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Yan Chen’s face turned pale, his voice low and gritted, “What kind of joke is this?”
Ye Mu half-closed his eyes, “We’ve already broken up, so why would I joke about this with you?”
Yan Chen’s lips tightened like a blade, “That’s nonsense. I confirmed it with him several times back then, and he always said it was him. How could it be wrong?”
Ye Mu coldly glanced at him and added, “Anyone could’ve said it was them. Just pick a random stranger.”
Yan Chen froze, his expression momentarily stiff, his voice hoarse, “It was just an online account. What reason would he have to impersonate someone else?”
Ye Mu’s voice was emotionless, “You’d have to ask him that.”
Yan Chen’s face darkened further, pressing on, “The game had eighty-nine levels. If you really were ‘Crow,’ do you remember at which level you encountered Xiao Han?”
Ye Mu didn’t even spare him a glance, answering directly, “At the Vermilion Bird Gate.”
Yan Chen bit his lip, his brows furrowing tightly, still in disbelief, “And where was the last duel?”
Ye Mu coldly replied, “Qin Yu Temple.”
Yan Chen’s thin lips trembled slightly as he stood there, staring at the man in bed for a long time without saying another word.
Ye Mu glanced at him sideways, his tone dripping with undisguised contempt, “So you were fooled for eight years?”
Yan Chen’s eyes grew darker, as if he had fallen into an abyss but was still struggling to survive, “We still haven’t gotten to the bottom of this. I advise you not to jump to conclusions.”
Ye Mu slowly lifted his eyes to meet his gaze, “What’s the point of deceiving yourself like this?”
Yan Chen lowered his head, shadows darkening his features. After thinking for a moment, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.
After pressing a few buttons, he dialed a number.
The man on the other end seemed to be waiting for him, as the phone rang only briefly before connecting.
“Hello, why aren’t you home yet? It’s so late. I know I was wrong today. Please forgive me. Give me a chance, I’m begging you…”
Gu Huai seemed flustered and even a bit panicked, his usual composure and grace gone, sounding somewhat desperate.
Yan Chen furrowed his long brows and abruptly interrupted him, his voice heavy and suppressed, “I’m asking you, who was the person playing games with me online back then?”
Gu Huai’s body trembled violently, and his face immediately turned ugly, his voice dry as he asked, “Why are you asking about this?”
Yan Chen’s eyes were filled with a cold and fierce intensity, “Answer me.”
Gu Huai’s pupils widened, a deep-seated fear overtaking him, his teeth chattering as he stammered, “It, it was me.”
Yan Chen closed his eyes in frustration, “Do you remember what rank ‘Crow’ was back then?”
Gu Huai bit his lip so hard that blood oozed out, and after a long silence, he finally spoke, “Second.”
Yan Chen tightly pressed his lips together. “And what about Xiao Han?”
Gu Huai gripped the receiver and clearly enunciated, “Fifth.”
“How many sword techniques did you practice back then?”
“Five in total: Bloodbath Swordsmanship, Kunlun Swordsmanship, Huashan Swordsmanship, Yuheng Swordsmanship, and Ruoyun Swordsmanship.”
“Which level did you encounter me at?”
“Vermillion Bird Gate.”
“And where was our last sword fight?”
“Qin yu Temple.”
After asking more questions than Ye Mu had and receiving all the precise answers, Yan Chen’s expression finally relaxed.
Gu Huai, unsure how much longer he could hold out, nervously asked, “Is there something wrong?”
His voice was well-controlled, without a hint of guilt, and the timid inquiry might even make one mistakenly think he was innocent.
Yan Chen took a deep breath, realizing his earlier judgment was wrong. He closed his eyes and shook his head, his tone softer than before. “No, nothing. You should sleep.”
With that, he finally hung up the phone as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
Gu Huai stared at the darkened screen, his emotions in turmoil. After the call, his body shook slightly, and his legs gave out as he collapsed onto the floor.
Yes, he was terrified. Even though he had secretly logged into the other person’s account and memorized all the information, it didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t the real Crow.
Yan Chen was naturally suspicious. Since he asked today, it meant someone had told him something. After this, he would likely hire a private detective to trace the IP address from back then and uncover the real identity of that person.
Once it was discovered that he had deceived him for eight years, who knows what cruel and ruthless actions Yan Chen might take?
Sitting on the cold floor, as he anticipated the consequences, Gu Huai’s eyes reddened, and deep sorrow washed over him.
Yan Chen, unaware of this, calmly put away his phone and looked at the man in the bed with a gaze full of disdain and contempt.
He had expected to see the other person looking embarrassed or uneasy, but that wasn’t the case.
Ye Mu laid there quietly, his eyes serene and calm, like still water, without a trace of flaw.
That look seemed to question him in return, carrying a deep sense of irony.
Yan Chen felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, an inexplicable anger surging up, burning him with sharp pain. “Enough, don’t play the villain. Trying to stir things up like this only makes you seem despicable and shameless.”
Ye Mu’s lips curled into a cold, thin smile. His eyes reflected a sense of resignation and retreat; he no longer wanted to argue and simply said, “Sorry.”
Yan Chen stood there, his fist clenched, staring intently at him. The light cast a dark shadow over his profile. “It’s a character issue. I blame myself for not seeing through you before.”
Ye Mu lowered his eyes in silence. After a long pause, he softly said, “Forget it. You should go.”
Yan Chen glanced at him with a sharp look. “This place is cursed. No one wants to stay.”
Ye Mu’s expression didn’t change. “Hmm. I won’t see you out.”
With that, he fell silent.
The atmosphere in the room was extremely oppressive, making it hard to breathe.
Yan Chen, for some reason, felt increasingly agitated and uneasy. After one last deep look at him, he finally opened the door and left.
Ye Mu stared at the white bedsheet, his pale, refined face indifferent, completely detached.
For the first time in his life, he felt that the thing he had been obsessed with for so many years was utterly ridiculous.
Yan Chen was too arrogant, selfish, and too foolish. If it had been in the past, he might have logged into the Crow’s account to prove his true identity, but now he only wanted to watch the farce between these two from the sidelines.
Perhaps he was truly despairing and letting go. All he wanted now was peace, to no longer get involved in the tangled mess that could never be sorted out. Let it go as if nothing had ever happened.
When Chen Mo got out of the taxi, it suddenly started raining.
It wasn’t heavy, but with the northern wind of winter, it stung his face.
The temperature dropped sharply, making him shiver.
Afraid that the porridge would get cold, he instinctively tucked it under his coat for warmth.
Along the way, he unexpectedly passed by a small flower shop.
In addition to the blooming flowers, there was a conspicuous banner at the entrance.
“Still single? This Valentine’s Day, make it different!”
Raising his eyebrows slightly, Chen Mo suddenly remembered that in just a few hours, it would be February 14th.
In the past, when he was dating, the women would often coyly ask him to send flowers, but he always refused, thinking it was too corny.
So, from birth until now, he had never given flowers on Valentine’s Day.
But tonight, for some reason, he suddenly stopped in front of this flower shop and couldn’t move.
Not sure why, Chen Mo walked into the shop and patiently looked around before finally choosing a bouquet in the corner.
When paying, the shop assistant seemed a bit surprised but didn’t say much, still carefully wrapping it as requested.
Chen Mo took the bouquet, and a rare smile appeared on his pale, jade-like face.
The raindrops fell sparsely, accompanied by the midnight chill, making him shiver.
He didn’t delay any further, practically running all the way to the hospital because of the cold.
Chen Mo’s steps didn’t stop until he saw the familiar black Lamborghini.
Frowning, just as he was about to go inside, he received a text message from Ye Mu.
The gist was that someone was visiting him from home, so he should come in later to avoid running into them.
Chen Mo’s eyes darkened as he stared at the screen for a long time, then slowly turned and walked to the corridor.
Squatting in the cold, dark wind, his young and handsome face showed a hint of loneliness and gloom.
He didn’t mind that the two were still in contact, but it hurt a bit that Ye Mu lied to him.
The black Lamborghini stayed there for a long time, never leaving.
Chen Mo waited for a long time, until early in the morning, before he saw his brother come out and finally headed towards the ward.
Some things, since the other party didn’t want him to know, he wouldn’t push too hard.
After sending Yan Chen away, Ye Mu was about to send a text to Chen Mo when, to his surprise, the latter walked in.
Chen Mo had gotten quite wet in the rain. When he came inside, he was surrounded by a cold, icy aura. His wet bangs clung to his forehead, his clothes were wrinkled, and his shoes were dirty, making him look a bit disheveled.
Ye Mu’s brow furrowed slightly. He pulled the blanket from the pillow and handed it to him. “What happened? Weren’t you driving?”
Chen Mo took the blanket and casually wiped himself off, then pursed his lips slightly. “There was no gas station nearby, so I had to walk.”
After saying that, he opened his coat and placed the bowl of porridge on the bedside table, lifting the lid to serve Ye Mu a bowl.
Because it had been sitting for a while, it wasn’t hot anymore, but it was still warm.
Ye Mu didn’t refuse, taking the bowl with one hand and gulping it down. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down with each swallow.
Chen Mo, rarely seeing him eat so hungrily, couldn’t help but laugh. “Hey, it’s just porridge. Is it that good?”
Ye Mu licked his lips and nonchalantly said, “I’m hungry.”
Chen Mo didn’t respond, just stared at him with a heated gaze.
Ye Mu felt it and instinctively turned to glance at him.
Chen Mo winked at him, his handsome face showing a hint of inexplicable flirtation.
Ye Mu thought he might have gotten porridge on his face, so he picked up the towel and wiped it.
Chen Mo chuckled softly and suddenly pulled out a beautiful bouquet of roses from behind him, pushing it in front of Ye Mu. His throat moved, and his thin lips parted. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Ye Mu was slightly stunned, staring at the flowers in front of him, completely frozen in place.
The man felt a bit embarrassed and awkward receiving the flowers, but at that moment, as he listened to the other man’s deep, magnetic voice offering him Valentine’s wishes, he completely disregarded those feelings. A warm sensation like a gentle stream quietly flowed through his heart.
“Thank you,” Ye Mu replied, lightly pursing his lips.
Chen Mo looked at him, his lips unconsciously curling into a slight smile.
As their eyes met, the air between them grew thick with emotion and desire. Ye Mu coughed and turned his face away, avoiding Chen Mo’s gaze.
Chen Mo’s eyes, clear and bright, sparkled with amusement. He hooked an arm around Ye Mu’s neck and, unable to resist, planted a kiss on him.
Ye Mu found it annoying and pushed him away. Taking the flowers in hand, he placed them in a vase by the bed, but as soon as the stems were in, he paused.
Noticing this, Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ye Mu’s gaze deepened, his face impassive like a glacier as he spoke in a tone filled with quiet resentment, “You bought fake flowers?”
Chen Mo didn’t think much of it and laughed, his young, handsome face lighting up with amusement. “Fake flowers last longer; they never wilt.”
Ye Mu’s lips twitched slightly, his expression deadpan as he shot Chen Mo a cold glance. “You can leave now.”
Author’s Note:
Ye Mu: “Director, I can’t continue filming this. I strongly request a change in the leading man.”
Director Yuan: “Sure, do you have any specific requirements?”
Ye Mu: “Just not Chen Mo.”
Yan Chen: “Director, I volunteer.”
Director Yuan: “Hmm, let me think about it.”
Chen Mo: “Director, the readers just gifted me a 60-meter-long sword. You might want to think carefully.” [Threatening look]
Director Yuan: “…”
