When the Villain Falls Madly in Love with Me - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Story Restarts Again

Time eventually came to an end.

This time, Jiang Congyue’s departure was not sudden; it was more like the slow and inevitable falling of an autumn leaf.

She began to sleep more, often falling asleep leaning against Jiang Le’s shoulder in the warm afternoon sun, her breathing light and her face serene.

Jiang Le would remain perfectly still, allowing Jiang Congyue to rest, her eyes tracing her sleeping face with greedy affection. Even with mental preparation, the silent dread still plucked the tightly strung chord in her heart.

It’s still too short…

For the countless time, Jiang Congyue unexpectedly had a nosebleed. With a tremor that was barely noticeable, Jiang Le stubbornly and carefully wiped the blood away and stopped the bleeding.

She was about to call the private doctor but Jiang Congyue gripped her busy hand. “It’s no use, Lele. Time is almost up.”

Jiang Le immediately interrupted, hugging her as if to melt her into her own bones and blood, trying to resist the irreversible current.

Jiang Congyue smiled, letting her fuss, her eyes filled with an unspeakable tenderness and attachment. She lifted a hand to brush back Jiang Le’s drooping hair, but suddenly froze. “How old are you? How can you have so many white hairs?” She finished, her nose stinging, her eyes instantly moistening.

The price of her happiness was Jiang Le’s endless torment and her fearful, constant grip on her hand.

It turned out that coming back again didn’t save Jiang Le, but herself. It only extended the pain, exchanging it for years of self-deceiving sweetness.

Jiang Congyue gave a bitter smile. She was starting to regret it. Was this really right? Was it fair?

Noticing she had been discovered, Jiang Le curled her fingers, subtly moving her hand away, trying to pluck the hair, but Jiang Congyue swiftly blocked her.

“Don’t pull it, don’t pull it. Oh, people say if you pull one, you’ll get punished with ten?” Jiang Congyue said with a grin, cupping her face.

Jiang Le smiled back. “You’re right. Then I won’t pull it. It’s quite fashionable, like highlights.”

It turned out that light-hearted, loving teasing could come so easily.

This indeed amused Jiang Congyue. She rubbed her head again. “You’re just too stressed usually. Don’t push yourself so hard. Don’t you still have me?”

“Alright, alright, then I’ll entrust it to the great CEO Jiang.” Jiang Le leaned tiredly against her shoulder, speaking weakly.

They quietly inhaled each other’s already mingled scent.

The passage of time was slow and continuous.

Sometime, Jiang Congyue started to feel increasingly weak. Her eyes, once as clear as a spring, would sometimes be clouded by a faint haze, taking longer to focus.

But when she was in good spirits, she would crouch in the garden, tending to the flowers and plants, enjoying the comforting warmth of the autumn sun on her.

Jiang Le handed all her work to Lin Yuan, staying by her side constantly. All her attention was focused on the light source that was slowly fading before her eyes. When did she suddenly become so young again?

She woke up countless times in the night, just to confirm the shallow breathing of the person beside her was still there.

As winter approached, Jiang Congyue rarely left the bed. She was severely thin, bundled tightly in a soft woolen blanket with a large flower pattern, making Jiang Le look like a delicate butterfly perched on it.

On this day, Jiang Le rushed back from outside, clapping the dust from her hands. “It looks like it’s going to rain heavily outside. I specially brought in all your favorite flowers.”

Jiang Congyue didn’t reply immediately, instead fixing her gaze on the terribly gloomy weather outside the window. After a while, she turned back, smiling faintly. “Oh, my Lele is so wonderful. Thank you.”

With her slightly pale and youthful face, this old-fashioned comment was somewhat amusing.

But Jiang Le felt no awkwardness. She washed her hands, sat on the bed, and took Jiang Congyue’s slightly cold hand. “It’s getting colder lately. Hurry and put your hand back under the blanket.”

But Jiang Congyue stubbornly held her hand, refusing to let go. She tried to say something, but tears abruptly and without warning streamed from her eyes.

She struggled to speak through a sob. “Lele…”

Jiang Le’s other hand clenched tightly, as if to embed her fingernails into her palm, yet her face maintained that overly compliant smile. “I’m here. What do you want?”

“I… I’m so useless…” Jiang Congyue seemed to be enduring immense pain, uttering each word through gritted teeth.

Jiang Le brought her hand to her cheek, smiling as she comforted her. “Don’t say such discouraging things. You’re the best. No one is better than you.”

“I spent… ha…” She seemed choked, unable to speak, tears streaming down relentlessly.

“Don’t say it, please don’t say it…” Jiang Le couldn’t keep up the pretense anymore. Her smile froze, and her eyes gradually reddened.

Overwhelming fear descended, crushing Jiang Le. She whispered harshly, “Don’t say anything more. Please…”

Jiang Congyue shook her head, her pale face regaining some color from the pain. “Ten years… every time, I… I used ten years, Lele… don’t blame me… alright? I was too selfish. I wanted you to continue, not to regret…”

She still couldn’t end it like this. She wouldn’t regret it anymore.

“Next time… it’s your turn. You have to come find me early.” Jiang Congyue’s hand suddenly gripped Jiang Le’s tightly, with surprising strength. Her eyes fixed on Jiang Le, filled with an undiluted attachment, love, and an almost frantic plea.

“Okay…”

Hearing this promise, Jiang Congyue let out a relieved, soft laugh. She raised her hand to stroke Jiang Le’s head, saying gently, “Call my name one last time, as a final farewell.”

Jiang Le bit her teeth together, shaking her head desperately, refusing to utter the name, letting out a painful moan instead.

But Jiang Congyue’s tender gaze rested on her face, making Jiang Le involuntarily let slip, “Jiang Congyue…”

As those three words left her mouth, Jiang Congyue’s smile broadened. Then, her hand suddenly slackened, falling softly. Her gentle eyes slowly closed, the last trace of vitality extinguished like a candle flame blown out by the wind, completely gone.

The terribly gloomy sky outside the window, at that very moment, let out a deafening boom—

“Boom—”

Thunder exploded, as if the sky had been torn open. Pale lightning instantly ripped through the gloomy curtain, illuminating everything in the room in stark detail, and lighting up Jiang Congyue’s serene but now lifeless face.

Following that, torrential rain poured down with overwhelming force. Dense raindrops violently hammered the glass window, creating a deafening racket, like a furious symphony composed of countless wails and cries.

Jiang Le was frozen in place.

It seemed as if all sounds in the world instantly receded, but the deafening rain and thunder were magnified infinitely, violently assaulting her eardrums.

And at this moment, a cold electronic alert abruptly pierced Jiang Le’s ears.

【Ding-dong—】

【Congratulations to “Unknown” Player for achieving the hidden achievement, successfully completing the hidden ending—Six Hundred and Fifty Times, the Unspeakable Name.】

【Warning! Warning! System encountering an unidentified error…】

Six hundred and fifty times…

The unspeakable name.

Each word was like a heavy hammer, striking Jiang Le’s heart. She suddenly looked up, her scattered gaze struggling to focus, vaguely sweeping across the empty room.

The person beside her had simply vanished. Jiang Le’s heart pounded violently. Gone… gone…

She frantically and tremblingly flipped through the blanket.

Could everything be an illusion? Had that person never returned? Everything about resurrection, about being the same person, was all just a delusion from her madness!

Jiang Le searched, her eyes red, finally touching warm, soft skin. Her heart trembled.

With a shaky hand, fearful yet longing, she slowly pulled back the blanket. An extremely tiny infant was curled up peacefully, gently sucking her fingers.

“This is…”

Jiang Le’s pupils contracted. She reached out and desperately hugged the sleeping child, tears falling heavily onto her hand.

But then, she realized the infant…

She wasn’t breathing.

Jiang Le stared blankly, moving the child away, and checked several times. Truly, no breathing.

【Hello, Player…】

Before the system in her mind could finish, Jiang Le’s eyes were bloodshot, and she spoke with a calm but insistent tone. “How do I bring her back to life?”

【Hello, Player. This character is the game’s capture target. She can be revived once the mission storyline is restarted.】

“How do I restart?”

【The character’s rebirth location: the orphanage.】

Jiang Le tightened her embrace. The orphanage. She looked down at the child in her arms. Send her to the orphanage?

She didn’t want to…

“Is there any other way?”

【In this world, everything related to the capture target’s life can only be infinitely approximated in a recurrence. If there are major changes, everything will be irreversible.】

Irreversible.

That’s right. If she had a choice, she absolutely wouldn’t have appeared in such a remote place to suffer.

Jiang Le took a deep breath. She had to bargain for something based on the original structure. “What does six hundred and fifty times mean?”

【It is the number of times the character’s name appeared in the original work. If the count runs out, a restart will be immediately triggered.】

Jiang Le’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately understood the source of her name. She lowered her head and gently pressed her forehead against the child’s delicate forehead.

【Warning! Warning! Player’s remaining time is in violation. Forceful offline is imminent…】

【Beep—beep—beep—】

【Unknown Command—】

A series of sounds exploded in her ears. Jiang Le frowned in discomfort. After a long while, the noise slowly subsided.

【The unknown player’s life is exhausted. Do you wish to exchange completed system missions for life value?】

Jiang Le gave a faint sneer. This system voice was clearly different from the previous idiotic one; it sounded like a real person. “What happens if I refuse?”

【Immediate erasure.】

Jiang Le narrowed her eyes slightly. “What mission?”

【Re-enact the character’s original plot.】

The original plot, was it her original life?

“How much time do I get in exchange?”

【Completing one cycle exchanges for 10 years of inverse life value.】

Ten years, inverse life. Jiang Le’s heart clenched. So this was the reason? “How do I do the mission?”

【The system will detach the player’s soul and transfer it to the mission world.】

“What will happen to my current body?” Jiang Le continued to ask.

【The system will automatically maintain the player’s body, and the time flow in the mission world is different from this world. However, the player’s body will also age over time. Therefore, the faster the player completes the mission, the sooner they can return to this world and gain inverse life value.】

Jiang Le nodded slightly, finding it reasonable. She looked up and said, “I just completed a hidden mission. According to the game rules, I should receive a reward, right?”

The other end seemed silent for a few seconds. 【Yes.】

Then, a light screen appeared in front of Jiang Le with a list of reward options. She bypassed various beauty enhancements, luck boosts, wealth boosts… finally settling her gaze on the unique “Telepathy.”

She smiled with relief and chose it without hesitation. As the system prepared to apply it to her, she stopped it. “I want it applied to her.”

The system was silent for a moment again. 【The system is temporarily unable…】

“Then I won’t do it. It’s just death anyway. I don’t care,” Jiang Le pulled at the corner of her mouth, smiling indifferently.

【I will report to the main system to arrange it for her. Is there anything else you wish to inquire about?】

Having received this promise, Jiang Le ignored it, turned, and reached for the nightstand, feeling for the slightly faded bag.

She took out the item, chuckling as she rubbed it, then tapped the child’s delicate nose in her arms. “No wonder you said it would definitely be the same. You weren’t just coaxing me.”

Jiang Le tucked the longevity lock into the swaddling clothes and then gently kissed her cheek, smiling with tears in her eyes. “Only six hundred and fifty times is not enough. You have to be a good girl and wait for me.”

“From now on, you’ll be called Jiang Le.”

Under the system’s urgent prompts, Jiang Le could only watch as the child in the swaddling clothes vanished before her eyes, her heart twisting in pain.

She would be quick. She would return to her quickly.

Using the few remaining days of her life, she entrusted the majority of her assets to Lin Yuan.

“CEO Jiang, what is this?” Lin Yuan looked at the thick stack of documents on the table, puzzled.

“Use all of it for charity,” Jiang Le’s voice was very soft. “Establish a foundation. All profits under my name are to be donated specifically to the orphanage.”

“Living expenses, education, medical care… don’t leave anything out.”

Lin Yuan looked at her in shock. “But, CEO Jiang, the investment and the return might…”

“I don’t need a return,” Jiang Le interrupted her, her eyes filled with an almost obsessive tenderness and determination. “I only want them all to grow up safe and sound.”

For her, Jiang Le could learn to be a great philanthropist. After all, there was someone who always wanted to pull her back onto the right path, wasn’t there?

After Lin Yuan left, Jiang Le leaned back slightly, gazing blankly out the window.

【Preparation complete. Player transferring to the mission world…】

Jiang Le felt something trying to break out of her body. Finally, she jolted, her soul actually detaching from her body and floating in mid-air like a wisp of smoke.

She slowly closed her eyes in weariness, her consciousness gradually withdrawing. She seemed to see her younger, silent self from years ago again.

【Countdown, 3… 2…】

Suddenly, a snowflake drifted through her soul. She shouldn’t have felt the cold, but it felt as if it had truly landed in her palm.

Jiang Le, it’s snowing.

【1…】

A new beginning, everything renewed.

The story restarts again.

The End.