[3rd world. Yutian]

Shen Liangxi purposely kept some details unsaid until the very moment where a blue information screen appeared to inform Shen Xihan.

-

Ge,

In this world the limit and strength restrictions of commands are to be tested and It'll be hard to act on your own . You can only follow through the scenario until a certain point in the story where your character role is finished. Until then don't cause too much trouble.

To make it clear, due to the restrictions you cannot freely look for Ming Yu yourself. Don't worry, your master is the protagonist of this story so he'll take you to him,. Just listen well.

Don't kill me when you get back, I won't clean my neck for you. 

Sincerely,

your filial little brother. 

-

Just when Shen Xihan had resolved to keep his memories, his little brother pulled out something like this.

Shen Xihan smiled after reading this brief letter contradicting the sadistic thoughts that played inside his head. He was caged in an array and inside, he held a stone in his hand which he crushed into fine powder with little force. 

For weeks, a cold shiver had been continuously haunting Shen Liangxi. He never believed in ghosts but the unceasing coldness at the back of his neck scared the wits out of him leaving him sleepless.

Whatever you are, leave me alone ah. This young master is an innocent bachelor! (/ᗒᗣᗕ)/

The people in the lab were usually too busy to notice things yet the thick fine line of salt outside Shen Liangxi's lab and room doors became a topic to question.

-

In this life, it wasn't just him and Ming Yu but they became a family of five.

There were now three naughty kids in his household. Shen Xihan never thought that he'll be raising his own together with Ming Yu and this was a type of joy that he had never experienced before.

Despite his excitement, he was lost on how to approach the new additions to the family. The only father figure he had in his life was the sharp tongued Father Shen and he did not dare use him as a role model. He wasn't confident that Father's Shen's unique way of showing affection was fitting for them.

Rather than an elite of the business world, Father Shen's image in his life was similar to a thug with a motorcycle.

In his childhood years all he could remember was being literally smacked in the head with his father calling him idiot in a loud voice and Mother Shen coming to chase him afterwards with a blunt weapon in her hand.

Wow. He could picture it so vividly.

He and Ming Yu were different, so learning from them didn't help him at all.

Shen Xihan had an inkling that Ming Yu saw through his concerns and uncertainties that he'd been hiding but  decided to keep quiet and support him silently to not embarrass him. Ming Yu was new to this too and yet kept covering after his mistakes. 

His lover's gentle actions taught him that it was okay to be unreliable at times and that his feelings wouldn't change. Shen Xihan realized more ... more of how this person was too good for him.

There were days where he habitually compared himself yet for some reason, Ming Yu would always reach out his hand to him in time, soothing him quickly.

The narrow rocky road he'd been taking...

There was now a wider path that opened up leading to someone who felt like sunlight.

Ming Yu.

-

[Reality. End of story 3]

The weather was cold. December.

Shen Xihan hurriedly covered the unconscious Ming Yu with a thick blanket after wiping his body clean with a damp towel. He combed his hair with his fingers while the other held Ming Yu's hand in his, keeping it within its warmth.

"Ah Yu. It's winter already ..." Although unconscious, he would often talk to him like this.

The alarm on Shen Xihan's phone rang and he approached the cupboard to drink his medicine. He has been calling his psychiatrist David more often nowadays and the man told him that he'd been progressing albeit slowly. 

He didn't understand in what aspect made David conclude so and when he asked, the man pointed out how the complexion on his face was gentler, not tense and that he became easier to talk to.

"Could it be?" David nailed this guess and Shen Xihan only smiled at him.

He'd been cooperating well and David started giving him little tasks for him to do that might help him overcome his trauma. His life with Ming Yu, helped him saw the graveness of the state he was in. 

If there was a chance that after all this Ming Yu would continue to be a part of his life ...

Then he wanted to be a man that could give him an ease of mind. One he can depend on and not someone self destructive. 

Ming Yu deserved better. And he wanted to be that person.

"Ge. You can go in now." It was time to enter that world again.

Shen Xihan who was sitting on his wheelchair, turned to face the door and wheeled himself to the other room. Shen Liangxi couldn't hide his smile after witnessing how swift his brother moved in excitement.

It wasn't only Shen Xihan who was affected by this change.

With Shen Liangxi's personality, he would never admit on the brotherly affections he shared with Ming Yu . Watching over Ming Yu wasn't just a job anymore but rather a time spent with a best friend that never got boring. 

Ming Yu was his brother's precious person making him part of the family.

It was already set to stone. Their parents can't even argue about this even if they wanted to as their older son had truly became a love struck fool who barely even care about his little brother anymore.

Mom, Dad. I hope you've considered having a son-in-law. (￣︶￣) 

Our lovely Admin didn't want to be the person who calls an ambulance.

Recently, the higher ups and his team had been wondering how the data seemed insufficient than expected. He was able to reason it out by saying that to keep the Author's privacy, some things had been taken out. It was a hard discussion as they pressed further for answers but Shen Liangxi had an iron will, keeping a welcoming smile on his face without budging.

See how hardworking this Admin is? Where's his damn prize? Not even a single appreciation letter?

You heartless bunch. =(　￣д￣) ey.

Shen Xihan was still clueless on how Shen Liangxi treated Ming Yu and the little brother dare not say a word about it.

He'll die. His brother will surely kill him. Butcher him with a knife and everything. 

Hack him into pieces. 

Chop his bones cleanly. 

(；⌣̀_⌣́) En.

So until Ming Yu woke up and Shen Liangxi received his brother-in-law's protection, he'd been zipping his lips tight to keep his small life.

Only the wifey can subdue the husband outside of bed.

On the bed? Of course it's the husband. ┐(￣∀￣)┌

-

"In the 4th world ... we'll be observing the virtual characters' responsive capabilities during situations that offers high stimulation and drastic changes. You will greatly influence the flow of the story so Ge, we are asking you to do your utmost to act the role given. I'll send the information when you're in."

"Why not now?" Shen Xihan didn't pick up Shen Liangxi's brief pause to his question as he was overcome in delight at the thought of seeing Ming Yu again.

"Ge, please lie down and ready yourself as we welcome a new adventure and enter the 4th story!" His spirits flared and enthusiastically sent his good big brother off.

After affirming that his brother has been sent away, Shen Liangxi weakly slumped on his chair, taking in a deep breath.

It was a fact that anything which wasn't part of his designated work were under the messy hands of other teams.

The decisions that wasn't in his power to change included which story to use or which character the body would be using, sum it up: Everything that had nothing to do with the subject himself was not his job.

"I really hate this. I hate seeing blood, i hate thriller movies, i hate-" 

Ming Yu ... ah Ming Yu. Why couldn't you just stick to focusing on just one genre ...

Shen Liangxi continued to grumble expressing how much he loathed the 4th scenario.

-

[Reality. End of story 4]

Shen Xihan's goal after entering the fourth story's gruesome plot was to keep Ming Yu away from harm and keep his eyes from witnessing things. However in the end he failed after shooting Fan Han down to protect him, soaking the scene with blood for Ming Yu's eyes to see.

Waking up and remembering all the bloody crap that happened on that ship, what Shen Xihan did was to smile at a certain somebody.

Shen Liangxi once thought that if his brother were to smile, he'd be really handsome.

 And he was right. 

The way his brother's  smile reached the corner of the eyes was quite charming. His teeth was pearly white that it could just sparkle and the gums were a healthy pink color.

... know what. It's actually kinda scary.

"Didi ..." his brother didn't even call him by name. 

The type of gaze that Shen Xihan was giving reminded Shen Liangxi of the exact same eyes that looked at the cold corpses that were left strewn onto the floor. Shen Liangxi felt the familiar cold feeling on his neck and instinctively hid it.

"Ge... y-you know that this isn't my fault right?" Mom, Dad, save me ah.

"Oh. It isn't? I understand." He agreed to it yet his smile  didn't  fade. The wheelchair creaked and his brother approached him ever so slowly ...

"You're lucky... If I have my legs I could've beaten you up. You never tried getting inside yourself haven't you? How about we test it together right now?"

"Ah ... En, no. I'm good." Shen Liangxi couldn't even fathom what his older brother would do to him. It wasn't funny.

The tension faded as Shen Xihan's focus shifted onto someone else. He was worried about Ming Yu. He might be the author still, that world was no different than reality itself so it must have been hard to take in by a sane mind.

"You're not mad?" A fist won't suddenly come flying at him right?

"Haha."The curt dead laughter  pointed out how Shen Xihan was just barely holding back.

Ming Yu's examinations had always been longer since the person was kept unconscious for the entirety of the experiment.

"How is he?" He held Ming Yu's hand and played around with his fingers. It's warmth was his only comfort, reassuring him that his lover was alive and well.

"The doctor said he's healthy and that there's nothing to worry about."Shen Liangxi replied back.

"When can I go back in?" Shen Xihan's impatience grew.

"In five days."

"That's too long ..."

"..." You never  even once asked my opinion if I was okay of you being gay and you dare say that five f*cking days is too short?

My rotting eyes damn it. (ｏ・_・)

"Mom has been asking me when you'll come home."

"I am home."

"Ge. I understand how you don't want to leave Yu ge's side but do you need to be so stubborn?." Anything that had nothing to do with Ming Yu had been repeatedly pushed out by Shen Xihan.

When did this project became a sort of high-tech dating app?

"I know Father's temper. He'll force answers."

"Between us. Only you can ignore Dad."

"Unlike you. I don't need to beg for money."

"..." Did he just f*cking insulted me? (°ㅂ°╬)

Little by little, the distance between the two brothers shortened. There were times they would bicker with either gaining the upper hand. The sadistic side of Shen Liangxi was slowly coming out the more they got along, leading Shen Xihan furious, chasing his little brother on wheels.

Ming Yu was the turning point. So Admin planned to be a little nicer as his silent thank you.

-

[Admin (凸ಠ益ಠ)凸: Is this considered cheating? Are you cheating?]

[Admin ( ಠ ͜ʖ ಠ): Fine, I removed it but you never said I couldn't switch it out.]

Ming Yu: "..."

He tried yet failed. 

Between the best of friends, what's there to act nice about?

-

After spending so much time together, the seasoned couple had pretty much toned down to a point where they both saw the satisfaction in doing the small things.

The fifth world was a replica of the modern world. There was no serial killing, cultivation or some mighty fantasy like power but rather simplistic love-story like any other.

At some point, Ming Yu wanted a child. Shen Xihan did too. 

If dreams did come true. 

This was his. 

Shen Xihan received back all the love he deserved after all what he suffered, the heavens were merciful. He received so much back, more than he could carry and the warm weight that he sleeps with every night was the very reminder of it.

But did the heavens slip up?

Did he possibly gained back more than enough?

When the gun was pointed at him. He was more happy to receive it rather than Ming Yu. With his death, he would be pushed out of this world and see Ming Yu in the next. There was no cause for worry.

Yet at this moment Shen Xihan forgot the fact of how unlike him. Ming Yu had always been unsure of the chance of seeing him again. Leaving his lover in distraught upon witnessing him dead.

He underestimated himself.

[Reality. End of story 5]

No one welcomed him back. His head was ringing as resounding bells of alarms were deafening, The frantic sound of people dragging their feet pacing here and there made it worse that Shen Xihan almost toppled over, dizzied by it. 

He tried to stand up only to fall onto the ground. His thoughts were lagging behind yet instinctively paid attention to the noise.

"Laingxi!" he shouted but his little brother was strangely absent and heard no answer.

He reached out for his wheelchair but the dizzy spell made it hard for him. He swiftly crawled onto the door and was able to get it open. When he did, a set of small wheels quickly passed by. 

He looked up and realized that it was a Stretcher that directly headed into the room beside him.

Shen Xihan exactly knew who was in the other room.

"What's going on?"

"GE!" Shen Liangxi saw his brother sitting onto the floor and could only shout out.

"Ge! L-Listen to me. Stay here! don't go anywhere!"

"What happened ..." Shen Xihan was too confused that he couldn't even look straight at his eyes. Shen Liangxi really had no time to talk at this moment and repeated his words before carrying his brother back in.

While inside, Shen Xihan saw the Stretcher pass by the door carrying a person. A hand hanged onto the air. It was a familiar hand.

That hand.

"Ming Yu ..." crowds of people wearing white made him freeze from his spot. Their image overlapped with his bad memories and his insides started to churn from remembering them.

"Ge! I'll tell you everything later! I need to go!" He rushed out to Ming Yu's aid but turned his head one last time just to check on his brother.

Pale. His brother looked deathly pale so he quickly called Uncle Mo for help, afraid to leave his brother alone.

This incident ... Shen Liangxi feared to wonder how his brother was reflecting on this.

-

Alone in a cold, dark room. Shen Xihan sat quietly onto the floor waiting for a the next call. He didn't know how much time passed with just him left sitting there to wait.

The first call from his little brother explained what happened ... what went wrong. The second call was the news of Ming Yu stabilizing yet still unconscious. Then he waited for  third.

When it arrived, he listened well before ignoring the fourth call, the fifth, sixth ...

He needed some time alone. To think.

He was about to say Ming Yu's name yet his voice didn't come out, the name stuck in his throat. Where his heart was being kept painfully throbbed and the desire to hit it with his fist over whelmed him, repeating it again and again using the pain as an attempt to calm it down.

He sat on his wheelchair and closed his tired eyes. He gathered his hands together and for the first time he prayed to whoever higher being could hear him. A desperate plea...

"I wont ask for anything anymore... you can take whatever I have if you want in exchange."

"Just don't take him away where I can't see him ...No... even if I can't see him anymore is fine. Even if you take him away from me it's okay..."

"But just let him live? Mmn? What do you think ..." Shen Xihan was striking a deal. His business mindset was the only good thing that he saw in him so he talked and talked to air. Hoping that someone or something was listening that could help.

No one knew about this. Only Shen Xihan himself knew how mad he sounded like. Silently he wept, unlike the loud wails he used to before.

When Shen Liangxi came to finally see him, his brother had decided on two things.

To separate himself from Ming Yu, and to block his feelings out.

Everything that Shen Xihan did up until now was summed up as worthless by his head so he decided to try something else. It was the stupid idea of sinking further into that mass black pool of dark thoughts to gain back the calm that he always had before meeting Ming Yu.

The difference this time was that he could keep up a smile on his face and hide his feelings better.

[6th world. Xihan]

When he first met Ming Yu again, he failed to hide his tears and yearning. Days after that, he was slowly making progress in detaching himself, little by little.

Some say even those deeply in love can move on after a few years. He was deeply bonded with Ming Yu and settled for 10 years. In 10 years, he was sure to have set Ming Yu free, away from his life and thoughts.

He was close to reaching his goal yet the closer he got, the fear of losing him sprung out which turned out to be too strong for him to control. Just one look ... he'd tell himself, weak to the urge to see him.

Torn between wanting to love someone back or to separate, Ming Yu didn't give him time to decide.

Honey, do you remember those days?

Ming Yu's feeling in this matter was written within his song. The message was simple. How he wished for them to live happily ... to remind him of the love they had, how Ming Yu felt alone with him acting like this.

He wanted him back. He wanted his beloved Xihan back.

How does Ming Yu always have the power to break down the walls he meticulously built so easily?

Then he realized at this point how it was too late to back out since he had long offered everything that he is on Ming Yu's hands. He couldn't run away from it even if he wanted to anymore, it was just a stubborn losing fight.

When Ming Yu's kisses rained on his face Shen Xihan was even confused why he was willing to let this go?

Who Ming Yu needed was him the most. What Ming Yu wanted was him by his side, he wasn't concerned about the accident rather, his lover was more worried about him who was sure to blame himself.

Shen Liangxi who witnessed the entire thing  as the Admin couldn't hold back his own tears. The couple have not  thought of how worried he was since this time, he was unable to do anything for them.

"F*ck. The damn dust getting into my eyes..." he stood up from his chair and grabbed the broom to sweep the floor.

-

Was Shen Xihan satisfied with how the last world ended?

He was. He truly was.

"Hand me my phone." This was the first thing he said. He called up David and set up an appointment. He decided to fly back to country A, step out of his comfort zone and undergo treatment face to face.

Shen Xihan contacted his parents after a long long time.

Their constant scolding trampled his eardrums, loud enough that he was about to go deaf. After the parents scolded to their heart's content, Shen Xihan surprised them with his gentle voice.

" There's someone I love." Not a sound was heard in the other line of the phone. 

"I'll be flying back to country A to get treatment. Only after then will I take you to meet him ... we aren't together yet so I can't introduce him to you as of now."

"Liangxi knows him well so if you have questions go ask him, i'll be flying right away and won't keep contact with you for a long while. Don't forget to take care of your health." 

"Ge ..." Shen Xihan insensitively dropped a bomb like that without even waiting for the old couple to react.

RING! RING! RING!RING! RING! RING!

Shen Xihan ignored the calls on his phone and the caller easily gave up. They switched targets and Shen Liangxi's phone started ringing frantically and even his messages was piling up like hot cakes.

"Are you going to see him before you leave?" he was deeply involved with the two's relationship so this matter was a great concern for him.

Shen Xihan dragged his wheelchair to the drawer and took out the bottles of medication that he'd been hiding from his little brother's sight.

"I need to somehow fix this problem first. I don't think I can face him like this."

"..." This was one bomb after another, stunning Shen Liangxi to in place.

"When will Ah Yu wake up? I want to see him before he does." If possible, he did not wish to see him but this trip was one where he did not know when he's even coming back.

"...because of what happened, it'll be hard to see him for a while." Shen Liangxi's thoughts were still on the medicine bottle in his hand. 

When was this? For how long?

How ill ... were you ...

"I see." He read the confusion on his little brother's face but kept quiet, giving him enough time to sort it through. Minutes passed and his little brother forced a smile on his face which startled him.

"I'll send you pictures. Don't worry, ill write you often."

"Good." He expected for his little brother to throw a fit after hiding things. Acting like this, it seems that his little brother felt like it wasn't the right time to ask.

"I'll tell you everything another time." he promised him this.

Shen Xihan stumbled a lot to get into this point.

Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. 

You think that what you have now is enough to love someone perfectly yet it isn't, so you strive to be better. 

Every mistake can make you insecure, driving you to distance yourself from something that you want to keep close by. 

The person you did not wish to hurt are in pain no matter what you do, even if the intentions are well, for their own good.

All of these became a big wound and worse thing is, it double since the wound must be patched up. After patching it up, it might even reopen either due to your own actions or someone else.

Such feelings never disappear however someday, you are sure to meet that special someone that even things out and make you think how all of these crap that you're going through was worth it.

For Shen Xihan, this was Ming Yu.

This time, there was no worlds to test his feelings for him but a fixed reality where he wasn't allowed to hesitate. Time was limited.

Yet he was still making Ming Yu wait. 

He needed to.