The atmosphere was somewhat awkward. Xie Yizhou lowered his eyes and sat there quietly, waiting to be kicked out.
The youth sat motionless with a straight back and downcast eyes, looking like someone who knew he had done wrong and was waiting for his sentence. He appeared quite pitiful.
Luo Yu could not bear it. “Forget it, we can just play by ourselves.”
He was afraid Gu Yulan would be displeased. After all, if he had not called the boy in, none of this would have happened. “Brother Lan, today was supposed to be about drinking with you. Your happiness is more important than anything else.”
Gu Yulan’s gaze fell upon the silent youth. Hearing Luo Yu’s words, his brow furrowed slightly. He could not help but glance over before getting up and leaving with a cold expression.
Luo Yu was left stunned by the glare, his mouth snapping shut. He thought to himself that it was just as he expected: Gu Yulan was truly angry!
About a minute or two later, something warm was suddenly thrust into his hand.
“Drink.”
Xie Yizhou looked at the cup in his hand, filled with a milky white liquid, and was momentarily stunned.
A rich fragrance wafted from the cup. He could not help but lean in to sniff it. It was a sweetness he had never smelled before.
He looked up at the man’s tall, slender back, his eyes full of astonishment. Shouldn’t he be chasing me out?
To his hungry stomach, the aroma of food was an irresistible temptation.
Gu Yulan sat down casually on the sofa on the other side and asked expressionlessly, “In your eyes, am I a bad person?”
The sudden scent of milk in the alcohol-soaked air, coupled with the abrupt question, made everyone freeze.
How should they answer? Of course, he was not “bad,” but he was not exactly a “good person” either. After all, Gu Yulan had an eccentric personality and was a well-known “mad dog” in their social circle.
Perhaps the wait for an answer was becoming too long.
Gu Yulan raised an eyebrow. His sharp eyes were full of pressure. Was this question that hard to answer?
Luo Yu’s heart jolted, and he immediately said, “Brother Lan, you are just too good of a person! That is why you suffered such a huge loss this time!”
“If you ask me, Su Jianyang is just an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. No matter how well you treat him, he will not see it. It has been two or three years; even a stone would have been warmed by now. Not to mention his years studying at Saint Cherry. How much did you help him with his family matters? Now that he has shown such ingratitude, how can we swallow this? The brothers came here today just to help you come up with a plan.”
“Right, right!” the people nearby chimed in.
“This matter cannot just be dropped like this.”
Perhaps because the youth was deaf, he was so quiet it was as if he did not exist. Even though they were saying these things in front of an outsider, the group did not mind.
Hearing these words, Gu Yulan’s face suddenly turned cold. He tilted his head back and drained his glass, his dark eyes looking chilling.
Xie Yizhou lowered his head and took a small sip of the liquid. A warmth immediately spread through his stomach, and soon his entire body felt warm.
He could not hear the voices, but through everyone’s expressions, he sensed a subtle change in the atmosphere.
[Host, they are giving Gu Yulan advice on how to deal with Su Jianyang.]
Xie Yizhou’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to take small sips of the milk. The feeling of his stomach being slowly filled with food was simply too wonderful.
[In the original story, they came up with a terrible idea. They had Gu Yulan cut off all help to Su Jianyang and find an 18th-tier starlet who looked similar to Su Jianyang. They planned to put on a show of affection to provoke Su Jianyang and make him regretful.]
[Who would have known that the starlet would be so arrogant? Thinking he had landed a big catch with Gu Yulan, he secretly tracked down Su Jianyang after finding out about him. He did not just flaunt his status; he caused a lot of trouble. This not only made Su Jianyang hate Gu Yulan even more but also strengthened his relationship with the male lead.]
As the food entered his stomach and the blood flowed to his digestive system, his brain felt a bit oxygen-deprived. In the warm room, Xie Yizhou’s senses became somewhat dull.
Facing the consistently indifferent youth, 0377 could not help but wail: [Dear, won’t you reconsider? Gu Yulan’s temper might be a bit bad, but he is actually a pretty good person. Don’t you think his ending is too tragic?]
“Have you guys heard about what happened in the circle recently?”
“Wasn’t there a famous ‘lick-dog’ in our circle? He pursued a ‘high-mountain flower’ for several years without success. Finally, he gave up and kept a little starlet, only for it to turn into true love. Everyone thought the matter had ended happily, but then came a twist. The high-mountain flower could not stand being ignored and came crawling back. Now the gossip between the three of them is everywhere. See how cheap that person is! When he held you in the palm of his hand, you did not cherish it. You only regret it once he stops loving you.”
After listening, Gu Yulan knit his brows, feeling that the words were pointed. He looked up and swept a cold glance over them.
Luo Yu coughed. “What I mean is, we can also find a little star to put on an act with. We can provoke Su Jianyang a bit. Do not let him be too proud. Let him know the consequences of losing you!”
Gu Yulan did not speak. His gaze landed on a spot in the void, seemingly considering the feasibility of this method.
Luo Yu added meaningfully, “People… you cannot be too good to them. If you are too good, they forget who they are. You have to keep them in check.”
Seeing that Gu Yulan still did not speak, Luo Yu continued excitedly, “Oh, right! I have already scouted an 18th-tier starlet for you. He looks a bit like that white-eye, I mean, Su Jianyang.”
As he spoke, he seemed to think of something. His eyes suddenly lit up as he looked toward the opposite side.
At this moment, the youth was holding the cup, taking small sips of milk. A soft glow fell upon him. His profile was exquisite and porcelain-white, his temperament clean and pure. In the moment he lowered his eyes, he looked particularly pure.
In any case, he looked simple and easy to fool.
No, he looked easy to talk to. Moreover, he was deaf and mute, easy to dismiss and easy to control. Wasn’t he the perfect tool?
Not to mention his looks and temperament. In what way was he not better than that ungrateful Su Jianyang? It was a total landslide! He could definitely make Su Jianyang feel utterly ashamed!
Gu Yulan followed Luo Yu’s gaze.
Perhaps under the influence of alcohol, the angle of the youth’s lowered head gave him a momentary sense of daze.
Sensing something while quietly drinking his milk, Xie Yizhou suddenly looked up. Those somewhat cool eyes gazed over, clear and bright.
They are different.
Their eyes met in mid-air. Gu Yulan felt as if he were being seen through. For a split second, he felt a twinge of guilt and quickly looked away.
He became even more certain that it was just a momentary illusion. The youth across from him, Shen Shuyi, was completely different from Su Jianyang.
The youth’s eyes were distinctively black and white, cleaner, purer, and devoid of any desire. They were like a spring of clear water. Any base or lowly thoughts seemed to have nowhere to hide in his presence.
“Do not get any crooked ideas.”
Seeing that Gu Yulan disagreed, Luo Yu let out a sigh of regret.
Xie Yizhou did not know what was happening. He looked over seriously, thinking the other person had something to say to him. After a moment of eye contact, seeing that the other did not speak, he withdrew his gaze.
[What exactly will it take for you to agree?] 0377 wailed. It was ready to give up.
Xie Yizhou stared at the empty milk glass and slightly curled his lips, saying nonchalantly, “It is simple if you want me to agree.”
What?
0377 was stunned. The sudden surprise made it stammer with excitement. [R-really?]
It did not know what had made Xie Yizhou suddenly change his mind.
0377 seemed to suddenly wise up: [Whatever requirements you have, just say them!]
Xie Yizhou’s fingertips lightly touched the glass, feeling the lingering warmth. “After the task is completed, the right to use this body belongs to me until natural death. During that time, you cannot appear or interfere with my life.”
He waited quietly for an answer. He did not want to be restrained. He wanted freedom.
“I want the initiative to choose the worlds.”
He did not want to become a tool that was driven around at will.
0377 hesitated, its body hovering in mid-air. Sure enough, after all the talk, it was still the one getting the short end of the stick! According to the rules, a host must immediately head to the next world after finishing a task.
But thinking about it, if the task was not completed, it would not just face a demotion. There was a risk the Mainframe would discover it had bound the wrong person. The punishment for that would be far worse than a demotion.
Seeing that Xie Yizhou was becoming easier to talk to, 0377 could not help but try to persuade him: [We can discuss this further. Let’s change the request. I can help you repair your hearing and give you a healthy body.]
Xie Yizhou did not speak. His crow-feather lashes fluttered slightly. He lifted his cool eyes to look at the system in mid-air and shook his head gently, his brow relaxing. “The initiative is with me, is it not?”
His tone was gentle, but it brooked no refusal.
0377 was speechless.
It truly had no leverage over Xie Yizhou. It had been in a passive position from the very beginning. Seeing Xie Yizhou’s firm attitude, it finally gritted its teeth and agreed.
[I promise you.]
“A pleasure doing business with you.”
The moment Xie Yizhou agreed, a burning sensation came from the back of his hand. He looked down and saw a complex totem suddenly appear on his skin. After a second or two, the totem merged into his flesh and disappeared.
Now, they were truly bound.
[Task Target: Gu Yulan. Current Fate Deviation: 1%.]
As the system’s voice faded, a task bar appeared before Xie Yizhou. It listed Gu Yulan’s information, with a 1% Fate Deviation marked at the top.
Does my appearance signify the beginning of the deviation in Gu Yulan’s fate?