Guessing that the youth might have the intention to leave, Li Lin instantly grew anxious. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he hurriedly grabbed the youth’s wrist and asked:
“Where are you planning to go?”
“Why do you want to leave?”
Zhou Qing’s footsteps heading toward the door came to an abrupt halt. He raised his gaze slightly to look at the man who was half a head taller than him, his pitch-black eyes devoid of any emotion.
His voice had not carried the slightest fluctuation from the very beginning, sounding as if he were simply asking a question: “What does it have to do with you?”
As the youth’s icy words fell, Li Lin felt as though his heart was being ruthlessly trampled upon at this moment, aching with an extraordinary and unbearable intensity.
With a strained voice and paying no mind to the strange looks from the surrounding team members, Li Lin demanded: “How does it not have to do with me?”
“Xiao Zhou, I have missed you for…” For a full four years.
The second half of the sentence remained unspoken by Li Lin. Now, even he, who had previously been incomparably certain that the person before him was Xiao Zhou, began to hesitate.
If they were truly the same person, how could the Xiao Zhou who was once willing to sacrifice his life now treat him with such an attitude?
Furthermore, although the former Xiao Zhou also had a cold disposition, he was gentle as a mountain spring and spring breeze toward those around him. How could he possibly act with such cold and unfeeling indifference?
Could it be that he lost his memory?
Once this thought emerged, Li Lin felt that all of Xiao Zhou’s previous coldness toward him was provided with an explanation. The slight sting of hurt he felt just moments ago paled into insignificance when compared to his desire to have the youth care about him and value him once again.
The commotion between the two was not small, naturally attracting Qingyu, who was standing by the door conversing with others.
Hearing the captain’s voice grow faintly manic, Qingyu hurried over to their side. Seeing the amiss atmosphere, he felt a mild headache.
These two really were more difficult to provoke than each other.
However, for a big shot to actually be willing to team up with them was practically like smoke rising from their ancestors’ graves, wasn’t it?
The captain himself did not even know how to exercise some restraint; could he please not set such high expectations for the big shot?
Did he seriously expect this solitary big shot to sleep in the exact same place as them? That was simply wishful thinking.
Qingyu did not realize that he had already been completely won over by Yun Qingzhou. Without the slightest hesitation, he stood entirely on Yun Qingzhou’s side, tearing his own captain’s behavior to shreds.
Realizing that he had been a bit too impulsive, Li Lin sheepishly let go of the hand gripping Yun Qingzhou and murmured an apology.
Yun Qingzhou turned his head away coldly, only leaving behind a sentence as he stepped out of the shop doorway:
“Let me say this again, my name is Zhou Qing.”
Li Lin lowered his head, standing in place looking somewhat lost. A moment later, as if thinking of something, he raised his head with glowing eyes, took two long strides, and exited the shop.
With Li Lin gone, someone finally walked over to Qingyu, nudged his shoulder, and asked:
“Who was that person in white just now? The captain seemed to care about him a lot.”
“Yeah, the captain called him Xiao Zhou, but as far as I know, the name Xiao Zhou is… The captain is not treating that person as a substitute, is he?”
Qingyu shrugged helplessly, his tone carrying a hint of unkindness:
“As far as you know, only the vice-captain was ever called Xiao Zhou by the captain, right? But the captain is really something else, how could he…”
How could he treat the big shot as a substitute for the vice-captain?
The second half of the sentence was choked back down Qingyu’s throat, a lingering fear gripping his heart that the captain’s actions might drive the big shot away in anger.
Li Lin had no idea that his few words just now had caused his team members to mistakenly believe that he was treating Zhou Qing as a substitute for Yun Qingzhou.
He only knew that he had followed closely behind the youth as he exited the shop, yet how was it that not even a shadow of a person was in sight after coming out?
Growing instantly nervous, Li Lin scanned his surroundings with an anxious expression, hoping to catch the slightest trace of the youth.
“Looking for me?”
The cold voice, reminiscent of a freezing pool, rang out from directly above him. A look of joy washed over Li Lin’s face as he looked up to see the youth sitting casually on the roof, gazing quietly down at him with those emotionless eyes.
Without asking for the youth’s opinion, Li Lin kicked off the ground, putting strength into his lower legs, and easily leaped up onto the roof, casually taking a seat right beside the youth.
Yun Qingzhou instantly regretted speaking up. He had not wanted to bother with the male protagonist, but seeing this fellow standing at the door looking pale and heartbroken, he could not help but soften a bit.
After all, the other person was originally a universally revered, exceptionally powerful Son of Destiny who should have naturally been cold and unfeeling, yet time and time again, he ended up sad and grieving because of him, lowering all his boundaries.
He was merely a tool character, a quick-transmigration mission runner.
When Li Lin came up, he sat at a distance of about two fists away from him, which Yun Qingzhou did not mind. But how was it that within those few seconds while his thoughts were drifting, the man’s warm arm pressed right against his own?
Sensing the man drawing closer, the youth furrowed his brow, shifted a bit further away, and spoke in an icy tone: “Do not get so close to me.”
Perhaps because Li Lin believed from the bottom of his heart that the youth before him had simply lost his memory, his thick-skinned nature kicked in.
Although he did not press against the youth’s arm again, he nevertheless caught hold of the youth’s sleeve, which was fluttering in the evening breeze, in an ambiguous manner. The corners of his mouth parted into a gentle smile, his tone lifting:
“What happened earlier was my fault. It is just that your aura was far too similar to an old acquaintance of mine, which led to my transgression. But now, I already know you are not him.”
“I also know you are very powerful. If we cooperate, barring any accidents, we will clear this instance before long.”
“So, are you willing to cooperate with me?”
Li Lin extended his hand once more. Under the hazy moonlight, that handsome face looked like the handiwork of a deity, uninhibited and dazzling.
Giving the person beside him a baffled glance, Yun Qingzhou grasped Li Lin’s hand without the slightest hesitation: “Mn.”
Since he finally had a justifiable opportunity to blend into the male protagonist’s team, and it was being offered by the male protagonist himself, why not take it?
Yun Qingzhou tried to pull his hand back from the man’s grasp, only to discover that his hand was still being tightly gripped.
Playing this trick again?
A wave of displeasure washed over the youth as he raised his eyes to look at Li Lin, only to find the expression on Li Lin’s face completely natural, as if he had not committed this action at all.
Noticing Yun Qingzhou looking at him, Li Lin chuckled with a trace of embarrassment and released his hand.
Once his hand was freed, Yun Qingzhou quickly tucked it behind his back.
Was it just his imagination?
He had just felt his hand being intentionally or unintentionally stroked twice by the person in front of him.
Yet if he were to ask, this guy definitely would not admit it, and might even try to turn things around on him.
Feeling somewhat aggrieved, Yun Qingzhou suddenly realized that the smile on this guy’s face was not apologetic at all; it was clearly a smug smile mixed with a hint of asking for a beating.