Ye Shuang's shoulders trembled, his tears pattering and blooming on the floor. At this moment, his fragile appearance was perhaps something he would only truly show in front of his parents.
In front of his parents, he would always be a child. He didn't need to pretend to be strong or mature, because in front of the people closest to him, he didn't need any disguise.
Ye Shuang confessed his mistakes over and over again, until the next second—he was gently embraced by his mother.
The warm embrace made Ye Shuang slowly open his eyes. Before him were Ye's Mother with a smile on her face and Ye's Father looking full of emotion. Ye Shuang spoke hoarsely, "I'm sorry."
I'm sorry.
A choked utterance revealed the remorse that had been eating away at Ye Shuang day and night.
"I think our future selves definitely wouldn't blame you either. How could this be your fault?" Ye's Mother stroked Ye Shuang's head and comforted him, "Silly boy, don't take all the blame on yourself."
"Mom thinks you're great. My son is a very affectionate person, what's it called... a simp? Even though I don't know why this word exists more than ten years later, if your dad wasn't that affectionate back then, he wouldn't have been able to woo me, hmph."
"That's right, look on the bright side. It's just a car accident. What if we transmigrated to another world? Maybe I could even win a Holy Grail War and come back." Beside them, Ye's Father also looked optimistic and said, "If you have to be blamed for this, then the blame should go to us for giving birth to you, or to us for getting married in the first place."
"As long as you live well and pull yourself together, we will be happy even in heaven."
Ye Shuang was hugged by his parents. He lowered his head at this moment, like a child who had made a mistake. The sound of their voices seemed to continuously heal his heart. He reached out and hugged them both, burying his head in their embrace.
"Tick." A familiar sound made Ye Shuang look up.
He also noticed the white clock at this moment. When he saw the time, his breath suddenly hitched.
No...
Why?
Wait?! Why did the time that had been stopped start moving again?
Ye Shuang had thought that it was impossible for him to stay in this timeline forever, but he didn't expect this moment to come so suddenly and hastily.
"Give me a little more time."
The clock quietly reached its final moment, and Ye Shuang's expression became panicked. "Wait, I still have so much to say!"
"Are you... leaving?" After noticing Ye Shuang's panicked appearance, Ye's Father and Ye's Mother seemed to understand something. The two looked at each other.
"I..." Ye Shuang looked helpless, not knowing how to explain.
Time was clearly running out, so why couldn't he say anything?
Ye's Mother gently touched Ye Shuang's head. "It's okay, don't rush. There must be people who are very important to you over there too, so go back."
Then Ye's Mother also felt a bit emotional. "Thinking that you will become so mature in the future and be able to take good care of yourself, we can rest assured..."
"Remember, as your parents, we will never blame you... You are truly wonderful."
"Although it's a bit of a pity that the us over there couldn't see your wedding, Shuangzai... but there is still a chance on our side..."
His mother smiled, but the sound Ye Shuang heard was gradually engulfed by a ringing noise. He stared blankly at the two people in front of him, and his vision was gradually covered by white, as if a layer of white mist had obscured his sight.
Don't...
Ye Shuang reached out his hand forcefully, but it seemed he couldn't grasp anything, and the scene before him continuously pulled away.
And at the very last moment, although his ears were filled with ringing, Ye Shuang read the words spoken in his parents' smiles—
We will always love you, baby.
...
Buzz—
...
"Drip, drop, drip."
It was raining in the cemetery, and the falling raindrops seemed to carry a hint of chill.
The parents who were originally smiling in front of him turned into cold photos on the tombstone. The faint, earthy smell of mud mixed with rainwater reached his nose. Ye Shuang silently looked at everything in front of him. He opened his mouth, then weakly lowered his arm.
Rainwater streaked across his face, indistinguishable from tears, and dripped onto the ground.
"Ye, are you, are you okay?" Beside him, Chen Qin immediately held up an umbrella for Ye Shuang, while Bai Yuyou stood on the other side, looking at Ye Shuang curiously.
"Are you okay? Ye Shuang."
Just now, Ye Shuang's body seemed to stiffen for a moment, and then he didn't react for several seconds. His whole person was like he had entered a trance; no matter how they called him, there was no response.
Chen Qin looked at Ye Shuang with some worry at this moment. Could it be that he was overly heartbroken from seeing his parents' photos?
"..." Ye Shuang slowly turned his head. Seeing the two worried girls, he said softly,
"I'm fine, let's go back."
"There's nothing we can do with such heavy rain, let's go." Seeing that Ye Shuang seemed to be fine, Chen Qin felt a little more at ease and said,
"We can come back next time, on a day with better weather."
The rain continued to fall, drops landing on the flowers in front of the tombstone. The grey cemetery seemed less lifeless because of this touch of bright color. The photos of the two on the tombstone seemed to silently watch over Ye Shuang and the others as they walked away.
The three squeezed under the umbrella and returned to the car. The rain beat against the car, making it a bit noisy even with the windows rolled up.
Because it was winter, Ye Shuang turned the heater in the car up a little higher. Now they had no choice but to go home early and change clothes.
The rain had soaked their clothes, and the two girls' garments clung to their skin, faintly revealing the colors underneath. However, at this moment, Ye Shuang held the steering wheel and looked ahead. It wasn't until the moment he gripped the steering wheel and pondered slightly that he felt he had truly returned.
In that timeline, everything felt like a dream.
Fu Yao didn't accidentally fall from the building, Yuyou wasn't abducted by Bai Laoqi and his wife and locked in an attic for eight years, his parents were still alive, and he wouldn't even have met Zhao Mengyao. Perhaps this was the best outcome, right?
[Are you willing to stay in that world forever?]
A faint window suddenly appeared before his eyes. Ye Shuang froze for a moment, his gaze falling upon it. This rare sight couldn't help but leave him in a daze.
What did this mean? Could he still go back?
Ye Shuang: "..."
He slowly withdrew his gaze and smiled faintly, "Let's leave such a beautiful world to that lucky devil."
The window rippled slightly and then slowly faded away.
The dead have passed on; the living must live on.
Just treat it as a dream.
"What do you want to eat tonight?"
"Burgers," Yuyou replied.
"Is McDonald's okay? The Happy Meal comes with a Pikachu."
"Okay."
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
