The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 81

What is death?

It is the stripping away of the five senses, consciousness falling into darkness. It is never again seeing the light of the sun and moon, being cast into the River of Three Crossings, passing over the Bridge of Forgetfulness, walking the path of reincarnation, and no longer remembering the dust of the past life. It is being born anew, once again arriving in this world clean and unburdened.

Whether one smiles or cries, it is no longer connected to what once was.

Forget the past. It is no longer relevant…

Xiao Chengzi…

“Why are you spacing out again…?” On the side of the road, in a spacious and bright café, a boy in a blue and white school uniform reached out with concern to touch Lan Wei’s forehead. After confirming once again that his temperature was normal, he pouted and muttered, “You’ve been zoning out so often since you got discharged last time…”

But the young man didn’t react at all, lost in his own world.

“Maybe he hurt his brain. Should we get his head scanned again?” Bai Meng, who happened to be working as a waiter here after losing a bet, passed by and offered a very “caring” suggestion.

Lan Cheng instinctively wanted to defend Lan Wei upon hearing this, but when he turned his head, he saw Bai Meng dressed in a cute short dress with a collar cover. His chest was clearly padded, and as he walked, the decorative cat tail at the back kept swaying.

Lan Cheng: “……”

“That outfit of yours…” Lan Cheng’s expression turned complicated. In the end, he could only use one word to summarize his turbulent inner emotions, “Brilliant.”

“You’re too kind.” Bai Meng lowered his head shyly. “You’re making me blush with all the praise.”

Lan Cheng: “……”

I wasn’t praising you!

“But it’s all thanks to Mo Lei, that teammate of ours.”

Bai Meng casually sat down beside Lan Cheng, gazing lifelessly at the dazzling lamp above his head. “’ One person equal to ten enemies’ probably describes people like Mo Lei. We were clearly on the brink of victory, and then he single-handedly summoned a torrential downpour and drowned all of us top-seeded players.”

Lan Cheng: “……”

There are too many things wrong here, I don’t even know where to start.

The voice of a boy going through puberty always carries a transitional hoarseness, and that voice was so familiar—so familiar that it had appeared in Lan Wei’s dreams countless times, but never with this kind of ease and freedom.

“…You…”

The hoarse voice of the young man interrupted their conversation. Facing the boy sitting next to him, his blue eyes revealed a trace of confusion. He clearly remembered being gravely wounded at the border, so why…

“Why do you look so confused…” Bai Meng looked at Lan Wei’s expression with amused interest. Stroking his smooth chin, he struck a pose and said, “Is he about to ask the classic three amnesia questions? Hahahahahahahaha…”

“Where is this? Who am I…?”

Bai Meng: “……”

The laughter stopped abruptly.

“Bai Meng…” Lan Cheng covered his eyes in pain. “Are you a jinx or something?”

Bai Meng: “…I’ll take my leave now!”

The wind chimes hanging by the window tinkled with the breeze, bathed in the soft early sunlight that tinted them with a warm glow. The boy’s voice was gentle and crisp as he carefully explained to the other person, word by word.

“You are Lan Wei. This is No. 15, Lan Street.”

“Then… what’s our relationship?”

Out of nowhere, Lan Wei asked suddenly. Upon hearing this, Lan Cheng’s beautiful eyes instantly turned red. He jumped to his feet, his tone losing control with emotion.

“…You’re messing with me, aren’t you?! If you keep this up, I’ll get mad! Stop it…”

But no matter how angry Lan Cheng became, Lan Wei just gazed at his face greedily, his deep-sea-like eyes filled with emotions too complex to read.

“…We’re lovers. How could you forget…”

Lan Cheng’s voice was light, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t hide the sorrow and loss in his heart.

“Lovers… That sounds nice…”

Lan Wei lowered his long lashes, casting shadows that concealed the emotions in his eyes, yet a rare smile appeared at the corner of his lips. He gently ruffled the other’s hair in a soothing gesture and said reassuringly, “It’s alright. ‘I’ just need to borrow a little time.”

“I once had a little disciple. He was very cute. I picked him up, and I loved teasing him…”

The hand on his head moved gently. Lan Cheng did not avoid the touch, but upon hearing Lan Wei’s words, his eyes widened. They had been childhood friends since they were young, and Lan Cheng knew his experiences and relationships well, yet what he was saying now sounded like the life of someone else entirely…

A ridiculous suspicion rose in Lan Cheng’s heart.

“But who would have thought he never came back…”

“What is death?”

“It’s never being able to hug again or to comfort again. It’s a farewell returned to dust.”

“But he didn’t even give me a goodbye.”

“You…” Lan Cheng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Lan Wei stood up abruptly and pulled him into a tight embrace, cutting off his words in his arms.

“I should have told him from the start, but later, he could no longer hear me.”

“I love you.”

That voice seemed to travel across vast stretches of time. Life and death separated them, but they were always destined to meet again in some moment of time, and finally pour out everything that had once gone unspoken.

The wind picked up, making the wind chime at the door jingle. Passersby came and went on the street, their faces all blurred into the cityscape. Sunlight scattered across the world in tiny floating specks, and the dust in the air was illuminated clearly.

“Xiao Cheng…?”

A slightly dazed voice came from the young man. Lan Cheng responded softly with an “mm,” then hugged the other in return, pressing his face to Lan Wei’s shoulder to hide his tear-streaked face.

“Why are you suddenly crying?”

“Weizi, do you like me?”

“I like you very much… so much that I would give up everything for you. That feeling seems to have started fermenting in the last life. You’ve always known, haven’t you? I love you.”

“…Mm.”

Now I know.

At that moment, in another time and space, a man lying on a bed slowly opened his eyes, his face pale. His sky-blue pupils made one feel as though they could willingly drown in that deep sea.

“For a moment, I thought we weren’t going to save you in time,” Bai Meng complained, standing at the bedside, but the delicate features on his face revealed his relief. Beside him, Mo Hankui held Bai Meng’s hand tightly.

“Just had a nice dream and slept a bit too long, that’s all,” Lan Wei shifted his position slightly. Though there was still the fatigue of someone recovering from a serious illness between his brows, his eyes were astonishingly bright, as if he had just experienced something wonderful.

“Hmm?”

“You wore a dress.”

Bai Meng: “……”

Mo Hankui: “Hmm?”

Mo Hankui turned his gaze to Bai Meng. That look was so penetrating that Bai Meng immediately understood his implication and flushed with shame and anger, refusing flatly, “Don’t even think about it!”

Mo Hankui lowered his head in disappointment: “Oh…”

“I can’t even imagine how good I’d look in a dress. Why would I let you see it?!”

Mo Hankui: “……”

As the two continued their playful bickering, Lan Wei contentedly closed his eyes to rest.

So there really is a next life.

In the next life, I’ll say all the words I never got to say to you. I’ll spoil you without bounds and let you be my little mischievous demon king. Whatever you long for, whatever you wish, I’ll do it all for you.

If you ask me why, I’ll smile and tell you this is my way of making up for all the regrets I left behind in our past life. Would you be willing to spend your life making sure I keep my word?

Please wait for me.