Chapter 36: Yao Xing Academy 36

With the end of Xun Ji’s birthday banquet, the guests on the island gradually departed one after another, and the sea island returned to tranquility.

Xun Qian had matters to attend to, and Xiao Ting needed to go to school. After sticking inseparably to her brother for several days, she reluctantly bid temporary farewell to Lu Zhou and Xun Ji before leaving the sea island with Xun Qian.

Lu Zhou stayed behind.

Before He Ming left, he came to bid them farewell. Seeing the Little Young Master barking orders fiercely from his mouth while Lu Zhou happily bustled about in sweet contentment, He Ming covered his mouth, tears welling up with emotion.

“As expected, the rumors were all true. I’m so happy to see you two reunite after your broken mirror mended, your love as deep as husband and wife. But Young Master Xun, your body hasn’t fully recovered yet—be sure to pace yourself and take care of your precious health. And you, Lu Zhou, you mustn’t abandon your wife and child again, running off like that!”

Xun Ji: “…” He really should have memorized more idioms.

“He Ming might be a bit silly, but his intentions are pure. Last time, he really did rush to save you,” Xun Ji said to Lu Zhou. “He’s worth befriending.”

At present, he was dating Lu Zhou, Xiao Ting had reunited with him, and if they added one more friend, clearing Lu Zhou’s Protagonist Blackening Value would be just around the corner.

“Is that so?” Lu Zhou’s gaze turned somewhat cold. “Don’t you think he resembles someone a little?”

Xun Ji touched his nose, understanding whom he meant.

“Luo Xunan was an accident. You can’t let one snake bite make you fear ropes for ten years.”

Later, Xun Ji figured it out—Luo Xunan couldn’t even be considered blackened at all. He was naturally dark; both his good and bad sides came straight from the heart. No wonder Xun Ji had misjudged him at first, taking Luo Xunan for a good friend and confidant.

“Speaking of which, Luo Xunan is about to return to the country. You two could find a chance to meet,” Xun Ji said.

Back then, Lu Zhou had left in a hurry without further contact with Luo Xunan, which must have left a thorn in his heart. If these old grudges ended up hindering the progress of clearing the Blackening Value, it would be more loss than gain. Better for them to meet—even if they couldn’t untie the knot, a fight to vent the anger would do.

Lu Zhou neither agreed nor refused. Instead, he asked, “How do you know Luo Xunan is returning soon?”

Xun Ji blurted out, “Lin Yule said so.”

Silence fell for a moment. Xun Ji belatedly sensed something off.

“Lin Yule… He’s still on the island? He’s been in contact with you this whole time?” Lu Zhou’s voice drew very close. “Perfect. I still haven’t settled the score with him for locking me up last time. Why not call him over?”

…He had forgotten about that.

Lin Yule was still recuperating on the island and naturally refused to leave. But after the last incident where he messed with Lu Zhou and nearly got him killed, Xun Ji had given him a stern scolding. Now, he was sulking in a corner of the sea island, not daring to disturb Xun Ji’s task anymore.

Xun Ji pretended not to hear, schooled his expression, and spread his hands. “Didn’t you say you had a birthday gift for me? Where is it?”

Lu Zhou knew he was changing the subject but couldn’t do anything about it. Compared to Xun Ji’s wishes, other people’s matters were insignificant.

Lu Zhou took out a gift box from a gift bag, opened it, and retrieved a slender item. He half-knelt in front of the wheelchair, carefully lifted Xun Ji’s wrist, and fastened the item around it.

Xun Ji raised his hand to examine it closely. It was an exquisite and beautiful men’s bracelet.

The style… seemed somewhat familiar.

He glanced at the logo on the packaging—the brand was the same, as expected.

“This seems to be from the same series as my pair of earrings,” Xun Ji said. “Perfect, now we can match as a set.”

“Mm,” Lu Zhou softly acknowledged. “You remembered you said you liked it.”

“I do like it quite a bit, but…” Xun Ji eyed the model photo printed on the gift bag with playful intent, implying something. “You didn’t just buy this one bracelet, did you?”

Lu Zhou averted his gaze unnaturally. “Time’s about up. The rehab doctor is waiting for us.”

“What’s the rush?” Xun Ji brazenly draped both arms over the wheelchair armrests, grinning like a wicked bully. “Go put that thing on and let me see.”

Lu Zhou’s eyelashes trembled lightly. “…I’ve never worn it.”

“Never worn it?” Xun Ji leaned forward, roughly tugging at his lower lip, his fingertip pressing heavily over a certain spot. “Then why did you pierce your lip? Liar.”

The model on the gift bag wore not only the bracelet and earrings but also a small lip piercing on the lower lip.

Lu Zhou involuntarily leaned in following his pull, his other bent leg also dropping to kneel on the ground. His entire body sprawled over Xun Ji’s lap, his breathing rapid and scorching.

“I’m not lying. I did buy this lip piercing, just thinking… thinking of matching it as a set with you. But I’ve never worn it…” His lips were roughly kneaded by Xun Ji, making his voice somewhat muffled. “I didn’t pierce the lip hole to wear anything. It was just because…”

“Because what?” Xun Ji asked curiously.

He had noticed it when he kissed Lu Zhou that day—there was an inconspicuous lip hole on Lu Zhou’s lower lip. He couldn’t quite picture Lu Zhou with a lip piercing; it felt too far from Lu Zhou’s usual image.

Lu Zhou’s dark eyes grew murky, filled with intense emotions he couldn’t hide. He extended his wet, hot tongue tip and drew the mischievous finger on his lower lip into his mouth.

Xun Ji’s finger curled slightly, instinctively wanting to pull away. But it was held fast.

At first, it was just the tip of his finger.

Then the second joint.

The third.

All vanished into the wet, soft depths, enveloped and squeezed by yielding softness. Deeper, and deeper still.

Xun Ji bent his finger, his neatly trimmed nail lightly scraping once.

That unrelenting wet heat spasmed faintly in an instant, losing its strength.

Xun Ji took the chance to withdraw his finger and looked somewhat speechlessly at the greedy little dog before him, mouth slightly agape.

Just a few days ago, he could only manage innocent lip presses. When did he learn this new trick?

Lu Zhou slowly wiped the wetness from the corner of his mouth, then took Xun Ji’s hand and carefully cleaned it for him.

Then, in a hoarse voice, he said, “Do you remember now?”

“What?” Xun Ji didn’t catch on for a moment.

“Weren’t you asking why I pierced my lip?” Lu Zhou’s lip corner hooked up slightly, his gaze burning and obsessed.

“Here.” He pointed to the small hole on his lower lip. “You bit it during our first kiss.”

Xun Ji: “…”

【Aaaah, the Protagonist is so perverted, so perverted! Wuu wuu, my poor Host!】

For the first time, Xun Ji didn’t refute the System’s words.

When Lu Zhou secretly slipped him a piece of sweet-and-sour pork while feeding him something, making him throw a little tantrum from the sourness, Blackening Value -2.

When Lu Zhou bathed him… cough*, Blackening Value -5.

In short, aside from the increasingly frequent physical contact with Lu Zhou and the way Lu Zhou’s gaze toward him grew ever more fervent—wishing to stick to him twenty-four hours a day—everything else satisfied him greatly.

Xun Ji thought Lu Zhou’s Protagonist Blackening Value would keep dropping steadily, clearing to zero in no time. Then he could send Lin Yule on his way and put one worry to rest.

Until one stormy midnight, when the System’s shrill alarm jolted him awake.

【Host, Host, emergency situation!】

Xun Ji, bleary-eyed, grumbled, “What are you blaring about in the middle of the night?”

【Host, this matter doesn’t concern us much—even benefits us, in fact—but the System feels it necessary to report it to you!】

“What is it? Spit it out.” Xun Ji had been rudely awakened from deep sleep, and his mood was foul.

【Here’s the thing: half a minute ago, the System suddenly lost sense of another Redemption System’s existence.】

Xun Ji took a moment to process it. “What?”

【Given that the Protagonist Blackening Value hasn’t been cleared yet, we can rule out the possibility of the other Tasker leaving the Small World. That leaves only one possibility…】

The Redemption System had vanished, which meant its Host…

Xun Ji abruptly sat up in bed, a shadow of gloom falling over his brows.

Lin Yule had met with misfortune.