The moment he returned to his quarters, Su Rongyu could no longer suppress his curiosity and quickly tore open the package sent by Shen Yanchu. He wanted to see what kind of nonsense Shen Yanchu had actually sent him.
Unwrapping the parcel, what appeared before his eyes was a seemingly ordinary book. The cover bore no text whatsoever, which only deepened Su Rongyu’s curiosity. He flipped open the pages, and the sight before him left him dumbfounded; the content was utterly unmentionable, and its explicit scale was beyond what he could believe. As the page numbers advanced, the imagery grew increasingly bold, and in some places, details were intentionally magnified to emphasize the action.
Su Rongyu’s complexion turned ashen. He abruptly drew the sword at his side and roared, “Shen Yanchu, I am going to kill you!”
[Host, calm down!] The system’s voice trembled, attempting to pacify Su Rongyu’s blazing fury.
“Calm down? What on earth does Shen Yanchu mean by this? Is this not a satirical jab at me for always being pestered by those gay guys?” Su Rongyu’s breathing remained heavy and ragged.
[Perhaps Shen Yanchu has a secret crush on you, which is why he would do something like this.] The system attempted to find a logical explanation.
“A secret crush? Have you ever seen anyone with a secret crush tease the object of their affection in such a manner?” Su Rongyu’s tone was laden with skepticism.
[Shen Yanchu’s mind has always worked differently from ordinary people. He might be doing this just to attract your attention. After all, Host, you are recognized across the three realms as the number one beauty.] The system tried its best to defend Shen Yanchu.
“Stop spouting nonsense. I am going to find Shen Yanchu right now; he has truly crossed the line this time.” Su Rongyu hoisted his sword, determined to settle accounts with Shen Yanchu in person.
Lying comfortably on his bed, Shen Yanchu was entirely oblivious to the impending storm, leisurely resting his eyes with a care-free expression.
Haha, Su Rongyu, Ji Yanche, Xie Huaizhou, you ought to thank me. I am doing this for the sake of your blissful sex lives. My favorability points just went up another notch, Shen Yanchu thought triumphantly, unable to hold back a chuckle.
Suddenly, with a deafening crash, the door was shattered by a tremendous force. Su Rongyu strode in angrily, brandishing a long sword.
Shen Yanchu blinked in surprise, muttering inwardly, What is happening here? Even if they want to thank me, there is no need to be this excited, right?
“Shen Yanchu, today I am going to fight you to the death!” Su Rongyu’s voice was brimming with rage.
Still completely in the dark, Shen Yanchu waved a hand dismissively and said, “There is no need to fight, I am already a man.”
“Shen Yanchu, who exactly are you trying to imply with that?!” Su Rongyu’s sword tip pointed straight at Shen Yanchu, the fury in his eyes practically solidifying into substance.
That entire evening, the members of the Taiyi Sect witnessed a most peculiar spectacle: Shen Yanchu fleeing ahead, with Su Rongyu in hot pursuit behind him.
He chased, and he fled.
“How truly heartwarming. Two people who usually cannot stand the sight of each other can finally sit down and properly discuss cultivation together. What a beautiful scene!” remarked one Taiyi Sect disciple.
“One dressed in red and the other in white, one bewitching and the other aloof, what a wonderfully matched pair!” sighed another disciple.
“Indeed, practicing their moves even this late at night, the future of Taiyi is full of promise!” As the disciple’s voice trailed off, the surrounding onlookers seemed to trigger a keyword and chanted in unison, “Full of promise! Full of promise!”
Amidst the general delusion of the crowd, only Jihe remained clear-headed. Shen Green Tea, look who’s having a bad day! Kiss my dear Rongyu baby, you can do it!
Shen Yanchu’s situation was clearly looking rather grim. Looking at Su Rongyu’s furious figure, he felt a twinge of panic. “Junior Brother Su, could it be that you are unsatisfied with my gift? If you do not like it, just say so; next time I will pick out some books with more literary depth for you. Stop chasing me!”
“Shen Yanchu, save your breath and take my move!” Su Rongyu’s sword locked onto Shen Yanchu, his eyes flashing with fire.
With a quick roll of his eyes, Shen Yanchu scanned the crowd and spotted a familiar figure. He dashed forward in a single stride, ducked behind Xie Huaizhou, and clutched tightly at his sleeve. “Senior Brother Xie, save me! Junior Brother Su seems to have lost his mind and refuses to let me go.”
Xie Huaizhou let out a cold laugh, thinking to himself, With a gift like that, if Su Rongyu were not already chasing you down, I would give you a thorough thrashing myself. His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the scenes inside the book Shen Yanchu had handed over, and against his better judgment, he found himself substituting Shen Yanchu’s face into the illustrations.
Standing nearby, Ji Yanche cast a sidelong glance at Shen Yanchu, mentally pondering, Shen Yanchu, you sure know how to play hard to get, don’t you? First hinting at things with a book like that, and now hiding behind Xie Huaizhou to play the innocent victim. Fascinating.
“Shen Yanchu, get out here right now!” Su Rongyu’s long sword pointed straight at Shen Yanchu, his voice bone-chilling.
Crouched behind Xie Huaizhou like a startled quail, Shen Yanchu stayed completely silent, utterly failing to grasp why Su Rongyu was throwing such an immense temper tantrum. The group remained at a stalemate, the atmosphere tense and subtle.
An idea flashed through Jihe’s mind. She stepped forward and spoke softly, “Everyone should head back now. If we end up waking the sect master, it will become quite a hassle.” As she spoke, she gently tugged at Su Rongyu’s sleeve, guiding him away from the scene.
“Senior Brother Su, wipe your sweat.” Jihe handed Su Rongyu a handkerchief while thinking, My leading man’s image cannot be ruined by such a trivial matter.
“Senior Brother Su, do not be angry. Shen Yanchu is simply an idiot, do not take him to heart,” Jihe comforted.
“Junior Sister Ji, you think so too?” Su Rongyu asked.
“Of course, I cannot stand his behavior the most, always putting on an act!” Jihe chimed in.
With that, the two began gossiping about Shen Yanchu, finding themselves increasingly in sync with each other as they spoke, feeling as though they had met as kindred spirits too late in life.