The Devil CEO’s Reborn Lover

Zhao Xi checked his sword. "Let's get this over with."

They stepped inside.

The moment their boots touched the forest floor, the light dimmed. The trees arched above them like skeletal arms, forming a natural tunnel of branches. The ground was soft, almost spongy, and the silence was… wrong.

Every breath Wu Mei took felt like she was inhaling someone else's memory.

For a while, they walked quietly.

Then came the voices again.

"You failed them."

"You were never enough."

"They will abandon you again."

The whispers slithered through the air, brushing against their ears like silk soaked in venom. Mo Qing clenched her fists and sped up. Shao Wei gently touched her shoulder.

"Don't react. That's what it wants."

Wu Mei tried to block it out, but then—

She heard his voice.

"You didn't save me."

Her steps faltered.

It was He Sheng. The man from her past life. The one who betrayed her.

"You let me die. You ran."

"No," Wu Mei whispered. "That's not true."

"You begged me to love you. And I never did."

Her knees buckled. She felt her vision blur, the world spinning, and hands—hands she knew weren't real—grabbing at her ankles.

"Wu Mei!" Qin Yanzhou's voice cut through the noise.

Suddenly, his arms were around her, pulling her upright. The hallucination vanished like smoke.

"Don't listen to him," Qin Yanzhou said, his grip firm, his eyes locked on hers. "He's not real. I'm here. I'm real."

Wu Mei gasped and clutched his sleeves. "It's trying to tear us apart…"

"We won't let it."

They kept walking, but the forest was far from done.

Up ahead, Zhao Xi stopped. His brows furrowed.

"Wait… Where's Mo Qing?"

They all froze.

"She was just here," Shao Wei whispered.

Panic began to rise. The fog had thickened behind them. The path they came from no longer existed—just endless gray and shadows.

"Mo Qing!" Wu Mei called.

Only silence answered.

And then, a scream.

"Help!"

They ran, leaves crunching beneath their feet, the branches above creaking as if mocking their panic.

The sound came from a narrow clearing. There, Mo Qing was crouched, hands over her ears, her face twisted in fear.

Standing in front of her was a massive wolf-like creature—no, not quite a wolf. It shimmered with strange light, its eyes glowing an unnatural red. It wasn't physical. It was a manifestation. A creation of her deepest fear.

Wu Mei moved to help her, but Qin Yanzhou stepped forward, drawing a blade he'd picked up in the village.

"Stay back," he warned.

He charged at the creature—but the moment he swung, it disappeared into mist, and another form rose behind him.

This time, it wasn't a monster.

It was Wu Mei.

Or… something wearing her face.

"Yanzhou," the doppelgänger said in her voice, seductive and cruel, "you'll never be enough for her. She'll leave you, just like she did before."

Qin Yanzhou froze.

"No," he said under his breath.

"She doesn't trust you. She's always hiding things. Secrets. Lies."

"Shut up."

"You think saving her will make her love you? You think possession is love?"

The fake Wu Mei stepped closer.

Qin Yanzhou's grip on his sword loosened slightly. His hands trembled.

That's when the real Wu Mei stepped forward.

Her voice rang out—clear, bold, unwavering.

"Yanzhou! Look at me!"

He turned to her. Their eyes locked.

"I'm here," she said. "That thing is not me" and then Wu Mei kiss him.

The doppelgänger snarled and lunged.

Without thinking, Wu Mei grabbed a thick branch from the ground, ran forward, and slammed it against the creature's head. It let out an unearthly shriek, then burst into a cloud of black ash.

Qin Yanzhou staggered, catching himself. "You… you saved me."

Wu Mei dropped the branch and stood in front of him, her chest heaving. "Of course I did. Don't ever doubt that."

He looked at her like he was seeing her all over again. Then, with a sudden intensity, he reached forward and embraced her tightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "For doubting you."

She held him back just as tightly. "We're both scared. But I won't run anymore."

Nearby, Shao Wei helped Mo Qing stand. Zhao Xi guarded the edges of the clearing, his eyes sharp.

"Whatever this forest is, it's trying to split us up," Zhao Xi said. "We can't fall for it again."

Mo Qing, still shaken, wiped her face. "It showed me… my parents abandoning me again. Leaving me in the cold. I thought I was over it."

"No one's ever really over pain like that," Shao Wei murmured. "We just learn to live with it."

The forest didn't attack again that day.

As the mist slowly began to clear, the group found a narrow stream—a sign of life, of exit.

They followed it, weary but united.

That night, as they camped just outside the forest's reach, the stars above seemed brighter. The wind gentler.

Zhao Xi watched Shao Wei as she braided her hair near the fire, her movements fluid and graceful. He opened his mouth to say something—but closed it again.

Mo Qing noticed and chuckled. "Just say it already."

"Say what?" he muttered.

"That you're falling for her."

He glanced at Wu Mei and Qin Yanzhou, curled close under a shared blanket, and sighed. "Maybe I am."

Shao Wei turned slightly, her eyes meeting his for a moment—then quickly looking away, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Wu Mei leaned against Qin Yanzhou's chest, her heart still racing from earlier.

"I was scared," she admitted softly.

"So was I," he said. "But I'd face a thousand illusions if it means protecting you."

Wu Mei looked up at him, eyes glimmering.

"You don't have to protect me from everything, Yanzhou. Sometimes… I'll be the one saving you."

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "And I'll be the one grateful, every single time."

The forest was behind them.

But the journey ahead would only grow harder.

And so would their feelings.

To be continued...

Tomorrow I will have a surprise for you in chapter 46.

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