Romance Variety Show: The aloof and beautiful fourth female lead is always coveted.

(The IF storyline between Shen Chaosheng and Ji Shu is still 1v2 - Shen x Bai x Ji)

(Bonus setting: What if they were reborn ten years before the apocalypse...)

A dying zombie king, deafening explosions...

And there was his lover's scarlet body.

How can so much blood flow from a person's body?

Warm blood stained the ground at his feet, like a flower that had bloomed to its fullest and then suddenly withered.

Shen Chaosheng felt a surge of bewilderment and confusion.

Then came the excruciating pain of having his throat slit, followed by the silence of being completely swallowed by darkness.

He thought, even though he arrived late.

But perhaps the time it takes for her to leave will be enough for one last meeting in hell or heaven.

His lover, his...

"Chao Sheng... Shen Chao Sheng!"

Shen Chaosheng opened his eyes, his grief and despair still churning within them.

What came into view was a simple shelter: rotten wood for walls, tattered cloth for a roof, firewood and scavenged supplies piled up in the corners, dust, stench and sour smell of spoiled food filled the air, the whole camp was oppressive and desolate.

There was also a black-haired woman standing in front of him, looking down at him.

A leather jacket covered in scratches, an all-black outfit, trousers tucked into heavy military boots, a Colt pistol at her waist, and her ever-present goose-feather knife slung across her back.

She was simply standing quietly, yet she resembled a strikingly beautiful black rose blooming in a wasteland—cold, sharp, and possessing an irresistible allure.

Suddenly seeing Bai Nianchu standing alive before him, Shen Chaosheng's pupils dilated violently, and the shock in his heart was no different from seeing the collapsing world being reconstructed before his eyes.

The stabbing pain in his chest didn't lie; the lingering grief that gripped him reminded him, like a heavy hammer blow, of everything that would happen in the "past"... no, it should be said, in the "future."

He was reborn from ten years in the future.

To return to the time when my loved one was still healthy and well.

"Chao Sheng." Bai Nianchu frowned slightly. "Why are you crying?"

She looked at her best friend, who was staring at her with tears streaming down her face, with some surprise and confusion.

This was the first time she had ever seen Shen Chaosheng cry.

He shed tears quietly, but the sorrow and gloom in his eyes were so intense it was chilling.

It has a kind of heart-wrenching shock.

But Bai Nianchu had no time to be surprised and immediately began to examine Shen Chaosheng's body.

At first, Bai Nianchu thought he was injured somewhere.

The reason I woke him up was because he was shaking uncontrollably in his sleep.

"There's no injury..." she murmured.

If it's not because of pain, why are I crying for no reason?

Just as Bai Nianchu was about to withdraw her hand, Shen Chaosheng, who had been obediently letting her inspect him, grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.

Her embrace and warmth seemed to become the only support this man could rely on, and his barely maintained composure crumbled instantly.

A suppressed, painful whimper escaped from deep within Shen Chaosheng's throat. He then lowered his head and buried it deeply in the crook of her neck.

Shen Chaosheng is crying.

His weeping was almost silent, yet it was several times more sorrowful than any other person Bai Nianchu had ever seen wailing loudly.

It was as if all the pent-up pain, fear, and regret were being poured out in this way.

Bai Nianchu was squeezed too tightly by him, and she could hardly breathe.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together, leaving no gaps.

Bai Nianchu could feel that Shen Chaosheng's scalding tears not only soaked her clothes but also burned her skin through the fabric.

Although I don't know what happened to Shen Chaosheng that made him so upset...

Although her relationship with Shen Chaosheng is still in an ambiguous stage...

But Bai Nianchu hesitated for half a second before raising her hand and gently patting his back in a comforting manner.

"Are you alright?"

Seeing Shen Chaosheng silently shedding tears, his throat choked with sobs, and remaining completely silent, Bai Nianchu quickly regained her composure after a brief moment of panic.

"No matter what happens, I'll take care of everything," she whispered her promise.

His emotional stability was outrageous.

Just then, a hoarse voice suddenly broke in from the side.

"Shen Chaosheng, have you hugged me enough?"

Bai Nianchu and Shen Chaosheng both paused.

Turning around, they found that Ji Shu, who was supposed to be patrolling outside, had suddenly run back.

"Ji Shu, how's the situation outside?" Bai Nianchu asked. "Why is only one person back? Where are the others?"

Ji Shu remained silent for a moment, his gaze towards her somewhat similar to that of Shen Chaosheng.

They were all shrouded in a deep sorrow and an overwhelming sense of despair.

But when Bai Nianchu tried to observe more clearly, Ji Shu's eyes cleared up, leaving only endless tenderness and careful appreciation.

Gentle...Cherish...

Bai Nianchu's expression was somewhat complicated.

Does Ji Shu think of her as a fragile porcelain doll?

He clearly couldn't withstand more than ten moves from her goose-feather blade.

"Ji Shu?" Bai Nianchu called out to him again.

Ji Shu seemed to come to his senses and said calmly, "Never mind them, Captain..."

"Give me a hug first."

He walked over and exchanged a glance with Shen Chaosheng, both confirming the fact that they had both been reborn.

Shen Chaosheng paused for a moment, then slowly released his grip, relinquishing the embrace that had been held by him for so long.

Bai Nianchu found it somewhat amusing: "You want a hug too...?"

What's wrong with them today?

Bai Nianchu didn't understand, but tried to respect it.

She opened her arms to Ji Shu, and the next second, Ji Shu, like a weary bird returning to its nest, threw himself into her embrace, and pulled her into his tall body, holding her tightly.

"It's alright..." Ji Shu whispered in her ear.

Thankfully you're still here.

Fortunately, I still have a chance to change things...

If becoming "Dawn" is Bai Nianchu's predetermined destiny, then this time, let him be the torch that guides everyone forward.

He will not steal the leader's glory, but will shield the leader from all darkness.

He knew every single wound on the leader's body by heart, every single one of them etched into his very bones.

In this life, he will not repeat the same mistakes.

He would no longer allow his beloved to bear those pains and burdens alone with her own flesh and blood, nor would he allow her to give up her life in the end, leaving him alone in the world.

Ji Shu never thought his world was the end of the world.

But it has been like that ever since Bai Nianchu left.

Since fate has been kind to him, allowing him and Shen Chaosheng to return to ten years ago.

So... this time, no one can take her away from them.

As his thoughts returned, Ji Shu concealed the darkness in his eyes.

He lowered his head and placed a deeply devout kiss on her forehead.

Bai Nianchu was slightly taken aback when she felt the warmth on her forehead.

She frowned, wondering what was wrong with Ji Shu.

Due to the limited perspective, Bai Nianchu failed to notice how Ji Shu's gaze lingered on her face with such obscure and profound intensity, finally settling on her earlobes, which were flushed slightly from the sudden kiss, and how he couldn't look away for a long time.

At this time, the leader was still very inexperienced...

Ji Shu tried to calm his wildly beating heart and said to himself.

We must not rush things.