IMGH Chapter 76

Have You Really Thought This Through?

Qiu Rui felt the atmosphere was far too oppressive. His attitude had been too forceful just now, and thinking it over carefully, Han Yuancheng had only been looking out for him.

He had assumed Han Yuancheng would understand him — would understand this relationship. The unexpected opposition had stirred up resentment in Qiu Rui, and his attitude had naturally turned unpleasant as a result.

The harshness of his words had likely caused harm to Han Yuancheng, even if unintentionally.

Qiu Rui let out a soft sigh and softened his tone. “Chengcheng, I know you’re doing this for my sake! But love isn’t something that can be controlled. I like Jiang Yi, so I want to be with him — it’s instinct, everyone’s instinct when it comes to love! Can that really be considered wrong?”

Love itself isn’t wrong. The only wrong is falling in love with someone you shouldn’t.

Han Yuancheng turned this over silently in his mind, but said nothing aloud. His thoughts were in turmoil — everything that had happened today was too much to process, and all he wanted was to find somewhere quiet to be alone.

Seeing that Han Yuancheng remained silent and unresponsive, Qiu Rui could tell he was still upset, so he said nothing more. Instead, he changed the subject. “How has Qiu Chen been lately? Is the plan still going smoothly?”

Han Yuancheng kept his head lowered and replied in a muffled voice, “The plan is going smoothly. We’re just waiting for your soul to return. As you suspected, there’s likely someone else behind Qiu Chen — I believe the person pulling the strings is probably one of those few shareholders.”

“Chen Yuhe’s senior martial brother has already replied. He’ll be making his way back to Z City soon, so the soul-return shouldn’t be a problem. Have the people from the Secret Division keep a close watch on Qiu Chen, and root out whoever is behind this as soon as possible!” Qiu Rui furrowed his brow. Each of those shareholders carried some degree of suspicion, yet there was still no concrete evidence to point to exactly who was responsible.

Han Yuancheng gave a nod. “Understood.”

The two of them wrapped up their conversation, and Chen Yuhe lifted the talisman seals. Before long, the tour guide and the others gradually stirred back to consciousness.

“It’s getting late. Let’s head back,” Han Yuancheng said, taking the lead out of the mountain hollow. Jiang Yi and the others followed behind.

Still dazed and not yet fully recovered, the tour guide and the rest exchanged bewildered glances.

What on earth had just happened? Why did none of them have any memory of it?

On the way back to the mountain villa, Han Yuancheng walked ahead with a dark expression on his face. The few times Jiang Yi attempted to make conversation with him, he was met with flat, indifferent responses that shut him down immediately.

The return journey was eerily silent. Once back at the villa, everyone retreated to their respective rooms.

Jiang Yi’s room was spacious — a full suite.

The décor was opulent yet refined, and in the inner chamber sat an enormous water bed. Jiang Yi deliberately sat down on it to test it out, and he was genuinely very satisfied with Qiu Chen’s arrangement.

Tonight, he absolutely could not let Qiu Chen’s thoughtful gesture go to waste — this bed would have to be put to good use.

As Jiang Yi turned these thoughts over in his mind, the gaze he fixed on Qiu Rui gradually grew heated.

Qiu Rui stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing pensively at the flowers blooming one after another in the courtyard below. His handsome face was composed and still, carrying the faint shadow of some quiet sorrow.

The heat in Jiang Yi’s eyes receded. He lowered his gaze, a flash of heartache crossing his features, and quietly walked over to stand beside Qiu Rui.

Neither of them spoke. They simply stood there, shoulder to shoulder.

After a long while, Qiu Rui turned his head and looked at Jiang Yi.

“Jiang Yi, I trust you. You wouldn’t deceive me.”

The words seemed directed at Jiang Yi, yet somehow felt as though they were meant for himself as well.

Jiang Yi’s eyes flickered. He raised his head to meet Qiu Rui’s gaze.

“Why do you trust me so completely? Has Rui’er never once suspected me?” Jiang Yi asked with a soft laugh, as though it hardly mattered to him whether Qiu Rui had ever doubted him.

Qiu Rui shook his head, and answered with quiet certainty. “You would never hurt me. Even if you did deceive me, it would absolutely be for my own good.”

Qiu Rui’s words reached his ears, yet inside, it was as though honey had been steeped in vinegar — sweetness laced through with bitterness.

He had indeed deceived Qiu Rui. From the very beginning until now, from the moment they had met to the moment they had fallen in love, he had been deceiving him the entire time.

Except for the heart that loved him — everything else had been concealed.

Faced with Qiu Rui’s unconditional trust, Jiang Yi found himself wishing Qiu Rui would suspect him instead. He dreaded the thought of Qiu Rui learning the truth and coming to hate him for his deception and concealment.

There had been a time when his greatest wish was simply to have Qiu Rui’s love — even for just a single day. He had believed that having once possessed it would be enough to spare him any regret.

But now that Qiu Rui had truly fallen in love with him, Jiang Yi realized he had been wrong.

Qiu Rui trusted him so completely, yet he had been deceiving and hiding things from him all along.

The anxiety that Chen Yuhe had been straining to conceal — Jiang Yi had seen through it long ago, and had begun to sense, faintly, that things were perhaps not as beautiful as he had imagined.

If the worst outcome he had feared were to come to pass, how would he choose? Would his well-intentioned deception earn Qiu Rui’s forgiveness once the truth was finally laid bare?

He was beginning to regret having been so greedy, so foolish as to reach for Qiu Rui’s love. But things had already come to this point — it was done, and could not be undone. He could only hope that Qiu Rui would not blame him in the days to come.

The hands Jiang Yi held clasped behind his back tightened into a crushing grip. His fingernails broke through the skin of his palm, yet it barely registered — perhaps only pain could ease the guilt weighing upon his heart.

“Rui’er, the gap between us is so vast. Have you really thought this through?”