Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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Ye Qingyun had been taking a nice shower, but suddenly, an indescribable sensation surged from his back, catching him off guard. His legs weakened, and he fell to the floor.

The feeling on his back was strange as if there were several thin vines coated with some kind of spring medicine rubbing against him. The spring medicine slowly seeped through his skin and into his bloodstream, bringing with it an indescribable itch.

Especially… especially the area just below his tailbone. It felt like…

What was happening? Did changing worlds also change his body, making him an omega who would go into heat regularly?

Was he in heat now?!

Ye Qingyun was terrified. What terrified him even more was that the bathroom door behind him had been pushed open, and the cold, indifferent leader was standing in the doorway.

Ye Qingyun was truly frightened. He scrambled to get up but was tightly held in a hug.

The man held him, calling his name as if holding onto a piece of driftwood in a raging stream as if holding onto the most precious thing in his life.

Oh my god, what’s happening? Did he just trip and fall straight into a parallel world?

Gu Shenyuan gripped Ye Qingyun’s waist, wanting nothing more than to hold him tightly in his arms, merging the two of them.

Ye Qingyun… his Ye Qingyun…

Gu Shenyuan turned his head and kissed his way up Ye Qingyun’s long, white neck, leaving his mark along the way.

Gu Shenyuan reached Ye Qingyun’s chin and was about to kiss his slightly parted red lips, pouring all his longing into the most passionate kiss.

But his kiss met air. Ye Qingyun turned his head just in time, dodging his kiss.

Instinctively, Gu Shenyuan tightened his hold on Ye Qingyun, and his hot-headedness finally cooled down a little.

Ye Qingyun was being held by him, but unlike the usual relaxed demeanor, his body was stiff. His face didn’t bear the familiar smile that awaited a kiss, but rather one of confusion and shock.

…Ye Qingyun no longer recognized him. In Ye Qingyun’s eyes, he was just like anyone else, no different from anyone else.

“Let… let go of me!” Ye Qingyun pushed against the person holding him. In that moment, he was pulled even tighter, as though the leader had used every ounce of his strength just to loosen his grip.

But Ye Qingyun overestimated himself. He didn’t have the strength to stand. The moment he was released from that embrace, his legs gave way, and he fell back into the embrace once more.

It’s over, it’s over, this leader must be his destined alpha, a perfect match for him. That’s why he felt so comfortable being held by this person, even uncontrollably wanting to rub against him. He was never someone to be so reckless!

And this cold, distant leader, who had loved his late wife so deeply, was now losing his composure because of Ye Qingyun’s pheromone influence, doing things completely out of character.

What would happen next? Would he be marked? Would he lose control and cling to someone for three days and nights?

Ye Qingyun couldn’t accept the idea of “marriage before love.” He preferred when two people naturally grew closer in their feelings before becoming intimate.

Ye Qingyun struggled to stand, overwhelmed by terror. He wanted to find someone to help, to ease his anxiety, and strangely, this leader, holding him, seemed so reliable.

Even though his rational mind told him this leader wasn’t a good person to turn to for help, Ye Qingyun still grabbed the leader’s sleeve, pleading, “Please don’t mark me, can you give me a pheromone suppressant? Please!”

Gu Shenyuan: “…What?”

Ye Qingyun looked at the confused expression on Gu Shenyuan’s face and realized he might have misunderstood something.

He changed his approach, his voice trembling with tears, “My back feels weird, can you get a doctor to check on it?”

Gu Shenyuan: “…No need for a doctor.”

A black mist brought in a mirror and placed it behind Ye Qingyun. Ye Qingyun turned around and saw a beautiful, intricate tattoo covering his entire back.

“W-what is this?” Ye Qingyun asked in shock.

“It’s a tattoo,” Gu Shenyuan replied.

Ye Qingyun asked again, “How do I have a tattoo?”

As soon as Ye Qingyun asked, he realized how foolish the question was. He didn’t know where the tattoo had come from, and this leader definitely wouldn’t know either.

Gu Shenyuan’s gaze lingered on the mirror, on Ye Qingyun’s fair skin, still with the pink flush of steam from the hot water, his body nestled against him like before, obedient and familiar.

But… it was no longer the same.

Gu Shenyuan slowly spoke, “You don’t remember at all?”

What was he supposed to remember?

Ye Qingyun shook his head. His chin was tilted up, forcing him to meet the leader’s eyes. Those pitch-black eyes were unreadable, filled with boundless love and sorrow. The leader spoke slowly, each word heavy: “Then remember this now. The tattoo is there because… I love you.”

Ye Qingyun: ‘!!!’

Ye Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat at that confession, but he quickly regained his composure.

Impossible. He had never met this leader before! He had just crossed into this world, and he hadn’t even been here for two full days!

Gu Shenyuan said, “You don’t remember, but I will tell you, slowly.”

Ye Qingyun was lifted, carried out of the bathroom, and placed on the bed, while Gu Shenyuan applied medicine to the spot where Ye Qingyun had accidentally fallen. At the same time, he began to tell him a story, a story from the past.

Ye Qingyun listened to an utterly unbelievable story.

In this story, he and this leader were deeply in love. In the end, he had willingly given up his life to save the leader, who was in a life-threatening situation. After going through reincarnation and rebirth, they met again, but he had no memories of the past.

Ye Qingyun was so stunned he couldn’t even speak.

This was impossible. Could it be that this leader had mistaken him for someone else?

Ye Qingyun: “This leader…”

“Don’t call me leader, call me by my name,” the man said. “Gu Shenyuan.”

‘Gu Shenyuan’.

The name sounded oddly familiar.

Wasn’t this… wasn’t this the name of the protagonist from a book he had read?

He remembered that the protagonist, Gu Shenyuan, was extremely cold, remaining single to the very end.

In that book, there was a supporting character with the same name, a cannon fodder role. Could he have transmigrated into that character?

If that were true, how could such a lowly character attract the attention of the main character? Gu Shenyuan was the absolute top-tier loner, someone who had rejected so many people they could circle the galaxy twice. How could someone like him end up with the cold main character?

This was impossible, he knew his limits!

Perhaps seeing through his thoughts, Gu Shenyuan didn’t give him a chance to refuse but said first, “Ye Qingyun, you’ve lost your memory, but everything that’s happening is real. Think about it, if it wasn’t you, why would the tattoo be on your back?”

Ye Qingyun felt this was a poor argument: “Since the bloodline restriction was lifted, the tattoo’s growth may not follow the same rules as before. What if the tattoo, like you, mistook the person and came to me instead?”

Gu Shenyuan: ‘…..’

Gu Shenyuan continued, “There are many clues—your appearance, small gestures, handwriting, personality—they all match his exactly. All of these can be used as evidence.”

Ye Qingyun fell silent, feeling somewhat conflicted.

Could he be that person?

He was indeed very attracted to Gu Shenyuan, love at first sight, and wanted to be with him. However, Gu Shenyuan already had a partner, and Ye Qingyun didn’t want to be a substitute for someone else.

Moreover, the impression Gu Shenyuan left on him in the original story was too profound. He didn’t think he could attract Gu Shenyuan.

The things Gu Shenyuan listed didn’t completely convince him—appearance and personality could be imitated or disguised by anyone.

Unless there was something special—

Gu Shenyuan: “The questions you solved, no one else could figure out. The person who mastered those theories is a genius, the first in the galaxy.”

Ye Qingyun instinctively blurted out, “Such a smart person, first in the galaxy, isn’t that me?”

Ye Qingyun: “…That makes sense.”

He never believed anyone could imitate his intellect—it was a thousand times harder than copying his appearance.

In other words, with his intelligence, why would he humble himself by doing such things? Wouldn’t it be better to just win his honors?

He believed it now—it was so convincing!

No wonder he found Gu Shenyuan so easy to like, so it was like this!

Gu Shenyuan must have been captivated by his high intelligence, right?

Gu Shenyuan’s eyes lit up with a smile as he leaned in to kiss Ye Qingyun’s lips.

Ye Qingyun stopped him, awkwardly clearing his throat, “leader, even if what you’re saying is true, we’ve just met today, I… I can’t immediately treat you like the closest person and accept this.”

Gu Shenyuan was taken aback, and his mind finally cooled down enough to remind him of something.

…Yes, to Qingyun, they were still strangers.

The last time, he had used the bloodline restraint to win Ye Qingyun’s sympathy, keeping him by his side and eventually becoming a couple.

But this time, without the bloodline restraint, even if Ye Qingyun wanted to leave, it wouldn’t have a fatal impact on him. So, would Qingyun stay this time, even with no memories?

If Ye Qingyun didn’t want to stay, then he would have to…

Dark thoughts began to grow in his mind. Without the restraint of the bloodline, he could think of Ye Qingyun however he liked without pain, and the darkness in his thoughts grew rapidly.

The separation between him and Ye Qingyun could only happen once. He would never allow them to part.

This time, the entire galaxy was under his control, so even if Ye Qingyun wanted to leave…

Ye Qingyun didn’t know what was going on in Gu Shenyuan’s mind and continued, “I think it’s better if we don’t become a couple yet.”

The dark mist quietly spread in places Ye Qingyun couldn’t see, and Gu Shenyuan tightened his grip on Ye Qingyun’s hand.

Starting over again, Ye Qingyun really… didn’t want him.

It didn’t matter. He had expected this outcome. If Ye Qingyun didn’t want him, he would continue to chase after him.

The methods that might hurt Ye Qingyun would not be used. Ye Qingyun couldn’t escape his cage, and he had a lifetime to pursue him until Ye Qingyun turned around and looked at him.

Ye Qingyun shyly said, “Even though for you, we’ve been a couple for a long time, I can’t just jump into this. Let’s take it slow and start from the first step!”

Gu Shenyuan: “…The first step?”

“Yes, the first step.” Ye Qingyun nodded seriously, “How did we start? Did I chase you, or did you chase me… Ugh, why am I asking such a meaningless question?”

It must have been him who pursued Gu Shenyuan. Could it have been the other way around? It would be faster to dream about that.

Gu Shenyuan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked at Ye Qingyun, who also gazed back at him, smiling. His amber-colored eyes were unbelievably sweet.

Ye Qingyun hooked his pinky finger with Gu Shenyuan’s, “You should go back now. I’ll think about how to pursue you tonight, and tomorrow we can officially start.”

The entangled fingers captured all of Gu Shenyuan’s attention. He wanted to kiss those soft lips deeply and make them produce even more enchanting sounds, but all those thoughts were hidden in a kiss placed gently on his fingertips.

“You don’t need to think about this, it’s me who’s been… pursuing you,” Gu Shenyuan whispered. “Give me one more chance.”

Ye Qingyun didn’t need to be pursued—he just needed to watch Gu Shenyuan smile and take his hand when he reached out. That was enough to make him happy.