Startled, Xiao He abruptly came back to himself and said anxiously, “He must be, he has to be! He couldn’t possibly be someone else…” He said this out loud, but his face paled to the shade of paper.
“His name is Fan Shen, his features aren’t different in the slightest and even his personality…” As Xiao He spoke, his tense heart eased a little. He wouldn’t get it wrong, he’d never get it wrong. He couldn’t have failed to recognize Fan Shen.
In the last world, the greatest reason he’d taken Hong Qing and Yun Qing as separate people was that he’d lost his memory. But now he hadn’t lost his memory and was clearheaded, so he could tell who Fan Shen was.
Qin Su frowned slightly and continued, “But the equipment wouldn’t make an error. The alarm has been going off all day, and it only sounds when a personality fragment is near destruction.”
Xiao He really couldn’t believe that this wasn’t Fan Shen, but he couldn’t give an explanation to Qin Su’s question either, so he could only brace himself to ask: “Can you tell me how much longer he’ll last?”
Qin Su said, “Four hours.”
Xiao He’s heart abruptly seized.
The real world and the mental world had a time difference of about one to thirty. One day in the real world was a month in the mental world. If he converted it like this, four hours was only around five days!
What could he do in five days?
No...no matter what he could do, he had to do it!
Xiao He gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, I’ll manage my time well and find out the whole story.”
Qin Su nodded and said, “Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Xiao.”
In a race against time like this, Xiao He didn’t have the time for courtesy. He hurriedly lay down, and once he connected to the equipment, he swiftly returned to the mental world.
Xiao He really wasn’t willing to believe that Fan Shen wasn’t Fan Shen, so he thought of another idea. Maybe there was something wrong with Fan Shen’s health? Maybe Fan Shen only seemed healthy on the surface, and was actually concealing some disease?
To be honest, this explanation was very far-fetched, but Xiao He wasn’t willing to give up on this possibility.
If Fan Shen really wasn’t Fan Shen, then what exactly was he going to do?
He simply couldn’t imagine it!
Inhaling a breath of cold air, Xiao He found his computer. The first thing he thought of was to look for information on the original Xiao He, to see if there were any clues.
But he had only just taken out his computer and hadn’t connected to it yet when the door sounded with a request for access authorization.
Who would come here? Was it Lin Fei?
When he thought of that little crybaby, Xiao He’s eyes lit up. If he chatted with Lin Fei, he’d definitely be able to fish for some information.
Xiao He was too worried, and the news had shaken his mind into a panic, so he opened the door without much forethought. The moment he saw who’d come, it made him want to hastily close the door.
But Li Liuyun didn’t give him the chance. He avoided him with a slight dodge and walked in.
Xiao He looked at him coldly. “What is it? If it’s nothing then please leave, I’m busy here.”
He wasn’t just busy, but so busy he was racing against time!
Li Liuyun had come to pick on him in the first place, and now that Xiao He spoke to him so bitingly, he instantly exploded. “Xiao He, you’ve really reached the peak of shamelessness! Being able to see a scumbag like you in my life, I’ve really gained in experience!”
He scolded him vigorously, but Xiao He remained unmoved. “Done talking? If you’re done talking I’ll close the door.”
“You! You!” Li Liuyun was so mad his liver burst. “Go on acting, act with all your might. Let me tell you, Fan Chen is about to die, he’s about to enter the underworld. The man you worked so hard to push higher is about to enter his grave…”
Li Liuyun’s words went off in Xiao He’s head like a bolt of lightning.
Fan Chen...Fan Chen?
How could it sound so familiar…
Yes, back when Li Liuyun came here for the first time, he once mentioned this name. He said, “You and Fan Chen…” But Fan Shen had come back and interrupted them, and “Chen” wasn’t easy to tell apart from “Shen” when it wasn’t pronounced clearly and Xiao He wasn’t paying attention.
At the time, Xiao He hadn’t given it another thought, but at this moment, he was so worried he was panicking inside.
“Fan Chen...what’s wrong with him?”
Seeing Xiao He’s face change color, Li Liuyun felt pleased with himself. “You still care about him? Haven’t you crawled into Fan Shen’s bed now? You still care about this ex of yours? In any case, he won’t be the emperor anymore soon, and he’s about to die. You’ve obtained Fan Shen’s affection again, so what do you care about Fan Chen?”
Li Liuyun’s mocking voice didn’t provoke Xiao He, but the contents of his words made his head ring.
His ex...the emperor...Fan Chen...Fan Shen…
Could it be that Fan Chen was the new emperor they talked of before, who ascended the throne?
Had Xiao He used and betrayed Fan Shen in the beginning just for the sake of letting Fan Chen ascend the throne?
Fan Shen and Fan Chen…
Could it be that only the latter was a personality fragment?
Xiao He’s thoughts were a tangled mess, and he almost felt dizzy.
Li Liuyun hated him to the utmost. Once he thought that Xiao He had done so many bad things, and was actually still forgiven in the end, he resented him so much he couldn’t control himself.
Fan Shen must’ve been deceived by him!
Li Liuyun clenched his fists internally. He had to help Fan Shen, and lay bare this man’s facade.
“Xiao He, Fan Chen’s dying. Do you want to save him or not?”
Li Liuyun’s words made Xiao He abruptly freeze.
He turned to look at the young man before him.
Actually, Xiao He could see through Li Liuyun’s thoughts at a glance.
This young man wasn’t a bad person. He was only an ordinary man, that’s all.
After all, Xiao He’s characterization was really too scummy. Anyone who could be called Fan Shen’s friend would be worried like this, and want to unmask his true nature.
Xiao He didn’t like Li Liuyun, but he didn’t dislike him either. If this were before, he wouldn’t pay him the slightest attention. But now...he was very grateful to him.
Li Liuyun wanted to use Fan Chen to foil Xiao He and expose his act for what it was, but right now, Xiao He just wanted to see Fan Chen as soon as possible and save his life.
No matter what...Fan Chen couldn’t die. If he died, this personality fragment would collapse, and then...it would greatly affect Fan Shen in reality.
He’d beat Li Liuyun at his own game!
Xiao He looked at Li Liuyun. “Do you know where he is?”
The depths of Li Liuyun’s eyes held mocking scorn. He snorted coldly and said, “Of course I know!”
Xiao He suddenly advanced. He reached out, and the thin point of a blade pressed against Li Liuyun’s waist. “Take me there!”
Li Liuyun’s eyes abruptly widened. “Xiao He you-!”
Xiao He said softly behind his back, “Don’t mess around, and take out your communicator.”
Gritting his teeth, Li Liyun refused even on pain of death.
Xiao He had inherited the original Xiao He’s memories, after all, so he smoothly reached around Li Liuyun's waist, pinched something the size of a grain of rice in his hand and inserted it into a recess in his computer, turning it useless.
Li Liuyun’s eyes abruptly widened, his face filled with panic.
He’d actually forgotten the identity of the man before him.
This man with the heart of a snake was the First Marshal who stood proudly at the summit of the entire Galactic Empire.
He'd...he’d underestimated him too much…
According to the information on the computer, Xiao He destroyed everything that held a threat on Li Liuyun’s person, then said: “Take me to find Fan Chen and I won’t hurt you.”
Li Liuyun was too young. Hatred had blinded him, and now he felt humiliated. He was terribly angry, so how could he obey? “Kill me, I won’t bring you to find him!”
Xiao He wasn’t surprised. He leaned close to Li Liuyun’s ear and said softly, “Why not? Didn’t you want to expose my true colors? Didn’t you want to let Fan Shen see me clearly? Take me to see Fan Chen, and once I’ve seen him, I’ll naturally let you achieve your wish.”
His soft reminder startled Li Liuyun.
Blinded with rage, he’d actually forgotten his purpose in coming here.
That’s right, as long as Xiao He went to find Fan Chen and save him, the truth would be revealed.
Xiao He was deceiving Fan Shen and lulling him to inattention. Xiao He had only ever cared about that Fan Chen!
This way, Fan Shen would no longer be deceived by him!
What’s more, it was useless for Xiao He to see Fan Chen. He couldn’t save him, and could only die with him!
Once Li Liuyun thought it through, he gritted his teeth and said, “You’re really the most disgusting person I’ve ever seen.”
Xiao He didn’t pay attention.
The two men left the house one after another. Li Liuyun didn’t go back on his word. They boarded an airplane, and he took him to see Fan Chen.
On the way, Xiao He was filled with panic.
On one hand, he really hoped that Fan Chen wasn’t a personality fragment, but on the other hand, he thought he had to be.
He was anxious over how exactly he should save him, but what made him even more pained at heart was how exactly he was going to face Fan Shen.
The betrayal ten years ago made that man fall into an infernal abyss, and he had returned as a vengeful demon.
Now, Xiao He had gotten close to him again with great difficulty, giving Fan Shen hope once more.
However...he was about to repeat the same mistake again.
Xiao He simply didn’t dare to imagine the consequences of throwing the same man away two times in a row.
This wouldn’t only bring Fan Shen to despair; it was enough to give him a nervous breakdown!
But...he had no choice.
Xiao He was nervous the whole way there. The more afraid he was to approach, the faster reality drew near.
Li Liuyun brought Xiao He to a dungeon.
In the cold, gloomy and dank environment, there lay a heavily-guarded cell. When Xiao He saw the man covered with wounds in the dark shadows, his heart took on a heavy blow.
He had the same features, the same unique air as Fan Shen. Xiao He...Xiao He...couldn’t find the slightest difference between them.
Xiao He had seen a fake Ayr before in his second world.
But at the time, Xiao He had known clearly that the man wasn’t Fan Shen, and was only a fictional character.
But he couldn’t tell anything about this man apart from Fan Shen.
He felt...that this wounded, dying man was Fan Shen, without a doubt.
A heart-piercing pain spread from his chest, and Xiao He staggered a little.
“Fan...Fan…”
Before he had even finished calling out his name, the blood-drenched man opened his eyes.
His black eyes were like a hawk’s, and even riddled with wounds, they were still as dark and deep as the night and as vast as the stars, as if they could contain the boundless heavens and earth.
Xiao He’s heart suddenly jolted.
Fan Chen spoke lowly and roughly. “I thought...that you would never come to see me again.”
***
The author has something to say:
Muah~ I’ve been too tired in the last few days, so I rested early.
***
banoffee: Funny thing, the first time I translated Fan Chen's name, I actually skipped over it completely and wrote "Fan Shen" instead. Chen is 琛 (Chēn), meaning "gem," while Shen is 深 (Shēn), meaning "deep." As you can see, not only do they sound similar, they look almost the same as well.
2 hours and 50 minutes for 2,044 words, or 8.3 minutes for every 100 words. An increase in rate by 0.7 minutes... 😓
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Wow... Now I pity the S guy. He's gonna get scummed twice.
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