Lin Zhiji felt as though he had fallen into another nightmare.
In the dream, he seemed trapped within molten lava, only to be coiled tightly by a giant serpent.
Its body wrapped around him again and again, squeezing tighter.
Hot.
Sticky.
Almost suffocating.
Then its scarlet tongue slowly traced upward along his skin, leaving wet trails behind.
First his fingers.
Then his collarbone.
Then his chest…
Coldness and burning heat intertwined until he could barely endure it, tiny protests escaping him.
The serpent seemed to loosen slightly, giving him just enough room to breathe.
But before Lin Zhiji could relax—
That cold, scaled tail suddenly slithered upward along his body.
Lin Zhiji jolted awake from the nightmare.
Breathing hard, still shaken, he looked frantically around.
The familiar bed curtains.
The familiar bedding.
No snake.
No lava.
Sitting upright in bed, he found himself feeling completely refreshed.
So…
It was just a dream, right?
Lin Zhiji let out a breath of relief.
But recalling the dream, he could not stop his face from burning red.
Why on earth would he have a dream like that for no reason?
Only then did he realize—
He was alone in the room.
Where was Xie Yi?
The door suddenly opened, and Xie Yi walked in carrying a food box.
“You’re awake?”
Looking outside, Lin Zhiji discovered the sun was already high in the sky.
It was noon.
Only then did his stomach belatedly begin to protest with hunger.
Xie Yi brought over washing supplies, seemingly intending to help him freshen up personally.
Lin Zhiji jolted upright.
“I-I’m much better already. I can do it myself.”
After speaking, he climbed out of bed—
Only for his legs to predictably give out.
Fortunately, Xie Yi caught him in time.
An arm like iron wrapped firmly around his waist.
And instantly, Lin Zhiji thought of the dream again—
Of the serpent body coiling tightly around him.
His body stiffened.
Quickly steadying himself against the bedpost, he quietly slipped free of Xie Yi’s hold.
Xie Yi’s gaze darkened slightly.
Then he suddenly asked,
“You’ve recovered already?”
Lin Zhiji nodded instinctively.
The corner of Xie Yi’s lips curved faintly.
Lin Zhiji felt a strange tingling along his spine. Assuming it was just from sleeping too long, he did not think much of it and quickly finished washing up.
By then, Xie Yi had already arranged the dishes and utensils.
Just as Lin Zhiji prepared to sit down, he suddenly remembered the main quest.
The quest required the “host” to care for the injured villain.
Lin Zhiji glanced at Xie Yi’s still-bandaged finger.
An injured villain—check.
Now all that remained was the caring part.
Based on last night’s experience, even if the system acted in place of the host to bandage the villain, the mission still accepted it.
Meaning—
As long as Xie Yi cooperated, Lin Zhiji completing the quest himself should still count.
Feeding someone counted as caring, right?
Thinking this, Lin Zhiji hurriedly stopped Xie Yi.
Xie Yi raised a brow.
“What is it?”
Lin Zhiji coughed lightly.
“It’s just… there’s a task…”
Xie Yi’s eyebrow lifted higher.
He keenly sensed something softening in Lin Zhiji’s attitude.
Though he did not know what had changed him, it did not matter.
Pushing boundaries and steadily advancing had always been his nature.
Resting one arm lazily against the table, he smiled.
“Alright.”
But when Lin Zhiji approached—
Xie Yi suddenly wrapped an arm around his waist.
Startled, Lin Zhiji nearly dropped the bowl in his hands.
Xie Yi caught it effortlessly with one hand while the other remained firmly around his waist, settling him directly onto his lap.
His lips brushed Lin Zhiji’s ear.
“Feed me like this.”
Lin Zhiji’s back pressed tightly against Xie Yi’s chest and abdomen.
Xie Yi’s arm curled around his waist, scorching palm resting against his side, practically enclosing him entirely in an unbearably intimate position.
Not to mention—
The warmth of his breath brushing over Lin Zhiji’s sensitive ear made his whole body shiver.
His face instantly turned crimson.
“You’ve lost your mind! H-How am I supposed to feed you like this?!”
From Xie Yi’s angle, he could see the blush spreading from Lin Zhiji’s ears all the way down his neck.
Even his voice trembled slightly.
Xie Yi’s gaze deepened.
Still, he loosened his hold enough to allow Lin Zhiji to twist around.
Awkwardly maintaining the position, Lin Zhiji struggled to raise the spoon.
The white porcelain spoon touched Xie Yi’s lips.
He parted them slightly and accepted it.
Yet his eyes remained fixed intensely on Lin Zhiji.
For some reason, Lin Zhiji suddenly had the absurd feeling that what Xie Yi held in his mouth was not a spoon at all.
The moment he finished feeding him, Lin Zhiji immediately fled from Xie Yi’s lap.
Xie Yi did not stop him.
He only cast him a meaningful look.
Lin Zhiji sat on the opposite side of the table.
Yet for some reason, unease quietly settled in his chest.
They finished the meal in unusual silence.
Since Xie Yi had decided to pretend to be injured, he truly did set aside his work and focus on recuperating.
Only—
Rather than return to his own room, he simply occupied Lin Zhiji’s.
The two now sat across from one another on the couch.
Between them lay a rough homemade version of Monopoly drawn by Lin Zhiji.
After suffering crushing defeats in Gomoku and chess, Lin Zhiji had officially given up competing against Xie Yi in strategy games.
But something luck-based like Monopoly?
He refused to believe Xie Yi could still beat him.
Thinking about it, ever since arriving in Qingzhou, they had been constantly busy without a moment to rest.
Now sunlight filtered through the windows, scattering shifting patterns across the low table.
Wind stirred the papers softly, shadows flickering gently.
For a moment—
It almost felt like they had returned to their days at Qingping Courtyard.
The familiarity left Lin Zhiji slightly dazed.
Suddenly, he asked:
“Host… have you ever resented me?”
The hand turning Xie Yi’s dice paused briefly.
“Why ask that?”
Lin Zhiji lowered his voice.
“Because of me… you learned you were the villain…”
Ever since binding himself to Xie Yi, Lin Zhiji had always avoided this subject.
He had imagined himself in Xie Yi’s place.
What if someone told him—
That he was merely a villain in a story?
That all his suffering existed only to shape him into one?
That everything he struggled to achieve would ultimately become stepping stones for the protagonist?
Just imagining it felt unbearable.
Even if the person telling him meant well—
Even if they came to help—
He felt he would still resent them.
Yet Xie Yi had remained calm.
Aside from electrocuting him a few times at the beginning, he had never truly made things difficult afterward.
Xie Yi looked at him.
The boy’s eyes were clear, carrying traces of unease and guilt.
He did not remember how awful he himself had once been.
Nor everything he had sacrificed.
Instead—
He worried whether Xie Yi had been hurt by the truth.
Over the years, Xie Yi had seen countless people fear him.
Despise him.
He had never cared.
Yet somehow—
Such an ordinary question pierced straight through him.
Lin Zhiji was soft like a dandelion.
One gentle breath, and those tiny seeds had already landed upon him—
Flowing into blood, sinking into bone.
Xie Yi set down the dice.
Something unreadably complicated flickered in his gaze.
“You really want to know?”
The look in his eyes made Lin Zhiji instinctively nervous.
“If you don’t want to talk about it…”
“It’s not that I don’t.”
Propping an elbow lazily against the table, Xie Yi spoke as though casually:
“But think carefully first.”
“Some answers…”
“If you hear them—”
“You’ll never be able to leave my side again.”
Lin Zhiji froze.
At that exact moment, a knock sounded outside.
“My lord,” Luo Zhitang called. “There is urgent news to report.”
Xie Yi gave Lin Zhiji one long look before standing.
“What is it?”
“News from outside the city…”
Lin Zhiji only listened for a few moments before zoning out.
Xie Yi had felt different just now.
And that last sentence…
It sounded as though no matter where Lin Zhiji ran, Xie Yi would somehow drag him back.
How ridiculous.
If he truly left one day—
Could Xie Yi really storm into the Transmigration Bureau and drag him out?
Shaking his head, Lin Zhiji realized the voices outside had stopped.
He hopped down from the couch and opened the door.
Xie Yi was already gone.
But Luo Zhitang had unexpectedly returned.
Seeing Lin Zhiji, he paused briefly.
Lin Zhiji hurriedly apologized.
“Mr. Luo, it was my fault for sneaking off without telling you back then. You got punished because of me. I’m sorry.”
Though Xie Yi had not chopped off Luo Zhitang’s hand, ten lashes still could not have been pleasant for a scholar.
Luo Zhitang shook his head gently.
“You need not apologize, Young Master Lin. I’m unharmed.”
Relieved, Lin Zhiji asked,
“Did Xie Yi forget something? Did he send you back for it?”
“No.”
Luo Zhitang hesitated after noticing the ambiguous red marks on Lin Zhiji’s neck.
Then, as though finally making up his mind, he pulled a book from his sleeve.
“I had people seek this out,” he said awkwardly. “Young Master Lin is physically weak. Learning one or two things from it… would not necessarily be harmful.”
Lin Zhiji stared curiously at the heavily wrapped book.
A health manual?
Just as he reached to open it, Luo Zhitang quickly stopped him.
“I have matters to attend to and must take my leave. The sun is rather strong now. Young Master Lin should return indoors.”
After speaking, he hurried away.
Lin Zhiji looked at the setting sun in confusion.
But still, he obediently returned inside.
Sitting at the table, he began unwrapping the absurd number of layers.
How many wrappings had Luo Zhitang used?
Finally—
He reached the book.
The cover was completely blank.
Confused, he opened it—
And nearly dropped it.
Two men intertwined together.
The illustrations were detailed.
Disturbingly lifelike.
There were even instructional explanations beneath the drawings.
Lin Zhiji slammed the book shut.
What the hell was Luo Zhitang giving him this for?!
Embarrassed and furious, a thought suddenly struck him.
He rushed to the mirror.
Sure enough—
His neck and chest were covered in suspicious red marks.
Lin Zhiji: !!!
That bastard Xie Yi!
Humiliated and furious, Lin Zhiji decided he would settle accounts with Xie Yi later.
First priority—
Hide this deadly book.
After searching everywhere, he finally shoved it into a cabinet beside that equally dangerous box.
Yet the moment he finished—
A voice sounded behind him.
“What’s wrong?”
Lin Zhiji jumped violently and spun around.
“N-Nothing!”
Xie Yi raised a brow but did not press.
Instead, he took Lin Zhiji’s hand.
“Come eat first.”
After dinner.
After washing up.
Xie Yi suddenly asked:
“You haven’t finished today’s task yet, have you?”
Without thinking much of it, Lin Zhiji nodded.
Xie Yi walked toward him: “I remember there was a reading task?”
Book?
Lin Zhiji suddenly reacted—but it was already too late.
Xie Yi pulled him into his arms, then took out that fatal book with a blank cover.
Lin Zhiji: !!!
Xie Yi flipped it open unhurriedly: “Guanyin holding lotus, this posture is…”
Lin Zhiji hurriedly covered his mouth: “Don’t read it!”
But Xie Yi was not someone who knew when to stop. Not only did he finish reading it, he even asked Lin Zhiji, “Has the task been completed?”
Lin Zhiji was already so embarrassed he felt like he might faint. Just as Xie Yi was about to turn the next page, he quickly said, “D-done! It’s completed!”
“That’s good.” Xie Yi closed the book and turned Lin Zhiji’s body to face him. “Since the principles are already understood, what follows is putting them into practice…”