It all made sense if Yan Jun had indeed been tricked by Young Master Zhou.
Yan Jun recomposed his thoughts, trying to view the situation from an outsider's perspective.
He was certain Tang Xiaomin's guess was correct.
"It seems that Young Master Zhou must have broken through the seal and come out a long time ago, and was making moves from behind the scenes."
Seeking the truth, only to find it like this.
Looking at the enclosed surroundings, Tang Xiaomin was troubled.
"What do we do now? How do we get out?"
Yan Jun surveyed the environment and pondered.
"We must have walked in from somewhere. There has to be a way out, we just can't see it yet. How about we split into two groups and search slowly?"
"Okay."
Tang Xiaomin and Yan Jun searched everywhere for an exit, but to no avail.
Upon returning, Tang Xiaomin was surprised to find Yan Jue suddenly appearing there.
This delighted her, and she ran towards Yan Jue.
"Yan Jue, you're here! Did you come to save me?"
At this moment, Yan Jun, facing Tang Xiaomin, was first stunned, then frowned.
Because Tang Xiaomin had mistaken him for Yan Jue.
What made him even more speechless was that Tang Xiaomin was currently giving him a sweet expression. Sudan Novel Network
Even though he knew it was an illusion, he couldn't help but allow himself to be lost in this fantasy.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the Tang Xiaomin before him had changed. She had become the woman in red he longed for day and night, the Supreme Commander who loved him.
A long-lost smile curved his lips. The excitement in his heart moved him to the brink of tears.
"Yes, I came to find you."
"I missed you so much."
The next second, the figure in red lunged into his embrace.
The familiar scent and the tangible feeling filled his empty arms.
In the next moment, Yan Jun held the person in his arms tightly.
"You've finally... returned."
"My beloved."
If this were all a beautiful deception, then let this moment become eternal. He was willing to remain lost in this beautiful lie.
He would be content even if it was a deception until the very end.
Suddenly, Tang Xiaomin's body stiffened. She sensed something was wrong.
She was indeed seeing Yan Jue, but her sense of smell told her the scent was wrong. It wasn't Yan Jue.
She shoved the person away fiercely and looked at him vigilantly.
"You're not Yan Jue, you're Yan Jun!"
"Or perhaps, you are Young Master Zhou, deliberately trying to confuse me."
One sentence shattered Yan Jun's beautiful dream.
His heart ached intensely.
She was so ruthless to him, so mercilessly shattering even a false dream, unwilling to grant him solace.
If he couldn't obtain it, he would fight for it himself.
He walked towards Tang Xiaomin, unwilling to accept defeat, and enticed her as he walked.
"I am the person you want to see. Stop hiding, come to my side. I will take you out of here."
Every step Yan Jun took forward, Tang Xiaomin took a step back.
"No, you are not Yan Jue. You are fake. Don't come near me."
"I am Yan Jue. You should believe what you see. Come to me quickly."
"No! You are not!"
Tang Xiaomin roared with agitation and closed her eyes, refusing to look at the person before her.
As long as she didn't look and held firm to her resolve, the illusion wouldn't be able to deceive her.
Soon, her body collided with the rock face behind her. She had nowhere left to retreat.
Helplessly, she sank to the ground, leaning against the wall. Her head throbbed, causing her to frown incessantly.
She knew this might be due to the pungent odor in the air, or perhaps her resistance to the illusion.
In any case, things were not looking good.
"Xiaomin, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
A man's worried voice came from above.
Soon, the man embraced her again.
"Let go of me. Don't touch me, you are not him!"
Tang Xiaomin struggled and pushed him away fiercely, but her strength was pitifully weak. The push barely made a dent.
Soon, she fell into a strong embrace.
"This is a fake, Yan Jun, let go of me quickly!"
"Ye Fengxing, let go quickly, don't touch me, this is a trap. Be rational!"
Tang Xiaomin resisted with all her might, but she felt her body gradually softening, her strength draining away bit by bit.
"Let go of me!"
"Let go quickly!"
...
Yan Jun's situation was much better than Tang Xiaomin's. He listened to Tang Xiaomin's resistance and could only offer a helpless, bitter smile.
But what of it? He wouldn't let go. She belonged to him now.
"I love you so much, how could I possibly let go?"
"What does it matter if it's real or fake? All I know is that this is what I want now."
"I don't care about the Underworld or anything else. Let's just stay here forever like this, and then we can be together again."
Yan Jun's insane idea plunged Tang Xiaomin into despair.
Her consciousness was blurring, as if she wouldn't be able to hold on for another second.
At this moment, she had only one belief: she couldn't stay here. She had to stop this.
She no longer placed her hope on the maddened Yan Jun. She had to take action.
The next second, she raised her arm and bit down hard.
The sharp pain and the strong smell of blood stimulated her nerves and taste buds.
This instantly made her much more lucid.
Yan Jue, sensing that Tang Xiaomin had bitten him, was profoundly shocked by her desperation. His expression turned serious as he looked at her.
His heart ached once more.
"Why are you harming yourself? Why are you so cruel even to yourself?"
"You don't need to do anything. Just lie in my arms obediently. Why do you have to resist pointlessly?"
"Do you think you're being brave and heroic? Do you think it's cool!"
He couldn't understand it, but his heart ached.
Tang Xiaomin, her body weak, suddenly smiled.
"Heh..."
"This is a trap, don't you understand yet?"
"Your constant opposition to me and Yan Jue might very well be Young Master Zhou's scheme. Even our current predicament might have been orchestrated."
"Yan Jun, you know it's a trap, yet you're still letting yourself fall into it?"
From the moment he realized there was no way out, he knew they had been manipulated.
But what did it matter?
"So what if it's a trap? What I've sought my entire life, tossing and turning, is this simple thing."
"You are not me. You cannot comprehend the emotional state that makes me lose my judgment. You won't understand why I'd rather sink into this false reality!"
So, he had known all along.
At this moment, Tang Xiaomin realized she had never truly understood Yan Jun.
His emotions were so weak.
She suddenly understood something.
"I've always wondered why you and the Supreme Commander missed each other, why I fell for Yan Jue and felt nothing for you."
"Now I understand. It's because your emotions are truly weak. Someone like me, with my personality, wouldn't be attracted to your kind of emotions; I would only repel them."