He was seated on a wooden bed draped in bright red cloth. The entire room was decorated with crimson banners, lanterns, and embroidered fabric—each stamped with the "double happiness" character. Someone had transformed the room into a wedding chamber.
A wedding robe clung to his body—red, luxurious, traditional.
Yuuki—now Yun Che—let out a slow breath and took in his surroundings. He remembered this scene from the original timeline: the crippled young man, discarded and pitied, forced to marry the flower of the city as a promise.
"Double happiness…" Yun Che snorted, lips curling into a smirk. "If I marry this woman, there's no such thing as double happiness."
He leaned back, amused at the absurdity.
"In fact… marriage isn't exactly what I need right now despite the system encourages it. Plus, if Athena were here...."
But even the smirk faded slightly as another thought slid in.
"If she leaves… there won't be happiness either."
He clicked his tongue and straightened his robe.
"Hmph. I need to do something bizarre today—something the entire Xiao Clan and everyone in this city will never forget. I've been suppressed in my previous life, I am not letting them getting their way this time."
His mind raced, outlining potential chaos he could unleash later.
But before he could settle on a plan—
SLAM!
The door burst open.
A pale figure rushed in so fast that Yun Che instinctively dropped into a fighting stance.
"Eeek! Little Che, it's me!"
Xiao Lingxi—small, adorable, panicked—lifted both hands in surrender.
Yun Che froze. Then relaxed. Then smiled softly.
"Little Aunt… you scared me." He awkwardly dropped his stance, relieved he hadn't accidentally manifested any power since he is in his human mode.
"You—why are you here?"
As she composed herself, Yun Che quickly accessed the System again. Information flowed into his mind like warm water—her profile, her memories with him, her connection to Xiao Lie, her gentle daily habits, her personality.
The System's integrated database fed everything seamlessly into his consciousness.
He exhaled, fully synchronized.
"Oh, Che'er, you've finally woken up."
A warm, gentle voice spread across the room as Xiao Lie entered. The old man's face, filled with worry, softened the moment he saw Yun Che standing upright with a healthy complexion. Behind him came Xiao Hong, the loyal housekeeper, and the so-called number one doctor in Floating Cloud City—Doctor Situ.
Yun Che's eyebrow twitched. "Number one? Tsk." He clicked his tongue quietly. He remembered everything this man had done in the original storyline—good or bad. The truth was, despite the grand titles, Doctor Situ had always done his job earnestly. He checked Yun Che regularly, never treating him with disdain, even when the rest of the clan mocked him.
The doctor stepped forward, examined him thoroughly, and, as expected, declared Yun Che's body the same: crippled. He found nothing out of the ordinary. Of course he didn't. Yun Che's Shinigami powers were perfectly concealed; his reiatsu control was impeccable.
After finishing his check-up, Doctor Situ bowed and was escorted out by the attendant.
Xiao Lie waited only until the door closed before stepping forward again, brows furrowed in concern. "Che'er, are you sure you're alright? Do you feel discomfort anywhere?" His voice quivered ever so slightly.
Yun Che stared at him for a moment.
This old man really cares…
Despite the Xiao Clan treating the original Yun Che like trash, Xiao Lie and Xiao Lingxi remained his only warmth… his only real family.
"I'm fine, old man," Yun Che said lightly, wearing a healthy expression.
The moment the word old man left his mouth, Xiao Lie blinked. Yun Che felt a pang of guilt. Not because he was wrong—but because he remembered the future. The so-called "wedding" tonight. The impending assassination. The grief this old man would feel afterward.
"Old… man?" Xiao Lie repeated softly.
Yun Che froze. Ah, right. Not something the original would say.
"Uhh… my memory's a little hazy," he improvised quickly. "What did I used to call you again?"
"Che'er… you used to call him grandfather," Xiao Lingxi answered, eyes wide with worry.
"Right… right. Sorry—gramps."
"Grandfather!" Xiao Lingxi corrected him instantly, stamping her foot.
Yun Che sighed, raising both hands in surrender. "Sure, sure… grandfather."
Xiao Lie's eyes softened. Relief washed over him like a tide.
He truly was the strongest in the Xiao Clan—but not in cultivation. In heart.
He had lost his son protecting Yun Che's true parents from the experts of the Four Sacred Grounds. Yun Che's mother died in grief soon after. Yet Xiao Lie still held onto Yun Che, raising him with love, shielding him from the clan's cruelty. Even if the world called him a waste, Xiao Lie never once wavered.
Yun Che's chest tightened.
This old man, who carried all that pain… still smiled at me.
In his previous life, relationships meant everything to Yuuki. And now, as Yun Che, he would pay back this kindness a hundredfold.
After this farce of a wedding… after the near-death ambush… after the awakening…
He would show them all— What he had become.
"You're alright. That's wonderful to hear." Xiao Lie's shoulders finally loosened, years of worry easing from his expression. He glanced outside at the sky, now slowly turning gold.
"Che'er, the hour is nigh. Make your preparations while I arrange the wedding team… Ah, right." He paused at the door. "Do you want to ride horseback or sit in the carriage?"
Yun Che stiffened.
I want to flash step, he thought.
But his current physical body was still crippled. He couldn't unleash his Shinigami mode without instantly alerting every profound practitioner in the city. Tonight, he would have to play his role. Tomorrow, he could begin reshaping this body—merging human, Shinigami, and Quincy into a perfect vessel.
After tonight, everything changes.
"Horseback," Yun Che said casually. Then he gave a convincing explanation about wanting to appear strong, not pitiful.
Xiao Lie nodded approvingly. "Good. Then I'll make the arrangements. Rest well, Che'er." He left the room with a relieved smile, unaware of the storm Yun Che was preparing to unleash.
As soon as the door shut, Xiao Lingxi marched in front of him, hands on her hips, lips curled in a pout. Her eyes were full of frustration.
"So you are excited about this marriage!" she huffed. "Here I was, worrying over you all night. You haven't even met Xia Qingyue that many times, but you're already fond of her… Oh, she's our Floating Cloud City's number one beauty, isn't she?"
Yun Che stared at her, deadpan.
Excited? If anything, he was preparing psychological self-defense.
His gaze softened as he studied Xiao Lingxi. She was more than just "Little Aunt." She was a childhood companion, an irreplaceable presence—the kind he had never had in his previous life. Compared to Xia Qingyue, the ethereal ice beauty everyone worshipped from afar, Xiao Lingxi radiated warmth and life.
If he had been given the chance in a life without vengeance, without power struggles, without reincarnation…
He would have chosen her.
Yun Che smiled gently. He couldn't help it—seeing her like this after reincarnating stirred something warm in his chest.
"Heh, Little Aunt is still the prettiest in my eyes," he said, slipping into a calm, smooth tone—his "Sasuke persona," cool but not cold. "Xia Qingyue might be pretty… maybe. But Little Aunt is the one who stayed by my side every day. That alone is enough to call you beautiful."
Before she could react, he reached out and lightly patted her head.
Xiao Lingxi froze. Her small, soft lips parted. Her eyes widened with doubt, confusion, and something else—something warm.
"…Che'er?" Xiao Lingxi whispered, her voice trembling as she stared at him as though he had transformed into someone else entirely.
And in truth… he had.
The Yun Che she had always known—her clingy, loud, overly affectionate, easily flustered Little Che—seemed to have vanished overnight. Standing before her now was someone calmer, more mature… someone who carried a quiet depth she couldn't understand. Even the way he spoke—the soothing tone, the confidence, the gentle firmness—felt foreign.
Her heart skipped a beat. A strange uneasiness wrapped around her chest, but she pushed it aside. She forced herself to look at him with familiarity, not confusion.
But even so… He was different.
Seeing him dressed in wedding robes, seeing him preparing to marry another woman—Floating Cloud City's peerless beauty, no less—made something inside her twist painfully. She tried to hide it, but Yuuki—far more perceptive than the original Yun Che—saw it immediately.
Of course, the System's database didn't help; it practically spelled out her feelings to him.
Yun Che sighed inwardly.
Before he could say anything, a knock came from the door.
Knock, knock.
"Young Master? Are you ready? We're about to move," Xiao Hong called out after knocking several times.
"Just a moment…!" Yun Che called back, slightly panicked. Damn, I haven't even finished preparing.
He turned to grab something, but Xiao Lingxi stepped in front of him again, blocking his path.
"What's wrong with you, Little Che?" she frowned. "You were so excited before, but now you look like you don't want to get married. Little Che is still careless as always… Come, let me fix you up."
She forced a smile—one so heavy he could feel her heart behind it.
Without waiting, she began adjusting the folds of his wedding robe, smoothing out the creases, teasing his messy collar, and brushing his hair with gentle fingers. Her closeness, her warmth, her trembling hands—everything told him exactly how reluctant she was to let him go.
In the memories of the original Yun Che, he loved her deeply… but he had never recognized it. He saw her as family—precious, but not romantically. Now, Yuuki saw something the original never did.
She was beautiful.
Caring.
A beacon of loyalty in a world that despised him.
And though he hadn't inherited the original's emotions… he knew one day, he would.
But right now…
He had only one way to reassure her.
Yun Che suddenly leaned in.
And—
Chuuuu…
A soft, gentle kiss landed on her forehead.