[Ding! Target's favorability has fallen 4 points and is now 79 in total!!]

...

[Why did the favorability drop?]

Hua's fluffy ears twitched as he poked his head out from Liu's paws at the sound of the favorability updating twice.

For the first time since they started to complete missions together, Bai Wei didn't answer immediately. Hua looked at his master with confusion and wondered what was happening only to see that Bai Wei was as shocked as him. Bai Wei knew what this meant, but there was no way... right?

'Surely not...'

After not getting a response, Hua was about to ask once again when Liu cut him off by putting his head on Hua's much smaller frame. Hua was successfully distracted and the two tussled around with each other before Liu whispered to him not to distract the master while he is at work. After doing this Liu looked at Bai Wei in reality with some sympathy. They both already knew what this meant, Bai Wei just didn't want to accept it.

Despite his inner turmoil, Bai Wei acted as usual and continued to play around with Ding Zihua. They shared many kisses and joked around with each other before Bai Wei had to leave because of his duties as the general of the army. Before leaving, Bai Wei cupped Ding Zihua's face into his hands and said "When we get back lets try and strategize a way to help your sister"

Ding Zihua looked at him with a loving gaze and bid him farewell, but when Bai Wei had turned around his eyes clouded over. A storm was on the horizon, and with it the damage was sure to be severe.

...

The days passed by as they once had for Ding Zihua. In the mornings, he would wake Bai Wei who was cuddled in his arms up and help him get dressed to leave for whatever Bai Wei had to do that day. From there, he would walk around the camp leisurely and talk to the passing soldiers until lunch came. Usually, for lunch the entire camp would eat together and share their war stories with great gusto. Bai Wei would always listen to their stories that were at best 20% truthful and give critiques to their storytelling techniques occasionally. Finally, at night Bai Wei and Ding Zihua would walk into his tent hand in hand and the two would discuss a plan to help Ding Zihua's sister late into the night before going to sleep in each other's arms and repeating the next day.

The only differences would be that Bai Wei had become more clingy and affectionate as of recently ,but Ding Zihua would always respond in the same affectionate tone. The two were very loving until they were not facing each other anymore. After they turned away, Ding Zihua's eyes would become cold and restrained while Bai Wei's eyes were hurt and dejected.

This continued on until a week later when Ding Zihua received his next orders from the emperor. This time, the emperor ordered him to draw Bai Wei into the woods west of camp with just the two of them.

It was followed by a secret decree from the emperor that as long as they were able to injure Bai Wei in any way his family's status would rise and his sister would become a legitimate eligible heir for the crown instead of a mere chess piece in the emperor's hands.

Ding Zihua looked at the message and was shaken by his words. So long as Bai Wei is even slightly injured, his sister and the rest of his family will be safe?

Just... a slight injury?

...

Bai Wei sat in a tree a bit above Ding Zihua as he sent off the messenger pigeon. He wasn't sure how to feel anymore.

These past few days he had done anything and everything possible to increase Ding Zihua's favorability ,but nothing worked. It would always rise for a second before it immediately dropped back down to 79. It was not until now that he could no longer deny it as the truth began to unfold before his eyes. Bai Wei watched sadly as Ding Zihua began to carefully plan out how to convince him to go to the woods with him. Ding Zihua didn't trust that Bai Wei would be able to help his situation and still kept some of his reservations about their relationship.

Ding Zihua didn't believe in his ability to help his sister and he was bound to betray him again.

Bai Wei closed his eyes and sunk into the system space. A deep despair washed over him as Hua and Liu crowded around him and hugged him as best as they could. Bai Wei pet their heads for a moment before sinking into deep thought.

He knew that this was bound to happen one day if he kept being reincarnated as the enemy of the person he loved. Eventually, there would come a version of his lover that had too many attachments to the world to trust him wholeheartedly.

But despite knowing this, it still hurt. No matter how much he mentally prepared for it and intellectualized everything. It still hurt, and nothing could fix that. Bai Wei continued to pat Liu's side as tears began to stream down his face.

This is what happens when you love someone wholeheartedly even if they have no memories of you. Not every version of them is going to love you with the same passion that you have for them. Not every version will have the same level of trust and commitment that you have for them. Some of them are destined for a happy ending and some of them are destined for a tragic fate.

But you know what? F*ck fate.

If Ding Zihua needs to face hardships with him in order to refine their love and trust for each other then he can bring about those hardships.

So Ding Zihua needs to weather the storm to realize his love? Fine, let him bring a storm.

And once it's all over. Once everything is said and done, let them love each other and spend the rest of their days in happiness.