Everyone in their social circle knew that Alastair Croft was Ophelia Blackwood’s devoted admirer. He had voluntarily married Ophelia in place of Caspian Thorne, the runaway groom, and stood by her side through the most difficult years of her life. However, just when things were finally looking up, Caspian – the man who had abandoned Ophelia at the altar years ago – suddenly returned. For Caspian’s sake, Ophelia forced Alastair to kneel, locked him in a dog cage, and even compelled him to give blood to Caspian… But what Ophelia didn’t know was that Alastair wasn’t actually from this world. When his seven-year agreement with the mysterious “system” was complete, Alastair chose to leave this reality without hesitation. Upon seeing his “corpse,” Ophelia went mad with grief. … Alastair took a cab to the Mirage Club. Under the mocking gazes of the crowd, he handed a pack of condoms to Ophelia. Ophelia didn’t take them. “You’re four minutes late,” she said, clearly displeased. “There was traffic…” Alastair started to explain, but was interrupted by a teasing male voice. “Ophelia made a bet with her friends that you’d definitely show up within 30 minutes with condoms in hand.” “Little Alastair, you’re four minutes late and cost Ophelia a villa. Better drink four glasses as punishment!” Caspian leaned against Ophelia, looking at Alastair with feigned reproach. Alastair’s gaze fell to his glass. Did the one who fell in love first always have to be treated this way? He wasn’t actually from this world. Seven years ago, his brother had been hit by a car and left in a vegetative state. Devastated, Alastair had somehow awakened a mysterious “system” – an otherworldly power that offered him a deal. If he agreed to accompany Ophelia for seven years, the system would revive his brother as a reward. For these seven years, Alastair had taken meticulous care of Ophelia, helping her rise from rock bottom back to the top. Gradually, he had even developed genuine feelings for her. Just when Alastair was planning to ask the system if he could stay with Ophelia permanently, Caspian – the man who had abandoned her years ago – returned from abroad. With Caspian’s return, Alastair’s seven years of devotion seemed to become a joke overnight. But it didn’t matter. There were only ten days left until his contract with the system expired. Then he could return to his brother’s side. Alastair looked up at Ophelia and said, “I have stomach problems. I can’t drink alcohol.” Ophelia casually picked up a glass and said, “Alastair, your stomach issues were cured ages ago. Don’t be a killjoy.” That had just been an excuse he’d made up so she wouldn’t worry about him. Now it had become Ophelia’s reason to hurt him. A bitter smile tugged at Alastair’s lips. “Fine. If you want me to drink, I’ll drink.” Because of the system’s restrictions, he could never refuse Ophelia’s demands. Alastair lifted the glass and downed it in one gulp. With a sense of reckless abandon, he decided that as long as Ophelia didn’t tell him to stop, he would keep drinking. After all, once he left, this body would die anyway. It didn’t matter if it was healthy or not. Someone joked, “That’s all hard liquor. Can he really handle drinking like that? Ophelia, aren’t you worried about him?” “This is nothing. Alastair is famous for being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Back in the day, he secured so many business deals for Ophelia at the drinking table!” “That’s right, everyone knows Alastair is Ophelia’s loyal lapdog. If she tells him to go east, he wouldn’t dare go west.” “Ophelia, you’ve got to share your secrets for keeping a man so obedient!” Ophelia’s eyes narrowed slightly as she shot an annoyed glance at the person who had just spoken. They immediately fell silent. She looked at Alastair, remembering the first time he had drunk alcohol. Back then, half a glass of wine was enough to make him tipsy. He had hugged her shoulders, telling her how beautiful she was and that he wanted to stay and be her husband.
Later, to keep her company at business functions, Alastair had started building up his alcohol tolerance. He told her he would handle the drinking while she focused on negotiating deals. He promised they would only get better and better together. With his support, she had rebuilt the Blackwood family business. She used to think Alastair was an angel sent to her by heaven. But now she realized that beneath that angelic exterior, his heart was poisonous. Thinking of what Alastair had done to Caspian, Ophelia’s heart, which had softened slightly, hardened once again. In no time at all, Alastair had downed over a dozen glasses of hard liquor. The flood of alcohol into his empty stomach caused needle-like pain to spread throughout his abdomen. Unable to control himself, he leaned against the sofa and started vomiting. The people around him immediately scattered, looking at him with utter disgust. “How revolting. If you can’t hold your liquor, don’t try to show off!” “This outfit is this year’s latest style. It cost me $18,000, and now he’s ruined it completely.” Caspian covered his nose and retreated to Ophelia’s side, taking her arm. “Ophelia, Alastair didn’t mean to ruin everyone’s party. Don’t be too hard on him…” Alastair was so unsteady he could barely stand. He tasted iron in his throat, and when he saw the bright red blood, his vision went black and he collapsed. Just before he lost consciousness completely, he thought he saw Ophelia push Caspian away and rush towards him anxiously. But that had to be a hallucination, right? Ever since Caspian’s return, Alastair didn’t even have a place in Ophelia’s heart anymore. How could she possibly still care about him? When Alastair regained consciousness, his eyes were still closed, but he heard Caspian’s regretful voice: “It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have made Alastair drink. I just wanted him to have a couple glasses to liven things up. Who knew he would…” Cordelia Thorne raised her hand to pull Caspian into her embrace, comforting him: “Caspian, this isn’t your fault. He insisted on showing off by drinking so much. Now that he’s got a bleeding ulcer, he has no one to blame but himself.” Sure enough, when Alastair opened his eyes, he saw a scene of motherly love. Seeing that he was awake, Cordelia immediately started scolding him: “Alastair, look what you’ve done! Caspian was worried sick about you all night.” Alaric Thorne said viciously: “You knew you couldn’t handle alcohol. Why did you have to show off? You deserve this bleeding ulcer!” Their hurtful words were like knives, stabbing him over and over. In Alastair’s original world, his parents had died early. His brother had raised him single-handedly, so he had never experienced parental love. He thought coming to this world would make up for that regret. Before, his relationship with the Thornes had even seemed warm. But as soon as Caspian returned, he stole everything from Alastair – both love and family. Alastair’s voice was weak as he asked, “Who is really your biological son?” “When Caspian abandoned the Thorne family’s reputation and ran away from the wedding, you hated him so much you cursed him for being heartless. But he’s only been back a short while and you’ve already forgotten all that hatred.” When facing Ophelia, Alastair couldn’t disobey her because of the system’s restrictions. But when facing others, he didn’t want to be so stifled anymore. However, Cordelia and Alaric became even angrier hearing this. Cordelia said, “How dare you bring up Caspian running from the wedding! If it weren’t for…” Caspian grabbed Cordelia’s arm and said in an aggrieved tone, “Mom, let’s not talk about the past anymore. From now on, I’ll work with my brother to be filial to you and Dad.” Cordelia looked at Caspian with heartache. “My poor boy, you’ve suffered so much.” Alaric also said, “Caspian, when we get back I’ll transfer all the shares under my name to you as compensation.” To Alastair, Cordelia and Alaric’s words were laughable. It was clearly Caspian who had forced him to drink and caused his bleeding ulcer. Now they were blaming him instead. A smug look flashed across Caspian’s face, but he still maintained his act of humility. “As long as I can stay by Mom and Dad’s side, no hardship is too much.” Afterwards, Caspian used the excuse of calling a doctor to send Cordelia and Alaric away. Once they were gone, Caspian immediately dropped his facade and walked to Alastair’s bedside.
“Alastair, you’ve seen it for yourself. Your wife and your parents all have their hearts set on me. You’ve really failed miserably at being a person!” “I advise you to know your place. Leave voluntarily now, or you’ll be the one who looks bad when you get kicked out later.” Alastair sat up in the hospital bed and looked at Caspian. “If that’s really the case, why are you in such a hurry? Why not just wait for me to get kicked out?” Having his thoughts seen through, Caspian became somewhat flustered and angry. “Alastair, since you refuse to drink from the cup of kindness, don’t blame me for what happens next.” He raised his hand and punched himself, then picked up the water glass by the bed and poured it over himself. The glass shattered with a crisp sound. The next second, the door to the room was pushed open. Ophelia and Cordelia appeared in the doorway with several doctors. Seeing the situation in the room, Ophelia rushed to Caspian’s side in a few quick steps. She looked at the handprint on Caspian’s face, her heart aching. “Caspian, are you okay?” Caspian’s eyes were red as he said, “Alastair, I really only came back this time to see Mom, Dad and Ophelia. If you don’t like it, I can leave right away…” Hearing this, Ophelia was instantly enraged. She raised her hand and slapped Alastair hard across the face. “Alastair, is it only in front of Caspian that you show your vicious, brutal true colors?!” “Let me tell you, from now on, Caspian will stay by my side. Don’t even think about driving him away.” The slap was extremely heavy. Alastair’s body tilted to the side, his head hitting the bed frame and raising a large bump. Cordelia didn’t even spare Alastair a glance. She just took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Caspian’s tears. “Caspian, in the years you were gone, I worried about you every single moment. Promise Mommy you won’t leave again, okay?” Caspian glanced at Alastair with a somewhat troubled expression. “But if I stay, Alastair will be unhappy.” Alaric immediately yanked Alastair up from the bed. “Apologize to your brother right now!” Alastair was unsteady on his feet, but he still forced out in a hard voice: “He’s not my brother.” In his heart, he would only ever have one brother. Ophelia used anger to mask her loss of composure: “Alastair, you really are incorrigible! I order you to apologize to Caspian!” Alastair stubbornly stared at Ophelia, refusing to speak. His whole body started to feel the stinging pain of an electric current. The system’s restrictions meant he couldn’t refuse Ophelia’s demands, or he would be punished with electric shocks. As the current gradually increased, Alastair’s entire body was in excruciating pain. He fell to his knees. Seeing this, Ophelia instinctively reached out to help him up, but before she could touch him, she pulled her hand back. “Alastair, I know your stomach problems aren’t that serious. Don’t try to play for sympathy.” Someone who doesn’t love you won’t care even if you die right in front of them. Alastair couldn’t help but wonder – nine days from now, when he really died in front of Ophelia, would she shed even a single tear for him? This tug-of-war ended with Ophelia’s inevitable victory. Alastair’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, his face so pale it was almost transparent. Word by word, he said: “Caspian… I’m sorry…” “Alright, Alastair. I accept your apology. You can get up now.” Caspian reached out to help him up, but when he got close to Alastair’s ear, he whispered mockingly: “Alastair, and here I thought you had such a strong backbone!” After the apology was over, Ophelia took Caspian to the clinic for treatment. Cordelia and Alaric followed closely behind. The group that had arrived so grandly now left just as grandly. Alastair seemed to have been forgotten, left standing alone. After a long while, he finally raised his hand to touch his swollen, painful cheek. If his brother were here, he would definitely protect him and care for him. Brother, I miss you. I really want to see you soon.
For the next few days, neither Ophelia nor Cordelia came back to the hospital. Because of the system’s companionship requirements, Alastair couldn’t be away from Ophelia for more than three days. On the evening of the third day, Alastair called Ophelia. He had to call over a dozen times before she finally picked up. Ophelia’s impatient voice came through the phone. “Alastair, are you sick in the head? Why do you keep calling me?!” Alastair’s voice was flat as he said, “Ophelia, it’s been three days since I last saw you.” “It’s only been three days. I wish I never had to see a vicious man like you ever again.” If he could, he would want to never see her again either. “Ophelia, I’ve told you before, if I don’t see you for more than three days, I’ll…” Ophelia mocked him, “You’ll feel like you’re dying? Alastair, stop with these boring tricks. It used to be cute, but now it just disgusts me!” With that, she hung up the phone. Alastair looked at the darkened phone screen, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. Back when Ophelia had gone on a business trip, she had said she’d be back in two days. But she hadn’t returned until the evening of the third day. Alastair’s entire body had felt like it was being bitten by insects. There were no visible injuries, but the pain and itching were unbearable. He had wanted to take a knife and scrape off his own skin. The longer he went without seeing Ophelia, the worse this feeling became. That night, Alastair had bought a plane ticket and flown to Ophelia’s side. When Ophelia saw him, she was both surprised and pleased. She asked why he had come. At the time, his eyes had been red-rimmed, his tone carrying a hint of barely detectable grievance as he said: “Ophelia, don’t ever go more than three days without letting me see you again. Being away from you feels worse than death.” Ophelia had hugged his waist, laughing softly as she nuzzled his chest. “You really can’t bear to be apart from me, can you?” Alastair had nodded emphatically. Then Ophelia had solemnly promised that from then on, she would definitely take him with her wherever she went. She had always kept that promise. But now she thought he was just playing tricks. She said he disgusted her. Just as Alastair was about to call Ophelia’s assistant to ask about her whereabouts, Caspian sent him a video clip. [Alastair, so what if you’ve been by her side for seven years? So what if I ran away from the wedding back then? The one she loves has always been me.] In the video, Ophelia was wearing an elegant evening gown, her arms around Caspian as they danced the opening waltz. The suit Caspian was wearing was the one Alastair had custom ordered from a certain brand a month ago. The two gazed at each other and smiled, their eyes conveying unspoken emotions. Alastair pulled out the IV needle, got out of bed and changed his clothes, then took a taxi to the jewelry exhibition. By the time Alastair arrived, the exhibition had reached its climax. Ophelia was in a bidding war with someone else over a diamond watch called “Eternal Time.” In the end, Ophelia won the auction for $180 million. As she went on stage to sign for it, the host asked her: “Ms. Blackwood, you seemed very determined to win this ‘Heart of True Love’ during the bidding. May I ask, what made you so set on acquiring it?” Ophelia took the microphone and said: “Because I once promised someone that I would give him all my love. By twist of fate, we weren’t able to be together in the end. I hope this watch, which symbolizes eternal time, can accompany him in my place.” The host said: “There are so many regrets in love. Though regrettable, it’s unforgettable. Ms. Blackwood and her beloved may not have ended up together, but I believe this love will be passed down eternally along with time.” Applause thundered through the hall. Caspian gazed at Ophelia on stage with tears in his eyes, accepting everyone’s congratulations. But when Ophelia saw Alastair standing in the doorway, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
She quickly regained her composure and walked off the stage. After handing the necklace to Caspian, she strode over to Alastair, grabbed his arm and pulled him aside, scolding: “Alastair, are you following me?” Alastair’s arm hurt from Ophelia’s grip. His brows furrowed. “Ophelia, I just wanted to come see you.” Ophelia’s heart seemed to be suddenly struck. Her entire demeanor softened. He said he just wanted to come see her. Alastair truly loved her so much. Even though she had given this watch symbolizing eternal love to Caspian, he didn’t utter a single word of complaint. In front of her, he lowered himself to the dust. Thinking of this, Ophelia’s voice gentled a bit. “Although I gave this watch to Caspian, don’t worry. The position of Mr. Blackwood will always be yours.” Perhaps in the past, hearing these words would have made him somewhat happy. It meant he still had a place in Ophelia’s heart. But now, Alastair really wanted to tell her that he didn’t need it anymore. He didn’t need Ophelia’s affection or love. He didn’t need the position of Mr. Blackwood. Caspian walked over, the dazzling diamond watch on his wrist. He put his arm around Ophelia’s shoulders. “Ophelia, Alastair was discharged from the hospital today. Why don’t we go have dinner together to celebrate?” Ophelia looked at Alastair in his thin clothes but didn’t say anything. She turned and left with Caspian. Alastair silently followed behind them. As long as he could stay by Ophelia’s side for an hour, he could make it through another three days. At the dinner table, Caspian poured half a glass of red wine for each of them. Alastair looked at the wine, as red as fresh blood, but didn’t refuse. After all, his refusal would be meaningless. As long as Ophelia told him to drink, he had to drink. But unexpectedly, Ophelia spoke up first, calling the waiter over: “Bring him a glass of milk instead.” A flash of venom passed through Caspian’s eyes, but he quickly smiled and said: “How forgetful of me. I almost forgot Alastair can’t drink alcohol.” Alastair just smiled indifferently at this. Whether it was red wine or milk made no difference to him now. After dinner, Alastair didn’t want to keep being the villain getting in the way of true love. He volunteered to leave. Seeing how considerate he was being, Ophelia couldn’t help but say: “Wait for me at home. I’ll be back tonight.” Alastair didn’t respond to this. He had already spent an hour by Ophelia’s side. Whether she came back now or not didn’t matter to him anymore. But unexpectedly, just as he arrived home, Ophelia returned with Caspian. She walked over and grabbed Alastair’s collar, her pale hands roaming all over his body. The mocking look in Caspian’s eyes made Alastair feel extremely uncomfortable. He lost his temper for once: “Ophelia, what are you doing?!” Ophelia felt something in Alastair’s pocket. She pulled it out, and instantly flew into a rage. She shoved Alastair to the ground. “Alastair, and here I thought you had reformed.” Caspian also spoke up, looking disappointed: “Alastair, if you liked this watch, you could have just told me. Why did you have to steal it?” Looking at the watch in Ophelia’s hand, Alastair realized he had been set up by Caspian. Even though he knew Ophelia wouldn’t believe him, he still had to speak up in his own defense. “I didn’t steal it. Caspian framed me.” Caspian immediately looked aggrieved. “Alastair, I know you’ve never liked me as your brother, but you can’t just dump this dirty water on me.” Hearing Caspian repeatedly refer to himself as Alastair’s brother, Alastair lost control and shouted: “You’re not my brother at all. You don’t deserve to be!” Ophelia said sternly: “Enough! Alastair, you’re really beyond hope. You did something wrong, but you don’t show a shred of remorse!” “Someone come lock him in the dog cage in the backyard. Don’t let him out until he admits his mistake.” Two bodyguards wordlessly dragged Alastair to the backyard and shoved him into an iron cage. Several fierce dogs immediately surrounded the cage, snarling and barking at Alastair. Alastair had been bitten by a dog when he was young and had been deeply afraid of them ever since. He gripped the iron bars and shouted: “Ophelia, let me out…” “I know I was wrong, please let me out…” But no matter how much he yelled, no one paid him any attention. Only the vicious dogs kept circling around him, baring their teeth and tearing at his clothes from time to time. Alastair curled up into a ball, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. He was terrified that at any moment, these dogs would lunge at him and tear him to pieces. He mumbled: “Brother, come save me…” “Brother, I’m so scared. Come take me home…” After a long while, Alastair finally remembered that his brother was lying in a vegetative state in the hospital after saving him. He had come here to save his brother. From childhood, no matter what danger he faced, his brother had always stood in front of him, shielding him from wind and rain.
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