Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Shi Chen’s gaze fell on the petals. Was Si Yebai drinking flower tea?

[Host, you're currently in bloom.]

The system’s prompt appeared, and Shi Chen seemed to grasp something.

In an unprecedented move, Shi Chen sought out Si Yebai.

Si Yebai was leaning against the headboard, holding a steaming cup of tea. Noticing Shi Chen at the door, he set the cup aside and gently asked, “Did Xiao Shu apologize to you?”

Shi Chen remained expressionless, getting straight to the point. “What are you drinking?”

Si Yebai brought the cup to his lips. “Care to try?” Instead of explaining, he let Shi Chen taste it for himself.

A faint floral scent wafted, and the tea contained small, torn petals.

Shi Chen took a small sip—it tasted no different from ordinary floral tea.

“Is it good?” Si Yebai wiped the moisture from Shi Chen’s lips, a gesture that seemed habitual.

“What’s so good about it?”

Shi Chen licked the corner of his mouth. The tea was slightly sweet and actually quite pleasant.

Si Yebai smiled, not calling him out. “This is the first time you’ve come to me on your own. It makes me happy.” His gaze was unusually tender.

“The light in my room is broken. I just came to borrow yours.” Shi Chen quickly fabricated an excuse and sat near the floor lamp.

Si Yebai pulled back the blanket. “Come up here—it’s more comfortable.” He patted the bed.

Shi Chen always saw a familiar figure in Si Yebai.

Even now, Si Yebai’s expression and movements resembled someone he knew.

Or perhaps, do all protagonists share certain traits?

As soon as he lay down, Si Yebai turned and embraced him.

“…I’ve waited so long for this hug.”

That was why he held on so tightly, afraid that if he loosened his grip, the person would disappear.

Shi Chen felt conflicted. From Si Yebai’s sigh, he sensed an inexplicable sorrow.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Si Yebai buried his face in Shi Chen’s shoulder, inhaling his scent.

Shi Chen edged away slightly. “You talk too much.” He brushed Si Yebai’s hair aside—it was tickling him.

Si Yebai deliberately rubbed his hair against Shi Chen. “I can’t help it.”

Shi Chen didn’t believe that.

In the novel, Si Yebai’s self-control was terrifyingly strong. Even in the darkest moments, he gritted his teeth and never lost control.

Shi Chen rolled his eyes silently to himself.

All night long, Si Yebai slept soundly while holding him.

Wu Ma was initially worried, but when she didn’t hear Si Yebai call for her all night, she gradually relaxed.

In the morning, she deliberately didn’t wake them, wanting them to sleep a little longer.

Shi Chen, half-asleep, felt someone kissing him and flailed his arms to push the nuisance away.

He only heard a low chuckle before he was lifted out of the blanket.

Only when he was seated on the bathroom counter, with a few drops of water splashing onto his face, did he open his eyes.

Si Yebai wet a towel. “Still not hungry?” He touched Shi Chen’s face.

“Go wash your own face.” Shi Chen, now properly awake, snatched the towel and covered his face with it.

His hunch had been right—Si Yebai’s complexion was better than the night before.

“I left your toothbrush here.” Si Yebai sounded regretful that he couldn’t personally help Shi Chen freshen up.

Distracted by his thoughts, Shi Chen didn’t question why there was a new toothbrush in Si Yebai’s bedroom.

After that, to confirm his suspicions, Shi Chen started spending more time with Si Yebai.

While Si Yebai didn't understand why, he loved having Shi Chen by his side.

*

Shi Chen had thought that staying close to Si Yebai would help him recover.

But that wasn’t how it worked.

“The young master’s condition requires those flowers to alleviate symptoms, not cure them.” The butler spoke sorrowfully, his gaze at Shi Chen urgent. “I noticed that being with you helps the young master more than the flowers do. That’s why…”

Now Shi Chen understood.

So that's why Si Yebai clung to him so much—it was because he was the flower, having healing properties for Si Yebai.

[Ding—Final task: Destroy the protagonist’s flowers.]

“I see.” Shi Chen lifted his eyes, gazing at the distant flower field.

To destroy the flowers was to destroy Si Yebai.

Si Yebai would never forgive him for this, and he would meet the same fate as in the novel.

The butler felt grateful, not realizing that the man before him was about to commit an unforgivable act.

That night, Shi Chen switched on the watering system, planning to let the flowers’ roots rot slowly.

Then, he called a friend, telling them to come collect something from his place in a few days.

A few days later, Shi Chen returned to his apartment, silently waiting to hear about the drowned flowers.

[Ding—Task completed. Preparing for world transfer.]

Shi Chen: [Wait.]

System: [What does the host want to do?]

Shi Chen: [I remember I’m the flower, right? If Si Yebai were to consume me, would he recover?]

The system paused briefly: [Ding—Side quest completed.]

Shi Chen let out a sigh of relief—it really was like this.

As the protagonist, he couldn’t die so easily, and without a cure, this branching path existed solely to save him.

He hoped that after Si Yebai ate the flower, he would live a long and healthy life.

With this silent blessing for Si Yebai, Shi Chen smiled faintly and disappeared from the couch.

In the spot where he had been sitting lay a blooming red rose, bright red, its petals wet with dew.

It lay there alone on the sofa, waiting for someone to arrive.

Just then, Shi Chen’s friend unlocked the door to his home with a key.

He walked straight to the couch, muttering, "Does Master Shi really like Si Yebai that much? Why else would he send him a rose?"

*

"Young Master, what should we do? Most of the flowers have drowned," Zhang Shu fretted anxiously.

"How could he be so cruel? Isn’t this pushing the young master to his death?" The butler fumed with anger. He had thought Shi Chen was willing to help, but instead, revealing the truth had only harmed Si Yebai.

"Could there be some misunderstanding?" Wu Ma had met Shi Chen before—though his words were harsh, he wasn’t that malicious.

Si Yebai stared expressionlessly at the computer screen, where security footage from that night played clearly.

The images showed unmistakably that Shi Chen had turned on the water valves—right after the butler had told him the truth.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed his chest, as if something had gouged into his heart.

A dull, persistent ache spread through him, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

"Young Master!"

"Young Master!"

The other three rushed to his side in alarm.

"Shi Chen..." Si Yebai’s vision darkened, his face deathly pale as he passed out.

When he woke again, the heavy burden that had weighed on him for so long was gone. He felt a newfound lightness.

Only the butler remained in the bedroom. Seeing Si Yebai awake, he asked, "Young Master, how do you feel?" and placed a cup of herbal tea on the bedside table.

Si Yebai sat up against the headboard, rubbing his temples. "What happened?"

"Shi Chen’s friend brought a flower and insisted you consume it." The butler’s expression contorted with disgust at the mention of Shi Chen.

"I was afraid it might be harmful, so I had it tested before giving it to you. How do you feel now?" He explained what happened.

"Where is he?"

Si Yebai’s voice was urgent, a tone the butler had never heard before.

No matter the situation, their young master had always been composed—never so visibly emotional.

Was he still thinking about Shi Chen?

The butler replied, "His friend said he went traveling."

"Find him." Si Yebai clenched the sheets, his face contorted in pain. "Bring him back."

Not daring to disobey, the butler left to carry out the order.

Half a month later, Si Yebai stood before a villa.

Gaunt and racked by harsh coughs, he looked frail, barely able to stand.

The butler stepped forward to support him, but Si Yebai refused.

"I want to go in alone."

This was the place Shi Chen had left for him—he would enter by himself.

Beside the villa stood a glass garden identical to the one back home.

Si Yebai took out a key and unlocked the garden door.

Seeing the flourishing flowers, he remembered—these were the ones Shi Chen had bought at the flower market long ago.

Even back then, Shi Chen had planned to create a place just for him.

Si Yebai’s heart ached again.

For the past two weeks, the more he thought of Shi Chen, the worse the pain grew.

Yet he refused to let go, enduring the pain like a form of self-punishment.

"Young Master, those flowers are good for you. You should eat them all," the butler urged, unable to bear seeing him like this.

After consuming just one petal, Si Yebai’s health had improved significantly—yet he refused to eat any more.

Instead, he preserved the flower in an airtight jar.

The butler had once tried to sneak it away, only for Si Yebai to explode in rare fury.

Later, even that anger vanished.

Every day, Si Yebai would just stare at the flower, his only words being whether Shi Chen had been found.

Si Yebai closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and waited until the pain in his heart eased enough for him to continue.

Looking at the flowers, he could almost see Shi Chen standing impatiently nearby, telling them to plant them.

Then, losing patience, he’d told them to do as they pleased.

Si Yebai smiled faintly—only for a metallic taste to rise in his throat.

Covering his mouth, blood seeped between his fingers and dripped down his arm.

"Young Master!"

"Help me inside," Si Yebai murmured weakly.

Tears streaming down his face, the butler supported Si Yebai’s frail body, unable to bring himself to force him back.

The interior was decorated to Si Yebai’s liking.

Flowers filled every corner, the furniture warm-colored, and a laptop lay open on a table.

Once again, he saw Shi Chen—lounging on the sofa, eyes fixed on the screen.

Si Yebai had the butler assist him over.

He reached out cautiously, trembling, afraid that upon touching it, Shi Chen's figure would disappear.

"Just leave me be for now."

The butler wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent, silently withdrew, leaving Si Yebai by himself.

Si Yebai lay on the sofa holding the computer, gradually falling into a strange dream.

In the dream, he had a beautiful mermaid.

The mermaid's personality was different from now, like an ice-clad peak meant only for distant admiration.

But when drunk, it melted into a babbling spring brook, something to cradle in his arms and savor carefully.

The mermaid loved watching pandas eat but was awkward in social situations.

The mermaid enjoyed drinking fruit juice but put on a show of drinking bitter coffee in front of others.

The mermaid...

Ultimately died saving him.

The dream's loss still tore at his heart, so he punished those who had changed him thus.

Then, under the daily torment, his body could no longer bear the burden and soon followed the mermaid in death.

Si Yebai jerked awake, drenched in cold sweat, gulping air, unable to shake off the pain from the dream for a long time.

He clutched the computer in his arms tightly, as if this device carrying Shi Chen's scent was a life-saving piece of driftwood.

"Just wait for me..."