Shen Kuangye opened his eyes, and what met his gaze was not the familiar room, but a pale-colored carpet and the space under the bed.
No, to be precise, he was very familiar with this room—but… Shen Kuangye suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Because this was the hotel room where he had died in his previous life!
He was still on the floor, frozen in the same powerless, struggling posture from the moment of his death.
…What's going on?
Hadn't he died?
The color drained from Shen Kuangye's lips instantly.
His arms and legs were still weak, but even so, he forced himself to struggle upright, staggering toward the bathroom.
When he saw his face in the mirror, it was as if all his strength had left him; he slowly slid down to the floor, shoulders slumped, spine curved, as though carrying an immense weight.
His face was completely colorless, pale as winter snow, radiating a bone-chilling cold. Strands of hair fell messily across his forehead, damp with cold sweat, sticking tightly to his smooth skin, making the pallor beneath look even more paper-like.
He… had returned?
And Lu Xiangyang… what about him?
Would Lu Xiangyang be scared, or cry, if he couldn't find him? That fool had even run out without his shoes last night just because he was frightened. Now that he was gone, what would Lu Xiangyang do…
Shen Kuangye still refused to accept this reality. He decided to go to the hospital to check on Lu Ning.
If Lu Ning was truly gone, then maybe he really had returned to his original world.
But ever since Shen Kuangye had seen Lu Ning's healthy, lively face, he could no longer bear to imagine the lifeless version of Lu Ning in the hospital.
It couldn't be real… it just couldn't.
He tried to pick up his phone, but his hands were trembling uncontrollably. Shen Kuangye, calm down.
He stuffed the phone into his pocket, and as soon as he opened the door, he ran into Ella's player codenamed "Transparent." She frowned and said, "Lu Xiangyang, why are you still up so late? Hurry up and get ready to return to the club."
Shen Kuangye's face turned completely pale.
He had no time to deal with Transparent's questions. He glanced at the phone to check the time.
May 5th, 3026.
The first day after the Abyss ended.
Only one day had passed. But how could those hundreds of days living with Lu Xiangyang have possibly passed in less than a day?
Shen Kuangye forced himself to calm down.
He didn't believe it—he had to go see for himself.
Transparent looked annoyed, displeased: "Oh? Ignoring me now, huh? Bad manners."
Shen Kuangye, anxious to see Lu Ning, had no time for this. He scowled and tried to leave, but LEAH, unwilling to miss this chance to taunt him, raised her hand to touch his shoulder—only to be unexpectedly punched.
It was a solid punch, and her face twisted to the side.
Shen Kuangye hadn't felt such sharp pain from his tendinitis in a long time. He twisted his wrist a few times and said coldly, "Get lost."
Transparent was furious: "What the hell? You dare hit me? Do you think you can hide your tendinitis? If you survive this Abyss, what about the next season? What right do you have to yell at me? Ella can always find a genius better than you."
Shen Kuangye let out a faint scoff, his eyes flashing pure contempt: "I've been active for four and a half years, won four Abyss championships as FMVP, nine playoff championships as FMVP. What right does a piece of trash like you have to yell at me?"
Transparent was enraged, but a single glance from Shen Kuangye silenced him instantly.
Shen Kuangye had no time for him anyway. He lowered his head and dialed Lu Xiangyang's number.
After failing to connect, he realized—the number was this phone's.
It was Lu Xiangyang.
Shen Kuangye froze and shut the phone. He lowered his eyes, seeing his own reflection in the dark screen, along with those tear-filled eyes brimming with endless sadness.
He reached out slowly, touching the screen, filled with infinite longing.
After a long flight, Shen Kuangye arrived in City A. Without giving himself a moment to rest, he took a taxi straight to the hospital.
But all hope shattered the moment he saw Lu Ning's body covered with a white sheet.
Shen Kuangye's eyes were vacant and bewildered, as if the world before him had fractured into countless pieces, impossible to reconstruct.
The light that once sparkled deep within his eyes had been extinguished by a storm, leaving only endless gray.
The usually composed man could no longer contain himself; he covered his face, shoulders trembling slightly.
He realized he had nothing left.
It had all been a fleeting, illusory dream.
…
"Brother?"
"Wake up, okay?"
Shen Kuangye heard a voice calling him.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw Lu Xiangyang looking at him, full of worry.
Shen Kuangye instantly sat up, eyes red, and hugged him tightly, as if even a second's delay would make the person in front of him vanish.
Lu Xiangyang was momentarily stunned, then gently patted his back, speaking softly, as if afraid to startle him: "It's okay, it's okay."
"Brother, did you have a nightmare? Why is your forehead covered in sweat?" Lu Xiangyang asked in a gentle voice.
Shen Kuangye slowly nodded. The comforting scent of Lu Xiangyang made him feel grounded again.
He realized it had only been a dream.
Fortunately, it was just a dream.
Lu Xiangyang noticed something was off and looked down—oh no, his brother was crying.
Thinking Shen Kuangye was recalling the shadows of past illness, he hurriedly coaxed him: "Don't cry, Brother. I was just making porridge for you. I stayed with you the whole time before that."
Shen Kuangye realized his head felt dizzy, his throat dry.
He whispered hoarsely: "I…"
His voice was hoarse.
"Brother has a fever. When I got up today, you were still sleeping. Your forehead was burning! Xing-ge even brought you a cooling patch."
Lu Xiangyang carefully brought over a bowl of millet pumpkin porridge.
"Drink some, I made it for you."
He spooned a bite to Shen Kuangye's lips.
He expected Shen Kuangye to refuse—after all, his brother was always independent.
But this time, Shen Kuangye simply looked at him with those moist eyes, quietly taking bite after bite.
Lu Xiangyang couldn't help but joke: "Brother, are you afraid I'll run away?"
Shen Kuangye's ears reddened, and he lowered his gaze, obediently sipping the porridge.
The slightly sweet millet porridge warmed his body considerably.
Lu Xiangyang was about to take the bowl to wash it when Shen Kuangye grabbed his wrist, lips moving but unable to say the words: Stay with me.
Lu Xiangyang understood immediately.
He set the bowl on the bedside table, took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and hugged Shen Kuangye tightly: "Is this enough?"
Shen Kuangye nodded.
Lu Xiangyang pressed his hand against Shen Kuangye's forehead to check his temperature. He clicked his tongue: "Why hasn't your fever gone down? How long were you sitting there last night? I think you caught a cold in the hall."
Last night, the hall's air conditioner was off. Shen Kuangye had only gone downstairs to fetch his luggage and hadn't put his coat back on, sitting alone in a thin sweater for a long time after talking with Xing-ge.
Feeling guilty, he pretended to sleep but worried about having the same nightmare again.
Lu Xiangyang lay in his embrace, scrolling his phone in silence. Shen Kuangye lowered his eyes and saw the search bar filled with: How to strengthen your body when you're always sick?
"You're not always sick," he hoarsely said, but it sounded unconvincing.
Lu Xiangyang, absorbed in reading health tips online, ignored him completely.
Shen Kuangye silently closed his mouth.
Holding Lu Xiangyang and feeling his warmth gradually eased the anxiety left from the nightmare.
He kept reassuring himself—it was just a dream.
Because he was sick, Shen Kuangye didn't stay awake long and fell into a deep sleep again.
When he woke up, it was already approaching evening. He instinctively reached over—warm, still there.
Lu Xiangyang was secretly scrolling CP fan posts, completely unaware that Shen Kuangye had woken.
Shen Kuangye was stunned by the content on the phone screen.
All the day's fatigue instantly vanished.
Having lived over twenty years, he knew too well about these things.
But how could Lu Xiangyang be reading this? And the main character's name was them!
Shen Kuangye didn't understand, but he quietly watched along with him.
After Lu Xiangyang had satisfied himself reading all the new fan works and turned to check Shen Kuangye's forehead, they suddenly locked eyes.
Shen Kuangye's gaze was clear, wide awake, and had no trace of sleep, though he didn't know how long he had been up.
Lu Xiangyang: "…"
When embarrassed, people always pretend to be busy. Lu Xiangyang chuckled nervously twice and tried to wriggle out: "Brother, you, how long have you been awake?"
Shen Kuangye looked at him, understanding, and calmly replied, "Just woke up."
His tone was flat, unlike when seeing things like that online.
Lu Xiangyang quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Good.
If his brother had been awake for a long time and seen him reading those… Lu Xiangyang would have had to sleep on the floor for the next few days.
"Still dizzy?"
Shen Kuangye shook his head.
Lu Xiangyang pressed the back of his hand against Shen Kuangye's forehead.
Fortunately, the fever had broken.
"Do you want to eat something?"
Lu Xiangyang asked.
Shen Kuangye didn't want to trouble him and shook his head.
During their conversation, someone knocked on the door.
"Xiangyang, is Kuangye feeling better?"
Xing-ge's voice came from outside.
Lu Xiangyang replied, "Yes, the fever's gone."
"Alright, I left food for you. Once he wakes up, remember to come down and eat."
After he left, Lu Xiangyang said to Shen Kuangye, "Xing-ge was super worried about you today, checked on you several times, but you didn't wake up."
Shen Kuangye's heart stirred slightly. Lu Xiangyang continued: "But the moment he saw us hugging today, his expression was a little strange, like he wanted to say something but held back."
Shen Kuangye thought for a moment and calmly revealed explosive news: "Because he knows about us."
"What?" Lu Xiangyang was extremely surprised, then hurriedly asked, "And his attitude?"
Because Xing-ge treated them well, Lu Xiangyang cared about his reaction.
Shen Kuangye said, "A bit shocked, but he didn't stop us."
"Then that's good." Lu Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief, a little puzzled: "We usually disguise ourselves so well in front of them, right? How did they see through it?"
Shen Kuangye also found it strange. He shook his head: "Not sure."
T/N: Really? You two...are you sure? 😀