As night fell, after intense exertion, a drop of fragrant sweat from the ends of Tsukiyuki Rio’s hair slid down her snow-white skin and landed on Gao Sijin’s nose tip. Her alluring body was deeply enchanting, brimming with infinite charm, while the beloved beneath her kept his eyes tightly shut, saying nothing.
He was asleep.
His chest rose and fell steadily, utterly serene.
In the quiet night, even though Gao Sijin was unwilling to share a night of passion with her while conscious, the girl still would not feel sad.
At least now she firmly controlled Gao Sijin’s body.
She pressed her ear to Gao Sijin’s chest, able to hear his heart beating with powerful resolve.
Even if she became the villain in his heart, it didn’t matter. His being alive was enough to move Tsukiyuki Rio profoundly.
Tsukiyuki Rio brushed aside her hair, revealing her incomparably beautiful face, and kissed Gao Sijin once more.
Even if the whole world were fake, it wouldn’t matter. Gao-kun being real was sufficient.
She wrapped her arms around Gao Sijin’s arm and closed her dark red eyes.
At first, she had been humble and deferential like Uzuki, watching Gao Sijin’s life’s ups and downs, witnessing his sorrows and joys, and empathizing with them.
Everything should have been that way.
“As long as Gao-kun is happy enough…”
Who knows how many years, how many cycles have passed since then?
She only vaguely remembered fragments of the past.
After Gao Sijin married Feng Xiaohe, they went to Tokyo for their honeymoon.
The original Tsukiyuki Rio did not intend to interfere in Gao Sijin’s life. Her status was so vastly different from his; their nationalities, languages, and cultures were all different. Moreover, Gao Sijin had a wife who loved him, a family, and a profound attachment to his homeland that he couldn’t sever. Intruding into his life recklessly would throw him into disarray.
Out of courtesy, and out of love for him, Tsukiyuki Rio’s initial choice was to watch over him silently.
Quietly standing behind a corner, watching his back with the corner of her eye, she would occasionally pretend to be a passerby and brush past Gao Sijin, but that was all. At that time, Gao Sijin would never have imagined that the kimono-clad girl coming toward him harbored deep feelings of love for him.
In truth, Tsukiyuki Rio had once been deeply jealous of Feng Xiaohe. In her mind, she even wished that Feng Xiaohe would meet with an accident and die, so that she could take her place.
But at the time, Tsukiyuki Rio could never do such a thing. If Feng Xiaohe died, Gao Sijin would surely be so sad that he would wish he were dead.
She secretly used her family’s power, protecting him from all harm like a ninja.
Gao Sijin was the moon in Tsukiyuki Rio’s eyes—lofty, untouchable. Basking in his light was an immense favor to her.
Being all alone didn’t matter either.
After all, originally, Tsukiyuki Rio had also been alone, sinking into deep, dark loneliness, with Gao Sijin’s books as her company.
Her feelings for Gao Sijin were twisted, but she never cared.
The original her was like the current Uzuki—seeking nothing in return, only wanting to silently give and devote herself to her beloved.
But in the past, Tsukiyuki Rio was too weak. There were many unforeseen circumstances in this world that she could not anticipate.
For instance, a serial killer who repeatedly failed in both career and love would, on a particular night, cruelly dismember her beloved and abandon the body in the wilderness.
Tsukiyuki Rio was reborn many times, but each cycle’s reincarnation had slight changes. She could not find out who among the vast sea of people would threaten Gao-kun’s safety.
In that life, she clutched Gao Sijin’s severed finger, her heart filled with self-blame.
“I’m sorry, I failed to protect you again…”
She picked up a revolver with a rose pattern and aimed it at her temple.
In the first twenty cycles, Tsukiyuki Rio was filled with fear of suicide, because each time she could not be sure she would wake up again, and the pain was so bone-deep, as if a small knife was carving out flesh and nerves piece by piece. Such prolonged agony would last about an hour.
But compared to not being able to see Gao Sijin’s back, this pain was nothing at all.
Her trembling hand finally resolved to pull the trigger, while the other hand tightly gripped his severed finger, unable to pry it open no matter what.
When she awoke again, Tsukiyuki Rio truly welcomed rebirth. Seeing her joyful mother, Tsukiyuki Senju, who had just given birth to her, she knew she had succeeded.
Her memories would last until about age three, and then she would briefly forget the memories of reincarnation.
Memory recovery usually happened between ages six and eighteen, and the exact time of memory reawakening in each life was highly random.
After being reborn again and recovering her memories, she saw Gao Sijin and Feng Xiaohe strolling through the streets of Tokyo once more.
At first, she truly only wanted to watch over him silently, but in order to stop the serial killer in time, she used a pinhole camera to spy on Gao Sijin.
“I’m sorry, Gao-kun…”
Tsukiyuki Rio’s nails dug into her flesh from self-reproach.
But there was no other way.
To protect him, she had to violate his privacy.
In the previous life, she hadn’t been able to watch Gao Sijin’s movements continuously, which led to his brutal murder.
Now, she had to watch his every move at all times in order to protect him in a timely manner.
Her dark red eyes stared intently at the screen, unwilling to miss even the smallest detail.
She only wanted to protect him, but her cheeks couldn’t help but blush.
Her dark red pupils saw Gao Sijin take off his clothes. His face was delicate, features well-proportioned, and his physique well-balanced.
Before this, Tsukiyuki Rio did not know what love was. After this, she understood that the deepest primal desire hidden in her heart was to be intertwined with Gao Sijin, never to part again.
“This is all to protect Gao-kun!”
She stubbornly thought, but her heart couldn’t help accelerating.
Gao Sijin and Feng Xiaohe’s completely naked bodies intertwined, inseparable. Tsukiyuki Rio’s hands clutched her kimono sleeves, and the urge to be with Gao Sijin made her wish to weep aloud.
To protect Gao-kun, using a pinhole camera to spy was a necessary measure, but the sight of Gao Sijin entangled with another woman was something Tsukiyuki Rio would never forget for the rest of her life.
She recorded the video on a hard drive, and would watch it repeatedly whenever she rested.
Later, she found the serial killer.
Tsukiyuki Rio creatively used the Brazen Bull on the murderer. The murderer wailed in agony, and the bronze bull emitted a low, muffled roar.
She listened to the serial killer’s screams while continuing to spy on Gao Sijin’s every move.
It truly was only for protection, absolutely not because she coveted Gao Sijin’s body.
Absolutely not…
When she came back to her senses, it was already morning.
Gao Sijin was still sound asleep. Tsukiyuki Rio poked his cheek with her slender, jade-like finger.
After many more cycles, in the end, she still interfered in his life.
In the past, she had naively thought that silently protecting him would make Gao-kun happy, but fate repeatedly bared its fangs at Gao Sijin.
Tsukiyuki Rio knew very well that other women were not enough to protect Gao-kun’s safety, nor could they give him the life he wanted. Only she could satisfy Gao-kun.
Enduring the pain, she was reborn again.
Even across a thousand mountains and rivers, this fervent love would never waver.
After completely eliminating Uzuki, Tsukiyuki Rio knew there would be many more enemies. She had long been prepared.
After changing into a maid outfit, she quietly got out of bed and began preparing breakfast for Gao Sijin.
Sooner or later, he would surely come around.
With this thought, the corner of Tsukiyuki Rio’s lips involuntarily curved into a faint smile. Even though Gao Sijin was somewhat dissatisfied with her, she still felt happy. Her hand could touch his body at any time, feeling his warmth and heartbeat.
