Chen Yanyan slowly opened his eyes, for a moment he had blacked out.
Looking around he was on the soft grass under a... tree?
He couldn't feel any pain but he wondered what damage he had. "How bad is it?"
System 0: "Host is lucky, this time you didn't sustain any damage."
Chen Yanyan wanted to laugh, to say he was lucky after getting into a car crash, after getting transmigrated into a crazy world, after getting shot three times in his own.
Luck was not on his side but at least now he had no more injuries added onto his already existing ones.
"Wait." Chen Yanyna suddenly looked around confused, he was outside, didn't this mean that he was flung out of the car? How did he sustain no injuries!
Moreover the moment he looked around he spotted the vehicle he had been in, it was smoking and on fire from having crashed into a tree.
"I-I have to get Diyu!"
System 0: "Relax host."
Chen Yanyan: "Huh?"
System 0: "Diyu is fine, and the reason you have no injuries is because the moment you crashed you were wearing your seatbelt, then Diyu pulled your unconscious body out of the car wreck and placed you on the ground."
Chen Yanyan: "Where's Diyu?"
System 0: "He's over there."
Chen Yanyan looked into the pouring rain and smoke before he spotted a man crouched down near the cement road, he looked extremely angered, his body stiff, it was as if his entire being was corrupted with seething rage.
He didn't look to be fine!
"What could have happened..." Even if they were in a car wreck on the side of the road he didn't expect to see Diyu so angered. No Diyu had a cold calmness to him, even after taking "care of business" earlier his expression hadn't much changed, now Diyu looked to be seething with rage.
Unconsciously Chen Yanyan tried to approach in the soaking rain, because his leg was still injured he couldn't help but slowly crawl over.
Like this he managed to get a few feet closer from the quite far Diyu before a loud voice broke out in the rain.
"Stay the hell away from me!" Diyu looked furious, on the edge of breaking as he tightly clenched his fists.
Chen Yanyan inwardly panicked. " Why is he so angry? Did I do something to make his favorability go way down, does he think I had anything to do with this?!"
System: "It doesn't appear so, the targets favorability is still the same at 15%"
As soon as Chen Yanyan heard the system's words he grew terribly confused. Wasn't the man clearly angry towards him?
Come to think of it... hadn't Diyu been on edge for most of the day?
With Chen Yanyan's growing confusion he shifted slightly closer to the man.
"Don't come any closer!" He was met with the same cold response from Diyu's clenched jaw.
"Oh..."
Chen Yanyan suddenly observed the man closer, his jaw was almost fully clamped shut, his whole body was stiff, and his fists were turning pale from being clenched so hard.
It was at this instance that Chen Yanyan began to better understand the state Diyu was in.
It's not that he was truly on the verge of rage, nor was he even angry...
No, Diyu wasn't feeling anything like that.
The emotion Diyu was feeling was completely different.
It wasn't anger at all.
Diyu was simply scared.
No it was even deeper than that, his whole being was terrified. It was as if he was about to experience something truly terrifying.
Chen Yanyan: 'But what is he so scared of...?'
It was at that moment that lighting clashed down from the sky, for a moment everything turned bright.
Diyu's whole body instantly tensed, he was truly no more than a scared soul in that moment.
Now everything made sense, Diyu had only been angry when Chen Yanyan mentioned the possability of rain, his attitude that seemed to grow worse throughout the day had been because of the continually darkening skies.
Chen Yanyan wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry at such a revelation, to think the terrifying Mafia boss had such a pathetic weakness, it was enough to make anyone raise a brow.
Yes the man right now had lost all edge, he seemed so small and scared, he no longer looked like a terrifying leader capable of frightening deeds just moments before.
Still Chen Yanyan knew this wasn't the time to joke about such a rigid man, no the other man was deeply terrified so he could only do one thing.
With this he simply crawled slightly forward again.
Diyu who had grown immensely distracted from the raging storm didn't notice Chen Yanyan's approach till it was almost too late.
As soon as he saw the man in the corner of his eye he he grew even more stiff, with a clenched jaw and tense body he harshly spoke out. "What the hell are you doing!? Stay away!"
Chen Yanyan paid no mind, he continued to draw closer.
"I told you, get the hell away!" Diyu's voice was now on the edge of breaking, his whole body clenched into a defensive pose. He was like a wounded beast, one wrong move and he would lash out!
However Chen Yanyan wasn't scared, truthfully he'd never been truly terrified of much in life let alone of this man.
He was recently scared of guns, scared of pain, scared of being forgotten in his world... but this had never truly terrified him.
Especially now when he looked so weak.
Chen Yanyan neared until he sat a foot away.
"Get away!" Diyu suddenly took out his hidden gun as he held it forward in shaky arms.
Chen Yanyan saw the gun and his heart skipped a beat, his body began to slightly shake.
Seeing Chen Yanyan's pale face and trembling body, Diyu gave a twisted sneer. "Hah your scared of me too, so stay the hell away!"
However Chen Yanyan didn't dare move back, he was deeply scared of the gun but he wasn't scared of the man.
He was certain Diyu wouldn't shoot him.
Like this he slowly approached till the gun was right up against his chest.
"Trust me." Chen Yanyan slowly spoke, it was as if he was taking down to a young child.
Diyu's eyes immediately convulsed. "Trust? Trust! What do you know about TRUST!?"
【The targets favor has decreased to 5%】
This time the favorability really did go down.
However Chen Yanyan didn't seem to realize, he was too distracted, concentrated on his task to help calm the other man that he failed to notice.
*BAM
Just then the lightning once again struck down, everything once again became fully illuminated.
Diyu's frigid eyes looked wide towards Chen Yanyan in fear, he was scared stiff, terrified.
He was scared of the lightning, terrified by the sound of thunder, but even more than that he feared the look of disgust he was sure to see in other's, in the man's eyes when he found out about such a pathetic weakness.
He was terrified to see Chen Yanyan's eyes fill with coldness, he was terrified to be pushed away and left all alone in the lightning storm.
Abandoned.
He truly hated storms.
He was petrified, his whole body twisted tense on the edge of breaking.
He was terrified as he looked into the other man's eyes but as the lightning flashed the only thing he saw was... a calming smile...?
Suddenly a pair of warm arms came forward and wrapped around his head covering his eyes.
Everything grew black, Diyu could no longer see his surroundings.
He tried to struggle but the arms were strong and firm, they didn't give any chance for the currently fragile boss to break free.
Chen Yanyan: "It's ok, it's ok."
The voice was gentle and relaxing, whispering into Diyu's ear, even if it was reminiscent of someone soothing a child, it was calming.
Although it was dark Diyu stopped struggling, strangely he felt a deep sense of relief, he could no longer see the terrifying light.
Now nothing but the slight patter of rain could be heard, although it was scary it was bearable, it dripped down on to the two men soaking them arm in arm.
The warmth of Chen Yanyan could now be felt through his soaked clothes as it transferred to Diyu.
Chen Yanyan continued to whisper calmly. "As your loyal subordinate I will stay by your side, I won't leave. You don't have to be alone."
Diyu didn't object this time as he stayed silent and still in the man's arm.
His heartbeat that had been viciously beating began to calm, he had never felt this way before.
【The target's favor has increased to 30%】
*BOOOM
However after Chen Yanyan whispered such gentle words the sound of thunder echoed through the surrounding area, once again Diyu's body stiffened as it now lay in Chen Yanyan's embrace.
"Hmmmm." Chen Yanyan looked down in thought at the situation before he turned the man's head to the side and rested it on his sturdy chest, one hand covered his eyes.
The thunder still continued.
"Bare with it for a moment." Chen Yanyan placed his spare hand on Diyu's uncovered ear.
Now Diyu's eyes were covered by one hand and his left ear covered by another while his right ear lay against Chen Yanyan's firm body.
Diyu's mind was still chaotic until he began to notice the rhythmic tempo of a heartbeat.
He could no longer see the storm, nor could he hear it, now he simply heard the soft *Thumping noise as it entered his ears filling his mind.
Chen Yanyan had not only made the storm entirely disappear by covering his eyes and ears, but he allowed Diyu to listen to the calming pulse of his own heartbeat in order to distract even his mind from thoughts of the storm.
He had completely obliterated the storm's presence.
He had completely obliterated the fear.
He erased Diyu's anxieties.
He calmed his mind.
Yes, only the sound of a steady heartbeat could be heard.
【The target's favor has increased to 40%】
Listening to the rhythmic tempo, Diyu felt a sense of deep peace he had never felt before, his mind and body completely relaxed as he stayed resting in Chen Yanyan's arms.
He no longer felt the stress of the storm weigh heavily on him, it was as if even his fear had been taken away by Chen Yanyan.
Just feeling the other person's calming heartbeat and soothing presence was enough to warm Diyu's soul.
It wasn't just today, this past week had felt strangely calming. Even if he had despised Chen Yanyan he realized it wasn't so bad having the other man in the house, that's why he had tried so hard to stay away...
Diyu suddenly felt a strange wish come over him, although the rain was pouring down and the storm agitated him, Diyu wished the moment could last forever.
【The targets favor has increased to 50%】
Chen Yanyan's mind stirred as he heard the last notification, he hadn't been paying attention to the dings so when he finally heard the 50% mark he truly grew astonished!
Chen Yanyan: "5-50%! I actually made it to 50%!?"
He had actually made it to the 50% mark!
The man actually liked him... that much?
System 0: "Don't get your hopes up too high, 50% is still a long shot from 100%."
Chen Yanyan was somehow relieved to hear the systems words, this meant that 50% wasn't that big of a deal right? 50% would still be in the grounds of friendship... right?
System 0: "50% only means that he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, that you are now someone irreplaceable to him, that you are an important existence in his life-"
Chen Yanyan: "Tha-that much!"
System 0: "Again, don't think about it too much, you aren't even at the 100% mark."
Chen Yanyan gulped, how could he not think about the significance of it, and what did that make the 100% favorability of love then?!
Moreover they were both guys! Although Chen Yanyan had vowed not to think too deeply about it, how could he not!?
He could act shameless or joke around about the subject but now when the situation was presented right before him how was he supposed to act!?
No, he had been a single dog all his life, forget about the fact that it was a guy whether it was a girl or guy who fell in love, he had no idea what to do, how was he to proceed from here...
The system could tell it's host was growing more absent minded so it quickly spoke up. "Need I remind you, you were both in a serious accident, I think it would be wise to focus on that first."
Chen Yanyan calmed his mind, it was true, they had just gotten into an accident. It would be better if he could first focus on the situation at hand.
Desert Note:
System 0 thought to itself: "Good thing I didn't tell him that normal humans can't even normally obtain a favorability of more than 50-60% in relationships or host would truly start to worry."
Yes for truthfully anything above the 50% range was hard to obtain. The 100% mark meant true love, unwavering love, unconditional love, and fanatical love.
It was not something most humans could normally obtain
Normal humans couldn't easily obtain such love for it was too crazy. It was one in a million. However the System had strange hopes for it's host, it needed this hope, it was certain he could obtain the requirements.
It wasn't sure where this strange hope stemmed from or why it even needed to care but ever since it woke up it was filled with it, truthfully it was hard for system 0 to remember much of anything before it woke up.
It simply knew it had to do a task, so it would do it, and in the meantime eat lots of snacks when it could, and sleep.
With that last thought the system once again felt exhausted and began to sleep.