LIGHTNOVELWORLD 53. No Hero Without a Dark Past
Ling Ling walked slowly along the road as the surrounding buildings and people continuously shifted around him. He felt like he was trapped in a distorted timeline—one moment, a person seemed fine, but with a blink, they’d suddenly appear years older or younger. The whole scene gave him an unsettling chill.
As he walked, he spotted a house up ahead that was both familiar and foreign—it was the house where he’d lived as a child.
Looking at it, Ling Ling gave a bitter smile. It wasn’t just time that seemed out of place—space was also distorted. This house wasn’t even in the same city, but rather a remote town far from here. And it should’ve been demolished by now. Besides, this old house looked quite out of place in the modern cityscape around it.
As he stood there, silently critiquing the absurdity, the door suddenly opened, and a young woman emerged. She grabbed Ling Ling without a word and pulled him inside, saying, “Where have you been? It’s so late, and your dad and I were worried sick.”
Ling Ling was stunned and just about to speak when he realized his body had somehow shrunk. He looked around and saw he appeared to be about ten years old.
Memories flooded back as he took in the scene. This was from his elementary school days. He’d snuck off to a cybercafé with some friends, and it was his first time using a computer, so he’d been completely engrossed. By the time he’d noticed, it was already late.
Lost in thought, Ling Ling was led into the living room, where a middle-aged man sat with an expression that was both familiar and distant. On the dining table beside him was a meal, long gone cold.
Ling Ling looked at his father’s face, realizing it had been ages since he’d seen him.
“Eat,” his father said.
Back then, Ling Ling had feared he’d be punished with the belt, but his father didn’t scold him or ask where he’d been. He simply gave him a single look, a look that Ling Ling would never forget, even now.
Just as Ling Ling sat down to eat his mother’s cooking, the scene changed again.
It was still the same house, but the furniture looked older. His mother was now sitting at the table with empty, hollow eyes, staring at the once-bountiful meal that had clearly been cold for hours.
Ling Ling reached out, trying to comfort her, but the moment he touched her hand, the scene shifted again.
Now, they were in a shopping center, and his father was browsing jewelry with a seductive-looking woman, oblivious to Ling Ling’s presence.
Ling Ling glanced at his mother beside him, who watched his father silently, expressionless. She didn’t say a word, only gave him a long look before leading Ling Ling away, as if she hadn’t seen anything at all.
Just as Ling Ling turned, the scene changed back to the old house. His parents were now sitting silently in the living room.
Somehow, Ling Ling found himself in his old room, peeking out through the slightly open door, watching them.
He tried to open the door and go to them, but it seemed fused to the frame, unmoving no matter how hard he tried. He even shouted, but his parents didn’t react at all.
“Let’s divorce,” he heard his mother say flatly after an eternity, followed by his father’s weary sigh.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
“No, please! Please let me go! I swear I’ll never approach your father again. Please, I beg you!”
Ling Ling tilted his head, looking at the woman tied up before him. He couldn’t believe even this memory was surfacing—an incident from his reckless youth.
“Now, let me think… how did it go again? Was it skinning first, or cutting out the tongue?” Ling Ling muttered, squinting as he tried to recall the details. He could only remember the disturbing feeling after his first time—it hadn’t felt good at all.
The woman’s struggling grew more intense at his words, but it was pointless. Ling Ling had practiced restraint from watching certain videos, and he wouldn’t let her escape so easily.
Just as he was lost in thought, he was pulled back by a warm, familiar embrace he hadn’t felt in so long—his girlfriend’s hug.
“Why are you so late? You promised to make me red-braised ribs~”
“Oh, I just ran into some old friends along the way,” Ling Ling replied with a slight smile, looking at his gluttonous little girlfriend.
“Oh? Not exes, childhood sweethearts, college friends, or fiancées, right~?”
“If I had those, you wouldn’t be here~” he replied, teasingly serious.
“You dare! I’ll… I’ll…”
“Alright, alright, I’m done teasing you. I’ll go make your favorite ribs.”
“Whoo! Do a good job, and I’ll give you a big reward,” she cheered, planting a kiss on his cheek.
Ling Ling wiped his face with a sigh. “If you’re going to kiss me, at least don’t slobber all over me.”
“Hey, I don’t drool on just anyone! You should appreciate it,” she retorted.
Left speechless, Ling Ling shook his head and turned toward the kitchen.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Once inside, Ling Ling didn’t start cooking right away. Instead, he took a deep breath, turned, and addressed an empty corner of the kitchen, “That’s enough. Come out.”
“Why don’t you just stay in this world? You clearly want to,” a beautiful girl suddenly appeared in the once-empty corner.
“So, it was you all along… Ling Ning.”
Seeing the beautiful girl appear didn’t shock Ling Ling. Ever since he’d realized the timeline was distorted, he had suspected as much. After all, he’d experienced these fragmented realities countless times before.
Ling Ning observed the weary, middle-aged man before her carefully. She knew everything Ling Ling had done in the past month, just as she had seen his memories when he’d searched through hers.
Feeling a bit embarrassed under her intense gaze, Ling Ling covered his face with his hands, feigning a coy expression. “Why are you staring at me like that? It’s making me shy.”
Ignoring his exaggerated response, Ling Ning replied calmly:
“I’ll be gone soon.”
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author’s Note:
Wondering if I should create a group or something.