Nova was in his usual position at the library, passing away the time. He briefly wondered if Song Jia had finally convinced the male god to leave.
If it was her, he didn't have any concerns at all.
Nova suddenly froze. He felt the waves of killing intent before he even noticed his presence.
"Bang!"
He immediately jumped out of his chair and rolled on the floor, barely avoiding being killed on the spot.
"You're pretty good, for someone who wants to imitate being my subordinate."
The chair Nova had been sitting on evaporated into thin air. He realized with a sinking heart that he couldn't move his body. His consciousness also stayed in this world, despite his desperate efforts to leave.
Nova stopped struggling. He managed to think a lot of things in a short period of time.
Considering that the male god was attacking him without any restraint, it meant that Song Jia's soul had already left this world. The male god had also recovered his memories as Xu Jinhai, because he could now use his psychic powers effortlessly.
Nova calmly looked at Xu Jinhai.
"Can I stand up?"
Xu Jinhai didn't respond, but Nova felt that the force tying down his limbs were beginning to loosen. He gingerly stood up, thinking carefully about his next actions.
"Don't bother," Xu Jinhai told him. "I can read your mind."
"Did you also try to read her mind?"
Nova didn't have to say her name to make Xu Jinhai know which person he was talking about.
Xu Jinhai paused and said, "I would never dare."
Well...it was not that he didn't want to, it was just that he was worried what would happen to him if he got caught.
Xu Jinhai pulled over a chair and sat down, staring at the man in front of him. He had many questions to ask him, but he needed to prioritize the most important question first. And that was...
"What is your relationship with Jia?"
"We're just friends," Nova said without missing a beat.
"You're not Wen Yu." Xu Jinhai wasn't asking for a confirmation, but making a statement. "You and Jia know each other in the real world?"
"Yes. We can be called as...colleagues."
Xu Jinhai tilted his head, then said out of the blue, "You're good at controlling your thoughts."
There was a psychological theory called the white bear problem which stated that deliberate attempts to suppress certain thoughts would make them more likely to surface. In an interrogation, most individuals wouldn't be able to stop themselves from immediately thinking thoughts that were related to the question that was asked.
"Thank you."
Nova forced a smile. Sweat beaded down his forehead, as he constantly had to multiply large numbers in his head to stop from thinking any unnecessary thoughts. If he had been back in his A.I. state, he wouldn't have been this vulnerable.
"What kind of colleagues?" Xu Jinhai leaned back on his chair, looking relaxed. "Did the two of you work at the same company?"
Nova felt that the question was a trap. He said, "Not necessarily. Sometimes I don't see her at all."
Xu Jinhai inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He heard about those office romance dramas where lovers would create clandestine meetings inside the company, making their love more thrilling.
He wondered what Jia would look like in an office skirt. If that skirt was also paired with black stockings...
Xu Jinhai coughed and focused on his most important task. He asked, "What do you think of Jia?"
Nova didn't know where this interrogation was going. Are these questions the most important things that the male god could think of?
But Nova still maintained his vigilance.
"I'm not sure. I don't think of her much."
That question wasn't as simple as it looked. If he said too many good things about Song Jia, Xu Jinhai would drink vinegar and kill him. If he said too many bad things, his fate would also end in death.
It wasn't easy to be the proxy boss of 886.
"You don't think of her much? Is Jia's presence something you can simply ignore?"
Along with the coldness in Xu Jinhai's tone, the temperature in their surroundings also dropped a few degrees lower.
Nova, "..."
Great ancestor, there's no right answer!
"You've harmed Jia before."
"I haven't!" Nova was startled and blurted out the answer without thinking.
Although he withheld some of her salary, in terms of safety, he always made sure all the necessary precautions were taken during her transmigration missions.
"I definitely don't have any ill intentions towards her."
"It's good if that's the case."
Xu Jinhai stood up and walked over to him. His eyes, the color of grayish blue, had always appeared frosty to anyone who was unfortunate to meet his gaze. But now, they seemed to have condensed below freezing point.
"How far apart is Jia from me in the real world? How much is the gap of time between us?"
Nova's heart stopped a little. He had always known that the male god was smart, far smarter than he showed himself to be.
"She isn't far from you, and the time gap isn't big. It's just a few years. When you wake up, I advise you not to look for her. Otherwise, you might change her destiny and the two of you will never meet at all. Our world would cease to exist."
Xu Jinhai fell silent, digesting the meaning of these words.
"The day that I lost my memories. Something happened, but Jia wouldn't tell me. Did I get possessed by something?"
Nova paused, and chose his words carefully.
No way, if he slipped out even a quarter of the truth, the butterfly effect would be disastrously huge.
"I think you'll know the answer to that question once you go back to the real world. It'll be less confusing than if I try to explain your condition right now."
"My condition?" Xu Jinhai frowned. He clenched his fists. "During that gap in my memories, did I harm her? Is that why she wouldn't tell me about it?"
Nova shook his head. "You'll never...you're the last person that would ever harm her."
Xu Jinhai looked at him. Finally, he said what he had been thinking about for quite a while.
"Her job...it's something related to the soul and going back in time."
It wasn't a question.
Nova was stunned. He looked at Xu Jinhai with shock.
"Ever since I recovered my memories, I have already been certain of a few things. First, Jia's job is directly related to me. Second, she is in the future, while I'm still in the past. Third, her soul can inhabit other bodies. Fourth, you have the same ability as her."
Xu Jinhai smiled gently. "When I said you aren't Wen Yu earlier, you didn't bother to deny it."
When his memories returned, it wasn't only his powers that came back to him. It was also his real personality. The 'Great Demon King' that he had been for the last few years was only a persona that he adopted after losing his memories.
Xu Jinhai stepped forward and narrowed his eyes.
"I want to listen to the truth. When I wake up, will I be able to meet with the 'real' Jia? Or is she going to inhabit another body again?"
Nova kept being shocked at how much the male god had already suspected the truth. Of course, he didn't dare to lie.
"It's her real body this time."
Xu Jinhai could tell that Nova was telling the truth. He finally let go of the last worry that was nagging at him. He knew that if Song Jia was inhabiting another body again, sooner or later, she would leave him.
Just like she left him now.
Xu Jinhai breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. "This conversation between us never happened. If I hear a single word about it being leaked..."
Nova zipped up his lips.
"Definitely none! I'll cut off my tongue myself."
Xu Jinhai, "..."
Well, as long as he looked sincere.
"I have one last question."
Xu Jinhai looked at Nova.
"When my memories returned, I also remembered something. Ever since I was young, I always experienced strange dreams. The reason I stayed asleep for most of my life was because I kept dreaming about the same person. Sometimes, she would have golden hair. Other times, she would be my fake illegitimate sister. She kept having different features, but I'm convinced all of them were Jia.
"And just a few days ago, I dreamed that she was my wife who sacrificed her life to save me."
Xu Jinhai hesitated. He parted his lips several times, but not a single word came out of his mouth.
Finally, he managed to ask the question that was haunting him.
"These dreams....are they my past memories?"
Xu Jinhai clenched his fists. "Did I meet Jia before?"
"Are her missions all about meeting me during my past lives?"
Nova couldn't speak. What else could he say? It seemed that as the 'fourth' incarnation, Xu Jinhai was starting to remember all of his past lives.
"No, don't answer that."
At the last moment, Xu Jinhai shook his head.
He wanted to ask about Song Jia's real identity, but he knew that she wanted to be the one to tell him. He couldn't let her down.
When Xu Jinhai finally left, Nova wasn't aware that something undetectable just attached itself into his sea of consciousness.
It wasn't only just that.
As Xu Jinhai started to release the souls of the players that he had trapped in the underworld, he also planted his consciousness in each of them.
Hundreds of souls that would be waking up in the real world....they wouldn't be mentally aware, but they have essentially became Xu Jinhai's eyes and ears.
Song Jia had promised to find him.
However, it didn't prevent him from also finding her.
When he allowed her to say goodbye earlier, Xu Jinhai had already thought of several back-up plans.
He couldn't go against her wishes, but he also couldn't control the strong possessiveness inside his heart.
They say that compromises build strong relationships. It benefits both parties, allowing each other to grow closer while meeting halfway.
This compromise was just like allowing his beloved girl to walk herself home. She would be happy because of being self-reliant, and the him that was secretly following her behind, would also be happy to guard her in the dark.
After coming to this conclusion, Xu Jinhai felt proud of himself. Although what he wanted the most was to stay 24/7 by her side, he managed to reach a compromise with her.
En....seemed like Jia was very lucky to find him as a husband. He was big-hearted and very laidback about such trivial things.
Xu Jinhai closed his eyes and hurriedly left the underworld.
He still had a wife to snatch back, after all.
...
Little theater:
Song Jia: "Remember, I'm not your possession, you don't own me. You can't be jealous of everything."
Male God: "I know. I don't own Jia, but Jia owns me. I only want my owner to belong to me alone, so I get jealous of other people."
Song Jia: "..."
Isn't that the same thing!