Chapter 45: Habitual Foreplay…

Crossing the threshold, Lin Jianxi stepped into the smooth courtyard paved with bluestones. A gentle breeze wafted through, carrying faint scents of flowers. It tugged at the slightly oversized clothes draping his frame, revealing his slender, pale wrists.

In his hand, he gripped a watering can, his fingers trembling faintly as if the water inside weighed far too much.

Its owner seemed utterly oblivious, his face calm and expressionless as he focused single-mindedly on tending the flowers.

The System perched on his shoulder, prodding him. “Hey, is this how boring your days off get? It’s been a whole week now—just watering flowers and sleeping.”

“Lazy.” Lin Jianxi set the watering can down on the stone table nearby.

“Don’t you work?”

“No job.”

“!” The System sounded shocked. “How’s that possible? I thought you were super capable.”

Lin Jianxi fetched a scoop of cat food and crouched down to pour it into a porcelain bowl. His lashes lowered as he said, “Just facts. I’ve done all sorts of jobs—stuff like in the First World. Company supervisor, office clerk, janitor, even consultant. None lasted long.”

“Consultant?”

“Yeah, for the government.”

“Po—police??”

The Little Cat came scampering from nearby, rubbing against his palm. Lin Jianxi stroked its head and said, “Not really police. I don’t catch criminals. Just show up to meetings now and then, say a few words. Lasted one month.”

“Why didn’t any of them stick? I bet you were great at every one.”

“Boring.” Lin Jianxi stood up. “As a kid, I loved reading, but school pressure forced me to drop it. All my teachers said college would be better, but college was busier. Then I thought work would fix it, but work was busy too—busy with no meaning. Unless you’re some kind of prodigy, you can never climb past the higher-ups. Just boring. Couldn’t even read anymore. Days full of nothing.”

The three months before entering the Small World—he’d taken the consultant gig by some stroke of luck. The daily routine was the same, but dealing with different, “special” people made it interesting. Chatting with them, guiding them—it gave a sense of accomplishment. But eventually laziness won out, and he quit. “Then you showed up, and I figured the Small World would let me meet all sorts of people. Maybe the consultant experience gave me the confidence, so I wanted to save people there, change their endings. But the further I got, the more I realized how naive I’d been.

“Most things in this world can’t be changed.” Lin Jianxi sat by the stone table. “That’s why I’m lazy. I don’t even know what to do. Everything’s boring. Nothing has meaning.”

“But that’s not what you said before…”

“What did I say?”

The System was about to reply when the wail of police sirens cut through the air. Moments later, Lin Jianxi spotted several uniformed officers hurrying past the front gate.

“What’s going on?” Lin Jianxi asked.

“I’ll check.”

The System zipped off, returning in a flash, voice laced with alarm. “Someone died next door.”

“Mm.” Lin Jianxi seemed utterly unfazed.

The System: “…Have you seen so many deaths in the Second World that you’re numb to it now?”

“Maybe? I don’t know. No racing heartbeat or anything.” Lin Jianxi plucked a willow fluff from the System’s fur and patted it down. “Someone’ll probably come ask questions soon.”

The System’s fur bristled. “Nervous!”

“No need. Didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But it’s an interrogation!”

“This isn’t an interrogation.”

Just then, someone rapped on the open front door.

“Hello,” the officer said, flashing his badge with a hint of tension in his eyes. “Sir, do you know anything about Mr. Zhao’s whereabouts these past few days? Or any unusual behavior?”

Lin Jianxi regarded the officer mildly. “I’m not close with him.”

“But for the past month, you’re the only one around here who’s been home every day—”

“Tch,” a tall officer stepped out from behind the young one, peeling off his gloves as he spoke. “Is he questioning you, or are you questioning him? Shaking like a leaf—you gonna shake everything you learned at the Police Academy right out of you?”

“…”

That officer clearly took pride in his appearance—hair gelled into place, fine strands falling over his sharp brow ridge. His eyes held a barely concealed edge of severity. He shot the young cop a glance, who trembled even more.

A bit familiar.

Lin Jianxi thought to himself.

Judging by the epaulets, he was the captain.

He’d crossed paths with the local Criminal Police Detachment a few times, so recognition made sense. But none were truly familiar—not even their names.

Reprimanded like that, the young cop stood trembling, listening quietly.

The captain strode straight toward him, locking eyes. “Hear anything unusual last night?”

“No.”

“Ever interact with Mr. Zhao?”

“No.”

“You two were the only ones living on this whole street for the past half month. Anything to say about that?”

“I didn’t kill anyone.” Lin Jianxi’s head swam a little. He fished a piece of chocolate from his pocket, slipping it onto his tongue. Looking up at the man, he added, “And I haven’t left the house once in half a month.”

The captain held out his hand. “Give me a piece.”

Lin Jianxi: “…What?”

Captain: “Whatever you’re eating, that’s what I want. So stingy.”

Lin Jianxi: “…”

Baffled, Lin Jianxi broke off a piece and placed it in the captain’s palm. The captain plopped down right in front of him, cutting off what Lin Jianxi was about to say. “I know you’re wondering why I’m not working, just sitting here. I’m dodging the heat—bureau chief’s inspecting case procedures next door. You know how it is, all that formalism, such a drag—got more chocolate?”

“…”

“Hey, Advisor Lin—er, Mr. Lin, you gonna be this cheap? We’ve met before. With eyes as pretty as yours, can’t you look at me without that vacant doll stare?”

Lin Jianxi: “…”

“You really are like a doll. Haven’t seen you in months, and you’ve gotten so thin. Someone like you needs taking care of. Before I became a cop, I trained as a chef for a few years—”

Lin Jianxi tilted his chin. “The kid’s taking notes.”

The captain abruptly changed the subject and turned to the young officer. The young officer immediately piped up, “Captain, please continue. I’ve got it all memorized. I won’t let you down next time!”

“What’s the key point?” the captain asked.

“To build rapport with the public, offer appropriate compliments, and—promote yourself.”

Lin Jianxi burst out laughing. The captain stood up, shoved the young officer out the door, and grumbled as he pushed, “Is that the key point? Promote my ass—get out, get out! Hey, Director Wang, Director Wang, I’m done questioning over here. Mr. Lin who lives here has no involvement…”

The captain’s voice faded into the distance. Lin Jianxi lay on the table, slowly sucking on a piece of chocolate.

He dozed off for a while.

The System’s tattling voice woke him. “That captain walked fifty meters away and then said you’re suspicious after all. He told them to keep a close eye on you.”

“…Let him do what he wants. He has no evidence.”

“Uh…”

“What?”

“He’s coming back.”

Lin Jianxi cracked his eyes open slightly and saw the captain approaching, carrying a bag of snacks.

Lin Jianxi sat up straight and forced a smile—

“Don’t smile if you don’t feel like it,” the captain said. He had changed into casual clothes and plunked a large bag of snacks down in front of him with a thud. “You look good even without smiling.”

“…”

Lin Jianxi asked, “Want to ask me more questions?”

The captain nodded. “Yeah. What’s my name?”

“…”

The captain tore open a bag of chips, fed him a piece first, and then said, “Actually, my original name was Shen Jibai.”

Lin Jianxi chewed the chip woodenly, though a gentle smile played on his face. “It’s a nice name, but it doesn’t suit your vibe.”

“Right? My parents wanted me to be some refined, literary type, but I shot up all of a sudden, so the name feels totally mismatched. Plus, this name always got me these dumbass nicknames from idiots, so I changed it.”

“Nicknames? For such a nice-sounding name?”

“Tch, you’re so pure and clean. Honestly, Mr. Lin, being around you makes me feel like my heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys have all been purified.” The captain gritted his teeth. “They called me Shen Jibai—like, Shen Dick, for fuck’s sake. Is that even a nickname a human should have? You’d have to have your brain stuffed full of genitals to come up with that.”

Lin Jianxi: “…”

System: “Hahahahahahaha.”

Lin Jianxi couldn’t hide his amusement. “So what do you go by now?”

“Shen Zhaoye,” the captain replied. “My parents picked that one too. They’re all about that artistic vibe. I think Shen Two, Three, Four, or Five would’ve been better than these weird ones. This name just sounds unreliable.”

“It’s a nice name, Mr. Shen,” Lin Jianxi said, gazing at him. “It suits you perfectly.”

Shen Zhaoye sighed. “Don’t console me. I actually think your name is great—it matches your aura exactly. Mysterious and gentle, like a little stream in the woods. No danger, no crocodiles or piranhas jumping out. If you stumbled across a stream that pure while trekking through the rainforest, how wonderful that’d be. You could drink all the sweet water you wanted, refreshing and thirst-quenching.”

Lin Jianxi: “…”

Something felt off.

Shen Zhaoye kept chattering on. At first, Lin Jianxi could still respond, but soon he zoned out. Eventually, he just slumped over the table and fell asleep.

Vaguely, he felt someone lift him up. Lin Jianxi mumbled groggily, “I’m tired. No.”

“…”

The man fell silent for a moment but still scooped him up. Lin Jianxi sighed inwardly and rested his head on the man’s shoulder, lightly nipping at his neck. It felt less like a complaint and more like flirtation.

Like a habit.

Knowing they were heading to bed, so slipping into their habitual foreplay.

“…”

Shen Zhaoye’s hands trembled slightly, but he still placed Lin Jianxi on the bed, tucked him in properly, and then stood by the bedside, gazing at his face.

Shen Zhaoye thought back to earlier that day. He had originally just wanted a place to duck out of the casework, but he’d run into Advisor Lin instead.

Lin Jianxi was a special person. From the first day he’d joined the team as an advisor, Shen Zhaoye had noticed him. There was a unique magnetism about Lin Jianxi that drew people in, making them crave his warmth. Once you tasted that sweet warmth, the next step was an urge to possess it.

But Shen Zhaoye wasn’t shallow. He recognized his desire—and how inexplicable it was—so he started analyzing why.

It wasn’t until a month ago that he’d figured out a bit of it.

Beyond Lin Jianxi’s alluring presence and looks, there was also an air of mystery about him.

With someone like that, you couldn’t picture their past. He seemed perfect, but only on the surface. Shen Zhaoye thought about him day and night. He’d investigated, but found nothing—Lin Jianxi’s background was utterly ordinary, revealing no secrets.

Today, though, when they met, Shen Zhaoye realized Lin Jianxi had changed.

His eyes were still beautiful, but now they were hollow.

So he’d told the team member from the medical family that he suspected Lin Jianxi might be depressed. The teammate agreed to check with his family and suggested a few solutions.

But after hearing what Lin Jianxi had said earlier…

Shen Zhaoye slowly crouched down, a flicker of heartache in his eyes.

What on earth have you been through?

Shen Zhaoye wanted to check if Lin Jianxi had any injuries, but it felt too intrusive. He could only squat there beside him, clenching his fists tighter and tighter.

After a long moment, he let out a heavy sigh.

~~~

Lin Jianxi was woken by the sound of the System munching on chips.

He sat up and eyed the furry ball chomping away. “How do you even digest that?”

“You wouldn’t understand the digestive system of a high-dimensional being.”

“…” Fine.

The System fluttered onto his shoulder and kept munching. “Baby, break time’s over. Time to head to the next world.”

“Mm.” Lin Jianxi wrapped the blanket around himself. “Any requirements?”

“No requirements, but since you’ve been through so much, you’re getting a bit numb to the small worlds. So the next world’s plot will be complete, a little different from the previous ones, and it’ll mix in some other elements. I picked the post-apocalyptic world for you.”

“Zombies?”

“Yep. It might be thrilling and intense, but after all this, you should know the drill. As long as you want to rely on someone, no one can refuse you. You won’t get hurt—promise~”

“Good.” Lin Jianxi leaned against the headboard. “Let’s get started then.”

“No, no, no! I haven’t finished yet.”

Lin Jianxi glanced over. “Hm?”

“Considering your current mental state,” the System continued, “in the next world, I’ll erase all your memories. You’ll believe yourself to be a native of that world. I’ll vanish completely, and everything will unfold based on your most primal instincts.”

“…”

“I hope you can rediscover the thorns belonging to a rose like you. Don’t keep spreading your fragrance to please others, oblivious to how to cherish yourself.”