DEG - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: How Wonderful It Would Be If We Were Together

Luo Nanqiu once again felt that her past self was truly impulsive.

She paid no mind to the hand gripping her neck from behind, because this level of force posed no danger to her.

She continued watching the video, watching Jiang Xun…

…rushing towards her.

Her 18-year-old self's voice was tinged with mockery, yet couldn't conceal its anger.

"You don't deserve such devotion."

Luo Nanqiu closed the video, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Her older self fully understood her younger self.

She knew why she was angry, why she was sad.

"But I did marry her."

"Regardless, we have a legal relationship."

The Luo Nanqiu of the past was merely the Luo Family's most promising heir, but now she was the head of the Luo Family, had developed it even further, and controlled the economic lifeline of more than half the interstellar space.

She was also one of the rare God Rank users, possessing wealth, power, and combat strength that were unique in the interstellar space and virtually unsurpassed.

Although few knew about her God Rank Ability, her status as the head of the Luo Family alone made countless people flock to her.

Just as the people of the interstellar space couldn't wrap their heads around what was so great about the Empire that the head of the Luo Family would condescend to be its Regent.

With wealth, power, and strength all in her possession, Luo Nanqiu easily trampled on interstellar law.

She married someone who had long been dead.

"You…" Luo Eighteen's hand paused, as if she hadn't expected this to be the truth behind the marriage.

"Are you insane?" She forced her voice down, but couldn't hide the sharp, agitated question.

Luo Nanqiu, however, knew why Luo Eighteen was so agitated.

In the six years since losing Jiang Xun, she had often analyzed Jiang Xun, and herself.

She often reflected on why she had caused Jiang Xun's death. How she could control Jiang Xun, make her obediently hide under her wing, and stop her from doing dangerous things.

Though it was useless, she masochistically summarized her many past mistakes.

Mistake number one: in her teens, when her feelings first blossomed, she didn't confess directly when she slowly realized she liked Jiang Xun.

She was always thinking of boiling the frog in warm water, thinking that no one in the world was closer than the two of them.

No one could come between them.

At that time, Luo Nanqiu felt she could afford to wait.

She had a useless pride, believing she was the best and that Jiang Xun would surely be hers.

She also had a false magnanimity and tolerance, believing her love for Jiang Xun was pure, selfless, and that as long as Jiang Xun could have a better life, she would be fine with anything.

How laughable.

She had said it so many times that she had even deceived herself back then.

Luo Nanqiu finished watching the edited video. As her eighteen-year-old self, whom she preferred to call Luo Eighteen, choked her, her chaotic thoughts drifted to the mistakes of her youth.

But the ripples of memory only lasted for a moment. This slight feeling of suffocation couldn't command any of her attention.

She now felt like checking the player forums, hmm…

She wondered what the players thought of her and Jiang Xun.

She remembered that many people in the video's bullet comments thought she and Jiang Xun were a great ship.

As expected of the players she summoned, they have good taste.

Seeing her future self fiddling with her Optical Brain, clearly not taking her seriously.

That inherited arrogance, unchanged no matter how many years had passed, made Luo Eighteen incredibly furious.

She knew that her current self was too weak in the eyes of her future self.

So Luo Nanqiu…

…didn't take her seriously at all.

Her Ability converged into threads, which, under Luo Eighteen's control, tightened around Luo Nanqiu's wrists and neck.

This person, who had just evolved the Puppetry Ability, had an innate desire for control, even wanting to turn her future self into one of her puppets.

The arrogant Luo Nanqiu didn't struggle.

But the Ability threads were tighter than a hand's grip, and Luo Nanqiu was starting to suffocate.

Before Jiang Xun's return, Luo Nanqiu wouldn't have cared if her past self blamed her.

After all, she was the main culprit who had led Jiang Xun to her death.

But…

She had to live.

She had to possess Jiang Xun exclusively.

Jiang Xun was hers, no matter what.

Hers alone.

So she put down her Optical Brain, her back to Luo Eighteen, her voice tinged with nonchalance.

"Are you angry?"

"Let me guess why."

"Is it because I'm more likely to have Jiang Xun all to myself?"

Luo Eighteen's fingertips, controlling the threads, trembled.

"I remember my self back then was still thinking… as long as Jiang Xun is happy, it doesn't matter who she's with."

"What… are you going to break your own promise to yourself now?"

As if a sore spot had been hit, Luo Eighteen gritted her teeth and tightened the threads. With a pull, she forced the casually seated Luo Nanqiu to straighten her back.

Luo Nanqiu chuckled. "It seems you also think that the future me is the one most suited for Jiang Xun right now."

Luo Eighteen sneered, "How are you worthy?"

"You're the main culprit who got Jiang Xun killed. You have psychological problems. You already had an extremely strong desire for control, and now you're obsessive."

"Even if you love Jiang Xun, you'll still hurt her!"

Luo Eighteen said with certainty.

Luo Nanqiu raised an eyebrow, her flippant voice slipping out, "How could I?"

"You should know, I have many more years of love and many more years of longing than you. I love her the most, so I'm the most suitable for her."

Luo Eighteen sneered, her cheeks looking even more mocking in the moonlight.

"But you also hate her."

"You don't just hate yourself for getting her killed, you hate her too!"

"You will definitely hurt her."

Luo Nanqiu was silent for a moment, as if genuinely considering whether Luo Eighteen's words were true.

But soon after, she smiled again.

"I will hate myself, hmm… and soon, you will hate yourself too."

"Do you want to know why Jiang Xun really died?"

Luo Nanqiu tempted her.

Luo Nanqiu couldn't deny her self-hatred.

But she could make her past self also become… hateful of herself.

Although Luo Eighteen knew this was her future self's attempt to drag her down with her.

But…

She really wanted to know why Jiang Xun had died.

Her future self had locked down all information about Jiang Xun so completely that it was impossible to investigate.

She wanted to know so badly she was going crazy.

But before that, she had to draw a line.

All the stupid, irrational actions were done by her future self.

They had nothing to do with her current self.

Before she could reply.

Luo Nanqiu took it as a yes.

She began to recount the story, unhurriedly.

Speaking of which, this was her second mistake.

She and Jiang Xun were childhood sweethearts. Since they met, they had almost never been separated for long.

Until it was time to apply for university, and Jiang Xun applied to a military academy.

And because the Empire was overly wary of the Luo Family, the military had not been infiltrated by the Luo Family at that time.

The Imperial Military was full of vigilance towards the Luo Family.

And Jiang Xun was covered in the Luo Family's mark.

Therefore, the Luo Family wouldn't provide Jiang Xun with any help; instead, they became a hindrance that held her back.

This greatly annoyed Luo Nanqiu, but because of Jiang Xun, she had to hold back for fear of harming the innocent. For a time, it was even more difficult to make a move against the Imperial Military.

But Jiang Xun was truly suited for the military.

Even if some people tried to exclude her, they couldn't stand against her numerous merits.

She finished the four-year military academy ahead of schedule, even accumulating many military honors while still in school. Upon graduation, she immediately became a Senior Colonel.

One could say her prestige was renowned.

Of course, this came at the cost of her time with Luo Nanqiu.

Luo Nanqiu watched with her own eyes as her treasure shone brightly, with countless people falling over themselves for her, and innumerable men and women boldly confessing their love.

Although Jiang Xun never accepted any of them, Luo Nanqiu still felt uneasy.

She watched the trust Jiang Xun showed her comrades-in-arms.

Thinking about how she went through life and death with her comrades, forging a bond of trust where they would risk their lives for each other, and a camaraderie that was nearly impossible to penetrate.

She could feel herself gradually being marginalized in Jiang Xun's social circle.

No, not marginalized.

She was just… not as important anymore.

All of this made Luo Nanqiu's mentality become unbalanced.

The confidence of her youth, that absolutely no one could come between them, gradually shattered.

Her feigned magnanimity dissipated.

She wanted everyone to know that Jiang Xun was hers.

She wanted to firmly cage Jiang Xun under her wing, coveted by no one.

But…

Jiang Xun would get angry, wouldn't she?

If she used force, Jiang Xun would break things off with her, wouldn't she?

She knew Jiang Xun was not a caged bird. If Jiang Xun knew about this unsightly side of her heart, would she distance herself at all costs, or even worse, break ties with her completely?

This was something Luo Nanqiu didn't want to see.

She could wait.

She could slowly wear her down.

So she started looking for excuses to launch an offensive against Jiang Xun.

She began to act out, but with measure.

She forced Jiang Xun to attend her university graduation ball, even though she knew Jiang Xun had a mission at the time.

She said, "I only invited you. I only want you to dance with me. If you don't come, I'll just stand alone and embarrassed on the dance floor, and let the whole world know that no one likes Luo Nanqiu!"

Jiang Xun couldn't stand this kind of threat, or perhaps she didn't even perceive it as a threat.

Just four years of university, just four years without being together day and night, without constant companionship.

Made Luo Nanqiu feel that she didn't actually know her that well.

Am I not worthy of being her soulmate?

This realization made Luo Nanqiu panic.

That day, standing on the dance floor, she wasn't actually sure if Jiang Xun would come.

Would she have completely integrated into the military, treating military orders as her first priority, and be forced to put her aside, even if she didn't want to?

But that day, Jiang Xun still came.

Although she was late, she was meticulously dressed.

She wore a white women's suit, her black hair specially styled into a wolf cut, looking dashing and handsome, with an androgynous beauty.

The moment she entered, she drew gasps from the entire room.

Countless people tried to approach and talk to her, but she walked straight towards Luo Nanqiu, even holding a bouquet of luscious red roses.

She bowed, gave Luo Nanqiu a hand-kiss, like a noble knight. She raised her gray, extremely affectionate eyes, her gentle gaze mixed with a hint of a smile.

"May I have this dance?"

Luo Nanqiu couldn't describe her own chaotic heartbeat at that moment.

This was definitely one of Luo Nanqiu's most precious memories.

Even though Jiang Xun only stayed for one dance, gave her the bouquet, and left in a hurry.

But Luo Nanqiu knew why.

Because Jiang Xun had squeezed in time to attend the ball during a break in her mission.

Although she had carefully styled herself, her mission was demanding, and it just so happened that another task could be handled on the way.

Unfortunately, the criminal was not a clean person at all. Seemingly noticing how much she cared about her outfit that day, he deliberately splattered blood on her white suit.

Time was too tight to change into a suitable suit, and she had also just remembered that she wanted to present the Eldest Miss with a bouquet at her graduation ball.

So Jiang Xun bought a bouquet of luscious, blood-red roses from a flower shop along the way.

"But it was precisely this bouquet of red roses; that candid photo someone took that looked like a wedding picture; that ball, known to everyone, where countless people came to probe you, asking: 'Is she your lover?' that made you have delusional thoughts."

"How wonderful it would be if we were together… even if it were just pretend."

In the moonlight, Luo Nanqiu, bound by silvery-white threads, had a calm expression, her voice filled with melancholy.

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