Chapter 54: Lost Paradise

By noon the next day, the snow had stopped.

Yawning and wearing a brand-new white knitted sweater, Wen Chu left the house nestled in Xiu’s arms.

The two little snowmen and the pair of eggs outside had long been covered by last night’s wind and snow, leaving no trace.

Wen Chu didn’t really care. He hadn’t built them very well anyway. When they came back tonight, he could build two better-looking ones with Xiu.

Just as Wen Chu was thinking about how to invite Xiu to play in the snow together, he saw Xiu suddenly stop at the door.

Xiu stared thoughtfully at the patch of ground where he had built the snowmen last night.

Wen Chu stopped mid-yawn, his mouth open as he asked guiltily, “W-What’s wrong?”

Xiu didn’t speak. He bent down, holding Wen Chu with one hand while picking up a lock of white hair from the snow with the other.

Oh, just hair… Wait.

Wen Chu choked on his own saliva and started coughing wildly.

Why did he shed so much hair??

Xiu didn’t speak; he just looked at the hair thoughtfully for a while, then looked at the cat in his arms.

He had been looking at Wen Chu in black cat form for so long that Xiu almost forgot that Wen Chu was originally white.

Wen Chu felt even more guilty under his gaze. He turned his head away, forcing several yawns in a clumsy attempt to cover it up.

The snow is so white, the house is so black, the weather is so nice.

What does hair shed by a human have to do with a cat?

“Why are you so sleepy?” Xiu asked slowly. “Did you go out to be a thief last night?”

He was wearing a black hood, so Wen Chu couldn’t see his expression. Just from the unhurried tone of his voice, he couldn’t tell if Xiu had figured it out or not.

Being scolded so sharply by Xiu, Wen Chu didn’t dare pretend to be aggrieved and felt even guiltier. “I just didn’t sleep well.”

Xiu didn’t say whether he believed him or not, simply continuing to walk forward while holding him.

Claude was already waiting at the gate in the steam car. Seeing Xiu from a distance, he got out of the car and respectfully opened the door.

“Minnie went to the Central Plaza to distribute coal, so I came to pick you up for the amusement park,” Claude volunteered an explanation.

Xiu nodded, got into the car holding the cat, and said to James, who was sitting in the passenger seat, “Go modify the stove in my room to be driven by a Steam Heart. Don’t tag along.”

“Yes, Sir.” James didn’t dare ask questions and immediately got out of the car to leave.

Claude glanced at his departing younger brother but didn’t say much. He started the car and dutifully acted as a guide. “This car was confiscated by Minnie last night. The Winter Jasmine Amusement Park, designed by James and me, is arranged based on the six stages of flower growth. Funding was limited at the time, so the location of the park is very remote, in the suburbs even farther out than District Four. Because of this…”

The vehicle started, and a rumbling sound came from behind.

Wen Chu looked back and saw that behind their steam car, a steam train was clanking along, emitting black smoke as it traveled over the snow.

Wen Chu was stunned: Trains can run without tracks?

Claude explained proudly, “After the riots at the East District Orphanage last night, the City of Steam immediately cut off the supply of Steam Hearts to the surface. However, the steam locomotives were still operating normally, so an empty train arrived at the station early this morning.”

“James and I modified the train’s drive system and control system directly. Now it’s a steam locomotive that can travel on the ground. It’s perfect for transporting the Steam Hearts from the amusement park.”

Xiu didn’t speak and didn’t seem surprised, quietly watching the snow outside the window.

Wen Chu had already learned basic math, physics, and chemistry, so hearing this surprised him greatly. He jumped onto Xiu’s shoulder and pawed at the seat to look back.

The steam locomotive followed the small car in front, driving through the snow and openly passing through the main urban area.

Wen Chu saw Minnie in the Central Plaza from a distance.

Minnie’s hair was fiery red, her face flushed from the cold, and she was dressed very thinly. She stood in front of a cart of coal, distributing it basket by basket to the residents of the main urban area.

And right beside her was the Chief, who had been hung up all night and frozen directly into an ice sculpture.

The Chief was still hanging from the lamppost, evidently having become a sightseeing spot for people to admire. Children were playing and running past under the lamppost.

—Children.

The children from the orphanage had escaped, and the patrol officers hadn’t chased them.

Looking at the familiar faces of the armed people patrolling around the main urban area, the result of last night’s war was obvious.

The West District and South District had won a great victory.

Xiu was somewhat surprised upon seeing the ice sculpture. “You guys did that?”

“No.” Claude shook his head honestly. “It suddenly appeared there last night. According to nearby residents, it was done by the White-Haired Beautiful Ghost from recent urban legends.”

“White-Haired Beautiful Ghost?” Xiu raised an eyebrow, showing a bit of interest.

Claude was just about to continue when he met the little black cat’s gaze, which looked like it wanted to stab him.

Cold sweat broke out on Claude’s forehead, and he laughed dryly. “Haha… it’s just a baseless urban legend. There are even rumors that the Chief was killed by a cat. Such rumors aren’t credible.”

Xiu was even more interested. “What cat? How did it kill him?”

Wen Chu looked ready to pounce and tear his mouth apart.

Claude wasn’t there last night, and only after the words left his mouth did he realize who the rumored cat was. He immediately changed his tune. “It must be fake. It’s probably a story made up by the South District to cooperate with our spook tactics.”

Xiu said no more, and Wen Chu finally withdrew the glare that was ready to stab him at any moment.

Claude: …

Why didn’t James tell him in advance that Wen Chu did it??

Something like “A cat held a gun with its tail and killed the Chief”—that kind of rumor doesn’t sound real at all!

Having almost let the cat out of the bag, Claude adhered to the principle of “speak less, mistake less” and remained much more silent for the rest of the journey.

Just like that, they drove through the main urban area, through the East District where the fires of war had not yet ceased, all the way to the wasteland beyond District Four.

Without boiler rooms and various steel creations, the ground was a desolate barrenness.

Riverbeds were dry, animals dead. After being covered by heavy snow, the entire suburb was a pure white silence.

A dilapidated amusement park appeared so abruptly on the wilderness.

Claude parked the car steadily. Wen Chu raised his head in Xiu’s arms, looking at the fallen park plaque.

—Winter Jasmine Amusement Park.

“This is it.”

Amidst the ear-piercing creak of metal, Claude pushed open the iron gate and stood respectfully to the side, inviting them in.

“The facilities here have fallen into disrepair over the years. James and I came to check a while ago; they can run automatically once power is installed. However, for safety’s sake, we don’t recommend you play on the more dangerous rides, like the swing ride and the river rafting.”

Xiu, holding Wen Chu, gave an acknowledgment and stepped into the park.

Right inside the gate was a small steam train. The paint had peeled off, and it was covered in a layer of snow, parked at the tunnel entrance.

The Ferris wheel in the center of the park in the distance was also covered in snow, looking desolate.

Wen Chu was a little disappointed.

This was quite different from the colorful amusement park in James’s notebook.

Claude led the way. “Let’s take the small path to the central control room to activate the power for the entire park. Then you can go directly to whatever facility you want to play on.”

As he spoke, Claude pointed to the steam train still parked at the entrance behind them. “I’ll be transporting Steam Hearts with them all afternoon. We’ll use the staff passage and won’t disturb your play, so please rest assured.”

Xiu keenly caught the keyword “them” (plural “you”), and looked at the kitten in his arms for a while.

…Forget it.

Wen Chu was willing to tell others, but unwilling to tell him alone. Then he would respect Wen Chu’s wishes.

Xiu stepped forward, walking through the deep and shallow snow, catching up to Claude.

He looked up at the City of Steam hidden in the gray sky in the distance and took a deep breath of cold air.

It was just that, being treated as a stranger by Wen Chu even at this time… was somewhat disappointing.

The park’s central control room was right under the Golden Stamen Ferris Wheel in the center.

Approaching the Ferris wheel, Wen Chu was surprised to discover that the Ferris wheel, which looked black and white from a distance, was actually gold, just with severely peeling paint.

Claude took the key from his pocket, opened the door to the central control room, and turned to explain, “The central control room is underground, and the smell isn’t very pleasant. Wait up here for a moment; I’ll go start up the park.”

Xiu stopped in his tracks.

Making sure Claude’s figure disappeared into the doorway, Wen Chu looked at Xiu and spoke guiltily, “Sorry, I didn’t know it was so desolate here…”

Even though he hadn’t seen a normal amusement park, combining James’s design sketches with what he had seen and heard in this world, Wen Chu could see the dilapidation here.

—The facilities here weren’t even as intact as the houses in the main urban area.

Xiu patted his head. “As long as it runs normally, it’s fine. Didn’t you want to come and play? Don’t worry about the appearance.”

Wen Chu wasn’t comforted.

He didn’t want to come to play; he wanted to date Xiu. How could he date Xiu in a tattered place?

Wen Chu whimpered and bit Xiu’s cuff, thinking unwillingly that when this world was liberated, he would build a beautiful amusement park just for Xiu.

Xiu wanted to comfort him further, but suddenly, with the sound of a light and cheerful celesta melody, the entire amusement park abruptly lit up.

Gold light lit up on the Ferris wheel. Not far away, the carousel played cheerful music while colorful lights lit up, and it began to rotate with a creaking sound.

The swing ride in the distance simulated vine growth as it rose into the air, lights on the central pillar simulating the blooming effect. The small steam train in the distance started with a “Woo-woo.”

An enthusiastic female voice echoed through the entire park via loudspeakers.

“Welcome to Winter Jasmine Amusement Park!”

As her voice fell, Wen Chu was surprised to find that on the snow-covered ground beneath his and Xiu’s feet, patch after patch of small yellow flowers bloomed.

It was the effect of light projection on the ground, but in this scene, it seemed as if flowers had truly bloomed in the wilderness.

James didn’t have the ability to bring the dead back to life like him, but he used machinery and steam to build a golden winter jasmine for the surface.

“All done.” Claude emerged from the central control room, covered in dust, looking with satisfaction at the colorful amusement park. “We can finish work before 5:00 PM tonight. If you want to ride the Ferris wheel, you can come after that.”

Xiu nodded and left holding Wen Chu.

The park suddenly became sparkling. Even though it was still a bit dilapidated, Wen Chu couldn’t help but feel better. He wagged his tail happily. “Xiu, does it look good? Do you like it?”

Xiu gave a “Mn” and walked slowly with him along the flower-blooming path of the park. “What do you want to play first?”

Wen Chu pointed his tail unhesitatingly at the carousel still playing music not far away. “That one! That one is the prettiest.”

Xiu laughed, reached out to take off his hood, and led Wen Chu to the carousel.

Pushing open the rusty iron gate and stepping onto the carousel’s turntable base, Wen Chu couldn’t wait to jump onto the pumpkin carriage.

“Xiu! Come sit in this!”

This one was the roundest; he liked it.

Xiu looked at the black cat lying on the pumpkin stem, smiled, walked over, picked the cat up, and put him inside the carriage. “You sit inside, not lie on top.”

“Eh?”

Wen Chu sharpened his claws awkwardly, poked his little cat head out of the window to look, and happened to meet Xiu’s gaze from outside the window.

Looking at the kitten in the pumpkin carriage, blackened by soot and neglect, Xiu couldn’t help but reach out and tap his head. “Little Cinderella.”

“What is that?” Wen Chu, poked sideways, didn’t understand.

Xiu also sat in the carriage. Amidst the creaking noise and music of the carousel, he whispered, “A fairy tale.”

Wen Chu blinked his eyes. “A fairy tale like The Little Mermaid and The Princess and the Pea?”

“How do you know those?” Xiu was surprised.

Wen Chu immediately wanted to say proudly “Xiu told them to me,” then slammed on the brakes.

Wait, Xiu doesn’t know he told them to him yet.

Wen Chu made up a random excuse: “James said them.”

Xiu didn’t press further, simply introducing: “Cinderella tells of a girl who was abused by her stepmother and stepsisters. She could only sleep in the kitchen cinders, always covered in ash, so people called her Cinderella. That day, the Prince held a ball…”

Wen Chu’s eyes grew brighter as he listened.

“…Finally, the Prince and the Princess lived happily ever after.”

Xiu dropped the last sentence, turned his head, and saw the kitten staring at him with an almost burning gaze.

“What’s wrong?” Xiu asked somewhat uncertainly. “You don’t like this story?”

“No, no.” Wen Chu shook his head vigorously, immediately jumping onto Xiu’s knee to announce, “That’s right, I am Cinderella! This is my pumpkin carriage.”

He was going to marry Xiu and live happily ever after.

Xiu: …

He didn’t quite understand why Wen Chu was so excited. Finally, after thinking about it, he attributed it to every child having a princess dream when they were young.

Even boys could have one… right?

He went along with Wen Chu’s words. “Mn, this is your pumpkin carriage.”

“If I had known earlier that you liked pumpkin carriages, I would have asked James…”

Xiu stopped halfway through.

It was already this time; nothing could be done in time. What was the use of saying so much now?

“Xiu?” Wen Chu waited for a long time without hearing the rest, looking up in confusion.

Xiu changed the subject. “What do you want to play after the pumpkin carriage?”

Wen Chu: “Sit on the big wooden horse next to it!”

Xiu: “And after the wooden horse?”

Wen Chu: “There’s also the little wooden horse!”

Xiu: “…”

Facts proved that Wen Chu really liked this carousel. Xiu accompanied him from the pumpkin carriage to the wooden horse, then to the swan, and then sat through it all again. Only then did Wen Chu jump off the carousel, still wanting more.

He had spun around too many times, walking with a crooked, drunken stagger, yet still walking forward with high spirits. “How about going to the theater next?”

Xiu followed unhurriedly behind him, watching with amusement as the kitten walked a drunken circle before bending down to scoop Wen Chu up. “Okay.”

The theater was open-air, with a thick layer of snow on both the seats and the stage.

When Wen Chu and Xiu arrived at the theater, the mechanical puppets inside had already performed half the show due to the power activation.

On stage, a female robot wore a tattered wig and a tattered dress. The synthetic skin on her face had long become tattered under the erosion of time, revealing the mechanical gears inside.

She was very petite, holding the arm of another beast-shaped robot whose appearance was completely unrecognizable, creaking as they spun and danced in the center of the stage.

Beside them were jumping mechanical clocks and brass furniture, playing out-of-tune accompaniment together.

“I don’t think you will love me; I am so ugly. But I know you are not that kind of person. When I am beside you, I don’t feel ugly…”

A deep mechanical male voice sounded, followed by an extremely fast soprano.

“That is because you were never ugly.”

Wen Chu stood on Xiu’s shoulder, looked at the two tattered and grotesque robots on stage, and complained honestly, “You two are both very ugly right now.”

Xiu let out a breathy laugh.

He smiled exceptionally often today, turning his head patiently to explain to Wen Chu, “This stage play is performing Beauty and the Beast, meaning love has nothing to do with appearance.”

“Whether a monster or a prince, what you love is always the other person’s soul. Appearance might be a short-term obstacle, but under the attraction of souls, the final outcome remains the same.”

Wen Chu chimed in, “The ending is the princess and the prince living happily ever after?”

“Yes,” Xiu said.

Looking at the little black cat, he suddenly understood.

Appearance, and even species, were not problems. What mattered was that the one before him was Wen Chu.

Gluttonous, sincere, playful, noisy Wen Chu.

So full of life. He was so attracted to Wen Chu.

And step by step, moved by this.

Xiu lowered his eyes.

Figuring this out now seemed a bit too late.

Leaving aside that Wen Chu didn’t have improper thoughts about him, the act of “confessing at the last moment” itself was very unethical.

He hoped Wen Chu would live carefree in the warm spring of the new world, rather than shackling him at the very end.

[Current Favorability: 90/100]

Wen Chu, standing on Xiu’s shoulder, was startled by the favorability panel that suddenly popped up.

On stage, the out-of-tune mechanical voices were still singing and dancing. Wen Chu completely lost the mood to continue watching, sizing Xiu up and down in shock.

How did Xiu’s favorability suddenly reach ninety? He hadn’t even appeared in front of Xiu in human form yet??

According to what the System said, above 90 meant lovers.

Did Xiu fall in love with him as a mist??

Wen Chu was shaken, so he knocked on the System: [Is the favorability panel broken?]

System: [Not broken.]

Wen Chu: [Hiss—]

Then the problem was huge.

If the panel wasn’t broken, then Xiu must be broken.

In this instant, Wen Chu recalled the strange sense of brokenness the other party brought him every time he gnawed on Xiu. He carefully rubbed against the side of Xiu’s face.

“Xiu,” Wen Chu said softly. “Are you having fun?”

Xiu turned his head to meet Wen Chu’s round eyes and smiled reluctantly. “Fun. Is there anything else you want to play?”

Wen Chu felt even more uneasy. He pawed at Xiu’s shoulder. “Shall we rest for a while first?”

Xiu agreed readily. “Sure. I can take you to the souvenir shop to have a look. Maybe there are still well-preserved souvenirs.”

The souvenir shop was originally downstream of the artificial rafting river, but now it was winter, and having not been activated for a long time, the artificial river was frozen solid.

Wen Chu and Xiu followed the river all the way down, pushing open the door to enter the old souvenir shop.

The vending robot inside the shop lifted its rusty head and said enthusiastically, “Welcome!”

The next moment, because of years of disrepair, the enthusiastic robot’s head rolled down with a rumble, leaving only the gear components in the middle continuing to turn and emit the pre-set second half of the sentence.

“May I ask what you need?”

Wen Chu stood on Xiu’s shoulder looking at the goods on the shelf. “Xiu, there are winter jasmine seeds here. Let’s take them back and plant them?”

Xiu didn’t refuse, reaching out to take several packets of seeds from the shelf and putting them in his pocket.

He thought for a moment and took a planting manual as well.

“Can you recognize all the characters?” Xiu asked worriedly.

Wen Chu didn’t understand why, but still answered, “All of them!”

Although his handwriting wasn’t good, he recognized most words.

Xiu still wasn’t quite at ease. After thinking, he said, “Don’t just take math, physics, and chemistry classes in the future. Study more language and history. Don’t learn from Claude and James; they are biased in their subjects.”

Wen Chu also really wanted to learn to write, but James wouldn’t teach him. He looked at Xiu. “But there is no teacher. You teach me.”

Xiu: “…Count me out. I don’t know how to teach people.”

Wen Chu didn’t believe it. “You teach especially well.”

Previously, when Xiu taught him about ocean currents, he learned it immediately.

Xiu said vaguely, “We’ll see if there’s a chance.”

Wen Chu wanted to say something else, but his attention was caught by a hairpin on the shelf next to him the next moment.

It was a little sprout hairpin, the kind that clipped to the top of the head. There was a diagram next to it; wearing it looked like a seedling growing out of the top of the head.

Wen Chu patted Xiu’s shoulder. “Xiu, want that.”

Xiu took it down as requested and gestured above his head. “You can’t wear it.”

Wen Chu: “You wear it.”

Xiu: “…”

Wen Chu looked eagerly. “Can’t you?”

Xiu was silent for a while, then silently put the hairpin on himself.

Wen Chu looked at the swaying green sprout on top of the cold-faced Evil God’s head and commented with satisfaction: “Cute.”

Xiu turned his head away, the roots of his ears slightly red. “Don’t use adjectives randomly.”

…

The two stopped and went around the souvenir shop for a long time. Finally, amidst the robot’s warning of “Please pay,” they openly engaged in a zero-dollar purchase and pushed the door to leave.

“Why is it dark? So fast?” Wen Chu said in surprise.

“Mn, it’s already past six,” Xiu said, looking at the pitch-black night. “It gets dark early in winter. We only left the house at noon today; it was already afternoon when we got here.”

Claude and the others had finished transporting the Steam Hearts, and the train parked at the park entrance had long since left.

Wen Chu felt a bit of a chill even wearing the sweater.

Afraid he would freeze again if it got colder, he hurriedly said, “Then let’s go ride the Ferris wheel. We’ll go home after riding.”

“On the Ferris wheel, I have something to tell you.” As Wen Chu spoke, he wagged his tail shyly.

Being exposed in human form in front of Xiu unprepared was still different from actively showing his human form to Xiu.

Wen Chu was already starting to regret it. He should have asked the System for prettier clothes instead of coming to see Xiu casually like this.

Xiu agreed and led Wen Chu toward the golden Ferris wheel in the center.

Many of the Ferris wheel’s cabins were damaged. Xiu held Wen Chu and waited below for a while, choosing a relatively intact one to sit in.

The Ferris wheel carried them slowly upward.

After entering the Ferris wheel, Wen Chu sat opposite Xiu, placing two paws properly in front of him, sitting upright.

“Xiu, if… I mean if I were a human, how would you look at me?”

Xiu looked at him calmly. “Look at you just like this.”

Wen Chu: “…Not that kind of look.”

Xiu: “Then which kind?”

The little mist who hadn’t learned language well was rendered speechless.

Xiu pursed his lips and smiled very faintly. “Not teasing you anymore. What you are won’t affect my attitude toward you.”

“You are the cat I raised, a cloud of mist I met, a… difficult-to-raise spoiled brat.”

Wen Chu was dissatisfied. “I’m not spoiled. I am an especially terrifying white-haired ghost.”

Saying this, he let out an “Aowu” to show his little sharp teeth.

Xiu laughed out loud instantly.

He leaned against the rusty cabin, smelling the pungent rust, looking toward the City of Steam on the distant horizon.

“Right, white-haired ghost, White-Haired Beautiful Ghost—do you know what that is?”

Wen Chu was startled by Xiu suddenly blurting out “White-Haired Beautiful Ghost,” but his attention was immediately drawn to the second half of Xiu’s sentence.

He floated to the window to look out.

Next to the artificial island floating in the distant sky, countless points of light lit up, slowly descending.

“What is that?” Wen Chu tried hard to connect these light points with things he had seen. “Park lanterns?”

“It’s descending steam robots and soldiers wearing flight gear.”

Xiu said calmly.

“With the orphanage breached and the main urban area controlled, the City of Steam couldn’t possibly take no action. Cutting off coal and resource supplies was just the first step; the next step should be an attack.”

Wen Chu was shocked. “Then let’s go back and help…”

“No need.” Xiu turned his head, looking at him with calm, transparent blue eyes. “It’s useless effort.”

“After the Rebel Army led by Minnie takes power, the people on the ground will still suffer from cold and hunger. The only difference is that the Rebel Army moves into the City of Steam, while the people originally living in the City of Steam are exiled to the ground.”

“A hundred years later, it will be another rebellion. Such an endless cycle—this is the future of this world.”

It was the first time Wen Chu heard Xiu talk about the future, and he was stunned.

“Is there no other way?” Wen Chu struggled.

He wanted to be happily together with Xiu, but he didn’t want his happiness built on the suffering of others.

“There is.” Xiu pointed to his own eyes. “The root of everything is the Steam Heart. So as long as this world is rebooted and the Steam Heart is prevented from appearing, all development will return to the right track.”

A sense of unease rose again.

Only then did Wen Chu discover with surprise that the color of the Steam Heart was exactly the same as Xiu’s eyes.

“What do you want to do?” Wen Chu asked warily.

Xiu shook his head. “Nothing. Don’t worry, you will live very well…”

“After everything ends, go back to the small building I prepared for you. You can eat me freely, or spend money to buy clean food…”

“Xiu!” Wen Chu raised his voice to interrupt him. “What exactly do you want to do? If you don’t tell me, I’ll get angry.”

The blonde god lowered his eyes to look at him. Those indifferent, gloomy eyes, usually covered in frost, showed such obvious tenderness for the first time.

“I want to make up for the mistakes I made. I want you to have a beautiful future.”

The Ferris wheel reached its highest point.

At the peak, they could clearly see how the points of light descending from the City of Steam fell to the ground, and how the fires of war rose everywhere on the ground.

Xiu reached out and dug out his own eyes without hesitation, crushing them.

“Xiu!!” Wen Chu was too shocked to care about anything else, instantly turning into a human and gripping Xiu’s hand tightly.

“What are you doing? Stop!”

Xiu’s complexion turned from sickly pale to ashen white, his golden hair gradually losing its luster.

Like a robot that had completely lost its power source, he began to lose vitality bit by bit.

“Look… out the window.”

Wen Chu turned his head.

The Ferris wheel, which had risen to the highest point, suddenly began to rotate counter-clockwise. The rising fires of war on the ground gradually extinguished, and the light points that fell to the ground actually began to rise in reverse.

Everything was rewinding.

Except for Xiu.

Blue light began to emanate from Xiu’s body, and his fingers stiffened bit by bit.

The blue light flew out of the Ferris wheel, flying to every place in the world.

The sun rose from the west, the snow melted instantly, and the City of Steam crashed down.

Afraid that his eyeless self would scare Wen Chu, Xiu closed his eyes and used his last strength to say, “Without me…”

Would you be happier?

Wen Chu stared blankly at Xiu.

The sun rose, and he saw the golden sunlight falling on Xiu’s face. This was the first time he had seen such bright sunshine since coming to this world.

But he couldn’t help trembling, feeling cold all over.

Wasn’t it fine just now? Why did it suddenly become like this? Xiu’s favorability toward him had clearly reached ninety.

He was just about to turn into a human, confess to Xiu, and be together.

Wasn’t it agreed…

Wen Chu suddenly remembered that Xiu seemed to have never promised him a future.

His voice trembled. “Xiu…”

Xiu’s fingers were ice-cold, his eyes tightly closed.

Never again would he respond with that cold yet indulgent voice as usual, or reach out to pat his head.

Wen Chu fumbled for Xiu’s chest, sensing not a single heartbeat.

This was death.

He had seen death countless times, but he had never thought this would happen to Xiu.

What to do?

Wen Chu completely panicked, even forgetting that he had the ability to resurrect. Only the thought “Xiu is dead” remained in his mind.

Immense panic struck.

Wen Chu’s nose started to sting, and his vision began to blur.

What to do? Xiu is dead. What should he do?

“Come back, don’t die…” Wen Chu opened his mouth, emitting a choked sob.

“I don’t want a future. How can you be so selfish? You clearly want to save the whole world and leave me behind… They can all live well, but what about me?”

Plip-plop—

Water droplets fell from his cheeks.

Wen Chu raised his hand blankly, wiped his cheek, and realized in a trance that these seemed to be tears.

He couldn’t shed tears.

He wasn’t supposed to be able to shed tears.

But his heart hurt so much, and the tears wouldn’t stop.

Wen Chu gripped Xiu’s black robe tightly, weeping uncontrollably.

He thought, is this how Xiu felt when he shed tears back then?

It really hurts so much.

“I hate you, I hate you, I hate you I hate you I hate you…”

Wen Chu could hardly tell if he hated this world or hated Xiu. He didn’t understand why the whole world Xiu saved didn’t include him alone.

He wiped the tears from his face messily, biting his lower lip hard. “You are not allowed to die. I don’t allow you to die.”

He laughed out of extreme grief, the smile on his lips stubborn. “Come back to life for me. You can’t leave me. We have to be together forever.”

[Lifespan -10h]
[Remaining Lifespan: 1 Year, 120 Days, 1 Hour]

Xiu’s platinum long eyelashes trembled.

Wen Chu stopped crying, looking quietly at Xiu, waiting for Xiu to wake up.

His mind was incredibly clear at this moment. All the unreasonableness of the past connected into a line at this time.

It turns out Xiu never planned to live from the beginning. Since their first meeting, Xiu had already been thinking about leaving him alone.

Wen Chu asked the System coolly: [Did you know this long ago?]

The System fell into a guilty silence.

While waiting for Xiu to wake up and questioning the System, Wen Chu wasn’t idle. He tore off the corner of his cloak and tied Xiu’s wrists tightly.

Wen Chu was eerily calm and pleased. “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if he only thought about saving the whole world. I can resurrect him.”

“Xiu voluntarily gave me so much lifespan. He raised me this big.”

Wen Chu tilted his head, looking at the golden-haired god whose fingers had begun to move, and smiled. “So, Xiu, you have to take responsibility.”

Abandonment is an immoral act.

The System advised guiltily: [Calm down a little…]

Wen Chu chuckled lightly. “I am very calm.”

Dragging the black cloth binding Xiu’s wrists, he forcibly pulled up Xiu, who had just woken up and was still in a dazed state.

“I calmly thought it through. Pretending to be pitiful is useless; it will only make Xiu discard me casually. I just want to mate with Xiu now. I want to mate with him for a lifetime. He has to be my lover whether he wants to or not.”

Wen Chu lowered his head and pinched Xiu’s chin, his tone cheerful. “Now, I am raising you.”

“From now on, let’s live forever in the stone tower you prepared—”