Chapter 123 - Pleasant Surprises Everywhere
Translated by Eve
Edited by Serefina, Kitty
10. Pleasant Surprises Everywhere
Ye Jinzhou stopped his movements. A while later, he slowly let go and stood up.
His gaze was stuck on the man on the ground, his nails digging into the palms of his hands. He was loathed by the other because of the way he had humiliated and hurt him. This was only logical….
It was just that when he saw the hatred in Xie He’s eyes and heard those ice-cold words, it felt like a knife had slashed opened his chest, allowing frosty air to flow in and freeze his whole body.
This was the person who had once loved him most. But now… this person only found him disgusting.
Once Xie He was released, he quickly stood up and fixed his clothes. His hands shook. He really wanted to recklessly punch this person in the face but he knew he couldn’t win against the other. Since it was like this, there was no point in acting so inelegant, as if he had already gone mad from loving the other like a hysterical, resentful woman.
Even if he still loved Ye Jinzhou and needed time to get over him… he could act like he didn’t care right now.
He could use a hard exterior to once again cover himself up.
Xie He sighed and then looked up. There was only apathy left in those eyes. “Please leave my home. Otherwise, I’ll call the police.”
Ye Jinzhou stared into Xie He’s eyes. A self-deprecating laugh came out from between his lips.
He had fallen in love with someone he should not love. And this person had only loathing for him now. For what reason should he stay? He would just be asking to be humiliated if he stayed.
This time, he really ought to leave.
“I’ll leave.” Ye Jinzhou gave Xie He a meaningful look and slowly said these two words as if telling him goodbye.
From now on, I will lock this love inside a box and hide it deep inside my heart. I will never try to touch it again.
Xie He looked at Ye Jinzhou apathetically. After the other left, he shut the door with a heavy thud.
Ye Jinzhou’s steps suddenly stopped before he got very far. In the end, he turned his head around and took one more glance at that door. The heavy iron door separated the two of them. It was like a moat between them.
……………………………………
【444：Host dada, Ye Jinzhou really left. What are you going to do now? _(:зゝ∠)_】
【Xie He：I should also leave now.】
【444：(⊙v⊙) Hm?】Were his brain circuits too slow? Why did Host dada have to go if Ye Jinzhou left? How would the capture continue if they parted ways?
【Xie He：He still doesn’t understand what it means to really lose someone. It’s about time to give him a potent dose of medicine. Otherwise, my ZhouZhou won’t be able to get across this obstacle. 】
【Xie He：Baby, help me exchange for a ‘Protagonist Halo, So That You Can’t Die’.】
【444：O(∩_∩)O OK. The ‘Protagonist Halo, So That You Can’t Die’ costs 1,000 experience points. Exchange complete. The product description: Do you want to live life on the edge like the protagonist of a movie? Do you want to be able to jump off a cliff into a river and not die? Do you want to be able to escape death even after jumping out of a plane and tumbling through the air? This all-encompassing protagonist halo will make your wish come true! It will let you experience the tenacity and beauty of life! That’s right, the ultimate survivor in all of history is you!】
Xie He began to arrange the data he had collected recently. It was truethat Father Bai and Father Ye had been best friends back then and established a company together. But in the end, Father Ye had died in a car accident, and Mother Ye had taken Ye Jinzhou abroad.
444 had already found this information for Xie He a long time ago. However, this time it was much more detailed.
There was a crucial point in the testimony provided by the driver who had caused the accident. He had said that at that time, Father Ye had been with a friend. However, Father Ye still died because he wasn’t able to receive emergency aid in time. That meant that Father Bai had not called the police or ambulance. This was what Ye Jinzhou had found as well.
Xie He pondered over what Bai Mu would think. He then decided that he would go visit the driver from back then. According to his information, the driver had already completed his sentence and been released.
Xie He placed the data into a file and threw it into the back of his car. He then drove out that very night.
He drove for several hours until he reached another city. However, just as he was crossing a large bridge, he suddenly turned the steering wheel sharply and collided with the bridge’s safety rails! A loud crash sounded, and soon after, the car fell off the bridge and sank into the rapidly flowing river beneath!
【444：Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!!】
【Xie He：Baby, what’s wrong?】
【444：You’re going to die!!!】
【Xie He：Didn’t I just have you exchange for a product from the store? Did you already forget? It seems that I still need to earn money to upgrade you. Sigh.JPG】
【444：……】It was not the same, OK?! It was scarier to see this in real life, ah ah ah!
Clearly, he was a love capturing system. Why did he have to experience a high-speed thriller like this? QAQ
The car made a big splash when it fell into the river. The force of impact made the car that had already been deformed from the crash even more broken. Even though the car had very good safety features, Xie He still felt everything hurt from the impact. He couldn’t open the car door anymore. He could only take off his seat belt and crawl out from the window.
Xie He thought that the protagonist halo lived up to its name. Even like this, he hadn’t died.
………………………………
Ye Jinzhou didn’t know that Xie He had also left after he did. He returned to his hotel and fell onto his bed, exhausted.
A while later, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through it. There were many photos of Xie He and himself in his photo app. There were photos of them eating together, lying in bed together, taking a walk together…. His finger swiped across his phone, and for a while, there was a look of deathly stillness in his eyes. In the end, he slowly deleted each and every one of the photos…. Finally, his index finger fell on a picture he had favorited.
At that time, Xie He had been concentrating on his work in the office, and Ye Jinzhou had startled him on purpose. Xie He had turned back in shock and looked at him with a complaining but helpless look. There was love and indulgence in his eyes. It felt like it would physically leak out from the screen&#k2026;.
Ye Jinzhou felt his breathing stop. His lips parted, but no words came out. Just one photo. I’ll just save one, OK?
I have to leave soon. This time, it’s for real.
When Ye Jinzhou woke up the next day, he slowly packed his things and began to head towards the airport. The moment he exited the hotel, he unexpectedly saw Xu Zhen waiting outside.
Xu Zhen had not appeared for the last few days. Ye Jinzhou had nearly forgotten about him.
Xu Zhen’s face was so pale it looked almost translucent. He looked at Ye Jinzhou who was dragging a suitcase and softly said, “We promised to go back together after everything ended.”
But you wanted to leave by yourself.
Ye Jinzhou gave the other an indifferent glance and then brushed past him.
Xu Zhen’s eyes were red. He had broken Ye Jinzhou and Xie He up. However, the person he loved would not come back…. His heart did not return.
Ye Jinzhou arrived at the parking lot and shoved his suitcase into the trunk of his car. Actually, he didn’t have much in terms of luggage. He had come to this place all alone and would now be going back all on his own. He had left everything Xie He had bought for him in that house. He didn’t bring a single thing with him.
No, not only did he not bring anything that belonged to him with him, he had even left something else there….
Ye Jinzhou’s hand clenched the steering wheel. He sucked in a deep breath and turned the key, igniting the car’s engine. He stepped on the gas pedal and headed out.
There was a bit of traffic today, making people feel antsy. The weather was also gloomy…. Halfway through the drive, Ye Jinzhou’s cell phone rang. The person who was calling was a middle-level executive he had left in charge of Rongzhi Media. Ye Jinzhou was silent for a while before accepting the call.
He placed the phone to his ear, and his expression changed drastically after hearing just one sentence. He shouted, “What did you say?!”
“No, this can’t be…” The color all drained from Ye Jinzhou’s face. His cell phone slipped out from his hand….
The red light turned green. Seeing that the car in front of him wasn’t moving, the driver behind Ye Jinzhou started to honk impatiently. However, Ye Jinzhou couldn’t hear it. When he thought of the news he had just heard, he felt all the blood in his body turn cold.
A long while later… he jerked his steering wheel all the way to one side and stomped on the gas pedal. He didn’t care about any of the traffic laws. He directly sped away on another street!
…………………………………
When Ye Jinzhou rushed over to the scene of the accident, it was already in the middle of the night. The scene of the accident had been cordoned off, and a car had been pulled out from the river.
The big bridge’s firm, metal railing had been broken through. The car’s front had been totaled. Water was still dripping out of the car wreck, creating a puddle beneath…. The scene was extremely frightening. It made his soul feel like it had left his body. Everything before him was fuzzy. He couldn’t seem to move.
With one glance, he recognized Xie He’s car.
Ye Jinzhou looked around in a daze. He saw Lin Ran standing at the front. Lin Ran had rushed over earlier than he had, having gotten news of this before him. Right now, he was talking to a traffic officer.
At this moment, Ye Jinzhou felt so confused and helpless that even Lin Ran was like a straw of hope to grab onto. Lin Ran loved Xie He so much that he would definitely think of a way to save him. He definitely would….
He definitely had news of Xie He.
Ye Jinzhou walked over and stiffly spoke in a hoarse voice, “Where is he?”
Only then did Lin Ran see Ye Jinzhou. His gaze was fixed on this man as he thought of what he and the traffic officer had discussed…. Anger once again flared uncontrollably in his chest! It was his fault, all his fault! If it weren’t for him, nothing would have happened to Xie He!
Lin Ran landed a punch against Ye Jinzhou’s face without saying a word!
Ye Jinzhou staggered backwards from the impact of the strike. His face burned with pain, but he seemed to still be in a trance. He stared at Lin Ran, stupefied.
Lin Ran felt that one punch wasn’t enough to vent his hatred. He pounced onto Ye Jinzhou and began to beat him!
Ye Jinzhou didn’t fight back, acting as if his soul had left his body. The surrounding bystanders and traffic police couldn’t keep watching and came up to stop Lin Ran. They held him back and persuaded him, “Calm down, calm down.”
When Ye Jinzhou saw that Lin Ran didn’t plan on answering him, he couldn’t even be bothered to wipe off the blood on his face. He helplessly grabbed onto the traffic officer by his side and asked him, “Where is he? Has he been found?”
That traffic officer looked at Ye Jinzhou’s dazed appearance and couldn’t help but sigh. What a pitiful person. He said, “We haven’t found him. This river has very rapid currents. It’s possible that it swept him away. We have arranged for people to search downstream.”
“When will they find him?” Ye Jinzhou asked.
The traffic officer paused. “I can’t say. However, I would say that there isn’t much hope.”
Ye Jinzhou was dumbfounded. “Why?”
The traffic officer hesitated. He thought that the person involved had likely already died. There was very little chance of surviving a fall into that river at such a high speed. However, it would be better not to upset the family right now…. he wanted to leave, but Ye Jinzhou had a death grip on him and would not let go.
The traffic officer felt extremely helpless. “Calm down. First, let’s wait for news. Impatience will not help.”
Ye Jinzhou’s eyes slowly regained focus. The immense fear had made him regain a bit of clarity. He grit his teeth and forced words out from between, “Did. He. Die?”
The traffic officer didn’t know what to say. His eyes were full of sympathy.
Lin Ran’s eyes were thoroughly red. He shut his eyes and then reopened them. He said to the person holding onto him, “I’m fine. I won’t hit him again. I have something to say to him.”
The people around Lin Ran saw that he was indeed calm now, so they didn’t interfere with his matters anymore. At this kind of time, others also didn’t want to be involved much.
Lin Ran walked over to Ye Jinzhou and looked at him coldly. “Don’t ask anymore. There’s no meaning in asking right now.”
These words were like knives stabbing into Ye Jinzhou’s heart. He let go, weak, and turned to look at Lin Ran.
Lin Ran snorted. “Didn’t you want to know what happened? I know. I’ll tell you what happened. I’ll tell you everything.
“Your betrayal hurt Bai Mu badly. In the beginning, he was extremely depressed. He didn’t want to believe what you said. Afterward, with much difficulty, he picked himself back up and asked me to investigate the truth with him. He said that if it really was his father’s fault back then, he would be willing to compensate you with the company. Moreover, he said that I wasn’t allowed to make trouble for you before the investigation was over.
“Therefore, we’ve been investigating what had happened back then over the last few days. Did you know… how much he loved you? Even though you betrayed him like that, he couldn’t get over you.
“Do you know what he had been doing last night? He wanted to go find the driver from back then. The data we found is still in his car…. Why was he so impatient? Why did he have to leave that night? Why couldn’t he wait a little longer…?” As Lin Ran spoke, his voice suddenly turned into sobs, “If he wasn’t in such a hurry, he wouldn’t have had a car accident from driving while exhausted. If he waited for me, this wouldn’t have happened…. Why did he have to go out last night…?
“Was the past that important? Was a person who had betrayed and deceived him that important? Why did he have to know? Why couldn’t be just let bygones be bygones? Someone like you isn’t worth him troubling himself over.
“It’s all your fault… if it weren’t for you, nothing would have happened to him.” Lin Ran’s gaze was rigidly fixed onto Ye Jinzhou, undisguised hatred in his eyes.
It’s all your fault….
It’s all my fault….
Ye Jinzhou stood there in place, body frozen.
It turned out that Xie He still loved him… it turned out that he had said such things to Lin Ran before….
It turned out that he still cared about him so much….
Why did he leave in such a hurry last night? Because he had been angered by Ye Jinzhou, probably…. That’s why he left that night. Why didn’t he say anything? Why did he always care for him in silence? Even if he had been deceived and fooled by Ye Jinzhou, he was still rational—he had still wanted to find out the truth before making a decision.
Even if he pretended not to care… Xie He had been angered by Ye Jinzhou inside.
For the first time, Ye Jinzhou realized that he would rather Xie He not care about a despicable and vile person like himself. If he didn’t care about Ye Jinzhou’s shameful words, he wouldn’t have left the house that night.
Nothing would have happened to him.
He would have lived on well.
Therefore, Lin Ran wasn’t wrong. This was all his fault.
Ye Jinzhou quietly stood there on the bridge like a stone sculpture for a long time. Later on, the car was towed away, and the scene of the accident was tidied up. The traffic officers and bystanders all left. Even Lin Ran had left.
All that was left was him. He stood there until daybreak.
Xie He didn’t show up. They couldn’t find him. He heard other people’s whispering. They said that he had very likely already died. This river was both rapid and deep. It was expected that the corpse couldn’t be found.
Ye Jinzhou stayed in the city for one week, but there was no news on Xie He. Later on, people stopped searching for him. Everyone said that Xie He had died.
On the tenth day, he left and went back to Xie He’s home. He stood there at the familiar door.
He slowly pulled out his key and inserted it into the keyhole. With a clack, the door opened.
Xie He hadn’t changed the locks.
Ye Jinzhou put on slippers and walked stepped onto the glossy wooden floor. He took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door like usual and then entered the home.
This place hadn’t changed since he left. His cup in the washroom was still there, his clothes still hung in the closet… his slippers, his watch, everything that he owned was still present. Nothing had changed….
It was like he had never left.
Ye Jinzhou suddenly felt his eyes sting. You didn’t forget about me. You still love me, isn’t that right?
In fact, I love you too.
………………………………
Ye Jinzhou stayed in that home for a while. He didn’t leave for many days. He thought that if Xie He were to return, he would definitely go back to his own home. However, he waited and waited, but Xie He never came.
In the mornings, when Ye Jinzhou stood in the bathroom and brushed his teeth, his mind would often drift. He would think of how normally, Xie He would walk over and hug him from behind.
When he was in the kitchen, he wouldn’t be able to help himself from making another serving, setting an additional place at the table….
At night, when he was lying in bed—on this familiar, big bed—he would realize that the person who used to stick to him with his warm body and tell him ‘I love you’ while hugging him was no longer here….
Ye Jinzhou turned on his phone, wanting to look at their photos, but realized that he had already deleted most of them. All that remained was only one photo.
He looked at that last photo. That was the last of their memories…. It was like looking back onto his life…. He originally had such a beautiful love—he had the world—but he personally destroyed it. It was like how he removed the photos on his phone. It had disappeared from his life.
Because of his foolish revenge.
He finally understood that the grudges of the past had nothing to do with them, nothing to do with Xie He. But realizing now was too late.
For revenge, he had destroyed himself. And he had destroyed the person he loved with this revenge.
Like this, a period of time passed. For the first time, the door bell rang. Ye Jinzhou quivered, and he rushed to the door, opening it with excitement. But there was only Xu Zhen on the other side.
In that moment, the light in Ye Jinzhou’s eyes suddenly vanished.
Xu Zhen walked in calmly. He glanced at Ye Jinzhou, who had let his beard grow out, and said indifferently, “You should look in a mirror and see how ugly you look right now.”
Ye Jinzhou slowly turned around and sat back down before the dining table. Today, he had made Xie He’s favorite.
Xu Zhen walked over to him. “You don’t plan on leaving anymore, do you?”
Ye Jinzhou remained silent, as if he didn’t exist.
Xu Zhen said, “Who are you doing this for? Although he didn’t die by your hands, you indirectly killed him. If it weren’t for you, he would have his company, his life would be smooth sailing, and he would never have thought to go inquire about the past, let alone get into a car accident in the middle of the night. You killed him yet you’re still putting on a show. Don’t you feel disgusting?”
The veins on the hand Ye Jinzhou used to hold his chopsticks began to bulge. His hand trembled from how much strength he was using.
But he couldn’t refute it. What Xu Zhen had said wasn’t wrong. Even he himself thought that he was really disgusting. But… he couldn’t leave.
A long time later, Ye Jinzhou turned and said in a hoarse voice, “There’s something I should have told you a long time ago…. Let’s… break up, ba.”
He thought that Xu Zhen would be really angry. But in fact, Xu Zhen was actually really calm. The other even laughed. Xu Zhen’s lips curved up, and his tone was light, “You finally said it out loud.”
Ye Jinzhou said, “I’m sor—”
“No need to say sorry,” Xu Zhen said with a smile, “You didn’t do anything to me to apologize for. I’m the one who sold myself cheaply, insisting on being with a person who didn’t love me. You’ve only let down one person, and that person is already dead.”
Ye Jinzhou’s face paled. He didn’t make a sound.
Xu Zhen said softly, “I’m leaving. I don’t love you anymore and won’t interfere with your life anymore.”
After saying this, he turned around and left without hesitation. When he reached the door, he turned around and mouthed two words: “Take care.”
My beloved, I finally understand how to let go. But your troubles have only just begun, and although I want to, I can’t help you.
Ye Jinzhou watched Xu Zhen leave and then turned back to look at the dishes in front of him.
The food was already cold.
Look, even Xu Zhen thinks that I’ve wronged you, but how come I didn’t think that back then? Why didn’t I realize this sooner, why didn’t I put a stop to it in time….
And now, although I want to tell you I’m sorry, you’re not even here to hear it.
Only after you’ve disappeared did I realize how much I love you. Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with you.
But I no longer have a chance to tell you… I love you.
Ye Jinzhou stood up and smashed both fists onto the table. He felt a bit dizzy. After a while, he felt better and walked over to the sofa to lie down. He pulled out his phone and looked at that single picture without blinking.
The beautiful memories of the past flashed through his eyes. But it was all gone now. All that was left were these few memories….
He placed his phone on his chest, sticking it against his heart as if he were hugging that person… and fell asleep like that.
In his dreams, Xie He had come back and was beaming at him. That pure, elegant face seemed to possess all the warmth in the world, and the love in his eyes was like a sea…. Ye Jinzhou couldn’t help but lean in closer, wanting to be closer to him. But just as he was about to touch the other, the smile on Xie He’s face disappeared and was replaced with a disappointed look. He said, “You disgust me.”
Ye Jinzhou was startled awake, breathing erratic. Only then did he realize that he had fallen to the ground. He was about to climb back up when he found an unremarkable velvet box underneath the sofa. It was as if someone had discarded it there like garbage.
Ye Jinzhou was startled and then reached out to grab it in a daze. The moment he opened it, his breath stopped.
Inside the box was a pair of white platinum male wedding rings.
Ye Jinzhou felt his heart shake. His hands were also shaking. He stared at the two rings, unwavering, as if he was looking at something that was both extremely beautiful and horrifying. It attracted him. Even if he knew that what was before him was a bottomless abyss, he couldn’t stop walking towards it. He was willing to fall into it.
He slowly lifted up both rings and turned them around. He then saw the inscription inside.
Tears began to fall down his face.“For my forever love.”
“Let us share in joy & care.”
【Ding, the target Ye Jinzhou’s Favourability Value +10. The current Favourability Value is 90.】
The author has something to say:
Hei hei hei~
Eve: Hei hei hei~ That’s a good use of 10 experience points if I do say so myself. God that hurts so good.
Kit: At this point, I can’t tell if we’re sadists or masochists… probably both…
sere: plz kitty don’t point it out… let me delude myself a little longer… but also Eve +1