The Male Lead Who Never Likes to Eat (40)

Xie Yu slowly straightened his back and gathered Si Jiu into his arms.

Her body was ice-cold, as if the soft warmth he had once felt belonged to a past life.

It was only then that he realized with a start how long it had been since he had spoken a proper word to her or looked at her with genuine care. Just forty minutes ago, he had treated her so cruelly.

He imagined the pain she must have felt when she fell, and how she had managed to walk all the way back barefoot. Was she terrified in that final moment when she collapsed?

Xie Yu looked at her torn trousers, the skin on her knees scraped raw and stained with blood. His heart felt as though it had been gashed open by a blade, cold and aching as the wind rushed through the wound.

Mantou paced back and forth at their feet, barking incessantly in distress. Yet, this formidable man could only sit frozen on the floor, clutching his master, unable to do anything at all.

Meanwhile, in another dimension, Si Jiu found herself truly unable to escape under the absolute control of the dream’s master. No matter how she tried to hide, a single thought from Qi Yan would instantly return her to his arms—and always dressed in a way that would require censorship.

"What on earth triggered this, my dear?"

Why did it feel like, overnight, Qi Yan—who was usually flirty on the surface but pure enough at heart to reach a breaking point of emotional agitation from just a little teasing—was having such an explicit dream?

"Don't you love me? All those times you said you loved me, were you lying?" Qi Yan looked as if he were on the verge of tears. "Can't you even indulge me in a dream? You said you would cherish me."

He wore the most innocent expression while saying the most pitiful things, all while engaging in truly shameless, lewd behavior. This contrast was, dare I say, quite… no, no, no—quite subtle.

"Are you actually going to cry? You’re the one who wants to sleep with me, not the other way around. What the hell are you crying for!"

She shouldn't have said that; the moment she did, Qi Yan truly began to weep.

"You really were lying to me. You don't love me at all. If you loved me, you wouldn't have left me so cruelly."

Si Jiu: "..."

"But it doesn't matter! Every time you leave me, I will find you again. Even if you leave a hundred times, I will bring you back a hundred times."

He suddenly laughed.

"Even if it’s only in a dream, as long as I can see you, it’s enough. I am willing to sleep, to never wake up. I am willing to dream for an eternity."

Qi Yan, the actor whose smile was hailed by fans as the most healing in the industry, now wore a smile stained with tears that sent an inexplicable chill down Si Jiu’s spine. He kept stroking her throat, as if he could not bear to let go, pressing kisses to the skin there.

"Huanhuan, we will be together forever. I will never leave you."

An ominous premonition stirred in her heart.

"Qi Yan, what have you done? Have you lost your mind?"

A sharp alarm sounded in her mind, and the scene before her eyes began to distort.

[Ding... Plane X463 detected to be collapsing. Preparing for forced detachment. Ten, nine...]

Si Jiu was struck with disbelief.

Collapsing? Again?

"Qi Yan, Qi Yan..."

Qi Yan’s tearful smile shattered before her.

"Qi Yan!" Si Jiu cried out, snapping her eyes open.

"Woof, woof, woof..." Mantou barked happily.

Si Jiu took two deep breaths and reached out to pet Mantou, only to realize something was wrong. She was being held.

The person holding her was rigid and tense, from his arms to his chest, to an unbelievable degree. She turned her head and met the gaze of Xie Yu, whose eyes were indescribably deep.

[Holy crap!] Si Jiu felt her hair stand on end. She poked the system frantically in her mind. [When did he get here? How long has he been holding me? Does he... does he think I’m a reanimated corpse?]

The system replied weakly, [Dad, I came back with you. I just got out of the dark room, okay! How would I know? Waaah~]

If it weren't for that wretched dark room, it would have sensed the state of the plane and prevented the male lead from encountering this "resurrection of the dead" scenario.

How could they explain this? If the male lead pierced through the "peculiarities" of Si Jiu, the main system would judge them to be in violation and have them deported from this plane.

[Don't panic, I'll test him,] Si Jiu thought.