When Ye Tiancheng saw Hou Mingzhu, a smile finally appeared on his face. He had been looking extremely serious just moments before, as if he were about to be scared to death.
It was only when he realized he might lose Hou Mingzhu that he understood how important she was to him. She had unknowingly occupied a very significant place in his heart. Losing her would have torn Ye Tiancheng apart. Fortunately, the woman he cared about was still here.
Everything wasn't too terrible yet, Ye Tiancheng thought, feeling a sense of comfort. As long as Hou Mingzhu was alive, it was good.
"Ye Tiancheng, take this. You must live. I don't think I can make it, but you have to live on. Take care of the Hou family in my stead. I've always been a daughter who caused them trouble. I hope you can look after them."
As Hou Mingzhu spoke, she took out the last piece of chocolate from her pocket. Feeling that she might be about to leave this world, she hurriedly handed everything over to Ye Tiancheng.
This action by Hou Mingzhu made Ye Tiancheng admire her even more. A person, even on the brink of death, leaves the most important things to him. Ye Tiancheng felt he could never repay such deep affection.
"Don't talk nonsense. You'll be fine. You won't die. Didn't you say that as long as I'm by your side, nothing will happen to you? I can guarantee that."
"But I feel like I can't hold on anymore. I've tried my best to persevere, but I can't seem to keep going. My body just isn't cooperating."
Waking up this time felt like an accident. Hou Mingzhu felt as though she had experienced life and death, and thus cherished life even more. But now, she truly couldn't go on, and it was understandable.
"No, don't say such discouraging things. I won't allow anything to happen to you."
The thought of losing Hou Mingzhu intensified the heart-wrenching feeling, so Ye Tiancheng was unwilling to let his inner pain cloud his judgment.
Ye Tiancheng concentrated his true qi, intending to channel it into Hou Mingzhu's body. However, he discovered that Hou Mingzhu's body was not absorbing his true qi at all.
This was very strange. Logically, such a situation shouldn't occur. Hou Mingzhu, with her mortal body, should definitely be able to absorb true qi. Yet, this was happening. Ye Tiancheng strongly suspected that something had gone wrong somewhere, but he wasn't sure yet.
"What exactly went wrong?"
Ye Tiancheng murmured to himself. Soon, he noticed that Hou Mingzhu's hair had turned white, and the skin on her face had become wrinkled. It was immediately apparent that she looked many years older, the same symptoms Ye Tiancheng had previously experienced.
Seeing what was before him, Ye Tiancheng's heart was suddenly filled with a sense of foreboding. It was terrifying. Why had the curse that should have been effective on him suddenly transferred to Hou Mingzhu?
There must have been a problem somewhere in the process, but Ye Tiancheng couldn't be sure. He was completely bewildered.
"Why is this happening?"
Hou Mingzhu quickly noticed the many white hairs on her head, which almost sent her into a breakdown.
No woman dislikes beauty. Especially Hou Mingzhu, who used to spend tens of thousands on each bottle of cosmetics and frequented beauty salons for various treatments. She did all this because she cherished her appearance. But now, with white hair and wrinkles on her face, for Hou Mingzhu, it would have been more bearable to be killed outright.
"Don't be afraid, Hou Mingzhu. I suspect the curse has transferred. It's alright, I'll find a way."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng realized his own changes. He had been so focused on Hou Mingzhu that he hadn't paid attention. Looking at his normal face reflected in his phone screen, Ye Tiancheng's heart sank.
The changes in his appearance had recovered. The main problem now was that Hou Mingzhu's appearance had not recovered, which meant the curse had indeed transferred.
What kind of "destined woman" was this? It was simply someone with a special constitution that could transfer the curse to her. This was incredibly cruel.
"Heavens, if you want to punish me, then punish me. Can you please not target a woman? That woman is too pitiful. I beg you, let her go."
Ye Tiancheng would rather suffer injustice himself than have Hou Mingzhu implicated. The key was that Hou Mingzhu was a woman, and how could she withstand such a blow to her appearance? He, a grown man, was contemplating death, and Hou Mingzhu, being more proud, how could she live with such a face?
She looked worse than an elderly woman naturally aging. This was a state of distortion that no one, let alone a young person, could accept. It felt like her entire life had been ruined.
"It's alright, Ye Tiancheng. Since I came to see you, I was prepared for anything. Even if I've become like this, I don't regret it. At worst, it's death. But you must remember what I told you: you must take good care of my parents and don't let them become lonely because of their daughter's demise."
"What are you doing?"
When Ye Tiancheng realized Hou Mingzhu intended to take her own life, it seemed too late. Hou Mingzhu had already leaped towards a tree, intending to smash her head against it. If she used too much force, even with his true qi, Ye Tiancheng would be powerless to save her.
Ye Tiancheng quickly used his true qi to knock down the tree, which buffered the impact, preventing Hou Mingzhu from instantly shattering her skull upon impact.
Ye Tiancheng rushed over and held Hou Mingzhu. The moment he confirmed she was unharmed, Ye Tiancheng felt it was all worth it.
Perhaps love wasn't always about a flutter of the heart. Supporting each other through thick and thin, and Ye Tiancheng feeling that Hou Mingzhu was incredibly important, was also a form of love.
"Thank goodness you're alright, Hou Mingzhu. Please don't do anything foolish, okay? I intended to spend my life with you. Please don't leave me alone, alright?" Ye Tiancheng, a grown man who usually considered crying a shameful act, was now sobbing uncontrollably. "I really don't want to be alone in this world. Please calm down. I want to be with you. After this is over, we'll remarry."
Hou Mingzhu's outward coldness and occasional flashes of cruelty did not deter Ye Tiancheng. Instead, they made him recognize his own heart. Their mutual support during this crisis was also a form of love, a very rare kind of love.
"You don't need to be afraid that I'll leave this world, so you're saying this deliberately. I'm truly not worth this. I'm completely ruined now. Even your pity is useless. Nothing can go back to how it was. I'm no longer the noble young lady of the Hou family. I'm just a discarded rag that no one wants."
Thinking about it made his heart ache. The once arrogant young lady of the Hou family, being the only daughter and deeply doted upon by her parents and loved by her elders, was named Mingzhu.
"Don't talk about yourself like that. You are the most beautiful. Your beauty is imprinted in my heart, so I don't find anything wrong with how you look now. But don't worry, Hou Mingzhu, I'm definitely not saying this deliberately to delay you. I will find a way to restore your appearance and won't let you continue to live in this embarrassing state."
Even if it cost him his life, Ye Tiancheng wouldn't mind. He couldn't bear to see a woman become so pathetic because of him. As a man, he found it unbearable and felt utterly incompetent.
"You know how proud I am. I can't accept myself like this, so please don't try to persuade me. If I have to live like this, then I don't want to linger on. I feel pain with every breath, so please let me go."
Hou Mingzhu was determined to end her life. Ye Tiancheng glanced at her appearance again. It was indeed terrifying. No one could accept Hou Mingzhu in this state.
"I don't dislike you because I'm the one who caused you to become like this. Let me bear it with you, okay?" Ye Tiancheng tried his best to explain, hoping Hou Mingzhu would understand his heartfelt intentions and sincerity, and that he wasn't lying.
"I know, but this way I'll be a burden to you. Just raise our daughter well. In this moment of life and death, I didn't think of our daughter because I've always been afraid to face her. I've even considered aborting her countless times before."
"It's not important. Only you are important to me. I love our daughter dearly, but without you, where would our daughter come from? Our daughter will definitely come after you."
"I understand. Thank you for saying that. Whether it's true or not, your words are enough."
Hou Mingzhu, with tears in her eyes, suddenly closed her eyes, and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. Ye Tiancheng suddenly realized that Hou Mingzhu might have bitten her tongue and was once again filled with dread.
Seeing Hou Mingzhu close her eyes and remain motionless, her complexion turning ashen, Ye Tiancheng quickly reached out and felt for breath under her nose. He found no breath.
This was the most terrifying part. Hou Mingzhu had bitten her tongue to commit suicide. No matter how Ye Tiancheng tried to dissuade her, she was determined to leave this world. It seemed that aging and becoming ugly had been too devastating a blow for a woman.
Ye Tiancheng quickly used his true qi to protect Hou Mingzhu's heart. After a great deal of effort, he managed to stabilize her pulse, allowing her to breathe. Otherwise, this person might have truly died then and there.
"Fortunately, you're not dead, Hou Mingzhu. Promise me, no matter what difficulties we face, we can face them together. Don't abandon me, and don't leave me alone in this world. I'm truly too pitiful."
Thinking about it was too heartbreaking. The most important person leaving, and then living on alone, might as well be death, which would be cleaner and less complicated.
"Hou Mingzhu, if you are still determined to die, then I won't stop you. But I need to make one thing clear beforehand: if you die, I will go with you. We'll leave this world together."
Hou Mingzhu's breathing was weak, but she could hear what Ye Tiancheng was saying. Upon hearing his words, she immediately became anxious.
"No, you can't go. You have to take care of my parents. You have to take care of our daughter. I'm the ugly one who should leave. I can no longer exist in this world. Wherever I appear, I won't bring happiness, only fear."
"Then we'll die together. After all, if you die, I don't want to live either. If I have to live on with the memory of you, then dying now is a release."
Ye Tiancheng had made his stance clear. Hou Mingzhu's heart suddenly softened. She would rather die herself than let Ye Tiancheng die. Perhaps her love for Ye Tiancheng had never diminished, she just refused to admit it.
"Alright, I'll try my best to live on. And you, don't deliberately oppose me and insist on dying with me. After all, I'm the ugly one, not you anymore."