The slightly grating sound of porcelain rubbing against porcelain moved in a rhythmic fashion under Meng Qinghuan's control, and gradually, Gu Mingze felt the friction sound of the porcelain become distant and close.
In front of him, Bai Cha held a cigarette between his fingers, emanating a cold and sinister aura. The cigarette's scent was strong, a pure fragrance that Gu Mingze had never smelled before.
"Why did you leave Gu Zitan?" Bai Cha's thin lips parted, his voice like stray rose petals dancing and rippling on the water's surface. Gu Mingze felt his breathing become difficult, his mind consumed by Bai Cha's eyes and lips.
Gu Mingze couldn't distinguish whether he was nervous or in a daze, but he mechanically opened his mouth, his thoughts not even crossing his mind: "Because... I don't know."
Bai Cha's eyes flickered slightly, his heart skipped a beat, and he changed his question: "Were you ever respected?"
"No." The moment he uttered these words, Gu Mingze suddenly trembled all over, becoming somewhat agitated, almost breaking free from his dazed state. "Gu Zitan is always the best. I can only... I, they, they never cared about me... Why should I have to remain silent every day? I, I..."
"Screech—"
A slightly sharp, grating sound pierced Gu Mingze's eardrums, making him jolt and become a bit more lucid. However, he quickly returned to his initial state.
"Recall your past." Bai Cha took a puff of his cigarette, the hazy smoke carrying a rich fragrance that swirled around Gu Mingze. As if drawn by something, it suddenly entered Gu Mingze's ear.
Gu Mingze was somewhat bewildered. As memories churned in his mind, a blurry image unfurled before everyone's eyes.
It was Gu Mingze. The previous second, he was kicking stones by the roadside, grinning foolishly. The next second, after entering the house, his expression turned bleak. His schoolbag felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, pressing him down so he couldn't lift his head. In the living room, his father, mother, and brother were laughing.
"Gu Mingze, why can't you learn from your brother? He got perfect scores on all his exams again."
"You're useless at everything. What was the point of giving birth to you?"
"Forget it, forget it. Since you won't be good at anything in the future, just find a stable job. As long as you don't starve, that's enough."
"Don't worry, Dad and Mom, your elder brother is here to support you. I'll arrange things for him."
"You're the one who makes us proud, unlike your brother..."
The blurry voices, like curses, vaguely echoed in his ears. Over a decade had passed, yet Gu Mingze's family seemed to only repeat these few phrases. More than speaking, it sounded like the wails of vengeful spirits from an abyss.
No one cared what he wanted to do, and no one had ever asked.
What was the point of giving birth to him?
He didn't know either. Before he was born, no one had asked him if he wanted to be reincarnated.
"Gu Mingze, Gu Mingze!"
The familiar and pleasant voice pulled Gu Mingze out of his stupor once again. This time, he was truly awake, without that submerged, hazy, and oppressive feeling. He had truly woken up from a dream.
Gu Mingze gasped for air desperately, like a drowning person pulled from the sea. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, and his gaze towards Bai Cha held a hint of fear.
Meng Qinghuan stopped rubbing his tea set and was leisurely sipping the tea in his hand. The room was still filled with a faint scent of sandalwood, though the incense burner had been removed at some point.
In the exquisite crystal ashtray beside him, a half-smoked cigarette was extinguished. Everything was dreamlike, as if he had experienced an illusion, yet it felt so real.
Gu Mingze's lips were pale. At first, he thought Bai Cha could help him escape hell, but now, Gu Mingze felt that Bai Cha was the true devil of hell.
"Gu Mingze, what do you want?" Bai Cha leaned back on the sofa, looking at the somewhat contorted face of Gu Mingze. Gu Mingze's constitution was still too weak; the guidance had lasted only five or six minutes, and it had almost caused Gu Mingze to suffocate.
The brief hypnosis seemed to have ignited the unwillingness and spirit within Gu Mingze. That intense unwillingness and helplessness had almost caused Gu Mingze to break free from the hypnotic state.
Ignite the inner self—clarify one's deepest desires—recall past suffering, thereby allowing a person to awaken, define their purpose, and chart their direction.
This was Bai Cha's opportunity for Gu Mingze to see his true self.
"I don't want to live in anyone's shadow, and I don't want to be a hero," Gu Mingze said, clutching his head in pain. The unspoken loneliness and unwillingness hidden in his heart were brought to the surface, churning like a turbulent sea, making Gu Mingze feel nauseous. "I, I just want to live a normal life."
Warm liquid flowed down his face. Gu Mingze wiped it away, only to find it was a stream of tears.
Strange, why was he crying? Hadn't it been said that men don't shed tears easily? But it was so strange. He wasn't sad at all; in fact, he felt anger within him, so why was he crying?
"If you want to stay, then stay," Bai Cha nodded, confirming the decision. "You can explain to your brother yourself. It'll be on me. But don't be so scared that you'll be kneeling down in a few days."
Gu Mingze was different from that little girl, Nightingale. Although Gu Mingze might have difficulty going into battle at the moment, his actions were not driven by selfish desires, which was much better than Nightingale's intentions.
It wasn't that Nightingale's intentions were bad or wrong, just that she wasn't a shadow. It was impossible for someone who was half a judge to not give up certain things.
The favoritism of those in power was not a big deal for people with a certain status, but for ordinary people, it could be terrifying. A small mistake could destroy a family.
"Okay, alright." Gu Mingze took a tissue and wiped his tears haphazardly. It was truly strange; he wasn't sad or wronged, yet he suddenly burst into tears.
It was quite embarrassing.
"Will you be following Cang Liu from now on?" Bai Cha had sought Cang Liu's consent for this. After all, the reason why Gu Mingze and the鲛珠 (Jiaozhu - possibly a pearl or essence) had such strong affinity was still unclear. Having Cang Liu observe them closely was the most suitable approach.
After a long while, Gu Mingze hesitantly followed Cang Liu out of Bai Cha's Western-style villa.
The sudden sunlight dazzled him, but he didn't care. He offered a big, foolish smile to the sun.
Cang Liu stood in front of him, turning his head to calmly watch the innocent and harmless foolish smile. In Cang Liu's memory, Gu Mingze's smiles had always been颓废 (tuifei - decadent, dispirited) and forced, like a salted fish on the verge of rot.
"I'm out," Gu Mingze said, waving his hand in front of his eyes. This time, he truly felt like crying. "I'm out of the cage, Cang Liu ge, ge. No one will suppress me anymore. Isn't it funny? I'm only twenty and I'm finally like a person."
"It's alright," Cang Liu replied faintly, his hood pulled low to cover himself completely. He had once again become a shadow wrapped in a black cloak, with only a pair of purely blue eyes faintly visible beneath the large hood. "Miss Bai and the others are still suppressing you."
This was the truth. Cang Liu never spoke nonsense. Meng Qinghuan was his master, he and Yun He were of the same generation, and Meng Qinghuan and Lucifer were likely of the same generation. Their leader was Bai Cha.
Then Gu Mingze called him ge.
When you think about it, Gu Mingze was still at the bottom of the food chain; everyone was above him.
"Heh heh, that's different! They're friends! Ge, come, come, come. I have an umbrella, I'll hold it for you to block the sun?" Gu Mingze grinned foolishly, taking out a blue umbrella and holding it to shield Cang Liu from the sun. He smiled cheerfully, "Next time I'll get a black one, for now, this will have to do? Oh right, right, I haven't thanked you yet, ge. Thanks for speaking up for me to Miss Bai at the beginning. Otherwise, Miss Bai definitely wouldn't have agreed."
His standards were so low. He had barely done anything, and he already considered him a friend.
"I was just stating the facts," Cang Liu did not refuse Gu Mingze's umbrella. He feared sunlight and heat the most, so this would alleviate some of his burden.
He secretly glanced at the young man behind him, who was half a head shorter than him, and his attitude softened slightly.
Cang Liu remembered that he himself had been like this before, belittled and looked down upon, unable to fight back for fear of implicating his kin.
Therefore, seeing the unwillingness in Gu Mingze's eyes, he wanted to help him at least a little.
However, Gu Mingze was unaware of Cang Liu's inner thoughts. He diligently held the umbrella, following behind Cang Liu and continuing to ask, "Hey, ge, you..."
Just as he was speaking enthusiastically, Gu Mingze suddenly spotted a figure, and his voice abruptly stopped. Cang Liu also sensed something was wrong, not just because Gu Mingze suddenly fell silent, but because Gu Mingze, due to extreme nervousness, gripped his wrist tightly.
Gu Mingze held on tighter, and Cang Liu could clearly feel his tension. Cang Liu frowned, guessed what was happening, and looked up, only to see Gu Zitan standing not far in front of them.
"Mingze, come back with me." Under the scorching sun, the red sunlight shone on Gu Zitan's plump body, making him glisten, but it couldn't hide Gu Zitan's displeased expression.
"I, I, I I I, won't go back!" Although he had gained a bit of courage just now, Gu Mingze was still timid. After all, years of psychological shadow couldn't be completely healed by Bai Cha's powers, no matter how formidable.
Cang Liu felt the hand gripping his wrist tighten further and tremble slightly. He pursed his lips, then gripped Gu Mingze's hand back, pulling Gu Mingze behind him.
"Cang Liu! Do you know what you're doing?" Gu Mingze breathed a sigh of relief, but Gu Zitan was enraged. Countless light blades circulated around him.
Gu Zitan had always been kind and gentle, but he had never experienced such humiliation before.
His own brother being incompetent and bullied by a low-level dragon rider was already a disgrace to his name. Furthermore, his brother, as a member of the Gu family, had publicly defected from the Gu family and betrayed the tradition of generations becoming warriors. And now he was behind someone else, laughing carefree?
Did Gu Mingze have any conscience at all? Did the family raise him for so many years just for him to be rebellious and embarrassing?
"Why are you yelling at me like that! Why did I have to follow your will since I was little? I, I I, I just want to leave, I don't want to stay anymore!" Gu Mingze said loudly, his head pressed against Cang Liu's back, his eyes closed. Being shielded by Cang Liu blocked his view of Gu Zitan, making Gu Mingze a bit bolder.
"Anyway, the family can do without me. I'm not you. Why did you drag me along to walk the same path as you since childhood!" Gu Mingze shouted. It was the first time in his life he had spoken so loudly, his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his chest. "I just don't want to stay anymore!"
These few sentences seemed to have drained all of Gu Mingze's strength. The hand gripping Cang Liu's tightly became a little weak, making Gu Mingze feel dizzy.
"You rebel!" Gu Zitan was truly furious. In his mind, Gu Mingze had betrayed the family. "It's been a long time since I disciplined you!"
Gu Zitan's golden light element suddenly flared up. He hadn't resonated with a Holy Dragon, but a Light Dragon, which was of lower quality than a Holy Dragon. A Light Dragon, infinitely close to an S-class, gave Gu Zitan the capital to be proud.
A massive light sword spun in the air, absorbing the sunlight and appearing even more dazzling. It condensed into a light dragon that roared and lunged towards Gu Mingze behind Cang Liu.
He had held back. This attack wouldn't kill Gu Mingze, but at most, it would leave him seriously injured and unconscious for a few days as a lesson. Besides teaching Gu Mingze a lesson, Gu Zitan also wanted to teach Cang Liu a lesson.
Meddling in other people's family affairs came with a price.