Live Action Murder Mystery

Chapter 102

(Gu Liang: “It is time I told you everything.”

“As for the suspended bridge effect that you’re referring to…”

Gu Liang said placidly, “I don’t care how this feeling came about, nor do I know how far we can go, but being together with him feels really nice. I feel happy whenever I see him, and I think it’s enough that I can be with him.

“With regards to this topic, I think we can stop here. I don’t wish to discuss it further, since this is a very personal topic.”

Ming Yue raised a hand to pour some tea for himself, and then he poured Gu Liang another cup. “Is that how it is? Initially, I was under the assumption that because of your father, you would loathe homosexual community altogether. After all, you even gave up the sciences you were fond of.”

“That happened more than a decade ago. Back then, I was young, I allowed my emotions to affect my decisions, and made an impulsive choice. For that…”

Gu Liang laughed helplessly before he murmured, “For that, I’ve already paid a proportionally heavy price.

“In terms of the choices I’ve made for my education and career development, I’ve already been wrong once. When it comes to my emotional life, I don’t want to be wrong again.

“Those were my father’s mistakes. I shouldn’t let him affect me.”

“Sure. But you actually have a chance to make another choice.”

Ming Yue stared at Gu Liang as he lowered his head again to drink his porridge in an attempt to replenish his own strength. Half a beat later, he stated: “The words you said just now, I can understand them, and I express my approval of your thoughts, but not everyone can be as tenacious as you.

“But if you can extricate yourself and look at the wider picture, life and death isn’t that portentous in truth. From my perspective, everything is but a drop in the ocean; a passing cloud in the eye’s view. If you come over my side, you can break away from life and death, and you can also commit to a research that will sufficiently appeal to you—”

Gu Liang merely asked him: “Can I return to reality? Together with Yang Ye?”

Ming Yue said: “Based on the current statistics, the probability of him returning is quite large. But the same doesn’t necessarily apply for you. For the same reason, I can offer you an invitation in advance, but not him.”

Gu Liang: “That won’t be necessary then.”

Ming Yue: “You’re going to reject me so bluntly? I can tell you that if you stand on my side, the ‘humans’ you refer to in reality, are nothing more than test subjects, or maybe ants…”

This sentence made Gu Liang feel slightly uncomfortable.

Gu Liang could not resist interrupting him: “And what’s wrong with that? Ants do not live without a purpose. The existence of every living being has its own value.”

Ming Yue raised an eyebrow. “But the sole value of some ants is just to let people trample them to death.”

Gu Liang put down his spoon, retrieving a tissue to wipe his mouth before he looked at Ming Yue. “When did you enter this game? Before you came here, what were you doing in reality? After you arrived here, what kind of punishment have you suffered?”

Ming Yue laughed. “You’re asking what kind of crimes I committed?”

Gu Liang replied, “You make it seem like you don’t consider them as crimes.”

Ming Yue: “There are numerous kinds of disasters in the world. Earthquakes, tsunamis, infectious diseases…. Each and every kind of disaster will result in the deaths of many. Afterwards, the world continues to revolve as per usual. All that I have done is just one kind of disaster, and it didn’t cause too big of a change to this world.”

Gu Liang stood up. “Send me back to the small black room.”

Although the disgust was only present on Gu Liang’s face for a fleeting instant, it did not escape Ming Yue’s sight.

Ming Yue, however, only looked at him with teeming interest, pausing momentarily before he uttered, “Alright, I’ll inform the men in black to send you back. But you can reconsider after you go back. My invitation will continue to be effective for a long duration.”

Gu Liang did not respond. Instead, he returned to the small black room.

* * *

After he entered, what came into view was still that lake. In an unfathomable and mysterious way, he would enter the lake from time to time, and the image of the middle-aged woman sinking to the bottom of the lake would occasionally appear before him.

He still had to rely on some pain to stimulate himself, to relieve himself from the terror and panic in his heart.

But his mental state was already much better than before; at the very least, his whole body did not find it intolerable to the point where he was on the brink of collapse.

If we were to speak of the short instant before he saw the lake again, his emotional state could be described as completely calm, without the slightest fluctuation.

This sort of feeling was not unfamiliar.

Because back in reality, he had been in this state after he consumed his medicine.

Lastly, Gu Liang found an indication— When he raised his arm, he saw a pinhole in his skin.

He could only guess that the depressants injected by Ming Yue were still effective, which was helping him to get through the punishment in a better condition.

Why did he do that?

Was it because he felt guilty since he had played the murderer too well, such that it resulted in him being punished this time around?

No, that was not possible.

Gu Liang recalled the words that Ming Yue had spoken by the fireplace. It was more than likely that a person like him did not have the capacity to comprehend what guilt was.

Furthermore, the truth was that Gu Liang had yet to completely figure out the system’s purpose and the real capacity that Ming Yue was working in.

However, Ming Yue’s utterance still made him shudder slightly.

If Ming Yue was also working in the IT industry in reality, and he made something that was comparable to a calamity in terms of the countless deaths it had caused, Gu Liang could not conceive of what that could be in the moment. But no matter what it was, the entirety of Ming Yue’s speech made him incredibly uncomfortable.

But as one might expect, even the effects of the depressants did not allow him to escape the slow and arduous punishment.

Nearing the end, Gu Liang fainted again, and it was only then that he escaped from the chokehold of his guilt, self-blame and panic.

When Yang Ye returned from his punishment after Gu Liang left, he went to the kitchen to make a huge meal, ate a few bites, before he went to the inn’s courtyard entrance to wait for Gu Liang.

It was only when the skies had completely darkened that he finally waited for his Gu Liang.

In the instant when Gu Liang stepped off the sedan, Yang Ye immediately saw the wounds and bloodstains covering his arms.

* * *

In front of the sedan.

Gu Liang’s footfalls were faltering and slightly weak. Just as he was about to take a step towards Yang Ye, he saw his partner’s face darken and sink.

Yang Ye stalked past him, looking towards the men in black who were lifting the sedan.

Behind his spectacle lenses, his gaze held a severity and anger that he had never seen before.

Amidst those emotions, self-blame could be faintly perceived as well.

Concurrently, Gu Liang could also clearly see that his shoulders were shaking.

Following closely was his hands clenching into his fists, and his long legs striding over to the sedan.

Before Yang Ye could move, Gu Liang took a step forward first.

Just as Yang Ye was about to brush shoulders with him, Gu Liang held onto his wrist.

“Gu Liang, let me—” At that moment, it was quite apparent that Yang Ye had been engulfed by his vicious currents.

Gu Liang leaned his head on Yang Ye’s shoulder, murmuring into his ear in a soft voice. “My arms are really hurting, and I don’t have the strength to lift them and hug you. Therefore, please hug me.”

“Gu Liang—” Yang Ye’s heart ached viciously, and his voice was ridiculously hoarse.

“They’re just the system’s puppets. There’s no need for you to interrogate them.” Gu Liang continued to speak in a soft voice, “Bring me back, alright? My hands really hurt.”

When he was by himself, no matter how difficult his predicament was, he would always grit his teeth and confront them alone.

But when he caught sight of his lover, he could not resist wanting to lean on him, rely on him, and say that he was in pain, because he wanted to feel his lover’s concern.

Honestly speaking, Gu Liang really wanted to restrain that urge.

But right now, he was realising that he could not break away from the conventions at all— There were times where he could not restrain himself.

Yang Ye carried Gu Liang, bringing him towards the inn upstairs. “Does it hurt a lot?”

“Mn.” Gu Liang curled up in Yang Ye’s embrace, nodding his head.

But after saying those words and entering the inn’s lobby, Gu Liang noticed that the rims of Yang Ye’s eyes were slightly red under the aid of the interior lights, so he quickly changed his tune, “That, Yang Ye, I’m fine… It doesn’t hurt that much anymore. It’s over now.”

Yang Ye said: “I’ll help you clean the wounds first, and wrap it up. I’ll bring you some food afterwards. I made a lot of delicious food. There’s the steak that you like. Once you’re done eating, rest for a bit, I’ll help you shower.”

Gu Liang thought about it, “But my hands—”

Yang Ye: “You just need to raise your hands after it’s wrapped in gauze. You can leave the rest to me.”

Gu Liang stopped speaking.

Probably because he was too embarrassed to continue talking.

* * *

At night. The night wind was slightly warm. The curtains on the wooden frame were billowing and rustling with noise.

Gu Liang was in a tranquil mood as he lay in the bathtub.

The hot water was enveloping his body, while his completely bandaged arms were propped on top of the bathtub.

After having a particularly good meal, being in his lover’s embrace, and even having hot water to bathe… All these good things, were more than enough to make Gu Liang forget the punishment he had suffered in the morning.

Yang Ye was standing outside the bathtub.

At this moment, he walked up to him with a towel in hand. “Hey, Liang Liang, I can’t rub your back like this.”

Gu Liang replied. “You don’t need to rub it. I’ll come out after soaking for a while.”

Yang Ye: “You’re really not going to let me in?”

Gu Liang: “Help me put the towel at the side, I’ll come out on my own in a bit.”

Yang Ye: “Sure. Don’t soak for too long. The weather is humid. I’ve cut some apples, come out and eat them later.”

Gu Liang nodded, “Okay.”

Since the bathing robe was long-sleeved, it proved to be slightly inconvenient for Gu Liang’s arms. In the end, he decided to forgo it; simply wrapping the towel around his waist before he went out of the door.

After coming out, Gu Liang was too self-conscious to meet Yang Ye’s gaze, and he only sat on the sofa to eat the apples.

The apples had already been peeled and cut into smaller pieces by Yang Ye.

Yang Ye walked over to his side, bending his waist slightly to pick him up.

Subsequently, Yang Ye sat on the sofa, allowing Gu Liang to sit on his lap directly.

“Why do you insist on squeezing with me when there’s a sofa at the side?” As Gu Liang said that, he used his hand to pinch the muscle on Yang Ye’s arm, “Your arm strength is constantly giving me the impression that I’m very light.”

Yang Ye laughed, “You weren’t heavy to begin with.”

Gu Liang said, “But my height and bone weight is still there at least.”

Yang Ye did not respond, only opening his mouth. Gu Liang turned his head back, feeding him a piece of apple.

According to Gu Liang’s observation and judgement of Yang Ye, Yang Ye was probably trying to flirt with him.

But it was apparent to him that Yang Ye’s gaze was slightly heavy right now.

Hence, Gu Liang asked him, “What’s the matter with you?”

Yang Ye held his waist, but he was exceedingly careful in the process to avoid touching his wound-covered arms.

He did not know if Gu Liang noticed it, but when he was helping Gu Liang disinfect the small and packed wounds littering his arms, his hands had been shaking terribly.

Yang Ye hugged Gu Liang’s waist from the back, before he pillowed his head on his shoulder. In a deep voice, he said: “I can’t help but think about what you encountered. I’m thinking, how should I help you, Gu Liang—”

Gu Liang’s back stiffened momentarily. Even with such a simple expression of his emotions, Yang Ye could sense his dread.

Yang Ye immediately said: “I only want to help you. Maybe if I understand everything, I can help you walk out of it better. But if you feel like this isn’t the right time, you can choose not to tell me.”

After a long, drawn-out moment, Gu Liang’s back eventually relaxed.

Upon feeling that, Yang Ye sighed softly before he hugged Gu Liang even tighter.

As the night wind blew over, Gu Liang left Yang Ye’s embrace.

He stood up, putting down the bowl filled with apple slices. Subsequently, he turned around, facing Yang Ye as he slowly opened his mouth: “It is time I told you everything. Or else it wouldn’t be fair to you. After you’ve understood everything, you can decide whether you want to continue being with me.”

T/N: Just whimpering through the translation :’))

Post-edit: I’m broken insideeeeeeeeee~