Bai Ya waited and waited. A week passed, yet Yue Ge still hadn’t woken. She’d checked his body countless times—no physical issues remained. No matter what she did, he wouldn’t stir. Eventually, Bai Ya gave up, resigning herself to waiting day after day for him to awaken on his own.
By the tenth day, she returned to work. Waiting endlessly solved nothing. Though colleagues inevitably asked questions, her formidable reputation and perpetually deadpan expression shut them down. A firm "I don’t know" was enough—no one dared press further.
On the thirteenth day, Wang Ming resumed his duties. His face had lost its usual expressiveness, and he carried out Bai Ya’s orders in silent obedience. She noticed but didn’t dwell on it.
Beyond essential tasks, she spent every spare moment in that room, sitting motionless beside Yue Ge. Her initial plan to leave for a new city had long been abandoned. Lingkong visited once to check on Yue Ge, but if even Bai Ya was powerless, others could do nothing.
"Will he wake up?" Lingkong’s first question cut straight to the point. Though no medical expert, he recognized the truth: Yue Ge’s crisis was mental. And such wounds were nearly untreatable at this stage.
"I don’t know." Bai Ya averted her gaze, silently sipping her coffee.
"And after that? What’s your plan?" Lingkong, one of the few who knew why Bai Ya fled headquarters, spoke casually. "You know if he doesn’t want to be found, no amount of searching will work. Besides, their side is far more dangerous than ours. If the radicals target you—"
"...I know." Bai Ya cut him off.
"Then I’ll say no more. You’ve grown. No longer a fledgling sheltered under wings." Lingkong offered a faint, resigned smile. After a pause, he patted her shoulder lightly and turned to leave. "Tell me when there’s news."
"Mm." Bai Ya nodded, not rising to see him off. She clutched her cup, lost in thought.
She didn’t know when Yue Ge would wake. But staying here brought quiet comfort. Even doing nothing—just watching him—eased something inside her.
She wasn’t a heartless monster. She couldn’t stay unmoved.
Only in this absolute silence, when her mind emptied, did that day’s memories surface unbidden. With the intel she had, she’d pieced together nearly every detail. Only the Reaper’s involvement remained a mystery.
Had Yue Ge been conscious, her thoughts might not be so sharp. But his prolonged coma gave her too much time to untangle the threads. The more she pondered, the less she understood.
Yue Ge rarely angered her. His easygoing nature made arguments impossible unless he deliberately provoked one. In her memory, he always shrugged things off with a smile. Living together inevitably sparked friction, yet he always yielded first. Over time, she’d grown accustomed to it.
She never asked about his past. Just as he never asked about hers. But now, for the first time, Bai Ya burned to know: What shaped him? What forged this person beside her?
The present was always a reflection of the past. For her. For him.
This temperament couldn’t be innate. No one was born selfless. Yue Ge’s kindness wasn’t mere good nature—it bordered on pathological. His mind wasn’t naive; he saw the world with painful clarity. Such people rarely possessed his gentleness. Let alone sacrificed themselves for her.
Honestly, if their roles were reversed? She could never have done what he did.
Didn’t he understand the consequences of amassing that much power? Impossible. He knew better than anyone—it was his own Essence. Yet he acted anyway, recklessly. Had Bai Ya been a fraction slower to react that day, he’d be dead.
He’d gambled everything. Just to save her? No. It couldn’t explain why he shielded her even in madness, why his blade veered away when it could have ended her.
She acknowledged her feelings, yet remained rational. The only explanation she could grasp was his borderline pathological nature. Yue Ge only seemed normal. Inside, he was utterly unlike anyone else.
She… wanted to know.
Bai Ya slowly reached out. Her fingertips brushed Yue Ge’s cheek, her gaze unwavering. What might shame an ordinary girl felt natural to her. In her mind, this was reserved solely for him. Only Yue Ge was different.
She’d believed her emotions had long since withered. But when tears came unbidden, she realized they’d merely been locked away—unnecessary until he awakened them.
Her heartbeat quickened. A swelling emotion filled her chest.
She wanted to know everything about him.
She… wanted everything he was. His loyalty. His strength. His smiles. His love. His hatred. All of it. She wanted him by her side forever. Even if he never woke—it didn’t matter. Everything he was would belong to her.
"Yue Ge…" Her palm cradled his cheek as she whispered, "I’m selfish. You’ll only look at me… only at me. Because you woke me up. I can’t pretend I never thought this."
Yue Ge wasn’t normal. Neither had she ever claimed to be. Her pride, her insecurity—all of her was consumed by this selfishness. No eyes watched her. No one would ever know what happened here. Unrestrained, she poured every hidden feeling onto this unconscious man.
"Everything you are… will be mine."
She didn’t care if he could accept it. She’d strip him of all choices. What she desired, she would claim—at any cost.
Without hesitation, Bai Ya leaned down. Her lips met his, tentative yet certain.
