At those words, Lin Yule grew even more agitated. “Why does Brother have to marry him for the Blackening Value to drop? If it takes sacrificing Brother like this for me to complete my Task, I’d rather never complete it. I’d rather die in this Small World forever than…”
“Lin Yule!” Xun Ji scolded coldly.
“During the Winter Sports Meet, you didn’t know that killing the Protagonist would collapse the Small World, so I let it slide. But later, I clearly told you to leave everything to me, yet you still acted on your own and locked up the Protagonist, nearly killing him again.”
“If there’s a third time,” his voice carried a heavy warning, “Lin Yule, I won’t care about you anymore. From then on, you do your Tasks, and I’ll do mine. Whether you live or die in the Small World will have nothing to do with me.”
Lin Yule trembled all over and stared at him in a daze.
“Also,” Xun Ji looked at him calmly, “marrying Lu Zhou might not be the best method, but for me, it’s no sacrifice.”
Lin Yule opened his mouth, but it took a long while before he made a sound. “What does that mean? Brother… has fallen for Lu Zhou?”
“Not yet, but I…”
“Not yet?” Lin Yule interrupted urgently. “So that means right now, I’m still more important, right?”
How come they all love asking that? Xun Ji felt helpless. “Did you hear what I said? From now on, stay obediently at the Lin Family and don’t cause me any more trouble.”
Lin Yule stared at him intently for a long moment before breaking into an obedient smile.
“I understand, Brother. I’ll be good and leave this place alive with you.”
The wedding was held at a picturesque Ancient Castle.
The front courtyard of the Ancient Castle featured a vast, neatly trimmed lawn adorned with clusters of flowers and white gauze drapes—the site for the upcoming ceremony.
Guests mingled with food and fine wine in hand, chatting and laughing animatedly as they eagerly discussed the wedding that had taken everyone by surprise. Yet the two protagonists of the conversation had not yet appeared.
In a secluded Rose Garden in the back courtyard of the Ancient Castle, Xun Ji found Lu Zhou.
“Why are you standing here? The wedding is about to start.” He wheeled closer.
Lu Zhou was dressed in a pure white suit just like him today. He usually wore dark-colored clothes, so the white suit did not suit him as harmoniously as it did Xun Ji, but it created a striking contrast with his subdued demeanor.
Lu Zhou seemed to snap out of his reverie and turned to look amid the garden full of fiery red roses.
“What’s wrong?” Xun Ji sensed something odd in his expression.
“I just… saw Luo Xunan.” Lu Zhou said.
Xun Qian had drawn up the guest list, and Xun Ji had not bothered with it. Presumably, Xun Qian thought they had teamed up in the Star-Plucking Championship and gotten along well, so he had invited him.
“You didn’t beat him to death, did you?” Xun Ji cautiously scanned Lu Zhou and saw no bloodstains.
Lu Zhou let out a light chuckle. “It’s our wedding today. How could I do something like that?”
“Then what did you do to him?”
Lu Zhou shook his head. “Nothing. He wished me marital bliss, and I said thank you.”
Xun Ji was mildly surprised. “Just that?” It did not seem like Lu Zhou’s style at all.
“Luo Xunan isn’t a good person, and his friendship with me wasn’t out of any real camaraderie.” Lu Zhou said. “But he truly never intended to harm me. The casino was something Lu Jianming walked into on his own. Even if it wasn’t the Luo family, it would have been someone else. The Hunting Shadow Game was one I chose to join myself. No matter who hosted it, I would have participated.”
“Three years ago, I was indeed furious, but it wasn’t really because of his betrayal. It was more like…” He pondered for a moment, as if searching for the right words. “Like suddenly picking up a lottery ticket, only to be told when cashing it in that it’s fake.”
“The ticket never belonged to me in the first place. Having that fleeting moment of hope was already a gain.”
Xun Ji was rendered speechless.
Lu Zhou had indeed changed. He could vaguely sense that Lu Zhou cared less about everything except him.
Xun Ji did not know if this change was good or bad.
He asked Lu Zhou, “Am I one of those lottery tickets you picked up?”
Lu Zhou lowered his head to look at him as a breeze stirred, rose shadows swaying in his eyes.
“It doesn’t matter if you are or not.” Lu Zhou said. “Because from now on, I’ll never let go.”
He stepped forward, half-kneeling before Xun Ji and taking his hand.
“As long as I hold it for a lifetime without cashing it in, real or fake, it will be real.”
The dappled flower shadows fell entirely on Lu Zhou. He resembled a vessel cracked by sunlight and shadow, full of fissures, fragile to the touch.
![No Redemption for Dark Protagonists [Quick Transmigration]](https://i0.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/quickkk.jpg?resize=151,215 "No Redemption for Dark Protagonists [Quick Transmigration]")
