The Price of Freedom and a Timeless Encounter

“I’m sorry, Xiaoqian, but I’m doing this for your own good. This way, you’ll get better soon.”

Bai Wanting smiled gently. She simply touched Mingqian’s body lightly with her hand, and he felt the beast in his heart about to burst forth.

“I’m not sick; you’re the one who is! You absolute yandere!”

“Heh heh, everyone who’s ill says the same thing. Xiaoqian, you’re truly pathetic.”

“But you’ll be free soon, won’t you? Just look…..”

With a cheerful smile, she gestured towards the tent that had risen, and a cold sweat trickled down Mingqian’s face.

The merest brush of her hand was enough to send Mingqian’s self-control teetering on the brink.

‘Useless, utterly useless…’

‘It’s no use! Why is it no use?!’

At this very moment, every thought, every attempt to distract himself, invariably morphed into images of Bai Wanting’s body. He was utterly out of options.

A wave of panic finally seized him. Her objective had been achieved. If he allowed himself to be consumed by the drug’s effects now, his escape plan would be postponed indefinitely!

‘How could this be? How could he possibly succumb here, of all places?!’

“Wait!”

“Oh, I won’t listen to a word you say. Xiaoqian is a patient now, and I won’t heed anything a patient says…”

“You just need to lie still and obediently. I’ll take full responsibility for curing Xiaoqian.”

Mingqian’s expression turned grave:

“Could you change into a nurse’s uniform? Ideally, you’d shower before changing. Also, I prefer the black stockings from the Seven Hills Family; I’m not fond of that Chanel pair you’re wearing, so please swap those out as well.”

“Xiaoqian?”

Bai Wanting tilted her head, a hint of confusion clouding her features.

“What’s wrong? You explicitly said you liked me. Can’t you even fulfill such a small request of mine?”

“You! You’re finally willing to accept me?! Of course! I’ll go prepare immediately!”

A look of pure astonishment blossomed on her face, as rare and beautiful as an iron tree coming into bloom. Her long wait, it seemed, had not been in vain after all!

“Indeed. I never realized being a kept man could be such a delightful experience… I intend to be a kept man for the rest of my life!”

“And if it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate a bit more money.”

Mingqian adopted the utterly convincing demeanor of a genuine kept man.

“Then… do you actually like me?”

Bai Wanting lifted her moist eyes, gazing up at him.

In that moment, not a shred of her yandere persona remained. Her glistening eyes, her fists clenched tight with nervousness, her anxious expression—all served to remind Mingqian that she was, at her core, simply a young girl.

“I do!”

“~~~~~!!!!”

Bai Wanting cradled her face, a flush spreading across her cheeks. She yearned to roll on the ground, overwhelmed by a feeling that threatened to burst forth from her very being.

‘I like him so much… so, so much…’ Hearing him confess his feelings for her made her almost unable to resist the urge to pull him down.

‘Xiaoqian, really! He just had to tease her at such a crucial moment! Heh heh~ Heh heh heh, honestly!’

‘Why did he have to say he liked her so directly?! Wouldn’t that just make her fall deeper and deeper?! Honestly, really!’

‘She, she’s really not happy at all! Truly, truly, truly, not happy in the slightest!’

“Say it, say it again!”

“I like you. I like you.”

“~~!!!!!!!!!!”

“I! I like you too… oh, and my feelings are certainly no less intense than yours.”

Bai Wanting suddenly flung her arms open, embracing Mingqian’s body with fierce intensity.

“I’m sorry I’ve kept you locked up here. I’ll let you leave soon, you know, since Xiaoqian is my boyfriend now.”

“Oh, oh…”

“Only, you must promise me this: you’ll always be mine alone, alright? Your eyes will only ever see me, alright? You mustn’t say no, or I’ll go mad with jealousy…”

“Alright then! Now, hurry up and go…”

“Mm!”

Bathed in an overwhelming tide of happiness, Bai Wanting harbored no suspicions. She swiftly straightened her clothes and, utterly obedient, exited the room.

Even then, she meticulously checked the ankle chain and the door lock before finally departing.

****

“1… 500…”

Mingqian silently counted to five hundred in his mind, then a smile spread across his face.

“Hahahaha, hahahaha!”

“Though it was merely a feigned agreement, the goosebumps it gave me were almost unbearable!”

Once he was certain Bai Wanting had truly departed, he instantly produced a key mold from the back of his hand.

Moments ago, while Bai Wanting was intently focused on feeding him the medicine, he had stealthily created the impression using a bit of mud.

“The first step is to free my legs.”

He stared at the ankle chain. Taking a deep breath, he recalled the countless experiments he’d conducted over the past few days, bolstering his conviction that he would not fail. This was his sole opportunity: he had to seize the window while Bai Wanting was out shopping, evade the cameras, and make a swift escape to the outside!

“Generate!”

A key materialized beside his hand.

He picked up the key, only to find it didn’t match the ankle chain.

As expected, this appeared to be the key for the main door.

‘Must I resort to brute force?’

Gritting his teeth, he steeled his resolve. For freedom!

“Intermediate Wood Magic: Burst!”

A jagged piece of wood erupted from the ground, striking the ankle chain with such force that his foot went numb from the impact. He then snatched up the wood and mercilessly hammered it against the chain.

After several blows, the chain snapped with a sharp crack. However, the ankle chain was so close to his skin that he had repeatedly struck his own foot with the wood, causing blood to gush forth.

“Ugh!!!”

The process proved agonizingly painful.

With that, he was finally free.

He couldn’t be sure if Bai Wanting was monitoring him, so his movements had to be swift.

He snatched up the key, his hand trembling slightly with excitement, yet he managed to swiftly insert it into the lock.

Success or failure hinged on this single action! If this key failed to unlock the door, all his efforts would be for naught, and he might face a hell even more terrifying than the one he was already in.

Bai Wanting, once she realized his deception, would never, ever forgive him.

A series of crisp clicks resonated, one after another, filling him with a surge of emotion.

Bai Wanting, it seemed, had never anticipated that he could unlock it himself. She had been careless.

No, she had been exceedingly cautious, but she could never have imagined that Mingqian possessed the ability to use magic, to conjure a key.

When the very last lock finally clattered to the ground, he could no longer contain the tumultuous excitement surging within him.

Pushing the door open, he was greeted by the long-missed sunlight.

“Freedom!!!!!”

He spread his arms wide, laughing wildly towards the sun.

“Mommy, that person isn’t wearing any clothes! What’s that bulging part?”

“Don’t, don’t look, you’ll get a stye!”

“……”

He swiftly retreated to the room to change his clothes; time was of the essence, and he had to depart immediately.

Where should he go? Perhaps the local precinct, to seek refuge.

Just as he took a step forward, a black bead rolled out from beneath his foot. An inexplicable premonition compelled him not to ignore it.

He bent down and picked it up. The very next second, the system’s warning blared frantically in his mind.

[Warning! Warning! Please discard immediately]

[Repeating, please immediately…]

The system’s voice abruptly ceased.

Mingqian was about to examine the bead more closely when he suddenly felt as though he had been pulled into another realm. He looked around, only to find himself in a place without end or beginning—a realm of pure chaos.

“Where is this?”

Mingqian listened intently, then detected a faint, soft weeping. Following the sound, he found a young girl curled up, her arms wrapped around her legs, silently crying.

“Who’s there?”

Mingqian gazed at the girl, a subtle ache stirring in his eyes. Why was she weeping so sorrowfully in this desolate void, and why was she utterly alone?

A chilling, ethereal breath swept over Mingqian’s body, making him feel as though his very soul would freeze. Yet, in the next instant, all the cold vanished, replaced by a sudden warmth.

The girl slowly lifted her head, and her face, tear-streaked like a pear blossom after rain, was unmistakably that of someone Mingqian knew intimately.

“You’ve finally come for me.”

Her gaze held an immeasurable depth of love, longing, and pure joy.

“Aile?!”

Mingqian’s mind reeled. He tried to extend his hand, but suddenly found himself unable to move.

“It’s Aile, your Aile.”

He watched, helpless, as the girl rose to her feet. She extended her pale, slender arms and gently embraced Mingqian.

“Teacher, I’ve missed you so much. This time, I absolutely won’t let you leave again.” Her soft whisper sent a ripple through Mingqian’s heart.

She tightened her embrace, as if to compensate for years of lost warmth, as if to melt him into her very being.

Just as he was about to speak, everything vanished.

He stood blankly before his own door, a black gem resting in his palm.

It was the very gem from the necklace he had once given Aile.

[Item Acquired]

[Love Across Time: Please Check]