Xie Yi didn’t dare shatter this illusion of happiness.
How laughable.
Back when he had survived one brush with death after another, he had never once been this cowardly.
And now—
He couldn’t even bring himself to ask a single question.
Before he could think further, Lin Zhiji had already stepped out of his embrace.
The brief warmth vanished.
Xie Yi lowered his eyes, hiding the darkness within them.
Then he heard Lin Zhiji ask softly,
“Xie Yi… does it hurt?”
Xie Yi looked at him in surprise.
Lin Zhiji hesitated.
“Did I just touch your injury?”
While Xie Yi had been changing clothes, Lin Zhiji had noticed the wounds on his back.
Xie Yi was highly skilled, but he was still flesh and blood. Fighting that many people was bound to leave some injuries behind, though he had never paid them much mind.
Now that Lin Zhiji mentioned it, he suddenly became aware of them.
Not pain.
Heat.
Lin Zhiji frowned slightly, his eyes filled with genuine concern.
The raging fire in Xie Yi’s chest quieted unexpectedly.
Lin Zhiji had assumed Xie Yi brought him to the fish market to talk about Liu Muzhi’s letters.
But all the way there, Xie Yi had remained silent and distant, just like before.
So now, seeing him finally return to something resembling his usual self, Lin Zhiji decided to take the chance to explain.
He reached out and caught Xie Yi’s hand.
“About Liu Muzhi…”
Xie Yi’s expression darkened instantly.
He had never hated that name more.
Not even when he first learned that the world he lived in was merely a book.
Not when he learned he had been born the villain—the stepping stone for the protagonist.
Had he ever felt such killing intent toward Liu Muzhi.
But Ding Er had once told him—
The “system’s” purpose was to maintain the stability of the story world.
And the so-called missions existed for that reason.
For example—
Kill him.
Or save Liu Muzhi.
Of course.
If not for the mission, why would Lin Zhiji, who had still been upset with him just days ago, suddenly invite him to this damned fish market today?
Pain shot through Lin Zhiji’s wrist, making him cry out instinctively.
The sound made Xie Yi loosen his grip slightly.
His thumb slowly brushed over Lin Zhiji’s wrist.
“I don’t want to hear that name.”
Lin Zhiji froze.
“But—”
“If you’re tired, we can go back first,” Xie Yi interrupted.
Sensing the dangerous edge barely restrained in his voice, Lin Zhiji obediently fell silent.
Still gripping his wrist, Xie Yi led him back to the residence.
Because they would soon relocate to Jiangcheng, the estate had been bustling lately. Servants hurried everywhere, and to prevent trouble amid the chaos, the number of guards at the entrance had doubled.
Yet Xie Yi ignored all of them as if they didn’t exist, openly leading Lin Zhiji inside.
In all the time they had spent together, public displays of affection weren’t unheard of—
But never in front of so many people.
Lin Zhiji tried to pull his hand back.
He couldn’t break free.
The moment they entered the room, before he could speak, Xie Yi pulled him into another embrace.
That familiar scent flooded his senses.
Xie Yi held him tightly.
Too tightly.
Their bodies pressed flush together.
The arm around his waist felt like a thick vine, trying to bind him into Xie Yi himself.
It hurt.
But beneath the pain was something else—
Something impossible to name.
The words Lin Zhiji had planned to say died in his throat.
And gradually, Xie Yi seemed soothed as well.
The pressure at his waist loosened slightly, though Xie Yi still refused to release him entirely.
Something felt off.
Unable to help himself, Lin Zhiji asked softly,
“Did something happen? In the capital? Jiangcheng? Or… Qingzhou?”
His words pulled Xie Yi back to himself.
“…Nothing.”
He released him and smoothed Lin Zhiji’s messy hair.
“Rest well. I’ll go back first…”
But after only two steps, he stopped.
Lin Zhiji had caught the edge of his sleeve.
Head lowered, voice muffled, he asked,
“You’re… not staying tonight?”
Xie Yi froze.
“What did you say?”
Lin Zhiji bit his lip and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Xie Yi’s waist.
His forehead pressed against Xie Yi’s back.
His face burned hot.
He didn’t know why Xie Yi was so jealous this time—to the point where even Liu Muzhi’s name was forbidden—
But surely this much should make his intentions clear.
Lin Zhiji could feel the tension in the muscles beneath his palms.
Ever since that night, despite sleeping in the same bed, they hadn’t really been close.
And Lin Zhiji wasn’t exactly celibate.
Wanting a break every now and then didn’t mean he planned to become a monk.
At this point, he decided to just commit.
His hand slowly slid downward—
But before it reached its destination, Xie Yi caught it.
Voice rough, he asked,
“Zhiji… do you know what you’re doing?”
Lin Zhiji nearly exploded in frustration.
He had made it this obvious, and Xie Yi still didn’t get it?
How had he never noticed before that Xie Yi could be this absurdly proper?
He tried to yank his hand back and shove him away—
But the world spun.
The next moment, he found himself sitting on Xie Yi’s lap.
Their noses brushed together.
He stared straight into the desire Xie Yi could no longer suppress.
And then—
Xie Yi guided his hand to its destination.
The scorching heat beneath his palm made Lin Zhiji flinch.
Memories of that night resurfaced instantly, making his lashes tremble with nervousness.
Yet this time, Xie Yi was unbearably gentle.
The sash came undone.
Like peeling away lotus petals, slowly revealing tender lotus seeds beneath.
His outer robe slipped loosely around his arms.
Against pale skin, his shoulder blades trembled faintly beneath the trail of Xie Yi’s fingers, as though butterfly wings trying to flutter free—only to be cruelly pinned in place.
His hairpin was removed.
Black hair spilled down like a waterfall, cool strands covering pale skin—
And Xie Yi’s wandering hands alike.
Lin Zhiji’s shoulders trembled.
A soft, helpless sound escaped his throat.
But the next moment, Xie Yi swallowed the sound whole.
Soft, lingering kisses traced from the corner of his lips downward.
Xie Yi was an exceptionally patient hunter.
Here is the word-for-word translation into American English:
He gently and meticulously stirred every one of Lin Zhiji’s sensitive nerves.
Yet this kind of thorough attentiveness was precisely what Lin Zhiji found unbearable.
Fine beads of sweat rose across his pale skin.
His eyes were hazy, and he gripped Xie Yi’s shoulders with something close to desperation.
Xie Yi wasn’t faring much better himself.
Yet he still took hold of Lin Zhiji’s restless wrist, and asked in a voice held barely under control: “Zhiji, is there something you want to say to me?”
Lin Zhiji’s mind was a complete fog at that moment, and he hadn’t caught a single word of what was being asked.
But Xie Yi had already pressed down: “No. There isn’t.”
Lin Zhiji had no time to think before he was pulled into the deepest part of the current.
…
When Lin Zhiji woke the next morning, he instinctively reached toward the other side of the bed — and found it had long since gone cold.
By the time he changed and went out, he learned that Xie Yi had already left Qingxi City.
Luo Zhitang hesitated briefly before saying: “There was an urgent report from Tanzhou. My lord took people to handle it…”
Hearing it was official business, Lin Zhiji exhaled in relief, then asked: “When will he be back?”
Then, over-explaining himself, he added: “Weren’t we going to move to Jiangcheng? As governor, he can’t just not show up, can he?”
As it turned out, Xie Yi really didn’t show up.
By the time Lin Zhiji and the others had been in Jiangcheng for ten-some days, Xie Yi still hadn’t returned.
At this point, if he still couldn’t see that Xie Yi was avoiding him, Lin Zhiji thought he’d have to consider himself a complete fool.
Victory reports did keep coming in, one after another.
Not just Tanzhou — Yuetang, Xujiao, and other territories had all been brought under control one by one. With Xie Yi holding down the situation, everything was going smoothly.
But aside from the victory reports, there was nothing else. Nothing at all.
03 said in a cool tone: [I told you from the start — this is just how villains are. You’ve given so much for him and there’s no good ending in it for you. You’d be better off listening to me: do your tasks properly, accumulate your points, and go enjoy life.]
Lin Zhiji did feel a little aggrieved, but he had no intention of showing it in front of 03.
He simply kept his head down, writing and sketching something on a sheet of paper.
03 talked for a long time and received no response. Curious, it peered over — and was immediately stunned: [What are you doing!]
Lin Zhiji said flatly: [You can see perfectly well. Military supply chain logistics.]
03 jumped three feet in outrage: [The villain treats you like this and you’re still helping him! You even spent your points on it! You… you are completely love-brained!! There is no saving you!!]
Lin Zhiji was unmoved: [These are my points I’m spending. Why are you the one getting worked up?]
03 spoke earnestly: [I’m thinking about your future! When you finish your tasks and go back, aren’t you going to need those points to live on?]
Lin Zhiji’s gaze paused slightly.
[Do you have any idea how hard points are to earn?!] 03 was nearly beside itself with distress. [Setting aside the bigger picture — just looking at the immediate situation — your body needs points every month just to keep functioning! Besides, the villain isn’t going to lose anyway. What you’re doing is pointless!]
Lin Zhiji said with a half-smile: [How do you know it’s pointless?]
03 looked at Lin Zhiji’s expression and suddenly shivered, muttering quietly: [Why are you starting to look more and more like the villain…]
But Lin Zhiji had already finished writing the letter.
03 felt increasingly unsettled: [Wait — what are you planning? You’d better not do anything reckless…]
Before it could finish, someone knocked at the door.
Lin Zhiji simply ignored 03 and got up to open it.
Standing outside was, of all people, Liu Muzhi.
It could only be said that Liu Muzhi was worthy of being the protagonist — he had come to Jiangcheng less than half a year ago, yet with Xie Yi’s backing, he had managed to push the local power, the Zhou clan, into a steady retreat.
Liu Muzhi looked somewhat more mature than before, but the moment he saw Lin Zhiji, the old smile came back: “Brother Lin!”
The two exchanged only a brief round of pleasantries before Lin Zhiji said: “I want to ask you to help me find something.”
As he said it, he handed over the letter he had finished writing.
Liu Muzhi was puzzled at first, but the further he read, the more serious his expression became.
Even though he had no military background, he could see the significance of what Lin Zhiji held in his hands.
He could also see for whom Lin Zhiji had prepared this. He hesitated and asked: “Brother Lin, why haven’t you given this to my lord directly?”
Lin Zhiji exhaled quietly to himself.
What he had prepared was indeed for Xie Yi — just not yet.
By now, Jiangnan was almost entirely under Xie Yi’s control.
But Lin Zhiji understood Xie Yi. What he wanted was not merely this one region of Jiangnan. When the time was right, he would naturally move against other territories — and that was precisely where what Lin Zhiji held in his hands would do the most good.
That, of course, was only one reason.
The more important one was that he wanted to exploit a loophole in the task system.