CH 40

After the system upgrade, everything became much faster. Any action no longer required a loading bar, and Ren Shuhan instantly regained his childhood memories.

In the previous world, Jiang Qingyue was an illegitimate child, a pitiful little one. But in this world, he was a cute and happy child from a loving family.

The Song family doted on him, and he was well-behaved. He was even braver than the Jiang Qingyue from the previous world. Since he was very young, he had confidence. When he first learned to speak, his first word was “brother”.

The madam of the Song family and Ren Shuhan’s mother had a good relationship. They were both pregnant around the same time, and during their prenatal check-ups, it was highly likely that one would differentiate into an Alpha and the other into an Omega. They joked about arranging a marriage between their children.

Although at this time, the child of the Song family was actually Song Xici, the original Song Xici in the novel didn’t experience the luxurious life of a wealthy family when he was born. He was secretly switched by the Song family’s bodyguard. He was basically an NPC that only served a purpose as a tool for the plot, even more so than Yan Huan.

Little Jiang Qingyue had a perfect childhood. He had a whole photo album even before he learned to crawl. When he could finally lift his head, there was a photo of him and little Ren Shuhan together. Ren Shuhan was only two months older than him, but he grew faster. He could already sit up and grab things. When he saw little Jiang Qingyue, he would hold onto him and refuse to let go.

“This little one will definitely be an Alpha. He already knows how to find a wife at such a young age.”

The first time little Jiang Qingyue called someone “brother,” Song Xishi was pleasantly surprised, but then he realized that his younger brother was calling Ren Shuhan. He was speechless. “Why are you closer to outsiders than your own family?”

“He’s just a child, he loves playing with other children,” the family members were pleased. “He clearly likes Alphas. Shuhan isn’t an outsider. He will definitely be our son-in-law in the future.”

Song Xishi unhappily said: “Even if he’s an Omega, he should strive for independence. He can’t just cling to Alphas.”

But no one paid him any attention.

Everyone was enthusiastic about dressing the two little babies in couple outfits, taking artistic photos. There were photos of them holding a carp like a New Year painting, both wearing little swan-like outfits with white gauze skirts, and even some wearing diapers, pretending to be superheroes.

However, due to the setting of “childhood friends” in the original novel, they didn’t spend every day together like in the previous world.

They could only play together for a while when the adults gathered.

Jiang Qingyue’s growth was slower than Ren Shuhan’s. When Ren Shuhan could run and jump, Jiang Qingyue was still clumsy. He would only tease him a little and secretly give him kisses when no one was around. But when there were people present, he would ignore little Jiang Qingyue, maintaining his icy demeanor.

When the adults called out, “Let’s go,” the two little friends would separate.

Later on, it was time for them to go to elementary school.

Although they took different routes to school, they would occasionally meet at school.

When Jiang Qingyue started elementary school, his backpack didn’t have any books, only snacks. His family would send him to the school gate, and someone would carry his backpack inside to prevent it from weighing him down.

But one time, Jiang Qingyue saw Ren Shuhan carrying his own backpack to school from a distance, so he didn’t let his family send him. He also held a bag of snacks and walked to class by himself.

Ren Shuhan had many friends and wherever he went, he attracted attention. Jiang Qingyue could often see him, but Ren Shuhan couldn’t spot the little figure that got lost in the crowd. So, it didn’t take long for Jiang Qingyue to become impatient and proactively wait for him by the basketball court, bringing him some water and fruits.

“Is he your little boyfriend?” someone asked.

Little Ren Shuhan ignored everyone, coolly accepting the water, but his heart was racing inside his chest.

“Want to play with us?”

Jiang Qingyue shook his head, shyly saying, “I don’t know how to play.”

Everyone loved the fair and tender little child. They eagerly volunteered: “Let me teach you, it’s very simple.”

Jiang Qingyue looked at Ren Shuhan, seeking help. “Brother.”

“I’ll teach you.” Ren Shuhan held his hand and pulled him to another basketball court, telling his teammates, “I’m not playing anymore.”

Teammates: “…”

However, Jiang Qingyue only played for a while and became a little sad because his clothes got dirty from the basketball. Ren Shuhan had no choice but to take the little clean freak to change clothes.

Later, Ren Shuhan taught him other things, like riding a bicycle and ice skating, but they didn’t last long because the little delicate one was afraid of falling and getting hurt. He gave up teaching him after a short time.

To spend more time together, Jiang Qingyue suggested doing homework together, but children have short attention spans, and they would all end up lying on the carpet and falling asleep after a short while.

Jiang Qingyue wasn’t good at playing, and he didn’t enjoy it either. He only liked studying, but his grades were overshadowed by the protagonist’s halo, leaving him no excuse to come and find Ren Shuhan.

So, every time Ren Shuhan was approached by him, it was with food in hand.

Once, during a dance party, Jiang Qingyue carried a plate bigger than his own head, filled with various desserts, and shyly offered it to Ren Shuhan. He looked at him expectantly, hoping to see him eat it all. Unable to handle any more sweets, Ren Shuhan finally put the plate aside and invited him to dance.

The two short and cute little beans danced together, one in a serious black suit, and the other in a white suit with a girlish hairstyle, looking shy and adorable. Gradually, the adults in the dance floor stopped dancing and started secretly taking photos and videos of them with their phones.

“These two kids really get along well.”

“They match perfectly. They were destined to be engaged from the start.”

“When they stop dancing, they should get engaged directly.”

“Even if they don’t differentiate into an Alpha and an Omega, they could still be engaged. It’s not necessary to stick to the traditional Alpha-Omega pairing.”

Ren Shuhan didn’t say anything, but Jiang Qingyue kept up the tradition of offering him sweets.

On Valentine’s Day, it became popular among older elementary school kids to exchange chocolates. Jiang Qingyue thought, “No, I can’t let Brother eat other people’s chocolates when he loves sweets so much.”

So, he made a large box of heart-shaped chocolates but didn’t sign his name due to shyness. He secretly placed it in Ren Shuhan’s drawer. However, he observed Ren Shuhan putting all the chocolates in a large gift bag and throwing them away.

Jiang Qingyue almost cried and squatted behind the door, feeling miserable, when Ren Shuhan discovered him.

“What’s going on?” Ren Shuhan asked with a cold face, making Jiang Qingyue panic.

“Ch-chocolate…” Jiang Qingyue burst into tears when asked, pointing at the trash can, feeling aggrieved.

Ren Shuhan picked up the discarded bag and asked, “Which one is yours?”

Jiang Qingyue pointed to the largest box with his chubby little white hand.

Suppressing the sensation of toothache, Ren Shuhan retrieved the box. Fortunately, it was well-packaged and clean. He wiped it off and, under the covert gaze of Jiang Qingyue, took out the largest heart-shaped chocolate and ate it.

“Do you like it?” Jiang Qingyue asked, lowering his head.

“Hmm.”

Ren Shuhan thought, I like seeing that expression on your face. It was worth eating them all.

“That’s great,” Jiang Qingyue revived on the spot, running in circles, leaving behind the swaying silhouette of a ponytail, “I’ll make more for you in the future!”

That day, Ren Shuhan realized for the first time that chocolates, even though they could be overwhelmingly sweet, were different from other desserts and quite delicious.

“Is that your little fiancé?”

Yan Huan, his classmate, asked behind Ren Shuhan.

Ren Shuhan wanted to say “yes,” but, influenced by the protagonist’s halo, he couldn’t respond.

“If you keep making him cry, someone else will steal him away,” Yan Huan remarked.

Little Ren Shuhan walked away, hands in his pockets, saying: “Mind your own business.”

Although Ren Shuhan didn’t constantly feed him like Jiang Qingyue did, he silently kept an eye on Jiang Qingyue. After they entered junior high school and started going through puberty, his glands developed, and he even secretly beat up a couple of boys who tried to bite Jiang Qingyue.

“I didn’t want to bite him,” one of them cried after being beaten, feeling wronged. “I just wanted to give him a lick!”

They were thinking too wishfully, weren’t they?

Ren Shuhan said: “From now on, don’t even look at him or think about it. Get lost.”

The cute little one pouted, attracting the attention of many envious onlookers from afar. Ren Shuhan taught them a lesson one by one, always without stating a reason, gradually becoming the bully of the class.

Under the halo of the protagonist, the two of them secretly admired each other for several years.

During junior high school, while other kids made plans to hang out together during vacations, they could only run into each other occasionally.

The closest thing to a date happened when they met in front of a private movie theater near their school. Blushing, Jiang Qingyue invited Ren Shuhan to watch a movie, while a few of their classmates looked on with envy. He nodded.

The movie they watched was called “Youth.”

However, the male lead in the film was naturally not the Ren Shuhan from the previous world but Shen Xinghe, and the second male lead wasn’t Gu Weici, but Gu Qingmeng. The rest of the plot remained unchanged. It started with Xiao Zhang reading a love letter to Xiao Wang in the classroom, and they ended up fighting each other.

Ren Shuhan listened attentively when the love letter was read aloud, feeling that the girl had expressed the thoughts of someone in love, which resonated with him. Meanwhile, Jiang Qingyue, sitting beside Ren Shuhan, absentmindedly raised his arm and discreetly placed it on the armrest between their seats.

He hoped for a coincidence, perhaps for Ren Shuhan to unconsciously place his hand there, touching his hand. He waited but had to wait until the end of the movie.

He hardly saw what happened in the middle, as only nervousness remained.

At the end, the two male leads separated in silence. Xiao Wang said resentfully, “Yes, I should have known. We were never compatible. Do you remember why we got together during our senior year? It was because someone wrote me a love letter, and you got jealous, reading it aloud in class, completely disregarding others’ feelings. It revealed that you also liked me. In fact, I should have realized back then that we were two different types of people.”

Xiao Zhang, however, said, “You seem to have figured it out quite well. You’re a smart person. But do you know that love letter was written by me?”

The male lead opened his mouth in astonishment but didn’t make a sound. By the time he thought of something to say, the doors of the car had closed, and the person who had once confessed loudly on behalf of someone else in class had already left.

The friends sitting on the other side were all in tears. Jiang Qingyue only realized it then and turned his head, looking at them with confusion.

As he tried to move his numb arm to get tissues for everyone, he saw that Ren Shuhan, who had forgotten about the armrest, accidentally placed his hand on Jiang Qingyue’s hand back.

The movie ended, the screen turned black, and the scrolling credits began. The entire theater remained pitch black because it was a private room. A song played during the credits, and there was no sudden illumination to disturb the darkness.

In the darkness, a few people quietly sobbed and discussed the plot. The two people sitting on the far end kept their own thoughts, covering their reddened cheeks.

The movie screening came to an end, and everyone decided to watch a comedy to lighten the mood. This time, everyone was fully engaged in the movie.

After leaving the theater, it was dinner time. Ren Shuhan said, “Let me treat you guys.”

It took him a lot of effort to say those words. It felt like he had instantly escaped from an invisible web, finally being himself.

The companions were still pleasantly surprised and whispered that they were lucky to have Song Xiyue’s influence. They chose a restaurant that students often visited and ordered a bunch of snacks.

During the meal, Ren Shuhan didn’t say much, almost as if he were returning their movie tickets.

After Jiang Qingyue tried to pass him a plate of chocolate mousse, he suddenly said, “Actually, I don’t like sweet foods.”

In the end, as the group dispersed, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward. Ren Shuhan wanted to say that it was getting late and that he would walk them home, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. The day ended in a hasty manner, and after that, Jiang Qingyue didn’t dare to invite him anymore when he ran into him. And he didn’t send Valentine’s Day chocolates.

It was quite miserable.

Now, as Ren Shuhan looked back, he believed it was the protagonist’s halo fighting back.

Furthermore, the movie itself was strange. Weren’t the two worlds supposed to be parallel? Why were familiar people seen?

The system’s explanation was a bit complicated: “This is due to the partial sharing of spatial architecture data. If the cultural backgrounds of the books are similar, there is a high probability of encountering the same characters and events. However, the two books are still separate spaces, and the host can activate the rollback function after reaching adulthood in this world, returning to the spatial realm of the previous world.”

He had already guessed this function, as Ren Shuhan had a lot of money in his system store.

Initially, the system allowed him to freely use items and money. However, Ren Shuhan was concerned about the impact on the world’s economy, so he changed the amount of money in the system to a fixed number, corresponding to his own disposable income.

In this world, the money remained the same.

Originally, Ren Shuhan had no shortage of spending in this world and didn’t plan to spend his entire life’s savings. However, after graduation, there was a significant expense that required him to divert some of the funds.

That expense was the engagement money, used to propose and marry his future wife.

He couldn’t wait to permanently mark Jiang Qingyue as his own. Jiang Qingyue was cooperative, hinting several times that he wanted to be deeply bitten. He obediently followed Ren Shuhan’s lead. However, Ren Shuhan was someone who cared about formalities.

A permanent mark equated to getting married, didn’t it?

And to get married, he had to propose first, right?

After the previous experience, he didn’t plan anything complicated this time. He bought the aquarium they had previously visited on their date and arranged for professional trainers to have dolphins trained. He took Jiang Qingyue to the sea and watched as the dolphins were released.

“Thank you.”

The wind on the deck tousled Jiang Qingyue’s hair, and he watched with great emotion as the dolphins leaped out of the water not far away.

Ren Shuhan tucked his hair behind his ear and said, “While you’re happy, I have an important request and I want your consent.”

Jiang Qingyue had a vague sense of what was coming and felt excited.

“I consent, I agree to everything.”

Ren Shuhan smiled and lightly tapped his nose. His own little Omega was becoming bolder and no longer afraid of being taken advantage of.

“But…” Ren Shuhan licked his lips, a bit uncertain. “Before discussing this matter, I need to confess something else to you. Because I promised you in the past that we wouldn’t have any secrets between us, and now that I feel our relationship has reached such an intimate stage, I feel it’s time to reveal…”

Jiang Qingyue listened attentively, focusing his gaze on him.

“I actually have superpowers.”

Ren Shuhan had been laying the groundwork for this revelation for three years. From the beginning, he would frequently pull out strange objects at any time and anywhere. Once Jiang Qingyue got used to it, Ren Shuhan changed it to pulling out incredible things. For example, he would shake a dove out of his baseball cap at the plaza to make Jiang Qingyue happy, or while playing on the playground, he would suddenly realize that it was boring because Jiang Qingyue couldn’t touch the ball, so he would pull out a set of cards from his school uniform…

According to the plan, whenever Jiang Qingyue asked, Ren Shuhan would say, “I have superpowers.” Over time, Jiang Qingyue accepted it, but what Ren Shuhan didn’t expect was that Jiang Qingyue not only didn’t feel surprised or question the reason, but he gradually got used to this setup!

During class, he would pass notes to him, asking him to transform into some chocolate to eat. When they went out and Jiang Qingyue’s phone ran out of battery, he would ask him to transform it into a power bank…

Well, he was a practical Alpha.

As expected, when Ren Shuhan finally said it, Jiang Qingyue just smiled and said: “Hmm, hmm.”

Ren Shuhan: “…”

If the novel were to be written like this, it wouldn’t have any effect! But thinking about the repetitive things he had prepared, it was already ineffective. Ren Shuhan decisively snapped his fingers, and fireworks began to shimmer in the distance.

“Wow!” Jiang Qingyue appeared surprised, but he actually tiptoed and hugged Ren Shuhan’s neck, not paying attention to the fireworks at all. He used the sensitive skin of his glands to nuzzle against Ren Shuhan’s neck. “Thank you! I promise! I’ll agree to whatever you say.”

Ren Shuhan found his adorable seduction irresistible.

It was always like this, completely defeated by him…

“Darling, there’s something else I want to tell you,” Ren Shuhan gently touched his neck and said, “Maybe one day in the future, we might be separated, but don’t be afraid or panic. I will find you as soon as possible and continue to love you.”

Jiang Qingyue blinked his eyes, still eager to be bitten, and nodded quickly. “Hmm, hmm.”

“In the next world, and the world after that, I will love you,” Ren Shuhan held him tightly against his body, bending down deeply to bite his gland before saying, “I love you to the end of all worlds.”

……

An aspect of the ABO setting added a lot of amusement. When transmigrating into a book again, Ren Shuhan felt that he hadn’t had enough fun yet.

“Why did I enter a new book so quickly this time?” Upon waking up in an unfamiliar hotel, Ren Shuhan’s first instinct was to interrogate the system, “Is it that I, your master, am not worthy of having the true essence of the ABO background?”

“…Because this book is relatively short,”

Ren Shuhan: “Give the author a poor review.”

System: “…But the background of the third book allows for same-sex marriage as well,”

That was acceptable. Ren Shuhan’s appetite had already been expanded, and he no longer saw any obstacles to being with someone of the same gender.

System: “The system has detected that the protagonist’s aura in this book is powerful. It is recommended to update to a new patch immediately. The upgrade can be done in the background without affecting other functions,”

That was more like it.

Ren Shuhan ignored the mention of the “powerful” aura, because how much more powerful could it be? He would still overshadow it.

It was great that the system could be updated in the background. After all, in the previous world, he had to read the plot and wait for a month for the system to come back online. And it only was available again when he nearly finished his story. Wouldn’t it be great if the system gave him some pointers first?

System: “….Friendly reminder: at the request of the host from the previous world, the system has interfered with the contents of the book, and initial progress has been made. The character Jiang Qingyue has a good family background and has been favored since his childhood.”

Ren Shuhan: “! Nice!”

As long as my wife is happy, even if you take a year to update, it’s worth praising.

System: “But…”

Ren Shuhan suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Due to the system’s current inability to change the content of the book, only slight interference is possible, such as switching to a random book. Therefore, the challenge in this book is that the host is afflicted with a disability. It is recommended to immediately initiate a treatment plan with an estimated recovery time of three years.”

Ren Shuhan: “?”

WTF?

Only then did he realize that since waking up, he had been sitting on the bed, motionless, and his lower body seemed to have no sensation.

“…Could you please temporarily disable the automatic monitoring on me?” Ren Shuhan said. “I want to be alone for a while.”

System: “Friendship reminder: The disability includes legs and mouth…”

“Shut up!” Ren Shuhan interrupted.

In the dead silence, the sound of the shower in the hotel bathroom was particularly noticeable.

“Is that Qingyue?” Ren Shuhan prayed, “Please heal me. I’m already in such a miserable state, what more do you want from me?”

The system cruelly replied: “The protagonist: Shi Xi, the universally adored salted fish1It’s a term to refer to people who want to do nothing in life, capable of attracting all the high-quality males in this book. As the selling point is being universally adored, the aura is even stronger than the first book’s aura for the first character, Gu Weici. Currently, the aura can only be shielded within a one-meter radius centered around the host. Please be careful.”

Oh, it didn’t matter to Ren Shuhan. He thought, I can just shield myself. I’ll help others when I have the ability in the future… No, wait, who are these high-quality males?

The system seemed to read out the synopsis for him, “Protagonist, gong, Ren Shuhan, a paranoid and gloomy disabled CEO, already in the crematorium. ‘Thinking of escaping? Too late’;”

“Villain, gong, Yan Huan, a sunshine warm-hearted man who comes at the call, later ends up blackening, ‘Is it only like this that you will pay attention to me?’;”

“Supporting character, gong, Qu Chong, a charming and refined scum, colleague and little angel, ‘You can’t do it? Leave it to me’;”

“Cannon fodder, gong, Jiang Qingyue, a despicable ex-boyfriend obsessed with fame and fortune, already in the crematorium, ‘Please, come back to my side’…”

“?”

Stunned.jpg.

Who the hell are you talking about? Say it to me again?

Anyways, this chapter was nearly 4k _:(´ཀ`」 ∠):_ but since it’s exceptional as the last chapter of the arc, it’s fine I guess ⌒(>。