This Life in the Fleeting Spark of Flint

The first light of dawn broke through.

A ray of sunlight slipped past the window lattice, landing precisely on a corner of the balcony where a peony bud lay tightly closed. As if answering the sun’s call, the bud trembled faintly, as though welcoming the warmth.

Before long, the sun had fully risen, bathing the living room in a soft golden glow.

In the kitchen, the brand-new refrigerator gleamed under the sunlight, its surface dazzlingly reflective.

Meanwhile, in an endless expanse of pure white space, Su Cheng stood with his hands clamped over his mouth, cheeks puffed out in urgency as he frantically searched for an exit. He was desperate to return—because he still held a mouthful of "life potion" between his lips.

Since the potions from that world had no effect on him, and Gu Ruoxue had been stingy about lending him one here, he had no choice but to take a reckless gamble.

His plan was simple: hold a sip of the potion in his mouth while crossing back, then swallow it once he returned. Maybe then it would work.

Sometimes, even he thought this scheme was a little too clever for its own good.

Whether it would actually succeed, he had no idea.

But as long as there was a sliver of hope, he was willing to try. What if it worked?

After being "physically" hypnotized by Ji Qingyi, he had crossed back into this familiar white void once more.

But this time—

The floating door was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did that damn door go?" Su Cheng muttered, still covering his mouth as he scanned the space anxiously. Finally, at the edge of his vision, he spotted a door left slightly ajar.

Overjoyed, Su Cheng rushed toward it without hesitation. The moment he stepped through, a wave of dizziness crashed over him, plunging his consciousness into darkness.

……

In the bedroom, Su Cheng lay motionless on the bed, his breathing slow and steady.

Strangely, a trail of scalding liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth, sliding down his jaw and disappearing into his collar.

Suddenly, he jolted awake, instinctively clamping a hand over his lips to keep the burning liquid from spilling.

Then—

A pungent medicinal taste shot straight to his brain. Su Cheng grimaced, fighting back nausea as he glanced around before bolting out of the room.

Only after confirming he was back in his original world did he finally swallow the bitter liquid, gasping for air. For a moment there, he had nearly suffocated.

It took him a while to recover. He stood, trying to assess any changes in his body, but was disappointed to find nothing but exhaustion and weakness. His condition hadn’t improved in the slightest.

"Could it be… this potion really does nothing for me?" Su Cheng murmured to himself.

Though he couldn’t understand how a potion from what felt like a "dream" had been brought into reality, he was certain this hadn’t been an ordinary dream. Every detail of that other world remained vivid in his memory.

Even now, a dull ache throbbed in his neck.

The mystery eluded him, but he had no time to dwell on it. The harsh truth was undeniable—he was still weak, sluggish, and ravenous.

"All that for nothing." Su Cheng collapsed onto the sofa, his gaze drifting listlessly toward the balcony. The afternoon sun slanted in, so bright it stung his eyes.

He felt utterly drained, half-convinced he hadn’t slept at all. Eventually, he resigned himself to reality.

With a sigh, he pushed himself up and headed to the balcony, intending to tend to the flowers. But the moment he stepped outside, the sight before him froze him in place—

The peony had bloomed.

The tightly closed bud had unfurled, revealing lush, vibrant petals—fiery red, delicate pink, snow-white—all interwoven in a breathtaking display.

Deep within the flower, pollen glimmered under the sunlight, radiating vitality.

"It… bloomed…" Su Cheng whispered, mesmerized by the sight.

A gentle breeze snapped him out of his daze. Only then did he notice the dampness on his slippers. Looking down, he realized it wasn’t water but a small puddle of dark red blood.

"What the—?"

Su Cheng glanced up at the ceiling, but there were no leaks. Then, on instinct, he touched his nose.

His fingers came away sticky.

Alarmed, he rushed to the bathroom to tend to the wound. Yet no matter what he tried, the nosebleed refused to stop, gushing out as if a dam had burst.

After several frantic minutes of stuffing cotton balls up his nostrils, the bleeding finally slowed. But Su Cheng soon discovered a far worse problem.

In the mirror, he saw himself—nose pinched shut, his entire body flushed an unnatural shade of red, steam practically rising from his head. He looked like a boiled lobster, absurdly comical.

"Is this the potion’s side effect?" Su Cheng closed his eyes, trying to sense any internal changes. But all he felt was the same exhaustion and weakness—except now, his entire body felt like it had been steamed alive.

To make matters worse, his health-monitoring smartwatch began vibrating wildly, its alerts growing increasingly urgent.

He knew what it meant: his body was on the verge of collapse.

At this rate, Ji Qingyi would storm in any minute. But what could he do now?

In this state, he looked like he was knocking on death’s door.

Su Cheng scrambled into the shower, turning the water ice-cold in a desperate attempt to cool himself down.

It barely helped. Worse, he noticed his skin was starting to peel—flakes sloughing off and swirling down the drain with the water.

"Pah."

Something hard clattered onto the bathroom floor. Then another. And another.

His teeth. They had all fallen out.

……

BANG!

The front door was kicked open as several black-clad attendants stormed in, followed closely by a visibly panicked Ji Qingyi and Liu Qingyue.

But the scene in the living room brought them all to a stunned halt. Even the usually unflappable head of the Ji family and her attendant gaped in disbelief.

There, draped in a bathrobe and lounging leisurely on the sofa, was Su Cheng—holding a wine glass, elegantly swirling a pour of milk inside.

Yet what truly shocked them wasn’t his relaxed demeanor.

It was his appearance.

Gone was the sickly pallor. In its place stood a man reborn—radiant, flawless skin, striking features, a tall and poised frame, and eyes that sparkled like stars.

Every inch of him declared: I, Su Cheng, am back.

As everyone stared in stunned silence, Su Cheng raised her glass of milk in a toast to the crowd, took a composed sip, and then stood up gracefully. With a confident smile curling at her lips, she lifted her chin and declared to everyone present, "Ladies and gentlemen, as of this moment—I am terrifyingly strong!"