Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Past Experiences

During high school, Conglin and Chang’an were always deskmates.

Their high school used a buddy system for seating arrangements: the top students got to pick their seats first, and they would choose a struggling student to sit next to them for one-on-one tutoring.

Every time, Chang’an would pick the seats closest to the teacher’s desk, which meant that Conglin, the underachiever, always got to listen to lectures from the best spot in the room.

But even though he sat the closest and paid extra attention in every class, his test scores were always at the bottom, which drew a lot of ridicule from others.

Some students would even shout right to Conglin’s face, “Stop pretending to work hard! The results won’t play along with your act!”

Whenever he was mocked, Chang’an would stand up for him. “Do the scores of all you losers combined even add up to mine? If you don’t get lost right now, I’ll tell the teacher you’re disturbing my studies! When that happens, who do you think the teacher will believe—me, or you?”

After that, no one ever accused him of faking his efforts again.

From that day on, Chang’an started tutoring him every day, staying with him even until midnight.

Just like that, the two of them got through the three toughest years together.

Studying was bitter, but with Chang’an by his side, it felt sweet.

When the college entrance exam results came out, Conglin performed exceptionally well, scoring 175 points higher than usual. His score was more than 70 points above the cutoff for a 985 university.

The two of them had promised to attend a university far from home together, but Conglin’s parents were firmly against it. “Don’t you know how poor our family is? What are you trying to compare yourself to Chang’an for? His family is rich; they can afford round-trip plane tickets. We can’t even afford a one-way ticket. Be a good boy. Be sensible and apply to the closest university. That way, your travel expenses will be cheaper.”

Conglin exploded with anger. “What is that supposed to mean? You’re the ones who promised me that if I did well on my exams, you’d support me no matter where I wanted to study. That was your promise! Have you forgotten?!”

That night, Conglin had a huge fight with his parents and stormed out of the house. He turned off his phone, making it impossible for anyone to reach him.

When Chang’an found out, he rushed out to look for Conglin.

That night, Conglin hid in the woods by a deep pool. Chang’an was in the same area, calling his name many times.

But at the time, Conglin felt too ashamed that he couldn’t attend the same university as Chang’an, so he didn’t answer.

After calling out a few times, Chang’an fell silent. Conglin didn’t think much of it then; he just assumed Chang’an had left.

But after that day, Chang’an disappeared… No one could find him…

Even his phone was unreachable…

In the end, Conglin followed his parents’ wishes and enrolled in the university closest to home.

After graduating from college, he gave himself the name Conglin.

For all these years, he traveled far and wide as an online streamer, all for the sake of finding Chang’an.

After connecting with Shen Zhiyao that day, he finally saw the person he had longed for day and night, but he couldn’t feel any happiness at all…

’Chang’an… How could his fate be so miserable…’

When I saw him, all the bones in his body had been severed. Only his two hands were left to prop up his body.

’It was me who killed Chang’an. This is all because of me.’

’If I hadn’t thrown a tantrum back then, if I hadn’t run away from home… would Chang’an’s fate have been different?’

’I was the one who killed him… This is all my fault…’

As he spoke, Conglin’s face became a mess of snot and tears. He said, trembling, “Host, it’s been so many years… I’ve been looking for Chang’an for so many years… By the time I found him… I… I only then realized he was dead…”

“This is all my fault. I’m the one who killed him…”

“If I had just shown myself when he was calling for me back then, he wouldn’t have died… It’s all my fault, all of it. I should have been the one to die… So why was he the one who died in the end…?”

Hearing Conglin’s story, the people in the live stream chat were also moved:

[So the usually carefree Conglin has such a sad backstory. Those three years must have been his happiest, but now they’ve become his most painful memory.]

[Now I finally get why he calls himself Conglin. He hates his own cowardice and blames himself for hiding in the woods (*conglin*) and not meeting Chang’an…]

[Chang’an is a good name. What a pity.]

[SOB SOB SOB, his story made me cry… How could Chang’an have had it so rough! He really had terrible luck with people!]

[Exactly! If Chang’an had never met Conglin, he’d still be alive today!]

[Chang’an dies, and only then does Conglin feel regret. It’s just like those regret-themed novels I’ve read. It’s disgusting!]

The live comments split into two factions, one sympathizing with Conglin, the other with Chang’an.

Conglin sniffled and continued, “Host, don’t I deserve to die?”

“Not at all,” Shen Zhiyao said while typing. “Everyone has their own destiny. His premature death was fated, and you didn’t interfere with his life’s path. Alright, I’ve sent you the Soul Seeing Spell. At midnight, recite the spell, and the person you want to see will appear before you.”

After hearing this, Conglin sent Shen Zhiyao a Douyin Number One and left the stream.

[I kinda want to know, does his friend blame him?]

[Are you an idiot? It’s a no-brainer that Chang’an blames him!]

[What a shame. A genius, taken down in such a pathetic way…]

Before the viewers could lament any further, Shen Zhiyao connected to the second reading of the day.

The second user to connect was named “Luoluo.”

Luoluo was a young woman dressed in an exquisite Tang Dynasty costume, complete with an intricate hairstyle. However, she was frighteningly thin, with sunken cheeks.

Her sudden appearance startled the viewers; they thought they were seeing a ghost.

[HOLY SHIT, you scared me! I almost thought the host connected with a female ghost from the Tang Dynasty.]

[Miss, are you addicted to dieting? Let me tell you, you shouldn’t take it too far. Being too thin can lead to anorexia, and it’s terrible for your health.]

[What are you all talking about? No matter how you look at her, this girl doesn’t look like she’s just over-dieting. She must have seen a ghost.]

Luoluo ignored the comments in the chat. She looked at Shen Zhiyao with a melancholic expression. “Host, I’ve been running into a lot of strange things recently. Can you help me?”

“Tell me about it in detail,” Shen Zhiyao said, observing her deathly pale face, the dark energy swirling around her, and the blackness between her eyebrows. If this continued, she wouldn’t have long to live.

Luoluo was twenty-three years old and had just graduated from college.

Because people in her hometown married young, her parents had been constantly pressuring her to get married.

But Luoluo felt that marriage depended on fate and required a true meeting of hearts.

She never would have imagined, however, that her fated person would appear in her dreams.

A year ago, she dreamed of a man with delicate features, exquisitely dressed in a pink silk robe, appearing in her dreams.

At first, she thought it was just an erotic dream because she had been single for so long.

But then, she kept dreaming of that man. His face, blurry at first, gradually became clear.

The two of them met, got to know each other, and fell in love in their dreams. They even did intimate things together in those dreams.

Every time she woke up, Luoluo could feel a lingering warmth on her body. She always felt that the time she spent asleep was too short, and the time she got to see him was far too brief…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep