Chapter 37 – Liar, it’s all Fake
A little while later, the sound of wind rushing past the cliff was gone, replaced by light snoring and steady breathing.
Great, Gu Wenzhu, you came back with me.
Your acting is top-notch; you even remembered to snore while pretending to be asleep. Not missing any detail that could give you away.
If you were in our original world, you’d have won several Best Actor awards by now.
Xia Yi opened his eyes, his expression dark as he glanced at the figure beside him. Moonlight poured through the window, casting a soft glow on Gu Wenzhu’s face.
His nose was tall and straight, creating a shadow on his cheek, and his eyelashes were long and distinct, resting gently on his eyelids as he slept.
In that moment, a flood of memories rushed into Xia Yi’s mind.
How cautious he had been when he first arrived in this world, trying to adapt to everything, and how Gu Wenzhu had secretly cared for him despite seeming distant.
Carrying him up the mountain, catching fish, gently wiping away his tears, that broad, reliable chest, those clean, pure, and focused eyes…
Could all of it really have been an act?
Gu Wenzhu looked so peaceful, pretending to be in a deep sleep. His face was calm and serene, one hand resting on Xia Yi’s waist, his head nestled in Xia Yi’s neck.
His hair tie had loosened, and a few strands of hair slid down Xia Yi’s neck, tangling with his own hair.
His tall body curled up slightly, as if even in sleep, he couldn’t bear to be apart from Xia Yi.
Xia Yi closed his eyes again, the mention of Wan Lan and Ze Yuan stabbing at his heart, causing an aching pain. His chest heaved with emotion.
Liar. It’s all a lie.
Clenching his teeth, Xia Yi kicked hard at Gu Wenzhu and yelled angrily, “Gu Wenzhu, stop pretending! Get up!”
The soft snoring stopped as Gu Wenzhu opened his eyes, looking confused. He realized he was lying at the edge of the bed, almost falling off.
Rubbing his calf, which was sore from being kicked, he looked at Xia Yi with sleepy confusion, “Xia Yi, what’s wrong?” His voice was still hoarse from just waking up.
Seeing Xia Yi staring at him without a word, Gu Wenzhu reached out, trying to pull him into his arms. “Did you have a nightmare? Don’t worry, Brother Zhu is here to hold you.”
“Cut the act.” Xia Yi’s forehead throbbed with anger as he slapped Gu Wenzhu’s hand away and growled softly, “Tell me, who is Ze Yuan? And who is Wang Lan?”
Gu Wenzhu propped himself up, looking baffled. “Who?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, trying to fool me again.” Xia Yi, feeling both bitter and jealous, lunged at him, pinning Gu Wenzhu to the pillow and grabbing his collar.
“Host, what happened?” came the anxious voice of 179, the system. “I almost followed you over there, but a minor program error kept me stuck. I should be able to join you next time.”
“Gu Wenzhu, he… he’s actually Cang Yi. He’s been lying to me this whole time.” Xia Yi’s voice trembled, and he nearly broke into tears as he heard the system’s voice, like confiding in a best friend. “He has an old lover there, named Ze Yuan, and someone else called Wang Lan.”
“I don’t know what kind of fight Ze Yuan had with him, but it’s probably because Gu Wenzhu is a player, with a whole bunch of others out there, and that’s why Ze Yuan left him.”
In a short time, Xia Yi’s mind had constructed a complete story, filling in the gaps with vivid details until it all felt real.
“Today I found out I’m just the third wheel. No, maybe even the fifth or sixth.”
Xia Yi’s heart was heavy with grief.
179 was stunned, staying silent for a moment before saying, “This is more dramatic than a soap opera. Host, are you sure Gu Wenzhu is Cang Yi?”
“I’m sure. Not only do they look alike, but they also have the same birthmark behind their ears. And don’t cultivators have the ability to change their appearance?”
“Uh…” 179 was at a loss for words.
By now, Gu Wenzhu was fully awake. He looked at Xia Yi’s hand gripping his collar and then gazed up at him, still confused.
“Xia Yi, what’s going on? Let me go first, so I can sit up.”
Xia Yi glared at him for a long moment before finally releasing his grip.
Gu Wenzhu got out of bed, lit an oil lamp, and took a robe from the cabinet to drape over Xia Yi’s shoulders. But Xia Yi yanked it off angrily and threw it aside.
With a sigh, Gu Wenzhu picked the robe up again and draped it over him. “It’s cold at night; be careful not to catch a chill. Whatever’s bothering you, don’t take it out on your health.”
Xia Yi didn’t push the robe away this time, but he stubbornly turned his head, refusing to look at him.
“Alright, now tell me what’s going on,” Gu Wenzhu said, pulling a stool up to sit in front of the bed, his deep black eyes focused intently on Xia Yi.
“Do I really need to tell you? Don’t you already know everything? Still trying to coax me?” Xia Yi’s voice wavered with emotion as he spoke, his nose stinging with the urge to cry. He quickly clamped his mouth shut, his eyes turning red as he stared out the window.
Outside, the world was pitch black, and on the window was a red paper-cut character for “double happiness,” glowing faintly in the lamplight.
It was something Gu Wenzhu had helped him make the night before. They had sat at the table for almost an hour, cutting paper decorations. After practicing on a pile of scrap paper, they finally produced something decent.
Xia Yi felt a sharp pang in his heart and turned his gaze to the right.
On the right side of the room stood a small cabinet, handcrafted by Gu Wenzhu, just like the bed.
He had made it for Xia Yi to store his undergarments—essentially a small wardrobe.
Though simple in design, every corner of the cabinet had been carefully polished, and the surface gleamed with the soft, clean glow of multiple layers of varnish.
Xia Yi felt another wave of heartache.
They had just finished setting up their new home, having gone to the registry office the day before to get their marriage certificate. Was he really going to be waiting at the door for the office to open just to get divorced the next day?
His nose tingled, and tears welled up, blurring his vision.
Not wanting to lose his composure, Xia Yi quickly stopped looking around, lowering his gaze to his hands and burying his face.
He felt lost.
Suddenly, he wondered, did he really know Gu Wenzhu?
And Gu Wenzhu… did he really love him?
“Xia Yi, whatever’s bothering you, you need to tell me. Don’t leave me in the dark like this,” Gu Wenzhu said seriously, frowning as he saw how upset Xia Yi was.
The room fell into silence. Xia Yi said nothing, and only the sound of the candle flickering on the table filled the air.
Gu Wenzhu didn’t push him, patiently waiting, his expression somber.
“I just traveled to the world of cultivation,” Xia Yi said softly, finally breaking the silence. He looked at the candle flame, his lips curving downward.
Gu Wenzhu’s brow twitched slightly, though the fists he had clenched began to loosen a bit.
“And you were there too, pretending not to know me,” Xia Yi’s voice grew more resentful as he continued.
A vein started throbbing on Gu Wenzhu’s temple. He raised his hand, pressing a few fingers to it and massaging gently.
“I know it was you. When you rescued me from the edge of the cliff, I saw the blue birthmark behind your ear,” Xia Yi said, his fists clenching tighter, the knuckles cracking.
Gu Wenzhu took several deep breaths, trying to remain calm.
After a pause, Xia Yi gritted his teeth. “I’m giving you a chance to explain, but you better make it believable.”
“Xia Yi, dreams aren’t real.” Gu Wenzhu sighed, reaching out to gently stroke Xia Yi’s head, trying to soothe him. “How about tomorrow we go see a doctor? Not because you’re sick, but maybe just to get something to calm your nerves, alright? I heard some people get too anxious before their wedding.”
“Who said it was a dream? Who said I was nervous? This is all real,” Xia Yi said, his eyes wide with frustration. “You’re denying the entire cultivation world just to cover up your affair!”
“Xia Yi, I’ve been sleeping the whole time. Whether you had a dream or not, the person you met wasn’t me.” Gu Wenzhu’s expression gradually became serious. “Do you not believe me?”
His eyes were a deep black, and when he focused on someone, they looked pure and sincere. His face was calm and honest.
Xia Yi opened his mouth but didn’t say anything.
“Why do you think it was me?” Gu Wenzhu gently took Xia Yi’s hand into his own. “Hmm?”
“You two look alike, even the birthmark behind your ears is the same.” Xia Yi tried to pull his hand away, but Gu Wenzhu held it even tighter. The warmth of his palm wrapped around Xia Yi’s hand, making his heart tremble, and he stopped trying to pull away.
“Then, next time you travel over there, take me with you, okay? That way, you’ll know if it’s really me or not.” Gu Wenzhu tilted his head thoughtfully, his voice soft and gentle.
He still needed to go into town and find out which doctor had the best calming prescriptions.
“Really? That really wasn’t you?” Xia Yi asked, looking at Gu Wenzhu with a hesitant tone. His eyes started to light up, filled with hope that he himself didn’t even realize.
Gu Wenzhu suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
“Really, that wasn’t me.” Gu Wenzhu stood up from the stool and sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to gently stroke Xia Yi’s head.
Xia Yi said nothing, just stared at him. Under his straightforward gaze, a wave of guilt slowly rose within Xia Yi.
Finally, Xia Yi quickly looked away, saying in a flustered voice, “Fine, I’ll believe you this time.”
“Host, didn’t you just say that Cang Yi was definitely him? Now, Gu Wenzhu just says a few words, doesn’t even provide any proof, and you choose to forgive him?” 179’s doubtful voice sounded.
“I know Brother Zhu better than you do. I was just too angry earlier, so I didn’t think it through calmly. Now that I’ve thought about it, I realize I was too impulsive. Brother Zhu isn’t that kind of person,” Xia Yi quietly explained to 179.
“I see, you’re the type who complains to your best friend about your husband cheating, your friend stands with you in outrage, thinking of ways to help, and then you turn around and let your husband smooth things over with a few words, only to end up blaming your friend instead,” 179 huffed.
Xia Yi lowered his head, fiddling with his fingers.
“179, maybe I was a bit rash this time, but I’ve already experienced something as bizarre as transmigrating into a book, and now I have you in my mind. So, it’s not impossible for there to be two people with the same birthmark in different worlds, right?” Xia Yi softly reassured the system, though it seemed more like he was comforting himself.
“Next time I travel over, I’ll carefully investigate. Besides, didn’t you say you’d be able to come with me next time?”
“Yes, it was just a small glitch in the program today. Otherwise, I would’ve traveled with you.”
“Then next time we go together, we can verify everything together. Okay?”
“Fine,” 179 reluctantly agreed.
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