Ye Feiran didn’t agree with Jefferson’s ideas and flatly rejected him. Their conversation ended on a sour note, with both leaving unhappy. But Jefferson, driven by his desires, didn’t give up. Using some underhanded methods, he boldly plotted against Ye Feiran.

Before committing his crime, he even bought a plane ticket to return home, clearly planning to leave immediately after getting what he wanted.

Of course, Ye Feiran, with his perseverance and intelligence, didn’t let him succeed. At the same time, Si Chu also saw through the boy who asked him for help, realizing he had ulterior motives, and deliberately stalled him to buy time.

At the critical moment, Si Chu arrived just in time, saving the distraught Ye Feiran and giving Jefferson a good beating.

In short, it was a thrilling but safe romantic story.

After hearing Xiao Nian’s recount, Xiao Zhenyun found it hard to understand why such a melodramatic plot was important. The hero-saving-damsel trope had been overused in various novels; adding one more didn’t make much difference.

“What happens next in the story after the bad guy who drugged the male lead 2 is beaten?” Xiao Nian asked helplessly.

“Turn him over to the police?” Si Di, who had a strong sense of justice, answered, but then immediately switched to a lawless tone, “I’m more interested in the drug that made Xiao Fei so distressed. Can I ask Jefferson for some?”

Xiao family father and son: “…”

Xiao Nian, with a headache, said, “The focus isn’t on the bad guy; it’s on what happens next with the main characters!”

“What happens next?” Xiao Zhenyun threw the question back, “I really don’t remember. Are you sure this part is in the original text?”

“Yes.” Xiao Nian answered firmly, then mumbled something softly. Xiao Zhenyun immediately sensed there was more to the story and asked suspiciously, “Just say it, stop beating around the bush.”

Xiao Nian smirked, “Ye Feiran was drugged, so naturally, there’s going to be a steamy scene with Si Chu!”

“There’s definitely no such scene in the book.” Xiao Zhenyun declared confidently, “Otherwise, I would remember it.”

Si Di, who had been distracted, suddenly lifted his head, narrowing his eyes and gripping the blanket, asking mischievously, “Why would you definitely remember a steamy scene between Si Chu and Ye Feiran? Are you particularly interested in this?”

“Starting with plain water and suddenly veering into driving a car in a novel would surely leave a lasting impression, right?” Xiao Zhenyun held Si Di’s hand. “Don’t fidget.”

At a certain moment, Xiao Nian’s expression seemed to show a strong desire to kill, but after reaching that peak, he suddenly became extraordinarily indifferent, as if he might pull out a wooden fish and start knocking on it the next second.

In a detached tone, he calmly explained, “Because the novel describes it very subtly and briefly, but it clearly states that Ye Feiran and Si Chu couldn’t control themselves and enthusiastically went through an entire box of Azure Cloud condoms…”

“…That’s unrealistic,” Xiao Zhenyun reminded him. “Two normal men would hardly use up a whole box of Azure Cloud condoms in one night, unless you’re saying they used them to fill water balloons in the toilet.”

“…” Xiao Nian fell silent for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He grabbed a hardcover book and flipped through it quickly. “Doing the plot as you described doesn’t seem too…”

Then came a turning point:

“Okay, no, there is a passage in the book that goes like this: In the past, Ye Feiran wasn’t keen on intimacy, even shy about mentioning his desires, but on this night, he could attribute everything to the effects of the drugs, unabashedly demanding. They openly expressed their desire and admiration for each other’s bodies, blending in water and sweat, they seemed like wild beasts only coming alive under the abandonment of reason and shame, delving deeper into each other’s true feelings.”

“Si Chu only discovered tonight that his guide could have such a wild side, and it was only at this moment that Ye Feiran truly understood his sentinel. As they moved seamlessly together, their hearts also connected in that instant.”

Xiao Nian put down the book. “Can filling water balloons achieve this kind of soul connection?”

Xiao Zhenyun and Si Di: “…”

Tian Lu jumped out of the spiritual domain, not of its own accord this time, but in response to its master’s call. It turned around in confusion and saw Xiao Zhenyun pointing to the small sofa at the foot of the bed. “Go fetch the clothes over there.”

Tian Lu: “…” You sure know how to command a spiritual body to do chores!

“Now what?” Si Di got up and handed Xiao Zhenyun his prosthetic limb. “Last night, for some reason, it was Xiao Chu who saved Jefferson, and Xiao Fei was chasing after you. Before Jefferson woke up, he ran off. Those two probably didn’t even see each other.”

“Then let’s intentionally create opportunities for them to meet today,” Xiao Zhenyun skillfully adjusted his prosthetic limb around his leg. “It’s obvious Jefferson is superficially attracted, the focus isn’t on saving him, but on his attraction to Ye Feiran’s looks or figure. As long as they meet again today, Jefferson will probably take the bait easily.”

The more Si Di thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. “Zhenyun… What if, under our intervention, we accidentally let Jefferson succeed? Wouldn’t that be a bigger mistake?”

“…It shouldn’t come to that,” Xiao Zhenyun replied uncertainly.

“…I just feel like what we’re doing isn’t quite right,” Si Di said with a chuckle.

In the floating screen, Xiao Nian couldn’t help but dampen their spirits, “But what if, without a fixed time and scene, Jefferson just doesn’t take the bait?”

“In that case…” Xiao Zhenyun put on a thick wool sweater, turning to ask thoughtfully, “…Si Di, can you disguise yourself?”

“No,” Si Di’s wolf ears twitched, asking cautiously, “What do you want me to do?”

Xiao Zhenyun didn’t answer him directly, just said, “Forget it… we’ll see when the time comes.”

After finishing his morning routine, Xiao Zhenyun started to worry about how to contact Jefferson, while Si Di called Si Chu first, inviting them out for breakfast and mentioning that after hearing Xiao Chu’s touching and thought-provoking advice last night, he had many thoughts and wanted to discuss them.

Unexpectedly, Si Chu hesitated for a long time and reluctantly declined Si Di’s breakfast invitation.

“Brother, I really want to go, but… we’ve already left the hotel an hour ago.” Si Chu’s voice was still quite windy on the other end, “Our plan for today is to climb Truna Mountain, camp overnight at the summit, and descend tomorrow… Brother, we’re already at the foot of the mountain… How about we have a heart-to-heart talk tomorrow night?”

Truna Mountain? Si Di gave Xiao Zhenyun a look, who then glanced at Xiao Nian.

Yes, Xiao Nian nodded, mouthing: “The original plot was Truna Mountain.”

Si Di thought of something. Even though they had disrupted the plot last night, what if by some twist of fate, they ended up back where they started?

He asked, “Just you and Ye Feiran?”

“No, there’s one more,” Si Chu’s response on the other end of the call brought a huge surprise to the three of them. “His name is Jefferson Barlow, the foreigner who passed out from low blood sugar in the hot spring last night. We bumped into him this morning when Feiran and I were leaving, and it turns out he’s headed to the mountain too, so we decided to go together.”

Just then, a man’s voice with an odd accent came from the other end, “Oh, Chu, who are you chatting with? Watch your step.”

“It’s my brother,” Si Chu replied enthusiastically. “You met him last night too.”

“Your brother? Oh, I remember him.” Jefferson also overly warmly greeted the terminal. “Chu’s brother, hello, I’m Jefferson Barlow. Thank you very much for saving me last night.”

Si Di exchanged a few casual greetings with him, then Si Chu immediately asked Si Di if he wanted to join them in climbing the mountain. They could have a candlelit chat in the tent at the summit. Si Di declined immediately, “You three have fun… Barlow isn’t familiar with the area, so take care of him and Xiao Fei.”

“Oh, Chu’s been very kind to me,” Jefferson shouted from afar.

After ending the call, Xiao Zhenyun keenly sensed a subtle tone in Jefferson’s attitude, but he didn’t know where to start. What’s more, the key issue was: “The plot seems to… be unchanged from the original?”

Xiao Nian’s expression became even more puzzled. “How is that possible? The plot only veers off course behind my back, and now it’s back on track when I’m not aware?”

“It just goes to show that the plot has grown up,” Xiao Zhenyun said satisfactorily.

Xiao Nian: “…”

“Alright, let’s just wait and see. If everything continues according to the original text, we won’t need to do anything,” he said. “In the future, I’ll briefly explain the plot to you every other week to ensure there won’t be any more unexpected collisions like last night.”

Xiao Zhenyun didn’t disagree. He didn’t want to end up in a situation like last night, being chased by Ye Feiran and having to hide chaotically.

Now that he knew Si Chu and Ye Feiran were an hour’s drive away at Truna Mountain, Xiao Zhenyun’s actions immediately became assertive. Today, he didn’t wear that thick white down jacket anymore; instead, he put on a black cycling suit and looked cool, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth and leather gloves on his hands. He even wore a string of turquoise beads on his wrist, looking very trendy.

Si Di looked at the street motorcycle straddled between his legs and took the helmet handed to him with a smile, “Impressive, you can even ride a motorcycle. Who would have thought our frail and sickly vice-chairman would look like this in private? Even if Xiao Jingfeng stood in front of you, he might not recognize you.”

“Last time I saw Hedgehog Riding, I was itching for a ride,” Xiao Zhenyun stubbed out his cigarette. “Come on up, Little Uncle will take you for a spin.”

Before Si Di could get on the motorcycle, Tai Ji leaped out first, energetically occupying the back seat of Xiao Zhenyun’s bike, wagging its tail for him to take it for a ride. Tian Lu immediately jumped out as well, unwilling to be outdone, trying to squeeze itself between Xiao Zhenyun’s arms.

Si Di: “…”

Three minutes later, he managed to sit on Xiao Zhenyun’s motorcycle with the exceptional strength of an S-level sentinel, while a wolf and a deer chased wildly behind the bike.

Xiao Zhenyun didn’t drive fast. Tai Ji and Tian Lu, one on the left and one on the right, could keep up with the speed of the motorcycle perfectly. The sound of deer hooves and wolf claws hitting the road was crisp and pleasant. Xiao Zhenyun accompanied them for a while, then chuckled lightly, “Hold on tight.”

As the hands wrapped around his waist tightened, he suddenly accelerated, swiftly leaving the wolf and deer behind.

That night, Xiao Zhenyun caught a cold from the wind, and his voice became hoarse.

Si Di gave him a cold medicine, “So why did you go out wearing so little?”

Xiao Zhenyun, wrapped in a down jacket, sipped hot water, “You weren’t saying that when you were hugging my waist this morning, sitting behind me on the bike, and praising me for being handsome, so handsome that you were practically drooling.”

“Stop talking, your voice sounds like a duck’s.”

“…,” Xiao Zhenyun’s throat was indeed uncomfortable, so he obediently shut his mouth.

The next day, his sore throat worsened, and his voice turned into a genuine duck’s croak.

Si Di was both concerned and amused. He went downstairs to the restaurant to buy porridge for him. Xiao Zhenyun was sitting at the table, about to open the lid of the thermos to eat, when the door was knocked again, less than half a minute after Si Di entered the room.

“Who is it?” Si Di cautiously walked to the door to ask. Xiao Zhenyun reached for his mask, ready to put it on at any moment. The next moment, he saw Si Di frown, turn around, and point to the toilet cubicle, gesturing for him to go in quickly.

Without a word, Xiao Zhenyun took the porridge and went into the restroom.

Si Di: “…”

He opened the door and outside, Si Chu, with tears brimming in his eyes, saw his familiar relative and couldn’t hold back anymore. He rushed into Si Di’s arms, crying out loud, “Brother!”

Si Di had heard the trembling in Si Chu’s voice before opening the door, but he hadn’t expected the little dog to cry so hard. He quickly embraced Si Chu, closed the door, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

… If Si Chu is crying like this, could it be that Ye Feiran really let Jefferson succeed?

Hello, everyone ヾ(^∇^). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ