If The Persona Is Wrong, Everything Else Is In Vain - Chapter 24

Due to the heavy itinerary of the complete Youshan Cavern tour, the modified punishment mission, the Night Exploration of Youshan Cavern, only required hitting the outermost three check-ins to save time.

These spots were. Yiyan Spring, the Natural Monkey Shaped Stalactite, and finally, the “Glacier Peak”, where they would retrieve the “Skill Cards” prepared by the program team for the next day’s activities.

Therefore, while it was framed as a punishment on the surface, it was secretly more of a disguised reward.

Judging by the frequency of punishments over the past few days, any discerning eye could tell at a glance exactly who this content was designed to appease.

However, they hadn’t anticipated Zhou Wan’s unexpected intrusion cutting them off at the pass, causing Gu Ning, who had been complaining for days, to miss out on the only time the program team decided to “act human.”

Under the escort of Ming Songqin’s absolute sense of direction and his one to one map replication skills, the group quickly located Yiyan Spring. Along the way, various colored lights patrolled back and forth, making the cavern feel eerie, mysterious, yet brilliantly colorful.

All sorts of natural stalactites hung upside down from the cavern ceiling. The moisture in the air condensed here, dripping down drop by drop. The rhythmic pitter-patter echoed throughout the cave, which didn’t sound noisy at all, instead, it felt quite pleasant to the ear.

Once they reached the Natural Monkey Shaped Stalactite marker, the final spot, “Glacier Peak,” was much easier to find.

While the first two spots required finding a tiny point within countless twists and turns, the final spot called “Glacier Peak” was a massive boulder hill formed over countless years by fractured stalactites.

The target was naturally huge and visible at a glance. The route on the map no longer had twists, turns, or forks; it was a straight walk followed by a single turn.

After a full half-hour of “strolling,” the anxiety and fear deep within Lin Luo’s heart eased slightly, and his heart rate returned to a normal range.

“Go straight to the end, about two hundred meters, then turn left to reach the last spot,” Ming Songqin said after checking the location of the final point.

He returned the map to Lin Luo’s hands and said with a smile, “You can handle it from here.”

When he had been mindlessly following along earlier, his mind had felt relatively at peace. But now, holding the map again, anxiety began to creep back in. Lin Luo looked at him.

Depending on Ming Songqin had indeed become a habit that Lin Luo found hard to break, especially during moments of anxiety like this, when reason couldn’t overcome emotion.

“You’re… not going?”

Ming Songqin looked toward the camera. The cameraman, understanding the cue, quietly shut off the machine.

Ming Songqin raised his hand and patted Lin Luo’s shoulder, smoothing out his slightly wrinkled collar. He said with a gentle smile, “I’m not going. You can do it. I believe in success.”

“But I… forget it,” Lin Luo lowered his head. “Thank you.”

Ming Songqin smiled gratifiedly, gave a greeting to the director, and said, “I’m heading out for a smoke. I’ll wait outside.”

As he turned, his eyes swept over the brightest lantern at the very back of the group. He added, “I’ll take this one with me for now.” With that, he swiped the lantern, weighing it in his hand as if quite satisfied, and walked against the crowd toward the cave entrance.

Supporting Zhou Wan, who had been completely out of it the entire time, Lin Luo really wondered who this punishment was actually for, the whole thing felt completely upside down.

He cursed himself in his mind for bringing this on, but turned around to fake composure in front of the camera. While stealthily and tremblingly walking forward, he put on a smile and recited the lines the director’s team had given him earlier to introduce the scene to the audience.

“Next, the place we are about to enter is called ‘Glacier Peak.’ It was formed after stalactites fractured and…”

By the time he finished speaking, everyone had almost reached the corner. The director gave a look to the cameraman, and the camera angle instantly switched from Lin Luo’s face to the unknown turn ahead.

As the camera zoomed in, the lighting followed. Lin Luo, who was at the very front, swallowed hard. Holding his breath, he stepped forward right at the moment the light focused.

“What are you doing?” Ming Songqin shined the light toward the bushes.

Gu Ning flinched reflexively at the sound. He had originally intended to tuck a stray lock of hair behind the ear of a young man from the program team, who had been entrusted by Lin Luo to bring him some “warmth” and flirt a little to relieve the boredom of the long night.

Unexpectedly, he was scared out of his wits by Ming Songqin’s shout. In a moment of carelessness, he ended up ripping out a few strands of the guy’s hair.

Clutching those few strands of hair, he froze. Looking at the miserable faced young man, he apologized repeatedly, “Sorry, sorry.” As he spoke, he even tried to stick the hair back onto the guy’s head.

The way Gu Ning had been smiling at someone else just now looked uglier and more distorted the more Ming Songqin thought about it, fueling an inexplicable surge of anger in his chest.

He picked Gu Ning up from the ground like a little chick, naturally brushing the dust off him. “Is this what you meant by being afraid of the dark?”

He stepped right between the two of them, glaring maliciously at the eyesore of a young man beside them. “It seems President Gu’s fear of the dark is quite selective.”

Standing between the two, the young man felt trapped out of his depth. A moment ago, he had indeed been flirting with Gu Ning, but he hadn’t expected Gu Ning to already have someone else in his life. The feeling of being caught red-handed made him want to curl his toes in sheer awkwardness.

“What is wrong with you? What does this have to do with you, if I may ask?” Gu Ning shielded the young man, who had received the brunt of the inexplicable glare, behind his back. Tilting his chin up at Ming Songqin, he said, “Mind your own business and stop looking for trouble with me.”

With that, he grabbed the young man to leave, but Ming Songqin intercepted him, scooping him directly over his shoulder. He didn’t forget to turn around and exert pressure on the young man who was contemplating giving chase: “Mind yourself, and don’t go eyeing other people’s things.”

The young man stood frozen in place. After spending a week together, this was the first time he had seen Ming Songqin act so aggressively.

Though Ming Songqin looked fierce, he was usually the most law-abiding among the guests, as long as one did their job properly, there would be no trouble.

Furthermore, as one of the financial backers of the show, Ming Songqin was surprisingly easy to talk to, polite, and courteous to everyone, clearly showing an excellent upbringing.

“Where are you taking me?” Gu Ning was pragmatic, he gave up resisting immediately, slumping over Ming Songqin’s back while quietly picking at a hole in his sweater.

Ming Songqin was brief and concise: “Somewhere bright.”

He hung the brightest lantern around Gu Ning’s neck, while he himself used one hand to support Gu Ning and the other to shine a flashlight along the pathways on both sides.

Gu Ning let out a cold laugh. “Then you might as well just carry me down the mountain. How comfortable would it be to go back and sleep? Why find a place just to feed the mosquitoes? Dynamic as it is, this punishment has nothing to do with either of us anyway.”

Ming Songqin fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing his words. After a long while, he squeezed out a sentence: “It’s against the rules.”

Just as the words left his mouth, he set Gu Ning down. It was the pavilion where they had come to see the camellias on the first day. Lanterns hung from all four corners of the pavilion, and insects swarmed toward the light. Not far away, patrol lights swept through the area. The entire pavilion was enveloped in light, offering a solid sense of security.

Gu Ning tugged hard at the hem of his shirt, smoothing out his crumpled clothes. “You certainly love to follow the rules.”

Once Gu Ning was illuminated by the light again, Ming Songqin’s gaze fixed entirely on the side of Gu Ning’s neck. Gu Ning looked up and happened to lock eyes with him. Feeling a slight itch on his neck, Gu Ning scratched it.

Without a second word, Ming Songqin reached out, but Gu Ning deftly dodged him. “What? Men shouldn’t be so physically close.”

Ming Songqin raised the mosquito repellent in his hand. Firmly grabbing the back of Gu Ning’s neck, he pulled him close and pressed the mosquito repellent directly onto the bug bite on his neck.

As Ming Songqin drew near, his unique scent forcefully broke into Gu Ning’s private space.

A cool sensation traveled from his neck all the way through his limbs, making Gu Ning’s scalp tingle. He quietly averted his gaze, coughed lightly, and haphazardly snatched the repellent to apply it himself. “Fine, fine, I’ll do it myself.”

Ming Songqin took a wet wipe from his pocket to clean the dust off his hands from when he had brushed Gu Ning off earlier. He said, “I have something to ask you.”

“How did you find out about that incident with Xiao Luo…”

Gu Ning raised an eyebrow, looking at him without saying a word, waiting for him to continue.

Ming Songqin paused for a moment before continuing, “He has… a psychological shadow regarding enclosed spaces.”

Gu Ning’s hand holding the mosquito repellent froze along with the words. The icy, mint-flavored repellent suddenly felt scorching hot against the night breeze, burning a massive hole into his heart.

“I am his boss,” he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “I am the person he trusts and relies on the most. Of course he would tell me everything.”

The glowing red tip of the cigarette was brighter than the brilliant stars in the night sky and brighter than the incandescent bulbs overhead. The smoke rose slowly and dissipated softly, its scent lingering for a long time, refusing to clear.

Gu Ning blew a smoke ring directly into Ming Songqin’s face. The smoke gently washed over Ming Songqin’s sharply defined features, a malicious move. Gu Ning narrowed his eyes slightly, saying half-jokingly and half-boastfully, “I even quietly found a psychologist to hypnotize him and cure his claustrophobia.”

“You had it cured?” Hearing this, Ming Songqin’s expression changed dramatically. He knit his brows and demanded, “Do you have any idea what the root cause of his illness actually is?!”

Gu Ning acted entirely nonchalant, provocatively flicking all his cigarette ash onto Ming Songqin’s white sneakers, which were already stained with muddy water. “I don’t need to know. As long as the result is good, that’s all that matters.”

“I really…” Ming Songqin’s fists clenched tightly at his sides, joints cracking. “I originally thought it would be fine for him to stay with you for a while. I figured after I handled that matter, he would come back on his own after making a little fuss…”

“Forget it. I misjudged you.”

Following his words, his fist smashed solidly against an adjacent pillar. Wood chips flew, and beads of blood splattered.

Gu Ning let out a soft snort, his eyes darkening slightly. Forcing his trembling hand under control, he took a final drag of his cigarette and quietly snuffed it out. The breath trapped in his chest felt a hundred times more suffocating than usual. The one sentence he could never say out loud suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to be spoken.

The thought had been suppressed for too long, so long that it escaped his brain’s control.

Lowering his eyes, he asked abruptly, “Our engagement… does it still count?”

Ming Songqin froze. Countless answers and scenes flashed through his mind, but clearly, none of them were a determining factor that could lead to an affirmative answer.

“That was all set by… the elders. Didn’t we already reach a consensus…”

Gu Ning snapped his head up. There weren’t many times in his life where he could say with absolute certainty that his mind was completely clear, but this was one of them.

Falling in love at first sight during the blind date, it had only ever been him.

As a Beta, he originally wouldn’t have had the chance to go on a blind date with Ming Songqin. However, his identical twin Omega sister had run away with someone. His father couldn’t afford to offend the Ming family, so he had no choice but to agree to it first.

It was supposed to be a one time transaction. There were countless people desperate to hitch their wagons to the Ming family, and thousands of beautiful Omegas out there. He never expected the Ming family would actually end up taking a liking to him while he was cross-dressing as a woman.

If it weren’t for Lin Luo’s appearance, Gu Ning would have gone his whole life thinking Ming Songqin simply didn’t like men.

He was just a terrible person… envying Lin Luo on one hand, while being his absolute best friend on the other.

Meeting Ming Songqin’s dodging gaze, Gu Ning once again confirmed an answer he had rehearsed ten thousand times in his heart. Forcing out a smile that looked uglier than crying, he said softly, “Ming Songqin, you’re a bastard.”

The insult came out incredibly calmly, but his bleeding heart was anything but peaceful. His surging, burning blood ran scorching hot, leaving his head entirely blank.

Gu Ning squeezed his eyes tightly to hide the redness at the corners of his eyes and his pathetic tears. He continued, “But I suppose you still have some utility value.”

While Ming Songqin didn’t dare look at him, Gu Ning quietly wiped away the tears that had broken free from restraint. “How about we make a deal?”

“I will take good care of Lin Luo for you, and you help my company grow to a level where it can stand shoulder to shoulder with Qinchao.”

Ming Songqin looked at him, his thoughts unreadable. Before he could speak, Gu Ning spoke up again, “In this life, it’s very hard to find a sweetheart you’re willing to give up everything for.”

“Unlike me, who hasn’t found a single person to give my true heart to yet, leaving me to pitifully play around in the human world.” He lit another cigarette, turning his back to crouch down by the edge of the steps, curling his lips into a smirk. “So, you aren’t losing out.”

Ming Songqin lowered his eyes, crouching down right beside him. He plucked the cigarette from Gu Ning’s mouth and brought it to his own lips. “Even if I didn’t agree, you would still take good care of Lin Luo.”

“Where do you get that confidence? I’m a businessman. I’m driven solely by profit,” Gu Ning sneered.

Tonight, the moonlight was bright and clear, the starry sky was brilliant, and the cool night breeze temporarily washed away the sorrow.

Ming Songqin curled his hand into the shape of a telescope, aiming it at the brightest star in the night sky. He said, “You wouldn’t.”

Gu Ning turned around to face him. “Then do you agree, or do you not agree?”

“Of course,” Ming Songqin raised an eyebrow as well, saying, “But you have to clear something up with me first.”

Gu Ning: “?”

Ming Songqin dropped his hand, locking eyes with him. “Did you actually… help Lin Luo cure his claustrophobia or not?”

Gu Ning pursed his lips. After a moment of silence, he said, “Halfway.”

“I know exactly where the root of his illness comes from. That’s why I only had the psychologist proceed with the treatment after obtaining his consent,” he added.

He glanced at Ming Songqin’s brow, which was furrowed by the intense hit of the strong menthol tobacco, and let out a light snort. “Didn’t expect that, did you?”

Then he spoke up abruptly, “You owe me an apology for this.”

Ming Songqin: “…I’m sorry.”

Hearing this, Gu Ning raised his eyebrows and continued, “His claustrophobia rarely acts up anymore. But this time is different. This time… counts as revisiting an old haunt.”

By the time he finished speaking, the eyes of both men had gradually darkened.