She hesitated. “Then you… are you also scared?”
He laughed softly, cupped her face.
“You’re young, bright, and full of charm. Just standing there, you’d have people lining up for you. If I had even a little more dignity, I’d probably never have the chance to make you mine.”
“I love you,” he said, kissing her eyes lightly. “Don’t think I’m old.”
“…I don’t.”
She whispered.
“Why are you so excited?” Mingming teased.
Xiao Yunmu pressed his lips together, smiling a little shyly — something rare for him.
“Because I’m finally bringing you home as my wife.”
Mingming rose on her toes and kissed him, her lipstick leaving a faint mark on his lips.
That night, Xiao Yunmu booked the entire top floor of a luxury hotel just for the two of them.
By candlelight, his gaze never left her — intense, warm, and burning.
Mingming found it funny.
He was already in his thirties, yet on the day of their marriage registration, he acted like a nervous young man in love.
They clinked their glasses. She took a small sip of wine, her eyes never leaving him.
The air between them was tense and full of quiet temptation.
Even though he barely drank, he looked slightly drunk — his eyes soft, smiling at her with contentment.
Like someone who had fought through countless dangers and finally found a priceless treasure.
Soft violin music floated through the air.
Xiao Yunmu stood and walked to her side, bending slightly as he extended his hand like a gentleman, inviting her to dance by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Moonlight poured in.
Mingming gave him a playful, meaningful look.
Resting her chin on his shoulder, she whispered, breath warm:
“This place is more than ten kilometers from home. Don’t tell me we’re driving back tonight.”
His hand lightly rested at her waist.
“There’s a private hot spring suite downstairs,” he said quietly. “Want to go?”
Mingming smiled brightly.
“Sure.”
The Next Morning
When Mingming woke up, she felt like every bone in her body had been taken apart and put back together.
Xiao Yunmu had gone completely overboard.
Was getting married really that exciting?
“System?” she murmured, turning over. She tried calling out internally, wanting to check the world’s progress.
But lately, the system had been responding less and less.
When it did answer, it sounded broken, like static.
Today, there was no response at all.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Yunmu asked as he came back in, wrapped in a towel, handing her a glass of juice.
“It’s nothing.”
Then she started scolding him.
“You… you went way too far last night.”
She pulled the blanket up to her chin.
He set the juice down and slipped into bed beside her.
“Still not used to it?” he asked casually.
She stared at him.
“That’s not the issue. You were like you had clones or something…”
He looked helpless.
“I’ll just assume that was a compliment.”
She tried to intimidate him, he teased back, and the two of them bickered playfully, the tension softening into ordinary couple-like banter.
She thought to herself:
If I tried saying nice things to him in bed, would he reflexively not listen…?
She quickly rejected the thought.
He’d probably get twice as excited, and she’d suffer twice as much.
When he brought out some clearly questionable “props,” Mingming stared in shock.
They looked… familiar.
“Pick one,” he said, acting perfectly serious. “Or all of them?”
Mingming hugged his waist. “I want you.”
He chuckled.
“That’s a given. I mean, pick another one to join me.”
She frantically shook her head.
He sighed dramatically.
“Must be because you’re not familiar with them yet. Then I’ll let you get to know them one by one.”
“No—no way!”
He leaned closer.
“Tell me… which one do you like the most?”
She bit her lower lip and stayed silent.
“You forgot them so quickly? That really hurts my feelings.”
That was when something clicked in her mind.
“…What do you mean?”
He smiled at her.
“What do you think?”
Her body suddenly tensed.
He gently teased her, whispering,
“Tell me who each one belongs to, and I’ll let you go.”
“I’m sure you can recognize them.”
Only then did she fully understand.
Her whole body went rigid.
He froze for a moment, then laughed.
“You’re that easy to scare? You already lost control over just that little bit of excitement?”
She trembled.
“You… you guys… what are you talking about…?”
“I’m the one.”
He casually tossed the items aside and pulled her into his arms, switching places.
Her body trembled again.
“Too bad it wasn’t until this world that I finally remembered.”
“You lied to me so badly back then, remember? The ‘young widow’ thing? Hmm? We died together. How were you a widow?”
Her body and mind were both in shock. Tears slipped out as she turned back to stare at him.
“Those… those male leads…”
He answered calmly,
“All me.”
“The main system wanted to control us. I refused to let it.”
“It wanted to hurt you, break you. So I did everything I could to protect you.”
“You… you knew all of it?”
A flicker of sadness crossed his eyes.
“My only regret is that in the world where I was Huo Xiao… I didn’t love you enough, or protect you well enough.”
“Losing you nearly destroyed me.”
For her, those memories felt distant.
But when she imagined him facing those empty worlds alone…
Not just the first world — even after Yanjunsheng’s world had ended happily, she had been dragged back to the day of childbirth.
That time, she didn’t survive.
What kind of world did he face after that?
How long did it take him to escape?
She lifted her hand and wrapped it around the back of his neck.
“We’re together now,” she whispered. “That’s what matters.”
Then, less confidently:
“We’ll stay together forever… right?”
He held her tightly.
“Yes. No matter where you go, no matter which world you’re in, I’ll find you.”
“…Next time, don’t get it wrong.”
She felt a little embarrassed remembering how seriously she’d once crushed on the “male lead,” but she still whispered:
“Don’t worry. Before you show up, everyone else is just a passerby. I’ll keep waiting for you.”
He laughed quietly and pulled her closer.
“You little troublemaker.”
The End of This World
For a long time afterward, Mingming could hardly believe it.
All those different worlds.
All those different men.
They were all him.
He wasn’t some pre-programmed character following a script.
He was someone who broke through fate itself to love her.
He loved her.
“Will you remember me in the next world?”
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152