I Don't Want to Be a Charmboy【Quick Wear】

Lin Ming's chest heaved violently, and his cough tore at his throat, forcibly pulling him out of the suffocating abyss of dreams intertwined with blood and fire.

In his dream, he watched helplessly as the man, so handsome and talented, whom he had once hated to the core yet whose fate was both complex and difficult to describe, met an end that was completely different from what he had imagined.

He did not ascend to the throne, nor did he wield absolute power, nor did he experience the smooth path he envisioned.

What he saw was a desolate wilderness strewn with corpses, and a sky where the setting sun was as red as blood.

Lin Shen, clad in tattered armor and covered in blood, his once aloof and noble face now stained with dust and blood, stood ramrod straight, his longsword pressed against the ground, his eyes as sharp as ever, yet ultimately at their last gasp.

Then came a rain of arrows, their mournful whistling echoing through the sky like bloodthirsty locusts, blotting out the sun.

"Do not--!"

Lin Ming roared in his dream, but no sound came out. He could only watch helplessly as the cold arrows, one, two, countless... pierced through his tall body, pinning him to the barren land.

Thousands of arrows pierce the heart!

The last thing Lin Ming saw was Lin Shen's eyes as he slowly fell, still gazing towards the capital, filled with a hint of unfulfilled ambition and endless mockery, and... the victor's smug and ugly face.

The faces of those two usurpers, etched into his very being!

How could this be?! Someone like him… that Lin Shen who was a prodigy from childhood, skilled in both literature and martial arts, manipulating power with ease, and whose abilities even his opponent had to acknowledge as terrifying…

How could he die? And in such a wretched and pathetic way, so... worthless!

A tremendous shock and an indescribable sense of emptiness gripped Lin Ming's heart, even temporarily overshadowing his overwhelming hatred for the two who had stolen the country.

He couldn't accept it, couldn't believe it. He could only watch, like a helpless ghost, as that once incredibly powerful body gradually decayed in the wilderness, its corpse exposed to the birds and beasts...

Cold sweat soaked through his already damp clothes, mingling with the stench of blood from his dream, making him feel nauseous. In this extreme fear and disorientation, he struggled to open his heavy eyelids.

The first thing the blurred vision caught was the flickering orange-red flames, and the silhouette of a slightly thin boy wearing only a thin undergarment, illuminated by the flames.

However, the next second, this barely peaceful scene was completely shattered!

A thick, gleaming white python was coiled around the boy's body!

The cold scales reflected an eerie luster in the firelight, and the huge snake head even rested on the boy's shoulder and neck, its scarlet tongue seeming ready to lick his skin at any moment!

Danger!

Lin Ming's mind was almost blank, with the remnants of his dream overlapping with the scene before him.

Lin Shen will die! He can't die! At least, he can't die here saving me! There's still revenge to be taken! Those two usurpers haven't paid for their crimes with their blood!

Driven by an intense obsession, his nearly broken body was oblivious to the excruciating pain of his left arm wound reopening; almost instinctively, his body reacted before his consciousness could.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed a branch that Lin Shen had used to hang clothes on, which had a slightly sharp end. With all his might, he stabbed it fiercely at the body of the white python!

"stop!"

Just as the branch was about to touch the snake's body, a warm hand suddenly grabbed his trembling wrist with such force that it stopped him from moving.

Lin Shen turned around, his face still showing a hint of surprise, but his eyes were unusually clear and calm.

He looked into Lin Ming's bloodshot eyes, filled with fear, anger, and the lingering madness of his dream, and said in a deep voice, "I'm fine."

Lin Ming's wrist was firmly clamped, and the tip of the branch was only a finger's width away from the python's body.

He was breathing heavily, his gaze fixed on the white python, filled with disbelief and extreme vigilance. "Snake..." His cracked lips moved, his voice hoarse and unpleasant.

“It’s alright,” Lin Shen repeated, his tone carrying an undeniable certainty, “It won’t hurt anyone.”

He could feel Xiaobai's body tense slightly because of Lin Ming's sudden attack, so he quickly patted its cold scales with his free hand to comfort it.

Lin Ming dared not relax for a moment, still gripping the branch tightly in his hand, his eyes sharp as a hawk, as if he would pounce on the white python again if it made any unusual move.

He couldn't understand why Lin Shen would act so close to and trust such a terrifying behemoth.

"Don't move!" Lin Shen frowned, his gaze fixed on Lin Ming's left arm.

The bandage had been quickly soaked in fresh blood, turning bright red, indicating that the violent movement had caused the wound to reopen.

"The wound has reopened!"

Only then did Lin Ming belatedly realize the excruciating pain in his left arm, with warm blood flowing down his arm.

But he had no time to care about his injuries at the moment; all his attention was focused on Lin Shen and the strange white python.

He can't die here.

He cannot die for him.

Be alive.

At the very least, those two usurpers must be killed.

These thoughts swirled wildly in his mind, supporting his faltering body and will.

He stared intently at Xiaobai, his voice distorted by weakness and tension.

"What...what is this thing? You...how could you..."

Lin Shen looked at Lin Ming's tense and fearful expression, as if he might suddenly lash out again at any moment, and felt a slight unease from Xiao Bai. He sighed inwardly.

He knew that if he didn't explain things clearly, Lin Ming, who was on the verge of a mental breakdown, probably wouldn't be able to feel at ease.

He kept his grip on Lin Ming's wrist to prevent him from making any further rash moves, while softening his voice and trying to calm the two of them... or rather, the man and the snake.

“Its name is Xiaobai.” Lin Shen said, glancing at Xiaobai on his shoulder. A hint of grievance seemed to flash in its glassy vertical pupils. “It’s… a ‘friend’ I’ve known for a long time. Don’t be afraid, it won’t hurt me, and it won’t hurt you.”

He paused, then added, "Your fever wouldn't go down earlier, and the cold air got into your body. It was this... I don't know where I found some herbs with a strange fragrance. I chewed them up and applied some to your body, and your temperature came down a bit."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ming was stunned for a moment. He subconsciously took a deep breath and then noticed that in addition to the smell of smoke and blood, there was indeed a very faint, refreshing fragrance of herbs and trees in the air.

He struggled to turn his eyes to the ground beside the fire, where there were indeed a few oddly shaped pieces of grass he had never seen before.

This snake... saved him?

This realization caused a slight crack in Lin Ming's taut nerves. The madness and murderous intent in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by a deeper sense of bewilderment and confusion.

He glanced at the white python that was still docilely coiled around the forest, then at Lin Shen's eyes, which appeared exceptionally clear and earnest in the firelight. His grip on the branch loosened unconsciously.

Lin Shen keenly sensed his wavering and seized the opportunity to gently snatch the dangerous branch and toss it aside.

"Trust me this once," he said in a low voice, his tone carrying an unquestionable calmness. "Right now, what you need is rest and to stop the bleeding."

Lin Ming's body went limp, and he leaned back against the rock wall behind him, his heavy breathing aggravating the wounds in his chest and abdomen, bringing waves of dull pain.

He closed his eyes, and the image of a broken arrow piercing his heart and a corpse left to rot in the wilderness in his dream intertwined and collided with the calm face of the young man before him, leaving him in turmoil.