Xiang Yu walked out of the medical bay, his steps heavy and his eyes devoid of their usual spark. He had never imagined that he would become such a person in this world.
He never thought he would be such a heartless being who would hurt Han Xin and make him miserable. He turned the corner and stepped into the dark shadow in the passageway. He slouched against the cold, wall, looking like his entire world had shattered.
Hex despite being excited for their new friendship, it didn’t dare disturb him. It could sense its master’s distress, which was startling. Since when had Xiang Yu felt empathy for anyone, let alone been distressed about Han Xin? The thought gnawed at Hex, almost frying it’s complex code. The only reasonable explanation it could come up with was that Xiang Yu’s soul had been replaced but the probability was 0.0000001.
Suddenly, Xiang Yu’s voice cut through the silence in his mind speaking to the Divine Emperor. "You did this on purpose, didn’t you?"
The Divine Emperor’s eyes widened in disbelief. Who would have thought he would be blamed for this when he had done nothing wrong? "Excuse me?" he exclaimed, his voice tinged with genuine surprise.
Xiang Yu’s lips curled into a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "You didn’t like me getting along with your son, so you purposefully sent me to this world where he would hate me beyond repair, just so that I can never be with him."
The Divine Emperor didn’t let this pot fall over his head. "Do I dislike you being with my son? Sure. Would I keep him away from you by any means necessary? Normally, yes." Xiang Yu sneered, the darkness in his eyes rising like an ash cloud. The Divine Emperor continued, "I am guilty of all that, but I would never sabotage my son’s chances of waking up. If it takes my son marrying you in a thousand worlds and living the rest of his life with you, I would gladly take a step back."
This was indeed true. When the Divine Emperor had spotted a pattern in the past two worlds he knew he had to let it go. His son falling in love with Xiang Yu in each world directly correlated with an increase in success. He knew then that he couldn’t intervene anymore no matter how much he didn’t approve of this relationship.
Han Xin loved Xiang Yu to the point of invoking an oath equivalent to a death sentence for a divine immortal. Intervening now was futile.
Xiang Yu didn’t believe him at all. It was just too coincidental that of all the worlds he could go to, this would be the third one. What he didn’t realize was that things were about to go from bad to worse because this Han Xin was reborn. The reborn Han Xin had gone through all the pain and suffering and knew his true identity and what the Imperial Lord had done. His hatred towards Xiang Yu was so extreme that it was a miracle Xiang Yu wasn’t killed that night.
Days had gone by, and Xiang Yu’s mood had only darkened. His depression was palpable, casting a shadow over everyone around him. Several times a day, he would ask Hex to secretly pull the surveillance footage from the medical bay. He would watch Han Xin lying unconscious in the healing capsule for hours, his eyes filled with an obsessive longing that bordered on madness.
It was during one of these surveillance sessions that Xiang Yu discovered a startling truth. In this world, Han Zhan had been the one secretly helping Han Xin build an army. Han Zhan had taken on another identity to enter the palace as an imperial guard. For years, he had laid low, watching over his cousin, who had no idea of his existence.
Han Xin didn’t know he had a cousin, let alone his identity. Han Zhan had been working in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to reveal everything to Han Xin. But before he could do that, Han Xin had blocked an attack meant for Xiang Yu and nearly died. If it weren’t for Peng Xiu finding and rescuing him, Han Xin would have perished.
On the surface, it seemed like Peng Xiu had helped him build the resistance, but in truth, she had leached off Han Zhan’s hard work, taking the credit. Han Zhan didn’t care, though. Peng Xiu was their ally, and if he could help his cousin build an emotional connection with someone who liked him, then that would be even better. Han Zhan thought that Han Xin would have someone else to rely on in case something happened to him.
But what none of them knew was that Peng Xiu had orchestrated the attack that almost killed Han Xin. Her true target had been Xiang Yu. Thinking of this, Xiang Yu scoffed. Peng Xiu was just as scheming in every world.
Xiang Yu had also discovered another layer to Han Zhan’s intricate plans. Little Bai in this world was not just an ordinary physician working for the imperial family. He was Han Zhan’s most trusted person, so trusted that Han Zhan would place his cousin’s health in this man’s hands. The reason for this trust was simple yet profound. Little Bai was actually Han Zhan’s cute little beta husband.
Han Zhan had been reluctant at first to send his beloved into the palace, but Little Bai had been eager to help. Besides, his medical skills were exceptional, and his intelligence was unmatched. Xiang Yu couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. How he wished he and Han Xin could have been on good terms in this world. But it was only wishful thinking. Rubbing his eyes, Xiang Yu felt the unmistakable wetness of tears on his fingertips.
The Divine Emperor, who had been feeling guilty seeing Xiang Yu walk around like he had lost his soul, appeared in his mind. "Guess who I found," he said, trying to cheer Xiang Yu up.