The Villains All Fell in Love with Me After Rebirth : Chapter 67 - Parting Ways
Chapter 67: Parting Ways
Ji Ling looked at him calmly and said slowly, “Of course, I know what I’m saying.”
Ning Yu closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them, his black eyes cold and desolate. His voice was low and hoarse. “What have you heard outside?”
Ji Ling pressed his lips together.
Ning Yu stated firmly, “No matter what you’ve heard, don’t take it to heart. I will handle it.”
From the moment he set foot on this path, he had been destined to walk a road filled with solitude, bloodshed, and cruelty—always moving forward, never turning back, constantly teetering on the edge of life and death, bearing the expectations of everyone alone.
This was his choice. He wouldn’t blame anyone for it.
And regardless of whether Carlos or Jing Sui emerged victorious, the Rebel was always going to be eradicated—an existence that could never be tolerated.
Even without Ji Ling, just like in the previous life… Jing Sui had never spared the Rebel.
This time, it had simply happened a little earlier.
Ji Ling smiled. “You should understand that if I go back, I could at least convince one of them to temporarily stop hunting you and the Rebel. It would shift their conflict elsewhere, buying you more time—giving more people a chance to escape.”
Ning Yu took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly as he gazed at Ji Ling with a calm yet firm expression. “I don’t need you to do that. I can protect you, and I can protect them…”
“You can’t. You can’t protect everyone—” Ji Ling interrupted him, his gaze indifferent as he lifted the corners of his lips in a faint smile. “Besides, I don’t need your protection. Whether it’s His Majesty or Carlos, they both treat me well. They’re both willing to protect me. Even if I return to Jing Sui’s side, I can still be the noble above all others, perhaps even his empress—living a life of luxury with countless servants. I wouldn’t have to hide my identity or live in exile like this. So how do you know… I don’t want to go back?”
For the first time, pain surfaced in Ning Yu’s eyes. He took a step toward Ji Ling, his dark eyes like an abyss. His voice was low and hoarse, laced with barely restrained fury from the depths of his chest. “Stop saying such foolish things! Stop recklessly standing up and doing things beyond your capability!”
This was the first time Ji Ling had ever seen Ning Yu so angry. Before, no matter how much he provoked him, Ning Yu had always remained composed, as if nothing Ji Ling did could stir any emotion in him. He was always calm, steady, and rational… But at this moment, he was fierce and enraged.
Yet Ji Ling wasn’t afraid at all.
He lifted his head, his eyes curving into a smile, his voice light yet sharp as a blade. “Whether I’m overestimating myself isn’t important. What matters is—this is the choice that benefits you the most, isn’t it? You, who always calculate everything so clearly and precisely… This time—”
Ji Ling enunciated each word clearly. “Gabriel, you’ve disappointed me.”
Ning Yu’s face turned deathly pale. He almost lost his balance, staggering back a step.
He stared fixedly at the boy before him.
That single sentence had effortlessly exposed the deepest secret hidden in his heart.
For the first time, he had allowed himself to be guided by emotion rather than calculation or strategy… to approach someone he never should have gotten close to. He wanted to protect him.
He had made an irrational decision.
But for this one mistake, the cost was almost unbearable.
Ning Yu closed his eyes tightly, suppressing the violence, pain, and sorrow within them. Slowly, he said, “You don’t love him…”
Ji Ling chuckled at that, his tone indifferent. “What does it matter whether I love him or not? There are so many people in this world—do you think they all come together because of love? That kind of naive thinking… really doesn’t sound like something you would say.”
Life, freedom, money, ideals, ambition… Everyone had their own scale of measurement. Everyone had something they valued more than love.
For Ji Ling, going home was far more important than love.
He would never fall for anyone here. And since they were all the same in the end, did it really matter whose side he was on?
So he didn’t mind doing what he could along the way—perhaps just to give himself a bit more peace of mind in returning home.
Ning Yu’s lips twisted into a bitter, self-mocking smile. Yes, that really wasn’t something he would say.
To him, freedom and faith… were far more important than love. That was why, even when his heart wavered, he chose to stay away. Why, even when he couldn’t bear to, he chose to let go.
Again and again, he let the boy who shook his heart walk out of his world.
But only now, in this very moment—when emotions he had never experienced before shattered his rationality, making him miscalculate—did he finally understand. Wanting to always remain rational wasn’t an easy thing. Human nature had weaknesses because people weren’t cold, logical machines. They were beings of emotion.
Even knowing that giving up one person could save many, he still couldn’t easily cut him out of his heart without feeling anything.
He didn’t want to lose him again.
Ning Yu lowered his gaze, his face pale from blood loss, his dark eyes carrying suppressed sorrow. He stepped forward, bowed his head, and rested his forehead against the boy’s. His voice was very soft, almost pleading. “I will find a way. I don’t need your help. So please… don’t say things like that again, okay?”
Ji Ling was silent for a long time before he turned his face away and said, “You’ve been here too long. Someone will come looking for you.”
Ning Yu’s movements stilled for a moment.
He had fought outside for so long, barely managing to bring the survivors back. He hadn’t even had time to tend to his wounds—he had only come here to see the boy, to make sure he was still safe. But he knew he couldn’t stay. Too many people still needed him.
He didn’t have the time to be willful.
Ning Yu closed his eyes briefly, concealing the sorrow and bitterness within them. His voice was hoarse yet gentle as he pressed a kiss to the boy’s forehead. “Don’t overthink it, okay? Just stay here. You’ll be fine.”
Ji Ling remained silent.
It wasn’t until Ning Yu finally left that he stepped forward and calmly shut the door.
The system hesitated for a moment before asking: [Are you really planning to return to Jing Sui’s side?]
Ji Ling replied: [Yes.]
The system asked: [Is it because of what those people said today? They were quite harsh.] Regardless of how Ning Yu acted this time, at the very least, he had protected them countless times before, risking his life for them. Yet, this time, just because he wanted to protect a single person, he had to endure such accusations and doubts…
Ji Ling was silent for a moment before exhaling and laughing softly: [It’s understandable, really. The burden of being an idol, you know.]
System: [?]
Ji Ling explained: [No matter how much Ning Yu has done for them, no matter how many sacrifices he has made, as long as he makes one mistake—just one thing that doesn’t meet their expectations—people will become dissatisfied. That’s human nature… But how could anyone go through life without ever making a mistake? He’s not some emotionless god who only exists to serve others.]
The system found this difficult to accept.
Ji Ling murmured: [In some ways, being a villain is easier than being a hero. To become a Buddha, a good person must endure 81 tribulations. But a villain?]
System: [What does a villain need to do?]
Ji Ling: [Just put down the butcher’s knife, and they’ll be instantly forgiven.]
System: [......]
Ji Ling sighed. Everyone knew that Jing Sui and Carlos would never spare the Rebel. Once they were done using them, they would eradicate them completely. To them, the Rebel and Gabriel were a thorn in their side, something that had to be removed… But Ning Yu had exposed his identity while searching for Ji Ling and had even taken him away during Carlos’ wedding. That had undoubtedly sped up this process.
Ning Yu had made a mistake.
Even though he had tried to minimize the impact and bear the consequences alone, his status and position meant that his every word and action affected not just himself but also countless others who depended on him.
If he had been rational and calm enough, he never should have saved Ji Ling. He never should have approached him at all. He should have done as he had in the previous life—
Left things ‘as they were.’
Nobles and rebels… They were the ones who were never meant to be together.
And it was time for Ji Ling to end this mistake.
………………
Ji Ling knew it was time for him to leave, but bad things always came faster than expected.
The next morning, just after he had gotten up and gone to the squad with A Man, the ground suddenly trembled violently. The base’s protective panels shattered and fell from above, leaving gaping black holes—like the sky itself had been torn apart.
Everywhere he looked, people were panicking.
The sharp wail of alarms mixed with cries, shouts, and angry roars formed a chaotic cacophony of despair and fear.
A Man stood frozen, turning to Ji Ling in a daze, murmuring, “Why so soon? We’ve been discovered again…”
Yes, it was too soon.
Jing Sui and the others were determined to bring him back as quickly as possible. At least they hadn’t gone so far as to use weapons of mass destruction—probably because they were afraid of accidentally reducing him to ashes and not even finding his remains… Should he be grateful for their mercy? At least they weren’t wiping everyone out in one go.
Ji Ling felt momentarily dazed.
Suddenly, he felt a tight grip on his hand. Looking down, he saw A Man clutching him desperately, his face pale. “We have to run.”
The crowd surged backward as everyone desperately made their way to the ships and shelters, trying to escape.
How many people would survive this time?
Ji Ling looked at A Man and smiled before abruptly shaking off his hand, turning to walk against the flow of the crowd. In the chaos, no one had the time to stop him.
A Man was frantic, not understanding what Ji Ling was doing. He shouted his name, but with so many people, his voice was quickly drowned out, and he was swept away by the crowd.
Ji Ling was glad that at least his C-Level physique meant he wouldn’t be trampled to death among the fleeing civilians. He successfully moved against the tide of people, gradually finding himself surrounded by fewer and fewer figures.
The civilians and the weak had already been evacuated. The ones left behind were the Rebel soldiers, who were holding the line in their combat gear, fighting to block the enemy’s advance.
Bodies lay strewn across the ground. The air was thick with dust and the scent of blood.
The sky above the base was already in ruins, on the verge of collapse, like a shattered dome about to come crashing down.
Ji Ling could already see the Imperial soldiers outside. Judging by their uniforms, they belonged to Jing Sui’s Imperial Army. As he walked through the wreckage, stepping forward to leave, a man dressed in black suddenly leaped down in front of him. His legs landed firmly, standing tall and unyielding like an indomitable war god, blocking Ji Ling’s path.
Ning Yu was wounded again. His sharp, chiseled face was stained with blood, which dripped down his jaw. He gazed at Ji Ling intensely and spoke in a hoarse voice, “Don’t go.”
Ji Ling was silent for a moment before suddenly smiling. “You asked me before—what do I really want? You also told me that I could choose to do what I truly wished…”
Ning Yu seemed to realize what Ji Ling was about to say. His lips trembled slightly, his expression shifting, and his hands at his sides clenched into fists.
Ji Ling looked at him seriously and said slowly, “I'm doing what I want to do right now. And yet, you want to stop me?”
Ning Yu gazed at him, his expression filled with pain and sorrow, fierce yet resolute. Blood dripped from his fingertips onto the ground.
He had never begged anyone like this before, never pleaded for someone to stay. This was the only time... but he was destined not to get the answer he wanted. Because he knew, deep down, that while the boy appeared fragile, he was more stubborn than anyone else. He had his own unwavering convictions.
Now, he was finally seeing the real Ji Ling, watching him bravely choose the path he wanted. But suddenly, he wished he had never seen it.
This was not what he wanted to see.
Ji Ling looked at Ning Yu, silent for a moment, then said softly, “Is there really a need for this…”
He would never love anyone in this world because he didn’t want to leave his heart in a place where he could never retrieve it, nor did he want to bear burdens too heavy to carry. He had always carefully guarded his own boundaries.
Perhaps that seemed cold, perhaps even heartless, but wasn't there a moment in everyone's life when they wished to be selfish?
He was no different.
So, I'm sorry.
Ning Yu’s chest rose and fell, his dark eyes filled with turmoil. He stubbornly reached out his hand to Ji Ling again, his voice hoarse and slow. “Come back with me. Don't be willful.”
Ji Ling sighed. He suddenly raised his hand and removed the disguise device behind his ear, revealing his striking and beautiful face. His blue eyes shone with unrestrained defiance. He curled his lips into a smile. “The one who's being willful... should be you. You know it, don't you? As long as I refuse, you can't make me stay.”
No one would allow their god, their hope, their leader... to stay behind for an imperial noble.
Especially an imperial noble who could drag them into eternal ruin.
Unveiling his disguise and revealing his identity—this was the moment of their parting.
Ning Yu watched as the boy revealed his true face, dazzling beyond compare. Even amidst the chaos of war, he stood out so vividly that one couldn't look away, like a streak of light amid blood and fire—so beautiful... yet more ruthless and resolute than anyone else.
The heavy mecha units thundered down onto the battlefield, their steel bodies towering and invincible, crushing everything in their path…
Ning Yu stood there.
He watched as the boy gave him a smile before turning around and walking forward, brushing past him, step by step... growing farther and farther away.
And he could not move.
He thought he had seen through everything. He thought he was the one who had come closest to the truth. He thought he was different. But in the end… he was the farthest away. The one who had no right to be near at all… He didn’t even have the right to make him stay.
Unveiling his disguise, revealing his identity.
Meeting was already a farewell.
Perhaps it was precisely because he understood this, because he had foreseen this day, that he had refused to get close, unwilling to give away his heart. But unfortunately...
What he had managed to do in the last life, in this life, he failed to do.
single misstep, and everything was lost.
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