Chapter 61: “Because I love you. I want the best for you.”
Zhou You retracted his hand, trembling as he stood with Bian Han under the eaves. Dressed more lightly than Bian Han and wearing slippers, the cold rain splashed onto him, causing goosebumps to rise on his arms.
Bian Han handed him the umbrella and said, “Use this.”
“No need.” Zhou You smiled as he looked at the rain-soaked street and said, “It feels great.”
Bian Han muttered under his breath, “You enjoy everything. Pervert.”
Zhou You laughed heartily.
The rain grew heavier, but the wind seemed to gradually subside. The downpour pounded the ground and drummed loudly on the tin eaves, filling Bian Han’s ears with the chaotic sound. He tilted his head slightly in discomfort.
As a sentinel with acute hearing and no white noise earphones, the noise was particularly bothersome for him.
Someone gently took his hand. Zhou You leaned in and whispered, “Shall I help you?”
Bian Han harshly rebuked, “Get lost.”
Zhou You replied, “I feel uncomfortable too.”
Bian Han retorted, “Then find someone who enjoys your games.”
Zhou You said, “Didn’t we get along well before? Bian Han, don’t you want me as a friend anymore?”
Bian Han ignored him, standing there with a sullen face and pursed lips.
“Let me enter your…” Zhou You whispered in his ear, “your sea area, okay?”
Bian Han: “…No.”
Zhou You tugged at his hand, “I promise, this time I’ll be gentle, you won’t feel uncomfortable.”
Qin Ge, immersed in Bian Han’s memories, experienced all of Bian Han’s current emotions and hesitations. He felt extremely strange: both the boy named Zhou You and Bian Han.
Zhou You, who actively proposed to enter the sea area, was clearly a guide. Qin Ge even suspected he might be a guide with regulatory abilities: capable of bypassing the superficial layers and directly entering the sentinel’s deep sea area to interact with their core consciousness.
But why did Bian Han resist? For a sentinel, a guide entering the sea area shouldn’t be an uncomfortable experience, unless the guide did something else in his “sea area.”
Qin Ge suddenly thought of Lu Qinglai. Did Zhou You also impose suggestions on others after entering their “sea area,” like Lu Qinglai?
At that moment, Bian Han suddenly opened the umbrella. He pulled Zhou You’s hand and walked into the rain.
The rain distorted everything, turning the scenery into a chaotic blur of colors. The colors gradually dissolved, and Qin Ge found himself deeply immersed as Zhou You climbed onto Bian Han.
It was a simple room, with textbooks and game consoles scattered on the floor, and several picture frames on the wall, displaying Bian Han’s family photos.
At first, Qin Ge thought Zhou You and Bian Han were making love, but he immediately sensed something was off.
Bian Han closed his eyes, and Qin Ge’s vision darkened accordingly. He became Bian Han’s self-consciousness, waiting for a visitor in a high tower.
What shocked Qin Ge was that the sea area he was in now was completely different from what he had seen before: it wasn’t the narrow youth palace basketball court, nor the desolate ruins filled with cold wind and rain. Bian Han sat on the window sill of the high tower, whistling towards the blue sky outside. His “sea area” was an incredibly vast wilderness, with mist-covered dense forests and numerous buildings within.
This was a human settlement — a completely normal “sea area”!
Qin Ge’s nerves immediately tightened: as a teenager, Bian Han’s “sea area” was completely normal and hadn’t been damaged yet.
A light laugh came from behind. Qin Ge turned around and saw Zhou You approaching him.
“Bian Han.” Zhou You held his face and kissed him, “Are you looking forward to it?”
Qin Ge heard himself respond in Bian Han’s voice, “Not at all.”
Qin Ge knew he was lying, and Zhou You also knew. Zhou You lowered his head and kissed Bian Han’s lips, smiling and saying, “You’re interesting. Be my companion.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the tower immediately began to shake. Zhou You held onto Bian Han and fell from the collapsing tower, the wind roaring past them, giant stones smashing onto Bian Han’s body. Even though this was his “sea area,” he momentarily lost control over it, letting out a pained cry, “You lied to me! Zhou You!”
“Endure the pain for a while, just for a while,” Zhou You said extremely gently. “You’ll soon be happy.”
But this “soon” felt incredibly long, at least from Qin Ge’s perspective. Zhou You tightly controlled Bian Han as they fell into the depths of the “sea area,” descending toward the bottom of the earth. The soil cracked open, forests, rivers, and houses cascading down like pouring water, all crashing onto Bian Han’s body.
He wouldn’t feel physical pain, but what truly broke him was the intense agony inflicted on the “sea area.”
Like a thousand needles piercing his flesh, like ten thousand thorns teasing his nerve endings, constantly stirring. It wasn’t the pain of the flesh but the thoughts forcefully injected into his brain: you’re going to die, you’ll die from the pain, your entire world is crumbling, don’t relax, don’t breathe, they’ll vanish immediately, and you’ll vanish too.
Bian Han convulsed, his mouth wide open, emitting silent screams. He repeatedly passed out from the intense pain, only to be awakened immediately by new sensations. Alongside the pain came an overwhelming sense of despair and depression. His “sea area” was completely under Zhou You’s control, he lost his autonomy, and Qin Ge even doubted that if this mental state persisted for one more minute, or even thirty seconds after Bian Han regained consciousness, he would choose death.
His personal consciousness was completely suppressed by the overwhelming sense of loss of control caused by the collapse of the “sea area.”
The prolonged descent suddenly stopped.
Bian Han fell to his knees on the top floor of the tower, kneeling before Zhou You. He gasped for air, his gaze vacant, trembling all over. In this part of the memory, Qin Ge, too, felt fear along with Bian Han’s terror.
Fear of the changes in the “sea area,” and even more fear of Zhou You.
But the next moment, something peculiar happened.
Zhou You kissed Bian Han’s nose, guiding him to the edge of the tower.
The “sea area” was not destroyed; everything remained exactly the same as before. All the forests were budding, covering the land endlessly like spring. Joyful voices came from near and far, carrying soft petals in the wind. Billions of golden stars streaked across the azure sky, falling into the deep valleys, bursting with enough light to illuminate all darkness.
Bian Han began to tremble again, but not from pain. Zhou You pressed against his back, not allowing him to turn around, his chest pressed tightly against Bian Han’s spine.
“Bian Han, do you like it?” His voice was soft and gentle, petals and grass leaves swirled up the tower, fluttering onto Bian Han’s face. “You like it, don’t you? I understand you the best, don’t I?”
Bian Han nodded, unable to speak.
Unimaginable joy and pleasure erupted from the depths of the “sea area,” surging like electric currents, instantly occupying all his consciousness.
It was a pleasure a thousand times stronger than physical climax. Zhou You continuously manipulated the part of the “sea area” that controlled his pleasure. Bian Han lost the ability to speak, even to breathe, overwhelmed by the intense pleasure. Zhou You kissed him repeatedly, held his hand, and smiled, asking him, “Do you love me?”
Bian Han nodded.
“You’re wrong,” Zhou You suddenly denied firmly.
The pleasure abruptly stopped. Bian Han’s self-awareness still trembled from the pleasure, making him unable to speak, clutching Zhou You’s hand tightly, desperately leaning in to kiss him.
“You’re wrong,” Zhou You gently told him again, “You don’t love me.”
Bian Han nodded repeatedly.
“It’s the boy you often go to watch dancing,” Zhou You asked softly, “What’s his name?”
Bian Han shook his head. He couldn’t remember. He couldn’t remember anything now, just hoping Zhou You wouldn’t stop.
Zhou You said, “Tell me. If you don’t, I won’t give you anymore.”
He let go of his hand, smiling, “I’m leaving, Bian Han.”
Bian Han shouted, “Meng Yu! His name is Meng Yu!”
“Good.” Zhou You nodded, holding his hand again. “You’re so obedient, so good. You like him, don’t you?”
Bian Han looked at him blankly.
Zhou You said, “You have to say yes.”
Bian Han said, “Yes.”
“You love him very much,” Zhou You said.
Bian Han said, “Yes.”
“You can kill for him.”
Bian Han hesitated. Zhou You rubbed his face, “Can you? Kill for the Meng Yu you love?”
Bian Han finally nodded, “Yes.”
Zhou You said, “No matter who it is, as long as they interfere with you and him, you won’t show mercy.”
Bian Han hesitated again.
“Bian Han.” Zhou You stroked his ears, asking softly, “Do you want pain or happiness?”
“…” Bian Han repeated his words in an almost inaudible voice, “I won’t show mercy to anyone.”
He was still waiting for the pleasure and joy Zhou You bestowed upon him, but Zhou You had already let go of his hand. The young guide laughed hysterically on the top of the tower, tears streaming down his face, and eventually even knelt on the ground unable to stand up straight.
Qin Ge felt dizzy for a moment. He left the “sea area” of the teenage sentinel and returned to Bian Han’s room.
Zhou You was still laughing, sitting on the floor beside the bed, pounding the bed while laughing. Bian Han curled up on the bed trembling, and after a moment, he struggled to get up, grabbed Zhou You’s hair, and punched him hard.
“I won’t let you into my ‘sea area’ again!” Bian Han’s voice still trembled, “You liar!”
The punch was heavy, Zhou You crawled up from the ground, wiping the blood from his nose.
“You don’t like what I bestowed upon you…” Zhou You started but was interrupted by a spit from Bian Han. Zhou You fell silent, then chuckled after a while, “Boring. Didn’t you feel good just now? You really don’t like it? They all love it when I do this.”
“They? Who are they?” Bian Han’s face was full of disgust. “What are you up to?”
“Just for fun.” Zhou You saw Bian Han’s backpack lying nearby, opened it skillfully, took out a cigarette, and lit it, holding it between his teeth. His smoking posture was very skilled, and after blowing out smoke rings, he stared blankly at them.
In this brief silence, Qin Ge observed Zhou You through Bian Han’s eyes.
What Zhou You just demonstrated was an extremely advanced technique of manipulating the “sea area.” Qin Ge had been studying it, but had made little progress. This was the first time he had seen someone create the illusion of the “sea area” being destroyed in a moment, only to immediately restore it.
Qin Ge had no doubt that Zhou You had the ability to truly destroy the “sea area.”
This isn’t even a skill that can be learned through postnatal study. It’s like Qin Ge’s innate ability to absorb negative emotions from the “sea area,” something that cannot be learned or obtained through practice.
Bian Han refused his entry, but ultimately, Bian Han’s “sea area” was still destroyed. Qin Ge thought to himself that he couldn’t resist the pleasure and joy Zhou You provided.
It was too intense, stronger than anything that could be obtained through any means or methods.
“This is addictive,” Zhou You said with a smile. “You’re not the first one to say you won’t let me in. But in the end…”
He leaned to the side to dodge a book thrown by Bian Han.
“Why… is it different this time?” Bian Han asked angrily, “It wasn’t this… this…”
“Not this pleasurable, right?” Zhou You licked his teeth. “Because I love you. I want to give you the best.”
Liar. Qin Ge thought.
Such an intense, terrifying pleasure was something once experienced, one could never forget. After intense pain, as soon as the pain disappeared, one would feel extremely comfortable. But Zhou You manipulated the more hidden part of the “sea area,” directly activating the pleasure button in Bian Han’s mental world. With the contrast of previous pain, pleasure and excitement could even be hundreds of times stronger.
Then, at the most vulnerable and longing moment, suggesting.
“What… who are you?” Bian Han asked in a low voice.
“Zhou You.” The young guide flicked his cigarette ash. “What’s up? Can’t recognize me after experiencing pleasure?”
“Don’t lie to me.” Bian Han jumped off the bed, grabbing Zhou You’s collar. “You’re not the Zhou You I know! The real Zhou You… he has been bedridden for so many years, even getting up is difficult.”
“In the nameless population of Wangdu District, can you manage everyone?” Zhou You blew smoke in his face, reaching out to touch Bian Han’s face, but Bian Han dodged. “My last name is Zhou, and now I am Zhou You. Just remember this fact.”
Bian Han’s hand was trembling. “What about the real Zhou You? I haven’t seen him in a long time.”
“I don’t know.” He said slowly. “Go ask Dad, or go take a look at the new hearth in our house.”
He smiled gently at Bian Han.
