After dessert—a work of art involving chocolate and raspberries—Ren Jingchen led Vincent to the private theater.
It was exactly what Vincent expected: plush reclining seats,a massive screen, perfect acoustics.
"What are we watching?" Vincent asked.
"You choose." Ren Jingchen gestured to a tablet with an extensive library. "I have everything."
Vincent scrolled through options. Action films. Period dramas. Romantic comedies. Art house cinema.
Then he saw it.
"'The Winter Garden,'" he read. "I've never heard of this one."
Ren Jingchen went very still. "That's... my first film. Before I was famous. It never got wide release."
"Can we watch it?"
"You want to watch my worst work?"
"I want to watch your first work," Vincent corrected. "There's a difference."
A smile. "Alright. But don't judge me too harshly. I was 19 and very bad at crying on cue."
They settled into seats
The lights dimmed.
The film began—a small indie production about a man dealing with grief after his mother's death. Young Ren Jingchen appeared on screen, and Vincent's breath caught.
He was beautiful even then.
"You weren't bad at crying," Vincent murmured as a particularly emotional scene played out.
"I was terrible. The director gave up and just used the takes where I looked constipated."
Vincent laughed, then stopped as the film's climax approached—the main character finally breaking down in his mother's garden, surrounded by winter-dead flowers.
The film ended.
Vincent turned to find Ren Jingchen watching him instead of the screen.
"What?" Vincent asked.
"You're crying."
Vincent touched his face. Sure enough, tears. "The ending was sad."
"It's a hopeful ending."
"It's bittersweet. He learns to live with the loss, but she's still gone."
"That's life," Ren Jingchen said softly. "We lose things. People. Versions of ourselves. But we keep going."
There was weight in those words. Personal history.
Vincent understood suddenly—this film wasn't just Ren Jingchen's first role. It was personal.
"Did you lose someone?" Vincent asked gently.
"My mother," Ren Jingchen confirmed. "She died when I was eighteen. Car accident. This film was my way of processing it."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It was a long time ago." But his eyes said it still hurt.
Vincent did something brave—he reached over and took Ren Jingchen's hand.
"Thank you for sharing this with me."
"Thank you for wanting to see it."
"Yu Li?" Ren Jingchen's voice was quiet.
"Yes?"
"Can I kiss you?"
Vincent's heart stopped. Started again. Raced.
"Yes," he said.
Ren Jingchen leaned in slowly, giving Vincent time to change his mind. But Vincent didn't want to change his mind. He wanted this more than he'd wanted anything in this world or his old one.
Their lips met softly.
Ren Jingchen's hand came up to cup Vincent's face, thumb brushing his cheekbone. The kiss deepened—still gentle, but with an undercurrent of want that made Vincent dizzy.
When they finally broke apart, Vincent's mind was white noise.
[Ding! Ren Jingchen's favorability: +60 → +70!]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Kiss!]
[Warning: Emotional attachment detected. Remember—this is a mission, Host!]
Vincent ignored the system warning.
"I've wanted to do that for weeks," Ren Jingchen admitted, slightly breathless.
"You should have done it sooner."
"I didn't want to rush you."
"Jingchen," Vincent said, using his name without the title for the first time. "I spent two million yuan on a dinner with you. I'm not exactly taking things slow."
Ren Jingchen laughed and kissed him again.
____
Vincent woke up in his own bed, alone, with his lips still tingling.
He'd left Ren Jingchen's house around midnight after several more kisses and a promise to see each other soon.
The entire drive home had been a blur of happiness and panic.
"Host," Bai Yun's voice was unusually serious. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"About the fact that you're genuinely falling for the male lead."
"Isn't that the point? Make him fall for me?"
"Make HIM fall for YOU. Not the other way around. You're getting emotionally attached, Host. That's dangerous."
"Why?" Vincent sat up, frowning. "What happens when the mission is complete?"
Bai Yun was silent.
"Bai Yun?"
"You move to the next world," the system said quietly. "You leave this world behind. Including Ren Jingchen."
Vincent's stomach dropped. "What?"
"This is a mission, Host. You're not actually Yu Li. When you complete this world, you transmigrate to the next one. New character. New male lead. That's how the system works."
"But—" Vincent's mind raced. "What happens to this world? To Ren Jingchen?"
"The world continues without you. Or rather, the original Yu Li's soul might return, or the character simply... exists without you controlling her."
"So I make him fall in love with me, then I disappear?"
"That's the mission, yes."
Vincent felt sick. "That's cruel."
"That's the system. Host, I warned you not to get attached—"
"You told me to make him fall in love! How am I supposed to do that without feeling anything?!"
"By remembering it's a job! By keeping emotional distance!"
Vincent thought about Ren Jingchen's smile. His laugh. The way he'd shared his mother's film. The kiss that had felt like coming home.
"I can't do that," Vincent said quietly.
"Host—"
"I can't use him like that, Bai Yun. He's not a mission objective. He's a person."
"He's a CHARACTER in a NOVEL WORLD."
"He has feelings! He's been hurt before! And I'm supposed to make him love me just to abandon him?!"
"What if I refuse?" Vincent asked.
"Then you fail the mission and stay stuck in the void forever. No reincarnation. No second chance."
"And if I complete it?"
"You move on. Fresh start. New life."
Vincent looked at his phone, where a text from Ren Jingchen waited:
Had a wonderful time last night. Coffee tomorrow?
His heart ached.
"I need to think," Vincent said.
"Think fast, Host. Current favorability is 70. You're running out of time."
Vincent avoided Ren Jingchen's calls for two days.
It was cowardly. He knew it was cowardly. But every time he thought about facing Ren Jingchen, about continuing to build this relationship knowing he'd eventually leave—
He couldn't do it.
JC: Yu Li, are you alright?
JC: Did I do something wrong?
JC: Please talk to me.
Each message was a knife to the chest.
On the third day, Ren Jingchen showed up at Vincent's apartment.
The doorbell rang. Vincent checked the camera feed and saw Ren Jingchen in his wheelchair, looking tired and worried.
Vincent's hands shook as he opened the door.
"You've been avoiding me," Ren Jingchen said
"I—"
"Did the kiss scare you? Because we can slow down. I won't push—"
"It's not that," Vincent interrupted.
"Then what?" Ren Jingchen's eyes searched his face. "Yu Li, talk to me. Whatever it is, we can work through it."
Vincent wanted to tell him everything. The truth about who he really was. The system. The mission. The fact that this whole relationship was built on a lie.
But how could he explain that he was possessing someone else's body? That he'd only started this to complete a mission? That he was falling in love despite knowing he'd have to leave?
"I'm scared," Vincent said instead, which was true.
"Of what?"
"Of losing you."
Ren Jingchen's expression softened. He wheeled closer, taking Vincent's hand. "You're not going to lose me."
Yes, I am, Vincent thought. The moment I complete this mission, I'll be gone.
"Come inside," Vincent said quietly. "Please."
They sat on the couch. Ren Jingchen kept holding Vincent's hand.
"I've been hurt before," Ren Jingchen said after a moment. "Before the accident. I was in a relationship—five years. I thought she loved me. Turns out she loved the fame. The connections. When I became disabled, she left within a month."
Vincent's chest tightened. "I'm sorry."
"I tell you this because I understand fear. I understand not trusting that someone will stay. But Yu Li—" He squeezed Vincent's hand. "—I'm not going anywhere. And I don't think you are either."
"What if I'm not who you think I am?" Vincent asked desperately.
"What do you mean?"
"What if... what if the person you're falling for isn't real?"
Ren Jingchen tilted his head, considering. "Are you saying you've been pretending?"
"No. Yes. I—" Vincent struggled. "I'm different from who I was. Fundamentally different. And I don't know if the person I am now is going to last."
"None of us do," Ren Jingchen said gently. "People change. Grow. That's life. The Yu Li from three months ago was one person. You're someone else now. In a year, you'll be different again. That doesn't make you fake. It makes you human."
"But what if I hurt you?"
"You might. I might hurt you too. That's the risk of caring about someone." Ren Jingchen cupped Vincent's face with his free hand. "But I'd rather risk being hurt than miss the chance to be with you."
Vincent closed his eyes, leaning into the touch.
"Stay," he whispered, knowing it was selfish, knowing he was the one who wouldn't stay, but unable to let go.
"I'm not going anywhere," Ren Jingchen repeated.
They kissed, and Vincent tried to memorize everything—the softness of Ren Jingchen's lips, the warmth of his hand, the way he smelled like sandalwood and tea.
When they broke apart, Vincent made a decision.
"Bai Yun," he thought. "I need to know something."
"Host?"
"What happens to Ren Jingchen after I leave? Does he forget me? Does he suffer?"
"The world... adjusts," Bai Yun said carefully. "Memories remain, but the pain fades. Eventually, it's like you were a dream."
"That's not an answer."
"Host, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but—" Bai Yun's voice dropped. "—there might be a way to stay."
Vincent's heart leaped. "What?"
"If you refuse to transmigrate to the next world, you could remain in this one. As Yu Li. Forever."
"What's the catch?"
"You forfeit your chance at reincarnation. You'd be stuck in Yu Li's body, in this world, forever. No going back to your original world. No fresh start."
Vincent looked at Ren Jingchen, who was watching him with such trust, such affection.
"Can I think about it?" Vincent asked.
"You have until favorability hits 100," Bai Yun said. "Then you'll have to choose."
Vincent woke up with Ren Jingchen's arm draped across his waist.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains of his bedroom, casting golden patterns across Ren Jingchen's peaceful face. He looked younger in sleep—softer, without the careful guards he maintained while awake.
Vincent's chest ached.
Favorability: 70/100. Thirty points left. Maybe a few weeks if I'm careful.
"Stop staring," Ren Jingchen mumbled, eyes still closed. "It's creepy."
"You're in my bed. I'm allowed to stare."
Ren Jingchen's eyes opened, dark and warm. "Fair point." He stretched"What time is it?"
"Almost nine."
"We should get up."
"Should we?"
Ren Jingchen's hand found Vincent's face, thumb brushing his cheekbone. "You have that look again."
"What look?"
"Like you're trying to memorize me." Ren Jingchen's eyes searched his. "Yu Li, what's really going on? And don't say you're fine. You've been... different since our dinner."
Vincent's mind raced. He couldn't tell the truth. But he couldn't lie to those eyes either.
"I'm scared of being happy," he said quietly. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was true enough.
"Why?"
"Because I don't trust it to last."
Ren Jingchen pulled him closer. "Then let me be scared with you."
Vincent buried his face in Ren Jingchen's shoulder, breathing in sandalwood and tea, trying to imprint this moment into permanent memory.
When I leave, he thought, I want to remember exactly how this felt.
[Ding! Ren Jingchen's favorability: 70 → 72]
Even small moments were pushing the counter higher.
"Bai Yun," Vincent thought desperately, "can I slow down favorability gain?"
"Not without being cruel to him, Host. Favorability increases with positive interactions, emotional intimacy, and trust. To stop it, you'd have to... hurt him."
Vincent's arms tightened around Ren Jingchen.
He couldn't do that. Wouldn't.
Which meant he had maybe two weeks. Three if he was lucky.
"Come on," Ren Jingchen said, carefully sitting up and reaching for his cane. "I'll make breakfast."
"You cook?"
"I make excellent congee. Don't sound so surprised."