The sea wind howled, making for a rather unpleasant night.
Gao Qiong peeked out her head. There was no moon over the sea, and in the distance, she could faintly hear the sound of waves crashing against the ship. Under the dim yellow light, she saw the silhouettes of a man and a woman not far away.
In the flickering light, he removed his mask himself. He lifted the chin of the girl in his arms and leaned in slightly.
Gao Qiong’s mouth felt bitter. She stomped her feet and ran off, thinking to herself that Yu Shangxian owed her a huge favor this time.
Bei Yao caught the salty scent of the sea breeze, mingled with the crisp, cool aura of the man’s embrace. His lips were cold, much like the desolate feeling of the distant lighthouse out at sea.
Before she could close her eyes, she saw his face.
He was no longer the youthful Pei Chuan, full of boyish vigor. Instead, his brow carried the weight of years of solitude. For Bei Yao, arriving in this world had been a sudden disruption during a classroom lesson, but for Pei Chuan, it was redemption—coming nearly five years and over a thousand days and nights after her death.
At first, she clutched his lapel in confusion. His kiss was gentle. Bei Yao worried about the "Wangsheng" within him, though she had no idea what kind of pain it truly was.
Gradually, she understood.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Even in the heat of June, his skin felt icy cold.
Pei Chuan’s body had always been warm—this was the only exception.
Bei Yao pulled away from his lips. Weak and leaning against his shoulder, she whispered, "Send me back. I know you’re in pain."
He pressed his lips together, his fingers gently stroking her cheek, and gave a faint smile.
"You once asked me if I liked you very much," he said. "I like you very, very much."
As he spoke, his slender fingers adjusted the collar of her dress.
Bei Yao feared causing him pain, but hearing his confession filled her with joy. She mustered her strength, lifted her head, and kissed his chin.
He softly touched her hair.
Bei Yao thought to herself that this was enough. No matter which world they were in, Pei Chuan rarely initiated physical contact. Today’s kiss was an exception.
After a moment of silence, he controlled his wheelchair, backed away two steps, and closed the door.
The room shut out the sound of the waves. Before Bei Yao could react, she looked at him in confusion.
Satan slowly undid the clothes she had carefully arranged. The girl’s waist was slender, and in the warm yellow light of the room, her skin glowed with a pearly sheen.
His long fingers traced over her inch by inch, like a king surveying his domain.
Her delicate waistline and the charming dip of her lower back.
Bei Yao’s cheeks flushed red. With effort, she raised her hand and grasped his sleeve.
Satan pressed his lips together and said, "You can say no."
She opened her mouth to speak but noticed his pale lips.
She had always thought that, over time, Satan didn’t love her as much as Pei Chuan had. He spent his days in meetings and rarely spent time with her. When he looked at her, it was as if he were gazing at the wind, the water, the mountains, or the blue sky—as though there was little affection in his eyes. It seemed that even if she were to leave one day, Satan would continue on, unfazed.
Now she knew how deeply he loved her.
His fingers moved downward inch by inch. Beads of cold sweat formed from the pain, and his pupils contracted slightly, yet his gaze remained tender and full of adoration.
In his youth, he would never have touched her. He treated her like a precious jewel, cherishing her value but hoping she would have a brighter future, placed in a more beautiful setting rather than facing the tattered reality of his embrace.When Bei Yao was brought over by Gao Qiong, she thought, Satan definitely wouldn't accept this—he's such a gentleman!
But Satan was no gentleman.
For Satan, all inferiority had faded with time. Having nothing, he remained unperturbed by honor or disgrace.
Though Bei Yao felt deeply ashamed to be touched like this, she still released her grip on his sleeve and simply buried her face in his chest.
Forget it, as long as Satan was happy.
If he wasn't afraid of pain, why should she fear embarrassment?
The man's voice was low: "Still going home?"
"Not going back," she mumbled against his chest. "Can't go back. Where you are is my home."
He said nothing, lowering his kiss.
When the sea wind was at its fiercest around midnight, Yu Shangxian was fished out of the water.
He lay sprawled on the deck like a dead fish, breathing more out than in.
Gao Qiong crouched beside him, pityingly nudging him with her foot: "Tsk tsk, what a miserable sight, truly pitiful."
Yu Shangxian opened his eyes and rasped with difficulty: "Please have mercy, Miss Gao. Don't kick me to death."
Gao Qiong was also furious, her eyes widening: "To save an ingrate like you, I've sacrificed who knows how much."
As she was about to continue speaking, several men nearby took Yu Shangxian away.
Gao Qiong asked: "Where are you taking him?"
A burly man replied: "Satan's orders—to let Mr. Yu recuperate in peace."
Gao Qiong frowned and said reluctantly: "Well, don't go killing him."
"We won't, Miss Gao."
Gao Qiong still couldn't figure it out—what was Satan thinking? After a long while, she suddenly exclaimed: "Holy shit!"
Satan and the little enchantress were still enjoying their honeymoon, but Yu Shangxian had already been rescued. This meant Satan had calculated the timing to spare Yu Shangxian all along.
So hadn't she delivered the little enchantress to Satan's bed for nothing?
Gao Qiong gazed helplessly at the sky. Ah, the storm at sea was truly fierce.
The next day didn't clear up. As dawn approached, the stormy sea appeared ominously dark, with only the ship's own lights illuminating the gloomy sky.
He gently stroked the face of the young girl in his arms. She possessed a tender, delicate beauty, and dissatisfied with being disturbed, she instinctively moved away from him.
Pei Chuan pulled her back, and she finally opened her eyes.
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?" The girl's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of petulance.
He looked down at her and softly acknowledged.
Her drowsiness mostly vanished: "What is it?"
"I need to talk to you," Pei Chuan said, his voice deep. "Yao Yao, our world isn't like yours. There's no order here, and laws have been destroyed. I'm sorry you have to face such a terrible environment."
"To survive well here, you must first be strong. 'Rebirth' is the best weapon. When I implanted Rebirth in Yu Shangxian, Gao Qiong, and other high-ranking members, I kept backup control chips." He tapped her forehead. "It's here now."
Bei Yao touched her own forehead—it didn't hurt or itch. "How did you put it in?"He simply smiled gently and said, "I'll explain it to you when there's a chance, but there's something more important you need to hear. No one gives or remains loyal without reason. Gao Qiong may seem rough and straightforward, but she's actually meticulous in her actions. Though she appears careless on the surface, her resolve is unwavering. Once she recognizes someone, she rarely betrays them. As for Yu Shangxian, his mind is complex. He's clever enough to enjoy underhanded tactics and playing with power. He cannot be fully trusted. If there's any sign of betrayal, immediately order him to take his own life."
She was startled by the casual cruelty in Pei Chuan's tone, her dark almond-shaped eyes widening in disbelief. "Kill him?"
Pei Chuan: "Yes, don't hesitate."
"But," Bei Yao said, "why are you telling me this? You're their boss. Hearing this gives me an ominous feeling."
He paused. "I have a solution for Transcendence—implanting the current Transcendence to devour the primary version." He looked into her eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately, "But the consequences are unpredictable. It could lead to paralysis, blindness, deafness, or even death—never waking up again."
She immediately shook her head. "No, you can't."
Pei Chuan leaned down and kissed her rosy cheek. "Be good."
Bei Yao grew angry. "Don't go! This method is so dangerous. Can't we think of a safer way?"
His tone softened, carrying a faint smile. "I love you."
Pei Chuan explained, "Continuously defying the commands of the original Transcendence brings a pain no easier to bear than death."
The sea wind howled, its chill seeming to seep into one's bones.
Bei Yao couldn't bear this dilemma where both choices led to terrifying outcomes. She buried her face in the quilt, sobbing quietly.
He sighed and coaxed, "Could you help me put on my shirt first?"
A young girl's face emerged from the quilt, tear-streaked and pitifully adorable.
Pei Chuan said, "This must be done before we dock. It has to be today—we arrive tomorrow." He smiled weakly. "I'm in too much pain to move. Please help me, Yao Yao, alright?"
The sea wind couldn't reach indoors. Amused, he watched as she sniffled and diligently helped him into his shirt.
She fastened each button one by one, her slender arms tender and marked with a few red spots from his kisses.
He gazed at her unblinkingly. "And the tie."
She seemed unfamiliar with tying it, fumbling for a while before managing a clumsy knot.
Pei Chuan's gaze was both peculiar and gentle.
He was no longer the boy he once was; he enjoyed guiding her to do things that brought him joy.
When Yu Shangxian woke up, he realized he had been indirectly placed under house arrest. He raised an eyebrow, recalling the fragments of conversation he'd overheard from Gao Qiong the previous night, feeling rather unsettled.
Why would Satan confine him at such a time?
Yet trapped in this square room, he couldn't even feel the sea breeze. Only a doctor had visited him last night, and he remained in a weakened state.
His eyes fixed on the window. What was Satan planning?
Beyond his line of sight, A Zuo wheeled Pei Chuan into the ship's medical room.
Pei Chuan, pale but composed, nodded to the doctor. "Let's begin. A Zuo, wait outside and make sure no one comes in."
The honest A Zuo acknowledged and hurried out.
The doctor put on his gloves. "Are you sure?"
Pei Chuan replied calmly, "Yes."Having known each other for so many years, the doctor had witnessed both the original and current Wangsheng. The two consuming each other was equivalent to the pain of having one's internal organs sliced apart knife by knife.
He sighed: "Is it worth it?"
Pei Chuan said: "You definitely don't know that in another world, I'm serving prison time for her." He chuckled to himself, "Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? I think so too. The younger we are, the more sincere our love. See, I wouldn't willingly go to prison to be a good man for her now. I even told her I might die. That way, even if I really die, she'll remember me for life. She'll remember Satan, not the Pei Chuan who's like that other person."
Though the doctor didn't fully understand, he recognized the obsession in his words.
The doctor said: "Give it a rest. You're still Pei Chuan. You might have long forgotten how you begged me to implant the original chip back then. You forgot that feeling, but now you've fallen for her again. You're no less than your younger self."
A trace of mockery curled at the corner of Pei Chuan's lips.
Outside the door, a young girl's anxious yet clear voice rang out: "Can you hear me? Can you hear me, Satan?" She shouted, "I'll wait for you, I'll keep waiting! You must succeed!"
When he didn't respond, she patted the door threateningly: "If you fail, I'm going home! And I'll never come back!"
The mockery on Pei Chuan's lips froze.
The doctor found it amusing.
As he began the procedure, Pei Chuan fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking: "I want to live. Please."
The doctor didn't speak, merely nodded. He recalled similar words from nearly five years ago. Back then, Pei Chuan had said, "I want to live. I just need to forget her."
Since then, he'd planted roses at a grave every year, visiting like it was just some unimportant acquaintance from the past - as if he'd truly forgotten.
But what was happening now?
As the two versions of Wangsheng battled, he saw his original self.
Under the bright June sunshine, he held a corpse. With the endless sea in the distance, he crafted a grasshopper from woven grass and placed it in her palm.
Her long eyelashes rested peacefully, unaware and unfeeling.
Pei Chuan said: "So even now, you still don't like me."
"Mr. Pei? No, I'm not Mr. Pei. After so long, you might have even forgotten my name. I'm Pei Chuan."
"Yaoyao, in this world, I love you most." He smiled, "Though you'll never know."
Sitting in his wheelchair, he wove a flower crown from morning blossoms for her. Her long hair was soft - had her body not been decaying, she would have been beautiful.
Pei Chuan went without food for the entire day, staying with her on the small island until dusk arrived.
He said cheerfully: "We've finished watching today's sunset. Time to go home."
Leaning forward, he lifted her up, ignoring the odor beginning to emanate from the corpse. He pushed his wheelchair toward the place he called "home."
"I'll build you an estate here someday, filled with flowers. I'll watch every sunrise and sunset with you."
"What's that? Sorry, we missed the sunrise today? My fault for dressing you too late."
By evening, Pei Chuan prepared dinner while insects chirped in the grass outside and waves crashed against the shore. He undid the braid he'd personally woven for Bei Yao in his arms.
"Time to eat."
After the meal, he washed the dishes, then boiled water to bathe her in a wooden tub.
Pressing his lips together, he still kept his eyes covered.
"I know you don't particularly like me. I won't take liberties."
Yet even the fragrance of flowers couldn't overpower the scent of decay in the summer heat.She had gradually begun to decay, a metallic taste of blood rising in his throat.
He lay awake with his eyes open, holding her in his arms.
"I didn't plan thoroughly enough. There's no perfume on the island. Tomorrow I'll pick more flowers for you, then it will smell nice."
Yet that summer, her body withered faster than the flowers.
Day by day, he watched rosy cheeks turn to dry bones.
On a rainy summer day, he buried her with his own hands. Pei Chuan knew she was dead. He wasn't insane, just somewhat sad.
Only a little, just a bit of sadness.
He coughed up blood as the heavy rain soaked his clothes. He scattered the final handful of soil.
"I somewhat hate you," he said quietly. "Sometimes I wonder, why in this lifetime? I've liked you since I was young until now. You couldn't see me, couldn't hear me. I never held your hand, never kissed your lips. But you died, and I became like this. You never liked me for a single day, didn't give me much charity, yet you occupied my entire life."
"This is too unfair, yet I also know there are many people like me in this world. We can't blame people like you. We offer our hearts, and others simply refuse to accept them." Pei Chuan traced the character for "wife" on the tombstone, his tone exceptionally light. "Don't expect me to go mad for you. I'm clear-headed, and don't think I can't go on living. I'm not that weak. I survived when my legs were severed, and now without illness or pain, I'll live even better."
"However," he paused, "loving someone is too exhausting. If you appeared before me now, I definitely wouldn't fall in love with you. I wouldn't treat you so well either. Haven't I treated you well enough these past few years? You're a heartless little rascal."
When the rain finally stopped, he had the doctor implant Wangsheng in him.
What a miraculous thing Wangsheng was. As it merged with his flesh and blood, his heart immediately felt desperately empty. He remembered every detail about her, yet all emotions were blocked.
Pei Chuan touched his chest. This is quite good, Miss Bei Yao.
He returned to being his Satan.
The Wangsheng organization grew stronger year by year. During his loneliest moment, rain fell again the following June.
He didn't know why either, but he returned to this island and began planting roses.
Actually, he didn't love her that much anymore, he thought.
The rose thorns pricked his hands, but he felt no emotional stir.
Satan looked at the words on the tombstone. She was just a special person from his past now. She didn't belong to him in life, but couldn't leave him in death.
He wondered if this "person from the past" would feel ashamed and humiliated to be buried with the Pei surname.
Sometimes he could barely recall her appearance. Several times he hesitated about having the words on the tombstone changed, but when he opened his mouth, he felt choked up inside and ultimately never mentioned it again.
Back then, Pei Chuan was 25 years old. He felt grateful she never met the 25-year-old version of himself. The fearless devotion and silent protection of his youth were things the current Satan could no longer accomplish.
He was selfish and hypocritical, and would never again like such a simple, happy young girl.
This person from his past, aside from being exceptionally beautiful, didn't seem particularly special in any other way.
In June of his 25th year, he said: "Next year, I'll find a virtuous woman to marry and have children with. Then I'll definitely help you erase the words on this tombstone."Yet in June of his 26th year, holding roses in his hand, he spoke with cold irritation: "I'll forget you by next year. I truly can't understand how I ever liked you before. Thinking back carefully over these years, even Gao Qiong isn't worse than you."
The lonely island, seas of flowers with no one in sight. His words were sharp and biting: "No one else would be as ungrateful as you. Even if I hadn't implanted Wangsheng, I'd surely be tired of you by now."
What was so good about such a delicate girl? Not daring to speak a single harsh word, needing to be coaxed for everything.
With his cold and harsh nature, he had probably long grown weary of it.
Next year! He said he would forget her by next year.
Otherwise, would he have to foolishly plant flowers all over this lonely island for her year after year?
Later, he had a dream. In this dream, at 27, he never encountered the "little gift" that had stumbled through time. Until his death, he never remarried, never had the children he spoke of.
He lived to 82. In his old age, the world lay in ruins, but this island remained - flowers in full bloom, waves lapping at the shore, sky and sea both azure blue, with only his hair turned white.
When Pei Chuan opened his eyes, he gasped for breath.
His gaze remained cold, but his heartbeat raced violently. Two types of Wangsheng contended within him, with the final generation ultimately gaining the upper hand.
He hadn't been killed by that suffocating pain - he had come back to life.
The doctor raised an eyebrow: "Not bad physical condition."
Like a fleeting dream, he grabbed the doctor desperately: "Where's Bei Yao!"
The doctor was taken aback: "What Bei Yao?"
Pei Chuan's heart sank almost instantly. Could it be that the dream was reality, and he had never met her?
The doctor paused: "Are you talking about that young lady?"
He smiled helplessly: "She was keeping watch over you the whole time, but you were in surgery. Your heart stopped briefly - gave me quite a scare. Fortunately, it stabilized later. Even if I wanted to let her in to see you, that stubborn A-Zuo wouldn't allow it."
Pei Chuan asked hoarsely: "Where is she?"
"The cruise ship docked two days ago. Following your instructions, we didn't dare go to the port - Mr. Yu has it locked down. I told the young lady you would wake up, but Miss Gao Qiong was very angry and dragged her away not long ago. Not sure what they're doing."
Pei Chuan frowned: "You let Gao Qiong take her away?"
The doctor said: "What could I do? Want me to fight Miss Gao Qiong?"
Pei Chuan immediately tried to get up and leave, and the doctor didn't bother stopping him.
Outside, the weather had cleared, with blue skies and white clouds. His eyes immediately found the young girl on the beach.
Gao Qiong had her in a headlock from behind: "You little vixen, I'm telling you, if Satan doesn't wake up you're dead! Ahhh I still have Wangsheng in my body! If something happens to Satan, will I become brain-dead?"
The girl kicked at her: "Gao Qiong, let go! Can't you stop resorting to violence at every turn!"
But how could she possibly match Gao Qiong in a fight? She was held until tears welled in her eyes, yet she never once thought to use Wangsheng commands to make things difficult for Gao Qiong.
When Bei Yao looked up, her eyes lit up.
Pei Chuan looked at her from afar, as if seeing countless stars brighten in that single glance.
She struggled to break free from Gao Qiong: "Satan!"
Gao Qiong froze for a moment, then released her.
Pei Chuan watched as the young girl fluttered like a delicate butterfly from the beach into his embrace.
He reached out and caught her.
Bei Yao nuzzled against him affectionately: "You're finally awake."His heart swelled with warmth, his voice impossibly tender: "Yes, I'm awake."
"Are you all better now? Does that mean you can like me?"
He looked into her sparkling eyes and chuckled hoarsely.
"Mm."
Bei Yao pointed an accusing finger: "Gao Qiong bullied me. She said she'd throw me into the ocean to feed the sharks."
Gao Qiong stared in disbelief: "What the hell!" Since when did snitching become this efficient!
Pei Chuan paused, recalling the dream from years past. He had vowed that if they ever met again, he would never fall for her nor treat her so kindly.
Yet now...
Pei Chuan kissed the girl in his arms and said, "I will punish her." He looked like a tyrant with no bottom line.
The little enchantress in his arms smiled brightly: "Don't punish her too harshly, just make her eat a few mouthfuls of wasabi! Once we're ashore, I want to visit my parents!"
"Alright."
Bei Yao added: "And my younger brother, he must have grown up by now. I want to see what he looks like as an adult."
He responded gently: "Alright."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her laughter tinged with tears: "I'm so happy you woke up."
For a moment, he moved his lips but couldn't utter a word.
She tilted her head and asked him: "What did you say? I didn't hear clearly."
Under the blue sky, with the gentle sea breeze, she heard the man's deep voice softly whisper in her ear:
"I said you are the April day on earth, eternal and unchanging."
—The End.
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