From this day forward, I am yours.
The indicator lights on the control panel flashed erratically before going out all at once. Finally, a few green lights began to glow steadily. After Yu Zou exerted all his strength, the internal communication speaker finally stopped emitting static noise and began to clearly broadcast the monotonous synthesized voice that was far less lively than Yi Song's: "...Waypoint...received...signal being restored..."
Yu Zou immediately perked up. At the same time, the fire indicator light came on, and the temperature in the cabin finally showed signs of subsiding. But before he could even rejoice, Yi Song's warning had already reached Yu Zou's bracelet. He couldn't delay any longer; on the control panel, Yi Song was working hard to crack the shielding system, and it would still take a few more minutes to determine the coordinates.
But those few minutes can be enough to decide a person's life or death.
Yu Zou opened the door, unexpectedly bumping into the person who was about to open it. Du Pianjian missed his target and crashed into Yu Zou's arms, almost falling over. Yu Zou reached out to steady him but was met with a muffled groan. Only then did he notice that on Du Pianjian's arm, the wound covered by his shirt was bleeding faintly, and the bracelet on his wrist was also missing.
"How did you get hurt? Is it serious?"
Du Pianjian pushed Yu Zou aside, his face unfriendly, and his tightly pursed lips exhaled a cold breath: "Abandon the ship, let's leave in the lifeboats."
Yu Zou turned to look at the control room, hesitated, and said, "Wait a few more minutes."
"Wait for what?" Du Pianjian frowned.
With a "beep," the signal was fully restored. Within a fraction of a second, numerous data streams flowed back and forth between the terminal and the mobile device. The coordinates were confirmed, the distress call was sent, and the map was drawn.
Yu Zoufu walked back to the control panel, looked at the map on the screen, and his heart sank even further. The ship had long since deviated from its normal course and entered international waters. In an instant, he made a decision: "Pianjian, come on, I'll take you to the infirmary."
"I'm fine. With a map, why don't we move?"
"The distress signal has been sent out, and the rescue team will arrive at the latest within half an hour. But if your arm suffers any lasting damage, you'll never be able to play the piano again."
The infirmary was fairly well-equipped. Fortunately, the wound wasn't deep. After Yu Zou gave it a simple bandage, the two went to the location of the lifeboats according to the structural diagram. Surprisingly, the lifeboats were all there and looked intact.
But this did not dispel his suspicions. Yu Zou threw a lifeboat into the water, and instantly, a thin layer of ice formed around the lifeboat.
"What is that?" Du Pianjian's pupils twitched slightly.
"Ammonium nitrate." Yu Zou's gaze then fell on Du Pianjian's arm. "Where's your bracelet?"
"I accidentally fell into the sea during a fight, and I can't get it back."
"I never knew you were such a good fighter."
"It's just a little self-defense technique." Du Pianjian tucked a stray hair behind her ear with her uninjured hand. "So, you just wait like this?"
Yu Zou pondered for a moment: "Go back to the control room. It wouldn't be good if the people who attacked you took control of it."
The two walked quickly toward the control room. The further they walked, the more Du Pianjian felt something was wrong. He tugged at Yu Zou's arm and said, "The direction is wrong."
Yu Zou said, "I want to go to the lobby to take a look, but the control panel doesn't show the lobby."
"What about the control room?"
Yu Zou, who was ahead, suddenly stopped and turned around, his face chillingly cold. Du Pianjian looked at him, puzzled, then laughed and asked, "When did you find out?"
Just hearing the sound sent waves of nausea through Du Pianjian, and his hand holding the knife trembled uncontrollably.
Kong Jiaoheng was very satisfied with his reaction. He stopped talking and focused on appreciating the influence he could leave on him. The deeper and longer the influence, the more pleased he felt.
Du Pianjian understood his thoughts, tightened his grip on the knife, and faced the person rushing out from behind the screen. The sound of the sharp blade cutting through flesh, heavy breathing, and wails constituted the only sounds in this lingering smoke.
Until the last person fell, Du Pianjian adjusted the bracelet back to its original position. A block slid in front of him and instantly shot out a light cable with high-intensity energy, which, together with the surrounding blocks, bound his limbs and torso.
His muscles trembled from exerting maximum force, and the knife fell to the ground with a clatter.
Du Pianjian gritted his teeth and struggled, only then realizing that those people had driven him here.
At the same time, a person walked out of the long-silent passage at a leisurely pace. The rhythm of his steps and his breathing conveyed a chilling familiarity to Du Pianjian. The physical restraints now bound his soul through his senses, making him completely forget to struggle.
They wore the exact same clothes and had the exact same eyebrows and eyes.
Du Pianjian stared intently as the person walked up to her, as if looking into a mirror reflecting her own soul. The person in the mirror smiled and said, "Hello, Du Pianjian. From now on, I am you."
Like a boulder thrown into icy water, Du Pianjian struggled fiercely but only moved slightly, which made the person on the other side even happier. However, such a smile would never appear on Du Pianjian's face.
Who exactly are you?
"Me? Guess."
Du Pianjian calmed down a bit, and when he looked up again, he had regained his usual calm and disdain: "Kong Jiaogen's illegitimate son, right?"
Some word seemed to have struck a nerve, and the man grabbed Du Pianjian's face, saying hatefully, "Du Pianjian! Don't be so smug! From this moment on, I will replace you. Your job, your friends, your life will all be mine, especially your husband—Yu Zou."
When he stopped imitating Du Pianjian's voice, he finally recognized who was in front of him, and he squeezed out the name through gritted teeth: "C8!"
“You can also call me Luo Tongmu.” He smiled and released Du Pianjian. “Or just call yourself Luo Tongmu. You still remember the games on the yacht, right? How about it? Adapted from your childhood, are you satisfied? I wrote it myself and predicted your future.”
The life you will live is one of utter desolation, devoid of family, friendship, and love; a life without dignity, freedom, or happiness.
Du Pianjian sneered, and he immediately noticed, pressing her for an answer: "What are you laughing at?"
“I laugh at you for being Luo Zangqi’s illegitimate son.” Du Pianjian’s eyes were sharp as blades, his thin lips like knives. “Thank you for telling me that my mother never yielded to Luo Zangqi.”
In just a few sentences, the cause and effect are made clear.
"Ah..." Luo Tongmu suddenly realized, took a step back, and tilted his head back as if recalling, "You kidnapped that Omega. She told you? Then you must also know that Tan Zhenjing's glands have reached their limit, right? Poor Du Pianjian, in the end, the things she got from her mother were broken."
"You're more pitiful than me, an Omega born from an Omega who had my mother's gland grafted onto you."
Luo Tongmu's expression changed instantly. He rushed to Du Pianjian, almost touching him eye to eye, his eyes blazing with fury: "No! I'm also born of Tan Zhenjing! I'm a child of the same mother as you! Look at my face. If not, why do I look so much like you? Because I'm just like you! Just like you! But your mother gave you everything!"
Luo Tongmu shoved Du Pianjian away, the light bar leaving deep marks on his body, causing Du Pianjian to turn pale with pain. Luo Tongmu seemed to have an extreme headache, clutching his head and shouting in frustration: "Musical talent, high-level pheromones, looks, personality, even the trajectory of my life—it's not fair! And I have nothing! Why? Why? Just because our fathers are different?"
Luo Tongmu peered through the gaps in his fingers at Du Pianjian, the questions that had entwined his entire life like vines growing colder in the smoke: "Du Junchang chose an excellent husband for you before deciding to take his own life, while my father, after ignoring me, tried every means to get you. How absurd."
His gaze gradually emptied before returning to calm. He walked up to Du Pianjian, pulled open his collar, revealing a bare neck. Luo Tongmu then unbuttoned his own collar, tore off the necklace with the disc hanging from it, and threw it away. He then resumed Du Pianjian's usual indifferent expression: "But it doesn't matter anymore. After all, from now on I am you. I am the one who owns everything."
Luo Tongmu picked up the knife from the ground, played with it in his hand for a moment, and then chuckled as he stabbed it into Du Pianjian's tightly bound wrist. Blood gushed out immediately, and Yi Song screamed a warning from the blood-splattered bracelet. Luo Tongmu then slashed the bracelet open and smashed it to pieces.
Du Pianjian gritted his teeth and remained silent. Luo Tongmu cut a wound on his arm with his other hand, and under his sharp gaze, he took off the ring from Du Pianjian's ring finger and put it on his own hand.
“At first,” Yu Zou paused for a moment, “Tong Mu, why did you do this?” Why did you get plastic surgery to look like Du Pianjian? Why did you play Du Pianjian?
How did you know I was Tong Mu?
Seeing that Yu Zou remained silent, Tong Mu took two steps back, the wind lifting his hair, which was exactly the same length as Du Pianjian's. His gentle smile, with his hands behind his back, was so sincere that it was hard to believe it was fake: "Isn't it good to be with me? I can imitate everything about Du Pianjian, and I'm even willing to give you what he can't give you."
"You are Tong Mu."
"So you mean I can never be better than him?" Tong Mu's smile faded, his cold eyes like ice melting into swords, but unlike Du Pianjian who wanted to stab others, he turned the blade towards himself. "I can also play the pipa, I can also sing, and I am also an Omega."
"No, no, you misunderstand. Everyone is a unique individual, incomparable, and there is no superior or inferior. Why do you want to become someone else?"
Tong Mu's eyes slowly reddened, along with her grievances: "Because being myself is too painful. Why was Du Pianjian able to meet you, marry you, and receive your care and love? I've met you too, so why am I still stuck in this situation?"
"Where are you stuck?"
“In this world, every step is quagmire, and no matter which way you go, it’s all darkness. This is the path I can strive for, the one with the best chance of happiness.” Tong Mu touched his face, then teased with feigned ease and curiosity, “So you took off my clothes to check the mole on my back. You’re still a little unsure, aren’t you?”
"You didn't entirely want to become Du Pianjian either." Otherwise, why would you keep your mole? Yu Zou's sympathy was extinguished in his heart, and he pretended to be cold and hard, "Were you the one who lured Fang Bu to Saint Herrera?"
“That’s right. But I’m just following orders. If I don’t, I’ll be the one who dies.”
"You mean?"
"Shh—" Tong Mu put his index finger to his lips, "There are surveillance cameras everywhere. Come closer to me, and I'll tell you something."
Seeing Yu Zou hesitate, Tong Mu said, "Don't you want to know where Du Pianjian is?"
Yu Zou took a deep breath and leaned closer to him.
Tong Mu's voice, accompanied by his breath, reached his ears: "Luo Zangrui wants to use Du Pianjian's glands to develop addictive substances, and his accomplices include..."
Yu Zou's eyes widened suddenly. Before he could recover from the shock, a light, fleeting touch on his cheek made him sit up abruptly.
This reaction amused Tong Mu, who slowly retreated to the side of the boat and said, "You've seen through me. I can't leave this boat as your wife, or I won't be able to survive."
Tong Mu glanced down at the dark sea, then turned his head and a clear tear slid down his right eye, rolling away the turbidity and taking away the only disguise on his face, revealing the beauty mark under his eye and the mole under his lip disappearing.
"If the mission fails and its value is lost, it should be discarded."
Tong Mu spread his arms and leaned back. Yu Zou's pupils contracted sharply. He rushed forward and grabbed Tong Mu's arm, his taut muscles bursting as he pulled the swaying Tong Mu with all his might. Tong Mu looked up at Yu Zou.
The amber eyes remained largely unchanged; the fine lines connecting the creases of the double eyelids were almost seamless, but flaws would appear when the person smiled. Perhaps no matter how much one imitates another, or yearns to become another, the self that was thought to have been completely killed will rise from the ashes and come back to life in the smallest details.
"You can't bear to die in front of me with this face on your face?"
"Tong Mu!" Yu Zou shouted through gritted teeth, startling Tong Mu. The beauty mark under his eye was washed even more clearly by the water. He struggled to raise his hand and forcefully pried Yu Zou's fingers away. His voice, though extremely gentle, was still joking, "Yu Zou, do you know that you're grasping at the crack in your marriage? I guarantee that you two will separate."
Yu Zou tried to grab him with his other hand, but Tong Mu shook him violently and twisted his wrist, which angered Yu Zou so much that he shouted his name again, hoping that Tong Mu would remember his life.
It was to no avail.
“I will always remember this moment. I had a moment, and I won against him for a moment. I am satisfied.” Tong Mu completely pried Yu Zou’s fingers off and fell into the water, his voice drifting away in the wind.
Even a single second slowed down to its absolute limit makes the desolation all the more apparent.
A silent light enveloped Tong Mu, pushing Yu Zou away, and then exploded inside her body with another deafening sound—pain.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
