Chapter 196 - The Shameless and Aggressive Mr. Lu
Translated by Eve
Edited by Serefina
4. The Shameless and Aggressive Mr. Lu
Xie He wrapped an arm around Lu Ting’s neck and spoke in a languid tone. “So how about it?”
Lu Ting stared at Xie He’s face at this close of a distance and felt an extremely complicated and repressed emotion bubble inside of him.
Eight hundred years…it had only been thirteen years in this world, but he had already lived through ninety-eight lives….Those several hundreds of years spent in massacre, in cruel battles…over and over again he had faced life or death battles…. Over and over again he had been forced to endure the most extreme of pain. Those eight hundred years he had passed with no rest…. Sometimes, he would almost even forget just who he was. He would almost forget why he was working so hard….
What was the point of all this, he’d think.
But in the end, he never forgot. He never forgot…that there was someone still waiting for him in this world.
If he didn’t work harder, if he didn’t put in more effort…if he took a break…then that person might disappear forever….
Back then, that boy had already become a formidable man that didn’t need him. He already knew that, but still he had never given up….The contours of Xie He’s face were still as he remembered them. This was the person he loved so dearly. He was the only reason he had persevered. He had never regretted loving him.
And he wanted to have Xie He so badly. He wanted to use his original body to be with Xie He’s original body…to be with each other without being limited by their character settings.
At this moment, he could no longer suppress the intense love in his heart. In any case, Xie He also wanted it, so why did he have to pretend to be unaffected and leave?
He also wanted Xie He.
Oh…that’s right. Lu Ting still remembered how, when he had been risking his life in those dangerous, high-leveled worlds, he would occasionally hear 666 tell him that Xie He had slept with a couple more hosts again before angering them into sending complaints to the main system….Back then, he had been worried and anxious that Xie He’s Favourability Value would end up maxed. Who would have expected that in the blink of an eye, the child he had wholeheartedly cherished but hadn’t gotten to taste would….
While Lu Ting had been risking his life, Xie He had been at home, dating. Back in the present, Lu Ting’s eyes turned cold and he sneered.
【666 immediately said：Calm down! Don’t be impulsive! Impulsiveness is the devil!】
When Lu Ting heard 666’s voice, the coldness gradually dispersed from his eyes. He had indeed been thinking impulsively just now.
He knew exactly how despicable the capturing hosts’ methods were. He knew just how chaotic those hosts could render a world. He knew how coldhearted those hosts were….This was the cruel world of transmigrators.
In a short period of time, Xie He had met ninety-nine hosts. He could imagine how powerless Xie He must have felt beneath his indifferent exterior….It must not have been easy to persist until now.
Furthermore, he had left without saying goodbye back then…Xie He was definitely mad at him, right?
He recalled how he had felt both relieved and sad when he had heard the hosts curse and complain about Xie He back then. Yes…he had always been watching over Xie He from far away, watching over him carefully. He had never given up on taking the other away from all of this, freeing him from his sorrowful fate…so that he would never have to be a capture target again.
So that he would never have to endure this all again….
He knew that this was what Xie He wanted….It was obvious, considering how the other had never given anyone his heart.
666 could sense that his host had finally calmed down and relaxed. His host would easily blacken and lose control of himself whenever he was with Xie He. He would probably hit his limit soon. It was a wonder that he hadn’t already gone mad, and was still able to remain calm in front of the person he loved….But it was also tiring for 666. He had to constantly remind his host to remain calm.
It was fortunate that his host was able to calm down. It wasn’t the time to talk about sex! Just as 666 thought that he could be at ease, he heard Lu Ting chuckle.
Lu Ting pressed down on Xie He’s shoulder, cocking an eyebrow up and said, “It’s not like you can’t. But we’re both men. Let’s fight. Whoever wins can top.”
【666：……】F*ck! So shameless! He didn’t think his host was this kind of person! His host’s body had the SSS-ranked God-level Bloodline that was worth five million experience points! Even in this low-level plane that didn’t have any magic, he was still a human weapon with just his physical strength!
This was too shameless!!!
Xie He’s expression also turned rigid for a second. For a moment, he felt the same as 666. This b*stard was taking advantage of the fact that he had been transmigrating longer than Xie He had, wasn’t he?!
While Xie He was lost in thought, Lu Ting pushed the other into the room and onto the bed.
Lu Ting gazed into Xie He’s eyes. Now that he was able to look at those eyes he hadn’t seen in several hundreds of years again…it felt like he had gone back in time. It made him feel nostalgic and made him yearn for the other. He pressed his lips down and kissed Xie He hard.
This time, he was really kissing the person he loved, and not Xie He in another body. Xie He wasn’t being forced to abide by some character settings. This was the person he loved.
The person he loved was looking at him with his real face. He was no longer restricted.
Xie He sighed softly, looping his arms around Lu Ting’s neck as he kissed the other back.
Xie He had wondered if they would ever meet again. He had thought about giving up before…but this person had never given up on him.
It turned out that there was someone who knew that he could also feel helpless…who knew that he also wanted to be saved.
Finally…he had come back just as Xie He had thought he wouldn’t be able to continue holding on.
…………………………
Lu Ting really wanted to keep holding Xie He in his arms. Letting go was so hard but it was something he had to do. This was the last time he would let him go&#k2026;.He couldn’t influence Xie He’s decision out of his own selfishness. The only thing he could do for Xie He was refrain from telling him he loved him.
He would use this clumsy method to make sure Xie He would continue to loathe him.
Lu Ting slowly let go and stood up. He then heard the system’s notification.
【Ding, Xie He’s Favourability Value +30. The current Favourability Value is 70.】
Xie He smiled. “This is a reward for your hard work.”
Lu Ting: “….”
【Lu Ting：Am I something specifically made to give him pleasure in his eyes?!】
【666：Boss, shouldn’t you already be used to this?】
Lu Ting sucked in a deep breath. He dressed himself and prepared to leave.
Xie He leaned against the bed indolently, giving Lu Ting a cool glance. He then laughed. “Did you exchange for some god-level bloodline or something?”
【666：Hahahaha, you’ve been exposed. Feel embarrassed?】
【Lu Ting：Shut up.】
Xie He saw Lu Ting’s body stiffen and his lips drew into a smile. “Right, send my regards to 666. Thank him for taking such good care of 444, that child.”
【666：F*ck!!!! How did he know that it’s me? What should I do if 444 finds out, ah?!】Really flustered!
【Lu Ting：Oh how the tides have changed….】
【666：……】
“Don’t be nervous. I already sent 444 away. He’s not here right now. I won’t expose you.” Xie He smiled faintly.
【666：…Is he a mind reader? But I’m a system…mind-reading wouldn’t work on me….】
Xie He pursed his lips, his voice low, amusement evident in his tone. “Don’t be silly. I don’t have any special abilities. I don’t know what you’re thinking either. Your identity was just too easy to guess. 444 goes out to play often. He has many friends. Amongst them, he talks about 818, 512 and 666 the most often. He also has thirty casual system friends. From my analysis, I figured out that there was something a lot of them had in common. Among the thirty systems, twenty-five of them knew 666. 666 knew more systems in this group than any other friend, far more than 818, who was in second place. Furthermore, from what 444 typically tells me, 666 is a very high-levelled system. He isn’t very outgoing but is very friendly to 444…. I got itl after asking 444 a few questions. Hehe, why would a high-level system with a wide network suddenly be so friendly to 444?
“444’s an idiot. He’s weak and bound to a new host who has never transmigrated before. How could he be so popular in the system space just because he has a little more in allowance money? Therefore, when I started to suspect Lu Ting’s identity, I also began to suspect yours. You wanted to get information about me from 444 to give to Lu Ting, to find out about my situation. Even though you hid yourself well, there were still many clues left. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that 666 was Lu Ting’s system.”
【666：Boss, I had been very careful, it really wasn’t my fault. I found a lot of systems to approach 444 to avoid casting suspicion onto myself. I obtained information from those systems at different times and I wasn’t the system that approached him the most….And yet he was able to guess my identity. He’s a freak!】
【Lu Ting：……】He really hadn’t expected this either.
【Lu Ting：Ah, he’s really amazing. And then there’s you. I gave you a million experience points to romance 444 and you still couldn’t win him over and prevent him from wasting my lover’s money? My money went to him… do you think I’m easy to bully?! 】
【666：……】
“But that’s only one of the guesses I had come up with.” Xie He continued to talk to himself. “I also wondered just how the main system controlled the hosts. How did it usually function…? I found out that there are countless secondary worlds from 444 and that there are also thousands upon thousands of hosts. If I were the main system…how would I cope with all these hosts? Every host is bound to a system. Actually, these systems are tools used to control the hosts by the main system. They seem like multi-functional cheats but they’re actually surveillance devices. They can also be dangerous. The main system has control of the hosts’ whereabouts and their life and death at all times. If the systems are all made of data, then the main system is the highest level code that controls the data. The main system uses these countless systems to oversee the hosts….
“He chose to let 444 be my system not because we were compatible, but because 444 is like a blank piece of paper. He’s the least likely to reveal information to me. The main system wanted to decrease the amount of help I could get from my system to lull me into bringing my guard down, to make me careless. Of course, 444 doesn’t know about this, let alone the fact that he’s being controlled by the main system. He’s just a silly, low-levelled system….But after meeting you, I came up with a new conjecture. I thought. once a system reached a certain level, perhaps they would be given special privileges and a certain level of autonomy…rather than continue to just be a marionette on the main system’s strings.”
Lu Ting turned around and looked at Xie He with a complicated look in his eyes. For a long time, he didn’t speak.
Not every transmigrator would figure this out.
【666：…Scary. He was able to guess this much from just a few words?】In the past, when 666 had heard 444 brag about his host, he hadn’t taken it seriously. He had only thought that 444’s experience was too limited. He hadn’t been exposed to a wider world yet and was just limited to what was before his eyes. 666, who had much more experience, had seen countless hosts. There were many brilliant talents. But seeing Xie He today…he still managed to astonish him.
It was inconceivable that an original inhabitant of a secondary world could think of such things. The other had come up with these conjectures with only the bits and pieces of information given to him.
Xie He took in Lu Ting’s complicated expression, a faint smile emerging in his eyes. “Was I right?
“Because I suspected the relationship between host and system, I never trusted anything the main system gave me. Therefore, I never told 444 about anything I didn’t wish for him to know. One reason was that I didn’t want the main system to find out. The second reason was that 444 can’t keep a secret. And I didn’t need him to keep my secrets….When you got information from me, I also got information about you. And I was able to pass on information I needed to get to you via 444.”
This was why he had never told 444 his true thoughts before. He had always acted relaxed and carefree and even gave him allowance money to go have fun. He acted like he hadn’t noticed the main system’s intentions at all, for the sake of lowering its guard. 444 didn’t have to know a thing. The main system thought it had been deceiving Xie He, but Xie He had been tricking it all along.
A secret could only be a secret if he kept it to himself.
【666：Why do I feel gloomy and sullen?】
【Lu Ting：……】
Lu Ting looked at Xie He with surprise and admiration. His beloved had always given him delightful surprises. He had never let Lu Ting down. Even if Lu Ting could not tell him all of this, Xie He had still been able to deduce it and use it to his own advantage.
He didn’t just get stronger. He had also become more mature.
Although he was really surprised, Lu Ting didn’t feel angry. He was really happy that Xie He had been so clear on the situation. That meant that he had been able to utilize Lu Ting’s aid in the most efficient manner. They would not have been able to get out of this hopeless situation if only one side had worked hard.
However, Xie He’s next words made Lu Ting want to take back what he had just thought!
Xie He placed his index finger on his lips, his lips curved into a teasing smile. “Therefore, every time you heard the Favourability Value notification, it was because I wanted you to hear it. All the information you got about me was information I wanted you to know.”
【Lu Ting：Ah…so he’s been playing me all along?】
【666：Did you just realize this? Calm down…hehe.】He was in no frame of mind to comfort his host. He wanted to sweat. His heart ached for the silly 444….Furthermore, that freak had information he could use against 666 now. This meant that Xie He could threaten him with 444 at any time. If 444 knew that 666 was deceiving him the entire time, that 444’s popularity had been fake…just how heartbroken and upset would he be…? 444 would definitely ignore him!
【Lu Ting：Say, do you think this is the extent of what he knows?】
【666：According to my analysis of him, he’s extremely cunning and sinister. He would never reveal all the cards in his hand. He definitely hasn’t told you everything. Therefore, my verdict is: He knows more than he lets on.】
Lu Ting also thought the same. He was flustered. Just how much had Xie He deduced? Did he also…figure out that…?
Lu Ting’s face had no expression on it. “Why are you telling me all this?”
Xie He gave him a lazy glance. “No reason. I just wanted to ask you whether you’re still going to leave.”
Lu Ting’s expression turned rigid. He stood frozen in place….Although Xie He asked in such a casual tone, he didn’t know why, but he knew that Xie He was expecting something from him. This simple sentence held his hopes.
But…how could he stay? If he stayed, it would affect Xie He’s decision….
This was the last world.
He could not bear even the slightest possibility of losing him.
In the end, Lu Ting turned around slowly and left.
He could not stay. He could not take the chance.
Xie He watched as Lu Ting left, a disappointed look clouding his eyes. With a flat tone, he said, “We’ve gone through this so many times but you still haven’t learned how to love someone in a completely candid manner, have you? You should learn how to hold on.”
Did you think that without your guidance, I wouldn’t be able to make my own decisions?
You’ve lost twelve times. This is the last round.
If I lose once, it’s over.
But what about you? What price did you pay for all of this?
Did you think I would like this? You silently paying a price for me? No. I don’t like it at all.
【Ding, Xie He’s Favourability Value -50. The current Favourability Value is 20.】
……………………………
Lu Ting walked far, far away. He wandered around aimlessly. This world felt so real. The breeze, the falling leaves, the ground beneath his feet—everything was so real….Back then, when he had come here, it hadn’t felt this real. He had thought that everything was just an insignificant game. A game he didn’t have to take seriously.
He had approached that boy with an ulterior motive. He had cared for him, indulged him, given him everything he had wanted, made him slowly open up his heart and caused him to slowly fall in love with himself…but he hadn’t been able to stay in that boy’s world.
When he had known he would have to leave soon, he had regretted it all. He had been conflicted and in pain. He had realized that he had really fallen in love.
If he had to watch the person he loved die a lonely and painful death, he would rather his beloved hated him and forgot about him….He would rather endure everything on his own.
Therefore, he had made a selfish choice before leaving.
Back then, he hadn’t been very strong. He hadn’t known whether they would have a chance to meet again once he left. He had wished that Xie He would forget about him, but he had also wished that Xie He wouldn’t.
He had completed all those missions with no regard for his own life because he had wanted to gather enough power as quickly as possible….He had wanted to do everything he could to come back just a bit sooner.
Regardless of whether Xie He had forgotten him or fallen in love with someone else…all these possibilities were like a sharp blade suspended above his head that would fall down at any given moment. He hadn’t wanted to give up and let that happen.
He had believed that when he came back, he would definitely have enough power to help his beloved. He would not be helpless like he had been back then. He would not let himself feel that despairing sense of powerlessness again.
666 saw that Lu Ting was lost in thought. He recalled Xie He’s words and couldn’t help but try to persuade him.
【666：Boss, actually, I don’t think he’s wrong….Why don’t you give up? He already knows everything. He’s probably already guessed what you’ve done.】
【Lu Ting：This is the last world. How can I give up?】
Lu Ting’s hands clenched into fists. Anguish flitted through his eyes.
This was the last time, the last hurdle to get over. How could he give up now? How…?
He had gone through so much for this. For the sake of letting Xie He win, to become free…. How could he stop now?
【666：Excuse my frankness but your current actions are meaningless. Xie He had seen through you a long time ago. Did you think that you could help him make his decision by doing this? Did you think that you could influence him like this?】
【666：I think that the one who’s been making the decisions all along has been him. He’s always been very aware of each and every one of his choices. He also understands the consequences that come with each of his actions….You just gave him a chance to choose. Back then, he could have declined. He would have been freed at once. But he hadn’t chose that. 】
【666：Moreover, there’s something I don’t know if I should say or not. But you should stop deluding yourself, thinking that he likes you. He didn’t fall in love with any of the hundred hosts. He wasn’t moved by any of the capture targets later on either. Those worlds had been meticulously crafted traps the main system had tailored for him after completing a thorough analysis on why the hosts had failed and his personality! He’s passed all of them without a hitch. Did you think that you’d be able to influence his decisions if you were to give up your guise?】
【Lu Ting：Liu zi, that kind of hurt.】
【666：Hehe, now you think it hurts? You know, there’s something that’ll hurt you more. Did you think that Xie He had really fallen in love with you back then? Maybe he never loved you. Maybe it’s all been your wishful thinking. Maybe he hasn’t been waiting for you at all! 】
【Lu Ting：……】
666 did his best to convince his host. He didn’t care whether Xie He won or lost, whether he died or lived. He cared more about his host. He didn’t want to see him feel so conflicted or pained.
【666：You’ve already done your best. It’s up to him now.】
【Lu Ting：I just don’t want to affect his decision. I don’t want to be the reason he wavers.】
【666：If I were to describe you using human words, I’d say: you think too highly of yourself, you’re showing affection to an uninterested party, and you’re overestimating your abilities.】
【Lu Ting：…Enough.】
Lu Ting sighed quietly. His expression softened. Although there was no one in front of him, he felt like that person had always stood before him….It’s been so many years but he’s always looked at Xie He like this, as if his gaze could transcend time and space. He’d already gotten used to it.
Lu Ting said, “I understand what you’re saying, but this is the last round. I don’t want to gamble. I want him to win. I don’t want to take even the smallest of risks.”
【666：Hehe, but he doesn’t seem to care about you at all. He’s handled everything with ease so far. He’s known your intentions from the start and yet, he had treated you like that with no hesitation….Excuse my frankness, but I honestly think he doesn’t like you.】
【Lu Ting：I was in the wrong back then. It’s only to be expected that he’s angry. He must have been extremely upset.】
【Lu Ting：And, even if I hadn’t wanted to hurt him, it is a fact that I did hurt him in all those worlds….I can understand if he hates me or wants revenge. I too cannot forgive myself.】
【666：He has the system’s protection. He wasn’t really hurt. Furthermore, he was the one who chose to take this arduous path. He has to go through with it no matter how hard it gets. He’s a really strong person. He doesn’t need your careful protection. You can give up.】
His host used to be really weak, ah. Everyone starts off like that and slowly gets stronger. Back then, 666 had looked forward to becoming strong so that he could lessen his host’s pain. But after he had become strong, after he had become a level 12 system, he realized he couldn’t lessen Lu Ting’s pain at all. This was because Lu Ting’s burden had been accumulating all this time. Now, even with a level 12 system and a SSS-ranked bloodline, he could not suppress it any longer….
Love wasn’t everything….666 didn’t understand why his formidable host had been so insistent on coming back—why he had to do it for the sake of someone who didn’t love him.
Was love worth more than one’s own life? Did love triumph over everything else?
666 thought that love was the number one thing from which humans were incapable of freeing themselves. He thought it was the most useless and ridiculous thing in the world. Lu Ting had lost so much for the sake of love.
【Lu Ting：It’s not like that. I’ve always known he’s really strong. As long as you give him a chance, he will perform better than anyone else can. He’s as strong as I am…maybe even stronger….But there’s a sequence of steps to be followed. I can endure this because I’ve already gotten used to it, so it doesn’t matter. Meanwhile, he’s lived his whole life in a peaceful E-ranked world. He had never experienced those cruel things. It must have been painful for him. When I recalled what he had done in those worlds, how callous he had been to himself….He was a person who had lived in a peaceful world but he had been able to treat himself so ruthlessly….He had bore it all without blinking. No matter what happened, he didn’t show any pain or sadness….Thinking about it hurts me.】
【Lu Ting：When I wasn’t here, I could only learn about his situation through the complaints and prejudiced rumours of those hosts. They all said he was bad, that he was coldhearted, sinister and cunning. But he hadn’t been like that when I had met him. What had he gone through…to undergo such a change?】
【Lu Ting：When I think of these things, I can’t help but blame myself. It’s all because I couldn’t stay with him and protect him.】
He hadn’t wanted to leave, but he had had no choice.
【666 still didn’t want to give up：But he doesn’t care about you. He doesn’t care about any of that either. He’s always acted so carefree and cheerful. He’s had so many boyfriends and his mission completion rate is really high. The only one who’s suffered through pain and loneliness has been you. 】
【Lu Ting：He does care…but even if he didn’t, I do.】
【666：……】F*ck, what an idiot. Xie He’s more honest than you are. Just keep pretending, ba. Even if you die one day, it’ll be your own fault.
The author has something to say:
President Xie’s character settings will not fall apart~ He’s a very masculine man, but he does have a soft side to him. He yearns for love, but love isn’t everything to him~~ Right now, he’s about to become human—he’s not an omnipotent god! This author will follow what she’s written down from the start and work hard to give the darlings that have supported and understood me a satisfying ending. Muah muah thumb heart. (≧▽≦)
Not everyone will like or get every novel. Darlings, just read this novel happily. There’s no need for you to defend me. If innocents are attacked, this silly author will feel sad. Muah muah.
Thank you to all my darlings for your support. (*￣3￣)╭
Eve: They both have their own plans and they’re both really stubborn about it. I agree with XH in that I would hate for someone to give up so much for me. I wouldn’t want it. I don’t need it. I would only hurt for them. But my heart aches for LT because he loves XH so much. Everything he does is out of love. He’s just very clumsy. I really, really love the dynamic. I do think LT’s character really complements XH’s well.
sere: a rather thought provoking chapter. I think this chapter fills in a few of the plot holes from the stories before… and also makes me sad for LT. 🙁 But we will reach a happier ending soon. 🙂 Also yeah XH’s too smart… so he needs a big doggy LT to suit him.