Chapter 89 Ghost Returns: Dinosaur Ornament
"You smoke?"
It was a beautiful afternoon.
But Fu Yanli couldn't remember which day it was.
The sunlight was filtered into a dim halo by the heavy curtains, suspended in the drifting dust.
At that time, they entered into a relationship somewhat haphazardly.
But both of them knew that it was just a matter of following the script.
Their relationship wasn't particularly close.
Perhaps it's because the two of them are getting a little tired of each other.
Tired of the unchanging plans and schedules given to them by their partner.
But Fu Yanli remembers that at that time, he held a thin cigarette between his fingers, and the way he flicked the ash was obviously awkward and deliberate.
He wasn't really obsessed with the taste of nicotine; he just wanted a clumsy excuse to get closer to Xu Wenci, who always had a cold face.
He should have been the one pretending to be indifferent.
As a result, Xu Wenci became even more indifferent to him.
Moreover, the indifference wasn't feigned.
He walked up to Xu Wenci, who was leaning against an old sofa reading a thick book, his eyelashes drooping, and his profile looking somewhat indifferent in the dim light.
Fu Yanli deliberately brought the cigarette to his lips, took a puff, and as expected, coughed softly, his eyes reddening. But he still forced himself to stand up, raising his chin and trying to put on an expression of nonchalance, even a hint of smugness.
He also smokes.
He also deliberately provoked Xu Wenci.
It's all because Xu Wenci always deliberately smoked and choked him in the previous world.
Xu Wenci looked up from the book, his amber eyes calmly sweeping over the red corners of his eyes, watching his fingertips, which were trying to remain calm but were trembling slightly.
Fu Yanli lowered his eyes.
However, there was no rebuke or surprise as expected, not even the slightest ripple.
Why is there no response?
Just as Fu Yanli was feeling a little embarrassed by Xu Wenci's gaze and was about to withdraw his hand, Xu Wenci closed the book, reached out, and very naturally took the cigarette from between his fingers.
His movements were fluid and graceful, displaying a familiarity and ease that Fu Yanli had never shown when smoking.
Fu Yanli was stunned, watching Xu Wenci put the cigarette between his lips and take a light drag.
There was no coughing, no discomfort; he simply inhaled thin white smoke slowly and exhaled it even more slowly.
Then, before Fu Yanli could react, Xu Wenci leaned forward slightly.
The distance was instantly shortened, so close that Fu Yanli could see the fine downy hairs on his face and count his drooping eyelashes.
Xu Wenci's face was somewhat blurred behind the swirling bluish-white smoke, but his amber eyes were as clear as a frozen lake reflecting the golden sunset.
Xu Wenci looked at him and gave a very faint smile.
Then, he slightly parted his lips and slowly, with a hint of teasing, blew the remaining smoke from his mouth onto Fu Yanli's face.
The scent of tobacco, mixed with Xu Wenci's unique, cool yet gentle aroma, enveloped Fu Yanli like an invisible net.
The smoke wasn't thick, but it carried a strange aggressiveness, scratching his skin, penetrating his nasal cavity, and even...seemingly trying to seep into his blood through his pores.
Fu Yanli's heart skipped a beat, as if it had been scalded by something.
He subconsciously held his breath, feeling his cheeks burning and even his ears getting a layer of uncontrollable heat.
He wanted to back away, but his body was frozen in place. He could only watch Xu Wenci finish doing all this, watch him lean back on the sofa, hand the cigarette back to him, his eyes still indifferent, as if that almost provocative yet intimate gesture was just something he did casually.
"He choked like that." Xu Wenci's voice was indifferent, revealing no emotion.
Fu Yanli took the cigarette in a daze, the filter still warm from the other person's lips when his fingertips touched it.
He watched as Xu Wenci picked up the book again, as if nothing had happened, but he still felt a burning itch on the spot on his face where the smoke had touched.
It lingers.
The itch spread from the surface of the skin all the way up, silently creeping into the heart.
Xu Wen's resignation was intentional.
Fu Yanli only realized this problem now.
Xu Wenci was deliberately provoking him.
Why?
Belatedly, he realized that his heart had begun to pound violently.
Xu Wenci... perhaps he had planned everything back then.
Yi Lou released his grip on Fu Yanli's hand and staggered back a step.
His eyes were fixed on the interwoven purple and white light, on the cufflinks and building blocks that were faintly visible within the light, and for the first time, a look of relief appeared on his face.
His significance seemed to have come to an end with the completion of this final instruction.
His body began to blur, like a poorly signaled image, gradually dissipating into the stagnant void, leaving not a single word behind.
He waited for the new world to arrive, and for his brother to come home.
Gu Pei had become completely transparent, leaving only a faint outline that seemed ready to crumble at any moment.
He stared at the light spot in Fu Yanli's palm, at the operating system that was forcibly stabilized by the light sphere crystal but was covered with white cracks, his deep brown eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions.
There is relief, there is exhaustion.
Perhaps, there was also a faint, almost imperceptible, expectation...
"It seems... I, the author... can finally... completely wrap things up..."
His voice was light and airy, carrying a final self-mockery, and his final silhouette, like a sand painting scattered by the wind, silently merged into the darkness.
Now, in this space that exists between existence and nothingness, only Fu Yanli remains, along with the tiny point of light in his palm that slowly rotates, radiating a light that is a mixture of chaos and order.
silence.
It was no longer deathly still, but utter silence.
Fu Yanli looked down at his palm. The cufflink and the block fragment had disappeared; they had become part of this world, or rather, they were the original core of this world.
Xu Wenci's resolute decision, Yi Lou's madness, Gu Pei's sacrifice, and his own pain and confusion...
Everything, in the end, coalesced into this faint but dazzling light.
In the next world, there will be no more scripts.
Whether it's plagiarism or the original work.
But... will Xu Wenci... reappear?
This thought, like a tiny vine, quietly coiled around him from the deepest part of his heart, causing a slight stinging pain and a sense of immense bewilderment.
He broke the rules, collapsed the world, and even participated in this near-suicidal final plan, all for a future where they could break free from their constraints and truly meet again.
But when all this was actually achieved, when absolute freedom became within reach, fear washed over them like a cold tide.
What if... there isn't one?
What if Xu Wenci really disappears completely?
What if Xu Wenci isn't confident he can come back?
What if Xu Wenci's probing message turns out to be false?
Xu Wenci did not take advantage of him.
But... Xu Wenci disappeared.
Fu Yanli clenched his fist, and the light gradually faded between his fingers.
As Xu Wenci leaned closer and blew smoke onto his face, those amber eyes, so close yet frozen, reflected the setting sun.
At that time, he did not understand the meaning behind that look, and only took it as a cold provocation.
Looking back now, I realize that beneath that layer of ice, there was clearly a hint of tenderness.
"Xu Wenci..." He murmured the name silently, as if it were a spell that could quickly bring Xu Wenci to his side.
The light that had disappeared from his palm seemed to sense his intense emotional fluctuations, and the light began to flicker slightly again, its frequency gradually synchronizing with his out-of-control heartbeat.
Within the interwoven purple and white light, there seemed to be extremely subtle data streams being recombined, no longer exhibiting the cold order of a running system, but rather carrying a certain... familiar yet warm fluctuation.
Fu Yanli suddenly opened his eyes and stared intently at the point of light.
Is it just my imagination?
If a virus is injected into a system using a carrier, won't the carrier disappear?
Since the carrier won't disappear, then...
Xu Wenci couldn't possibly be dead.
Moreover, Xu Wenci has the protagonist's halo.
His eyes widened, and he trembled as he tried to loosen his grip, but unconsciously he clenched it tighter. The light shining through his fingers illuminated his pale face, making him look extremely haggard.
The light spot began to tremble violently, and the light became unstable.
Fu Yanli held his breath, cupped the point of light in his hands, and stared intently, as if afraid that the flutter of his eyelashes and his deliberately soft breathing would blow the point of light away.
Suddenly, the point of light burst forth with tremendous light, enveloping Fu Yanli, who was intently staring at it.
Fu Yanli squinted at the bright light, and when he opened his eyes again, he was already sitting in his boss's chair.
The air was filled with my usual crisp cedar scent, with a faint hint of lime.
Everything was exactly the same as every time he worked before, as if that terrifying collapse was just a long and absurd dream.
But the lingering heat of the last burst of light remained in his palm, and he subconsciously clenched his fingers, letting out a sigh of relief.
It should be true.
Belatedly, the lingering, empty throbbing in his heart was a direct reminder to him.
That wasn't a dream.
Xu Wen resigns...
He suddenly stood up from the chair, the movement so forceful that the leather seat slid backward with a screeching sound.
He looked around; the large office was empty and quiet, with only his own breathing clearly audible.
In his haste, Fu Yanli looked down and his eyes widened in surprise.
At the very top of the table, there is a tiny dinosaur figurine.
A green cartoon dinosaur is swishing its tail, gently circling a bright red apple with it.
He recalled that there were no decorations on his desk before.
Because the rules of domineering CEOs state that they cannot do such childish things.
Could it be... could it be Xu Wenci...?
But no.
Xu Wenci was nowhere to be found.
Could it be... that it's really just wishful thinking on his part?
Was he wrong?
Did Xu Wenci also guess wrong?
A tremendous sense of powerlessness enveloped him, almost crushing his already taut back.
He braced himself against the table, his knuckles turning white from the force. The glimmer of light that had just ignited in his deep purple eyes quickly dimmed, leaving only bottomless despair.
This was the first time he could express his despair without restraint or fear of punishment.
There should be absolutely no element of performance involved.
There's no need to worry about messing up the plan.
Just as Fu Yanli was about to be swallowed up by this heavy sense of loss:
A faint, almost imperceptible scent of tobacco, mixed with the cool yet gentle aroma from his memory, silently crept into his nostrils like a ghost.
Fu Yanli's body suddenly stiffened.
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