Everyone I Flirted With Says They Won’t Let Me Go (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 9

The sun was already high in the sky, its rays streaming through the floor-to-ceiling window and spilling onto the edge of the bed. Xia Chengxi shielded his eyes with his hand, still groggy with sleep. After a dazed moment that lasted no more than a second, he suddenly jolted awake as if startled from a deathly illness. He sat up abruptly, alert and wary, scanning his surroundings.

The room was decorated in the minimalist style he had always favored—bedding, mattress, desk, and sofa—simple yet distinctive.

Barefoot, Xia Chengxi stepped out of bed, clad in a light, thin nightgown. Pale beige curtains fluttered by the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, he saw rivers, streams, and lakes he had never laid eyes on before. Towering ancient trees, likely centuries old, stretched as far as the eye could see.

This was clearly a villa hidden deep in the mountains.

Xia Chengxi pressed a hand to his forehead, which still ached slightly. His memory was fragmented, and some details stubbornly refused to resurface. Yet, as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings, he began to piece things together. His hand trembled slightly as it rested on the windowsill.

Just as Xia Chengxi awoke, the door opened, and several doctors in white coats entered. They politely ushered him to the sofa. Confused, Xia Chengxi watched as the doctors diligently performed their examinations.

After the check-up, the doctors finally breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions no longer as grim. Without a word, they filed out of the room.

[Little Green Hat, where is this? What happened after I passed out?]

[Congratulations, Host! You’ve finally fallen into Chu Ran’s embrace!]

Damn it… [What’s going on?]

[Well, after you passed out yesterday, Gu Chengxi came to rescue you. But on the way back to the villa, someone planted a smoke bomb in the car. That’s how Chu Ran got you.]

Xia Chengxi’s face turned pale. [What about Gu Chengxi?!]

[He’s fine. Zhao Yi rescued him.]

Zhao Yi, Zhao Yi—it’s always Zhao Yi!

[So, Zhao Yi and Chu Ran teamed up for this?]

The system sounded surprised. [Host, how did you figure that out so quickly?]

Xia Chengxi gritted his teeth in frustration. [That’s how it always goes in novels.]

[…]

Exhausted, Xia Chengxi leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes as he contemplated his next move.

Suddenly, a large hand gently touched his forehead. Xia Chengxi’s eyes snapped open, and he sprang to his feet, staring in panic and alarm at Chu Ran, who stood before him.

Chu Ran seemed entirely unfazed by his startled reaction, even appearing somewhat amused. He walked around the sofa and sat opposite Xia Chengxi, interlacing his fingers as he regarded him calmly. “Are you afraid of me, Xiao Xi? I’m still the same Chu Gege from fifteen years ago. Why would you be scared?”

Xia Chengxi steadied himself and met Chu Ran’s gaze coldly. “Why are you doing this?”

Chu Ran looked pleased. “Doing what? I’m just taking you back from Gu Chengxi. Consider it returning something to its rightful owner.”

“Returning something to its rightful owner!” Xia Chengxi clenched his jaw. “To you, am I just an object?”

Chu Ran sighed. “To me, you are the most precious thing in the world.”

Xia Chengxi let out a cold laugh and strode toward the door. Chu Ran made no move to stop him. But as he reached the doorway, two stern-faced bodyguards blocked his path.

Xia Chengxi turned back. “Chu Ran, don’t make me hate you.”

“Why can’t you face your true feelings? I’ll always remember the first time we met at the orphanage—you stood there crying. And that day at ‘Golden,’ you were so worried about me that you were willing to betray Gu Chengxi…”

This was utterly inexplicable. Xia Chengxi was at a loss for words.

“When did I ever betray Gu Chengxi?”

“When you told me that Gu Chengxi was trying to collaborate with my brother, you had already betrayed him.” Chu Ran approached him, softening his tone. “Xiao Xi, admit it—you still think of me, you still hold expectations for me. It was my fault for leaving without a word fifteen years ago. From now on, I’ll treat you well, as long as you’re willing.”

“I’m not willing! I’ve already said it. Since you weren’t here for these fifteen years, you don’t need to be here for the rest of my life either! I don’t love you, why can’t you understand that?!”

[Damn it, host, are you an idiot? Instead of being gentle and considerate to earn Chu Ran’s sincerity points, you’re here provoking him. Do you want to die, do you want to die, do you want to die?!]

[What do you know? Different people require different approaches. Changing my attitude too quickly would break character, and using his guilt to boost sincerity points isn’t a bad strategy either.]

…That actually sounded reasonable. [You’re good-looking, so whatever you say must be right.]

Chu Ran watched him without speaking, but the silence in his eyes inexplicably stirred anxiety.

“Let me go back.”

“Impossible.”

Xia Chengxi sneered, “Do you really think you can keep me locked up here forever? Even if you want to, Gu Chengxi won’t let you have your way!”

Chu Ran didn’t argue with him, still wearing that faint smile. “Gu Chengxi? Don’t worry. In a few days, he’ll have completely forgotten about you.”

“What do you mean?”

Chu Ran exuded calm confidence. “What I mean is, soon, I’ll be the only one in your world.”

Xia Chengxi vaguely guessed something but couldn’t quite grasp it. “Chu Ran, you’re insane!”

“Be good and stay here these days. Once I’ve settled matters here, I’ll take you abroad—somewhere no one can find you. Alright?”

Xia Chengxi was exhausted, trembling with anger, unwilling to say more. He pointed toward the door. “Get out. I don’t want to see you.”

Chu Ran didn’t press him further. After instructing the bodyguards outside, he left. Xia Chengxi stared out the window, his heart unsettled.

The system spoke earnestly, [Host, since we’re here, we might as well make the best of it. You need sincerity points from both of them anyway. With just over three months left, if you don’t give it your all, you might not survive.]

[I wonder if that little bitch Zhao Yi has climbed into my husband’s bed yet.]

The system: [Here’s my advice—this game of playing hard to get has gone far enough. In a couple of days, soften your attitude. Talk to him about your childhood, about what you’ve been through over the years. Your sincerity points are bound to rise.]

Xia Chengxi grimaced. [I wonder when my husband will find me. First day without my husband, missing him.]

The system: […Just wait to die then.] This is simply unbearable!

Over the next few days, Chu Ran seemed busy and didn’t appear at the villa for quite some time. Xia Chengxi adopted an uncooperative, untreated, deliberately self-destructive attitude, sinking deeper into despondency day by day. When Chu Ran received news that Xia Chengxi had been refusing food for three days, he returned to the villa and first administered a nutrient injection to him.

Xia Chengxi had grown noticeably thinner, almost like a different person, completely devoid of the charisma he’d shown at the birthday banquet. He was silent, withdrawn, his gaze vacant, often staring blankly out the window. Seeing him like this, Chu Ran’s heart suddenly ached. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Xia Chengxi, who was curled up in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Feeling Chu Ran’s embrace, Xia Chengxi trembled all over, wanting to push him away but unable to move an inch.

Xia Chengxi lifted his head from his knees, his eyes bright yet blurred with tears, carrying a pleading tone. “Chu Ran, please let me go. I don’t want to stay here.”

Chu Ran seemed to have heard something laughable. Stroking Xia Chengxi’s head, he spoke in a doting yet mocking tone, teasing his naivety. “Silly, I’ve worked so hard to have you. How could I possibly let you go so easily?”

Xia Chengxi stared blankly at the ceiling. “It’s been fifteen years. Why do you still remember me? If you’ve remembered and liked me all this time, why didn’t you come back for me before?”

Chu Ran didn’t answer. Instead, he bent down, picked Xia Chengxi up, and laid him on the bed. Then, taking off his own coat and shoes, he climbed onto the bed, lying on his side and holding Xia Chengxi tightly in his arms. With an unyielding posture that left no room for resistance, he said in a low voice, “Not coming back then was my fault. For the past fifteen years, I’ve exhausted every effort and used every trick to return to your side. I can endure anything, but I can’t bear you treating me so coldly.”

Xia Chengxi frowned slightly and remained silent for a long time. Chu Ran said nothing either, as if admitting defeat. Covering Xia Chengxi’s eyes with one hand, he said wearily, “Sleep. Get some good rest.”

Xia Chengxi lay stiffly, not daring to move. How could he possibly fall asleep under such circumstances?

As if reading his mind, Chu Ran said, “It’s fine. Go to sleep. I’m tired and won’t do anything to you. Goodnight.”

Xia Chengxi’s heart was filled with unease, but listening to Chu Ran’s soft, steady breathing, he eventually succumbed to the exhaustion of the past few days and fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Xia Chengxi was awakened by the sound of running water. Still dazed, he propped himself up on his elbows and rubbed his eyes. Through the haze, he seemed to see someone walking naked into the bathroom in the room. Instinctively, Xia Chengxi called out, “Brother?” The figure paused but did not turn around.

Suddenly, Xia Chengxi jolted awake. He was still at Chu Ran’s place, so the naked person he had just seen wasn’t Gu Chengxi—it was Chu Ran.

But…

Xia Chengxi furrowed his brows. Had he just seen numerous crisscrossing scars on Chu Ran’s back?

Had he been mistaken?

Lost in thought, Chu Ran emerged from the bathroom. Xia Chengxi stared intently—he hadn’t been wrong! Chu Ran’s back, arms, and thighs were covered with gruesome, terrifying scars.

But Chu Ran seemed indifferent to Xia Chengxi’s gaze. He dressed calmly, then sat in the chair by the bed, showing no trace of the vulnerability he had displayed the previous night.

Chu Ran looked at him, a faint, inscrutable smile playing on his lips, sending a chill down Xia Chengxi’s spine.

“Since you’re awake, why don’t we watch a little video together?”

A little video?

A little video?!

A little video!!!

Before Xia Chengxi could process it, Chu Ran picked up the remote, turned on the TV in the room, and firmly grasped Xia Chengxi’s hand, forcing him to watch the screen.

On the TV screen was a pre-recorded video. The high-quality footage was exceptionally clear, even showing the buttons on the clothes of passersby. It was a scene from a street in China, where a young man was smiling contentedly, talking to the man beside him. The man listened patiently, holding him in a doting embrace, the smile on his lips painfully glaring.

Xia Chengxi stared at the man’s face in the video, so doting and indulgent toward the young boy beside him. His complexion suddenly turned pale, his pupils contracted, and his lips parted slightly as if something were stuck in his throat, rendering him speechless. Finally, he understood the meaning of Chu Ran’s earlier words.

—Gu Chengxi? Don’t worry, in a few days, he’ll have forgotten you completely.

—Soon enough, your world will have only me.

The cheerful, laughing young boy on the television screen looked exactly like Xia Chengxi!