Su Jun never dragged his feet. As soon as he found He Yunqing, he took him straight into the carriage. But this was He Yunqing’s first time riding in an ancient carriage, and he wasn’t used to it. On top of that, Su Jun was in a hurry, and the driver was tearing along at breakneck speed. The nausea churning in He Yunqing’s stomach felt like it was hollowing him out.
While he was feeling miserable, Su Jun said, “I’ll briefly explain the case to you first.”
He Yunqing answered weakly. Su Jun turned to look at him in puzzlement and saw his eyes tightly shut, his face frighteningly pale, and sweat pouring off him. Frowning, Su Jun asked, “What’s wrong? Are you getting motion sick?”
He didn’t have the strength to answer. Su Jun was even more surprised. “I remember bringing you to Cloudveil Sect when you were little. You didn’t have this problem then. How come you’ve grown up and become a little delicate?”
He was in no state to listen to Su Jun reminisce just then. Su Jun could see he was truly uncomfortable, but he had never dealt with anything like this before and didn’t know what to do. He paused to think, then said, “We’re in a hurry, so the carriage has to go faster. Bear with it for now. I won’t tell you about the case yet.”
He Yunqing hadn’t expected that from Su Jun and glanced at him. Su Jun was looking at him too. When he saw He Yunqing open his eyes, he took a handkerchief from his robes and handed it to him. “Here… wipe your sweat.”
He Yunqing was even more surprised. He hadn’t expected Su Jun to have a warm side at all. He took the handkerchief and began gently wiping himself.
But because he was feeling so unwell, he couldn’t put much strength into his movements. Su Jun watched him move so slowly and sighed in mild annoyance. He leaned over, took the handkerchief from He Yunqing’s hand, and began wiping his face.
Though Su Jun used quite a bit of force and his movements were a little rough, it was still a kind gesture. He Yunqing was still marveling at how different Su Jun was from what he had imagined when a “ding” sounded in his mind and the system suddenly popped up again.
[system: “Well? Do you feel any affinity yet?”]
[He Yunqing: “…Get lost. I don’t feel that kind of affinity. I just think this person might not be quite what I imagined.”]
[system: “Seize the opportunity. Hurry and make a good impression. Find a way to raise his affection points toward you.”]
[He Yunqing: “Then… if I use romance-targeting on him and leave afterward, would that work?”]
[system: “What are you thinking? If you do that, all the life points you’ve already gained will be wiped out. Here’s a friendly tip: the original host started with life points in the double digits, but he grew up constantly on the move and got sick, so his life points are now only in the single digits.”]
[He Yunqing: “Then what if romance-targeting him doesn’t work? Will I really die?”]
[system: “If romance-targeting him doesn’t work, there’s nothing to be done, unless you have the power to defy heaven and change the character’s fate, or the life points you’ve already gained can save you a little, enough to keep you from being killed with a single slash. Anyway, staying by the target’s side and gaining more life points is the way to go.”]
He Yunqing hadn’t planned to complete the mission properly. He had only wanted to run away, so he hadn’t asked about the details at all. Now, for once, he was a little shaken. But after hearing the system say that the consequences of using and then ditching this big shot would be so terrible, he still didn’t dare try it.
Now that his escape had failed, he would probably have to stay with Su Jun from then on. He Yunqing sighed inwardly and resigned himself to it. But he didn’t want to sacrifice himself for real, either, so he decided to find a way to stay by Su Jun’s side for a while and gain more life points. At the very least, he had to get them back into the double digits so he could feel a little more at ease.
*
At last, they reached their destination. After getting out of the carriage, He Yunqing took several deep breaths of fresh air. He felt a little better, and then heard Su Jun say, “So as not to attract attention, when there are other people around, just call me my lord. Don’t call me senior brother.”
“Okay.” He Yunqing nodded.
The carriage had stopped in front of a luxurious residence. The large, gleaming gold plaque was engraved with the words “Qian Residence.” Before they had even entered the gate, they heard someone inside loudly cursing, “Why hasn’t Lord Su come back yet? You little girl, what the hell do you know? I want to see Lord Su!”
Between the man’s cursing, his distinctly unfriendly tone, and the words on the plaque, He Yunqing suddenly remembered. The case he had stumbled into was this very one!