Yang Siguang only learned later that when the ambulance arrived, he had already been declared dead by the paramedics who had rushed to the scene.
His heartbeat and pulse had completely stopped.
Even his pupils had fully dilated.
All the emergency measures had been applied, yet he still showed no response.
…So when he suddenly coughed and spat out a large amount of black, foul-smelling blood in the ambulance, he nearly scared everyone in the vehicle, except for Li Bo, into jumping out of the car.
*
On the other hand, Yang Siguang himself remained very calm after learning what had happened.
When people later asked him how he felt when he was declared dead, he simply smiled but did not give a direct answer.
Although Yang Siguang did indeed create a medical miracle by coming back to life after being dead, the long cessation of his heartbeat caused irreversible damage to his body. He stayed in the hospital for almost a month before he could barely recover his health.
During that time, the most talked-about news nationwide was the bizarre deaths of the leaders of the Li family—Mr. Li and his wife, who were the supreme rulers of the entire Li family, known for their authoritarian style, died in a strange manner in their mansion.
According to the official statement, Mr. Li had suffered from a mental illness caused by years of overwork and stress and killed his wife before consuming most of her body.
Soon after, Mr. Li regained his senses and, overwhelmed by guilt, chose to commit suicide.
However, certain details, allegedly leaked by law enforcement officers, added an eerie and inexplicable atmosphere to the incident.
For example, Mr. Li’s body was actually found in a very secretive underground room beneath the Li family’s ancestral hall.
No one knew why the Li family had dug such a completely sealed underground room beneath their ancestral hall, where they worshipped their ancestors.
No one understood what it was used for—there was nothing inside except for a completely shattered ancient mirror.
When the police carefully investigated the mirror’s remnants, they discovered that the back of it was covered in ancient, unidentifiable, and mysterious symbols.
Furthermore, according to the security footage saved by the Li family’s security system, the couple had been acting strangely for about a week before the incident, exhibiting erratic and mad behavior. Mr. Li, in particular, behaved in a very bizarre manner when he broke into the underground room, as if he were chasing something invisible.
As for Mrs. Li… it was said that, according to the coroner’s estimated time of death, she had already been dead when she staggered toward the ancestral hall.
Surveillance footage also recorded her walking with her broken body, which sent chills down the spine of anyone who watched.
…
Of course, these were all later developments.
There had always been rumors about the strange and mysterious actions of the Li family in the past, and now, with the sudden deaths of three key members in a short period, the gossip and speculations became even more intense. Eventually, these events became so bizarre that they were dismissed as urban legends.
The one who would truly face the storms that followed was the heir chosen by the Li family many years ago—Li Bo.
Fortunately, this young man, who was considered too young for the business world, managed to control the Li family’s unstable empire with his remarkable talent.
When everything had settled, Yang Siguang had already returned to school.
He remained silent and reclusive, rarely interacting with others.
The difference now was that he had moved out of his family home.
And, in a sense, he had made the startling decision to sever all ties with his family.
After graduation, Yang Siguang pursued graduate studies.
Three years later, Li Bo organized a New Year’s fireworks display and, on the top floor of the tallest building in A City, asked Yang Siguang to be in a relationship with him.
At that moment, Yang Siguang stared at Li Bo for a long time. He had originally intended to reject him, but just as the fireworks exploded, a beam of light fell into Li Bo’s eyes.
At first glance, it seemed as though a faint pigment deposit had appeared in the man’s iris.
By some strange twist of fate, Yang Siguang nodded.
When he came to his senses, the man had already joyfully embraced him and planted a hot, delicate kiss on his forehead.
Yang Siguang, stunned and trapped in Li Bo’s arms, instantly lost the chance to reconsider.
He had thought he wouldn’t be able to last long with Li Bo…
However, perhaps it was because they were both from the Li family that Li Bo sometimes made him feel as if he could vaguely see Li Chen in him.
Perhaps it was because he was still captivated by the lingering shadow of Li Chen.
Or perhaps it could be said that feelings developed over time.
By the time he realized it, he had already spent over ten years with Li Bo.
*
Time flowed quietly and steadily.
Yang Siguang lived happily, using the life that Li Chen had exchanged for him.
……
……
……
……
“A-Bo? What’s this?”
While organizing Li Bo’s toiletries for his business trip, Yang Siguang accidentally found a stack of brown-colored contact lenses in a storage box that was usually never opened.
“…When did you start wearing these?”
He furrowed his brow in confusion and couldn’t help but ask.
The tall man in the bathroom, rinsing his mouth, peeked his head out from the door. When he saw the contact lenses in Yang Siguang’s hand, his face remained calm.
“Oh, a few days ago, the family doctor found that I have slight nearsightedness,” he said with a bitter smile, spitting the foam into the sink and wiping his face clean.
Then, with a fresh minty scent, he affectionately pressed his body against Yang Siguang’s back, like a big dog.
“So I got both prescription glasses and contact lenses,” he said, smiling as he took a pair of gold-framed glasses from the nightstand and put them on, showing off. “How do I look? Handsome, right… Doesn’t it give off a mature man’s charm?”
Yang Siguang couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “You’re already mature, no need to add more charm… Hmm, wait, no, aren’t you supposed to catch a flight?”
He then struggled to push the man, who was clinging to him off.
“The flight can be rescheduled… just once?”
Li Bo was still whining and pressing against him, completely different from the cold and ruthless image people had of him.
Thinking of all the rumors he had heard about Li Bo, Yang Siguang almost rolled his eyes when he looked at the man in front of him.
“Enough… Not even once; I was almost exhausted yesterday! Aren’t we at an age where we should take care of ourselves a bit more? Hmm… Hmm…”
……
Yang Siguang’s refusal was always very weak in front of Li Bo.
The man quickly used his body to make Yang Siguang forget about the contact lenses he had found.
The once frail and pale young man, even after all these years, still had poor stamina and soon fell into a deep sleep due to exhaustion under Li Bo’s weight.
So, he didn’t notice when the man quietly got out of bed after sensing his breathing had become deep and steady.
He stood still in front of the mirror.
The man in the mirror was tall and strong, still handsome even in middle age, and even more charming due to his maturity.
However…
The shadow reflected in the mirror, though it looked exactly like “Li Bo,” seemed subtly out of place with the real man.
The “Li Bo” in the mirror appeared exceptionally fierce and emaciated, his eyes filled with extreme resentment.
……
“You did this, didn’t you?”
Li Bo smiled at the reflection and slowly took out the contact lenses from his eyes in front of the mirror.
The man in the mirror stared at him wordlessly, with pitch-black pupils.
Li Bo’s smile deepened.
“I hid that box of contact lenses really well, darling; you shouldn’t have found them. Luckily…” He patted his chest. “He loves me so much, so he didn’t notice anything was wrong.”
“…”
“Ah, I have to say, I’m really… so happy right now. My wife is so cute and soft; I really love him so much, sometimes I even want to eat him up from head to toe… Hmm, but for now, it’s best if my wife is still alive, so I’ll hold back. Every time I think about how I almost couldn’t be with him forever, I get scared. After all, my previous body was so disobedient. Phew… Luckily, my wife is naturally obedient, smart, and cute, and quickly broke the magic tool.”
“…”
“I’m finally… finally free.”
“…”
“Although I’m still a bit reluctant to use my brother’s body to touch my wife, this is the best solution, right?”
Li Bo winked at “himself” in the mirror.
After taking off the contact lenses, in the man’s eyes, a thin, mirror-like crack-like pattern faintly flickered on the iris.
—— The Chapter of Eyes End
