Chapter 65
After he finished speaking, Xie Xubai's body began to sway unsteadily.
The instant he saw the past scenes appear, he couldn't help but leap to the crack. His nerves were on edge until now, and only then did he belatedly feel the overwhelming weakness surging within him.
A gentle breeze swept by, and He Yanshuo's hand simultaneously grabbed his arm, preventing him from falling.
At the same time, Yan Shuo's gaze fixed on it again.
The young man's head drooped naturally, one hand gripping his other arm, his fingertips white from the force of his grip.
That deathly pale face was half-buried in the blurry shadows, its cheeks taut and trembling, its teeth biting its lip hard.
A few glistening tears streamed down her face, leaving a silent trail of tears on her nose.
Feeling the other person's sudden outburst of emotion, a complex and unfamiliar feeling surged into Yan Shuo's chest in an instant, impossible to discern.
With a thought, he quickly recalled the young man's experiences that day and paused slightly.
Yan Shuo suddenly realized that Xie Xubai had probably suppressed his fear all the way.
In today's society, a family is considered complete only if both parents are alive. Therefore, children raised in single-parent families are often prone to low self-esteem and social isolation. They may suddenly realize their "incompleteness" when they come into contact with the outside world.
Xie Xubai was not like that. He was generous, firm, optimistic and kind, simply because he had a wonderful mother. He was never ashamed of his own predicament, nor was he blinded by the wealth in front of him.
That mother built a bridge for Xie Xubai to enter society, holding his hand and leading him forward, guiding him to make friends with the world with neither arrogance nor servility. She taught him to love himself, and gradually, to love others and things.
Thus, the desolate mountains and treacherous waters were no longer rugged and dangerous; the journey was filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.
Therefore, Xie Xubai deeply respected and loved his mother. In the following ten years, he endured hardship, loneliness, and being looked down upon and bullied. It was thanks to Xie Yuchun's teachings that he persevered.
That was his spiritual pillar and the place where he found peace of mind.
But Fu Zong’s unusual words and actions made Xie Xubai suddenly realize that his memories might be false, and Xie Yuchun, who warmed his entire childhood, might not exist and was a fabricated illusion. How could he not panic and collapse?
Then look at his relatives and friends.
Although the dog and the cat spirits were able to sense the spirits, they could never truly understand human emotions.
Jiang Kaile had just escaped from the filthy Jiang family and was emotionally unstable. He was still a sensitive teenager and easily influenced by external turmoil.
Lu Xiangcai is mired in trouble and can barely save himself. He can't even leave the gates of Shengtian Group and has to rely on Xie Xubai to save him from his predicament.
The little tentacle has the pure nature of a child, its mind etched with the evil inherent in its body as a demon god. Forget about being a source of support; it would be a miracle if it could even control its instincts and not cause trouble for the young man.
After listing them all, there was no one Xie Xubai could confide in about his vulnerabilities.
He could only pretend to be nonchalant on the surface, suppressing the near-suffocating panic he had been feeling the whole way.
It wasn't until he saw Xie Yuchun from his memories with his own eyes that the huge weight in his heart finally lifted, and he completely erupted, unable to contain his indescribable lingering fear.
The negative effects of being drained of his mental energy continued to fester, and Xie Xubai's mood remained unsettled for a long time.
He let go of Yan Shuo's hand that was supporting him, hurriedly wiped away his tears, and explained in a hoarse voice.
"I'm sorry. I haven't seen my mom in so long, I'm a little excited. I hope you can see this funny. Give me a moment, I'll be fine in a bit."
Yan Shuo's tongue tasted bitter for no reason.
He knew he was empathizing with Xie Xubai's panic, but he was puzzled as to why he himself was also feeling distressed.
God's life is too long, so long that even the ocean can turn into mulberry fields, and all things in the mortal world can vanish in an instant. He has seen countless tides rise and fall, and countless sunrises and sunsets. He has witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties and the changes in the landscape. All his emotions and desires seem to have been worn away almost to nothing by the long years.
The Xie Xubai before me is no more grand and magnificent than any dynasty, and cannot rival the brilliance of the sun and moon.
He is just one of the millions of living beings, an extremely insignificant individual. How could he possibly stir up emotions that have been frozen for so many years?
Yan Shuo pondered his inner confusion repeatedly, unable to find a solution.
But seeing the young man's seemingly unstoppable tears and the restless little flowers at his feet, one thing was clear to him: he had to do something to make Xie Xubai feel better, and to make himself feel better too.
At this moment, Xie Xubai was actually calmer and more composed than Yan Shuo had imagined, and not as fragile as he thought.
He pressed his sleeve against his eyes and pressed hard, but after a long while he still couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Only then did he suddenly realize the difference between his consciousness and his physical body.
Consciousness directly reflects inner emotions; joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness cannot be concealed.
In real life, Xie Xubai would have a brain freeze if he cried in front of Yan Shuo, an outsider, let alone just had his eyes red.
So, was he forced to lose control of his tears?
Regardless, Xie Xubai didn't want to stay in someone else's world of consciousness and shed tears any longer; it would not only be inappropriate but also very impolite.
Fortunately, Yan Shuo doesn't seem to care... Hmm?
Suddenly, Xie Xubai was startled and struggled as the mud rose up and bound his ankles. However, the mud was as soft and fluffy as cotton and did not harm him, but instead enveloped him.
Xie Xubai's exhausted body was steadily supported without any discomfort; in fact, he felt a sense of relief.
He turned to look at Yan Shuo, who had no expression on his face, and tentatively asked, "What's wrong?"
Before the words were even finished, the time rift that had already closed suddenly widened, as if an invisible force was pulling at its edges, preventing it from disappearing.
Xie Xubai suddenly turned around and saw Xie Yuchun's gentle, smiling face again. He was frozen in place, unable to control himself.
Seeing that the young man had stopped crying, Yan Shuo unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
But he felt that such indulgence needed to be restrained, otherwise it would lead to another. Greed is a flaw inherent in all living things; when they know they have privileges, they will become increasingly demanding and never be satisfied.
So Yan Shuo sat down next to Xie Xubai and said calmly, "Each time you open the Dimensional Realm, it consumes a lot of divine power. Just looking at those few glimpses was a waste. Today is the only day I'll let you see as much as you want."
Seeing his old friends in their vibrant form again was a wish Xie Xubai had cherished for over a decade.
But he remained rational, focusing more on the present than dwelling on the good old days.
For example, the hospital stipulates that resident doctors must go to the wards at 8 a.m. every day, and the department director, chief physician and deputy director must also do so. Even if a god comes, you can't stop them.
Xie Xubai smiled regretfully: "Thank you for your kindness, but I have to get up early tomorrow, so..."
Yan Shuo saw that although the young man said no, his eyes were still glued to Xie Yuchun out of the corner of his eye, so he raised his fingers to rub his temples.
After seemingly struggling for a while, he suddenly said, "I can control the flow of time here."
Xie Xubai paused, his clear and bright eyes lighting up almost instantly, as if adorned with countless stars.
Yan Shuo, who had been hesitant, caught his breath and looked away uncomfortably, his tone indifferent: "Don't forget that your mental energy is already depleted and your mental body is exhausted. Even if I can make you watch endlessly, you won't be able to last long."
"Every minute counts." Xie Xubai leaned closer to him, his eyes sparkling, and said with utmost sincerity, "Thank you so much."
The last sentence, still carrying a hint of huskiness and magnetism, was spoken by the young man's gentle and pleasant voice, possessing a strange allure, like a soft feather brushing against the earlobe.
……never mind.
Yan Shuo composed himself and thought casually, "Since we've already made an exception once today, what's wrong with doing it again?"
This is only for today; there won't be a next time.
Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly saw Xie Xubai take off his glasses and tentatively ask, "I might fall asleep in a little while, so would you like to try it now?"
"What?"
"Put these glasses on me." Not knowing the extent of Yan Shuo's glasses obsession, Xie Xubai paused, then added, "Whether you take them off or not."
Yan Shuo's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly used all his focus to control himself, barely managing not to show it.
However, he paused for a bit too long, which Xie Xubai noticed. The latter smiled, his eyes full of lighthearted teasing: "I should be considered a qualified glasses frame?"
Yan Shuo lightly scolded, "What nonsense are you trying to spout? It's utterly absurd."
"Don't you like it?" Any hobby that does not involve harming others deserves respect, so Xie Xubai did not point it out specifically, but handed the glasses to Yan Shuo and then lifted them up.
The tears on the lens had disappeared, leaving only a few warm dampness, which froze Yan Shuo's hand, which he wanted to pull away.
His pupils were fixed, watching as the glasses moved to Xie Xubai's face, which was adorned with a gentle smile, the thin gold-rimmed glasses contrasting beautifully with his fair skin.
Xie Xubai touched Yan Shuo's strong, firm fingers, which were trembling slightly. He quickly reassured him, "Don't be nervous, it's alright. This is just a small token of my gratitude. May I ask your name?"
He put on his glasses.
The next second, Yan Shuo, with his thumb hooked around his glasses frame, suddenly pressed hard on the corner of his eye.
The man's fingertips were covered in calluses, and the friction against his skin brought out a tingling, numbing pain. Most importantly, Xie Xubai was caught off guard and was forced to shed a few tears by an invisible force.
Xie Xubai: "??"
Tears moistened his glasses, like a thin, hazy mist shrouding his eyes, through which the young man's vision was vaguely revealed.
Yan Shuo then used two fingers to lift the frame of his glasses, as if lifting a curtain covering a landscape painting.
Reason and pride shouted in my heart.
--What are you doing?
Stop!
—You are the evil god who rules over darkness, and those are the insignificant and weak humans. What kind of behavior is this!
Yan Shuo remained unmoved, raising his glasses little by little. His once calm and indifferent eyes, which seemed capable of stirring up any turmoil, now lacked their usual composure, and he looked at him with undisguised panic.
Her eyes were so red they were almost unrecognizable, as beautiful as plum blossoms blooming in a vast snowfield.
Just as Yan Shuo had predicted, no, even more so—
My breathing finally became erratic, and so did my reason.
"My name is Yan Shuo." Yan Shuo gently rubbed the redness at the corner of his eye with his thumb, his eyes darkening further. "After knowing each other for so long, you finally remembered to ask my name?"
Author's Note:
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