Jing Yuan, I'm Serious

Watching Dan Heng's dejected retreating figure, Stelle closed her eyes, full of guilt, unable to bear watching any longer.

I'm sorry, Dan Heng.

A rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow.

The Express Crew was her final line. Unless she had absolutely no other choice—unless they were targets Aha had explicitly ordered her to pursue—Stelle truly didn't want to turn her claws on her companions.

After all, they still had to blaze trails together in the future. She certainly didn't want every moment to turn into a battlefield of love and jealousy.

With a faint sigh, she opened her eyes and met Jing Yuan's gaze.

The man was still smiling serenely, as though he had already seen through Stelle's intention of being alone with him.

"This isn't a place for talking. Why not accompany me back to the Cloud Knight Headquarters?"

"Okay."

Stelle rose to her feet, rubbed her round, stuffed belly, and followed Jing Yuan through the little lanes of the Chang'le Region back to the Cloud Knight Headquarters.

Within the Cloud Knight Headquarters, Jing Yuan dismissed everyone. The entire hall immediately fell silent and empty, leaving only the two of them.

"Please, have a seat. I'm not sure what kind of tea Stelle likes, so I took the liberty of brewing some black tea. If it doesn't suit your taste, please do tell me."

The man sat on the sofa beside Stelle, turning his head to look at the girl with warm, luminous eyes.

The general was an exceptionally clever man. During the gathering today, it had taken only one glance exchanged with the Trailblazer for him to realize that she wanted to be alone with him.

In the world of adults, especially between an unmarried man and woman, people ordinarily took great care to avoid suspicion. Yet now, they had come together like this.

Jing Yuan keenly sensed a change. He had a feeling that from this day onward, the relationship between himself and this unexpected piece on the board would undergo an earth-shaking transformation.

But what exactly that change was, he could not grasp.

Although Jing Yuan had taken a liking to the Trailblazer from the first moment he saw her, he had lived for over eight hundred years, while how old was Stelle?

He was not the sort of man who used the status of an elder to deceive a child. Thus, he had only been willing to care for and protect the Trailblazer as an older brother would.

Jing Yuan's calculations missed nothing—except one point.

He held his position and waited, but what if the one launching the offensive had never been him, but the other party?

"Ah, thank you, General."

Stelle accepted the teacup and took a sip.

Delicious!

The tea was excellent tea, but it was a little too hot.

That was also why Stelle didn't like drinking tea. What could possibly taste better than an ice-cold Immortal's Delight? She was Immortal's Delight's biggest fan and accepted no arguments!

Turning her head, Stelle met the general's bright golden eyes and, for no reason at all, suddenly felt guilty.

Wait, she wasn't ready yet!

This time, her target was Jing Yuan.

How could she? How dared she?!

Then Stelle suddenly remembered that she still had her "Elation Switch." It was her ultimate weapon, her one and only final trump card.

She also remembered Dan Heng's lonely, desolate figure as he left.

She couldn't keep her companion waiting too long.

Better to make this quick.

The sooner she won Jing Yuan over, the sooner she could go find Dan Heng. The longer she dragged things out, the more she feared Dan Heng would start overthinking.

Having made up her mind, Stelle looked at Jing Yuan and revealed an inscrutable smile.

Then, she gently activated the Elation Switch.

Jing Yuan watched Stelle smile at him. Before he could realize what that smile meant, she suddenly pounced on him and knocked him onto the sofa.

...Hm?!

Jing Yuan never guarded himself against his own people.

Yanqing and Fu Xuan, for example. And especially Dan Heng and the Trailblazer.

The man's upper body lay completely across the sofa, his arms held high above his head and tightly gripped by the Trailblazer. He tried to move, but could not break free at all.

Interesting.

Jing Yuan feigned surprise, intending to see what else Stelle wanted to do.

"Jing Yuan, I've liked you for a long time!"

The Trailblazer in her elated state was known for throwing straight balls.

The Trailblazer in her usual state was timid and hesitant, worrying one moment, Agh, this target is impossible to win over, and then thinking the next, This is so embarrassing. We already know each other so well—how are we supposed to get along afterward?

But the Trailblazer with the Elation Switch activated wasn't like that.

To hell with it—confess first and talk later.

She refused to believe anyone could resist surrendering to her charm.

Even if there was, she had plenty of ways to make him obediently stand at attention.

Aha: Could you stop making philosophical jokes? Who would understand any of that?!

Jing Yuan blinked softly.

His long, narrow lashes fluttered faintly, like a butterfly beating its wings.

It would have been a lie to say he was not pleasantly surprised, but Jing Yuan was not particularly happy.

The Trailblazer had merely moved her lips and confessed to him. But as a general, Jing Yuan had far more things to consider.

She was still far too young. She could avoid taking responsibility for the words she spoke, but what about him?

He could not possibly let the Trailblazer lead him around by the nose, becoming whatever Xing said he was.

So, absolutely not.

Jing Yuan maintained the position of lying on his back on the sofa after Xing had pushed him down. His gaze traced the girl's face before he finally revealed a smile that could be called extremely kind.

"Thank you for liking me."

What could Jing Yuan possibly say in a situation like this?

Reject her bluntly and forcefully? He could not bring himself to say it. The mere thought of the Trailblazer being devastated enough to lower her head and cry made him unable to utter such words no matter what.

Or should he play along as though joking and say, "Then I like you too. Trailblazer, you are quite endearing as well."

Those words would definitely cause a misunderstanding.

Since he was not planning to let her harbor any illusions, it would be better to shatter her hopes quickly.

So Jing Yuan decided to use this move—among adults, not readily agreeing was a tactful rejection.

He believed the Trailblazer would back off in the face of difficulty.

But unfortunately.

The Trailblazer merely had the appearance of an adult woman. The rules of adulthood did not apply to her at all.

Or rather, even if the Trailblazer knew she had been tactfully rejected, she would not let the matter rest.

She was determined to carry elation through to the end.

"Thank you? Is a verbal expression of gratitude all it is, General? Isn't that a little too perfunctory?"

The Trailblazer narrowed her eyes slightly and used only one hand to restrain both of Jing Yuan's wrists.

Originally, her strength was absolutely no match for Jing Yuan's, but who told her to activate the Elation Switch?

With the power of the Aeon of Elation empowering her, on top of being an Emanator of Elation herself—

Wouldn't dealing with a mere Jing Yuan be as easy as taking candy from a baby?

Jing Yuan: As if I'm not an Emanator too.

Her other free hand pinched Jing Yuan's cheeks, shaking them from side to side before naturally beginning to knead them with her fingers.

He was being toyed with in someone's palm like a kitten.

For no reason, such a thought surfaced in Jing Yuan's mind.

"Enough, Trailblazer. Stop fooling around and let go of me."

Setting everything else aside, Jing Yuan was exceptionally skilled at playing dumb. Whether he could muddle through this confession incident and turn the page remained to be seen.

"I'm not joking, Jing Yuan. I'm serious."

Xing's palm suddenly tightened, fiercely gripping Jing Yuan's chin with a force that could almost be called pinching.

"I will definitely win you over.

If I cannot get what I want, I will use every method you can possibly think of.

I'm the kind of person who never gives up until I achieve my goal. So prepare yourself, Jing Yuan."

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