Dai Mubai stood frozen in place, his face as pale as paper.
His fists clenched tight, his nails digging deep into his flesh as blood trickled between his fingers.
Humiliation.
An unprecedented humiliation.
That scene was the deepest wound in his heart, the one he least wanted to face.
Back then, he really had been afraid.
He had feared Dai Weisi, feared death, feared the suffocating oppression of the royal family's ruthless competition.
So he had chosen to run away.
He had chosen to leave the little girl who had only just become his fiancée alone in that man-eating palace.
He thought that if he ran, he could survive.
That if he ran, he could forget all about it.
But now.
The Sky Screen had ripped open that bloody scene, laying it bare for the whole world to see.
"I..."
Dai Mubai wanted to explain.
He wanted to say that he had been young back then, that Dai Weisi had been too strong.
But when he raised his head and saw the cool, dark figure not far away, every excuse caught in his throat.
Zhu Zhuqing stood there.
She remained with her head raised, her gaze fixed on the enormous Sky Screen.
Her face was pale, and her lips had lost all color from being pressed together so tightly.
She simply watched in silence.
She watched as the light in the eyes of that "other self" went out completely.
That despair crossed two worlds and the cold screen of light, reaching her without restraint.
So he had given up from that moment on.
So she had been nothing but a discarded pawn all along.
His so-called "fiancée" had been nothing more than a burden to him as he fled Star Luo.
Zhu Zhuqing slowly turned her head, her gaze passing over the crowd and settling on Dai Mubai, who stood not far away.
She looked at him as if he were worthless air, or a heap of revolting trash.
She thought of the spirited young man in the White World, of his bold words, "I'll be waiting," then looked at the man before her, pale-faced and trembling all over.
Envy spread through her heart like a poisonous weed.
Why?
Why could her other self in another world have a sun like that?
Why did she have to make do with this heap of muck?
Dai Mubai felt her gaze.
It hurt him more than all the disdainful, mocking looks he had received just moments before.
If Zhu Zhuqing cursed him, hit him, or even tried to kill him, he could have accepted it.
At least that would have meant she cared.
But now, this disregard, this utter indifference, pierced the last shred of his pitiful self-respect.
"Zhuqing, listen to me..."
Dai Mubai's voice was hoarse, his throat as if stuffed with sand.
He tried to take a step, wanting to approach Zhu Zhuqing.
But Zhu Zhuqing merely turned slightly to the side.
It was a small movement.
Yet it drew an uncrossable chasm between them.
"There's no need."
Zhu Zhuqing's voice was faint.
"Some things, once broken, are broken."
"And it was rotten to begin with."
After saying this, she turned her gaze back to the Sky Screen. Deep in her eyes, only longing for that white-clad youth remained, along with a mournful, self-mocking sorrow for her own fate.
Dai Mubai stood rooted to the spot.
The gazes of the Shrek Academy group around him landed on his face like a series of resounding slaps.
Ma Hongjun shrank his neck and didn't dare make a sound.
Oscar lowered his head and counted ants.
Even Tang San, who usually took his friends' side, stood silently nearby without any intention of making excuses for Dai Mubai.
After all, no matter the world, people looked down on deserters and condemned them behind their backs.
At that very moment.
The White World.
The Imperial Garden of the Star Luo Empire's palace.
The sun shone bright, and flowers bloomed everywhere.
In stark contrast to the oppressive, lifeless atmosphere of the Black World, this place brimmed with life and serenity.
But at that moment, the mood in the garden was rather strange.
The enormous Sky Screen hung in midair, clearly reflecting everything happening in the Black World.
"Pah!"
A sharp spit of contempt broke the silence.
Xiao Wu stood with her hands on her hips, her pretty little face full of disdain.
"What kind of man is he?"
"He's a total coward!"
"Poor Zhuqing in that world! She hadn't even married him, and he'd already abandoned her in that man-eating palace. If I were in her shoes, I'd kick his head clean off!"
Xiao Wu waved her fists angrily, her long rabbit ears bouncing with each movement.
Sitting beside her was Zhu Zhuqing of this world.
She wore a long, pale-purple palace gown. Her bearing was noble and elegant, and she had long since outgrown her youthful awkwardness, blossoming into a peerless beauty.
Watching her helpless younger self on the Sky Screen, Zhu Zhuqing's brows drew together tightly.
Her eyes were full of scorn.
"Truly disgraceful."
Zhu Zhuqing spoke in a calm voice.
Her voice was cool, yet carried an authority that brooked no disrespect.
"As a prince, he doesn't think about how to turn the situation around. All he wants is to run."
"As a man, he can't protect his fiancée and even treats her as a burden."
"Someone like that doesn't deserve the Dai name, much less the White Tiger Martial Soul."
As she spoke, she turned toward the man seated in the place of honor.
He wore white robes as pure as snow and lounged against the imperial throne.
In his hand, he held a crystal-clear jade cup filled with amber wine that shimmered in the light.
He was Dai Mubai of this world.
The White Emperor of Heaven.
Feeling Zhu Zhuqing's gaze, Dai Mubai gently swirled his wine cup. The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile as warm as a spring breeze.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Do you think I look like that good-for-nothing, too?"
Dai Mubai's voice was magnetic, brimming with innate confidence and authority.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head.
She walked over to Dai Mubai and reached out naturally to straighten his collar.
Her movements were gentle, and her eyes were full of affection.
"Not at all."
"Not in the slightest."
"You're a cloud in the heavens, while he's mud on the ground."
"Comparing you to him is an insult to you."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly beside them, like a pecking chicken.
"Exactly!"
"How could trash like that compare to Boss Dai?"
"Back then, Boss Dai beat that prince guy until he was crawling all over the ground for Zhuqing!"
Xiao Wu bounced over, picked up a carrot from the platter, and took a crunchy bite.
Dai Mubai set down his wine cup, pinched Xiao Wu's cheek, then slipped an arm around Zhu Zhuqing's slender waist.
"That's enough."
"Don't let a good-for-nothing ruin your mood."
"Let him be rotten. We'll live our own lives."
"Think of this comparison as a joke to lighten the mood."
Dai Mubai remained calm.
He couldn't even be bothered to look down on his counterpart in the Black World.
A lion didn't turn around when a dog barked.
A dragon wouldn't get angry over an ant crawling along.
They simply weren't on the same level.
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