Inside the room, after Zhang Rong left, Chi Chen looked up, his expression weary, and his gaze towards Lin Bai was quite complicated.
Lin Bai's heart skipped a beat when he saw this. He rarely saw Chi Chen like this. Normally, even if Chi Chen was in great distress, he would not show his emotions on his face like this.
"Chi Chen, what's wrong with you? What happened?"
Lin Bai asked anxiously, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
Wasn't Chi Chen going to explore the secrets within himself?
He's solved a problem that's bothered him for years, shouldn't he be happy?
How come you've come back looking like this?
"Lin Bai... what if I told you that your mother's death was because of me? Would you... still consider me your brother?"
Chi Chen's lips parted slightly, and he spoke with a trembling voice. At this moment, he was afraid. Even when he faced the Ghost-Faced Demon as an ordinary person, he had never felt as much fear as he did now.
Chi Chen was afraid. He was afraid that once Lin Bai found out, things would never be the same between them again.
Lin Bai is now Chi Chen's only family in the world. Although they are not related by blood, their relationship has long surpassed that of most blood ties.
Therefore, even though Chi Chen had long thought he should tell Lin Bai, he still hesitated on the way back.
But in the end, Chi Chen still managed to speak with difficulty.
"Chi Chen... what are you saying! My mother didn't die at the hands of the Ghost-Faced Demon. Didn't you save me that night? Wasn't that Ghost-Faced Demon already dead in our hands? We avenged my mother ourselves! What's wrong with you? Have you lost your mind? How can you say such things?"
Lin Bai's face was pale as he looked at Chi Chen in disbelief, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"What if I told you that the masked demon appeared because of the secret I possessed, and that it should have been in my house but somehow ended up in yours instead? Aunt Zhang, she died because of this mistake, because she was implicated by me!"
Chi Chen bit his lip hard, a metallic taste filling his mouth. Lin Bai's trembling body and incredulous expression felt like a sharp dagger piercing his heart.
The more Lin Bai refused to believe what he was saying, the more distressed Chi Chen became, because the truth was that Lin Bai's mother had died because of his involvement.
Even if Lin Bai were to punch him in anger upon hearing these words, kicking and punching him, Chi Chen would feel much better.
"No, that's impossible, Chi Chen, what nonsense are you talking about? What's wrong with you?"
Lin Bai clenched his fists, took a few steps back, and roared hysterically at Chi Chen.
Chi Chen was a close friend whom Lin Bai regarded as a brother, and it was Chi Chen who saved him that night.
After his mother's death, Chi Chen became Lin Bai's only remaining relative in the world. But now Chi Chen claims that his mother's death was due to his involvement.
How could Lin Bai possibly accept this situation?
How should we deal with this?
Inside the room, after Lin Bai let out a roar, Chi Chen looked at his clenched fists and was already prepared to bear Chi Chen's wrath.
But what appeared before Chi Chen was Lin Bai, who had suddenly fallen silent. Lin Bai's head was low, and tears dripped from his face onto the cold floor, making a pattering sound in the quiet room.
Chi Chen looked at Lin Bai's appearance, his face already wet with tears.
Whether the two boys in the room will stay together or separate in the future depends entirely on Lin Bai's next words.
In Lin Bai's mind, memories of going to and from school with Chi Chen, from playing in the mud together to secretly watching pretty girls flashed by. In his memory, they were so close, as if they had been brothers since childhood.
Suddenly, Lin Bai's hand gradually relaxed. That was five years ago, when Chi Chen's family had just suffered an accident. Lin Bai learned of the death of Chi Chen's parents. He was still young when he cried bitterly in front of Chi Chen.
At that moment, Chi Chen, who should have been in even more pain and sorrow than himself, hugged him while crying, and comforted him instead.
In my memory, that equally youthful face also held an unconcealable sadness, but why was it he who was comforting me?
What am I doing right now?
Lin Bai was suddenly stunned. Why did he blame Chi Chen for his mother's death just now?
What did he do wrong?
Is Chi Chen really in the wrong?
"Smack!"
Lin Bai suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself across the face.
What am I thinking?
"Lin Bai, you...?"
Chi Chen was stunned for a moment when he saw this. How did Lin Bai slap him in the face?
"It's nothing, I just woke myself up. Chi Chen, can you tell me what exactly happened? I know you can't tell me those important secrets, you just need to choose what you can tell!"
Lin Bai reached out and wiped away his tears, giving Chi Chen a somewhat awkward smile, just like what Chi Chen had done to him many years ago.
Chi Chen was taken aback again upon seeing this, but he could see that there was not a trace of hatred in Lin Bai's eyes.
Chi Chen took a deep breath, stepped forward, and gave Lin Bai a big bear hug.
For a brief moment, he truly believed he was about to lose Lin Bai, his brother, forever.
"Lin Bai, thank you!"
Chi Chen whispered.
"Chi Chen, be gentle, I can't breathe! Let me tell you, even though we're close and I'm handsome, I'm not gay! My family depends on me to carry on the family line! And even if I were to be gay, I'd be the straight one!"
Lin Bai was a little out of breath from being hugged by Chi Chen, and spoke in a somewhat indistinct tone.
Upon hearing this, Chi Chen shuddered and immediately released Lin Bai.
Lin Bai's sudden interruption completely dispelled the previous oppressive atmosphere.
"This is how it happened..."
Afterwards, Chi Chen briefly told Lin Bai about some of what had happened. As for the matter of 'hope', under the repeated instructions of Zhang Rong and Xiao Rulai, and for Lin Bai's safety, Chi Chen did not reveal anything.
"Are you saying that your parents and my mother died because of the Heretical Taboo House and those traitors? And that throughout the Great Xia, many more people have suffered the same pain as us?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Bai's eyes instantly blazed with anger. During the training camp, this was their first encounter with the group from the Heretic Forbidden Zone, but even so, they could see the group's madness.
Their ability to associate with evil and mysterious forces and to murder instructors demonstrates that they are a truly dangerous group.
And now, the Heresy Forbidden Zone has actually developed an even deeper hatred for me and Chi Chen.
Chi Chen and Lin Bai exchanged a glance; they had added another goal to their list.
"Chi Chen, none of this is your fault. Don't always take all the blame upon yourself. Although you haven't shown it usually, I know you've always felt guilty about your parents' deaths. Now that you know about this, knowing your personality, you'll definitely feel even more guilty. You certainly won't be able to change this feeling in a short time, and I won't force you to change."
But I want to tell you that you're never alone, so why force yourself to be like this? Look, you can lean on my shoulder, and you can lean on my chest muscles!
Lin Bai looked at Chi Chen very seriously, and patted his shoulder and chest.
Upon hearing this, Chi Chen's eyes reddened again, but he quickly recovered and rolled his eyes at Lin Bai, saying:
"Whose brother are you talking to? I'm your brother! Have you forgotten how we used to pee and mud on you when you were little? And you have pectoral muscles?"
"Hey, Chi Chen, a hero doesn't dwell on past glories. Back then, you used to pick up sheep droppings and eat them like candy!"
"Lin Bai, you're talking nonsense! That was clearly you!"
"..."
Inside the room, the two boys kept arguing, but beneath that noise lay a deeper and stronger bond between them, and a steadfast determination hidden within that bond.
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