IMGH Chapter 40

Qiu Rui Restored to His True Self

The narrow space was filled with an undercurrent of unease. Jiang Yi keenly sensed that the atmosphere was off and turned his head in puzzlement, meeting Qiu Rui’s cold, utterly cheerless gaze.

In that darkness, Jiang Yi could not find his own reflection — there was only a vast indifference.

Jiang Yi’s heart sank abruptly. He forced the corners of his mouth into a strained, awkward smile.

“Rui’er… why are you looking at me like that?”

“Jiang Yi, from now on you will address me by my name. Those two words — I hope that was the last time I ever hear them.”

Qiu Rui leaned back against the sofa, his legs crossed, his handsome face carrying an air of cold arrogance that placed him far beyond reach. His expression was severe enough to inspire dread, and his tone was firm in a way that could not be ignored.

The Qiu Rui before him was unfamiliar — or perhaps not. Perhaps this was the real Qiu Rui all along.

Jiang Yi’s head swam, and darkness flickered at the edges of his vision.

All this time, all that effort — wasted. His relentless pressing had driven Qiu Rui back to his original self.

Jiang Yi’s heart plummeted to its lowest depth. What on earth am I supposed to do now?

His mind was a tangle of chaos, yet the stubborn attachment buried deep within him to this feeling gradually steadied him.

Recently, Qiu Rui had been far too quiet and compliant, and Jiang Yi had forgotten that he was a man of swift, ruthless decisions — someone who held power and wielded it without mercy. Based on everything he knew of Qiu Rui, he should have long anticipated this reaction. But the excitement and delight of finding him again had gone to his head. He had forgotten to read the situation. He had forgotten to proceed step by step. And now Qiu Rui’s reaction had left him completely flat-footed, without a single strategy to fall back on.

It was just as they said — even the cleverest person, when struck by love, would have their moments of bewildered helplessness.

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Jiang Yi’s thoughts turned swiftly and he regained his composure. He tilted his head back and answered with a smile. “All right! If you feel that name doesn’t suit you, I’ll call you by your name from now on!”

The expected whining and tearful complaints never came. The man’s uncharacteristic compliance left Qiu Rui at a loss for how to respond.

Jiang Yi’s expression did not change. The corner of his lips curved upward into a subtle, enigmatic arc.

They say it takes ten years to temper a sword. I have already waited this many years — how could I let you slip away so easily.

Qiu Rui, if our meeting was fated to ignite a war between us, then your safety, your true heart — I intend to win them both back.

By the time Jiang Yi raised his eyes, he had fully recovered his composure. He crossed his hands behind his head and looked at Qiu Rui, then asked suddenly, “Qiu Rui, do you know everything that Xuan xuan told me?”

Qiu Rui’s brow furrowed slightly. He suddenly felt as though the man before him had changed somehow, though he could not quite put his finger on what it was.

These days, anything involving this man had a way of touching Qiu Rui’s deepest nerve. Unwilling to offer any explanation, Qiu Rui spoke with cool detachment. “What does any of that have to do with you?”

At this moment, Qiu Rui was like a hedgehog wrapped head to toe in walls of ice — one look at Jiang Yi and he couldn’t help but want to drive those frozen spines right into him.

Yet Jiang Yi remained unhurried and composed, entirely unruffled by Qiu Rui’s cold hostility.

“Of course it has to do with me! Your soul can’t stray far from my side right now — it’s seriously disrupting my life. Sure, nobody else can see you, but having you drifting around in front of my eyes all the time is pretty unsettling, you know!”

The man’s tone carried the manner of someone stating the perfectly obvious, as though Qiu Rui’s presence truly had thrown his daily life into disarray.

He’s actually treating me like a nuisance — me, of all people. Qiu Rui’s face darkened to an iron gray. He clenched his teeth. But before he could erupt, Jiang Yi spoke first.

“I bear some responsibility for what happened to Taoist Master Cao. I’m not the sort of person who shirks accountability — if I made a mistake, I’ll make it right. I’ll stay by your side until this matter is resolved.”

Jiang Yi raised an eyebrow at Qiu Rui, his gaze carrying the unspoken message: Generous of me, isn’t it?

Qiu Rui could bear it no longer and shot back, “Who asked you to stay? Who wants you here?”

Jiang Yi gave a casual shrug. “I know you despise me. But what can be done? Who told you to cross paths with me?”

Qiu Rui was so furious that his refined features twisted. A man of his breeding would never lower himself to hurling the crude insults of a common street thug just to vent his rage, but the sharp, cutting light in his black eyes betrayed the fury within. And yet, even in the height of that fury, Qiu Rui gradually cooled. He had lost control again — over this man, again.

He fixed his gaze steadily on Jiang Yi for a long moment, then slowly curved his lips into a smile.

“Jiang Yi — let’s talk about a cooperation.”