Chapter 19: My Heart Beats For You (X)

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Chapter 19: My Heart Beats For You (X)

The doctors and nurses quickly came back to their senses and were preparing to rush Shang Ke into the emergency room when they heard him speak.

“Jian Chenfeng… Jian Chenfeng, don’t forget. I signed an organ donation agreement. If… if I don’t make it this time, you have to transplant my heart into Jian Xin.”

Shang Ke turned his head toward where he thought Jian Chenfeng was standing, but Jian Chenfeng wasn’t there.

Everyone immediately realized that Shang Ke could no longer see clearly.

Jian Chenfeng gripped his hand, his eyes red and his voice hoarse.

“Yumo, you made it through brain surgery. You’ll make it through this too! Don’t give up. I’m waiting to take you home with me.”

Lying nearby, Jian Xin’s mind went completely blank when she heard Shang Ke.

What?

An organ donation agreement?

Jiang Yumo intended to give his heart to her?

My God… just how much has this man done for me?

No wonder her brother had come to regard him so differently. No wonder Donglin was willing to step aside for him.

For her sake, Jiang Yumo was apparently willing to give up even his life.

All the harshness and accusations she had directed at him in the past now transformed into endless guilt and overwhelming emotion.

A sharp pain suddenly tore through Jian Xin’s heart. Her breathing quickened and her face turned ashen, like a small fish stranded on shore.

Voices blurred chaotically around her as her consciousness gradually faded…

Shang Ke and Jian Xin were rushed into separate emergency rooms.

Jian Chenfeng waited anxiously outside. After Jiang Donglin told him exactly what had happened, Jian Chenfeng didn’t even stop to think before driving a vicious punch into his face.

Jiang Donglin made no attempt to resist. He took the punch head-on and collapsed to the floor, looking utterly devastated.

Jian Chenfeng’s expression was frighteningly dark. He glared furiously at Jiang Donglin but said nothing more, merely leaning against the wall in silence as he waited.

The elders of both the Jiang and Jian families arrived at the hospital soon after receiving the news.

Jian Chenfeng no longer had the energy to answer their questions. The fear steadily growing inside him left his entire body cold, as though he were being tortured while waiting for Death itself to pronounce judgment.

At that moment, a doctor emerged from Shang Ke’s emergency room. Looking at the expectant family members gathered outside, he said gravely, “The patient’s injuries are extremely severe. The chances of recovery are very low. Even if we manage to save his life, he will most likely spend the rest of it bedridden and paralyzed. Regardless, we will still do everything we can.”

He paused.

“However, the patient himself has just requested that we stop treatment.”

“What? Stop treatment?” Mother Jiang stared at him in disbelief. “Why?”

Jian Chenfeng didn’t even need to guess what that idiot was thinking.

He wanted to leave his heart to Jian Xin!

Even now, Jian Xin is still the only person in his heart!

Suppressing his grief and fury, Jian Chenfeng said forcefully, “Ignore him. Do everything you can to save him. Paralysis, disability—I don’t care. What matters is keeping him alive.”

The doctor looked at him seriously. “Young Master Jian, are you certain?”

Jian Xin was undergoing emergency treatment as well. Her heart had been placed under an overwhelming burden, and her life was now in immediate danger.

Jian Chenfeng’s decision could ultimately mean that neither of them survived.

If they gave up on Jiang Yumo, however, Jian Xin would at least have a very good chance of living—and of living with her body otherwise intact.

Jian Chenfeng was about to answer when a nurse rushed out of the emergency room.

“Doctor Huang! The patient is refusing to cooperate. He won’t last much longer!”

Jian Chenfeng rushed to the doorway and shouted into the emergency room:

“Jiang Yumo, listen to me! Stay alive! My sister’s life is not your responsibility!”

I’m sorry, Jian Chenfeng.

This time, Shang Ke truly gave up.

His consciousness fading, Shang Ke slowly closed his eyes.

Everything around him seemed to drift farther and farther away…

It’s a good thing I never accepted Jian Chenfeng’s feelings.

If he never truly had me in the first place, then perhaps losing me won’t hurt quite as much.

In the end, resuscitation failed.

Shang Ke died from his injuries, and his heart was immediately transplanted into Jian Xin.

The transplant was highly successful, with no serious rejection. Once Jian Xin completed her recovery period, she would be able to leave the hospital in good health.

Jiang Yumo’s parents had not learned about their son’s organ donation agreement until shortly before the transplant. Although they did not oppose honoring his wishes, they could never truly come to terms with his death.

Jiang Donglin in particular would probably spend the rest of his life unable to escape the guilt of having indirectly caused his younger brother’s death.

“Jian Xin, you’re being discharged today. I’m here to take you home.”

Jian Chenfeng entered the hospital room, his expression utterly still as he looked at the girl standing by the window.

A month ago, he had said almost the same thing to Yumo.

But he had never managed to bring that person home.

Jian Xin turned around, faint sorrow in her eyes.

She silently followed her brother out of the hospital and didn’t speak until they were inside the car.

“Brother… do you hate me?”

“You’re my sister. I don’t hate you.” Jian Chenfeng stared straight ahead, his voice flat. “But I will never forgive you.”

Jian Xin, you lost someone willing to love you with his life.

And I lost someone worthy of being loved for my entire lifetime…

【Congratulations, Host. Additional Mission 1 completed.】

【In this world, the Host completed one Main Mission and one Additional Mission. Please receive your rewards: Constitution +2 (+1), Memory +5 (+2), Mental Power +10 (+5), Appearance +10 (+2), Lifespan +1 (+1). The Host may also learn one new skill.】

Shang Ke was still immersed in a faint melancholy.

Parting through death truly felt terrible.

He himself wasn’t permanently dead, but the people living in the mission worlds didn’t know that. They had genuinely given him their feelings, and they genuinely grieved when he died.

The knowledge left Shang Ke feeling deeply unsettled.

【The Host’s deaths are not meaningless. Every sacrifice has the potential to save another person’s life. If the Host still feels guilty, then return those feelings in equal measure. The worlds the Host experiences all truly exist. If you wish to receive, you must first be willing to give. Experience every life sincerely, and leave no regrets behind.】

Shang Ke suddenly felt enlightened.

“You’re right. I’ve been given the chance to experience all these different lives. What do I have to complain about? I’ve decided. From now on, I’ll do everything I can to complete all three missions and then remain in that world to enjoy the rest of my life. The longer I live, the more I can gain from each life. I shouldn’t give up my life so easily.”

【Choose the skill you wish to learn.】

The System displayed the available skills one by one.

Shang Ke discovered that Martial Arts and Magic, the two skills he most wanted, were still grayed out. However, Dance and Weaving had now become available.

Weaving?

Curious, Shang Ke decided to choose that one.

For the Musical Instruments skill he had chosen previously, he could also select another one or two instruments to study. His Cooking skill could likewise undergo further advanced training.

Ten years later, Shang Ke emerged from the Hundred Training Space radiating an artistic, refined air. A casual smile over his shoulder would have been enough to melt the hearts of countless young women.

Just before entering the next world, Shang Ke suddenly remembered something.

“System, are Ravel and Jian Chenfeng—the men I met in these two worlds—the same person?”

System: 【Please figure that out for yourself.】

“I think they are!”

【There is no reward even if you guess correctly.】

This aloof System really knew how to break a person’s heart.

Shang Ke’s consciousness blurred, and the System transported him into the next world.

The moment he opened his eyes, the sight before him instantly made him feel that everything was very, very wrong!

Deleted Extra: Jian Chenfeng

The Jian and Jiang families had extensive business dealings with one another. The Jiang family’s eldest son, Jiang Donglin, was gentle, courteous, and of good character. The younger son, Jiang Yumo, however, was a stereotypical spoiled playboy—idle and unaccomplished.

So when Jian Chenfeng learned that Jiang Yumo was pursuing his younger sister, he regarded him with considerable hostility.

Later, Uncle Jiang asked Jian Chenfeng’s father for a favor and arranged for Jiang Yumo to intern at the Jian Group.

Jian Chenfeng decided to use the opportunity to scrutinize him properly.

During their first meeting at the company, Jian Chenfeng deliberately criticized him without showing the slightest mercy. He had expected the young master to lose his temper and storm out.

Instead, Jiang Yumo calmly accepted everything he was assigned without uttering a single hostile word.

The rumors described Jiang Yumo as arrogant and overbearing, but apparently they could not be trusted completely.

Jian Chenfeng’s opinion of him improved slightly.

He instructed Secretary Cui to quietly observe Jiang Yumo’s behavior and determine what kind of person he truly was.

Yet after only a single day, Secretary Cui had already formed a favorable impression of him.

As Secretary Cui put it, “Good-tempered, adapts quickly, and gets along well with people.”

Even more unexpectedly, Jiang Yumo made excellent coffee.

After tasting it once, Jian Chenfeng declared without hesitation, “Have him make my coffee from now on.”

The next day, Secretary Cui discovered even more of Jiang Yumo’s strengths: an exceptional memory, superb cooking skills, excellent social instincts, and remarkable adaptability.

Jian Chenfeng found all this intriguing and immediately decided to have Jiang Yumo bring him lunch as well.

Jiang Yumo did not disappoint him. The very first lunchbox left Jian Chenfeng thoroughly impressed.

Jian Chenfeng had to admit that the delicious, extravagant lunches were largely responsible for completely changing his opinion of the man.

Once he genuinely began spending time with Jiang Yumo, he realized that he was an exceptionally pleasant person—cheerful, well-mannered, and somehow capable of lifting the mood of anyone around him.

Still, Jiang Yumo’s method of pursuing his sister had become surprisingly ordinary. All he did was order her a bouquet of roses every day.

Jian Chenfeng couldn’t help wondering whether Jiang Yumo had realized his earlier pursuit was too aggressive and frightened her, so he had switched to a strategy of retreating in order to advance.

For reasons Jian Chenfeng himself couldn’t explain, he never warned Jiang Yumo.

Even when he noticed his sister growing increasingly close to Jiang Donglin, he merely watched from the sidelines.

Jian Chenfeng first became aware of his own feelings on the day he impulsively went to Jiang Yumo’s apartment to mooch dinner.

There, he unexpectedly discovered numerous bruises covering Jiang Yumo’s body, some newer and some older. They had clearly been accumulating for some time.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, the sight made him angry. He dragged Jiang Yumo onto the sofa to find out what was going on, pinned him beneath himself, and pulled open his clothes.

Seeing Jiang Yumo sprawled beneath him with his clothes in disarray, their bodies so close and their skin brushing together unintentionally, Jian Chenfeng found himself reacting in a way he could barely control.

For a moment, panic seized him.

Then he fled.

For several days afterward, Jiang Yumo occupied his thoughts constantly, and Jian Chenfeng gradually came to understand exactly what sort of feelings he held for him.

But Jiang Yumo was a man.

And worse, he loved Jian Chenfeng’s younger sister.

For a time, Jian Chenfeng considered burying those feelings and allowing them to remain a secret forever.

In the end, however, making his decision did not take very long.

When Jian Chenfeng learned that Jiang Yumo had joined an extreme sports club, he finally understood where all those injuries had come from.

The discovery irritated him immensely. So when word reached him that Jiang Yumo was riding a jet ski at the beach, he rushed there without even stopping to think.

Jian Chenfeng disliked noisy environments. His main reason for going to the beach was to supervise Jiang Yumo and make sure he didn’t take things too far.

But when he saw that figure racing freely across the waves on a jet ski, his heart fell completely.

His boldness, his carefree grace, his smile, his bright openness…

Every part of him drew Jian Chenfeng’s gaze like a magnet.

In that moment, Jian Chenfeng decided:

This man—I’m having him.

It didn’t matter that they were both men. It didn’t matter that Jiang Yumo already loved someone else.

Jian Chenfeng would find a way to make him fall in love with him.

After the activity ended, Jian Chenfeng invited him to dinner while considering how best to win him over.

Yet in the time it took for a single trip to the restroom, everything changed.

He ran into Yumo’s older brother, Jiang Donglin, who happened to be dining at the same restaurant with Jian Xin.

Concerned about Jian Xin, the two of them went together to check on her. As they rounded the corner, they saw Yumo supporting the short-of-breath Jian Xin against the wall outside the restroom.

Jian Xin had a heart condition and could not withstand severe emotional strain. Seeing the scene before him, Jiang Donglin immediately rushed forward and shoved Yumo away.

Yumo lost his balance and fell backward, striking the back of his head against the wall.

At the time, no one could have imagined that one impact would have such serious consequences.

Jian Xin’s condition quickly stabilized.

Yumo, however, collapsed unconscious.

Only after taking him to the hospital did they discover that Yumo had a brain tumor.

When Jian Chenfeng heard the news, he was both shocked and terrified.

Jiang Donglin was consumed with guilt. Jian Chenfeng was deeply displeased with him, but he said little.

What concerned Jian Chenfeng more was the fact that Yumo had already known about his brain tumor.

Not only had he hidden it from his family, he had continued recklessly participating in extreme sports as though his life meant nothing.

Yet the first thing Yumo asked after waking was:

“Is Jian Xin all right?”

You nearly died yourself, and you still have time to worry about someone else?

“She’s fine. Worry about yourself first.”

Unable to hold back, Jian Chenfeng asked him, “Why would you keep participating in dangerous extreme sports when you knew you had a brain tumor?”

“I can’t give up my hobbies just because I’m sick,” Jiang Yumo replied with perfect righteousness.

But Jian Chenfeng vaguely sensed that this was not the real reason.

Then Jian Xin’s attending physician told him that someone had successfully matched with her and had signed an organ donation agreement designating his heart for her.

That person was Jiang Yumo.

Jian Chenfeng could hardly believe that Yumo was willing to give his heart to his sister.

Only then did he think he understood why Yumo had hidden his diagnosis and recklessly thrown himself into extreme sports.

In Jian Chenfeng’s eyes, Yumo had never intended to seek treatment at all.

He intended to exchange his own life for Jian Xin’s!

Jian Chenfeng was shaken beyond words. Alongside his fury and heartache was an uncontrollable jealousy.

Yumo had allowed Jian Xin to misunderstand him and trample on his feelings. He had stood aside to help her and Jiang Donglin be together while willingly giving everything in silence.

Just how stupid could he be?

Jian Chenfeng forcibly brought him home, kept him firmly at his side, and watched over him with meticulous care, refusing to allow him to do anything else that might harm himself.

Life with Yumo was full of incidents and complications, yet Jian Chenfeng felt profoundly content.

He told Yumo, “Your life belongs to me.”

And he believed that someday Yumo would accept him too.

The moment he kissed him, Jian Chenfeng knew with absolute certainty that this was the person he wanted to cherish as his lover for the rest of his life.

No matter how difficult the road ahead became, if Yumo was beside him, Jian Chenfeng would gladly endure it.

Jian Chenfeng’s efforts seemed to pay off. Yumo safely made it to his surgery.

Before the operation, Jian Chenfeng asked him, “After your surgery, let’s try being together.”

Yumo replied, “Let’s talk about it after the surgery succeeds.”

He hadn’t rejected him outright.

That alone filled Jian Chenfeng with hope.

When the surgery succeeded, Jian Chenfeng was so delighted he nearly shouted, “Hallelujah!”

He thought the two of them could finally begin.

To welcome Yumo home after his discharge, Jian Chenfeng ordered enough roses to fill an entire house.

He had planned everything.

First, he would accompany Yumo to his parents’ house for a meal. Then he would bring him home, confess his feelings amid a sea of roses, and formally claim the rest of Yumo’s life for himself.

He could barely contain his impatience.

Jian Chenfeng had never imagined that he himself could ever become this restless with anticipation.

But just as happiness seemed within reach, fate played an unimaginably cruel joke on him.

He watched helplessly as Yumo rushed into the road, shielded Jian Xin, and was sent flying with her when the truck struck them.

Yumo was grievously injured, while Jian Xin miraculously suffered only a few scrapes.

It showed just how completely he had protected her.

And even then, the first person Yumo asked about was Jian Xin.

Jian Xin sobbed uncontrollably in Yumo’s arms. By then, even she had clearly been shaken by the way he had risked everything to save her.

The medical staff rushed over.

Even after being lifted onto the stretcher, Yumo still remembered to remind Jian Chenfeng to transplant his heart into Jian Xin.

This idiot!

Jian Xin never loved him. Why did he have to go this far for her?

His entire body was covered in blood. He could no longer see, and even his consciousness was fading.

Yet Jian Xin remained on his mind.

Jian Chenfeng was consumed by grief and rage.

For the first time in his life, he felt hatred toward the younger sister he had doted on since childhood.

When both of them were rushed into emergency treatment, Jian Chenfeng once again experienced the full taste of terror.

Worse still, Yumo voluntarily abandoned treatment and asked the doctors to transplant his heart into Jian Xin.

Jian Chenfeng could bear it no longer. He rushed to the emergency-room doors and shouted:

“Jiang Yumo, listen to me! Stay alive! My sister’s life is not your responsibility!”

Please.

Please live.

Don’t give up so easily. Don’t leave without the slightest attachment to this world.

He didn’t care whether Yumo ended up disabled.

He only wanted him alive!

Even if Yumo eventually chose Jian Xin, it no longer mattered.

Jian Chenfeng no longer cared about anything except keeping him alive.

Yet Yumo still left.

He left his heart to Jian Xin and departed as though nothing remained to bind him to the world.

Jian Xin’s heart transplant was highly successful.

Jian Chenfeng felt no joy whatsoever.

She had Yumo’s heart.

Jian Chenfeng had nothing.

Jian Chenfeng did not hide his feelings for Yumo afterward.

Jian Xin, meanwhile, did not remain together with Jiang Donglin.

On the day Jian Xin was discharged, she asked him, “Brother, do you hate me?”

He answered, “You’re my sister. I don’t hate you. But I will never forgive you.”

In Jian Chenfeng’s heart, she and Jiang Donglin were both indirectly responsible for Yumo’s death.

Because of them, he had forever lost someone worthy of a lifetime of love.

Jian Chenfeng returned home exhausted.

Facing a house full of roses that had already wilted and withered, he softly spoke the confession that had come too late.

“Yumo, I love you.”

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