That Top Male Lead Who Hates Eating (62)

Xie Yu had clearly made some kind of decision. However, he did not speak of it to Si Jiu, and she did not ask.

Her delivery mission was complete, and the progress bar that had lingered in the top-left corner of her vision finally ceased to be an eyesore. During this period, thanks to Si Jiu’s special "appetite-inducing" techniques, the fans who listened to her live streams had all gained weight. Even Xie Yu was no longer as indifferent toward food as he once was.

When the notification for a successful delivery first arrived, the system had asked if she wanted to leave the current world. At that moment, the words "leave" were already on the tip of her tongue. Yet, she couldn't help but recall how, every night during this time, Xie Yu would wake up several times just to quietly lean in and listen to her heartbeat. For some reason, the word wouldn't come out. The system acted as if nothing had happened and did not ask again.

The bedtime stories continued. With the buff of her "Voice of Captivation" golden finger, Si Jiu suspected that there was no one in this world who could resist the voice he projected when he intentionally turned on the charm. It wasn't just intoxicating; it was addictive. It could make one’s legs go weak and their heart soften, leaving them unable to stop. It was practically poisonous.

Moreover, Si Jiu discovered that Xie Yu, having been ill for so long, had become a doctor of sorts and had intuitively learned hypnosis. His treatment with Dr. Wen had actually become increasingly ineffective, yet Dr. Wen remained completely oblivious, even believing that everything was going smoothly under the influence of Xie Yu’s hypnotic suggestions. Si Jiu watched this unfold silently through the system’s real-time monitoring. She felt that Xie Yu’s current mental state was extremely dangerous. Occasionally, when she would wake up in the middle of the night and unexpectedly lock eyes with his dark, swirling gaze as he stared at her, Si Jiu would always feel a chill crawl up her scalp.

Another morning came.

Si Jiu was awakened from her sleep by Xie Yu.

"So early?" Si Jiu rubbed her eyes and turned to look out the window; the sky was just barely beginning to brighten.

Xie Yu had one leg bent against the edge of the bed, his hands braced on either side of Si Jiu’s body. He looked down at her, his long, narrow eyes rimmed with a thin mist, his face wearing an expression caught between tears and composure.

Si Jiu’s heart skipped a beat.

[Kiddo, help me check where Qi Yan is.]

The system replied instantly: [Isn't he right in front of you?] *Tsk tsk tsk. So damn thrilling.*

Si Jiu: "..."

"Huanhuan," he leaned closer to her, "I’ve found you."

"Why are you looking for me?"

Qi Yan: "..."

System: [...] *Holy crap, that’s cold.*

This sentence was immediately effective; tears instantly rolled down Qi Yan’s cheeks. He truly lived up to his reputation as an award-winning actor. He cried in a way that was quite pitiful.

Si Jiu was deeply moved, and then she pushed him away.

"What did you do?"

"Huanhuan, hold me."

"Aren't you going to apologize to me?" Qi Yan asked, his eyes reddened. "If you hold me, I’ll forgive you for everything."

*Forgive you for our sudden parting by death, forgive you for rejecting me in my dreams, and forgive you for the pain of seeing you held by others and smiling at them.*

"What do I need your forgiveness for?"

In any case, the golden finger that was supposed to belong to you had eventually been handed over. Wait—if she remembered correctly, Qi Yan’s golden finger was...

Qi Yan: "Mind-reading. That’s right."

His eyelashes were still stained with tears, but his lips were curled into a smile.

"So, I can forgive you for coming to my side with a hidden agenda and then discarding me like a worn-out shoe once you achieved your goal. Huanhuan, do you think you need my forgiveness now?"

The system let out a shriek in Si Jiu’s mind.

Si Jiu’s gaze turned icy, and she looked at Qi Yan without a hint of warmth: "How much do you know?"

Qi Yan had never been looked at by her with such eyes before. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, followed by a wave of panic. At that moment, a desperate instinct for survival surged within him, leading him to make the most calculated response.

"I... I don't know much. Your inner voice is very difficult to read. I can only hear fragments occasionally. Sometimes, an entire sentence will have many words that get automatically blocked."

System: [Boo hoo, I almost lost a year of my life~ But Qi Yan is such a wimp! He was so domineering just a second ago, and now he’s folded immediately.]

Si Jiu ignored the system, which was pretending to be playful to lighten the mood. She only believed half of what Qi Yan said. It was possible that some keywords were being blocked, preventing him from hearing them. The Management Bureau’s ability to protect core secrets was beyond doubt. However, she did not believe that Qi Yan’s own inner voice was difficult to read. She had already experienced the golden fingers produced by the Bureau in Qi Yan’s timeline. Furthermore, if it were truly just fragments, Qi Yan wouldn't be able to say things like her coming to his side with a mission.

But Qi Yan’s attitude was enough.