After Teasing the Crazy Mermaid, He Actually Deceived Me into Marriage - Chapter 24

Si Tang’s face flickered with confusion, as if she hadn’t quite caught the sudden shift in topic.

Fan Yi calmly relayed the contents of the Fate Scroll to her, his lowered lashes concealing the subtle complexity in his expression.

“So, Tangtang, your fate will officially begin three years from now. You will lose everything, all to serve as a foil for someone else’s glorious life. And your death will pave the way for the Si family’s decline and change of name.”

Si Tang froze, still reeling from the revelation that she was destined to die at the age of 31.

Who would have thought that the protagonist of the so-called “terrible script” she once spoke of would turn out to be herself?

Whether life was smooth sailing or turbulent, it was all a setting penned by the Goddess of Fate. How laughable.

Her gaze settled on Fan Yi, as if weighing the truth in his words.

Seeing her doubt, Fan Yi felt an inexplicable frustration, an unfamiliar emotion that left him both puzzled and displeased.

His snow-white lashes trembled like butterfly wings, adding to his air of innocence. He spoke softly, “I swear in the name of the Sea God.”

Si Tang lowered her head, feeling a momentary pang of guilt for her suspicion.

She knew Fan Yi wasn’t lying to her, but she also knew he was merely trying every means to keep her by his side.

Perhaps, over the millennia, gods had grown too lonely, never having known friendship. They didn’t know how to interact normally.

Having tasted the warmth of companionship, he couldn’t bear to let her go.

No matter what, Si Tang dared not entertain any other interpretation.

“But if I don’t leave this place, won’t the Si family decline even faster in three years?”

Staying here would only allow her to survive in a pitiful state. The main trajectory of fate would remain unchanged for instance, her half-sister would ultimately seize power, and the Si family would fall and change its name.

“That’s correct,” Fan Yi replied, then sighed softly. “Don’t leave, alright? Tangtang, only by staying by my side can I protect you.”

Si Tang fell silent for a moment. “Then it’s all the more reason for me to return.”

At her words, Fan Yi’s brow furrowed abruptly, a flash of coldness flickering in his eyes. “Why?”

“Because there are things more important to me than life itself. The Si family was my mother’s life’s work. I cannot let it fall into someone else’s hands. If I don’t accomplish this, I won’t rest in peace.”

Rarely had Si Tang shown such resolute determination. Her gaze, fixed on Fan Yi, was filled with the courage of one staking everything on a single throw.

She also wanted him to understand just how important this matter was to her.

In the eyes of a god, everything in the human world was illusory and insignificant. He couldn’t comprehend why the decline of a family held such importance.

Was survival not more critical than the fate of a family?

Fan Yi’s expression grew even darker. A silent, oppressive aura enveloped the space between them, yet Si Tang, pale as she was, remained unwavering a fact that left Fan Yi deeply frustrated.

“Don’t be foolish, Tangtang. Returning won’t change the outcome, and you won’t escape death. By my side, I can ensure you live out your life in peace.”

To a god, a human lifespan of a mere hundred years was already fleeting. Why go to such lengths, like a moth flying into the flame?

Si Tang stared at him, the moonlight catching in her dark eyes, shimmering with a brilliant light. Slowly, she began to speak.

“But you’ve told me all this. If I go against the grain, won’t I be able to avoid the path fate has set?”

Destiny she would rewrite it herself.

Fan Yi gazed at her for a long time.

His Tangtang was truly, so clever and brave it made him want to praise her, yet so stubborn it infuriated him.

An inescapable gloom lingered in the god’s brow.

His gaze held a hint of light mockery, as if laughing at her naivety. “Tangtang, you underestimate the power of fate to set things right. At the very least, it’s not something mortals can easily overturn.”

Si Tang fell silent, her determined eyes gradually dimming as she lowered her head and bit her lip tightly.

“So,” she murmured softly, still looking down, “can you tell me more details, Fan Yi?”

For instance, who was the fiancé she would fall in love with at first sight? How would she be falsely accused of plagiarism? What would she suffer before succumbing to illness?

Fan Yi’s eyes were shadowed with a brewing storm of suppressed emotions.

Why was she still so determined to leave?

Seeing Fan Yi remain silent, Si Tang’s voice grew even softer, tinged with anxiety and helplessness.

“Considering we are.”

As she spoke, she inexplicably felt a pang of sorrow, and the words that followed seemed too difficult to voice.

What right did he have to tell her more? Interfering with her fate was already against the rules. Aside from not understanding how friends should interact normally, he had treated her well enough.

She trailed off, and Fan Yi finished her sentence for her.

“We are friends. But if we’re friends, why do you want to leave? Have I not been good to you?” His voice was hoarse, and his azure eyes, obscured by shadows, made his emotions hard to decipher.

Si Tang was momentarily speechless. A chill crept over her, and she sighed softly before turning her back to him.

Moonlight enveloped the girl like woven mist, and she seemed as if she might dissolve into the moonlight, eager to escape his grasp.

Just as Fan Yi thought she wouldn’t answer, she whispered to him, “Even if we’re friends. you can’t interfere with each other’s lives.”

Hearing this, a flash of ferocity crossed Fan Yi’s eyes. He abruptly grabbed Si Tang’s wrist and tightened his arm around her. Startled, she was forced to collide against his chest.

Fan Yi held her waist firmly, as if determined to trap her in his grasp forever.

Si Tang looked up and met his deep, vortex-like eyes, where dark cracks seemed to hint at something struggling to break free.

“If friends can’t, then what about something else?”

Si Tang froze, her face filled with confusion.

Something else? What did he mean?

Si Tang would never have guessed what Fan Yi was truly scheming. She assumed his intense possessiveness was simply because he didn’t understand how friends should behave.

Under the moonlight, the two remained silent for a long while.

Si Tang inexplicably felt that something had spiraled beyond her understanding and control. Her uncertain, wary gaze scanned his face.

Seeing her seemingly frightened, Fan Yi closed his eyes briefly and slowly released her, a shadow of determination flickering in his gaze.

He then looked down at her and said, word by word, “I won’t let you leave, Tangtang. I can’t allow you to die.”

If she were to die, his Tangtang could only die by his side. She had to stay with him, always.

A god’s promise carried the weight of a thousand pounds.

Si Tang’s heart stirred faintly.

Fan Yi gave her one last deep look before turning and leaving. A flash of white light passed, and Fan Yi was gone.

That final glance was so complex and profound that Si Tang couldn’t decipher it, nor could she forget it.

Still in a daze, Si Tang noticed the white barrier before her gradually fading away,Fan Yi had removed the barrier as he left.

Listening carefully, the strange rustling sounds around her had also fallen silent. Under the moonlight, only the wind could be heard, and the shadows of trees rustled softly.

Si Tang understood that it was Fan Yi who had cleared all the dangers from the entire island.

Leaning lightly on the swing, Si Tang’s almond-shaped eyes were filled with daze and complexity.