Chapter 0122

"Then you have to be good to me. If you were a woman, you’d have to pledge yourself to your savior—never letting go for the rest of your life. But since you’re a boy, we can just make a contract, like giving me half of all the money you earn when you grow up."

The boy fell silent for a long time, as if struggling to understand Lin Ran’s words.

"I… will give you everything."

Lin Ran hadn’t expected the kid to be so easy to fool. The ancients really didn’t lie.

"Since you’re so sincere, I’ll reluctantly forgive you. Now tell me, how do we get out of here?"

The little boy tilted his head.

"You… want to leave?"

Lin Ran studied the boy’s expression. Something felt off. That tone?

"Of course I’m leaving. You expect me to stay here and eat people with you?"

The boy’s eyes turned icy as he slowly spoke, uttering words Lin Ran never saw coming.

"You! Can’t! Leave… You have to… stay… with me."

Lin Ran froze.

"What the hell? Do you always talk like this?"

"Can’t! Leave! You! Are! Mine!" The boy began enunciating each word, his demeanor growing increasingly unhinged.

Lin Ran took a step back, frowning at the child. He was starting to regret saving him.

"But I have to go. Even if I stay with you now, I’ll disappear in a few hours. Do you understand what that means? I’m not from this world."

The boy didn’t comprehend a word Lin Ran said. All he knew was that he desperately wanted to keep this person close.

Seeing the child on the verge of losing control, Lin Ran sighed deeply.

"Ugh!"

He glanced back at the endless darkness outside, then at their grim surroundings. Exhaustion weighed on him.

Damn it, Little Black. Couldn’t you have picked a better time and place?

Where the hell am I supposed to find anyone here?

Finding Luo Yao tonight seemed impossible now.

Damn it, wasted one of my wishes.

"Fine, I’ll stay with you for one night. But this cave is suffocating—let’s go outside."

The boy understood that. Watching Lin Ran step out of the cave, he reined in his hostility and followed, while Little Black trembled in Lin Ran’s arms.

[Little Black: "That kid’s not right. Let’s get out of here—I can’t breathe."]

Lin Ran: "You chose this, oh mighty Creator."

[Little Black: "I was wrong. Please, let’s just go. Consider this wish void—I’ll give you another one, okay?"]

Lin Ran: "Since we’re here, we might as well make the best of it, oh mighty Creator."

[Little Black: "Make the best of my ass."]

Lin Ran found it amusing. Who knew this cat could be such a coward? And you call yourself the Creator? How impressive!

Outside the cave, Lin Ran searched for a while before finding a large, pale boulder bathed in moonlight, unobstructed by trees.

He lay down on it, immediately regretting his decision as the cold seeped into him. Maybe the cave wasn’t so bad after all.

The boy watched Lin Ran gaze at the stars before quietly sitting beside him.

Lin Ran wasn’t heartless. Thinking of the boy’s circumstances, he felt a pang of sympathy.

So he offered some advice.

"If you really survive, you can come find me in the future. Can’t promise much, but I’ll at least give you a meal."

"Mm."

"Do you like looking at the stars?"

"St—stars?"

Lin Ran pointed at the twinkling lights above. "Those little blinking things up there."

The boy didn’t care for them, but being with Lin Ran made him want to look. So he tilted his head upward.

"My wife loves watching the stars."

"Watch… stars? Love? Wife?" the boy murmured.

"Yeah, normal people do that. But I’ll tell you something—don’t stare at them too much. Stars make you feel good, give you endless fantasies."

"But you know what? For someone like you, stars might not be so good. Your world’s too harsh for fantasies. If they ever shatter, you’ll only feel despair."

"Got it?"

"Got… it."

The boy lowered his head but soon looked up again.

"Just… once."

Those words—"just once"—struck Lin Ran. What kind of world was this? What had happened to this child?

If he could, Lin Ran would’ve loved to unravel the boy’s story. But time wasn’t on his side.

The two sat in silence, watching the sky until Lin Ran’s mind began to drift.

A chill swept over him, and Little Black nuzzled closer, offering some warmth.

The night sky was radiant, but the towering trees obscured most of it, leaving only scattered glimpses of starlight. Yet the boy was mesmerized.

So this was the beauty of the stars?

For the first time, a smile—one that shouldn’t belong on his face—appeared.

Before they knew it, dawn approached. Lin Ran realized he’d spent the whole night here.

"I have to go now."

The moment Lin Ran spoke, panic flashed across the boy’s face. Slowly, his eyes turned blood-red.

"You can’t… leave me. You belong… to me—"

Lin Ran: ??? Why does that sound so familiar?

"That’s not how it works. No one belongs to anyone else in this world… Well, actually, maybe not."

He reconsidered—after all, he did belong to Luo Yao.

"Only the closest two people can belong to each other. And that’s not us."

The boy stared intently, as if Lin Ran might vanish any second.

Because Lin Ran had said he would disappear.

"You are… mine."

Lin Ran was done. Talking to this kid was a waste of time.

"May I ask, what do people call you?"

"They call me… White-Eyed Wolf."

Lin Ran’s face darkened.

"Well, they’re not wrong. But I really have to go. If I don’t leave now, I never will."

[Little Black: "Finally figured it out? Hurry, my heart’s racing."]

Lin Ran pitied the poor cat.

[Little Black: "We’re leaving in five minutes."]

Brushing off the dust, Lin Ran suddenly thought of something and turned to the boy.

"Oh, what’s your name?"

Since fate brought them together, it was only natural to ask. If the kid grew up to be someone important, Lin Ran could always cash in as his savior.

Even if he didn’t get half the boy’s earnings, a tenth would be nice.

The boy tilted his head, looking dazed. "Name…?"

"Yeah, everyone has one. Like me—I’m Lin Ran. Don’t you have a name?"

After a long pause, the boy seemed to remember.

"I do."

"What is it?"

"Luo Yao."