FS-novel Chapter 627:
Chapter 627:
Xiao He's work had wrapped up smoothly, but that didn't mean he had completely disappeared from the public eye."Corner Also" Season Two was still airing with explosive popularity.
Their official account really knew how to keep things interesting too, steadily releasing behind-the-scenes footage, along with promotional videos Xiao He had shot after returning to Shanghai. So overall, audiences still felt like Xiao He was appearing frequently, as if his work had never truly ended.
Even die-hard drama fans couldn't help but marvel sometimes: just how much content have you guys been hoarding over there?
And now, the storyline of "Corner Also" Season Two had reached the middle-to-late stages. Viewers who had never read the original comic finally began to pick up on something wrong from subtle details.
In the latest episode update, the oldest of the test subjects among them had died completely unexpectedly.
Just the day before, he had still been acting like an older brother, helping cook meals, preparing the logistics for every mission, tirelessly cleaning up after everyone, handling the aftermath, using his identity in the real world to assist Yin Lan. Even though his presence wasn't flashy, because the original author, that bastard Jiao Dai, had written in a subtle one-sided love line for him, many viewers assumed he would silently accompany everyone all the way to the end.
Some sugar-seeking CP fans had even thought he might confess his feelings to someone before the final battle, but nobody expected...
That's how knives are. When they first stab in, there's barely any feeling. But once the red blood seeps out, the wound only belatedly begins to throb with pain, pain so intense it's hard to breathe.
When Yin Lan saw the old man's corpse nailed to the tree, her mind felt like it had been violently struck by something. Her ears buzzed, even her lips trembled slightly, her throat felt like something was strangling her breath, and for a long moment, she couldn't speak.
Finally, it was Wu Wu beside her who dropped the thing in his hands, his voice carrying an unprecedented tremor: "Is it... is it him?"
As if, as long as that name wasn't spoken aloud, the old man's corpse on the tree had nothing at all to do with the person they knew.
Yet when they had last met, he had looked like that. And now, saying goodbye, they only used the same shell from that reunion.
Just as they could instantly recognize all the test subjects, even after years of separation, when they met again, they could still identify an old friend's face within a body of a different age.
Who knew if it was because the past memories were so deeply engraved that everyone's features were permanently seared into their minds, or if, when facing someone about to pass away, the traces of the past carved into the mind like knives, constantly reminding of the existence of those who had been.
At that moment, Yin Lan couldn't even cry. Instead, she was somewhat crazed, wanting to throw her head back and laugh.
The test subjects, bound by the curse, possessing long, drawn-out lives, were now dying one after another within the span of just a single year. Did this mean the curse's seal was gradually loosening, or was it a fresh wave of punishment crashing down on the surviving test subjects?
The test subjects who longed for death had no choice but to grit their teeth and move forward, while those still holding onto attachments met a cruel end, burdened by regrets too heavy to express.
In the end, Yin Lan never even found out who his secret crush was.
It just seemed that, amidst the lively, laughter-filled memories of the past, a single smiling gaze had once accidentally revealed someone's hidden secret.
She stood frozen in place, staring at the person before her for a long time. Eventually, all extreme emotions had vanished, leaving only unprecedented calm and clarity.
Finally, Yin Lan reached out and gently closed his eyes, allowing him to find peaceful rest and completely leave this world filled with pain.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from behind again.
It was Yin Qi walking in.
Seeing the corpse, he too revealed a shocked expression, his voice trembling slightly: "This... what's going on here? How did they find this place?"
Hearing her brother's words, Yin Lan just closed her eyes for a moment. Then she turned around, deeply gazing at this younger brother who had accompanied her for so many years and shared the same bloodline. Her voice was hoarse as she asked: "Didn't I tell you to stay here too? Why weren't you here?"
Yin Qi stared blankly at Yin Lan, silent for a moment. When he looked up again, his eyes were already slightly reddened: "Sis, are you blaming me? I wasn't here because you hadn't come back. I was too worried about you, so I came out ahead of time to look for you."
"I really didn't know why they found this place, or even murdered..."
Yin Qi walked up to Yin Lan, slightly lowering his head, his voice muffled and filled with apology and self-blame: "I'm sorry, sis. I really shouldn't have left. If I had been there, maybe..."
His voice grew even more choked: "Maybe it wouldn't have..."
Yin Lan looked at the lowered head before her, like a large dog that had done something wrong. She was silent for a long time, then let out a heavy sigh, reaching out both hands to cup his face.
The young man's eyes were clear and bright, his pupils only reflecting her completely, showing a look of complete trust and devotion.
Meeting those eyes, at that moment, she didn't know what to say.
Finally, she heard her own voice, trembling slightly, respond: "You're always like this."
All these years, you've always been like this.
Whether it was something done by accident or something deliberately done wrong, you always looked at her like this and apologized, as if you were sure she would forgive everything.
But...
At this moment, looking into those eyes, Yin Lan's heart was filled with boundless panic.
Could she really... forgive everything?
...
That day, when the episode ended, the comment section was already in a state of chaotic frenzy.
[Haha, who's getting their heart twisted in agony? Oh, that's me, I see.]
[So this is where Yin Lan starts suspecting there's something wrong with her brother, right?]
[Honestly, I think she had suspicions even before this, but she was always running away from it. Now the death of her companion forces her to start confronting the truth.]
[To be honest, even though Yin Qi has killed so many people now, even going after major characters in the main team, I still can't bring myself to hate him at this point. I feel like I'm almost becoming just like Yin Lan - looking into those eyes, I could forgive him for anything.]
[That's so true. It's mainly because Bro Xiao's acting is just too good. How can a younger guy be like this? Yandere plus siscon, combined with that face, it's absolutely lethal. I've turned straight into a tyrant emperor.]
[I feel like the plot is starting to get painful now. Yeah, no surprise there. The early part was so joyful just to make the heartbreak hurt even more later.]
[Even though I've already read the original comic, I still held onto the last shred of hope, but it ended up like this anyway. It's just so heartbreaking.]
[No wonder it's a work personally directed by Jiao Dai. He truly respects the original material completely.]
[Honestly, he respects it a little *too* much. This level of angst gives people liver pain.]
[But seriously, why are some people saying he actually had a crush on Yin Lan? I didn't see that. Or was this part cut out?]
[Actually, that line in the original was also very subtle, not much emphasis on it. Most of it was analyzed later by comic fans themselves. It feels like Jiao Dai made a self-insert just to have some fun, then realized he could never end up with the goddess, so he decisively killed off the character.]
[Haha, does Jiao Dai himself even know about this?]
[Some people also speculate that he's been single for so long he's forgotten how to write romance lines, so he just cut this one out.]
[Shh shh, keep it low-key, guys. That guy might be secretly lurking in the comment section, and then he'll privately message the goddess again to play the victim.]
[Jiao Dai: ?]
[There it is. The man himself shows up, right on cue.]
[It's okay, it's okay. Old thief Jiao Dai, even though your character didn't get to pursue Yin Lan, you can't chase the goddess in real life either. Don't cry. Hurry up and update your work.]
[Jiao Dai: ꐦ(๑°⌓°๑)]