[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-becoming-a-god-among-humans-i-just-want-to":3,"chapter-after-becoming-a-god-among-humans-i-just-want-to-after-becoming-a-god-among-humans-i-just-want-to-chapter-42":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After Becoming a God Among Humans, I Just Want to Lie Flat",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2302181,4502,"Chapter 42","after-becoming-a-god-among-humans-i-just-want-to-chapter-42",42,"\u003Cp>She wanted to go back immediately, even if it was just to sleep in a hotel rather than stay here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she also felt reluctant—damn it! Why did he look like this! His portrayal of deep affection was so incredibly realistic! Why was he gazing at me with such longing, as if this were our final meeting!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi stood up, reverting to her usual cold demeanor: “It’s late. Let’s go back.” Her tone was even somewhat formal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris sensed the subtle shift in her emotions; he stood up awkwardly, studying her face closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, in the news she had worn exactly this expression—cold, polite, calm. According to his analysis, it indicated a deep emotional distance from others—her “public face.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, she was suddenly using this same expression toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something must have happened that he didn’t know about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong… did I… did I do something wrong?” He steadied himself by gripping the beast’s horn. Though he stood nearly twenty centimeters taller than her, he felt as if she were looking down on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi looked up at his bewildered face. Oh, if this was acting, it was far more brilliant than any film performance. She could see his true self in every role he played on screen, yet from his real self, she found not a trace of any character he’d portrayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the fantasy she wove, he was a king draped in ribbons and crowned in glory—elevated, radiant, dazzling—while she was merely dirt on the ground, a wild weed by the roadside. If she could become his servant—that would be such an honor—sometimes she thought so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at other times, she was a rebellious minister, violently dragging him off his throne and seizing it for herself, watching him kneel at her feet, reduced to dust. Even then, he remained proud—as if his nobility were innate, his spirit eternally strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her imagined fantasy, he never once showed such helplessness, like a child unaware of what he’d done wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was acting, it satisfied her vanity, her need for control—no different than watching a former king kneel before her, gazing up, begging for her mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering the ample emotional value he’d provided, Yang Yi smiled and shook her head: “No, you did fine. It’s just late—we should go back. I have a meeting tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi let the poor beast go, then flew Chris back to the hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She set him down on the balcony, hesitating, wondering what to say before leaving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris saw through her intentions. He realized her influence over him had grown too great—so great he couldn’t bear it. He had to cut the knot cleanly: either abandon this dangerous emotion, or win her heart. He couldn’t endure this constant unease and suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just say, “I think we’re not compatible,” and everything ends. You won’t lose yourself; you won’t suffer from her sudden coldness. Say it now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m orange-flavored today…” Out came the words before he could stop himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps his disappointment had overflowed so completely that he couldn’t help but speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This god among men had forgotten their first meeting’s “agreement.” From this small detail, he sorrowfully realized she didn’t seem to care about him much. Perhaps she’d approached him out of curiosity, merely to fulfill a fan’s wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His disappointment was so obvious that Yang Yi suddenly understood: she was controlling this superstar’s emotions. She held power over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncontrollable joy flooded her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, a figure only dreamed of, distant as a star on the horizon, worshipped as a god, the most expensive sapphire in the display window—the kind she could never afford even if she worked since the age of dinosaurs—now, from this moment, was entirely hers to claim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this instant, she felt a tingling warmth run down her spine, a full-body euphoria.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She decided not to rush opening the gift box containing the sapphire. Wasn’t the anticipation before unwrapping the gift the most delightful part?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi leaned close, sniffing lightly against him. Indeed, there was a faint citrus scent, mixed with other subtle fragrances. Because it differed so greatly from the cheap orange candy of her childhood, she’d never connected the two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this act delighted her immensely. She was so satisfied she even wanted to kiss him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry… I didn’t think… you’d still remember this…” Yang Yi was both elated and hesitant—she wanted to stay with him a little longer, yet also wanted to leave quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt moved—and being moved was the easiest path to giving one’s heart. She wasn’t ready yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She exhaled, resolved to leave: “Hmm… I hope my childish behavior didn’t scare you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She began wrapping up their first date.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I was very happy today,” Chris said sincerely. “I doubt I’ll ever forget this night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sincerity pierced straight through her heart—it hardly felt like acting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if… what if he wasn’t acting at all? What if all his actions… were genuine?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi felt as if his gaze had burned her; she quickly looked away, her voice suddenly stumbling: “Then my goal is achieved—to make my idol remember me forever…” She tried to sound joking, but failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stepped back, deciding to say goodbye quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris reached out with his long arm, gripping her shoulders firmly, locking eyes with her: “Yang Yi, look at me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi startled. Chris had always been so gentlemanly—he’d never acted so out of bounds before. She stared at him, dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not some idol, not some celebrity. Acting is just my job—I want to be just a regular man to you, a man who likes you, a man pursuing you! Forget the illusions you’ve seen on screen. Maybe there was some truth in them, but most were improvised performances, artificial gestures dictated by entertainment demands. Look at the real me—not the fake one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This completely shattered Yang Yi’s rhythm. She unconsciously swallowed, staring blankly at his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words pierced her heart like swords, cutting through her doubts and indecision. She almost suspected he was an Awakened too—his ability must be mental, like Jian or Veidt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t believe he meant it—that he truly liked her, that he had fallen in love with her…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris’s expression was complex: “Yang Yi, I’m even afraid you’ll see the real me, because I know the illusion you hold is shaped by those films. Those characters were manufactured by Hollywood’s assembly line. Yes, they each had strengths, each had moving qualities—but those were the work of directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, editors, and perhaps even me—the actor. But those appealing traits aren’t mine. Strip away the halo of fan projection, and I’m ordinary—God, how I want to show you my best self. I want you to keep loving the illusion, never realizing I’m just an ordinary man, yet still love the real me… I…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, he snapped back to awareness, realizing he was babbling. He released her shoulders, stepped back in confusion, and sat on the edge of the pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi recovered from her shock. This confused man before her was no longer flawless, no longer dazzling to the point of blinding. He was no longer the proud king—he was just a regular man named Chris Norton, an actor who might have succeeded brilliantly, whose acting might be excellent, but who in life was utterly sincere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps this was the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This realization swept away all her doubts and hesitation. For the first time, she felt certain—she felt as if she had finally descended from floating midair and stood firmly on solid ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she found his bewildered, helpless look more captivating than his earlier dazzling brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi slowly sat beside him. Both gazed silently at the bright moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt that this brief silence together brought them closer than all their previous ambiguous interactions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, Yang Yi asked softly: “Chris, I’m not confident… what exactly do you like about me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris realized she didn’t despise him for his impulsive confession. Even her distant coldness had vanished. She had suddenly become human—like any ordinary person beside him, no longer the “goddess who tamed beasts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know… truly,” Chris turned to face her, watching her. “Maybe when I first met you at the banquet—you said you were my fan, and that you were also afraid of those beasts, that you saw them as cabbages… or maybe when I saw you dive into the Misty Town in the news… or when you told me your mother abandoned you as a child… I really don’t know. When you confessed to me that day, I was overjoyed—I even hated myself for not confessing first. But then you hung up on me—I worried you regretted it. At that moment, I thought: seize this chance, hold on tightly, even if she truly regrets it—am I being vile? Are you disappointed in me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi bit her lip and smiled, shaking her head: “No. I like you even more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris looked slightly wounded: “I started preparing at two in the afternoon. I showered, shaved, wore the suit I thought you’d like. I prepared roses, champagne, a candlelit dinner. I waited from sunset until the moon rose. I waited and waited, but you never came—not even a single phone call…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi now felt she had committed a heinous crime—she deserved to be locked in prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to hug him and say sorry, but felt it would be too forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before—he had spoken those words—she could have comfortably drawn close to him, controlled him, even toyed with him, then discarded him. But after those words, she dared not defile or desecrate him anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi could only tilt her face up, gazing into his blue, beautiful eyes. Now those pools were no longer mysterious or incomprehensible—they were clear and transparent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris gazed at her: “…God, your eyes are so beautiful… Can I kiss you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi ignited completely. Heat surged from within to without; her head spun, her thoughts blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris still stared deeply at her, waiting. When he saw her flushed face, he understood: sometimes a girl’s blush spoke louder than ten thousand “yeses.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out, wrapping his arm around her waist, slowly lowering his head. His movement was slow, giving her time to pull away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi had no idea what to do. Should she close her eyes? But wouldn’t that make her seem too eager? What if she kept them open? Wouldn’t that be even stranger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst from her chest. The entire world echoed with the drumbeat of her heartbeat. She stood on a fire, scorched, burned—her blood boiled, her world spun wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chris’s lips were soft. He gently, carefully tested—sensing she didn’t resist—then pressed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was like a dumb little fish, rigid in place. He leaned in, lightly brushing her lips. She startled, pulling back slightly, then stiffly turned to look at him. She was too inexperienced. So he patiently guided her, drawing her along—two little fish dancing together in a stream…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi felt fireworks exploding in her mind—crackling, popping—she was nearly deaf, dazzled, nearly blind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His breath smelled of orange—perhaps he’d used orange-flavored mouthwash, chewed orange gum, or perhaps he himself was a sweet, living orange…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi’s mind was like sludge. Her thoughts drifted like floaters—when she tried to grasp one, it vanished slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was so sweet. How could a man smell so wonderful…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi vaguely recalled that her stomach hadn’t taken in any food for many days. To her, the scent of food carried the stench of decay. She convinced herself, self-hypnotized: this was normal—she was just sensing in advance what food would become.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this sweet orange had no trace of decay—it was more delicious, more enticing, more alive than a real orange. Her empty stomach, starved for days, suddenly felt twice as hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The torment she’d suffered from “Him” during the day only made it worse—she was like a traveler dying of thirst in the desert, greedily drinking the sweet water…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not enough! Not enough! Too little!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every cell in her body screamed. They churned wildly—like wild wolves starved for days, spotting a lone sheep, lunging furiously, tearing flesh, drinking blood, draining life…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Heh…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, she heard a cold laugh—mocking, cruel, watching with glee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yi snapped back to awareness. She turned to Chris—his expression was dazed, entranced, as if he’d seen the most beautiful, happiest vision of his life—the same expression as the corpses beneath the altar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She violently shoved Chris away, her body plunging into an icy abyss. A chilling dread pierced her soul, making her shiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?” Chris seemed to snap awake, confused, staring at Yang Yi—he had no idea he’d just walked to the edge of hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I… I have to go. I have a meeting tomorrow.” She stammered, her teeth chattering. Without waiting for his response, she shot upward into the sky and vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>",2156,"2026-06-20T07:52:47.920Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a2aef8958361d6a41be8239a4b2fbb543051ea7eab5d971ba458be3bf61b6f93","after-becoming-a-god-among-humans-i-just-want-to-chapter-43","after-becoming-a-god-among-humans-i-just-want-to-chapter-41",246,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-becoming-a-god-among-humans-i-just-want-to-cover.jpg"]