Can I still be saved? [Transmigration] - Chapter 51.1

The system had assumed that once Su Yunjing saw this scene, he would finally understand Fu Hanzhou’s true nature—and realize just how absurd it had been to mistake him for a sweet, obedient little thing.

But when it scanned Su Yunjing’s emotional response, it wasn’t fear or disgust it detected. It was sorrow and heartache.

System: “???”

This host’s reaction was truly strange. Fu Hanzhou’s mental world was this twisted—by any logic, shouldn’t he be terrified?

Then it remembered that out of more than six billion humans, Su Yunjing was the one the system had painstakingly chosen as Fu Hanzhou’s highest compatibility match.

The Book-Transmigration System sighed to itself.

So this was what humans meant by “every pot has its lid”¹.

In the system’s eyes, Fu Hanzhou’s spiritual world was irrefutable proof of his sickness.

Fu Hanzhou had once fantasized that, when both he and Su Yunjing died, their ashes should be buried together—forever inseparable.

In that twisted spiritual world, those swarming white worms were his tools to fuse their flesh and bl00d into one.

Even in self-destruction,  he still wanted to use this method to be buried together with Su Yunjing.

Their tomb would be those countless writhing worms. Though they would die, they would never truly be separated.

This was Fu Hanzhou’s true thought: morbid, obsessive, and mad— yet filled with a deep, unwavering devotion.

Anyone else in this world could call Fu Hanzhou a lunatic. But not Su Yunjing.

Because Fu Hanzhou’s madness, his self-torment. it was all because of him.

Watching Fu Hanzhou curl up beside him like a lost, desperate child, trembling in pain, his heart twisted with anguish.

The system couldn’t comprehend the complexity of human emotion, but it knew it had failed its host. So it searched its database for comforting phrases.

“Host, please don’t be sad. It’s okay to fail this time. We can try again….”

Before it could finish, Su Yunjing interrupted, his voice was hoarse and low: “There won’t be a next time.”

System: “???”

The weakness in his limbs filled him with strong sense of disgust. His throat burned, his voice rasping like dry tinder.

“You think this is meaningful? Crossing worlds again and again, leaving him again and again, each time his condition only gets worse.”

If next time he failed to heal Fu Hanzhou again before leaving… then it would be better not to return at all.

Su Yunjing no longer knew if he was saving his little tsundere or slowly killing him with every attempt.

If there really were another ‘next time’, he feared he might be the one to destroy him completely.

Better for Fu Hanzhou to remain the tragic second male lead of the novel, longing without ever attaining— That was still kinder than this endless cycle. He didn’t want to hurt him anymore.

Seeing that Su Yunjing was ready to quit, the system hastily protested.

“Host, are you serious? You know that if you stop doing the missions, you’ll be completely erased.”

“I was already dead.”

He wanted to live, yes—but not at the cost of another’s suffering.

He couldn’t keep repeating this torment. He just wanted Fu Hanzhou to be all right.

Now the system was truly panicking. It had finally found a perfect match for Fu Hanzhou, and now Su Yunjing was walking away. What was it supposed to do?

“Host, you can’t think like that! What if next time you heal Fu Hanzhou completely and finish the mission?”

Su Yunjing wasn’t a three-year-old. He wouldn’t be swayed by a “what if.”

After a moment’s thought, he said quietly,

“Either you let me live out my life inside the novel world… Or do whatever your rules dictate. But I’m not doing the mission anymore.”

The Book-Transmigration System was stunned — this was the first time it had ever encountered a host who dared to bargain with it.

Truly, rare things had value; only something that scarce could have such a straight spine.

After analyzing the pros and cons, it finally replied,“I’ll have to apply for authorization from higher up.”

“All right.”

Su Yunjing sat in the system’s space, ‘watching’ the frozen image of Fu Hanzhou. His heart felt unbearably heavy.

A long while later, the system returned. “Hmph, lucky for you that you met such a kind, benevolent system like me.”

Its proud, self-satisfied opening line didn’t elicit much of a reaction from Su Yunjing.

He simply gave a calm, indifferent “oh” in response.

“…Anyway,” the system continued, “as long as you complete this one last mission, you’ll be allowed to stay in the novel world permanently. I’ll assign you a new identity.”

Any character mentioned in the novel—even briefly—could still be affected by the main plotline.

So this time, the system gave Su Yunjing a nameless, faceless cannon fodder role, free from the story’s influence. As compensation, it even threw in a ‘golden finger.’

“You’ll find out what your cheat is once you enter the novel,” it said mysteriously. “No need to thank me.”

Su Yunjing: “…”

He couldn’t help thinking—was this so-called ‘golden finger’ going to screw him over again?

With that uneasy thought, he was sent back into the novel world.

The moment he opened his eyes, Su Yunjing found himself lying weakly on a hotel’s king-sized bed. His body felt aflame, burning from the inside him. He was parched, feverish, unbearably hot.

A man walked in, holding a pair of handcuffs and a whip.

The handsome young man lay on the bed looked pure and elegant, black eyes glassy with moisture, the corners slightly upturned. His slender, pale neck was flushed red.

The loosely tied bathrobe slipped from his shoulders, revealing smooth ivory skin and the taut lines of a lean waist.

The sight made the man’s desire surge. He lifted the whip with a smirk.

“Baby, ever tried this before?”

Su Yunjing’s mind was foggy, heat muddling his vision until everything blurred.

When the man stepped closer, the glint of the whip in his hand snapped Su Yunjing into clarity. His scalp prickled. He couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

If it had been a rich woman—even an old one—he might have understand it.

But a man? He himself was a man! What the hell was this supposed to be?!

His lips twitched, nausea rolling in his gut.

Just as the man was about to handcuff him with those silver handcuffs, Su Yunjing gritted his teeth, summoned every ounce of strength, and taking advantage of the man’s momentary lapse in attention, kicked him hard in the most vulnerable spot.

The man bend over with a gasp, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

Su Yunjing staggered off the bed, bracing against the wall as he bolted from the room.

Behind him, the man tried to chase but every movement caused a sharp pain in his flesh, he bent over, cursing loudly.

Su Yunjing’s legs were weak, he couldn’t muster any strength. Just as he stepped out of the hotel room, his knees buckled and he collapsed on the floor

Fearing the man would follow, he forced himself up again, staggering down the corridor.

After a few turns, he spotted another man ahead and called out to him.

The stranger stopped. Su Yunjing, with a strong will to survive, quickly walked towards him.

The heat inside him grew unbearable, as if a furnace had been lit under his skin, drying him out from the inside.

After just a few steps, his knees gave out and he fell against the man.

Gripping his arm, Su Yunjing stammered, “H-help me call the police… please…”

The man’s voice was low, calm.“You were drugged?”

Su Yunjing nodded weakly, his throat bobled, feeling increasingly hot, thirsty, and uncomfortable.

Without another word, the man helped him up, swiped a card to open a nearby room, and guided him inside.

Once inside, the man released Su Yunjing. Without a support he immediately collapsed onto the  carpet.

The man looked down at him, his eyes unreadable, “There’s a bathroom in the room. Go and take care of yourself. I’ll call the police.”

Hearing that, Su Yunjing felt a little embarrassed. The drug’s effects were strong, and his body had already reacted in a way that left him ashamed to even acknowledge it.

He forced himself to his feet, his calves trembling as he stumbled toward the bathroom.

Watching Su Yunjing’s disheveled, helpless state, the man behind him narrowed his eyes, the darkness in his gaze deep and unreadable.

Su Yunjing didn’t even have the strength to stand steadily. He pulled down the showerhead, and warm water cascaded from above, washing over him from head to toe.

While Su Yunjing was rinsing himself off, the man entered the bathroom.

It was a suite, equipped with a bathtub made for soaking. The man turned the faucet on, letting water fill the tub, then stepped back out, leaning casually against the doorway.

His tall and slender figure stood there with a relaxed posture, his eyes sweeping over Su Yunjing from head to toe—dark and fathomless, impossible to read.

Su Yunjing leaned weakly against the wall and thanked him. “Thank you.”

Water streamed down over Su Yunjing, soaking his long lashes completely. Through the haze of rising steam, he could barely make out the man’s facial features—something about him seemed strangely familiar.

The man didn’t reply to his thanks.

Still remembering that he’d asked the stranger to call the police, Su Yunjing rasped out hoarsely, “Did you… call the police?”

“Mm.”

He relaxed a little.

When the water in the bathtub was nearly full, the man stepped back inside to turn off the tap, then looked back at him and said, “Given your condition, soaking might help more.”

As he spoke, he walked over to help support Su Yunjing.

Su Yunjing hadn’t expected the stranger to be so warm-hearted. He lowered his head and murmured another quiet, “Thank you.”

When they reached the bathtub, Su Yunjing instinctively reached out to test the water’s temperature. But the moment his hand touched the surface, the man behind him suddenly let go.

Caught off guard, Su Yunjing tumbled straight into the bath.

The icy water sent a jolt through Su Yunjing’s body, making him shiver violently. In his struggle, he swallowed a mouthful of water.

A hand gripped the back of his neck and hauled him out of the tub.

The sudden clash of cold and heat left him trembling uncontrollably. He coughed hard, spat out two mouthfuls of water, and leaned weakly against the edge of the bathtub, gasping for breath.

Just as he caught his breath, the man pushed him down into the water again.

Su Yunjing squeezed his eyes shut, thrashing beneath the surface. Water rushed into his nose and mouth before the man finally pulled him back up.

His nose burned, the pain sharp and sour, forcing tears from his eyes. Gasping in great, ragged breaths, Su Yunjing struggled to steady himself.

The man took a large towel from the side.

“Feeling a bit clearer now?”

He draped the towel over Su Yunjing’s head and began to gently wipe his hair dry.

“What are you doing?”

Su Yunjing slapped his hand away, eyes wide and wary. His voice was hoarse, rough like gravel scraping against stone, with a sharp edge of fear.

Panting and shaking, he looked utterly disheveled, completely at the man’s mercy.

The man’s gaze lingered on a single droplet of water trailing down from Su Yunjing’s hair, sliding past his brows, tracing the line of his cheek.