Chapter 253: Waking from a Dream (Bonus Interlude)

Chapter 253: Awakening from the Dream (Interlude Side Story)

This was already taking half his life away; if everyone showed up, would he even survive?

Sure enough, when he came around, the grown-up Qin Li appeared before him.

But clearly, the older Qin Li was much gentler than the two predecessors.

After all, this was the only timeline where Lin Huaiqing didn't fake his death, but actually chose to grow old with him.

Qin Li's eyes brimmed with deep affection as he carefully untied the vines wrapped around him, his voice impossibly gentle:

"Master... this servant will serve you for life. We're fated to be tangled together forever."

"Qin Li..."

It was only then that Lin Huaiqing felt even more grateful that he hadn't faked his death, and that Qin Li didn't hold as much resentment.

He was also the gentlest of the bunch.

But even so, Lin Huaiqing could feel himself weakening. His five senses were slowly fading, until he showed up.

Qin Li obediently stood against the wall, shooting a contemptuous look at Qin Du and Qin Fan.

Like he was deliberately showing off.

But soon, none of that mattered.

The real resentful husband had arrived.

Qin Hanyue made a stunning entrance in an exquisite, ornate ancient Daoist robe, as if radiating a chill.

His already handsome features still held up under his master's fury.

Qin Hanyue sat by Lin Huaiqing's bed, slowly stroking his cheek, his light brown eyes reflecting Lin Huaiqing's almost pale face.

"Your Majesty looks so pathetic like this."

"Qin..." Lin Huaiqing could only force out half a syllable, the rest coming out as unintelligible sounds.

"Your Majesty was a hardworking ruler who loved his people and gave everything—how did you end up like this?"

Qin Hanyue had always loved killing with words. But no matter how he got back at Lin Huaiqing, it could never make up for the pain Lin Huaiqing put him through.

"If Your Majesty wanted to help me become immortal, did you ever ask if I even wanted that?! Everything now is exactly what you deserve!"

When Qin Hanyue turned vicious, his whole immortal, otherworldly vibe vanished. He seemed like nothing but a machine hell-bent on revenge.

After that, Lin Huaiqing couldn't stay conscious anymore. The voices around him were a mess, countless voices swirling in his head.

"Master, why did you leave me?"

"Huaiqing, why didn't you wait for me?"

"Master, wasn't messing with me enough? Why did you have to mess with others?"

"Your Majesty, did you ever ask me what I actually wanted?"

"Ahhhh! Stop arguing!" Lin Huaiqing shouted at the top of his lungs, only to find himself lying in his dorm bed.

Sweat had soaked his pajamas, and even his pillow was drenched.

This... was a dream?

If so, it was way too realistic.

Breaking out in a cold sweat was the least of his worries—the sore, tingly feeling of being tied up by vines hadn't fully gone away.

Terrifying... absolutely terrifying. This was hands down the scariest nightmare he'd ever had.

Compared to this, even a love battlefield was nothing.

The nightmare left him dazed, vaguely remembering that in the dream, all four of them took turns grilling him, asking why he loved someone else.

That "someone else" apparently included a Qin Song, on top of them.

What did he ever do to the Qin family? It was like he'd walked into a nest of Qins.

One, two, three, four of them, all demanding he take responsibility.

He was just one guy—how was he supposed to be responsible for all of them?

Don't call him a player; blame the system for setting him up with so many forced pairings.

Before he started this job, he was a proper straight guy. Now he had all these work-related injuries and no one to take it out on.

Because of that vivid dream, Lin Huaiqing was drained in the morning. Even though it was just a print ad, he shot it over and over without being satisfied.

In the past, he would've been chewed out mercilessly, or even replaced.

But this time, whether they'd heard some rumors or not, everyone was incredibly nice to him, making him feel all warm and fuzzy.

After a full shoot lasting several hours, he didn't even feel tired.

The moment he took a break, the assistant Sister Li had assigned him came rushing over with water and snacks, treating him like royalty.

"By the way, what was your name again?" Lin Huaiqing tended to get forgetful when he was busy.

The kid looked barely over twenty, wore black glasses, and seemed a bit spacey.

But at least he was obedient and kind of cute, reminding Lin Huaiqing of Xu Yizhi, the system's customer service rep.

They were cut from the same cloth.

"Teacher Lin, just call me Xixi. Sister Li said I should stick with you from now on, handling your daily needs. How about you add me?"

Lin Huaiqing didn't want an assistant in the first place. He was used to going solo—before he got famous, he did gigs alone.

Sometimes he even covered his own travel expenses.

Now that he had a bit of fame, they assigned him an assistant, which made him feel like he was losing touch with his roots.

"Since Sister Li set it up, you can follow me for now. Of course, I can't teach you much—just be yourself, no need to call me 'teacher'."

"Okay, Teacher Lin!"

"Ah! No, Brother Lin—is that okay?"

"And drop the 'sir' too."

"Okay, okay, Brother Lin."

Lin Huaiqing had a bit of a headache, with a new little tagalong in tow.

But when he finished filming the ad and stepped out, he finally realized why having this little tagalong was useful.

Someone had leaked his schedule, and the moment he stepped out of the studio, a crowd of fans and tabloid reporters was waiting outside.

He initially thought these fans were there for other celebrities, but just as he was about to call a ride via a ride-hailing app, he was surrounded by the group.

"Mr. Lin, could we have a quick interview? What's your relationship with Mr. Qin Song, the CEO of Aurora Company? Can you give us a straight answer?"

"Mr. Lin, are you and Mr. Qin already together? Why did Mr. Qin choose to declare his feelings on the show? Was it on purpose or by accident?"

For the first time, Lin Huaiqing felt what it was like to have microphones shoved in his face.

"You'd have to ask him about that, wouldn't you?" Lin Huaiqing said, clearly annoyed.

"So, Mr. Lin, are you and Mr. Qin deliberately stirring up publicity? Does Mr. Qin's Weibo post last night confirm that you two are in a relationship?"

Lin Huaiqing was bombarded with questions, his head spinning, but he couldn't break free.

Fortunately, at that moment, his little assistant Xixi rushed over. Despite being about the same size as him, the kid had surprising strength.

He pushed through the crowd and put himself between Lin Huaiqing and the reporters.

"Sorry! We won't answer any questions. Please move aside! Let us through! Excuse us! Sorry! No comment..."

Thanks to Xixi's help, Lin Huaiqing made it safely into the car and breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd been put on the spot just now, but luckily Xixi showed up just in time to save his skin.

Those tabloid reporters were absolutely terrifying.