Chapter 97 Then Give Me a Kiss
Let's rewind to a few days ago.
The soft morning light streamed into the room through the cracks in the window, brightening the entire bedroom. The fresh-cut flowers on the table were vibrant and full of life. Pei Ci sat on the bed, her back hunched, her head resting on her knees, her black hair falling down, her eyes slightly lowered, concealing a glimmer of light.
This was the day after Lu Ran confessed to her. After he finished telling her those things, she fell asleep. When she woke up again, she was in bed, covered with a blanket, but Lu Ran was no longer beside her.
Pei Ci pursed her lips.
The sun was shining brightly outside. Pei Ci didn't call the maid in. Instead, she slowly sat up from the bed. Her eyes were on the light shining on the floor. The light made the floor look like two bright colors. The bright side was like a mirror, while the dark side showed the texture of the original wood.
Pei Ci didn't know what kind of wood the floor was made of, but since it was arranged by her brother, it must be the best. And the best, of course, would be the most expensive.
But she was caught off guard by the thought of the place she had lived in her previous life. It was a crowded, cramped, and dark place with rough wooden floors and nails everywhere.
But this was already the best environment he could give her.
He also said "I love you" many, many times.
Pei Ci couldn't remember what he looked like, but he was a sunny, bright, and dazzling person, as radiant as the sun. He always seemed to have inexhaustible energy. He was the one who took her away from the orphanage, and he was the one who gave her a home. They lived together for many years, until one day, on a calm and uneventful day, he was doing what he always did, and then the next day, he vanished completely from her world…
"A-Ci, you'll be walking alone from now on."
In her memory, the young man spoke with a smile. She couldn't recall whether he actually said that or if it was just her imagination. But in the empty room, she truly understood...
I am a person.
From now on, I will have to walk forward alone.
And now... many people say they love her. Ye Qingyu loves her and is willing to shake off his hatred for her; Lu Ran loves her and is willing to live a lie for her.
Love seemed to possess an endless magic, a magic that far exceeded her imagination.
“System…” Pei Ci pursed her lips and asked for the first time, “If they love me, how far do you think they would go for me?”
Her voice was hoarse, but she did have the answer in her heart. However, this answer made her feel apprehensive and restless. She believed that this feeling would affect people, but the effect was really... Therefore, she herself was not sure, and she could only deceive herself by asking the system.
And the system did indeed provide the answer she had in mind:
They seem willing to give their lives for you.
As the system's voice faded, Pei Ci felt a tightness in her chest, but for some reason, she also breathed a sigh of relief.
Does love really have such great magic?
Why did the person who kept saying he loved her... leave her all alone?
That so-called love...
Is it really love?
Perhaps it was because the scene was so similar to that one, that Pei Ci's vision overlapped with that time. Back then, she was also sitting on the bed, without making a sound. She didn't know if she had shed tears then, but the snow outside the window was unusually disturbingly quiet, and her vision was always a blur of black and white.
No, perhaps I shouldn't be thinking about these things.
There's no need for that.
It might even worsen your condition.
Pei Ci blinked, struggling to regain her senses. Just as she was about to lean against the bed, she suddenly heard a "click".
The door opened.
Someone has come in.
Pei Ci's body stiffened, and her heart clenched. She didn't understand what she was feeling; she only felt the blizzard from her memory rushing in as the door opened—cold, bone-chillingly cold. But perhaps the person who was with her would also return from the blizzard. At that moment, her vision blurred; she could no longer distinguish between reality and illusion. However, when she slowly looked up and gazed in that direction, a boy in a black jacket, with a band-aid on his face and pale lips, walked in backlit.
step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
He walked to his side, the necklace around his neck shimmering slightly. His eyebrows twitched, and he half-squatted on the ground, his slender fingers picking up the shoes from the ground.
"What's wrong?" Lu Ran lowered his eyes, his voice seemingly misty. "I'm going back."
This was in response to Pei Ci's request for him to return yesterday. But then he added, "But I came over again this morning."
Is this considered opportunistic?
I don't think so.
They were clearly listening attentively.
"Hmm?" Lu Ran grasped her foot. "Not saying anything again?"
Did I offend her again?
Her face was tense, and the corners of her eyes were red, as if she were more aggrieved than before. Although he didn't know what she was thinking, he was her boyfriend and her future husband, so he had to be more attentive. Thinking this, Lu Ran put Pei Ci's feet into her shoes. After both feet were in shoes, he prepared to hug her, but just as his body approached, her hand pressed against his chest.
Pei Ci looked at him, yet seemed not to be looking at him at all. After a few seconds of silence, she asked, "Can I trust you?"
Lu Ran's pupils suddenly contracted.
*
"So...cough cough..." Zhou Songyin, who had put down the scalpel, covered his mouth and nose and said, "She told you everything?"
In the dimly lit operating room, Lu Ran, pushing Pei Ci in a wheelchair, stood before Zhou Songyin. His face was expressionless, only his chin was raised, and his eyes swept over her with disdain. "Otherwise, would you have seen me?"
"Cough cough..." Zhou Songyin felt the metallic taste of blood in his throat, which was normal, because he was too close to the male protagonist. The closer they were, the more likely they were to attract the attention of the world's consciousness, and the stronger the rejection they would feel. But on his face, he was just a little paler, nothing else. Over the years, he had become parasitic on pain and had long since become numb to it.
“Choosing to cooperate with you is indeed a good plan. Cough cough…” Zhou Songyin picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, and when he took it off, his lips were red and bleeding. The moment Lu Ran entered, he had already figured out the reason. Sure enough, the world consciousness also saw the special nature of Pei Ci, this NPC, and placed its last hope on her, actively intervening. No wonder these three reincarnations are different from the previous ones.
Pei Ci is indeed just a somewhat special NPC.
Having figured this out, Zhou Songyin couldn't say whether he felt disappointed or understanding.
However, it's time to end this.
Zhou Songyin placed his palm on the table and asked calmly, "How much do you know?"
Lu Ran clicked his tongue. "Anyway, I'm going to take him away."
This was his and Pei Ci's plan. Pei Ci first pretended to be heartbroken and asked Pei Chi to contact Zhou Songyin to expedite the mission. Lu Ran, working in the shadows, was responsible for receiving her after she fell unconscious and was brought to the operating table. All of this was to save one person.
"Who is this person?" Lu Ran asked, frowning.
Pei Ci was taken aback. She instinctively wanted to skip it, but in the end she explained, "It's Ye Qingyu."
“The real Ye Qingyu,” Pei Ci said. “This matter is very complicated. I will explain it to you after it is done.”
"Are you sure you want to explain?" Lu Ran's eyelids drooped, and before Pei Ci could answer, his face came closer. "Then give me a kiss?"
How did the topic suddenly veer off to this point?
Pei Ci blinked. She didn't think a kiss was a big deal, but Lu Ran's unpredictable thought process always left her confused. Besides, he always had two faces. When she showed rejection towards him, he was like a pitiful dog. But when she softened her attitude, he took advantage of her, showing no trace of his previous apprehension and resentment.
"I……"
"Pop".
Lu Ran's lips pressed against hers, leaving a deep mark on her cheek.
“Okay, we’ll talk about it later,” Lu Ran said, raising his eyebrows.
Pei Ci opened her mouth, but in the end, she closed her eyes.
*
"Anyway, I'll take the people inside with me." Lu Ran walked directly past Zhou Songyin towards the operating table where Ye Qingyu was placed. Just as he was about to remove the white sheet covering Ye Qingyu, Zhou Songyin's voice came softly:
"Lu Ran, are you really going to expose him?"
This statement clearly had a hidden meaning. Lu Ran frowned, turned to look at Zhou Songyin who had stood up, and asked, "What are you trying to say?"
Standing up, Zhou Songyin and Lu Ran were nearly identical, yet they represented two extremes. Beneath Zhou Songyin's oversized white coat, it seemed only a large frame supported him; his eyes were sharp, his face expressionless, like the snow-capped peaks of a high mountain. Lu Ran, on the other hand, was aloof and arrogant, a product of the decadent lifestyle built on money and power.
Zhou Songyin glanced at Lu Ran and immediately felt his own lifelessness. He lowered his eyes and asked the question again, "Pei Ci, did you really tell you everything?"
Lu Ran pursed his lips, "So what if I don't?"
Although he didn't hear the answer he wanted, he did receive a kiss.
Zhou Songyin smiled, a forced smile, but it was too exhausting. He started coughing again, his body hunched over. When he looked up, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he didn't wipe it away; there was no need. He simply looked at Lu Ran quietly. "In fact, our interests... are aligned."
"You should thank me, even on countless occasions in the past."
"I don't understand what you're saying." Lu Ran had lost his patience. "If you're just going to keep talking in riddles, then there's no need for us to continue communicating."
After saying that, Lu Ran turned around. At this moment, Zhou Songyin had also had enough fun. He sighed and, just as Lu Ran was about to touch the white cloth, Zhou Songyin said, "Lu Ran, do you feel... your heart is beating particularly fast right now?"
It was this sentence that successfully made Lu Ran stop again. Lu Ran frowned. He had actually already sensed a strange suction force. His emotions began to become agitated, his heart was racing, as if something that would affect his entire life was about to happen. He suspected that Zhou Songyin had done something, which was why he patiently confronted Zhou Songyin.
"What did you do?" Lu Ran's face was icy cold.
Zhou Songyin just smiled, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "This isn't something I did; I think you had a premonition—"
"Ahem." Zhou Songyin's fingers trembled as he pressed them against the edge of the table. "The protagonist of this world, Lu Ran, the true heroine is right in front of you..."
He paused, his eyes turning icy, "Why haven't you met her yet?"
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Author's Note: Thank you, my darlings, for the nutrient solution and the thunder!
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