Chapter 50

Chapter 49 Hotel 2

The lights in the hotel bedroom were bright and glaring.

Standing under such light, leaning against the doorframe, Shi Zong stared at He Zhen, and He Zhen realized that all his thoughts might soon be completely exposed.

It was only five minutes ago that he had realized how sudden his actions today had been.

This body of his had only walked the world for 18 years, and he had been slowly recalling his past identity bit by bit through dreams.

Sometimes he would think of himself as that arrogant and dignified Emperor Song, unconsciously resembling his past self in every gesture.

But other times he felt that was someone else entirely; after all, his past life was too far away from him.

Moreover, regarding Ming Yue, or rather, the Shi Zong he had become, He Zhen always carried some uncertainty in his heart.

In his chaotic dreams, he could feel that he had unusual feelings toward Ming Yue, yet at the same time, he could sense Ming Yue hated him, even to the point of never ceasing to want to kill him.

In the dreams, the two of them were mostly at each other’s throats.

One was a sinner, the other the punisher of sin.

No matter how he thought about it, they could never come together.

Under this understanding, last night’s dream had been extremely shocking to him.

Especially when the Ming Yue from the dream became the real Shi Zong, and the two of them had so many chances to be together, to the point where his eyes found it increasingly hard to look away from Shi Zong.

That dream made him realize for the first time that he and Ming Yue—or rather, the former Shi Zong—had indeed had some kind of relationship.

He had never imagined they had been that close.

Even if it had been just physically, it still felt significant.

The overwhelming cognitive shock, the chaotic memories, the enchanting dreams, the unbelievably tangible body… all of it caused this 18-year-old He Zhen, still inexperienced in handling such things, to lose part of his reason.

So when he heard Zuo Sanqiu mention that he had gone on a date and drunk, and realized how capricious and reckless Ming Yue could be, he had come over without thinking.

When the delivery person in the corridor looked at him with suspicion, cautiously handing over a bag of various potatoes, He Zhen finally calmed down.

He realized that his actions had been offensive to Shi Zong.

And everything he had done tonight must have seemed utterly inexplicable in Shi Zong’s eyes.

He felt a bit frustrated and agitated, and upon seeing a bottle of alcohol, he intended to use it to calm himself completely.

Unexpectedly, after drinking the bottle, he felt a fire ignite in his chest and lower abdomen, especially after meeting Shi Zong’s gaze.

Shi Zong silently leaned against the doorway, sizing He Zhen up.

The boy’s composure was indeed decent. Even after taking such a large dose of medicine, although his face had flushed under its effect, and there had been a brief moment of confusion, he quickly returned to that cool, aloof, and haughty demeanor, his facial features stiffening.

Only, his turning away still seemed somewhat deliberate, as if he were intentionally hiding something.

Shi Zong glanced down, without exposing him, and said faintly, “I’m leaving. Do as you please. Want me to call a car to take you to the hospital?”

“No need,” He Zhen’s voice was very cold. “Take it slow on the way. Goodbye.”

As expected, Shi Zong left.

In the corridor, the elevator was a bit slow.

While waiting, he felt that He Zhen was acting very strangely, completely unlike his usual mature-for-his-age self.

Had he suddenly been triggered by something?

Reviewing He Zhen’s odd behavior over this period, Shi Zong realized that perhaps the situation wasn’t entirely as Zuo Sanqiu had described.

He Zhen’s contradictory behavior before and after acting might not have been to attract his attention. Rather, like him, He Zhen only slowly recalled some past events after participating in the game.

So, assuming past and present lives truly exist, assuming those dreams of his were not without trace, then based on various signs, it could be inferred that the He Zhen who was really shot by an arrow from a certain predetermined direction at the final moment of the labyrinth… might really have been Emperor Song.

Lately, He Zhen had been unusually kind to him.

He had deliberately tested him a few times, and his reactions were somewhat ambiguous.

Moreover, today, thinking he was coming to “book a room” with someone else, he immediately chased over and showed that expression…

Shi Zong couldn’t help but feel that He Zhen’s attitude toward him was somewhat unusual.

Shi Zong knew that many people would praise his looks, lavish him with compliments, but to him, physical attraction had always been very superficial; he never paid the slightest attention to the “liking” people spoke of.

He believed He Zhen wasn’t superficial either; he was rational, intelligent, and a bit old-fashioned.

Such an 18-year-old college student wouldn’t, based on a person’s face alone, suddenly develop feelings for someone in such a short time and recklessly do something in a dangerous instance that might be described as “attentive.”

If He Zhen truly had unusual feelings toward him, and it wasn’t because of his looks…

Eliminating personality reasons and analyzing comprehensively, it could only be because the two had some emotional entanglements in their past life.

He Zhen’s contradictory actions were because, after coming into contact with this game and becoming familiar with him, he slowly remembered his past life.

He treated him well because he remembered the old feelings between them in their past life.

Following this logic, his sudden rush over today and momentary emotional instability must mean he suddenly recalled something again.

But… what exactly had triggered him like this?

Furthermore, what exactly were the entanglements between them in his past life?

Gradually, Shi Zong’s expression grew very serious, and his gaze turned cold.

It was because he thought of the “Ming Yue” he had dreamed about.

“You must be wary of a person. He will kill you and drag you back to hell. After meeting him, there’s only one thing you can do—kill him.”

“Who is he?”

“Use your ability. You’ll feel it.”

This was a conversation he had with Ming Yue in a “dream.”

If he truly were a heinous villain, Emperor Song would be the one to punish him.

If He Zhen were Emperor Song, would he be the one wanting to kill him and drag him back to hell?

Thinking this, Shi Zong turned back toward the room.

He Zhen’s emotions were unstable today, and after drinking so much, his consciousness was hazy, his spirit weak—Shi Zong took the opportunity to pry, to see if the He Zhen in his memories differed from his own understanding.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, it probably wouldn’t be so easy to hear the truth from He Zhen.

Most importantly, Shi Zong wanted to know if he harbored murderous intent toward him.

—Why would a formidable Yan Wang come to the human world?

Was it to take him back to hell?

When he pressed the doorbell, a flash of vigilance and wariness appeared in Shi Zong’s eyes.

However, He Zhen’s appearance upon opening the door was somewhat unexpected.

Probably having just taken a shower and opening the door in a hurry, He Zhen’s bathrobe was wrapped very carelessly, clearly revealing his strong, muscular body and a small section of exposed abs.

Shi Zong sized him up from head to toe, then met his gaze.

Sweat still ran down his forehead, and He Zhen’s eyes were wet, looking unexpectedly pitiful for a moment.

Shi Zong: “……”

“Why are you back?” He Zhen asked him.

Shi Zong brushed past him and entered the room. “I forgot something. Thought I’d ask you a few things too.”

He walked to the sofa and sat down. Seeing He Zhen standing stiffly at the door like a soldier after closing it, Shi Zong gestured for him to come over.

He Zhen frowned slightly in response, then took only a few steps toward Shi Zong and sat on the sofa in front of the TV, as if deliberately keeping distance.

Shi Zong simply moved over to sit beside him.

He could feel He Zhen’s back stiffen immediately.

“What are you nervous about?” Shi Zong asked, smiling.

He Zhen: “……”

Shi Zong asked tentatively, “Have you dreamed about me?”

He Zhen finally raised his eyes to look at him. “You—”

“Can you give me your hand?”

Although he asked, Shi Zong had already reached out and grabbed He Zhen’s wrist.

Previously, the knight’s emblem only activated passively.

Now Shi Zong was practicing actively triggering it to sense the danger of things around him.

He discovered that many times, upon touching an object, he could see some highly predictive images.

While activating the emblem in his palm, Shi Zong asked He Zhen, “What do you dream about us doing together?”

Are there dreams where you punish me?

Are there dreams of our past battles, life-and-death struggles?

—He Zhen, do you have murderous intent toward me?

Shi Zong activated the emblem and, through suggestive questioning, tried to trace any hint of killing intent from He Zhen, or from Emperor Song, toward himself.

When he detected nothing, Shi Zong turned to hold He Zhen’s palm instead.

He still couldn’t fully master the emblem’s use and had to feel his way through it.

This time, at last, an image appeared before him.

Shi Zong held He Zhen’s hand gently, his eyes full of smile.

But only he knew how much caution and vigilance lay behind it.

Shi Zong focused, watching the image warily.

Yet what he saw was—

He Zhen pressing him down onto the sofa by his head, pulling at his clothes.

Shi Zong: “………………”

After a brief moment of surprise, Shi Zong felt a bit amused.

At the same time, he also felt something strange.

Previously, even just seeing Alex reach out a hand in the predictive images made him feel nauseous. But this time, he didn’t feel any discomfort.

Shi Zong thought that perhaps in his past life, he really had something with the one called Emperor Song.

But that was already in the past.

He had no intention of rekindling any past ties with this 18-year-old boy in this life.

He only wanted to know whether He Zhen had murderous intent toward him.

“What exactly do you want to ask?”

He Zhen reversed and grabbed Shi Zong’s wrist, then drew a few breaths while staring into his eyes, and released his hand. “If it’s just these inexplicable questions, I’ll take you downstairs and help you call a car back to the Labyrinth Inn.”

Shi Zong teased him, “And if I don’t go back?”

“Then where do you want to go?”

He Zhen frowned, trying his best to resist treating Shi Zong in a questioning manner.

But he didn’t know how long he could hold out; the alcohol and some unknown ingredient were truly making his brain feel oxygen-starved.

He guessed Shi Zong wouldn’t know that right now, as he stared at him, his mind full of last night’s enchanting, intimate dream.

“You drank all my alcohol. Of course I have to find someone to get more.”

“That wasn’t your own purchase? Who gave it to you? Do you know what they added… Who was it? I’ll go with you to the police immediately.”

Shi Zong glanced at him, speaking lightly: “Don’t remember. Lots of people bought me drinks. How can I keep track?”

He Zhen’s Adam’s apple moved violently; it seemed he wanted to say something, but he forced himself to hold back.

Then he reached out his hand, withdrew it, and after a while extended it again, first lightly placing it on the back of Shi Zong’s head, then, as if unable to resist mimicking that dream, pressed harder, fingers threading through Shi Zong’s hair, holding the back of his head.

Shi Zong’s hair was tugged unexpectedly, causing him to frown in pain.

Suppressing his irritation, he pushed He Zhen’s hand away, locked eyes with him, and gently guided him: “Tell me, what did you dream about me? Every dream—you can tell me everything.”

He Zhen’s voice had already become hoarse and rough.

Like Yu Qin in the dream, he raised a hand and held Shi Zong’s chin, asking: “Are you sure you really want to hear it? Why do you care so much about this… is it because…”

His Adam’s apple moved up and down several times; He Zhen asked, “Did you also dream of the same scene? What exactly were we in the past…”

It seemed the question had to be asked.

Shi Zong pursed his lips and asked, “Maybe. So tell me, what did you dream about me?”

He Zhen’s gaze at him became burning yet slightly distant. “I dreamed… I slept with you.”

The last few words were whispered into Shi Zong’s ear, with teeth gently biting.

After a brief moment of shock, hearing He Zhen’s breath grow heavier by his ear, Shi Zong lifted his collar and pressed him back against the sofa, continuing to ask: “Apart from that? Anything else? Any other dreams? Recall them for me now.”

His left hand grasped He Zhen’s again. Shi Zong stared unblinking, trying to catch even a trace of killing intent toward himself from He Zhen’s memories.

But in the next moment, he saw He Zhen staring deeply at him, shaking his head. “Nothing else.”

“Nothing else?” Shi Zong asked.

“I didn’t dream of anything else last night.”

He Zhen placed both hands on Shi Zong’s head, and then one hand unconsciously began twirling his hair.

He asked Shi Zong, “So what you dreamt… was it the same as mine?”

“If it’s the same, does that mean… it wasn’t a dream, but something that really happened in our past life?”

Shi Zong only said, “Then I dreamed a little more than you. Think carefully. Not just last night. Other times—”

He had probably already pushed He Zhen to his limit.

No matter how strong his self-control, He Zhen had drunk an entire bottle of spiked alcohol, far beyond what a person should consume.

He had been trying as much as possible to keep his distance from Shi Zong.

But Shi Zong seemed deliberately trying to make him do something.

The alcohol and the drug effect left He Zhen temporarily unable to think about Shi Zong’s motives.

Seeing Shi Zong’s face so close, feeling his breath warming the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, He Zhen could no longer restrain himself. He grabbed Shi Zong by the waist and pressed him down onto the sofa.

“Be a good boy and go home. Don’t go drinking with anyone else.”

“I just want to know what you dream about when—”

“I didn’t dream of anything else.”

He Zhen cut him off, his gaze dropping to Shi Zong’s lips.

The dream in his mind refused to leave, and he spoke: “Do you really have to ask?”

Shi Zong’s words were concise. “Of course.”

—This concerned his very life and safety.

He Zhen’s movement forward caused droplets of water from his bangs to fall into Shi Zong’s eyes.

Shi Zong’s vision blurred; he blinked several times instinctively, then felt his lower lip pressed by He Zhen’s thumb.

The next moment, He Zhen whispered in his ear, “In the dream, I… took you many times…”

Shi Zong couldn’t make out He Zhen’s expression, only sensing that his gaze seemed very distant.

This made Shi Zong recall some images.

In those images, he had looked at someone from this angle too. But he couldn’t see that person’s expression either, because they were wearing a mask.

Even though their bodies had been extremely close, they had never truly seen each other.

A moment of astonishment appeared in Shi Zong’s eyes.

Then his vision gradually cleared.

This time he saw clearly—

He Zhen’s forehead pressed against his, finally no longer hiding the heat and desire in his eyes.

Then he said, “In the dream… it seemed like we did everything, but no matter how close our bodies got, you never let me kiss you once.”

Author’s note:

Just imagine, if little He Zhen directly evolved into old Yu’s form, it’s possible the two of them would have started fighting already, hhhhhh.