Anyone seeing a person in a wheelchair for the first time would naturally assume they couldn’t stand on their own—that was the whole reason for the chair.
So when the wheelchair suddenly fell apart, Assistant Xiao Zhang hurried forward at once, ready to catch Su Shang in case he toppled over.
But Su Shang didn’t crumple to the floor like he’d feared. Instead, he put on quite the show.
The young man moved with fluid grace and lightning reflexes. Before Xiao Zhang could even process it, Su Shang had darted aside, evading the heap of collapsing wheelchair parts.
Xiao Zhang, on the other hand, took a flying screw to the shin while rushing in, yelping in pain.
Hold on—you can stand and walk just fine?
If you can walk, why the wheelchair?
You move more nimbly than I do!
Assistant Xiao Zhang rubbed his throbbing calf, thinking bitterly.
This Third Young Master’s habits were downright weird. His legs were perfectly fine, yet he insisted on the chair!
Limping off to fetch someone to clean up the wreckage, Xiao Zhang left Luo Shang and Su Mingyao staring at each other in the living room.
Su Mingyao studied him closely. Luo Shang stood ramrod straight, his legs long and lean. His waist was narrow but sturdy, the kind built for explosive power rather than fragility.
There was no tremor in those legs, no awkwardness in his stance—it was utterly normal.
The wheelchair’s dramatic failure had derailed Su Mingyao’s train of thought about that anomalous voice. Witnessing the collapse, he’d felt a pang of sympathy; Su Shang’s injuries couldn’t have fully healed since his discharge.
Before Su Mingyao’s arrival, Su Shang had glided through life as a pampered young master of a wealthy family for more than twenty smooth years, never short on pride or temper.
Showing up in a wheelchair this time must mean he’d been too weak to walk…
Which made that agile dodge earlier, and his steady posture now, all the more impressive. He was probably forcing himself, just to avoid looking weak in front of me.
Even with the chair breaking out of nowhere, he’d hold the image.
The thought stirred something oddly complex in Su Mingyao’s chest.
Then he heard Luo Shang mutter,
[The workmanship on this wheelchair is trash. I ought to blow their factory sky-high.] Luo Shang fumed.
[Now you’re just being unreasonable,] the System shot back. [I told you ages ago: it’s not built for flooring it at eighty kph. It’s for folks with mobility issues.]
[Which, let’s be real, you clearly don’t have.]
What kind of person with “mobility issues” turns a wheelchair into a damn race car?
If it weren’t worried about getting deleted, the System might’ve just said he had it coming.
[Perfect. Now he’s seen the whole embarrassing mess,] Luo Shang grumbled.
[I really didn’t want him seeing me like this.]
Exactly as he’d suspected.
Hearing Su Shang’s inner voice echo that exact sentiment confirmed Su Mingyao’s hunch, sparking a secret thrill of satisfaction.
System: [Why not play it off like nothing happened? He doesn’t look too bothered.]
[But I am!] Luo Shang insisted.
The entire back-and-forth with the System had unfolded in his mind over just a few seconds.
Su Mingyao had frozen for a beat at the start, then stepped closer.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. Back off,” Luo Shang snapped, irritation clear.
[Not fine at all!] his mind raged.
[Sure, I got over hating him three hundred twenty-five years, seven months, and three days ago. But that doesn’t mean I enjoy humiliating myself in front of him.] Luo Shang stressed inwardly.
System: […You sure have that timeline etched in stone.] Saying you don’t hate him while clocking the date to the day? Sounds like you care plenty!
This was… heart voice? After so many instances, Su Mingyao finally pieced it together. He could hear Su Shang’s internal dialogues with this “System” entity.
Outwardly declaring “I’m fine” while inwardly screaming “I’m not”—it made Su Shang come off as oddly endearing.
His features already leaned cute to begin with, and the gap between his facade and true thoughts only amplified that pure, unfiltered charm.
Su Mingyao hadn’t yet grasped what was brewing next. He was still sizing up Su Shang in his head.
Though that three-hundred-plus-year detail did nag at him a bit.
Had Su Shang really lived that long?
No way. Even with cutting-edge medicine these days, Su Mingyao had never heard of humans pushing past their limits—a century or so was already pushing it.
Centuries? Su Shang would have to not be human!
Su Mingyao chuckled at his own wild notion.
Not human? Ridiculous.
Secure in his everyday understanding of the world, he mulled it over, oblivious to the peril drawing near.
The System, however, had clocked it all from Luo Shang’s mental tone: […]
Got it. Time to end the world again.
Eh, whatever. If he wants to wreck it, who was stopping him?
The System said nothing, its central processor flashing through a series of calculated trade-offs.
[It seems you know what I have in mind.]
[No plans to talk me out of it this time?] Luo Shang asked, his tone cheerful.
What was he going to do? What did he want to do? Su Mingyao was deeply curious.
And why would the System try to dissuade him? Was Su Shang planning to kill him?
That was the only conclusion Su Mingyao could draw from his limited understanding. In his eyes, the worst thing Su Shang could do was kill him right here. He couldn’t imagine anything beyond that.
The next second, Luo Shang and the System shattered his assumptions.
[Of course not. According to the balance coefficient, allowing you to destroy the world in moderation would benefit your mental and physical health. It would reduce the degree of alienation in your heart and prevent you from committing even more horrific acts later on.]
[Though the world’s destruction would impact this plane, on balance, it’s still more advantageous to let you vent. So this time, please, go ahead and let it all out.] The System concluded.
Wait, what were they saying?
World destruction? Why had the conversation suddenly leaped to that? Su Mingyao was utterly baffled, with no idea what was happening.
It felt like ever since meeting Su Shang, he’d been trapped in a perpetual state of confusion: “What is this?” “Why is it like this?”
It was disorienting for Su Mingyao, who had been reborn believing the future was firmly in his grasp.
Did the System’s words mean Su Shang could actually destroy the world? Was that real, or just talk?
[Weighing pros and cons to pick the optimum path—that’s definitely how you think.] Luo Shang remarked.
[In that case, I won’t hold back.]
At the same time, in reality, a genuine, heartfelt smile appeared on Luo Shang’s face—one Su Mingyao had never seen in his previous life.
He said, “Thanks for the meal.”
And so, the enormous knife and fork came crashing down.
Thus, the world was destroyed once again.
~~~
Am I dreaming?
I have to be dreaming!
In truth, I was never reborn. I never met Su Shang again. The world wasn’t destroyed…
Su Mingyao floated in the black Void, his mind a total blank.
Right now, he should be lying on the soft bed in the villa, with Shen Changqing asleep beside him, his breathing steady and calm. The little nightlight glowed dimly yellow. He’d just finished the last page, closed the English edition of Don Quixote, and settled down to sleep in peace…
It’s all an illusion. All of it. This isn’t real! This isn’t real!!
That colossal red-green swallowtail serpent blotting out the sky isn’t real!
The endless roots spreading through the Void, looking like those of a European ash tree, aren’t real!
That overlapping turtle shell, as if bearing the weight of the universe itself, isn’t real!
I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming. I must be dreaming. When I wake up, it’ll be a brand-new day. Then I’ll have Aunt Wang heat up a glass of milk for me. I hear that one helps you relax and…
“This is real.”
A male voice rang in his ear.
The voice was very familiar, yet carried a hint of strangeness.
Its sudden appearance felt like a lifeline to Su Mingyao. In this endless illusion of absurdity and horror, hearing a voice he knew was exhilarating.
“It’s real,” the voice repeated, accompanied by a sigh.
“Is that… Brother Yao?”
Hearing it again, Su Mingyao finally recognized the source.
It was the voice of Su Bingyao, but younger by a dozen years—the voice of his own big brother.
Why was Big Bro here?
“Calm down first,” the voice continued.
“Look down.”
This black Void shouldn’t have any sense of up, down, left, or right. Su Mingyao couldn’t even feel his own body. But at Su Bingyao’s words…
Su Mingyao instinctively looked down and saw his big brother, Su Bingyao, floating directly below him, his face full of helpless frustration.
“Fuck,” Su Bingyao swore—a rare outburst for him.
He hadn’t cursed in ages, but this time, he really couldn’t hold it back.
“That damn Su Shang—destroying the world again!”
He just couldn’t take it!
If Su Mingyao weren’t still here, he’d have broken down crying!
Rewind a few minutes.
Ever since facing off against Su Shang directly, Li Qingshu had been completely limp, unable to move or take a single step.
Su Bingyao had no choice but to call his assistant, Mo Hai, and have him bring over a wheelchair. Then he lifted Li Qingshu onto it and wheeled her along—Su Bingyao had no idea why Su Shang used a wheelchair, but in the end, Su Shang had damn well put him in one instead.
It was pretty ironic.
After handling that matter, Su Bingyao hurriedly tracked down Su Shang’s location. He had no choice; the man was a walking world-destroying bomb. If some fool set him off, that idiot might perish along with the world. Sure, Su Bingyao blacking out wouldn’t be a big deal for him, but he’d be the one left in the lurch!
He checked the surveillance footage first and saw Su Shang heading straight for Su Mingyao. A chill shot through him—this was bad news.
He had just finished reassuring Li Qingshu that Su Shang wouldn’t harm Su Mingyao, and now the guy was charging right at him in his wheelchair!
What was he supposed to do!?
There was no time for hesitation. His sense of responsibility as Big Bro kicked in immediately. Perhaps Su Shang would give him some face and refrain from killing Su Mingyao right in front of him.
Earlier, to prevent Su Bingyao from turning into a vegetable, Su Shang had chosen to destroy the world and reboot it rather than use Mental Magic on him. Su Bingyao figured he held some weight in Su Shang’s eyes, and that gave him the courage to move.
With that resolve burning in his chest, Su Bingyao ignored the stares from the others and sprinted desperately across the estate grounds. He cursed himself silently for the place being so damn huge—his mother had insisted on hosting the banquet in this sprawling suburban estate for the sake of appearances, which meant a massive distance now separated him from Su Mingyao. Just perfect.
The path ahead wasn’t a smooth, drivable road but a rugged trail too narrow for any scooter. Su Bingyao ran until he was gasping for air, his lungs burning and his legs screaming for mercy.
He clung to that final breath, praying he wouldn’t witness those horrific scenes again or tumble back into that endless Black Void.
Su Bingyao would rather die with the world than face that nightmare once more!
But the moment he reached the door, paused to catch his breath, and reached for the handle, darkness fell over his eyes. Pressure crushed down on him, and those overlapping, spiderweb-like patterns filled his vision once again.
Then, the world was destroyed.
Then, he found himself back in the Black Void.
“You first—don’t talk. Don’t ask me,” Su Bingyao said.
“I have to ask you. Why did the world get destroyed?”
He had to know!
“It was…” Su Mingyao racked his brain, still finding it utterly unbelievable. Even here in the Black Void, he could hardly accept that the world had really ended.
“Because the wheelchair broke.”
“Because the wheelchair broke, he destroyed the world,” Su Mingyao said.
