Qiu Yingying is reborn and bound to a learning system.

"Later... that night." Meng Yanchen's voice lowered, carrying a hint of tenderness and helplessness, as well as a lingering sense of nostalgia.

Qiu Yingying's face instantly burned; she dared not think about it, she really dared not think about it.

"You held me, saying you were cold, your face pressed against my chest," Meng Yanchen's voice trembled slightly, a mixture of lingering physical warmth and emotional turmoil. "I wanted to push you away, to say 'go,' but the drug made my throat tight and my body weak. And then you bit me."

The chaotic scenes of that night intertwined in their minds. Alcohol and drugs blurred their consciousness, leaving only the most primal closeness, which became a deep imprint between them.

Meng Yanchen thought he was going to die, so he blurted out all the things he wouldn't dare to say or was too embarrassed to say in normal times. He didn't even consider how he had the strength to say so much when he was about to die!

"When I woke up the next day, the bed beside me was empty." Meng Yanchen's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible loss. "I know you ran away, leaving me with only a ridiculous memory."

That was their second meeting, an accident caused by calculation, alcohol, and instinct.

But she never expected that fate would bring them together again and again.

Later, he would quietly appear downstairs at her company when she worked late and bring her a warm dinner; when she encountered work problems or was harassed by clients, he would calmly discuss them with her and guide her to find a solution.

When he was sad and crying, she would quietly stay by his side, saying nothing more than handing him a tissue, offering him warm comfort, and keeping him company. They had endless things to talk about. Their mutual warmth gradually broke down their own defenses, and little by little, they entered each other's hearts.

"I used to think the world was cold." Meng Yanchen's voice suddenly turned somber, carrying a deep-seated weariness and loneliness.

"From a young age, I was required to be a perfect heir, not to cry, not to be weak, and not to have my own emotions. My world consisted only of rules, responsibilities, and interests; there was no warmth, no attachments. It was like an airtight cage, trapping me inside, unable to escape, and no one was willing to enter. I thought I would live like this for the rest of my life, walking alone in darkness, until I met you."

The wound on his back was aggravated, causing him to break out in a cold sweat, and his body trembled uncontrollably. "It's you. Yingying, it's you who pulled me out of that abyss. You're like a ray of light that shone into my cold world, letting me know that life can be so warm, that someone can care about me so much, that this is what it feels like to be cherished and loved."

"Everyone thinks I'm strong, that I'm omnipotent, and that I don't need anyone's protection or companionship."

His voice carried an unprecedented vulnerability, even a hint of pleading. It was his sincerity after shedding all pretense; in the face of life and death, he could no longer hide a trace of it.

"I don't need anyone to save me, but I am still human and need companionship. I don't like pain; I crave warmth and passion. I never want to go back to that cold, lightless world."

You are my sun, Yingying, the only light I ever wanted to grasp in this life. My heart has long belonged to you. If we survive, please take responsibility for me, okay?

The last three words were spoken extremely softly, yet she could feel the trembling in his body and the fear in his eyes as he spoke them—the fear of being rejected, the fear of losing this only light, like a lost child searching for his only support in the darkness.

Qiu Yingying cried so hard that her whole body trembled, and tears fell like beads from a broken string. She hadn't cried in a long time, and they kept falling, landing on their clasped hands and on his blood-stained clothes.

She was once deeply hurt by love, giving her all only to be met with a tragic end, foolishly sacrificing everything.

After her rebirth, she no longer dared to believe in love, nor in the so-called forever. She felt that all promises were lies, all tenderness was an illusion, and happiness never belonged to her.

She wrapped herself up, protecting herself with a hard shell, no longer easily opening her heart to others, no longer easily giving her true feelings, like a hedgehog with its sharp quills raised, not letting any member of the opposite sex get close.

But Meng Yanchen, through his actions, gradually melted the ice in her heart and shattered her pretense. He remembered her preferences and kept her in his heart; he was willing to protect her with his life. His protection was so real and so unwavering.

Especially this time, at the critical moment of life and death, he did not hesitate to protect her with his own body, and practiced what he cared about with his life.

That instinctive act of protection in that instant was more touching than any sweet words, more resolute than any promise, allowing her to completely let go of all her worries and hesitations.

"I do. Meng Yanchen, I do!" Qiu Yingying choked back tears, her voice hoarse yet incredibly firm, each word carrying the weight of tears and an unprecedented courage. "I used to not believe in love, thinking all promises of forever were lies, that happiness never belonged to me. I thought I knew I was worthy, so I desperately loved myself."

But you let me know that there really are people who would risk their lives to protect me, that there really are people who cherish me dearly, and that there really are people who would shed all their pretenses and reveal their most vulnerable side for me. She raised her hand and gently stroked his cheek, her fingertips warm with tears, carefully tracing his eyebrows, his nose, and his lips, as if she wanted to engrave his image into her bones so that she would never forget it.

"You are a very good person, and I'm willing to risk everything for you." She hugged him tightly, pressed her face against his chest, and listened to his weak but strong heartbeat. "I'm willing to believe in you, and I'm willing to go with you to find our happiness. No matter what the future holds, whether it's life or death, good times or bad, no matter how many difficulties or obstacles we encounter, I will be with you, take responsibility for you, and never let go again."

Meng Yanchen's eyes welled up with tears. At this moment, he finally let down all his defenses and pretenses. With a burning warmth, he realized that when people are happy to a certain degree, they can shed tears. This was the first time he had cried so openly in front of others, not because of pain, not because of despair, but because of emotion, because of relief, because he had finally grasped the light that belonged to him. With the last of his strength, he held her tightly in his arms. This embrace carried the despair and longing of someone on the verge of death, the preciousness of surviving a catastrophe, and a promise for a lifetime.

At this moment, her voice, her tears, and her feelings are his only obsession and support.

He lowered his head and kissed her lips. The kiss came unexpectedly, yet it seemed to have been planned for a long time.

There was no gentle probing, no gradual groundwork, only relentless conformity and demands.

His lips, tinged with the saltiness of blood and tears, and a hint of the sweet aftertaste of pills, pressed hotly against hers, carrying an almost destructive obsession, as if he wanted to pour all the love of his life into this kiss.

Without hesitation, Qiu Yingying immediately closed her eyes and responded forcefully. She raised her arms to embrace his neck, deepening the kiss. She could feel his trembling, his deep affection, and the surging love in her heart, like a tide, engulfing her.

Lips and teeth intertwined, tongues entwined, every touch carrying the ultimate emotion.

They were like two leaves on the verge of withering, drawing life force from each other in their desperate situation; or like two lonely stars, attracting each other in the darkness, merging into one, never to be separated again.

Two small bitter gourds huddled together for warmth will turn into a big sweet melon.

After an unknown amount of time, the two slowly separated, their foreheads touching, their breaths mingling, a feeling of profound peace washing over them. Meng Yanchen slowly raised his hand and pulled the velvet box from his blood-stained pocket. The box was slightly deformed from being crushed, its surface covered in dust and bloodstains; it was difficult to open it. In the dim light, the necklace he had personally crafted lay quietly inside. "This is for you," Meng Yanchen's voice held a hint of expectation, and a touch of guilt. "I had originally planned to arrange a sea of ​​flowers and candlelight at the villa on the outskirts of the city, to personally put it on you, to give you a romantic confession. Now... this is all I can do."

Qiu Yingying took the velvet box, her fingertips touching the cool metal chain, yet her heart warmed. She didn't let him do it; instead, she picked up the necklace herself, looped it around her neck, and fastened the clasp. The moonstone pendant rested against her chest. "It's beautiful," Qiu Yingying said, her voice choked with emotion. She raised her hand to stroke the pendant, her fingertips gently tracing the small character "Ying." "No matter where I am, I love anything you give me. More than a sea of ​​flowers and candlelight, I love this place, I love you even more—the one who protected me with your life at the critical moment, and confessed your love to me."

Meng Yanchen smiled, a smile that was especially gentle in the darkness, filled with relief and satisfaction, as if he had fulfilled the most important wish of his life. He pulled her into his arms again, resting his chin on the top of her head and gently rubbing it. His voice was low and hoarse, tinged with weariness, yet full of longing: "Yingying, with your words, even if I die here today, I will have no regrets."

After an unknown amount of time, the faint shouts of rescuers and the roar of excavators could be heard in the distance, growing closer and clearer. That was hope for survival.