IBFV Chapter 8

Lights out¹

Translator: Zenne

Editor: Reya

Proofreader: Anna

Bai Zhi wasn’t aware of what Fang Jingmo had thought of, he only felt that the man was looking at him with a look in his eyes that had gotten weirder and weirder.

It was as if he was looking at a young child with no father and no mother, that was suffering from humiliation and starvation, grief overflowing from his eyes. 

“You, what happened?”

Fang Jingmo lowered his eyes for a long time, then voiced, “Although I don’t know what the thoughts in your heart are, I can’t regard them as a reason to justify myself.”

Bai Zhi’s face was dumbfounded. “Reason? To justify?”

Fang Jingmo continued, “I know you can’t bear to make me feel upset, which is why you pretend not to understand. I understand all of it.”

Bai Zhi was puzzled: “What do you understand?”

“Du Jian, I know I didn’t treat you well when we first met. I’m sorry.”

Bai Zhi was quickly giving up trying to understand Fang Jingmo. “No, it doesn’t matter?”

Fang Jingmo’s mind was filled with the scene of him abandoning Du Jian in the heavy rain, watching the person holding his umbrella, despondent as he left.

“Du Jian, I sincerely apologise to you, and I ask you to give me a chance.”

“What chance?”

“The chance to make it up to you and court you.”

After going around in circles, Bai Zhi thought for a while, finally understanding what Fang Jingmo meant.

“Uncle, the big brother fell for the little brother. What should this little brother do?”

“Alive, as your big brother’s person, dead, as your big brother’s ghost. Of course, you have to wash yourself white.² Have a pleasant time with your big brother.” The system stated.

“But…”

“But, what but.” The system worried: “Can you meet someone more handsome than Fang Jingmo?”

Bai Zhi thoroughly scrutinised Fang Jingmo: “It’s probably…not very possible.”

“Can you meet someone who accompanies you as you watch Balala the Fairies?”

Bai Zhi thoroughly thought about it: “It’s also very unlikely.”

“Can you meet someone who cooks such good food?” 

Bai Zhi took into account his thoughts of eating people³ before meeting the system. “There’s an extremely low possibility.”

“Can you meet someone who possesses all three of these?”

Bai Zhi stiffly did the math on his fingers: “I think the possibility of that is zero.”

System: “Then what’s this nonsense? You don’t want me onto you.”

“Get lost!”

Bai Zhi angrily shouted inside his mind, immediately snapping out of his thoughts and grabbing Fang Jingmo’s hand. 

“You don’t need to chase after me.”

Fang Jingmo’s eyes dimmed.

“You only need to take care of me.”

Fang Jingmo trembled. He looked at Bai Zhi in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is, in this world, there’s no other person who suits me more compared to you.” 

The sound of the breaking ground.

Fang Jingmo who felt that his heart had never had an inhabitant and only barren soil, had suddenly bloomed a rose.

Gorgeous and delicate, moving his heartstrings.

Everything that followed seemed to fall into place.

The saffron-colored lightning warmly shined down, the glow making Bai Zhi appear particularly gentle.

Fang Jingmo looked at the little demon being beautifully illuminated, feeling his heart softening. He lowered his head, moving over to kiss Bai Zhi. His voice was tender and hoarse as he affectionately teased.

“Afraid?”

Bai Zhi shook his head, raising his head to kiss him.

It was loud and clear. He laughed at himself after the kiss.

Fang Jingmo couldn’t help laughing along with him. He stooped down next to Bai Zhi ears,  speaking in a low voice:

“Why are you such a rare person?”

Bai Zhi was a little shy- he turned around and smothered his head closely to the quilt, not speaking.

Fang Jingmo simply lay his body beside him. He took Bai Zhi into his arms with one hand and tightly hugged him, kissing along his slender neck. 

Bai Zhi was tickled by the kiss and became limp. Thus, he leaned slightly closer to Fang Jingmo’s body, twisting his body to rub against him.

Fang Jingmo’s breath tightened, his other hand was on Bai Zhi’s waist.  Then he slowly moved up and spoke in a low voice:

“If you feel uncomfortable and dislike it, tell me right away.”

Bai Zhi nodded in the man’s embrace.

　Fang Jingmo’s movements were fast, and his clothes were completely discarded. Bai Zhi’s eyes grew muddled and fuzzy as he shut them.

Fang Jingmo’s breath sprinkled over his body. Bai Zhi wanted to lift his eyes when a tender touch brushed across his eyelids.

That was Fang Jingmo, kissing him with extreme tenderness.

　　…

When he woke up the next day, Bai Zhi didn’t feel the slightest discomfort. He even felt that he could go downstairs and frog leap three kilometres. 

He energetically jumped up from the bed, coming face-to-face with Fang Jingmo who had come in carrying a bowl of congee. 

Fang Jingmo: “…Sit down.”

Bai Zhi lowered his head: “Okay.”

The boiled, soft, white rice grains of the congee emitted a sweet scent which Bai Zhi couldn’t help breathing in.

Fang Jingmo saw this and immediately laughed. He carried the congee to the bedside and sat down, scooping up a spoonful and lifting it to Bai Zhi’s mouth.

 “Do you feel uncomfortable?”

Bai Zhi swallowed, then shook his head.

Fang Jingmo was still a bit worried: “Tell me right away if you feel uncomfortable, don’t endure it.”

“I’m really not.” Bai Zhi looked at him. “I feel very good.”

Fang Jingmo paused for a moment: “I’ll take a look at you later.”

Bai Zhi was a little shy: “Don’t!”

“Be obedient.”

“I’m not listening.”

“An obedient child will be rewarded with a small cake.”

“…I’m listening.”

The smile on Fang Jingmo’s face became wider. He fed the bowl of plain rice congee until it was finished and moved over to kiss Bai Zhi’s forehead: “I’ll go pour milk for you.”

“I’m not drinking milk.” Bai Zhi grabbed his sleeve.

“Then, what do you want to eat?”

Bai Zhi thought for a long time, and produced an answer: “Hotpot.”

In the end, he also added:

“Very spicy.”

　　…

He reasoned in every possible way, and Fang Jingmo eventually agreed to Bai Zhi’s request to have very spicy food the next day.

Bai Zhi was still nestled on the sofa, eagerly watching the DVDs. Balala the Fairies was quickly finished, so Fang Jingmo bought the full collection of Dancing Baby⁴. He had heard people say that this was better than Balala the Fairies.

The phone suddenly sounded, and Bai Zhi picked it up, only to see Liu Yi’s message:

“Wishing you a happy future! May you never break up.”

He was a bit baffled, then he sent a message asking what was going on.

Liu Yi instantly replied: “You still don’t know? Weibo has exploded, big brother!”⁵

Only when Bai Zhi had heard those words did he recall the modern social software he had ignored. Thus, he hurriedly checked in. 

The news of Du Jian and Fang Jingmo hung first on the hot search list. Bai Zhi looked at it, discovering that it had originated from a Weibo tweet made by Liu Yi a long time ago.

Liu Yi had previously tweeted the discussion they began regarding the medical fees on Weibo, and it was matched with a picture sighing ‘what a person na’. And Fang Jingmo had just recently retweeted that Weibo tweet, the comment was only three words.

My person.⁶

There was an uproar on the internet.

Bai Zhi froze for a moment, turning his head to look at the figure washing his hands in the kitchen to make soup.

The incantation of the transformation was still sounding from the TV. Bai Zhi suddenly felt that his statement on that day was wrong.

The best looking thing wasn’t the young girl who had black butterflies swarming her when she transformed, rather, it was the person before his eyes. His reputation outside spread far and wide, and his power allowed him to make influential decisions. But when he returns home, he changes and puts away all of his radiance, becoming an ordinary person who cooks for their lover.

Bai Zhi felt his heart ache a little, and he didn’t know why. 

In these hundreds of years he had been a demon, he was dedicated to only eating, drinking and sleeping. He had heard people say that there was something called ‘emotion’, but he had never felt it.

“Uncle…” Bai Zhi wasn’t even in the mood to watch TV, “I feel uncomfortable.”

“Where do you feel uncomfortable?” The system was somewhat worried.

“In my heart, it’s bitter.”

“Why?”

Bai Zhi’s voice was muffled: “Fang Jingmo, he’s very good.”

“Isn’t this a good thing?” The system wondered.

“But I don’t think I’m good at all.” 

“Are you dumb?” The system scolded, “He isn’t blind. If you weren’t good at all, then would he choose you?”

“Besides. How do you know that Fang Jingmo doesn’t have the same idea in his heart?”

“What?”

“What I mean is, he is the brightest star in your eyes, and you are the only sun in his heart. You live in each other’s hearts, and have the most beautiful appearance on Earth to each other.”

Bai Zhi thought for a very long time, then raised his head again: “I understand.”

His gaze once again followed after the figure in the kitchen, and there seemed to be small stars flashing in his eyes: 

“I want to be a better person for us.”

“En.” The system nodded: “But before that, you have to do something first.”

“What?”

“Open your phone, and read the comments under Fang Jingmo’s Weibo tweet.”

Bai Zhi scrolled through the tweets:

“Ahhh, what’s going on! My male god, Jingmo, has been fooling around with other people! Bastard, return my male god!”

“What’s going on with Du Jian? I don’t accept it! The male god is for everyone!

“Tell me that all of this isn’t real, Fang Jingmo definitely had his number stolen.”

　　“…”

He scrolled all the way down. Bai Zhi had already become angry and gritted his teeth.

“They’re talking nonsense! Fang Jingmo has obviously only made food for me!”

“They’re delusional! He didn’t have his number stolen!”

“He’s not a doubi⁷ in private, what nonsense are these people talking about!” 

Perceiving that his territory had been trespassed on, a certain great demon was fuming and immediately switched to battle mode.

“We’re together, that Weibo tweet was real.”

It was joined with a picture of Fang Jingmo’s figure.

“I want to see which person with no eyes would dare snatch something from this demon.”

Bai Zhi threw the phone in anger.

The system didn’t make a sound.

　　…

Fang Jingmo and Bai Zhi had reached the end. Time had passed. They held hands, and amidst the skepticism of everyone, they had finally reached old age.

Fang Jingmo passed before Bai Zhi. He tenderly kissed the back of Bai Zhi’s hand for the last time, and softly whispered a sentence in his ear:

“Wait for me.”

His eyes slowly shut.

Bai Zhi quietly sat at the edge of the bed, looking at the white-haired old man whose face was ash-grey. His handsome face had corroded over time, his original appearance long gone.

But Bai Zhi knew what kind of affectionate heart hid in the man lying down here.

He slowly stood up, moved close to Fang Jingmo’s neck, and deeply inhaled.

“I’ll forever remember your soul’s smell, thank you for accompanying me for so many years.”

He pulled Fang Jingmo’s quilt, and placed a rose beside the pillow.

“I’m going to leave.”

Bai Zhi looked at him for the last time, slightly smiling, and spoke:

“I’ll remember you. In my remaining thousands of years, in my remaining life, I’ll always pray for your blessings.”

“Thank you, Fang Jingmo.”

A breeze drifted through, and the figure of the man who had spoken flashed, suddenly disappearing from the place.

The wind blew through the curtains, the large room filled with the fragrance of flowers.

When Bai Zhi opened his eyes again, he had already returned to the real world. He stood in the streets bustling with life, pedestrians hurriedly passing by him.

Bai Zhi looked all over, quietly finding an uninhabited small corner. The system’s figure emerged before his eyes.

“Congratulations on completing the first mission! Nephew, what do you think?”

“Think?”

“Yeah. For example, do you like Fang Jingmo?”

Bai Zhi replied without hesitation: “Like ah. He’s good to me, I like him.”

“Then, do you love him?”

“Love?” Bai Zhi froze, “Love and like, are they different?”

“Of course they’re different!” The system was worried, “It’s not, you human——”

Its words suddenly stopped, sounding after a moment, “Oh, you’re not a human. You’re a demon with a head that’s slept for eight hundred years.”

Bai Zhi continued to look at him foolishly.

The system was silent for a moment, suddenly stating with certainty, “You’ll come to understand it.”

“Okay.” Bai Zhi scratched his head.

The system seemed somewhat unhappy as it took out a few fruits from its pocket, stuffing them in Bai Zhi’s hand.

“Rare spiritual fruits, quickly eat it.”

Bai Zhi carefully took it, afraid he may break the precious stuff.

It had already been quite a while since he’s felt spiritual energy. He looked at the spiritual fruits left and right for a long time, and picked the biggest and best looking one and put it into his pocket.

“What are you doing?” The system was baffled. 

Bai Zhi didn’t raise his head. “I’m setting it aside for Fang Jingmo!”

“Fang Jingmo is already dead.”

Bai Zhi paused his movements, just remembering: “Oh, right…”

The system, however, was keen and sensed something, “You… Why did you want to give something so precious to him?”

“I don’t know.” Bai Zhi looked at the enormous spiritual fruit, somewhat lost in thought. “I also don’t know.”

---

1. NSFW ver of 拉灯 means like a fade to black, but during explicit scenes in stories. That’s the best way I can describe it, lololol. This title is talking about the NSFW scene that’s like, halfway through this chapter. 
2. Washing yourself white means to get rid of your bad reputation.
3. Yeah, cannibalism.
4. Dancing Baby is another TV program with magical girls.
5. Just a reminder, but 大哥 in this context = Big brother = polite address for a man of about the same age as oneself. 
6. It was three characters in the raws.
7. 逗比 = dòubī = silly but amusing person.

Zenne: So, we’re finished with the first arc! Fang Jingmo and Du Jian (Bai Zhi) had such a sweet relationship, and Fang Jingmo is such a caring person. And the system reminding Bai Zhi that Fang Jingmo is dead really made me go ‘👀’. Anywho, hope you guys look forward to the next arc!

Reya: Currently eating dog food and grinding love…

Anna: Author come out, I won’t beat you too much! What the heck was up with that time skip? They just got into a relationship and then it ended! I don’t accept this!

Previous

Home

Next

---

Kofi

Check out my Ko-fi to support me!