Chapter 110: Change and Growth

Throughout the day, Peng Min found herself unable to gauge what Huang Yu was thinking. She was genuinely surprised that after learning she had injected him with drugs, he showed no signs of anger and continued to interact with her as calmly as if nothing had happened.

This only reinforced her belief that he was no ordinary man, making her attraction to him seem entirely justifiable.

Huang Yu’s first withdrawal symptoms began around 7:00 PM.

He experienced everything Li Jia had once endured—a sensation worse than death. After struggling for over ten minutes, he even began to hear the voice of another self, constantly whispering in his ear, urging him to stop resisting and to seize the moment for pleasure.

It kept reminding him that he was different from others.

Because he was not an ordinary person, he would never have to worry about running out of drugs; he could live a life of perpetual paradise, so why suffer through this hellish agony?

Nearby.

Peng Min watched the entire process. She observed Huang Yu, usually so composed and steady, collapse to his knees, convulsing in pain, his teeth gritted as he let out low, continuous roars.

Yet, he persisted, fighting against the overwhelming physiological demand his body had for the drug to maintain its balance.

Huang Yu clenched his fists, pounding the floor, trying to use physical pain to distract himself from the internal torment.

The concentrated drug dose was capable of instantly transporting a person to paradise, creating a fierce addiction—the first onset being the most intense and direct.

Peng Min had even heard of people who, unable to secure the drug during their first withdrawal, chose to end their own lives.

Watching Huang Yu collapsed on the floor, suffering intensely, Peng Min felt a sharp pain in her own heart, accompanied by a desperate desire to share the agony with him.

She whispered to herself, "Could it be that I have truly fallen in love with this man, rather than just feeling a simple attraction?"

Regret began to cloud her thoughts for having injected him in the first place. But in this world, there is no medicine for regret; what is done cannot be undone.

"Brother Huang Yu, if you can't take it anymore, just say it. I can inject you right now to end your pain," Peng Min said, leaning in close to his ear. She held the syringe she had prepared in advance, ready to relieve his suffering at a moment's notice.

"No," Huang Yu said, his mind still relatively clear.

He glanced at Peng Min, gritted his teeth as he spoke the word, and then rolled away across the floor to continue his endurance.

When the withdrawal first began, Huang Yu had resisted it with ease; he had even thought it was nothing more than that.

However, as time passed, it was like the hunger of someone who hadn't eaten or drunk for a day—every passing moment saw the craving for sustenance grow exponentially.

When a certain threshold is crossed, a person will commit acts that defy their own moral baseline. After all, a human is first an animal, and only then a rational, sentient being.

The onset of withdrawal was like a profound, gnawing hunger; unless satisfied, the craving would not diminish with time but would instead grow until it was unbearable, eventually stripping a person of their reason.

Tears welling in her eyes, Peng Min ran to Huang Yu and hugged him, hoping to offer warmth and alleviate his suffering.

"Get away!" Huang Yu shoved her aside and roared.

Peng Min stumbled, stunned. It was the first time she had ever heard such an angry outburst from him.

After pushing her away, Huang Yu moved to another spot, writhing on the ground in agony. Seeing this, Peng Min knew he had reached his limit.

She checked the time; it had been nearly twenty minutes since the withdrawal began.

To have held out for twenty minutes by sheer willpower was, in her eyes, quite remarkable.

Indeed, as she thought this, Huang Yu’s state began to shift.

He stood up, trembling, his expression twisted into a terrifying, hideous mask, his eyes unfocused.

"Give it to me... inject me," Huang Yu muttered, tears streaming down his face as he walked toward her.

In the end, he had failed.

Seeing him like this, Peng Min didn't know whether to feel happy or sad.

She had never seen anyone truly free themselves from drugs. Everyone who falls into addiction starts the same way, thinking they can control it.

But in reality, a person can only control their hands, their feet, and where their eyes look.

They cannot control how many enzymes their liver secretes, how much insulin their pancreas produces, nor can they control their heart rate, blood pressure, or the subconscious mind.

Drugs, however, can easily manipulate all of these things.

Once addiction takes hold, it becomes a fundamental requirement of the body. Relying on willpower alone to break free is impossible.

There is only one way: death.

As Peng Min injected the drug, she faintly heard Huang Yu muttering about how there was no need to suffer, that he didn't have to endure anything, that one should enjoy life while they could, and that he could live in a paradise forever.

The moment the drug entered his veins, his convulsive movements stopped. His expression transformed instantly, settling into one of pure bliss.

"Li Jia, I miss you so much," Huang Yu said, slowly turning his head to look at Peng Min.

"Brother Huang Yu, I am not Li Jia. I am Peng Min," she corrected.

"Peng Min? Who is she? If you aren't Li Jia, then who are you? Are you playing some little trick on me again?" Huang Yu shook his head, staring at her intently.

He acted as if he couldn't be fooled, insisting he didn't know anyone named Peng Min.

"Hallucinations from the drug?"

Peng Min realized his state and stopped trying to argue.

Just then, Huang Yu pulled her into an embrace. "Jia, I love you. I like you. Let's be together forever."

As he spoke, his hands began to wander, and he leaned in to kiss her.

Peng Min initially tried to pull away, but eventually, she stopped resisting, hugging him back and yielding to him.

After their intimacy, the room was heavy with the scent of youth and hormones.

As the effects of the drug faded, Huang Yu gradually regained his senses and realized he had been intimate with Peng Min once again.

He looked at her, lying naked and clutching him tightly, and though he wanted to push her away, he only let out a deep sigh.

The feeling of being in paradise moments ago was too intoxicating, too hard to pull away from.

The events of these short two days had shown him that the person he once was had drifted far away.

He had become a different person—or perhaps, he had undergone a different kind of growth.

"Brother Huang Yu, what are you thinking about?" Peng Min asked softly, holding him close.

"I'm thinking... am I too weak, too incompetent? And this is the second time I've betrayed Li Jia," Huang Yu whispered, his expression one of utter despair.

"How can you say that? You are the strongest man I have ever known, the best man. And you aren't incompetent at all; just now was the best proof of that," Peng Min said, kissing his chest.

As she spoke, a flush appeared on her face, making her look captivating.

"Sister Li Jia wouldn't blame you. It’s not your fault. No one can resist the grip of addiction; it’s not something human willpower can fight," she continued.

"Is that so? Perhaps you're right," Huang Yu mused.

Deep down, he knew he was only saying this to comfort himself, to find a rational excuse for his actions.

But people are often like this—prone to self-deception, pretending to be asleep because they don't want to wake up.

The reality, after all, is far too cruel for the average person to bear.

The moment Huang Yu had begged Peng Min for the injection, he had accepted that other voice within him, choosing to surrender to the drug and the addiction, and acknowledging the philosophy of seizing pleasure while he could.

He had succeeded in changing himself; he was no longer the man he had been a day ago.

Perhaps, the moment he heard the news of Li Jia’s death, he had already begun to change.

After all, he wasn't the kind of person who would once have considered harming others for his own selfish desires.

"Seize the day, right? Actually, that’s not bad at all," Huang Yu muttered to himself.

Having tasted the forbidden fruit, he felt the urge rise within him again, and in the next moment, he turned and pressed Peng Min beneath him.

Peng Min looked at him and offered no resistance.

She truly liked him. She had truly fallen in love with him.

This time, Huang Yu didn't mistake her for Li Jia; he saw her clearly.

Peng Min was left with only one thought: should she be happy, or should she be sad?

Their third encounter lasted over forty minutes, and they reached the heights of passion together multiple times.

Most importantly, this time, Huang Yu was completely sober.

Around 9:00 PM, the two lay in each other’s arms on the bed in his bedroom.

"Yu, I'm hungry," Peng Min said, tracing circles on his chest.

"Weren't you full from just now?" Huang Yu asked with a frown.

"You're impossible! I mean my stomach is hungry; I want to eat dinner. What were you thinking about?" Peng Min blushed, speaking with a touch of annoyance.