Death Knocks on Hell’s Door Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Just In Case

When Xie Bian woke up, there was a hand resting on his waist. He paused for a moment, then moved it away and sat up without a word.

His long hair slid along with his movement, concealing the mottled marks left on his body. Fan Wujiu hadn’t dared to be too rough, but Xie Bian’s pale skin made even the slightest pressure leave traces, giving him the appearance of someone who had been mistreated.

Xie Bian turned his head to look at Fan Wujiu, who was sleeping soundly beside him. Rubbing his temples, his gaze was filled with complexity.

The effects of the golden arrow had worn off by last night.

And, of course, it had worn off at the most crucial moment. Just as Xie Bian had woken up, he found Fan Wujiu’s hand squeezing his waist, another hand cupping the back of his head, with his legs wrapped around Fan Wujiu’s waist in an…… indescribable position.

Xie Bian had two choices at that moment. One was to react quickly, push Fan Wujiu away immediately, and figure out the current situation. The other was to react slowly, fail to act in time, and let Fan Wujiu succeed.

Xie Bian’s reacted quickly, yet he didn’t push him away. Instead, he chose to reciprocate.

He wasn’t sure what was going through his mind, but since he didn’t feel resistant, he simply went along with it.

The rest of the night passed in exhaustion, and he eventually fell asleep, too tired to think about anything else. It wasn’t until now, fully awake, that the memories from last night began to come back to him.

After the golden arrow’s effect wore off, the person who was struck would still retain the memories from when they were under its influence. However, their actions during that time were not under their control.

So, what exactly had he done during that time?

He had told Lao Hei about how he died for love.

He had kissed Lao Hei forcefully, then barged into his bedroom and insisted on sharing a bed.

He had taken the initiative to ask for kisses and hugs, several times even unbuttoning his clothes and shamelessly seducing Lao Hei.

He single-handedly acted out a tragic script titled “My Sworn Brother Who Doesn’t Love Me Pretends to Be My Boyfriend to Spare My Feelings, and Though I Know He’s Pretending, I Love Him So Desperately That I Pretend Not to Know He’s Pretending.”

Xie Bian: “……”

Such an embarrassing thing could never have been done by him.

When Xie Bian had allowed himself to be struck by the arrow, he had anticipated that he might end up doing something earth-shattering. But anticipating it was one thing, accepting it once it actually happened was quite another.

Still, there was a silver lining to being struck by the arrow.

Xie Bian lowered his gaze to look at Fan Wujiu. He remembered that when he was under the influence of the arrow, he had been trapped in that tragic script, loving with bitter humility. Later, he discovered that Fan Wujiu wasn’t as distant as he had seemed. He, too, was just as anxious and restrained.

“I’ve loved you for a thousand years. I have selfish motives, that’s why I never told you the truth before. I took advantage of this situation to pretend to be your boyfriend, all to satisfy my own desires. This identity was already stolen, and I can’t truly…… truly take advantage of you.”

“Xiao Bai, will you allow me to love you?”

He remembered every word clearly.

Xie Bian covered his eyes, chuckling softly. “Two fools.”

Lao Hei’s acting had been so poor, yet somehow he had hidden this so well that Xie Bian hadn’t noticed it for a thousand years.

Was it because he hadn’t thought of it, or because he hadn’t dared to?

All love is fleeting and impermanent. From love arises worry, from love arises fear.

The sorrow and fear in his heart, the things he couldn’t bring himself to say, were not his alone.

After a moment, Fan Wujiu woke up as well. He opened his sleepy eyes and saw Xie Bian sitting in the bed, facing away from him. He couldn’t help but softly call, “Xiao Bai?”

Xie Bian’s body stiffened.

……He still didn’t know how to face Fan Wujiu.

Fan Wujiu sat up and moved to his side. “What’s wrong? Do you feel unwell?”

Just as a hint of tenderness appeared, Fan Wujiu mumbled, “But I feel like you were pretty comfortable last night.”

Xie Bian’s face turned bright red, and he angrily turned his head away in embarrassment.

Shut up, you damn straight man.

“Xiao Bai, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Xie Bian stiffly spoke, “Shut up, turn around. I’m getting dressed.”

Fan Wujiu obediently turned around, teasing, “What’s the matter? Why are you shy now? Didn’t you just take off your clothes on your own earlier……”

Xie Bian: “Shut up! Stop talking!” He wished he could erase all the embarrassing memories of the past days with one button.

Fan Wujiu raised an eyebrow, sensing that something was off.

Xiao Bai, under the influence of the golden arrow, was daring. How could he be so shy just because of a little teasing about getting dressed?

As he dressed himself, a bold guess began to form in Fan Wujiu’s mind.

He looked at Xie Bian and cautiously asked, “Xiao Bai, is…… the effect of the golden arrow finally wearing off?”

Xie Bian: “……”

Lao Hei was so clueless in some ways, but how was he so sharp at this moment?

Xie Bian’s response was as awkward as it could be. “No.”

Fan Wujiu understood immediately. He was sober now.

If the golden arrow’s effects hadn’t worn off, Xie Bian should have answered with, “What golden arrow? When was I struck by an arrow?”

Fan Wujiu cautiously asked, “When?”

This morning? Or last night?

If it was this morning, Xie Bian had woken up to face the aftermath of their actions. The start of the conversation would be quite intense.

If it was last night……

It would be even more intense.

Xie Bian refused to answer. He still had some pride left.

Fan Wujiu, sensing the tension, smoothly changed the subject, although his emotional intelligence only led to an equally awkward topic. “Do you remember what happened…… during this time?”

Xie Bian wished he could cast a silencing spell on Fan Wujiu. Why did he have to bring up the most uncomfortable topic?

Xie Bian grew even more uneasy. “……It’s all a misunderstanding.”

At the very least, the fact that both he and Fan Wujiu thought they were living out a tragic love story was a colossal misunderstanding.

And just yesterday, driven by jealousy, he had taken Fan Wujiu away in front of so many demons, boldly declaring his dominance.

If it had been just in front of Fan Wujiu, he could have borne the embarrassment, but this kind of social death was a bit too much for him.

“A misunderstanding?” Fan Wujiu chuckled lowly. “Xiao Bai, your soul-binding chain have completely captured my soul.”

Xie Bian covered his burning ears. “I told you not to bring it up!”

A hint of amusement flickered in Fan Wujiu’s eyes. This kind of shy, furious reaction, covering his face and shouting, was something the usually reserved and aloof Lao Bai would never have done. It was only under the influence of the golden arrow that Fan Wujiu discovered so many endearing side of Xiao Bai’s true nature.

Of course, Lao Bai had always been cute in Fan Wujiu’s eyes, but his more authentic self was even more endearing. Even now, with the golden arrow’s effects worn off, Xiao Bai hadn’t returned to his usual, stern, unapproachable demeanor.

Xiao Bai wasn’t suppressing himself anymore, and that was great. Fan Wujiu was very pleased to see Xie Bian throwing little tantrums in front of him. It was far better than the emotional restraint he had shown for a thousand years.

“Xiao Bai.” Fan Wujiu suddenly grew serious. “What I said last night still stands. If you don’t want to remember, I’ll have to repeat it for you.”

Xie Bian still found it hard to face him. “It’s too long, I won’t be able to remember it. Just don’t say it.”

Fan Wujiu smirked. “Then just remember this: I love you.”

Xie Bian was slightly stunned. The hands that had been covering his ears now moved to clutch at his chest.

He felt his heart pounding a little too fast.

All that so-called composure was a lie. The person he liked also liked him. It was such an unbelievable thing. Moreover, they had both hidden such feelings for a thousand years.

Something so dramatic that it would feel over-the-top even in a stage play had actually happened to them. If it weren’t for the golden arrow giving them a push, who knows how long they would have kept it hidden?

“Xiao Bai, after I left last night, I went to the Yanluo Hotel to talk to Lao Cui,” Fan Wujiu paused. “He said you had once gone to drink with him.”

Xie Bian couldn’t immediately recall when he had gone drinking with Cui Jue. “When?”

Fan Wujiu: “Eight hundred years ago.”

Xie Bian thought for a long while before he vaguely remembered. “Eight hundred years ago…… I’m surprised he still remembers.”

He said, “Since he’s already told you, then you must know what I said.”

All that talk about the eight sufferings of life, about fear rising from love, those drunken truths had finally reached Fan Wujiu’s ears.

Even if it was eight hundred years too late.

Fan Wujiu sighed softly. “I do know.”

Xie Bian let out a small “oh” then said, “No wonder you came back last night. So you’ve resolved this lingering doubt. I don’t know whether to praise you for being a true gentleman or resent you for being such a blockhead.”

After saying that, he lightly shook his head. “I’m not in a position to call you a blockhead. We’re two of a kind. I’m just as much of a blockhead.”

He had struggled to suppress his secret love for a thousand years, only to find out that the other person had been doing the same. It was both heartbreaking and tragic, yet strangely amusing.

It was as if fate had played a huge joke on them, spinning them around in circles, only to finally present them with a surprising conclusion.

“I don’t remember when I started liking you.” Fan Wujiu decided to be direct. “It was definitely before we died, so long ago that I can’t remember clearly. Maybe it was when I heard you playing the zither in the woods, or when we studied together. I’m not sure when it began, but by the time I realized, loving you had become instinctive.”

Xie Bian absentmindedly twisted a lock of his hair. “Mm, me too.”

“After I realized I liked you, I didn’t dare tell you, afraid of hindering your pursuit of the top scorer title. Back then, homosexuality was unacceptable and couldn’t be brought out into the open. I didn’t want to burden you.”

Xie Bian softly replied, “Me too.”

“Later, we became the Impermanence Immortals. By then, we were already sworn brothers with a bond stronger than life and death. I was even more afraid you wouldn’t accept it, and if that happened, we wouldn’t even be brothers anymore. I didn’t dare say anything, and I kept it buried in my heart, intending to keep it there forever.”

Xie Bian: “……Me too.”

The two of them looked at each other in silence, both feeling how absurd it all was.

“I can only say, fate loves to play tricks on people.” After a long pause, Fan Wujiu sighed. “I thought that in this lifetime, we were destined to be together but without a chance. In my early years, I was unwilling to give up, so I went to see the Sansheng Stone and checked the Book of Fated Marriage. I looked at everything I could, but our names were never linked together. The Old Man Under the Moon’s red thread didn’t tie us together either. I resigned myself to an unrequited love, but then, out of nowhere, Cupid’s arrow came.

“Even if it was an accident, I’m grateful.” Fan Wujiu spoke earnestly. “It let me know that Xiao Bai has the same feelings for me. How ridiculous that I was unaware before, wasting a thousand years.”

Xie Bian lowered his head. After a long moment, he spoke in a muffled tone. “It wasn’t an accident.”

Fan Wujiu froze for a moment.

“When the golden arrow of love struck me, I caught it mid-air, but I deliberately let it go.” Xie Bian spoke softly. “I could have snapped it in half, or quickly flown to a deserted place to discard it, avoiding any consequences. But I was gambling.” Xie Bian continued in a low voice, “I wanted to use that moment to confess my feelings. If you truly had no interest, I would have passed it off as a misunderstanding, blaming the golden arrow for everything. But if our feelings were mutual, then that would be perfect. Even though, at the time, I thought there was no hope, I still held onto the thought — what if?”

Xie Bian slowly raised his head. “Fortunately, I won the gamble.”

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