Jiang Xun sat on the sofa opposite him, his arms and legs weak. With his knees together and his hands resting on them, he looked perfectly well-behaved.
At Fu Yanli's question, he couldn't stop nodding.
He was afraid of snakes. Deathly afraid.
Ji Yuntian must have known that and deliberately used it to get revenge. As the saying went, strike where it hurt.
Still, Jiang Xun hadn't expected the aloof Fu Yanli to visit him, let alone bring fruit. Chu Xingye's uncle was surprisingly nice.
As for the fruit Ji Yuntian had brought, he wouldn't touch a single bite. Who knew whether it had been poisoned?
Fu Yanli poured a glass of water and handed it to Jiang Xun. He watched him take a few sips, casually wipe the water from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, then press his damp lips together.
"Little Jiang Xun, are you all right?"
A woman's voice suddenly came from outside, accompanied by the clack of high heels against the floor.
Jiang Xun looked in surprise at Ye Jing as she walked in. The weather had turned cooler, but she still wore a long dress with a knitted cardigan over it. Holding a bouquet, she looked as goddess-like as ever, her steps graceful.
He hurried to his feet. "Auntie, did you come with Uncle?"
"Yes, I was taking a call outside just now." Ye Jing handed him the bouquet and looked with concern at the wound on his forehead. "I heard you slipped on a watermelon rind. It's nothing serious, is it?"
Jiang Xun: "..."
He forced a smile as he took the flowers, gently brushing the soft petals with his fingertips. Watermelon rinds and I are sworn enemies for life.
"It's fine. Just a cut."
He'd been wondering why Fu Yanli would come visit him. So he'd come with Ye Jing. That made sense.
Ye Jing didn't stay long either. After chatting with Jiang Xun for a little while, she received another call and had to get back to work.
After hanging up, she turned to Fu Yanli with a smile on her strikingly beautiful face, her eyes brimming with charm. "Yanli, give me a ride," she said softly.
Fu Yanli pressed his lips together. "All right."
Ye Jing affectionately took her husband's arm and waved to Jiang Xun. "Xiao Xun, we'll be off, then."
"Okay. Take care, Uncle, Auntie."
Jiang Xun stood in the doorway and watched the couple leave. From that modest distance, even their backs looked perfectly matched.
Ah-ha, more shipping fodder.
Chu Xingye would be so jealous.
Jiang Xun stretched and returned to his room. The moment he flopped onto the sofa, his right eyelid twitched.
A twitch in the left eye meant money.
A twitch in the right eye meant intermittent, involuntary clonic spasms of the orbicularis oculi and facial nerve controlled by the brain.
Jiang Xun waved it off. Nothing to worry about.
He picked up his phone and checked the date: October 15. Something in his brain suddenly twitched along with his eyelid. A thought flashed past, but when he tried to catch it, it was gone.
Jiang Xun propped up his chin and gnawed on his index finger's knuckle, racking his brains.
Six-Six-Six had to remind him: [Main mission.]
Realization hit Jiang Xun like a thunderbolt, and he sprang to his feet. Today was the day the protagonist bottom, Lin Jian, first met the Third Male Lead, Bai Lian!
In the original novel, Lin Jian had come across Bai Lian while working part-time. Debt collectors had chased and beaten him, leaving him injured and barely alive, and Lin Jian had helped him out of sympathy.
From then on, Bai Lian had secretly fallen for the protagonist bottom.
Little Bitter Gourd was about to make his entrance.
Jiang Xun checked the time. One in the afternoon. In the original novel, Lin Jian met Bai Lian at two today.
His hand shook, and he nearly dropped his phone.
Fuck, I'm running out of time.
Phone in hand, Jiang Xun bolted outside, only to double back moments later. He frantically stripped off his hospital clothes, changed into his usual outfit, and resumed his mad dash.
Lin Jian's family struggled financially. Besides his weekend job at the café, he had other part-time jobs.
Every day at noon, he spent two hours serving food at a restaurant near campus.
Downstairs, a silver-gray Aston Martin slowly pulled out of the hospital parking lot and joined the traffic.
In the driver's seat, Fu Yanli rested one hand on the steering wheel, his long fingers slightly curled, their joints defined and strong.
His deep-set eyes remained on the road ahead, but out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted a slender figure standing by the roadside. In weather of around twenty degrees, he wore only a simple short-sleeved T-shirt and trousers.
He had been standing at his hospital room's door in patient clothes, seeing Fu Yanli and Ye Jing off just moments ago. Now he was out by the road.
Fu Yanli's expression shifted slightly, and he drove toward him.
A cool breeze swept past. Jiang Xun, who was about to hail a cab to campus, rubbed his arms against the chill. He'd left in such a rush that he'd forgotten his jacket.
Before long, a luxury car stopped in front of him.
The driver's window slowly lowered, revealing an unforgettably handsome profile.
"Get in."
Jiang Xun froze for a moment, then eagerly jogged around to the passenger side, opened the door, and climbed in.
As he fastened his seat belt, he said, "Uncle, sorry for the trouble, but could you take me to A University?"
Time was tight. There was no room for pleasantries.
Fu Yanli didn't ask why. He simply set the car in motion.
Jiang Xun wiped the cold sweat from his face and stared tensely at the time on his phone. Only after a long while did he lift his head.
It was then that he noticed something was off. Hadn't Ye Jing asked Fu Yanli to give her a ride? Why wasn't she in the car?
"Uncle, why isn't Auntie with you?"
Fu Yanli turned on the heater. "She had something else to do."
Jiang Xun murmured an acknowledgment and didn't think much of it.
The car gradually warmed up, but Jiang Xun remained tense. Belatedly, he remembered to explain himself. "Something urgent came up, so I need to go back to campus."
He licked his dry lips and gave an awkward laugh. "I'm not taking up your time, am I?"
Fu Yanli glanced at him, lightly tapped the steering wheel with a fingertip, and said evenly, "It's fine."
The young man's emotions were written all over his face, plain to see. Whatever had him so anxious had made him rush out of the hospital despite his injury.
Fu Yanli didn't ask. He simply drove faster.
Half an hour later, the Aston Martin stopped outside A University's east gate, drawing the attention of passing students.
Jiang Xun thanked him and got out.
He stood there until the car drove away, then broke into a run toward the restaurant.
Lin Jian was still working there. The lunch rush had passed, and only a handful of customers remained.
Lin Jian, who was wiping down a table, was surprised to see Jiang Xun. He immediately stopped working and came out to meet him.
"Jiang Xun, weren't you hospitalized after getting hurt? What are you doing here?"
He looked worriedly at the gauze around his friend's forehead. "How is it? Does it hurt?"
"It's fine. Just a minor injury."
Jiang Xun was still slightly out of breath. He wiped the sweat from his face, relieved that he'd made it in time.
"I happened to be passing by, so I thought I'd drop in. When do you finish? I'll wait, and we can head back to campus together."
"Sure. About twenty more minutes. Have a seat."
Jiang Xun ordered a drink and sipped it absently as he thought things over.
Little Bitter Gourd had been injured in a quiet alley near the restaurant. The alley was a shortcut back to campus, and Lin Jian often took it when he was pressed for time.
All he had to do was avoid going that way later.
Easy.
Relaxed now, Jiang Xun chewed on his straw. Just then, Jiang Huaijin called.
"Jiang Xun, where have you gone? You're not in your room."
Watching Lin Jian work, Jiang Xun answered his older brother, "Back to campus, obviously. I love studying."
Jiang Huaijin said, "Speak normally."
Jiang Xun said, "I don't like staying in the hospital. Don't worry, I really am fine."
I could even run eight hundred meters back and forth.
Hearing how energetic he sounded, Jiang Huaijin wasn't too worried.
"Oh, right, bro," Jiang Xun said. "Help me look after the dog I brought home."
He'd originally planned to take the puppy to a pet shop near campus for boarding today, then find him an owner later. Who could have expected this accident?
Jiang Xun's smile held an ambiguous edge. "Don't worry. He's staying in my room and won't run around. Just feed him."
"Mm... I'll come back tomorrow and take him away."
What he meant was that he wouldn't trigger his brother's delicate little Zixing's allergies.
Naturally, Jiang Huaijin caught his meaning. He pressed his lips together and was silent for a moment before replying, "It's fine. I'll look after him. There's no rush."
Still preoccupied with his mission, Jiang Xun didn't linger on the phone with this brother he'd acquired out of nowhere. He thanked him and promptly hung up.
Before long, Lin Jian finished work too. He needed to get back to campus for his afternoon classes.
"Jiang Xun, I know a shortcut back to campus. It cuts the distance in half."
Jiang Xun tossed his empty drink cup into the bin. "No hurry. We still have time."
"I want to get something from Lin's Pastry Shop. Come with me."
Lin Jian was always easygoing. Without giving it much thought, he readily agreed.
The pastry shop was in the opposite direction from the alley, and its pastries were pretty good. Jiang Xun browsed the shelves, picking things out.
He'd successfully prevented the protagonist bottom from meeting the Third Male Lead.
As for the Third Male Lead... Jiang Xun didn't want to meddle. He was lazy. Why make trouble for himself for no reason?
I don't have morals or a conscience anyway.
After paying, the two of them had just stepped out of the shop when Jiang Xun abruptly stopped. His expression shifted several times, turning utterly grim.
[Ding-Congratulations, Host. You have triggered a random mission: rescue Bai Lian from the debt collectors and take him home.] [Successful completion rewards 1,000 points. Failure results in a randomly selected punishment.] [Mission begins. Countdown: one hour...]
"..."
Jiang Xun cursed inwardly. He should have known the mission wouldn't be so simple.
"Jiang Xun, what's wrong?"
"Something urgent just came up. Go back to campus without me."
Jiang Xun shoved the bag of pastries into Lin Jian's hands and took off running.
I'm still a patient! Could Old Six have a little conscience?
Six-Six-Six replied modestly: [Not much of one. I take after my Host.]
"..." Jiang Xun gritted his teeth and kept sprinting for his life.
A few minutes later, he stopped in front of the quiet alley, bracing his hands on his knees and panting. Only after catching his breath did he cautiously venture inside.
When he reached a corner, he faintly heard a commotion farther in. With only his right ear functioning normally, Jiang Xun couldn't make out what was being said.
He crouched down to hide and stealthily peeked around the corner.