Chapter 47

Zhao Louqin gave it some thought and figured—maybe he just needed to calm down.

Things hadn’t spiraled so far out of control that they couldn’t be salvaged.

Sure, Lin Ninghua had thrown one hell of a backstab, but that didn’t mean he could rewrite reality. If it never happened, it never happened. What was he going to do—conjure a romantic past between them out of thin air?

Still… how the hell did Lin Ninghua know the exact brand of nightmare-level brain circuits Zheng Yixu had? And to be able to stab him in the back without flinching—well, that guy had clearly leveled up.

Annoyed as he was, Zhao Louqin forced himself to cool off. No use charging in blind. Better to stay calm and break things down logically.

Yixu was angry right now—probably just acting on impulse. In fact, from a certain perspective, this might even be a rare opportunity to break through Yixu’s emotional block. Zhao Louqin, in true Ah Q fashion, tried to console himself with this hopeful thought.

Over the past six months, Zhao Louqin honestly believed he’d done a pretty solid job. Except for the occasional stolen kiss, he’d made zero real progress. By all accounts, he had gone out of his way to cater to Yixu’s preferences—he’d known when to push and when to pull. With that level of precision, how could Yixu still not have fallen for him?

And since Yixu hadn’t regained his memory, there was little risk he’d fall for someone else, right?

Zhao Louqin touched his face. He was still confident—he still had the looks.

But now, thinking back, maybe his whole approach had been wrong from the start. The reason their relationship hadn’t advanced… it wasn’t because he hadn’t tried hard enough. It was because he’d been running full speed down the wrong road!

Damn it! The thought that all his efforts over the past six months had been misinterpreted as some kind of longing for Lin Ninghua made him feel like he’d just swallowed a dozen flies. His barely cooled brain started to boil again.

Who the hell knew Yixu would twist things so much? Him and Lin Ninghua—romantically involved? Just the idea was insane! And yet somehow, Yixu believed it!

Zhao Louqin rubbed his temples. Even the writers of the most over-the-top soap operas wouldn’t come up with such a ridiculous plotline. And yet, it had happened—to him.

So this was what it meant to live a “scripted” life. All these years of being hailed as a movie king, and the most unbelievable plot twist of all was playing out in his life—unscripted and raw.

That thought alone made Zhao Louqin want to cry.

That very night, he launched what he would later call his “Phone Call of Doom” campaign—dialing one friend after another, yanking them mercilessly out of their dreams to vent.

Naturally, his friends didn’t yell at him…

They were too busy laughing their asses off.

Ay yo—plot twists like this are once in a lifetime!

Zhao Louqin’s friends were a mixed bag:
Some were smugly “I told you so,” like—

“I told you from the start to help Yixu recover his memories earlier. You gambled on luck—well, here’s your karma.”
Others were brutally mocking, like—
“Damn, if this story became a movie, even you in the lead role couldn’t save it from bombing at the box office!”

Zhao Louqin clenched his teeth. Fine, let them laugh. He still needed them to testify on his behalf. If he really ended up divorced like this, wouldn’t that be enough to make him explode from rage?

He could always recover his pride later—but a partner like Yixu? He wouldn’t find another like him again.

Luckily, despite all the teasing, his friends were loyal. They were more than willing to “stab a friend for a friend”—that is, they had his back, all jokes aside.

Testifying or offering some kind of moral support? Just lip service. But if Zhao Louqin really ended up divorced, they’d be next on his list for payback!

Meanwhile, Zheng Yixu checked into a hotel with Zhao Jiusi.

Sun Ai, now a married woman herself, couldn’t continue staying with a man who was dragging around a child—not unless she wanted to become the center of scandalous gossip.

But what she hadn’t expected was how quickly Zheng Yixu moved to file for divorce. So it was true—he didn’t love Zhao Louqin nearly as much as people thought. He was cold. Detached. Heartless.

After all Zhao Louqin had done for him back then, this was how it ended? Say break up and boom—it’s over. Say divorce and poof—gone.

The worst part?
Zheng Yixu even took his son with him.

Ha. So this was the man Zhao Louqin had chosen over her—ignored her for. The man he had painstakingly fought to keep, the one he’d bet everything on?

Sun Ai felt an odd mix of satisfaction and frustration brewing in her chest.

Yes—frustration.
Something she had once longed for and couldn’t get… someone else tossed aside like it was nothing.
What made it worse? She had helped push the whole thing along.

How had she, at her age, still acted so recklessly?

Yet… she didn’t regret it.

Soon after, Sun Ai took her leave, leaving Zheng Yixu and Zhao Jiusi alone, silently facing each other. The father and son comforted one another and, after reaffirming their desire to stick together, finally fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Today, son (or dad) had witnessed the collapse of a family—he must be really sad.
I must lend him my embrace to heal.

Father and son achieved mutual telepathy, unlocking the ultimate cuddle pillow achievement.

Zheng Yixu had almost reached all the goals he’d set for himself since being reborn. By all logic, he should be thrilled. So why did he still feel… off?

He couldn’t understand it—but he didn’t dare think too deeply.

That night, strange, surreal dreams haunted him.

“Yixu, Yixu…”

Who’s calling me? That voice—it sounds so familiar…

“I know you like him, but I really like you too. Can you please consider me?”

…At least let me see your face before I make a decision.

“It’s not that I don’t love you, and I didn’t mean to go behind your back with someone else.”

So, what—you’re blaming me now?

Finally, the dreams weren’t just endless voiceovers. Vague, pixelated imagery started to appear.

The weird thing was, Zheng Yixu knew he was dreaming… yet had no desire to wake up.

“Yixu, we’ve known each other for three or four years now. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
A faceless man appeared to be holding his hand, talking softly. But even from such a close distance, Zheng Yixu couldn’t see his face clearly.

What the hell?!
No face?

Okay, fine—there was one face he could make out clearly: the other person speaking…

It was himself.

“Yes, I know exactly what kind of person you are.”
“Dream-Yixu” answered coldly.
“You were the one who chased after me in the first place. And now you’re the one letting go. Back at your old school, you stirred up drama and jealousy so badly you had to transfer. You think I didn’t know what you’re capable of?”

“That was just me being young and reckless…”
The faceless figure hesitated, lowering his voice.

“And now you’re still ‘young and reckless’? If that’s the case, let me be reckless too. We’re done.”
“Dream-Yixu” yanked his hand away.

“Don’t you even want to know the reason?”
The other man raised his voice, clearly unwilling to give up.

“No.”

The scene shifted again.

“Yixu, I’m the only one who truly loves you. I won’t betray you. I’ll never lie to you.”

“Is that so?”

“We have all the time in the world for you to find out.”

“Sorry, I don’t have the time.”

…Well, duh? How could someone who just broke up over betrayal possibly be ready to accept another person’s love so soon? What, was he asking for emotional self-destruction?
Zheng Yixu didn’t know why he was still snarking in his dream, but whatever—minor detail. Not worth stressing over.

Then, a woman with a blurred face suddenly said,

“Yixu, I lost to you back then, but I didn’t expect that in the end… you wouldn’t win either.”

Zheng Yixu wanted to give this dream a one-star review. Everyone in here had a voice and a body, but no one had a visible face. What kind of messed-up dream logic was this? Wasn’t this his dream? Why couldn’t he see anyone’s face properly?

“There was never any winning or losing.”
The “himself” in the dream shook his head.
“You came to mock me?”

“No, I came to tell you something.”
The woman also shook her head.
“I’m very aware of my own condition. Maybe… this is the only thing I can leave behind.”

As she said that, she took “his” hand and gently placed it on her stomach.

The dream-Zheng Yixu’s expression changed instantly.

“You… You actually went through with it?”

“Mhm. Putting what I learned to good use.”

Zheng Yixu stroked his chin thoughtfully. This one was obvious—clearly the woman was pregnant. Based on what she’d said earlier, she was probably terminally ill and decided, “Screw it, might as well do one last big thing”—so she calculated someone into fathering a child with her.

Now, she’d shown up either to entrust the child… or to flex.

Zheng Yixu figured it was probably the latter.

“Dream him” seemed to think so too.

“You really think all you’ve done for him was worth it?”

“It was.”
She nodded. Her lips moved again like she was saying something, but this time Zheng Yixu couldn’t hear a word of it.

The scene shifted again.

Now, he saw “himself” and Zhao Louqin… standing side by side, getting married.

Yep, that sealed it.
This whole dream must be fragments of the original body’s memories resurfacing.

The proof? Throughout this entire dream, the only two people whose faces he could see clearly were his wedding-day self… and Zhao Louqin.

Zheng Yixu sighed softly and realized at some point—he had opened his eyes.

Morning had already broken, and the sunlight streaming in was particularly blinding.

And yet the dream still felt vivid in his mind.

Or rather—maybe it wasn’t a dream at all.
Maybe… the memories belonging to this body were beginning to awaken.

Over the next few days, Zheng Yixu and Zhao Jiusi made preparations for the divorce, while Zhao Jiusi secretly kept in touch with Zhao Louqin behind his father’s back. But every night, Zheng Yixu had dreams about “himself”—and in those dreams, people talked more and more, and more familiar figures began to appear.

At first, he still couldn’t see their faces clearly. But gradually, the blurry outlines began to sharpen.

He guessed that pretty soon… he would fully regain the original host’s memories.

And when that happened—
That might also be the moment he himself disappeared.

Zheng Yixu gave a bitter laugh and shook his head.
He hadn’t expected this day to come so soon.
Maybe the stress of the impending divorce had pushed the original soul to awaken.

But maybe that was for the best.

He did miss his family and friends back in the 21st century.

Stretching lazily, Zheng Yixu smiled as he casually discussed lunch plans with Zhao Jiusi—like nothing had happened at all.

At the very least, until the day he left…
He wanted to enjoy a little more time with this beautiful young man.

Even now, at the very end—
Zheng Yixu, that diehard face-con lover, still hadn’t given up his hopeless crush.