Chapter 42: A Pair of Perfect Lunatics

[I’m not some lust-driven guy. Considering that even without that sort of physical intimacy, our time together already felt a lot like a couple’s, I ended up dropping the idea of confessing. Honestly, keeping things as they were seemed pretty great.]

[You’re not lust-driven—you’re just a master at chickening out,] the System snarked at him. [If you put even half the brainpower you use for combat into romance, you’d be golden.]

[You can’t put it like that. Skipping romance won’t kill me, but losing a fight sure as hell might,] Luo Shang replied earnestly.

[In the original plot, Su Shang survived by clinging to other men, but he still ended up dead. Power that isn’t your own is never truly reliable—living off others means you’ll die because of them too.]

[My relationship with Ke Yanjin is equal. He needs me to protect him, and I need his strategic mind to help me out. It’s a mutually beneficial setup, a healthy dynamic. Give and take, where both sides gain something—that’s what makes a good partnership.]

[With all that talk of ‘benefits,’ you sound anything but boyfriend material,] the System remarked.

[And now this non-human thing is trying to give me relationship advice,] Luo Shang shot back.

[But that’s exactly why you can’t get it—you’re not human.]

Luo Shang continued: [Humans get lonely.]

[We’re social creatures. After millions of years of evolution to reach the top of the food chain, it all came down to teamwork. Stray from the group, and you’re dead. Over time, the genes of those who survived wired that lesson deep into our DNA.]

[After too long in isolation, that loneliness kicks in. It’s an emotion that drives us to seek out others like us, to connect. Our genes demand it.]

[Alright, enough with the TED Talk—I get it. Humans are such a pain,] the System said.

[Quit complaining. What right does a bloodsucking player-leech like you have to gripe? Spiritual Energy users only emerge from humans at high rates, and emotions are a double-edged sword anyway,] Luo Shang countered.

[Ke Yanjin’s presence helps stabilize my emotions, wards off the loneliness, keeps my mental state steady—and stops me from turning into a total freak.]

[Needing a fellow nutjob to keep your head straight just proves how twisted you are,] the System quipped.

[He’s only a bit hot-headed when it comes to stuff involving me. Otherwise, he’s fine,] Luo Shang said.

System: [Having rose-tinted glasses like that proves you two really are made for each other.]

[Anyway, I didn’t confess. Figured I’d drag it out as long as possible—maybe in a few centuries, the feelings would fade. That’s what I told myself back then,] Luo Shang said.

[Love’s intoxicating like that. It clouds judgment, leads to dumb decisions. Without it, I could think more clearly.]

[Then I realized I was falling harder. What a tragic tale.]

Though he called it a tragic tale in his mind, the corners of Luo Shang’s mouth were curving upward ever so slightly.

To Old Master Shen, who was trying to persuade him, that smile meant his words had worked.

He had just assured Luo Shang that the Shen Family would never rashly abandon him. The engagement had been set long ago, and it wouldn’t change now.

Luo Shang’s smile after that proved he still cared about the engagement—about Shen Changqing.

Ah, love really does a number on people… Old Master Shen sighed over the younger generation’s messy love lives, thinking of Shen Changqing’s “betrayal” and the fact that he was upstairs right now with Su Mingyao.

He had no clue that Luo Shang wasn’t smiling over securing the engagement with Shen Changqing—he was thinking about his boyfriend.

[I still don’t get why he held out so long without confessing,] Luo Shang grumbled.

[Centuries of restraint. The guy’s got stamina for days.]

[Pot, meet kettle…] the System muttered under its breath.

Su Mingyao listened to Luo Shang’s romantic saga with rapt fascination, already deep into shipping the couple.

Mutual pining, both sides stubbornly holding back, masking love as the best of friendships, tentative probes and tests spanning centuries—it was thrilling just imagining it.

You two are ninja masters!

Su Bingyao found it unbelievable. With his decisive nature, he couldn’t fathom why they’d drag it out for centuries when they clearly liked each other. Just confess, and boom—done. But no, they stalled for hundreds of years.

If either of you had grown a spine sooner, you’d have been together ages ago!

Shen Changqing let out a few cold snorts, offering no comment.

Serves them right, he thought.

Besides Old Master Shen, no one else paid much attention to that engagement anymore.

The outcome was already set in stone, so they might as well hear more about Luo Shang’s experiences in the Reincarnation Space.

“So, how exactly did you two end up together? I really want to know!” Su Mingyao’s eyes sparkled as he practically begged Luo Shang to spill the details right then and there.

Su Bingyao, meanwhile, pondered his little brother’s boyfriend in silence. What was his personality like? Was he handsome? Did he even fit human standards of attractiveness?

Shen Changqing had zero interest in the story. Luo Shang was an ex, no matter how you looked at it. Listening to an ex gush about his sweet life with his current boyfriend—what kind of nonsense was that?

[You two did end up together in the end.] The System said.

[Yeah, I confessed first.] Luo Shang replied.

[It was the night before I grasped the Path of Entropy. My chances of success were slim to none at that point, but I couldn’t stall any longer. If I did, the entropy balance in my body would shatter, and I’d collapse into total chaos. My only hope was to push forward—one step to paradise, one step back to hell.]

[Failure might as well have been death, so I figured there was nothing to lose by saying it.]

[I’m a selfish guy. If I was going to die, I wanted him to remember me forever, even if it caused him pain. At least that pain would be because of me.]

[So, just minutes before stepping into the Forbidden Land, I messaged him: I love you. Goodbye.]

[He came rushing over like a madman. In the final second before the gate to the Forbidden Land sealed shut, he looked right at me. I saw him crying.]

[Ke Yanjin… he was crying… I’d never seen him cry before. And there I was, smiling and waving goodbye.] Luo Shang said.

[You felt not even a shred of guilt?!] The System demanded.

[Guilt? Of course.] Luo Shang admitted frankly.

[That’s why I made damn sure I came out alive. Simple as that.]

[The fallout from it all is that he’s got separation anxiety now. If I’m gone too long, he gets super anxious and irritable, even stalkerish at times. Sometimes he mutters about locking me in the Little Black Room… I soothe him from afar, put up with it, make allowances. After all, he’s like this because of me.]

A pair of total lunatics! Both of them!

One drives the other straight into mental illness, and the other doesn’t hold back—goes full psycho.

Perfect pair of madmen. Lock ’em up for good! Shen Changqing fumed inwardly.

This is true love! Su Mingyao concluded.

Luo Shang’s mental state really got wrecked by the Reincarnation Space… He wasn’t like this before… Maybe I should suggest he see a psychologist? Su Bingyao thought, a touch of worry creeping in.