This was Lin Luxi’s second time entering the male lead’s bedroom, but his state of mind was completely different from the first.
Yue Xinghe closed the door, turned around, and saw that Lin Luxi was still standing. He gestured for him to sit on the sofa by the window while he took the sofa against the wall across from him.
Lin Luxi clasped his hands together, occasionally rubbing and pressing his fingers. He carefully went over his words in his mind once more.
A low, slightly husky voice softly broke the silence. “It’s late, and I don’t have much else here.”
Beside the table was a small white cabinet. Yue Xinghe leaned over and took out a carton of milk. “Have some milk. I hear it helps with sleep.”
He pressed the small carton into Lin Luxi’s fidgeting hands. It was warm, and the heat seeped into his fingers, which had grown cold from nervousness.
Yue Xinghe had even thoughtfully opened it and inserted a paper straw.
Lin Luxi took a few small sips, and his slightly erratic heartbeat gradually steadied until it calmed completely.
Yue Xinghe stretched his legs out naturally and propped his head on one hand. “Feeling better?”
Lin Luxi didn’t expect the question and blinked. “Hmm?”
Under the bright white light, Yue Xinghe’s pale gold eyes met his, as if trying to see into his heart.
Lin Luxi heard him ask gently, “Ever since we left Blue Dream, you’ve been unusually quiet. Something on your mind?”
Lin Luxi’s heart stirred.
Although he usually seemed cheerful, whenever something was bothering him, he never showed it.
He would quietly mull things over on his own, thinking of a solution.
He had always been like that, never letting his worries show on his face. His expressions and demeanor were naturally composed, not easily seen through.
But the male lead had noticed.
While marveling at Yue Xinghe’s keen perception, Lin Luxi felt his wavering heart settle slightly.
He smiled.
He had already decided what to do.
He would tell a version of the truth, half true, half not. He’d admit that Zheng Jun had contacted him, trying to buy him off. He had refused, but Zheng Jun kept pressing. He had gone to Blue Dream only to make it clear he wanted nothing to do with him.
In the end, negotiations broke down, leading to the fight and the chaotic situation tonight.
Apart from hiding the fact that he wasn’t the original owner, most of the story would hold up. Even if Zheng Jun were interrogated, what he said wouldn’t differ much from Lin Luxi’s account.
As for taking the money and then returning it, Lin Luxi could chalk it up to a moment of temptation. Once he realized it involved harming the male lead, he firmly refused.
In doing so, he would not only convey the message, “I would never do anything to hurt you,” but also potentially raise his standing in Yue Xinghe’s eyes.
That should be enough to get by.
Given the need to conceal his true identity, this was the best approach.
But at the moment he locked eyes with the male lead, as he drank the milk, Lin Luxi suddenly overturned the carefully crafted explanation he had spent over an hour agonizing over, the one that had consumed countless brain cells to barely piece together.
In the original novel, the male lead had already endured so much deceit and betrayal. After receiving Yue Xinghe’s kindness, Lin Luxi didn’t want to, couldn’t bear to, become yet another person who deceived him.
He didn’t want to lie.
The small living room fell silent for a few minutes. Yue Xinghe pressed a hand to his temple, his thin lips parting slightly as if to speak.
Then, Lin Luxi suddenly drained the milk in one gulp, his gaze resolute.
“I did run into something,” he said. “But I can’t tell you.”
Being a transmigrator was his biggest secret.
If the male lead ever found out that the original owner was dead and that he was just an impostor, the consequences wouldn’t be pleasant.
Even if he confessed everything, he had no way of knowing whether Yue Xinghe would believe that the original owner’s death had nothing to do with him.
He couldn’t take that risk. He didn’t want to end up on the wrong side of the male lead.
But since he didn’t want to lie either, the only option was to keep it hidden for now.
When their relationship had deepened and trust had been firmly established, Lin Luxi would consider revealing everything.
For a fleeting moment, Yue Xinghe’s eyes seemed to turn colder. He closed them briefly. The S-rank mental strength he had been forcibly suppressing, already unstable, finally broke through its restraints, silently leaking out a sliver.
“But please believe this,” Lin Luxi said. “I will never do anything to hurt you.”
As he finished speaking and waited for Yue Xinghe’s response, Lin Luxi suddenly tensed. He looked around warily, his fists clenched, as if sensing some hidden danger. Even the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Yue Xinghe’s mental strength silently crept up behind Lin Luxi, but just as it was about to touch the back of his head, Lin Luxi abruptly stood up and turned toward the window.
At that same moment, the mental strength snapped back like a spring pulled taut.
Yue Xinghe clutched his head, his brows tightly furrowed, and a low, uncontrollable groan escaped his throat.
Lin Luxi didn’t hear it. He had been carefully observing the view outside the window. Finding no signs of danger, he reluctantly dismissed his unease.
Having said what he needed to say, Lin Luxi had no reason to stay any longer.
Everything else would have to be proven with time.
“I’m heading back to my room. Get some sleep.”
As he opened the door to leave, he turned back to the man on the sofa and reiterated, “Trust me. I’m your friend.”
The door closed.
Yue Xinghe opened his eyes. The whites were crisscrossed with blood vessels like a spiderweb.
His vision was blurry with double images. Apart from the intense ringing in his ears, he couldn’t hear a thing.
The mental energy within his brain was unbridled. At first, it was just a tiny ripple, but gradually, it grew into a tsunami, surging wave after wave against his mental barriers.
Throughout it all, Yue Xinghe pressed his thin lips together, his brow deeply furrowed. Veins bulged at his temples like twisted roots, and the blue veins in his arms swelled from the sheer force of his restraint.
At that moment, he was like a devouring abyss, a murderous, chilling aura enveloping him, as if wanting to destroy everything around him.
No one knew how long it lasted. Finally, Yue Xinghe’s brows relaxed slightly, and the dark, murderous aura dissipated. He had forcibly suppressed the rebellious mental energy.
He rose and walked into the bedroom. Behind him, in the small living room, the sofa, tea table, and other furniture suddenly split into countless fragments as if sliced by some sharp blade.
Back in his own room, Lin Luxi felt a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. After a comfortable shower, he quickly climbed into bed and soon fell into a deep, even-breathing sleep.
He seemed to be having a pleasant dream, the corners of his lips curving upward with ease.
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
The next day, the Alliance University offline tournament continued.
Because Lin Luxi had won his match the previous day, the moment he arrived at the venue, a hush fell over the crowd, followed by a buzz of murmurs like a swarm of bees.
Although he had won, the match itself had been highly dramatic.
With the exception of a small group of clear-headed individuals who suspected that his talent test results might have been flawed and that he actually possessed some degree of ability, the vast majority of people still believed his success was nothing more than blind luck.
After all, the entire match had been a series of coincidences that seemed naturally fortunate, with no trace of deliberate manipulation.
If it really had been a display of his own strength, then his talent would have to be even higher than his opponent’s. That was a conclusion people weren’t ready to accept. They preferred to believe it was just luck, unless Lin Luxi could shatter their self-comfort with a more direct and forceful performance.
There were also conspiracy theorists who believed that Lin Luxi had bribed his opponent. However, after the school issued an official statement confirming that there was no foul play involved, those voices gradually died down.
For the time being, the audience’s attention shifted away from Lin Luxi.
Following the elimination round came the advancement round, then the semifinals, and finally the finals. The schedule was tight, and the matches only grew more exciting.
As for Yue Xinghe, who, as the character with the highest innate talent in the original novel, was destined to become the ultimate powerhouse, the elimination round was a breeze for him. In fact, in less than ten seconds, he had already subdued his opponent, pinning him to the ground and rendering him completely immobile.
Even though everyone had heard directly or indirectly from fellow students about his extraordinary talent, the moment he won, the venue erupted in an unprecedented wave of cheers that lasted several minutes. It was a clear testament to his popularity.
From another perspective, Lin Luxi actually garnered just as much attention as Yue Xinghe. The difference was that one received praise and admiration, while the other was met with scorn and insults.
After the elimination round came the advancement round.
This match would determine whether Lin Luxi advanced to the semifinals, and whether he could remain at the school.
It was a crucial match.
Online, bookmakers had seized the opportunity to stir up excitement, opening a betting pool with high odds.
The last time, Lin Luxi had bet a few hundred on himself and walked away with tens of thousands. Adding the fifty thousand he had won from Lin Yinyue, Lin Luxi, though a freshman in appearance, was now a twenty-one-year-old with a modest savings of over a hundred thousand, enough to not worry about making ends meet for now.
It was fortunate that he looked young. This was likely due to the healing properties of his wood-type ability.
Otherwise, despite looking like the original owner, a few years’ age difference would have created noticeable discrepancies in appearance, making it impossible to seamlessly take his place.
Lin Luxi’s advancement match was scheduled for the afternoon. At noon, after the group finished eating in the cafeteria, they noticed a new dessert that was extremely popular. Lin Luxi made a point of grabbing the last portion before it sold out and promptly placed it in front of Yue Xinghe.
Smiling, he said, “Try it. It’s really good, not too sweet. I think you’ll like it.”
When he wasn’t smiling, he looked like an exquisite doll. But when he smiled, it was as if he radiated light, beautiful like a painting.
Yue Xinghe looked at the small, delicate pink pastry before him with a hint of resignation. “You eat it.”
Knowing Yue Xinghe wouldn’t easily accept, Lin Luxi patted his stomach and sighed. “I wish I could, but I accidentally ate too much.”
He glanced at the dessert with an expression of regret that was, in truth, genuine longing.
He actually liked it quite a bit, otherwise, he wouldn’t have shared it with Yue Xinghe.
Left with no choice, he had always presented himself as gentle and wouldn’t turn down a friend’s kindness, regardless of his true feelings, Yue Xinghe picked up the small silver spoon, scooped up a piece from the top, and brought it to his lips.
Lin Luxi gripped the edge of the table, leaning forward with slightly widened eyes, anticipation clear on his face. “How is it? Pretty good, right?”
The dessert melted as soon as it touched the tongue. With a gentle press, it slid down the throat and into the stomach.
Yue Xinghe’s hand, holding the small silver spoon, stiffened almost imperceptibly.
He gave a slight nod. “It’s not bad.”
After lunch, seeing that it was almost time, the group prepared to head to the competition venue.
Yue Xinghe stood up and suddenly said, “You all go ahead. I need to stop by the restroom. Don’t wait for me.”
With that, he strode away, appearing unhurried. Yet Lin Luxi couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Author’s Note:
For now, Xingxing suspects that Xixi is trying to harm him, so rationally, he gives the order. But emotionally… sigh.
This kid has been betrayed too many times in the past; it’s the fault of his ingrained thought patterns.