Chapter 116

Chapter 116

Shen Muyun stared blankly at the withered branches outside, lost in thought. Hadn't he desperately wanted to leave this place before? Hadn't he absolutely loathed staying in such a strange place? So why did he now feel such reluctance to part? It was truly contradictory, Shen Muyun couldn't help but mock himself.

"Shen Muyun, it's time for your medicine. You need to rest and recover properly to get better."

Shen Muyun glanced at Qi Beichen, then continued to gaze out the window. The snow was falling heavily outside, and suddenly, a branch tilted and snapped.

"Beichen, do you think... maybe Huainan is still alive, but just can't contact me for some reason?"

Qi Beichen put down the medicine in his hand and sat beside him. "Muyun, I don't mean to be blunt, but the chances of that are incredibly slim. If he were alive, why wouldn't he contact us? And... Shen Liuyun hasn't been found either. They might both be gone. You're the only one left. You should focus on managing the Shen Corporation properly."

Shen Muyun clutched Qi Beichen's clothes tightly. "Really? But I can sense his presence. I can actually smell it. Every night, it feels like he's right beside me."

Qi Beichen patted Shen Muyun's shoulder and left the room without another word.

As he watched the heavy snow falling outside and the accumulated snow on the windowsill, a plan quietly began to form in Shen Muyun's mind.

Shen Muyun got out of bed, tidied himself a bit, and looked at his haggard reflection in the mirror. He shook his head helplessly, his fingertips trembling slightly, devoid of strength.

He glanced at the food on the table, which Qi Beichen had brought in earlier. He had no appetite—it was hospital food, healthy but unappealing.

He sat at the table and scooped a spoonful of rice. It was hard, like leftovers from the day before. The vegetables were boiled and bland. Admittedly, it was truly unappetizing, but to maintain his strength, he forced himself to finish it all.

"You're doing better today. Have you finally come to your senses?"

Qi Beichen came in to collect the dishes and noticed the change in Shen Muyun. He wasn't sure whether to feel happy or sad, sensing that something might happen.

"Yeah, the living can't wallow in grief forever. We have to recover slowly."

"Finally, you understand. After all, this is what Huainan would have wanted when he saved you. You can't keep being so hard on yourself."

Shen Muyun nodded, watching the sky gradually darken outside. He lay down on the bed without another word, glancing at his phone. The top contact was still Lu Huainan, and his last social media update was on the day of their accident.

"I'm fine. You should go attend to your duties. Weren't you originally from the cardiology department? It must be hard on you to come here now."

"It's not tough, just my tough luck."

Shen Muyun smiled faintly. "Do all doctors complain this much?"

"Not really, just venting a little. There have been a lot of surgeries recently, and I'm exhausted. If you're okay, rest well. Your leg fracture hasn't healed yet, so you need to be careful."

Shen Muyun nodded, watching Qi Beichen leave.

As soon as he was gone, Shen Muyun immediately got up and inspected the balcony ledge. There were no traces, and he even took photos.

The night grew deeper, and the noisy sounds in the hallway gradually faded.

Shen Muyun lay in bed, restless and uneasy.

"System, do you think... is it possible that Lu Huainan is actually just pretending to be dead?"

The system sat by Shen Muyun's bedside. "Well, Host, no offense, but obsessing over this question is pointless. I think you should get out and about more. Besides... there are other tasks. Your points in this world aren't enough yet. Would you like to trade for something that might make you happy?"

Shen Muyun narrowed his eyes and looked at the system. "What kind of thing could make me happy?"

"There are plenty of items in the mall. Don't you need them? After all, as a single person, you need ways to cope, right?"

Shen Muyun swatted at the system. "What goes on in that head of yours every day? Is it all just inappropriate thoughts?"

"Well, that's hard to say, Host. Given you're grieving, I thought of ways to cheer you up."

"What do I have to be happy about? The Shen Corporation is mine now. The tasks you mentioned, I've completed them. I can't leave this world. Isn't this the best outcome? Aren't you happy?"

The system drooped its head and sighed helplessly. "Dear Host Master, you should be happy. After all, as long as you're alive, there's hope. As for other things, just let them go."

"System, do you have a way to bring the dead back to life?"

"No."

"What about some kind of pill?"

"None either. You should rest properly. I need to go to the Time-Space Administration. The mission here is complete. Congratulations, you're the first to complete it."

Shen Muyun lay in bed, ignoring the system's departure. Gone? It seemed like everything was over. He came alone, stayed here alone, and still had no one by his side. As for Lu Huainan, it was like a dream—a dream without an ending.

Gradually, he grew sleepy. The surroundings began to darken. What was happening?

In his dream, he arrived in a dark space, with no light anywhere, not even able to see his own fingers.

He aimlessly took a few steps forward, but there was still only darkness ahead.

"Hey, is anyone here?"

Only an echo answered. Where was this? In a dream? Why was it so dark?

"You're here again. The space of the Main God isn't a place just anyone can enter. It seems your resentment is quite strong."

"Who are you?"

"Who I am isn't important. What matters is, are you truly willing to live in this space?"

Shen Muyun laughed. "What else can I do? In the original world, didn't I already die? Here, I have no family, no friends, and no Lu Huainan. So, what is this supposed to be?"

The male voice in the space fell silent. Shen Muyun jerked awake abruptly. The surroundings were pitch black. Where was that place just now?

He immediately got up and looked outside. The sky was gray, and snow was still falling.

Shen Muyun opened the window and looked down. To his disappointment, there were no footprints. The snow showed no signs of disturbance. Perhaps it was all just a dream, entirely his dream.

Shen Muyun returned to bed and continued sleeping.

The dream persisted.

"How are you back again?"

Shen Muyun curled up in a corner, hugging his knees.

"Why can't I come back? Or are you afraid to see me?"

"I've existed here for a long time. What would I have to fear?"

"Can you tell me where Lu Huainan went?"

"I don't know. Only you can uncover that."

Shen Muyun smiled. "Is that so? So this is the outcome."

He lay down on the floor. The cold sensation jolted him instantly. This space was truly freezing, just like the snowy ground outside.

He didn't want to wake up.

The noise outside was loud, not sure whether it was Qi Beichen and the others, but he was truly exhausted and didn’t want to get up.

"Muyun, wake up, what’s wrong? Weren’t you just fine yesterday?"

"Dr. Qi, you must save him, my brother..."

It was Lu Luozhi’s voice. Shen Muyun had no desire to wake up at all; he just wanted to stay in this empty space, to remain there, forever.

But still, out of instinct, he opened his eyes.

"Muyun, what’s wrong? You were trembling just now, and the monitor showed your vital signs were all over the place."

Shen Muyun shook his head, "I’m fine, just had a bad dream. I didn’t want to wake up, but hearing you speak, I still woke up."

Qi Beichen pursed his lips, "Muyun, live well—that’s what Lu Huainan would have wanted."

Shen Muyun immediately buried his head. That name was like a curse—he didn’t want to hear it. Hearing it made his heart ache, a deep, unbearable ache.

"Don’t worry, everything will get better."

Shen Muyun continued to wrap himself in the blanket, not wanting to expose his sorrow or let others see his pain. Was it pain? He didn’t even know what this strange feeling was.

By the time he was discharged from the hospital, the sun was shining brightly, and everything was white and bright, as if nothing had ever happened.

Shen Muyun walked along the main road.

The headlines were all about the new head of the Lu family, Lu Luozhi. That little girl had grown up—how wonderful. But in this world, Lu Huainan might just be a memory now.

He continued walking and saw a jewelry store nearby. That stone, the useless stone—would it appear at an auction again? Who knows what unlucky person would end up with it? It was said this stone could save people in times of danger, but did it really?

The resort at Baitou Village had been completed while he was hospitalized. Nice. So it was that simple after all. He thought he’d have to wait, wait for a long time.

Headlines on his phone, in the papers—all of them praised the benefits of this project.

Shen Muyun arrived at the entrance of the Shen Corporation. The placard had been updated to his specifications. How nice, truly wonderful. The world he had wanted had finally been achieved.

He walked through the door and looked around. He had only been in this world for a little over half a year, yet everything still felt new. He hadn’t really gotten to know anyone, and he couldn’t take anyone with him.

"CEO Shen, you’re here. About this project..."

Shen Muyun listened to Secretary Chen’s report and felt a headache coming on. He shouldn’t have come back to work so early—it was really annoying.

"That’s pretty much it, CEO Shen. If there’s anything else you need from us, feel free to let us know anytime."

Secretary Chen stepped out.

Shen Muyun flipped through a few pages of the documents. Everything was already detailed clearly, with nothing to question.

He heard movement at the door. "Please come in."

Without looking up, he continued reading the document in his hand.

"Back again? Is there something else to report?"

Shen Muyun waited for a response but received none. He looked up, and in an instant, his eyes welled up with tears.

"You’re back."

Lu Huainan took a few steps forward, grabbing Shen Muyun’s collar. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I came too late. I..."

Shen Muyun’s tears fell like a broken string of pearls, unstoppable.

"Don’t be afraid, Brother Yun. I’m here. I won’t leave again."

Shen Muyun gently stroked his hair. "Tell me, where did you go? Why did you do this?"

Lu Huainan pulled Shen Muyun into his arms, holding him tightly, afraid he might disappear in an instant.

"I was just investigating the recent case, confirming... that Shen Liuyun is indeed dead. He’s really gone, for sure. We can be together now. That’s why I came back. I was afraid—afraid you wouldn’t love me anymore, afraid the things we’ve been through would leave a shadow over you. I was afraid of everything."

Shen Muyun nestled into his embrace. "Don’t be afraid. It won’t happen. Everything is better now."

"Ding dong! Host, you have achieved the perfect ending. You may make one wish. After all, you can’t return."

"I want to see who that person from the Time-Space Administration really is."

In an instant, everything shifted, but the person beside him remained unchanged. Shen Muyun was startled but held his waist tightly.

"I should have known earlier."

Lu Huainan chuckled softly. "I traded my memories and my entire fortune for this reunion with you. Are you happy? It’s me."

Shen Muyun thumped Lu Huainan’s chest. "If I had known it was you, I wouldn’t have struggled so hard. It wore me out."

"Really? I think we both fought for this. Thankfully, we didn’t miss each other."

Lu Huainan pinched the tip of Shen Muyun’s ear. "When did you start suspecting me?"

"It was simple. You were acting strange. I knew at the auction. So, from now on, no more secrets from me."

"It’s just this one thing I kept from you. Don’t be angry. From now on, you call the shots at home."

Shen Muyun nestled in Lu Huainan’s arms. "I’m just glad it’s you in the end."