Chapter 16 Almost There
I had burned through every point for the body swap. My savings were gone.
The System kept talking nonstop: 【Host, are you really staying in the novel world? Really? Really? Really?】
“…”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Really really really!”
I had no parents, no family, and had never known how to get along with others. Alone was the way I was used to. No one would care where I ended up.
Except Xie Fei.
[Too bad, you’re the easiest mark I’ve ever met… oh wait, the most generous Host.]
Yeah. A Host who had to pay just to complete a task—that was rare in a century.
It had been a year since my second death when I returned to the novel world.
The first person I saw was Wen Ruo.
She had started a business now. With her backer being so fierce, no one dared mess with her. Business was booming.
She hugged me the second she saw me, just like before. “If I had known Xie Yu was such a bastard, I should have stabbed him myself!”
I let her cry for a while before I managed to calm her down.
After the goodbye, I hesitated. I didn’t dare show up in front of Xie Fei.
Not until he found me.
“Why aren’t you coming out?”
I only showed my head from behind the screen in his bedchamber, forcing a smile.
It wasn’t the heartbreaking scene I had expected. It felt too decent.
It was strange. Too strange.
“Guoguo has been gone for half a year.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I answered, “Gone? Good, haha.”
Xie Fei fell silent.
Seeing that I really didn’t understand, he said softly, “But you’ve come back.”
I was stunned.
“My point is…” Xie Fei lowered his eyes and spoke in a low voice, “I really miss you.”
The strange feeling grew stronger. I stammered, “Sorry, but the System took some time to make the body…”
“It’s fine. As long as you’re back.”
Xie Fei gave a small smile.
…Too gentle. Too peaceful. Too eerie.
I tried, “Did you get mad at me for acting on my own?”
Xie Fei shook his head. “I understand you. It’s only natural that you didn’t want to see your loved ones die in front of you.”
“Then you…”
I gritted my teeth and, ignoring my shame, continued, “Why don’t you hug me? Why don’t you kiss me?”
We had been separated for so long. Didn’t we need to do this?
Xie Fei acted like we had just had a cold war and broken up.
He stared at me for a long moment, then let out a helpless laugh.
“I’m afraid.”
“What?”
He closed his eyes and said shakily, “I’m scared that what I’m seeing is a dream. I’m scared that you’re just my fantasy. I’m scared that you might die in my arms again at any moment.”
“I can’t lose you anymore.”
My nose burned. I threw myself into his arms without hesitation, tears falling uncontrollably.
“It’s not a dream,” I said. “I’m real. Hug me.”
Xie Fei hugged me back, his face blank, like he was only now sure I was real.
“I won’t leave again.”
From now on, there would be no more death between us.
A gentle kiss landed on my forehead, then slid downward and stopped at my lips.
“Thank you.”
I was stunned. “Thank you for what?”
“Thank you for being willing to come back to my side.”
I smiled through my tears and said softly, “Thank you too. For waiting for me all this time.”
At this moment, the villain finally received true redemption.
The sky was bright. We had a long way to go.