Chapter 78 - Reality (8)
The moment when Cheng Zhi Chu looked at the pair of eyes that slowly opened, even his breathing had stopped.
His body started to tremble slightly, and his mind was blank. He was still in a state of complete shock.
But when the man quietly called out his name and raised his hand to touch his cheeks, unprecedented joy and excitement instantly took over. Tears instantly began to fell. He tightly held onto the mans hand and choked out the other persons name.
Bai Yi..
He was so excited that he could no longer speak. He didnt say anything and just allowed tears to pour endlessly from his eyes. Soon, his shoulders were trembling uncontrollably. With a face covered in tears and blood, he looked particularly miserable but, no matter what he looks like, in Bai Yis eyes he looked extremely cute.
But..
A source of heat travelled through the place where their hands were in contact. Bai Yi slowly sat up and used his thumb to wipe away Cheng Zhi Chus tears. His action was gentle but, when he saw the blood on Cheng Zhi Chu, his eyes turned cold. It became dark like an abyss.
He didnt know whether or not this place was an instance that Zhi Chu had activated and he also didnt know why he was suddenly transported over but, while he wasnt around, his Zhi Chu had been hurt and was even crying.
Regardless of who hurt Zhi Chu, he will definitely destroy that person.
Killing intentions arose from within Bai Yi. His fingers tightened and, doing his best to keep his voice calm to avoid scaring Cheng Zhi Chu, he spoke softly.
Zhi Chu, you
But before he was able to finish, Cheng Zhi Chu threw himself into his arms and hugged him tightly.
.
Feeling his warmth in his arms, Bai Yi instantly forgot what he was intending to say. An unconcealable look of surprise appeared on his face. He subconsciously tightened his grip around that thin back. At the same time, he heard the other party speak intermittently between sobs.
Youre finally back.
I really made you come back
Bai Yi, youll never be trapped in the game again. Youve returned to reality.
..Back to reality?
Is it what he thinks it means?
Bai Yi was once again stunned. Over a few minutes, his confusion and surprise lingered. It took him a few more seconds to be able to completely process the meaning behind Cheng Zhi Chus words.
He clenched his hand and then slowly unclenched it. Only after this, he realised that there have been some subtle changes to his current state.
Although in Infinite Escape his body was similar to his real body and practically had no difference, in the end it was still different and only he could tell.
And now he could feel very distinctly that he had returned to his own body. Then this place-
Bai Yis eyes looked into the distance and he saw the tombstone engraved with his name along with the soil that appeared to have been turned over.
Thats right. He had returned to reality and had regained his body.
The handsome man was stunned for a moment. His eyes became brighter and there was evident change on his usual calm look. He tightened his hold around the person in his arms and he asked in a hoarse voice.
.You know about it? Did you help me?
Yes.
Cheng Zhi Chu was held in his arms and he gently nodded his head. His soft hair rubbed against the mans chest. Although his face was covered in tears, his eyes were filled with brilliance, joy and satisfaction. In a nasal voice, he said:
Fortunately, I succeeded, and youve returned.
Bai Yi, welcome back to reality.
.En. Bai Yi closed his eyes. He raised the corner of his lips and hugged the person in his arms.
Thank you Zhi Chu.
The two of them embraced silently for a long time. The bear chased away the surrounding corpses and happily cried out wuwu a few times to welcome Bai Yis return.
After gradually calming back down, Cheng Zhi Chu silently listened to the mans heartbeat. He then realised that he had been hugging the other person for a long time and the fact that he was still wearing a wedding dress. He suddenly panicked and moved away from Bai Yis embrace with a red face. He even wanted to cover up Bai Yis eyes before he has the chance to see the dress.
But before he could reach out, Bai Yis line of sight had moved down. When he saw Cheng Zhi Chus wedding dress and his black suit, he couldnt help but be surprised: Zhi Chu, this is?
I.
Cheng Zhi Chu was a bit embarrassed. For a moment, he didnt know where he should start explaining from. His expression became very pitiful.
Seeing his exposed shoulders and pale legs, Bai Yis eyes darkened. He didnt ask immediately and just quietly touched the wound on Cheng Zhi Chus neck, staining his fingers with blood in the process.
Who did this?
A ghost.
Cheng Zhi Chu also realised that he had not treated his injury and proceeded to drink a bottle of medicine. He then pulled at the corner of his lips awkwardly and explained.
He proposed to me but he also wanted to kill me and be his ghost bride..But fortunately I was able to seal him into the photobook in time.
As he said the latter half of that sentence, his voice couldnt help but quieten down a little. His expression was uncomfortable. Because Bai Yi knew about how he seals the bosses in the photobook, he really didnt want to mention more of it in front of Bai Yi.
Propose?
Bai Yis expression instantly darkened, and his voice turned dangerous. His eyes moved to the ring worn on Cheng Zhi Chus hand and even his eyes darkened: He even gave you a ring? And you wore a wedding dress for him?
So-sorry..!
Although he didnt know why he apologised, Cheng Zhi Chu still said it without a thought while his body trembled.
..
Bai Yi closed his eyes and calmed his emotions down. He did his best to speak as slowly as possible, but he couldnt conceal the anger and jealousy inside him: Zhi Chu, take it off immediately, okay?
Wh Cheng Zhi Chu opened his mouth. His face was completely red.
And this ring. Bai Yi held his hand, pinched at the ring on his finger and removed it, Be good. Let me throw it away.
Cheng Zhi Chu didnt feel any longing for the ring. Although he didnt know if the ring would return after throwing it away, since Bai Yi didnt want him to see it, he didnt object and allowed Bai Yi to take it off.
The proposal ring that Zhi Chu received was not given by him..
Bai Yi stared at the ring for a few seconds. His lips were pursed tight and his face was expressionless. Just when he was able to throw the ring far away, he suddenly noticed the letters engraved inside. His movements stopped.
He recognised it. It was the ring that he had custom made for Cheng Zhi Chu.
Did a fragment of his soul propose to Cheng Zhi Chu with his ring?
The young man was furious. His handsome face was dark. He didnt know if he should throw the ring away or if he should put it back on Cheng Zhi Chus hand.
Propose, giving him a ring, and even making Zhi Chu put on a wedding dress..
If it wasnt for Zhi Chu storing him away, he would have undoubtedly torn him into shreds so that he would never be able to fuse together completely anymore.
Bai Yi..
Seeing Bai Yis dark expression, Cheng Zhi Chu began to feel uneasy. He tugged at his clothes and quietly called out to him.
Bai Yi immediately softened his expression. Revealing a gentle smile, he rubbed Cheng Zhi Chus hair. His eyes then began to move across Cheng Zhi Chus bare shoulders and the slender figure wrapped in a wedding dress. Like this, he carefully appreciated the view and his anger had dissipated significantly.
..Only his taste isnt bad.
Stop staring. Cheng Zhi Chu awkwardly tugged at his dress, I know it looks weird but..
Why is it weird? You look very good.
Bai Yi caressed Cheng Zhi Chus face and spoke very tenderly. This was what he truly felt. It was a pity that they dress was damaged and he wasnt able to see what its like when it was complete.
But it was still very unsightly. After all, this wasnt a dress that he had personally chosen for him.
Cheng Zhi Chus face was extremely red. He couldnt stand Bai Yis gaze and said a little shyly: Ill go change first.
He had left a change of clothes in his backpack and he would have to change now, or, without the grooms power, he would definitely be ridiculed by onlookers when he goes out.
He didnt tell Bai Yi not to watch him change. They were both men and it would be strange for him to say it. Though he is actually embarrassed having Bai Yi watch him
So he could only turn himself around and act like no one else was around. With his back towards Bai Yi, he took off the wedding dress revealing his pale back and straight legs. Naturally, he didnt know that Bai Yi was examining him behind him.
Done.
Cheng Zhi Chu swiftly changed his clothes and turn back around. He smiled at Bai Yi: Should we leave this place now?
Okay. Bai Yi nodded with a smile. He stored away his hot gaze and he took hold of Cheng Zhi Chus hand very naturally. Led by the coin and the bear, they walked out.
The mass grave was very vast. When they walked out, Cheng Zhi Chu talked about what happened to him and didnt hide anything. He had a few questions that he wanted to ask Bai Yi.
He spoked very comprehensively and talked about the first reality instance that he had activated at the Bai villa, how he was being chased after by Winter Branch and how, in order to deal with him, he activated an instance using the ring. What he didnt expect was that the groom in the new instance had Bai Yis body and Winter Branch looked exactly the same as Bai Yi.
As he spoke, he carefully thought about everything that had happened. More and more, he felt that Bai Yi was very mysterious.
Both instances were closely related to Bai Yi - The first instance was associated to the Bai family and, in the second instance, Bai Yis body had even turned into a boss.
The original Winter Branch who was originally not in an instance also looked exactly the same as Bai YiHe had even said something
Winter Branch said that there are other Bai Yis.
Cheng Zhi Chu looked over at the man next to him. Slightly hesitant, he spoke up: ..Do you know what this means?
Bai Yi didnt answer him immediately and instead fell silent for a long time. His long silence made Cheng Zhi Chu feel awkward and worried that he may have asked something that he shouldnt have. The person next to him suddenly looked up at him and appeared to have decided something.
They are all me.
Bai Yi replied quietly.
Whether its Winter Branch or the groom, or even all the bosses that you have encountered.Theyre all me.
Sorry Zhi Chu, I have been hiding this from you the whole time.
In fact, I have met you a long time ago.
Cheng Zhi Chu stopped in place.
.
Bai Yi also started to talk about his past.
The things that Cheng Zhi Chu had encountered at the Bai villa were all true. Zhou Luo Chen was a psychopath who had killed many children. That year, Cheng Zhi Chu was kidnapped by him and was rescued by Bai Yi. Eventually he was picked up by his parents but, because he was so strongly affected by it, he had forgotten everything about it after recovering from his fever.
Bai Yi believed that he was cause for Cheng Zhi Chus misfortune and he was worried that Cheng Zhi Chu would recall everything that had happened if he sees him so he could only watch from afar, not daring to meet him.
Like this, time continued to pass. Then, six years ago, Bai Yi was attacked by Mr. Mu. When he woke up, he found himself stuck inside Infinite Escape and was bound to the Death Mode. He would only be able to return to reality if he was able to clear the game.
In order to be able to earn enough survival points to escape from the game as soon as possible, Bai Yi started his game journey. Using the ID of Winter Branch, he wrote strategy guides to gain survival points.
He was talented and he soon became a top player in the game. The strategy guides that he released were very impactful and was sought after by many players. Very quickly, he managed to earn the necessary survival points.
However, when he chose to return to reality, he was told by his system that he had died in reality and that his body was in another place. Until he is able to put his body back together, he would not be able to return to reality.
The only motivation for me to continue living was the hope to return to reality and see you again..
Bai Yi lowered his eyes and hooked up his lips. He spoke very casually but Cheng Zhi Chu felt heartache for him.
But at that time, I learnt that I would probably never be able to return I naturally didnt think that anyone would be able to find my body. Even if they did, they would probably cremate it instead of putting them back together.
And later, I ran onto some trouble.
Even if Bai Yi was very resilient, when trapped all alone inside such a bloody and dark game with no possibility of escaping, the desperation alone would drive anyone crazy. Even Bai Yi was not spared by this.
At first, he had just heard strange murmuring sounds in his sleep disrupting his thoughts. Later, these murmuring sounds increased. and he could hear it during the day as well. Day and night, the noise bothered him incessantly.
He had thought that it was something wrong with his mind, so he took medicine to treat it, but it didnt have any effect. Later, these symptoms got more and more serious. Sometimes, he would suddenly fall sleep and wake up un a strange place. Once, he was even holding a knife against his neck.
The system told him that this is not just a simple case of mental illness and that it was because his soul was showing signs of shattering. If he didnt sort it out soon, it could be dangerous.
The Bai Yi that time was in a bad state. Everyday, there was a risk of his soul shattering. At that point in time, he ran onto someone.
It was the man that had killed him.
Now I have learned of his name from you. It turned out hes called Mr. Mu.
Bai Yi said faintly: I didnt know his name and only remembered his face. When I was attacked, I turned around and faintly saw his appearance. When I met him in the game, I recognised him immediately.
That was two years ago. Bai Yi and M. Mu just happened to meet inside an instance, and he recognised Mr. Mu in an instance. Perhaps because Mr. Mu had killed too many people, he didnt realise that Bai Yi was someone that was once killed by him.
Bai Yi could tell that Mr. Mu was very strong. Not only that, Mr. Mus most terrible feature was his crazy strong luck which was very unfavourable for him.
But he was still not lucky enough. Bai Yi coldly hooked up his lips, He didnt recognise me. Although he had his guard up around all the teammates, it wasnt enough for me.
After having enough preparations, Bai Yi and Mr. Mu had a terrible fight that almost destroyed the entire instance world.
The result of the fight was also very terrible. Bai Yis soul had completely shattered, and he had lost almost half of it. As for Mr. Mu, his body had turned to dust and his soul had been contaminated causing him to turn into a huge monster. He distorted and fused several instance words together and had to rely on absorbing power from them to live.
Since then, I had completely given up the hope of leaving this game. I thought that I would eventually die in an instance and be unable to see you ever again.
But one day you entered the game. Your system told my system and, to be able to see you again and protect you, I entered the same instance, pretended not to know you and slowly approached you.
Seeing that Cheng Zhi Chus eyes were red, and he wasnt making a sound, Bai Yi let out a soft sigh and pulled him into his arms. Patting his back affectionately, he whispered:
Do you hate me for hiding things from you Zhi Chu?
Cheng Zhi Chu gripped onto the fabric on Bai Yis back. He felt extremely distressed and he sniffled as he spoke with a choked-up voice:
Im very angry. Why didnt you tell me these things in the beginning
Why didnt you come and find me later
Did you plan on just watching me from afar for your whole life and always be a stranger to me?
I didnt plan to do this. I really wanted to meet you, and let you know of my existence but every time I told myself that I still have a lot of time, I havent prepared enough and that I shouldnt rush
Bai Yi rubbed his head and gently replied.
But after entering the game I realised that I didnt have that many tomorrows and I might even die the next day.
So when I learnt that you had also entered the game, even if I wasnt prepared, I didnt hesitate to find you and appear before you.
Even if I am unable to leave this game, I wanted to let you know of my existence. I didnt want to die without you knowing me.
And you came to rescue me.
You helped me find my body, and your photobook helped gather my soul fragments. I think I will probably be able to leave the game the moment you have finished collecting them all.
Zhi Chu, I really want to thank you..
Bai Yi held Cheng Zhi Chu tightly and Cheng Zhi Chu also hugged him back. Their chests were filled with complex emotions. It was both sour and sweet, sad and happy.
Turns out, Bai Yi had always been waiting to meet him again.
Then the name One Thought that refers to only thinking of one person Does it also refer to him?
So, what kind of feelings does Bai Yi have for him? Could he be feeling the same way he feels towards him?
.Can he have some expectations?
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Bai Yis Diary (Part 78)
The environment is very poor, but the atmosphere is good.
Should I confess to Zhi Chu?