He Botian was reborn.
The matter was just that incredible.
It was as if one second he was still in the folded zone, pierced through the chest by countless tree vines, his mental body torn apart and devoured. Amidst the excruciating pain, surging blood gushed from his mouth, clogging his throat, so much so that he didn’t even have time to say “I love you” to Xin Hexue.
Then he opened his eyes again, and he was back in the dormitory of the Joint Military Academy.
He Botian stared blankly at the ceiling. If the memories of his past life weren’t so vivid, and the impact of pain and unwillingness hadn’t yet receded, he would have simply thought it was just a nightmare.
He touched his chest. It was intact. He checked his mental body again; it was healthy, hibernating in the snowfield.
He was back.
He Botian threw off his bedcovers and scrambled toward the calendar hanging on the wall.
He was burning up, his back drenched in sweat, the T-shirt he wore as pajamas sticking to his skin. He wiped the damp hair from his forehead and finally made out the year on the calendar.
With a “bang,” He Botian punched the wall.
It was only 2049 now…
There was still time, everything was still in time!
Thinking of the way Xin Hexue had looked at him in the dream before he died, those eyes that could break his heart, He Botian felt as if a knife were being twisted in his heart.
In this life, he would absolutely not leave Xin Hexue behind. He wanted to grow old together with Xin Hexue!
For a moment, He Botian wanted to rush to Xin Hexue’s room, hug and kiss him fiercely, and tell him that he was still alive, that this time his husband absolutely would not die!
But the semester had just started, and Xin Hexue was still not familiar with him. He had to pursue Xin Hexue properly, just like in the previous life.
Just as He Botian was about to list out the steps, one, two, three, of his tutorial for pursuing Xin Hexue, he suddenly remembered something and his body went rigid.
Yesterday…
What had Wei Zhuo said to him again?
*
“Ah Xue.”
“Ah Xue.”
“Ah Xue, I love you so much.”
“Look at me…”
“Why? Why do you treat me like this?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
Xin Hexue was trapped in a kiss. His vision seemed to be covered by a layer of coarse linen gauze; he couldn’t see anything clearly. A blank fog stretched between him and the other person.
Who was it?
The other person’s voice was hoarse and low, overlapping. Whenever Xin Hexue grasped a clue in the timbre, the voice would slither into his ear canal like a cold silver ear pick, smoothing away his memories like erasing marks on a sand dune.
The boundless, empty mist sapped the strength from his body, leaving him no choice but to hang onto the other person, surrendering to this seemingly endless kiss.
A pair of hands cupped his face, so he could feel the other’s skin. They were like damp little animals nestled together, exchanging warm breaths face to face, the air humid.
“Ah Xue, I love you so much.”
That person whispered between breaths, slowly confessing their feelings to him.
Xin Hexue’s wet, red lips and tongue were parted, his eyes focused emptily on a point in the air. His hand reached up, groping over the other party’s face, tracing the lines bit by bit. “You…”
“Who are you?” he asked.
In the next instant, he was shocked to realize that the skin beneath his hand was rapidly losing temperature. Alarm bells rang in Xin Hexue’s heart, as if something he couldn’t grasp was vanishing at the speed of light. “Who is it? Who exactly are you?”
At the same time, a large amount of liquid splashed onto his face. Viscous, warm, dripping…
His hands were covered in hot, fishy wetness. The white fog before his eyes finally filtered out enough to become a blinding blood-red.
—Don’t die.
—Don’t die!
—Who exactly are you?!
“Who?”
Xin Hexue violently broke free from the dreamscape. His forehead was wet with sweat, dampening his hair. His eyes were lost and revealed an unbearable fragility.
This was the Xin Hexue reflected in He Botian’s eyes.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
He knelt beside the bed and reached forward to hold Xin Hexue’s icy cold hand.
Xin Hexue hadn’t fully regained his senses, as if still entangled by that absurd dreamscape. His pale face slowly turned toward He Botian, his eyes gradually focusing on him, murmuring from his lips: “Who are you?”
‘It’s me!’
‘Baby, it’s your husband!’
He Botian’s eyes burned, his heart crying out passionately.
Yet he couldn’t say anything. The Xin Hexue before him was only seventeen, having never experienced anything with him. There was no solid emotional foundation between them. If he spoke those things, it would only be taken as raving nonsense, and might even become court evidence in a White Tower lawsuit against him for sexually harassing a Guide.
Therefore, He Botian could only look at Xin Hexue with earnest and affectionate eyes.
Xin Hexue finally seemed to recover his senses and recognized the face before him, recalling his name with an uncertain tone. “He… Botian?”
‘Yes, yes!’
‘That’s right, that’s your husband’s name!’
He Botian nodded repeatedly.
Xin Hexue’s gaze shifted outward. He hadn’t locked the door last night, so it wasn’t hard to explain why this sentinel was in his room.
“My boyfriend…” His face still carried a pale, fragile look that made her seem pitiable, though her eyes and brows remained vivid. “Where is Wei Zhuo?”
‘No, no, no!’
‘It’s He Botian!’
But then, the voice He Botian least wanted to hear came from the doorway: “What’s wrong?”
Xin Hexue looked up, his eyes radiating with the same brilliance he once had when looking at him.
Wei Zhuo had a sweat towel draped over his shoulder. He had clearly just returned from his morning run. As he quickly walked over, he brought with him the scent of autumn from outside. He squeezed past He Botian, seemingly oblivious to his presence, and asked with unconcerned intimacy, “You don’t look well. What happened?”
“Nothing, I just had a nightmare.” Xin Hexue lowered his head, his snow-white neck faintly visible among his black hair. He seemed to want to say something to Wei Zhuo, the slightly reddened corners of his eyes lifting. But when his gaze swept past He Botian’s position, considering there was someone else present, he stopped himself in time.
He Botian’s heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. He didn’t remember how he explained that he had heard Xin Hexue’s cries during the nightmare and entered the room. Then, like a complete outsider, he exited.
When he came back to his senses, he was already standing in a daze outside the room door.
Light leaked from the crack in the door, which had been left open.
The previously resolute and measured Guide now wrapped his arms around the Sentinel’s neck. Even from just a side view, He Botian could almost see the vivid, lively emotions leaping out from his body.
“I had that dream again.”
“Is it the same as before?”
“Mm…”
“Wei Zhuo, I’m so scared.”
“It’s nothing. Dreams are all fake.”
The two young people, perfectly in tune with each other, embraced. They clung so tightly, as if they were embedded and growing into one another.
Their words gradually became hazy and distant. He Botian’s soul drifted away too, leaving behind a man frozen in place, screaming with all his might in a twisted posture reminiscent of a world-famous painting.
‘No!’
‘Why was Wei Zhuo wearing his own clothes, in his wife’s bedroom, holding his wife?!’
*
“I could hear him calling me constantly, calling me without stopping.”
Xin Hexue’s face was as pale as paper. His thin eyelids fluttered, and even his long lashes trembled, fluttering like moth wings in Wei Zhuo’s palms.
Wei Zhuo cupped his face and asked seriously, “Can you identify whose voice it is?”
Xin Hexue shook his head. “I don’t know. I can’t remember. As soon as I wake up from the dream, I just…”
His expression became lost, his brows furrowing together. “Forget.”
Wei Zhuo soothed him. “It’s okay. It means it’s nothing important. It’s just a dream, alright?”
Xin Hexue raised his gaze. After meeting Wei Zhuo’s eyes, he nodded slowly.
His posture was one of complete trust in the Sentinel before him.
After a while, they both became aware of their ambiguous position. Wei Zhuo released his hands, and Xin Hexue also turned his head away. The atmosphere from just a moment ago vanished, the moment closing abruptly.
“Sorry.”
“Sorry.”
The two said in unison.
Xin Hexue felt a bit embarrassed. “I was the one who crossed the line first today. You don’t need to apologize.”
The Sentinel’s stern face showed a hint of a smile. “Because I already booked an apology in advance yesterday?”
Because of that pre-marital agreement about physical contact without prior permission, they had been apologizing repeatedly these days. It seemed somewhat comical.
Xin Hexue lowered his head and hesitantly suggested, “Why don’t… we both forget this agreement? What do you think?”
He looked up and met the Sentinel’s deep, contemplating gaze. He called out in confusion, “Wei Zhuo?”
A huge surprise was stuck in his throat. He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Wei Zhuo quickly leaned down to look into Xin Hexue’s eyes, his dark pupils reflecting Xin Hexue’s image. “Alright.”
“However, sometimes it might be necessary to keep it.” The Sentinel’s overwhelming aura pressed toward the Guide. Xin Hexue met Wei Zhuo’s gaze and saw his eyelids droop slightly, the focal point of his eyes slowly shifting downward, as if a red-hot fire was lit in their depths. The low, hoarse voice whispered next to Xin Hexue’s ear: “For instance, next, I might, perhaps, probably need permission…to kiss you?”
His trembling lashes fluttered rapidly. Finally, Xin Hexue closed his eyes, a silent affirmation and invitation.
The living room echoed with the sound of a door slamming hard enough to shake the house. It seemed someone had stormed out, slamming the door behind them. Xin Hexue jolted, his shoulders shaking from the noise, but in the next second, Wei Zhuo grasped his shoulders with both hands. The first kiss was imprinted, burning hot and fervent.
*
This world was not right.
He Botian stared at the front row of the lecture hall. The whites of his eyes were covered in red veins, his appearance haggard.
“Didn’t sleep well?” Alexander from the next dorm put down his textbook and sat down beside He Botian. He glanced at He Botian, then followed his line of sight forward. Sitting in the corner three rows ahead were exactly Wei Zhuo and Xin Hexue. “It’s normal not to sleep well. Living in a dorm with a couple isn’t that easy, right?”
Alexander shrugged and heard He Botian enunciate each word: “They. Are not. A couple.”
Alexander suddenly understood. “Oh right, they’re a married couple.”
He Botian whipped his head around.
“Uh… are you okay?” Alexander cautiously studied He Botian’s expression. “Although living under the same roof every day with a winner in life like Wei Zhuo can indeed easily make one jealous and unbalanced, just keep a level head, okay?”
He Botian’s eyes were about to split.
‘What if Xin Hexue was your wife?!! Could you say those words then?!’
‘Oh no, no way. Xin Hexue can only be my wife.’
He Botian turned his head back and focused intently on the back of Xin Hexue’s head.
Alexander finally started his words of consolation, “What I mean is, based on various criteria, you aren’t bad either. With your qualifications, you could also be matched with a decent Guide. Although, of course, there won’t be one as outstanding as Xin Hexue.”
“Can you please shut your mouth?” He Botian said coldly.
Alexander shrugged, zipping his lips.
‘Matching?’
He didn’t want to match with any Guide other than Xin Hexue at all.
He Botian frowned. But Alexander’s words inspired him. If a sentinel and guide wanted to bond as partners, they inevitably had to apply to both the White Tower and Black Tower for a compatibility test. Even single Guides who never actively applied for compatibility tests would “coincidentally” encounter sentinels with high compatibility. This couldn’t happen without the push from the Black and White Towers behind the scenes.
He Botian couldn’t remember exactly how many sentinels with suitable compatibility the White Tower had sent to Xin Hexue’s side before he and Xin Hexue confirmed their relationship.
The White Tower was practically like the ancient eunuch, endlessly presenting plaques before Emperor Xin Hexue.
Recalling the White Tower’s actions back then, He Botian’s face turned green.
And now, look. Wei Zhuo had gotten engaged to Xin Hexue just like that, so easily?
Without rivals A, B, C, D, E, F, G…?
Why!
And Xin Hexue originally loved me!
Perhaps He Botian’s gaze on Xin Hexue was too scorching, or thoughts were transmitted telepathically. Xin Hexue seemed to sense something and turned his head to look over.
The morning light was just right. Outside the window, leaves rustled, golden waves rippling. Because of this, He Botian was able to see Xin Hexue’s eyelashes catch the sunlight, and those slightly shining eyes, eyes he could never forget, looked at him.
Xin Hexue smiled at him.
He Botian raised his hand, enchanted and captivated. “Hi.”
A voice came from the very front of the lecture hall. The old professor cleared his throat. “Alright, classmate He Botian, you answer this question.”
He Botian: “…”
*
He didn’t learn anything in that class. But the moment he sat down after answering the question, he figured something out.
Xin Hexue was engaged. That meant the White Tower wouldn’t arrange any more random sentinels around him.
In other words, in this life, his love rivals had been streamlined from A, B, C, D, E, F, G down to just one…his good brother Wei Zhuo.
Looking at it from another angle, this was also a good thing.
Under the conditions of the previous life, he had still managed to pursue Xin Hexue. Could it be that with a do-over, he couldn’t do it again?
It was just that this time, there were some moral issues involved.
If I said I like someone else’s wife, you might think I’m despicable.
But if I said my beloved became someone else’s wife, wouldn’t that make me seem pitiful?
He Botian smiled.
He walked into the flow of people in the cafeteria, carrying his tray and accurately finding a spot.
He sat down and met those gentle eyes that had haunted his dreams in both past and present lives. “Is this seat taken? You don’t mind if I sit here, do you?”
A trace of confusion flickered in Xin Hexue’s eyes. He also understood that finding a suitable spot in the cafeteria at this hour was difficult. “Of course, you can join us.”
“Us?” He Botian looked at the empty seat.
The next second, Xin Hexue raised his hand and waved. “Wei Zhuo, over here.”
‘Damn it, why do you smile so beautifully at someone else? I can’t go on living!’
He Botian took a deep breath.
Two trays appeared on the table. Wei Zhuo pushed the one with sweet and sour ribs towards Xin Hexue and sat down on Xin Hexue’s right side. He reached out and wrapped his arm around the shoulder of the person beside him, then looked at He Botian across the table and said flatly, “What a coincidence.”
