzhu in a daze, as if he had not expected him to say such a thing.
"This is actually a good thing," Ruan Nanzhu said. "If there were no door, I might have died, wouldn't have joined Obsidian, and wouldn't have met you. This is stolen time, so I can't be too greedy..." As he spoke, he gave Lin Qiushi another comforting kiss.
Lin Qiushi's emotions gradually calmed down. Outside, heavy rain began to fall, accompanied by a howling sea breeze that rustled the curtains.
He yawned, sat up in bed, his eyes gradually clearing: "When will the rain stop?"
"It'll probably take more than an hour." Ruan Nanzhu said, "No rush, it's still early anyway."
So the two of them lay on the bed and watched the rain outside. This pure waste of time was so happy. They didn't have to think about the door or worry about the consequences of failure. They just had to stay together and look at each other.
The rain lasted for more than an hour and finally stopped. Ruan Nanzhu went out first and borrowed barbecue supplies from the hotel restaurant, and then began to prepare the ingredients.
He was not very good at cooking and was figuring out how to cut the beef with his head down.
Lin Qiushi found his expression somewhat amusing, so he walked over and said, "You light the fire, I'll prepare the food."
"Okay." Ruan Nanzhu nodded.
In fact, if you find it troublesome, you can directly ask the hotel chef to help you, but Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu both chose to do it themselves.
After experiencing certain things, everything in reality seems to become beautiful, and even troublesome and trivial things are not annoying.
Lin Qiushi cut up the beef that Ruan Nanzhu had brought and prepared some vegetables, and the two of them stood by the sea to grill the food.
The beef used for the barbecue was top quality. It was very delicious after being lightly marinated with salt. Lin Qiushi stuffed a piece of beef into Ruan Nanzhu's mouth after grilling it. Considering Ruan Nanzhu's dark skin, he inexplicably felt like he was feeding a black bear in a cage in the zoo. So as he fed him, he couldn't help laughing.
Ruan Nanzhu naturally sensed that Lin Qiushi was mocking him. He swallowed the beef in his mouth and said, "What are you laughing at?"
Lin Qiushi asked, "Do you feel like I'm feeding a bear?"
Ruan Nanzhu raised his eyebrows.
"Hahaha, it's the kind in the zoo..." He had just said half of his words when the unhappy Chocolate Bear bit him on the neck.
The Chocolate Bear grinned, revealing a row of neat white teeth, and said, "If you laugh again, I'll eat you up."
Lin Qiushi tried to keep quiet, but his shoulders were still shaking, and he was obviously unable to suppress his surging laughter.
Ruan Nanzhu reached out and picked him up. Lin Qiushi, a grown man, was like a toy in his hands, seemingly weightless. Lin Qiushi was carried directly onto his shoulders, shouting, "Don't... don't... the fire, the fire is still burning!"
Ruan Nanzhu said, "It's okay." He carried Lin Qiushi into the house.
What happened afterwards is naturally indescribable.
After the tender moment, Lin Qiushi felt a little hungry. He hadn't eaten anything yet, so he tiptoed Ruan Nanzhu's back and said, "I'm hungry."
Ruan Nanzhu stood up, reached out and wiped his sweaty hair back, then stood up and went out to look at the barbecue stall they had left behind, and said helplessly, "It's all burnt."
Lin Qiushi angrily said, "How can I not be anxious? It's been so long..."
Ruan Nanzhu said, "Wait a moment, I'll find you something to eat." He went back to the house, found a coat, put it on and went out.
Lin Qiushi stared at his back, sprawled across the bed in a daze. He picked up his phone from the side and saw several unread text messages. These messages had been sent half a month ago, but he hadn't read them. In fact, he hadn't used his phone much since arriving here.
Lin Qiushi thought about it, and after clicking on it, he found that many people had sent him messages. Some were worried about their situation, while others were asking about their current situation.
Lin Qiushi replied briefly and heard footsteps coming from the door.
He looked up and saw Ruan Nanzhu carrying a large dinner plate, struggling to open the door with his foot and squeezing in through the crack.
"Why did you take so much?" Lin Qiushi put down his phone and went over to help Ruan Nanzhu take the things.
Ruan Nanzhu raised an eyebrow: "Isn't it still early? I'm worried you'll be hungry tonight."
Lin Qiushi: “…” How could he not understand Ruan Nanzhu’s meaning? His ears inexplicably turned red as he said, “That’s almost enough.”
We were all adults, living in our own world on this island, so there were almost no taboos and we did everything we could.
Ruan Nanzhu shamelessly said, "What if I don't have enough to eat?"
Lin Qiushi: “…” Why hadn’t he realized before that Ruan Nanzhu was so shameless?
But he was really hungry, so he reached out and picked up the food on the plate and started eating slowly.
Ruan Nanzhu saw the cell phone placed aside and asked, "What's up? Someone called you?" Lin Qiushi had hardly touched his cell phone in the past month, and Ruan Nanzhu didn't ask. Anyway, if there was anything urgent, these people would contact him.
"No," Lin Qiushi said, "I was just checking the previous news..." He paused for a moment and whispered, "Is there any news about Yixie?"
Ruan Nanzhu shook his head.
The expected answer made Mo Ming somewhat disappointed. Lin Qiushi lowered his eyes and continued eating.
"But I have a guess as to where he'll go," Ruan Nanzhu said. "Do you still remember Zhuo Feiquan?"
Lin Qiushi suddenly remembered something and stared at Ruan Nanzhu with wide eyes: "Are you talking about Zhuo Feiquan's sister—Zhuo Mingyu?"
"Yes." Ruan Nanzhu said, "Cheng Yixie might have expected this day to come." He expected the death of one of the two people, but he did not expect that the person who died would be his younger brother.
"Then he..." Lin Qiushi had something he wanted to say.
Ruan Nanzhu shook his head and said, "It's all just speculation."
Lin Qiushi sighed inwardly and did not ask any further questions.
The time spent together as a couple is always wonderful. There is no need to think too much about messy things. It is enough to just enjoy life.
Sleeping until waking up naturally every day, eating delicious food, looking at beautiful scenery, and being accompanied by his lover, this kind of life gradually healed Lin Qiushi. His mental state began to recover. Although the recovery was slow, his daze condition had indeed improved significantly.
Seeing Lin Qiushi like this, Ruan Nanzhu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The two rested outside for two months before returning to Obsidian.
During this period, Chen Fei was the one who took Gu Longming through the gates. Although Chen Fei was not as powerful as Ruan Nanzhu, he was also considered an expert. He took Gu Longming with clues to clear the low-level gates several times, basically letting Gu Longming gradually get used to life in Obsidian.
Seeing Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu return from vacation, Gu Longming was very excited and said, "Brother Lin, you're finally back!"
Lin Qiushi asked, "Well, how do you feel?"
Gu Longming said, "It feels good." As he spoke, Li Zi curled up in his arms. Judging from the way Gu Longming stroked the cat, he must be a hidden cat lover. "Why are you so dark?"
Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu have both become much darker, with their skin tones leaning towards chocolate. However, it doesn't matter if boys are darker, it actually makes them look healthier.
Lin Qiushi glanced at his dark arms and said with a smile, "Sunburn."
Gu Longming smiled and said, "Then it's dried quite evenly."
Lin Qiushi thought to himself that it wasn't actually very even. When he took off his pants, only that one spot was white... Especially Ruan Nanzhu... hmm... that's quite sexy...
Of course, he certainly didn't dare to say this out loud, after all, Ruan Nanzhu was still sitting next to him, so he changed the subject and asked about Obsidian's recent situation.
Although Cheng Qianli's departure was a heavy blow to them, everyone was trying hard to get out of their depressed state and gradually returned to their previous daily state.
Half a year had passed unknowingly, but Lin Qiushi felt as if a lifetime had passed, as if those things had just happened yesterday.
The next day after Ruan Nanzhu came back, Bai Ming came to the house and said that he had something to discuss with Ruan Nanzhu.
"How long has it been since you got married?" Bai Ming sat on the sofa in the living room and asked a pointed question.
"Half a year." Ruan Nanzhu's answer was very frank.
"Half a year?!" Bai Ming was obviously a little surprised by the answer to this question. He looked Ruan Nanzhu up and down and said, "You are really Ruan Nanzhu. Did someone replace you?"
Ruan Nanzhu glanced at him and said, "Just say what you want to say."
Bai Ming raised his chin and gestured to go to the study upstairs.
Ruan Nanzhu turned to Lin Qiushi, who was watching TV, and said, "You come too."
Lin Qiushi pointed at himself: "Me?"
"Yeah." After Ruan Nanzhu gave a definite answer, he turned around and went upstairs.
Bai Ming was just as surprised as Lin Qiushi, but he quickly accepted it. A hint of something else appeared in his eyes, and he smiled, "I really envy you guys."
Lin Qiushi thought, why are you envious of us? There are only a handful of people who can be with their idols.
The three of them arrived at the study, and Bai Ming and Ruan Nanzhu began to discuss matters. Bai Ming's first words captured Lin Qiushi's full attention. He asked, "Brother Ruan, have you really met someone who has been through the Twelve Gates?"
Ruan Nanzhu answered with two words: "No."
The atmosphere was stagnant for a moment, and Bai Ming said, "No?"
"No." Ruan Nanzhu said.
Bai Ming said: "But how is that possible? According to the rules of the sect..."
He was interrupted before he finished speaking. Ruan Nanzhu said, "Don't mention the rules of the doors. I now suspect that the rules of the eleventh and twelfth doors will be different from the previous ones."
Bai Ming frowned.
Ruan Nanzhu said, "I once talked to someone who passed the eleventh door."
Bai Ming looked at Ruan Nanzhu.
"He didn't have much to say, but he reiterated one thing over and over again," Ruan Nanzhu said, "Don't harbor ill will toward others."
Bai Ming: "...What do you mean?" He couldn't understand what Ruan Nanzhu said for a moment.
Ruan Nanzhu said, "It means literally."
"You mean don't kill people?" Bai Ming stood up and paced slowly around the room. He asked, "What about the twelfth door? What's the story behind the twelfth door?"
"Dead." Ruan Nanzhu said. "He didn't make it."
This answer was expected, yet strangely disappointing. Bai Ming sighed, "So until now, we still don't know if we can pass through the twelfth door? What if this is a scam? There's no such thing as a new life."
Ruan Nanzhu remained silent. He drew circles on the black wooden table with his fingers and asked, "What are you anxious about?"
Bai Ming remained silent.
Ruan Nanzhu observed Bai Ming's expression, but seemed to see something from his expression. He looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Bai Ming, are you trapped?"
Bai Ming pointed unceremoniously at Lin Qiushi, who was sitting silently beside him, "Don't you have any?"
"I do." Ruan Nanzhu laughed, a smile that was filled with a hint of mockery and gloating. "But I'm not afraid. He's growing up very fast. We can live and die together."
Bai Ming sneered: "Are you willing to do that?"
"Why can't you let me go?" In the past, Ruan Nanzhu would have let Bai Ming catch him in the act, but after going through so much, he finally realized that being left behind wasn't something to be happy about. Does survival mean happiness? Not necessarily.
Bai Ming stared at Ruan Nanzhu. He wanted to see hesitation in Ruan Nanzhu's eyes, but failed in the end.
Ruan Nanzhu was very determined, so determined that it made him jealous. Lin Qiushi, who was sitting next to him with a gentle expression, seemed to have become his pillar, supporting him to continue moving forward.
But Bai Ming didn't have such good luck. He sighed loudly and said, "It's over."
Ruan Nanzhu laughed: "Didn't you say you were just playing around?"
Although his good friend appears to be lively and easy to get along with, he is actually very cold-hearted. Men and women come and go around him, but he never expected that one day he would fall from grace.
"How would I know?" Bai Ming never pretended in front of Ruan Nanzhu. He leaned back on the sofa and sighed, "How could he be so cute? I just wanted to have fun at first—"
"Isn't it fun?" Ruan Nanzhu said.
"It's so fucking funny." Bai Ming smiled bitterly.
"By the way, your eleventh door is the year after next, right?" Bai Ming said, "Can you tell me what the clue is?"
"Sure." Ruan Nanzhu didn't care. "There's no solution."
Bai Ming: "Huh?" He didn't react to what Ruan Nanzhu said for a moment, "No solution?"
"It means exactly what it says." Ruan Nanzhu said, "I went in twice, and the clues were both unsolvable."
Bai Ming: "..." His expression twisted for a moment, and he finally couldn't help but curse. He had gone through so much trouble to get in and out, and finally came to the conclusion that there was no solution. Wasn't this just a joke?
"You're not panicking?" Bai Ming asked, "You're just going in with this clue and your little cutie?"
Lin Qiushi corrected him, "I'm not a little cutie. He's younger than me."
Ruan Nanzhu said: "Although I am younger than you, I am older than you in some ways."
Lin Qiushi: “…” Ruan Nanzhu is shameless!
Bai Ming: "Fuck, you guys are still flirting!"
Ruan Nanzhu: "Everything will work itself out when the time comes. There's no point in being impatient."
Bai Ming was speechless. He made a gesture of admiration to Ruan Nanzhu and praised Ruan Nanzhu for his unprecedented optimism.
It is said that the person you love deeply is both your armor and your weakness. Now it seems that Lin Qiushi has indeed brought a lot to Ruan Nanzhu. At least looking at his good friend in front of him, Bai Ming really can't connect him with the extremely insecure Ruan Nanzhu in the past.
Everyone is growing, Lin Qiushi and Ruan Nanzhu are no exception.
"Okay, I'll be leaving first." Bai Ming said, "I have a dinner appointment with him tonight. He's currently filming a new movie, so it's not easy for him to find time to see me." He stood up and prepared to leave.
"No need to see me off." Ruan Nanzhu waved at him.
"If you have any questions, just call me. I'll definitely help if I can." Bai Ming said, "There are still two years until the Eleventh Gate. Keep up the good work, Ruan Nanzhu."
"Yes, I will." Ruan Nanzhu responded and watched Bai Ming leave the study and go downstairs.
Lin Qiushi was about to leave, but was pulled back by Ruan Nanzhu. He looked at Ruan Nanzhu in confusion, only to see a subtle smile on his face. He said, "Qiushi."
Lin Qiushi asked, "Hmm?"
Ruan Nanzhu pointed to the desk in front of him and said, "I want to try it here."
Lin Qiushi was stunned for a moment before realizing what Ruan Nanzhu meant. His ears instantly turned red and he cursed, "Ruan Nanzhu, you have no shame!"
Ruan Nanzhu said frankly: "Yes, I am shameless."
Lin Qiushi: “…” For a moment, he actually missed the beautiful Ruan Nanzhu back then.
The author has something to say: Ahaha, I have something to do today, so I updated early. I didn’t expect it~ I didn’t expect it either~
It's not that I want to make you sad. I simply want to bring you a richer, more fulfilling world of my imagination, filled with joys and sorrows. I apologize if this brings sadness to some of the little angels. _(:з」∠)_ But it will definitely have a happy ending, and I can absolutely guarantee that with my small chest. Internet marriages are connected by a thread, and meeting each other is fate. I'm so happy to have met you all, and I hope you can be happier too.
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