[System: Yes indeed~]
Seriously, this guy wouldn’t give her a single moment of peace. She still didn’t even have the slightest clue how to romancing him!
As she drew closer and closer to her courtyard, Tong Huanyou became increasingly uneasy.
And the moment she spotted that dark-robed figure standing at the entrance—
Her footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Clearly, the figure at the doorway had already noticed her arrival.
When soldiers come, send generals. When floodwaters rise, build dams. Besides, she had save-point respawns anyway—what was there to fear?!
Taking a deep breath, Tong Huanyou forced a smile and walked forward to greet him.
“Hi~ Young Master Yu, you’re still awake this late at night? Out admiring the moon?”
Yu Qingci lifted his eyes slightly, smiling yet not smiling.
“How strange. I never knew that walking from the main hall back to Miss Tong’s courtyard required this much time.”
Tong Huanyou pressed her lips together, her eyes darting around before blurting out a random excuse.
“Well, I’m injured, aren’t I? My legs aren’t exactly convenient right now.”
Yu Qingci gave a cold laugh. “Is that so?”
As he spoke, he began walking toward her step by step.
Frightened, she instinctively retreated several paces—only for her body to suddenly stiffen completely.
Her feet wouldn’t move at all.
Tong Huanyou cursed internally.
What the hell?!
[System: Host, you’ve been hit with a immobilization spell~]
Are you kidding me, bro?! What did she even say this time to provoke him?!
Watching this living King of Hell approach closer and closer, Tong Huanyou simply shut her eyes and mentally prepared herself for yet another death reset.
Seeing her look so ready to die heroically somehow amused Yu Qingci a little.
The next second, without warning, he hoisted her straight over his shoulder.
Before Tong Huanyou could react, her body suddenly lifted into the air. Shocked, she snapped her eyes open.
Her hands instinctively grabbed tightly onto his clothes as she cried out in panic, “H-Hey?!”
“Another sound and I’ll cut out your tongue.”
The threat whispered by her ear instantly made her clamp her mouth shut into a straight line.
You’re the boss. I’ll shut up, alright…
Unconsciously, she tightened her grip even more, terrified she might accidentally fall.
Seeing her quiet down, Yu Qingci finally turned and walked toward the room.
Tong Huanyou secretly tried struggling a little, but his shoulder felt like solid steel. It was utterly pointless.
After pushing open the door and reaching the bedside, Yu Qingci casually tossed her onto the bed.
Tong Huanyou felt the world spin. The moment she landed, she quickly rolled over and stared at him warily.
Don’t tell me that drug still hasn’t worn off…
Seriously? Where the hell did the original host even get that stuff?!
“U-Um, listen to me. About that thing… if you just restrain yourself a little, it’ll pass eventually. Really. If you don’t believe me, you can try.”
Yu Qingci paused slightly, falling silent for two seconds.
The surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees colder.
His eyes were icy.
“So Miss Tong remembers exactly what she did.”
Tong Huanyou blinked awkwardly and forced out a dry laugh.
“Well… um… if I said it was someone who looked exactly like me, would you believe it?”
“What do you think?”
Yu Qingci raised a brow and leaned closer, lifting a hand to lightly touch her cheek.
Tong Huanyou swallowed hard as the terror of death once again loomed over her head.
His fingertips slowly slid downward until they rested against her throat.
“Stop pretending stupid. You should understand why I let you live. Otherwise…”
As he spoke, the pressure in his hand suddenly increased.
A suffocating sensation gradually overtook her, turning her face bright red.
“I can only… save her… when it happens… If I lied to you… then kill me later… it won’t be too late…”
Tong Huanyou desperately clawed at the hand around her neck, which felt like an iron vise.
“Heh.”
Yu Qingci chuckled softly before finally releasing her.
“Cough—cough cough!”
Freed from his grip, Tong Huanyou coughed violently several times, greedily sucking in fresh air.
“I’ll trust you this once. You’d better treasure this opportunity.”
After saying that, he turned around, lay down on the nearby couch, and closed his eyes to rest.
Tong Huanyou thought bitterly: With a personality this dark, no wonder he can’t compete against Xie Zhili. His temper is absolutely awful!
…
Some time later—
Tong Huanyou tossed and turned endlessly on the bed, unable to sleep.
Her mind kept spinning over how to push the plot forward—and how exactly she was supposed to攻略 this black-hearted villain.
“What? Is Miss Tong suffering from insomnia?”
That cold, magnetic voice suddenly rang out, startling her badly.
“You… you’re still awake?”
Yu Qingci replied, “That depends on when Miss Tong plans to quiet down.”
Looks like she’d been disturbing him.
She originally intended to obediently shut up, but then another thought occurred to her.
When two people are alone together, wouldn’t it be easier to get closer?
Anyway, she had death resets. If she said the wrong thing and got killed, she could always start over.
Thinking this, Tong Huanyou’s eyes rolled mischievously. Turning onto her side, she propped her head up with one hand and looked toward Yu Qingci.
“Young Master Yu, can I ask you a question?”
Without even opening his eyes, he answered, “Speak.”
“They’re both beans, so why is red bean associated with lovesickness, while mung beans only get paired with turtles?”
Yu Qingci: …
Silence filled the room.
After a while, Tong Huanyou softly called out again.
“Young Master Yu, did you fall asleep?”
Yu Qingci replied coldly, “No.”
Tong Huanyou continued, “Then can you answer my question?”
Yu Qingci: “I don’t know.”
Tong Huanyou raised a brow and wagged her finger.
“Then let me tell you. Because red beans are bitter and slightly poisonous, while mung beans clear heat, detoxify, and reduce internal fire.”
“So lovesickness is bitter, turtles are highly nourishing, lovesickness is worthless, and turtles sell for eighty coins a pound.”
Yu Qingci let out a soft snort of laughter and turned to look at her, his deep eyes meeting her bright gaze.
Tong Huanyou immediately choked on her own words, yanked up the blanket, and burrowed under it, covering her head completely.
“M-Going to sleep now!”
AHHHHHHHH, how is she supposed to romance this guy?!
She’d been single for eighteen straight years! She hadn’t even played many otome games before getting thrown into this nightmare-level difficulty setting…
Depressed, Tong Huanyou kicked the blanket twice.
What she didn’t know was that Yu Qingci had observed every single one of her little actions.
The corners of his lips unconsciously curved upward slightly.
Idiot.
The cold moon hung high overhead, and the deep autumn night seemed even colder than before.
From the bed gradually came the sound of steady breathing.
Her consciousness slowly blurred, as though sinking into a deep dream.
At the edge of a desolate cliff, mist surrounded everything in utter silence, with only a faint breeze brushing against her hair.
Near the cliff’s edge stood a worn and weathered Buddha statue, covered in moss. Its face had long since been eroded beyond recognition.
Tong Huanyou slowly approached it, her fingertips gently brushing against the moss on the statue as she felt the rough texture of the stone.
Suddenly, she seemed to hear a faint voice, as though something were whispering to her.
She rubbed her ears and tried hard to listen carefully.
But the voice only grew blurrier and blurrier.
“Your wish… tell me… what is your wish…”