"Bring back...Bingmei..."

Shen Qingqiu pondered over it then turned to Bingge. For some reason, the stallion protagonist averted his gaze immediately.

"It's up to Shizun." He said, eyes on the ground. "He was... your Luo Binghe after all."

"You both are---"

"I'm going to make us breakfast." Bingge said then left the dreamscape without another word.

Shen Qingqiu almost followed him, but stopped. He understand how Bingge feels. This is a big decision, and he have to take time to think. He paced back and forth on the slow-moving road of the dreamscape filled with faceless people and the system patiently beeped from time to time waiting for his response.

"...What happened to Bingmei, by the way?"

[He died.]

"Yeah, but where did he go?" He asked. "Is there even an afterlife for us novel characters?"

[Yes, it's based of Chines belief.]

"Huh, so he's in the underworld right now." Shen Qingqiu rubbed his chin.

[But he's not in the afterlife.]

"What?"

[Your world is AU#94745. AU#94745's 'Luo Binghe' got transported to AU#8413, a world where 'Shen Yuan' is just an avid reader and hater of Proud Immortal Demon Way. Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky passed away so the story was discontinued. A female reader remade the story into a BL named 'Resentment of Chunsan', which goes the same way as how your story goes where you changed Luo Binghe, except that there was no system and Shen Qingqiu is just nicer. Shen Yuan liked Resentment of Chunsan's Luo Binghe but was disappointed by the ending where he commit suicide. So he wished for Luo Binghe to become real and---]

"And he got transmigrated there. I know how these kind of stories go." Shen Qingqiu sighed, somewhat from exasperation and relief. "So he's with a Shen Yuan living a cliche love story."

[That is why the expiration is within 1 year. The system estimates that by then the story is unchangeable and reached it's peak.]

"They would have fallen for each other by then, so to speak." Shen Qingqiu concluded. "Okay, let's leave this dreamscape first and tell Bingge what's up."

The system let Shen Qingqiu wake up from the dreamscape and he was greeted by the scent of bamboo again and the ray of the early morning. Shen Qingqiu stretched his arms, and then bring it back to his forehead as if experiencing a headache. That was a very eventful night, he felt like he hadn't had any sleep at all.

"System..." He sat up from his bed. "Can you show me?"

[What?]

"How Binghe is doing." He requested.

[1000 cool points. You still have extra to bring him back.]

"Go ahead." Shen Qingqiu clicked the 'Yes' option and the screen showed something else.

There were to figures, both sitting in a modern carpet and holding game consoles. One of them had his arms wrapped around the other while eating chips--- It was no other than Luo Binghe, now on very modern clothing with his hair cut and in his arms was Shen Yuan with an irritated expression.

"The fuck, I told you to leave some chips for me!" He yelled, trying to get the bag of chips from the other's hand. "How can you still win when you're not even focusing?!"

"Perks of being a protagonist, I guess." Luo Binghe even speaks in modern slang now. He smiled teasingly while still holding the chips high up in the air for Shen Yuan to reach. "Yuan-gege, be kind to your junior, I'm just trying out real-world food."

"You've already tried almost all real-world food within weeks of you getting here! You emptied my fridge!" Shen Yuan tried and tried again with his tussle but can't grab the chips from the younger man. "Man, this is so not fair!"

Luo Binghe just continued to tease and even ruffled his hair. "I thought you we're rich so food won't be a problem."

"I still have some shame, you know! I won't have any face left if I keep milking on my brothers and parents just to feed you--you glutton! You eat so much and never even gain weight. Man, I regret wishing you were real, you're a freaking monster."

"No, you don't." The golden-fingered protagonist smirked. "Can this monster eat you up then, gege?"

"The hell!" Shen Yuan's face flushed as he adjusted his glasses. "Don't say icky stuff like that, bro---"

They both stopped with their incessant bickering when they noticed the screen changed. 

Shen Yuan let out an unmanly scream. "AHHHHH! Is that Shen Qingqiu?"

"Shizun?" Luo Binghe's eyes widened like a deer on a headlights. "....What are you doing here?"

"Binghe. Hi." Shen Qingqiu don't know whether to laugh or cry. 

He start explaining everything to the two and they listened attentively like students. By the end, their head were aching from all the information.

"Ayaaaa, that was a lot. Holy shit." Shen Yuan massaged his temples. "So you're me but not really but still me at the same time. Damn, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore."

"I get you 100% man, this is some confusing shit." Shen Qingqiu answered.

"So that's why I find this gege and Shizun a bit simillar." Luo Binghe said.

"On what?" Both Shen asked.

"You both have some energy in you. I can't really explain it." He said while eating some chips. 

"You seems to take the news better than anyone in the room." Shen Qingqiu noticed.

He continued munching while talking. "Probably because my breakdown was already over and I got used to weird plot twists in my life. It's tough being a protagonist." 

"I agree." 

Bingge has entered the chat with a tray of delicious breakfast.

"You must be the previous Luo Binghe." He set it down and looked at the screen. "You look so different, you must be in the 'real world'. Or at least one of them. And you're with 'Shen Yuan', am I right?"

"He knows what's up?" Shen Yuan asked.

"He knows what's up." Shen Qingqiu nodded.

"I know 'what's up'." Bingge agreed. "I'm a fast learner."

"Same." Bingmei seconded. "Nice to meet you, Binghe-xiong."

"Likewise." 

"Did you prepare all this food, Mr. Binghe?" Shen Yuan asked.

"Yes, I cook Shizun's food, carry water from the stream 3 miles from here and chop fire wood to prepare for his hot bath everyday."

"Looks like Shizun still have his 'boss' tendencies from the old days then." Shen Yuan whispered to Bingmei.

"Uh-huh." The youth agreed while still munching on chips.

"It's not that! I didn't order him to do all those stuff, he does it on his own no matter what I tell him." Shen Qingqiu defended himself.

"He's good husband material then. Bravo, Binghe-gege! " Shen Yuan clapped.

Bingmei did so too. " Good for you, good job me!" 

"Aiyah, you little brats!" Shen Qingqiu's face couldn't get any redder.

"So." Bingmei finally finished eating and dust himself off. "About the going back thing. I have to apologize because---"

"I know." Shen Qingqiu interrupted him. He looked at all three with a smile. "I've known since the moment I've seen you two, it's already too late. Which may be a good thing."

He held Bingge's hand and the man looked at him with surprise. "Everyone's changed. And everyone's happy. So this is enough."

"Mn." Bingmei nodded. "This means this is my first official break-up then."

"Pfft!" Both Shen's snorted and Bingge was just left contemplating on what 'break-up' means.

"Man, it'll be cool to hang out with all of you." Shen Yuan said. "If you're down, that is. Or would the world explode when that happens?"

"Probably not. The system said there was an instance of two Luo Binghes at the same time on another server." Shen Qingqiu said. "What do you say, System? Can we visit their alternate universe?"

[100,000 cool points]

"Oh, come on!" Bingmei yelled. "That's so goddamn expensive!"

"Well at least we can all agree that the system is a jerk." Shen Qingqiu smirked and wrapped his arms on Bingge's shoulder. "We'll earn that in no time then have a double date. Right, Binghe?"'

"Whatever makes you happy, Shizun." Bingge replied both with a sigh and a smile.

"See you then!" Shen Yuan waved.

"Yeah, see you!" Bingmei said while stealing another snack behind Shen Yuan's back.

The two pairs of couples waved goodbye to each other as the screen went out.