Ye Rou and Zhong Qing have known each other for as long as they can remember. Their bond started when they were just kids, side by side as they grew up. They weren't just friends; they were practically family, always looking out for each other. Their connection was deep, forged over years of shared experiences, laughs, and even a few arguments here and there. Despite everything, they remained close, like two sides of the same coin, inseparable and always understanding each other in a way no one else could.
"Qing-er, hold the string well!" Ye Rou yelled excitedly, his eyes sparkling as the kite soared higher into the sky. The wind caught it just right, lifting it gracefully above the trees. Zhong Qing stood close behind him, his hands steady on the string, feeling the tension as the kite pulled upward.
They were just eighteen, their laughter carried away by the breeze, the world beneath them seeming small and insignificant as they focused only on keeping the kite afloat. Moments like this made everything else fade away, leaving just the two of them, together as always.
The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm, golden hue over the fields where they stood. Ye Rou's laughter was infectious, a sound that Zhong Qing had grown to cherish over the years. As the kite danced in the wind, its tail fluttering behind it like a ribbon, Zhong Qing couldn't help but smile.
"Look at it go!" Ye Rou shouted, glancing back at Zhong Qing with a grin that made his heart skip a beat. For a moment, Zhong Qing let himself be lost in that smile, in the simple joy of being here, with Ye Rou, as if nothing else in the world mattered.
"You're getting better at this," Zhong Qing teased, his voice soft, though he felt a warmth spreading through his chest that had nothing to do with the setting sun.
"That's because I have you," Ye Rou replied without missing a beat, his tone light but the words sinking deep into Zhong Qing's heart.
The kite dipped slightly, and Zhong Qing instinctively tightened his grip on the string, steadying it. "Careful, or we'll lose it," he murmured, though his mind was far from the kite now.
Ye Rou's laughter echoed again, bright and full of life. "We won't," he said confidently. "Not as long as you're holding on."
They stayed like that for a while, the two of them alone in their little world, the sky darkening around them as the stars began to appear, one by one. The kite eventually drifted down, and as they brought it in, the magic of the moment lingered, wrapping around them like the gentle evening breeze.
Ye Rou turned to Zhong Qing, his eyes reflecting the soft light of the moon that had just started to rise. "Thanks, Qing-er," he said quietly, his voice carrying a rare sincerity.
Zhong Qing felt his heart tighten, a mix of emotions swirling inside him—gratitude, affection, and something deeper, something he wasn't quite ready to name. "Anytime, A-Rou," he replied just as quietly, knowing that as long as Ye Rou needed him, he would always be there, holding the string, keeping everything steady.
Years passed, and the bond between Ye Rou and Zhong Qing remained as strong as ever. They continued to grow, side by side, weathering life's ups and downs together. Their friendship was unshakable, built on years of trust, shared memories, and an unspoken understanding that few could ever hope to match. No matter what happened around them, they always found their way back to each other, just as they had since they were children.
But then, one day, everything changed.
Ye Rou saw Luan Xie.
It was like a spark had been lit inside him, something new and intense that Zhong Qing hadn't seen before. There was a different energy about Ye Rou now—an excitement, a fascination that he couldn't hide, not even from Zhong Qing. Luan Xie was captivating, and Ye Rou was drawn to him in a way that was undeniable, almost magnetic.
At first, Zhong Qing tried to ignore it, brushing off the unsettling feelings creeping into his heart. He told himself it was just a phase, that Ye Rou's interest in Luan Xie would fade as quickly as it had come. But the more time passed, the clearer it became that this wasn't going away.
Zhong Qing began to notice the subtle shifts—how Ye Rou's eyes would light up whenever Luan Xie was around, how his laughter seemed just a bit more genuine, more carefree in Luan Xie's presence. And slowly, a distance began to grow between them, one that Zhong Qing couldn't bridge no matter how hard he tried.
The connection they once shared, the one that had weathered so many years, now felt fragile, like it could snap at any moment. Zhong Qing watched from the sidelines as Ye Rou and Luan Xie grew closer, a mix of jealousy, fear, and sadness tightening in his chest. He wanted to be happy for Ye Rou, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was losing something precious, something he might never get back.
And as Ye Rou's world began to revolve around Luan Xie, Zhong Qing couldn't help but wonder if their bond, the one he had always believed was unbreakable, was starting to slip away, leaving him alone in a way he had never felt before.
However, things took a dark turn. What had once been a spark of fascination in Ye Rou's eyes turned into something far more dangerous—obsession. Zhong Qing had never seen Ye Rou like this before, consumed by a need that went beyond love. It was as if Ye Rou's entire being had become fixated on Luan Xie, to the point where nothing else mattered.
At first, Zhong Qing tried to reason with him, to pull him back from the edge. But Ye Rou was relentless, driven by a twisted belief that Luan Xie needed to be his, and his alone. The lengths to which Ye Rou was willing to go shocked Zhong Qing. He watched helplessly as Ye Rou began to systematically dismantle Luan Xie's life—destroying his career, isolating him from friends and family, leaving Luan Xie with no one to turn to except Ye Rou.
Zhong Qing could hardly recognize the person Ye Rou had become. The boy he had grown up with, who had once been full of life and warmth, was now a man consumed by darkness. And yet, despite everything, Zhong Qing couldn't bring himself to abandon Ye Rou. He stayed by his side, torn between his loyalty and the horror of what Ye Rou was doing.
The more Ye Rou tried to bind Luan Xie to him, the more Luan Xie seemed to wither under the weight of it all. What had started as love had turned into a prison, with Ye Rou holding the keys, convinced that this was the only way to keep Luan Xie close. And all the while, Zhong Qing stood by, watching the man he cared about spiral deeper into obsession, knowing that no matter what he did, nothing could bring back the Ye Rou he once knew.
Ye Rou's transformation was swift and unsettling. The kind-hearted person Zhong Qing had known for so long seemed to vanish, replaced by someone driven by a ruthless obsession. It was as if Ye Rou had been consumed by the very darkness he was creating, his every action now focused on bending Luan Xie's life to his will.
Zhong Qing watched this transformation with a mix of despair and helplessness. He knew what Ye Rou was doing was wrong—terribly wrong—but he couldn't bring himself to turn away. Deep down, he wanted to help, to pull Ye Rou back to the light, but he found himself paralyzed, unable to act.
It wasn't that Zhong Qing didn't recognize the need for change. He did. But the thought of losing Ye Rou, of being separated from the person who had been his closest companion for so long, was too much to bear. So, he stayed, even as things went from bad to worse, even as the person he cared about slipped further away from who he used to be.
Zhong Qing couldn't bring himself to choose the right path, even as he watched everything around him crumble. In the end, his loyalty to Ye Rou outweighed everything else—even his own moral compass. And so, he remained at Ye Rou's side, a silent witness to the destruction that unfolded, bound by a loyalty he couldn't let go of, even when it hurt to stay.
And one day, everything changed again.
"Qing-er, I found a way to travel to the future," Ye Rou announced, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and something darker, something that sent a shiver down Zhong Qing's spine.
They were alone, as they often were these days, the world outside their twisted bubble seeming distant and unimportant. Zhong Qing looked at Ye Rou, searching his eyes for any trace of the boy he used to know, but all he saw was a man consumed by his obsession. The very idea of traveling to the future, something that should have sparked wonder or curiosity, now seemed like just another tool in Ye Rou's hands—something he would use to tighten his grip on Luan Xie.
"How... how did you find out about this?" Zhong Qing asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer, but he couldn't stop himself from asking.
Ye Rou smiled, a smile that was more chilling than comforting. "Does it matter?" he replied, shrugging as if the details were unimportant. "What matters is that I can make things right, ensure that Luan Xie is truly mine, no matter what time or place."
Zhong Qing felt a heavy weight settle in his chest. He wanted to tell Ye Rou to stop, to reconsider, to see how far he had gone down this path of destruction. But he knew it was useless. Ye Rou was beyond reason now, his mind set on a single goal: possessing Luan Xie completely, no matter the cost.
"Ye Rou," Zhong Qing began, his voice trembling slightly, "are you sure this is the right thing to do? What if... what if this only makes things worse?"
Ye Rou's eyes narrowed slightly, the smile fading. "Worse? How could it get worse, Qing-er? I've already lost so much—he's already slipping away from me. This is my only chance to fix things, to make him see that he belongs with me. I have to do this."
Zhong Qing felt a tear prick at the corner of his eye, but he quickly blinked it away. "And what about us?" he asked softly, the words slipping out before he could stop them. "What happens to us if you go through with this?"
For a moment, just a brief moment, Ye Rou's expression softened, and Zhong Qing thought he saw a glimmer of the old Ye Rou, the one who had cared for him, who had laughed with him, who had held the string of the kite so long ago. But then the moment passed, and Ye Rou's face hardened again.
"Nothing will change between us, Qing-er," Ye Rou said firmly, his voice cold and resolute. "You'll stay by my side, just as you always have. We're in this together."
Zhong Qing nodded slowly, feeling a deep ache in his heart. He knew he couldn't stop Ye Rou, couldn't change the course that had been set in motion. All he could do was stay, just as he always had, even as the world they once knew faded further into the past.
"Come with me, Qing-er," Ye Rou said, his tone more of a command than a request. It was as if the decision had already been made, and Zhong Qing's agreement was merely a formality.
Zhong Qing's heart raced, a mix of fear and something else—something that had always been there, buried beneath layers of loyalty and affection. He had followed Ye Rou through so much, stayed by his side even when everything around them had turned dark, but this... this was different.
Ye Rou was asking him to step into the unknown, to leave behind everything they had ever known, all for the sake of an obsession that had already cost so much. But as he looked into Ye Rou's eyes, he saw the desperation, the need that had driven every action, every twisted decision. And he knew, deep down, that he couldn't refuse. He had never been able to.
Zhong Qing swallowed hard, his throat dry. "Ye Rou..." he began, but the words caught in his throat. He wanted to ask why, to understand what was pushing Ye Rou to this extreme. But he already knew the answer. It had always been about Luan Xie.
Ye Rou stepped closer, his expression softening just slightly. "We've always been together, Qing-er. You and me, no matter what. This... this is just another step. You'll come with me, won't you?"
Zhong Qing felt the weight of the question, the unspoken demand beneath it. He knew that if he said no, if he chose to stay behind, he would lose Ye Rou forever. But if he went, he would be throwing himself even deeper into a darkness he wasn't sure he could survive.
But in the end, the choice had never really been his. It had always been Ye Rou's.
"Yes," Zhong Qing whispered, barely able to hear his own voice over the pounding of his heart. "I'll come with you."
Ye Rou's smile returned, that cold, determined smile that had become so familiar. He reached out, his hand finding Zhong Qing's, holding it tightly. "Good," he said, the word full of finality. "Then we'll go together. To the future, where everything will be different."
As Ye Rou's grip tightened around his hand, Zhong Qing felt the last remnants of their old life slip away, leaving only the unknown ahead. He had made his choice, and now there was no turning back.