It really felt like every day was dragging on like a year.
Because from the moment Su Shang had been discharged from the hospital and returned home until now, it hadn’t even been a full day!
According to the lingering memories in Su Mingyao’s mind, Su Shang wouldn’t show his true colors and get kicked out of the Su Family until five years from now.
Five years!
Su Shang himself might not find that span long—he’d lived centuries in the Reincarnation Space, after all.
But for Su Mingyao and Su Bingyao, who had already been locked away twice in the span of just three short hours and were intimately familiar with the destruction and rebirth of worlds, five years felt like an eternity!
Five years… At the current rate—one world-ending lockdown every half day—they’d face at least 3,652 apocalypses over that time. And that was the conservative estimate…
No, they couldn’t let this continue!
Inside and outside the door, the two blood brothers were uncharacteristically of one mind, sharing the exact same resolve.
They would cooperate with Su Shang at any cost, help him blaze through the plot, and ship him straight back to his precious Reincarnation Space!
Just as Su Bingyao and Su Mingyao were silently steeling themselves with this vow, Luo Shang raised his voice. “Let’s head to the back garden and chat.”
Su Mingyao nodded. “Sure.”
Next came the back-garden scene where Su Shang would put him in his place. Su Mingyao mentally rehearsed it: he needed to play it as forcing a smile, strong on the surface but wounded deep down. He weighed every detail.
He hadn’t been confident in his acting chops at first. He wasn’t a trained performer, had no formal education in the craft, and his reborn mindset was worlds apart from the impulsive youth he’d been in his previous life.
Back then, Su Shang’s barbs had genuinely stung, leaving him low and hurt—but he’d been too proud to let it show, so he’d plastered on a brave smile.
These days, though? Words like that were just bad jokes. In his past life’s cutthroat business world, he’d heard far worse—and dished it out himself!
He’d feared he couldn’t recapture that authentic vulnerability.
But after the emotional gut-punch earlier—learning Su Shang had only ticked off 5% of the plot, with who-knew-how-many more world-destroying lockdowns ahead—Su Mingyao had rediscovered that old ache.
Right now, he truly felt crushed and wounded inside. He couldn’t let Su Shang see it, so he’d force himself to act normal, brush it off, even smile. It matched his old headspace perfectly!
The difference? Back then, it had been pride driving the facade. Now, it was sheer survival instinct.
Luo Shang raised his voice again. “Let’s head to the back garden and chat!”
[I’ve practically shouted it—they must hear me outside the door. So why is Big Bro still lurking there instead of leaving? My hint couldn’t have been any clearer.]
Luo Shang felt baffled.
[Is he doing this on purpose? Wants me to catch him when I open the door, spot him eavesdropping, and get his jollies from the shock and confusion in my eyes?]
[Even in the Reincarnation Space, infamous for breeding psychos, that’s a rare kink. Everyone’s twisted urges crave bigger thrills—the mild shame of busted eavesdropping is small potatoes.]
The System, a creation of the Reincarnation Space: [……You could skip that last bit.]
[Everyone’s just under so much pressure.] Luo Shang shrugged it off philosophically.
[I even built you leisure resorts…] The System, in its role as the Main God’s sub-body, grumbled under its breath.
Luo Shang ignored it, zeroing in on Su Bingyao beyond the door.
[When did Big Bro pick up this habit…? I never noticed before. Guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention back then.]
[All right, all right—I’ll play along. He is my big bro, after all.] Luo Shang prided himself on his tolerance.
Luo Shang’s inner monologue carried some logic, leaving even Su Mingyao puzzled.
…Brother Yao, what the hell? Are you seriously angling to get caught eavesdropping by Su Shang—for the thrill? You should’ve bailed after the first time he said it!
Wait—
It wasn’t until he caught Su Shang’s heart voice that Su Bingyao wrenched himself free from his grim vision of endless future apocalypses, spotting the misunderstanding.
No, I don’t have that kind of fetish—honestly!
I was just floored by your glacial 5% progress!
I don’t—I’ve never gotten off on being caught listening in!
Why would you even go there…? Hell, just imagining it makes you the freak! I hate that Reincarnation Space…
Su Bingyao felt like bursting into tears.
But now that Su Shang had convinced himself of Brother Yao’s “intentions,” retreat was off the table.
If he didn’t follow Su Shang’s plan, what if that guy found some other excuse to destroy the world?
The best approach right now was to go along with Su Shang’s idea. That way, nothing bad would happen.
All he’d have to pay was the price of his reputation taking a hit… just that… People always had to sacrifice something to live in this world. Compared to his life and the lives of everyone in the world, his reputation was nothing… He was about to save the world again.
Since Su Shang’s existence proved that gods probably existed in this world, why hadn’t he earned enough merit to become a saint yet? Su Bingyao silently mourned the future where his reputation would be dragged through the mud.
He felt regret. There had once been a chance for him to walk away unscathed, right in front of him, and he hadn’t cherished it.
Now, the other guy had pinned a weird fetish on him. He didn’t dare refute it—not only that, he had to actually go through with the guy’s plan.
Sigh.
The door opened, and Luo Shang put on a perfectly timed look of surprise, as if he knew nothing. “Bro, what are you doing outside? Were you eavesdropping on us?”
“I actually just got here,” Su Bingyao said, his head hanging low in defeat.
“Oh, I see. I thought Big Bro was some kind of pervert for a second there.”
[This explanation works fine. It’s probably for Second Bro—he wants to leave a good impression on him.]
[I already knew Big Bro had been out there listening for ages. You really are a pervert, but hey, it doesn’t matter. I won’t tell anyone.]
[Besides, this level of perversion is nothing compared to what I’ve seen. I can totally accept a little mental anomaly like this.]
Luo Shang thought to himself.
Too late! Now everyone who could hear his heart voice would know!
Su Bingyao racked his brain and could only blame himself. He hated that he hadn’t picked up on Su Shang’s first subtle hint when his voice had spiked. In the end, sacrificing his reputation was entirely his own fault!
Su Mingyao watched from the side, his heart pounding in terror. It only reinforced his determination to handle Su Shang with the utmost care, always going along with whatever the guy wanted.
Big Bro had only zoned out for a moment—he could understand that, since he’d been stunned by the slow pace himself—and missed the hint. Now he’d ended up like this!
And this was what happened even when Su Shang was being relatively respectful to Big Bro. If it fell on someone Su Shang didn’t like as much, like him…
Okay, stop. Don’t think about those horrifying possibilities!
Su Mingyao cut off his wild imaginings and immediately put on the same surprised expression as Luo Shang. He turned an accusing gaze toward Su Bingyao.
Sorry, Brother Yao! I’m just reacting like any normal person would to someone eavesdropping. It’s not my fault you didn’t leave!
Su Bingyao: !!!
I’d only stayed outside eavesdropping for your sake. If you pissed off Su Shang, I could rush in at any moment to stop him and save us—and the world.
And this was how Mingyao treated Big Bro?
What about all that revolutionary camaraderie we’d shared in the Void? Our brotherly bond?
“I figured Big Bro wouldn’t eavesdrop. He must’ve just arrived—he cares about you too much, Second Bro,” Luo Shang said.
[I’m even making excuses for Big Bro here. It might not be a big deal to me, but that guy behind the scenes might not take it well. So this explanation of mine should help you out big time—letting your own little brother see you in a normal light. What a great brother I am!]
Hearing Luo Shang’s self-congratulations in his heart voice filled Su Bingyao with unimaginable pain.
Thanks a lot! You’re the one who ruined it!
He hadn’t even known himself that he was the kind of “pervert who gets off on deliberately getting caught eavesdropping and wallowing in the shame.”
