Futile Devices Scans

Those words struck Mu Xueshi like a heavy blow to the head.

In that instant he suddenly felt ridiculous.

By sheer accident he had arrived in this unfamiliar world. Yet shamelessly he had begun to treat himself as its rightful inhabitant—using this borrowed body to befriend the Third Prince.

At first he merely sought someone to rely on.

But gradually he had begun to grow attached to things that never truly belonged to him.

Because he was not Mu Xueshi.

Even with the beauty he possessed now, when everything eventually returned to nothing…

He would once again be Chen Youzai—an ordinary, ugly, forgettable man.

Thinking of how all the Third Prince’s care and tolerance were meant for someone else…

And how the feelings he himself had begun to cherish would one day belong to that same person…

Mu Xueshi suddenly found it hard to breathe.

A despair and heartache unlike anything he had ever known filled his chest.

After a long while, Mu Xueshi drew in a deep breath and forced a cheerful smile.

“This isn’t difficult at all. If the Third Prince can help me find a silver coin, my memories will return.”

“When that happens, the Mu Xueshi you’re familiar with will come back.”

“Though… I might forget this period of time.”

“But that shouldn’t matter, right? You already treat me as nothing more than a patient.”

When the Third Prince heard mention of the silver coin, a trace of surprise crossed his face.

He wondered what trick Mu Xueshi was playing this time.

Just as he was about to question him further, Mu Xueshi suddenly dropped his carefree expression.

His face was now streaked with tears.

His eyes were red.

Yet he made no sound as he cried.

Only silent streams of tears continued falling.

For a moment, the Third Prince felt something strange.

It seemed as though another person lived inside Mu Xueshi’s heart.

But that person was like a fleeting shadow.

One day Mu Xueshi would inevitably return to his true nature.

And strangely enough, the thought of that day made the Third Prince feel somewhat heavy.

Noticing the Third Prince watching him, Mu Xueshi suddenly felt embarrassed.

He hastily wiped his face and forced an indifferent expression.

“What are you staring at? I’m just releasing some bodily waste. Crying once in a while is good for your health.”

Seeing the Third Prince’s unmoved face, Mu Xueshi’s chest tightened painfully again.

He asked cautiously,

“Xi… if one day you discover that I’ve lied to you… what would you do to me?”

The Third Prince smiled faintly.

“You already have.”

“As for the punishment—you will learn it soon enough.”

Mu Xueshi’s face turned pale with shock.

For a moment he thought the Third Prince had seen through him—that he was merely a counterfeit Mu Xueshi.

His lips trembled so badly he could not speak.

But in the next instant, the Third Prince mentioned the incident from several days ago.

Only then did Mu Xueshi realize that the “deception” referred merely to that small mistake.

Guilt flooded him once more.

He wanted to confess his true identity… yet feared the Third Prince would despise him.

And so he continued hiding the truth.

He knew he had wronged the original owner of this body.

That man’s soul remained sealed somewhere, turned into a wandering ghost while his body—and even his emotions—were occupied by someone else.

Once the silver coin was found, everything would be resolved.

These days would simply be a gift from heaven—temporary comfort granted to him.

After all, heaven had made him so terribly ugly.

If the Third Prince discovered the truth in the future and came to hate him, Mu Xueshi would not even be there to witness it.

So be it.

Let me be selfish for just a few days.

Thinking this, tears slipped down his face again.

Suddenly he felt someone gently wipe the tears from his eyes.

Mu Xueshi broke down completely.

He threw himself to his knees before the Third Prince, sobbing as he pleaded,

“Your Highness… please punish me. I deceived you—I deserve punishment. If you forgive me, I’ll never be able to live with myself…”

Seeing his pitiful expression, the Third Prince replied mercilessly,

“Who said I would forgive you?”

“If I wished to punish you, would I need you to beg for it?”

The moment those words were spoken, Mu Xueshi’s crying stopped.

He had not actually considered what punishment might await him.

In his mind, the Third Prince could never truly bear to harm him.

At worst, he would only frighten him with some of his strange explosives or torture devices.

After all, every previous time Mu Xueshi offended him, the Third Prince’s threats had been thunder without rain.

Surely this time would be no different.

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