Did the original owner and Lin Xuan have feelings for each other? It is undeniable that they did have feelings for each other. If it weren’t for the sudden apocalypse, the original owner and Lin Xuan might have gone through some ups and downs, but in the end, they would have lived a happy life together.
However, there is no such thing as “if” in the world. The apocalypse arrived as expected, and the existing conflicts between the original owner and Lin Xuan were magnified until they reached an irreconcilable point. Of course, if the original owner had truly wanted to salvage the situation, it wouldn’t have been impossible. Things hadn’t yet reached a point of no return, and even if they had, Li Shu would have found a way.
But the original owner had no intention of trying to fix things, and since that was the case, Li Shu wasn’t going to meddle. Now that he had taken the place of the original owner, his priority was to fulfill the original owner’s wishes while completing the mission in this world. As for Lin Xuan, he could stay wherever he wanted.
Li Shu returned to his room, and locked out Lin Xuan, who had followed closely behind. This world was too dangerous, and regardless of the circumstances, having the power to protect oneself was essential. The original owner had always stayed with Lin Xuan because he wasn’t an Evolver and couldn’t act independently.
Lin Xuan didn’t know why Li Shu’s attitude had changed so drastically today. He still had feelings for him and hadn’t yet fully fallen for Tan Chu. Now, he realized his faults and wanted to take the opportunity to have a proper conversation with Li Shu, but he was locked out.
He had no idea that his lover’s soul had been replaced. The soul that once loved him was already disappointed, and although they hadn’t become strangers, the damage had been done, and fixing it wouldn’t be easy.
I only get hurt when I’m soft-hearted, but once I’ve armed myself, no matter how sharp your sword, it cannot pierce my armor.
Being hurt by you again and again? It’s only because I liked you.
When that affection is withdrawn, what right do you have to boss me around? In this world, everyone is equal. Once you’re no longer my weakness, how could you possibly hurt me?
Lin Xuan stood at the door. Normally, he would’ve stormed off in anger by now. After all, as the top person in the team, he was no longer the poor boy who once had nothing. He now had the status to stand on equal footing with Li Shu. No, compared to Li Shu, who was still an ordinary person, he now stood even higher.
He looked at the tightly closed door with mixed feelings. He had a feeling that this door was like Li Shu’s heart, and from now on, he would be shut out forever.
He couldn’t accept this outcome. He was the one who pursued Li Shu in the first place. The first time he saw Li Shu, he felt like he was a prince who had stepped out of a fairy tale—noble and beautiful. With just one glance, he was captivated.
At that time, he didn’t think much. Just being able to look at Li Shu a little longer made him content. When they first got together, he was so happy, as if he had won the grand prize in life. He immediately vowed in his heart to treat his prince well for the rest of his life. But when did things change?
It started when he gained power. He became unsatisfied, and Tan Chu’s appearance gave that dissatisfaction an outlet. He thought: Yes, now Li Shu had to rely on him. Not just Li Shu, but everyone in the team had to depend on him. Seeing these people, he began to think of how insignificant he was in front of the Li family in the past.
The balance in his heart began to tilt. The world had changed. He no longer needed to rely on the Li family; now, he could support his own world. On the contrary, it was now Li Shu who had to rely on him. The feeling of having power in his hands was intoxicating. He began to indulge himself, enjoying the team’s flattery, and Tan Chu’s almost worshipful love.
He felt he deserved it all. He was almost lost in this wonderful feeling, but today, Li Shu’s actions were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. He felt a chill down to his bones and found his lost self again.
What was he doing? Was he really so complacent just because he had gained some power? Was he so immersed in the atmosphere others had created that he actually believed he was all that great? And as for Li Shu, what was he doing? The promise he had made in his heart back then—where had he thrown it? Now, what had he done to Li Shu? He had watched others bully him, even with his silent consent!
He turned the doorknob, but the door was locked from the inside. Lin Xuan thought dejectedly, “I must have really broken Li Shu’s heart this time. No matter how angry he used to get, he would never lock me out. But now, he slammed the door in front of everyone. He must be really mad.”
It was all his fault. He had hurt the person he loved the most.
He knocked on the door, wanting to explain things to Li Shu, to repair their relationship, to make up for his mistakes. He would bear the consequences of what he had done, as long as Li Shu gave him a chance.
Everyone else left. None of them had the courage to mock Lin Xuan, and they all returned to their resting places. The only ones left were Lin Xuan, Su Han, and Tan Chu.
Su Han stayed on purpose. He had disliked Lin Xuan for a long time. Back in the capital, Lin Xuan pretended to be upright, but now, look, his true nature had been exposed. Su Han hoped that this incident would cause Li Shu to break up with Lin Xuan.
“Lin Xuan, what are you trying to prove by acting like this now?” Su Han sneered after watching the drama for a while.
Lin Xuan was deeply troubled and wasn’t in the mood to be polite to anyone who wasn’t Li Shu. “Su Han, this is between Xiao Shu and me. Stay out of it.”
“I have no intention of interfering,” Su Han replied, though he obviously wasn’t telling the truth. “I just find you ridiculous. When you hurt Xiao Shu, you didn’t hesitate for a second. So why all this pretense now?”
“Su Han!” Su Han’s words hit Lin Xuan’s sore spot. He couldn’t understand why he had been so bewitched back then and let Tan Chu do those things. He blamed himself now. How could he have been so weak to temptation? Wasn’t Li Shu enough? How could Tan Chu compare to Li Shu?
“Brother Su Han, Brother Lin Xuan is already very upset. Please stop saying these things.” Seeing everything unfold in the worst way possible, Tan Chu panicked. If Lin Xuan and Li Shu reconciled, what would happen to him? Without Lin Xuan, how could he survive in the team?
No, he couldn’t let them make up. Lin Xuan belonged to him! Li Shu! It was all Li Shu’s fault. Why did he have to act up now, of all times?!
“Don’t. I don’t have a brother like you.” Su Han showed no kindness toward Tan Chu. “Who knows what you’ll say about me behind my back after calling me brother?”
“I…” Tan Chu’s face turned pale. He hadn’t expected Su Han to be so blunt. “I know you and Brother Li Shu look down on me, but you don’t have to… say it like that…”
“I do look down on you. Since you decided to seduce your savior’s boyfriend, don’t expect me to respect you.” Now that the relationship had been torn apart, Su Han had no intention of holding back. If it weren’t for Li Shu, he wouldn’t have even bothered to give this person a good look.
“Su Han, shut up.” Each word felt like a knife to Lin Xuan’s heart. He closed his eyes and cut off their conversation.
“If you’re going to do something, why be afraid of people talking about it? After this, Xiao Shu should see you clearly. I hope he can soon escape his misery. A person like you deserves to be with that little white lotus. Just leave Xiao Shu out of it.” Su Han crossed his arms, his eyes full of provocation.
“Don’t even think about it, Su Han. Don’t think that just because you’re Xiao Shu’s friend, I won’t touch you. And don’t you dare try to sabotage my relationship with Xiao Shu. I’ll handle everything. Don’t let me find out you’re up to something!” Lin Xuan clenched his fists. He wasn’t going to break up with Li Shu, no matter what anyone tried to do.
Hearing Lin Xuan’s words, Tan Chu’s face turned even paler. He hadn’t expected that all his efforts would only end up becoming someone’s wedding dress. Seeing Lin Xuan’s expression, it was clear that he was deeply in love with Li Shu. How could he accept this? Why, why, why?!
No, he wouldn’t let this happen. He had to find a way to win Lin Xuan back. This man could only belong to him! Once he had Lin Xuan, he would make Li Shu suffer, to repay him for the humiliation he was enduring now.
Li Shu was fully aware of what was happening outside his door. After completing the punishment world’s mission, 1314 was upgraded by one level. With the upgrade, his authority was even greater. It could broadcast events happening just a wall away. After returning to his room, Li Shu changed his clothes and lay on the bed, watching everything unfold outside.
[Host, why is Lin Xuan’s behavior completely different from the original plot?] 1314 was puzzled. In the original plot, the original owner’s endless tolerance only led to the little white lotus pushing harder, with Lin Xuan standing behind the little white lotus the entire time. But now, after the host’s outburst, Lin Xuan seemed to be planning to break things off with the little white lotus and get back together with the host.
[Most men become spoiled when they’re indulged. If the original owner had been tough from the start, the little white lotus wouldn’t have had a chance.] Li Shu looked at that regretful face and spoke with a light tone.
For some reason, 1314 shivered. Its strong survival instinct made it quickly change the subject. [When does the host plan to meet the male protagonist?]
[No rush. The male protagonist has just been betrayed by someone he trusted, so he’s on high alert. We can’t be too deliberate. Following the original plot is the best way.]
In the original plot, the male protagonist was betrayed. During a battle with the infected, a friend stabbed him in the back, leading to a second infection. The person who betrayed the male protagonist had even bigger ambitions. He wanted to step on the male protagonist to get to the top and take over all the power in his hands. He teamed up with the male protagonist’s enemies and sent him to the laboratory.
The original owner encountered the escaped male protagonist while on a mission with the team and helped him escape from a pursuit. The first thing Li Shu needed to do was help the male protagonist escape this pursuit.
After this pursuit, the male protagonist would undergo a second awakening, becoming even stronger than before. By then, he would already know he had been betrayed by his best friend. While strengthening himself, he would start recruiting followers, eventually returning to the capital to take revenge. At the same time, he would take control of the entire capital, merge it with surrounding cities, and establish Area A—the largest safe base in the apocalypse.
Six months later, using Area A as a base, the male protagonist began to annex other safe bases, ushering in a new era in the apocalypse.
Li Shu chose to stay here temporarily just for the opportunity to meet the male protagonist two days later.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and Li Shu received the same mission as in the original plot. However, this time, Lin Xuan, who usually didn’t care about mission assignments, spoke up for the first time: “I don’t agree. Xiao Shu’s injury hasn’t healed yet, he should stay behind.”
