Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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Ye Qingyun truly hadn’t expected Gu Shenyuan to say this, and he couldn’t even find a reason to refute it.

By evening, before going to bed, Ye Qingyun was still holding his breath, trying to find a reason to convince Gu Shenyuan.

“Stop thinking about it. Go to sleep.”

Gu Shenyuan covered Ye Qingyun’s eyes, forcing him to close them.

It was already time for Ye Qingyun to sleep, and with the calming aura around Gu Shenyuan, even though Ye Qingyun was reluctant, he soon drifted into a light sleep.

In the dream world, everything was hazy. When Ye Qingyun opened his eyes again, he found himself floating in a vast white space, with a small black figure sitting in front of him.

The scene was so strange that Ye Qingyun pinched himself, and when he didn’t feel any pain, he relaxed.

It was indeed a dream, so there was no need to be afraid.

“Who are you?” Ye Qingyun asked the little black figure.

The figure stood with its hands behind its back and mysteriously replied,

“You don’t know who I am? I am the famous World Consciousness.”

Ye Qingyun blinked in confusion. “…What is World Consciousness?”

The little figure paused, gritted its teeth, and reluctantly used a term it didn’t like, but that Ye Qingyun could understand: “I’m a spirit, the spirit of this world!”

“Oh? A little spirit?” Ye Qingyun finally understood and smiled.

 “To dream about something like this, my imagination is quite rich. Little spirit, what do you want with me?”

“…This is not imagination!” The little figure, hands behind its back, began to circle Ye Qingyun, speaking with some grievance.

“I worked hard to revive you, and now you call it imagination?”

Ye Qingyun was stunned, never expecting it to say that.

“I’ve been watching you all,” the little figure said, puffing out its chest.

“Gu Shenyuan’s emotional fluctuations are too big, it makes me uncomfortable. I thought you might need my help, so I came to see you.”

When the little figure said it was “looking,” it was really looking. Ye Qingyun could feel its gaze circling him, taking a 360-degree view of him.

“Time has passed for so long, you should be recovering your memory soon,” the little figure sighed.

Many thoughts flashed through Ye Qingyun’s mind, and he suddenly understood what World Consciousness really meant.

He wasn’t sure why, but he had an impression that World Consciousness should be fierce. However, this one seemed quite kind.

Perhaps this all-knowing consciousness of the world could even know if he truly had feelings for Pu Tian.

Ye Qingyun impulsively asked this question. The little figure proudly replied, “You asked the right person! When I faced your system, I asked this question too, and it’s indeed false.”

Ye Qingyun didn’t know where this system came from, but hearing this answer, he breathed a sigh of relief. He then asked, “You can enter my dreams, but can you enter Gu Shenyuan’s dreams too? Can you help me tell him the truth?”

“Of course I can!” The World Consciousness was very confident. It turned and disappeared in front of Ye Qingyun.

Ye Qingyun waited in the vast whiteness, and soon enough, he saw World Consciousness return.

When it left, it was healthy, but now, it returned stumbling, obviously having been beaten.

Ye Qingyun: ‘….’

World Consciousness wailed, “He… he hit me! He doesn’t believe me!”

Was it any surprise that Gu Shenyuan, the main character, would even hit the World Consciousness?

World Consciousness clung to Ye Qingyun’s shoulder, crying, “I even worried about him not finding a wife! He deserves to be single!”

Ye Qingyun patted the little figure’s back. “…Don’t cry, I’ll talk to him.”

The cries of World Consciousness slowly quieted. Ye Qingyun looked at the little black figure, and a plan gradually formed in his mind.

Ye Qingyun softly asked, “Besides answering questions, what other help can you provide? Can you… show yourself as a human in the real world?”

World Consciousness looked up, hesitated for a moment, then nodded, “But not for too long. Just a moment.”

————

A few days passed, and the day Ye Qingyun had agreed upon with World Consciousness arrived.

They had discussed and made a plan.

World Consciousness would pretend to be a malicious person, jealous of him and poisoning him. Ye Qingyun would pretend that the poison was special, and the antidote could only be provided by Gu Shenyuan, who would have to admit they were each other’s only one. If Gu Shenyuan hadn’t acknowledged this, Ye Qingyun would have “died” from the poison.

Of course, the poison was fake, with some effects, but it wouldn’t harm him.

According to World Consciousness, Ye Qingyun might regain his memory soon. If that was true, it was best to complete the plan as quickly as possible.

In the morning, Ye Qingyun got up, looking for Gu Shenyuan, but he was nowhere to be found.

Gu Shenyuan had a meeting this morning, which was why Ye Qingyun had chosen this day.

After eating the breakfast Gu Shenyuan had specially prepared for him, Ye Qingyun rested for a while. When he estimated it was nearly time for Gu Shenyuan to return, he excused himself to take a walk and went to the small garden.

The weather was clear, and a light breeze brushed against his face. The small garden was empty.

Ye Qingyun walked casually until he caught a glimpse of Gu Shenyuan in the corner of his eye.

————

Gu Shenyuan had just finished his meeting and was rushing to find Ye Qingyun.

Although he had arranged many bodyguards around Ye Qingyun, and the place was very safe, he couldn’t relax unless Ye Qingyun was by his side.

When Gu Shenyuan returned to their residence, he found that Ye Qingyun was not inside, and his heart tightened.

He opened his terminal and saw that the bodyguards assigned to Ye Qingyun’s safety had sent him a message, telling him that Ye Qingyun was taking a walk in the small garden.

Gu Shenyuan sighed in relief, but his pace didn’t slow as he hurried toward the small garden.

Finally, he reached the small garden and spotted Ye Qingyun.

—

Ye Qingyun was walking slowly under the shade of a tree. The surroundings were tranquil, and the scattered sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting a soft glow on him, as beautiful as bubbles that seemed like they might disappear in the next second.

Gu Shenyuan slowed his pace and adjusted his clothes slightly.

Ye Qingyun also saw him and smiled, tilting his head.

“Finished with the meeting?” Ye Qingyun asked.

 “Have you eaten yet?”

Gu Shenyuan unconsciously smiled in return. Just as he was about to answer, something unexpected happened.

The guards, who had been hiding in the shadows, quietly left as soon as Gu Shenyuan approached. The place, which was supposed to be empty except for the two of them, suddenly changed.

Behind Ye Qingyun, a person in black appeared out of nowhere, holding a black object in his hand.

 Before anyone could react, he quickly shoved it into Ye Qingyun’s mouth.

Cough—

Ye Qingyun immediately collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest.

Gu Shenyuan’s eyes widened in shock. The black-clad man laughed wildly, “Hahaha, this is the consequence of you surpassing me! There can only be one number one in this world! You damned—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the black-clad man was grabbed by the neck.

Gu Shenyuan had no idea when he arrived. His face was as white as a sheet, his gaze cold as he strangled the black-clad man’s neck. “Antidote!”

“Hahaha, there’s no antidote,” the black-clad man sneered.

“This isn’t ordinary poison. I specially made this for you. I want you both to wish you were dead, but you can’t die!”

Gu Shenyuan’s grip tightened, but the black-clad man showed no fear, only madness in his eyes.

 “Heh, last time I used my special ability, I overheard what you said. You’re too afraid to admit that you’re his one and only, or else, once he regains his memories, he will hate you. So, this poison—unless you admit it to him—he’ll die before even having a chance to get checked.”

The black-clad man’s expression became more smug. “You choose between two hells! I’d rather torment you for a long time, and in your lifetime, everyone you love will hate you—”

“Cough, cough, cough!” Ye Qingyun coughed violently, interrupting the black-clad man.

The black-clad man seemed to realize something and stopped taunting Gu Shenyuan. Instead, he said, “After doing all this, I didn’t plan on living. But as long as it makes you unhappy, that’s enough for me.”

Before he could finish speaking, the black-clad man’s entire body disintegrated like dust and vanished into the air.

The area became silent again, with no one around.

Ye Qingyun, who had collapsed on the ground, was picked up by trembling arms. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Gu Shenyuan, whose eyes were bloodshot.

The cold, distant aura Gu Shenyuan usually had was completely gone. Now, he seemed like an ordinary person—someone who could be sad, who could suffer, and who could easily break down from the departure of a loved one.

Gu Shenyuan’s voice trembled, “…Ye Qingyun,  Ye Qingyun, you can’t be hurt. You can’t be hurt.”

Ye Qingyun had originally planned to make Gu Shenyuan admit what he had said back then, then reassure him that he was fine. After a few days, when his memories returned, Gu Shenyuan would know the truth, and everything would be resolved.

But now, seeing Gu Shenyuan like this, Ye Qingyun completely threw that plan aside. He just wanted Gu Shenyuan to stop being so upset and coaxed, “I was just fooling you. There’s no such absurd poison in the world. Of course, it’s fake. I’m fine, I’m perfectly fine. Don’t believe me? Let’s go see a doctor.”

“Don’t talk. Just let me speak,” Gu Shenyuan held Ye Qingyun close, letting him lean on his arm. His voice was bitter, and every word seemed to require immense effort, but he still said each one clearly. “What you said before was true. We are each other’s only and always have been. So… so don’t leave me again.”