Crimson blood snaked down his wrist, dripping onto the floor.
Ming Yi’s face was deathly pale, but his gaze was ruthless. He increased the strength in his hand, struggling against Xie Yunxie to drive the shard of broken glass into the man’s throat.
Fortunately, Xie Yunxie had gradually recovered from the previous electric shock. He raised his other hand, seized Ming Yi’s thin, bruised wrist, and forcibly wrenched the glass away. He then pinned the restless patient back onto the bed.
Ming Yi was already at the end of his rope; after that burst of movement, he was completely drained of strength. Thus, despite his heart being full of resentment, he could only let Xie Yunxie have his way.
His head felt heavy and dizzy, and his entire body ached. Ming Yi knew he was likely running a fever. He kept his eyes fixed on the tall man by the bedside, not daring to let down his guard.
Xie Yunxie was looking down at the wound in his palm, his brow slightly furrowed. His grayish-blue eyes seemed filled with a dark, gloomy hostility.
Am I going to be beaten again? Ming Yi’s heart was calm and ripple-less. He did not regret what he had just done; his only regret was that he had not been fast enough to kill Xie Yunxie once more.
As expected, in the next second, those cold eyes flicked toward him.
“You really strike hard, don’t you?” Xie Yunxie commented emotionlessly.
Ming Yi did not react. His expression was calm, almost numb, as he waited for the expected fist to fall. The price of failing to kill Xie Yunxie was immense. He would likely be tortured even more cruelly, meeting an end more tragic than being thrown into the sea.
Ming Yi was simply unwilling to accept it. His resistance against Xie Yunxie was like a rebellion against a destiny that had been framed and frozen in place. But in the end, whether it was fate or Xie Yunxie, Ming Yi still could not break free from the shackles binding him.
However, the anticipated blow never came. Xie Yunxie dragged over a chair, instead adopting a posture as if preparing for a heart-to-heart talk.
“I know you are anxious, but just hold on a second. I was serious earlier: I really am not the previous Xie Yunxie.”
More crazy talk. Ming Yi stared blankly at the ceiling, wondering when this long torture would finally end. He was so hungry, so in pain, and so tired.
Seeing Ming Yi’s cold, unresponsive attitude, Xie Yunxie did not rush to prove himself. He took out some gauze from the first-aid kit and began bandaging his hand while talking to himself.
“You did indeed succeed in killing the previous Xie Yunxie. A single stab to the abdomen, a desperate counterattack; you did well. Unfortunately, there was a bit of an accident in the middle.”
At the mention of “a single stab to the abdomen,” Ming Yi’s gaze finally flickered slightly. It was not a dream?
Xie Yunxie suddenly stopped mid-sentence because the system had shocked him again. The system was in a state of collapse: [Host, why are you telling him this?! Do you realize you are breaking character? We agreed you would honestly play the villain! And how can you say this to a vicious cannon fodder? What if he awakens his consciousness and causes the world line to collapse even further?!]
Xie Yunxie let out a soft hiss of pain and took a long moment to recover. He replied in his mind, dropping a bombshell. “Do you not see? If I do not explain things clearly to Yan Mingyi, he will kill me sooner or later.”
The system was instantly silenced.
Xie Yunxie continued, “It is obvious Yan Mingyi has gone out of control. He is obsessed with killing ‘Xie Yunxie.’ Since he failed once, he will definitely try again. System, do you want to gamble? Gamble that I will not die by his hand before finishing the sea-immersion plot point? If I am unfortunate enough to die, are you sure you can find a second person who can play the villain perfectly?”
The system did not answer immediately; its CPU was running at high speed, practically smoking.
Xie Yunxie intervened at the right moment. “It is better to talk to Yan Mingyi and ideally reach a cooperative relationship. I will play my villain, he will play his vicious cannon fodder, and we will get through this month peacefully and safely. Anyway, Yan Mingyi does not have many scenes; his part ends after the sea-immersion. So what if he knows a bit of the truth? We just have to keep his mouth shut. Do we really want to destroy the entire world line because of him? System, tell me, does that make sense?”
The system was being led in circles by Xie Yunxie. It did seem to make sense. The vicious cannon fodder would only live for another month, but the villain’s role spanned most of the book. If the host had bad luck and was killed by Ming Yi, the world would truly be beyond saving.
While the system was undergoing its hardware storm, Ming Yi suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice, “What accident?”
Without waiting for the system to react, Xie Yunxie blurted out the truth. “The accident is that I transmigrated here. Now I must take over for the original Xie Yunxie to ensure the plot proceeds smoothly.”
Ming Yi fell into silence. Rationally, Ming Yi did not want to believe such madness, but he remembered his own dream. If his world truly was a book, then transmigration was not impossible.
Ming Yi was dizzy from the fever and could barely maintain a clear train of thought. Just as his head began to throb from thinking, the “Xie Yunxie” opposite him suddenly lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing well-defined abdominal muscles, and said with total sincerity, “I am really not lying to you. Look, is there not a single knife scar here?”
He even slapped his abs hard. “Guaranteed genuine, undamaged skin!”
Ming Yi: “…”
The system finally let out an unbearable wail, mourning the total collapse of the host’s character persona. At this point, the system stopped trying to intervene. The host’s words made sense; Yan Mingyi was just a minor character about to exit the stage. Knowing a bit of the truth was not a big deal, but if he continued to spiral out of control, it could cause irreversible damage to the world line.
It was better to cooperate with him. This would also allow the system to observe this cannon fodder and find out why he had suddenly deviated from the plot.
Ming Yi’s gaze lowered to Xie Yunxie’s abs. His lips twitched, pressing into a complex, tight line. “So? Why are you telling me this?”
Xie Yunxie pulled his shirt down and said seriously, “I hope you can cooperate with my performance. We can work together for a win-win situation.”
Ming Yi struggled to process this with his clouded mind. It meant the original Xie Yunxie was dead, and this new “Xie Yunxie” had taken his place to complete the so-called plot. And why seek cooperation? Because Ming Yi wanted to kill him. If they did not reach an agreement, Ming Yi would keep trying to kill him.
I see.
Ming Yi could not help but think darkly: If I kill this new “Xie Yunxie,” will another one transmigrate? Perhaps, if he just kept killing them until the plot collapsed entirely, he could…
The thought flashed through his mind and vanished. Ming Yi closed his eyes wearily. Even if the world was destroyed, what he wanted was something he could never have again.
So Ming Yi said, “Fine. I will consider it.”
Xie Yunxie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and thoughtfully tucked the quilt around him. “We will discuss the details once you are better. Rest for now.”
It seemed he would not be beaten again for the time being. Ming Yi relaxed slightly, and darkness instantly rushed in, swallowing his consciousness.
His sleep was restless, filled with a chaos of flickering images: Xie Yunxie’s sinister expression, a raised fist, and a cold silver blade slicing through the air and sinking into flesh, bringing a spray of blood.
The sensation of the blade piercing skin was so vivid that Ming Yi woke with a start, his fingers trembling as they gripped the corner of the quilt. His stomach was churning. When he opened his eyes and saw Xie Yunxie leaning by the bed, a wave of nausea surged. Ming Yi’s mind went blank; acting on reflex, he raised his hand and struck Xie Yunxie hard on the side of the face.
“Ugh?” Xie Yunxie was startled awake. He clutched his face and looked over in shock. Seeing the fear and loathing in Ming Yi’s eyes, he immediately realized what was happening. “Bro, it is me! I am the fake one!”
Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Ming Yi’s forehead. He stared at him, panting, for a long while before slowly lowering his hand.
“Sorry.”
“It is fine, no big deal.” Xie Yunxie rubbed his face, knowing Ming Yi was having a stress response. He could not blame the kid; he looked exactly like the villain. It would be strange if Ming Yi was not startled seeing his face so suddenly.
Xie Yunxie asked, “Do you have the strength to sit up and have some porridge?”
Ming Yi managed to prop himself up, still feeling slightly lightheaded. He took the warm bowl from Xie Yunxie. Ming Yi lowered his eyelashes and began to eat quietly. The heat of the porridge brought a faint, pale red tint back to his lips, making him look more alive than before.
Xie Yunxie stared at the other man’s lips for a moment before snapping out of it and looking away awkwardly. “Um… do you feel any better?”
Ming Yi had not even noticed the look. He was in a daze, like withered grass trampled into the dirt. “Yes.”
Xie Yunxie continued, “Here is the thing. The plot still has to happen. But I talked it over with the system: your role is not that big, so a little deviation does not matter. You just need to cooperate with me for a small performance.”
Ming Yi repeated numbly, “A small performance?”
Xie Yunxie found it a bit hard to say: “Just a few lines of dialogue, a bit of physical contact… mostly it is me acting, you can just lie there.”
To this, Ming Yi remained indifferent. He stared at the pattern on the quilt, moving his spoon mechanically. “Do as you wish.”
Xie Yunxie acted somewhat sheepishly, his gaze darting around. “Finish your porridge first. I am afraid you will laugh at me.”
Ming Yi did not care. He thought self-mockingly that after everything he had been through, his heart was already dead. Nothing could make him laugh.
Once Ming Yi finished the porridge, Xie Yunxie kindly asked him to lie down. It was time for the show to begin. Ming Yi lay down and closed his eyes, feeling exhausted anyway.
The sound of a chair moving came from beside the bed. Xie Yunxie stood up, and then the mattress sank as he knelt one knee onto the bed. Ming Yi felt Xie Yunxie’s hand press against his waist through the quilt. Then, a deep, domineering voice came from above.
“Heh. Why act like such a chaste man? Did you not scream quite loudly last night?”
Ming Yi: “…”
Ming Yi opened his eyes with an indescribable expression and stared gloomily at Xie Yunxie. Xie Yunxie met his gaze, struggling to keep his face from crumbling, though his ears were already bright red. Without waiting for a reply, he continued loudly.
“Why do you not answer? Looking at me with those eyes; do you want to be f***ed again?!”
Ming Yi: “…”
Enough.
Ming Yi asked slowly, “What exactly are you acting out?”
Xie Yunxie could not hold it together either. Even though he had expected it to be awkward, how could it be this cringe? He avoided Ming Yi’s gaze and forced himself to explain.
“According to the plot, that scumbag already… well, you know, last night. So today he is supposed to use that to continue humiliating you.”
Looking at Xie Yunxie’s beet-red ears, Ming Yi was momentarily speechless. What kind of sense of duty was sustaining Xie Yunxie to finish those lines?
Xie Yunxie instantly understood the complexity in Ming Yi’s gaze and said miserably, “It is all just system tasks!”
Ming Yi asked, “What happens if you do not do the tasks?”
Xie Yunxie was silent for a moment. “If I do not meet the standards, it shocks me.”
Level one and two shocks were bearable, but level three was not. Furthermore, Xie Yunxie’s understanding of the system was limited, and he had no intention of a total fallout just yet.
Ming Yi’s gaze softened slightly. Electric shocks for failing tasks? Like him, this was another poor soul being manipulated.
This shared sense of misfortune made Ming Yi more cooperative. “Keep acting. I do not care.”
Xie Yunxie looked at him with those grayish-blue eyes, his tone very sincere. “Thank you. You really are a good person.”
The next second, his tone shifted back into a forced drama mode. “Was not Young Master Yan quite proud? I really want everyone to see you like this. Go ahead and scream. No matter how loud you scream, no one will hear you. I told you: no one is coming to save you!”
At this point, Xie Yunxie could not help but complain, “Is this guy legally illiterate? Other people might not come, but the police definitely would. Bro, do not listen to him; this is classic PUA!”
Ming Yi closed his eyes weakly. If you are going to act, just act. Why do you have to provide live commentary?
However, Ming Yi was now certain: though this “Xie Yunxie” looked identical to the previous one, they were fundamentally different. If the real Xie Yunxie was a rabid wolf, this imposter was, at most, a hyperactive Husky.