Chapter 027: Killing with Intent

The moment Li Siwan saw that familiar face, it felt like all the blood in his veins turned to ice. It was as if electric shocks raced across his skin, paralyzing him.

What was Jin Yu doing here?!

Li Siwan's mind went blank, and his ears were filled with a deafening buzz.

He was unable to think, frozen in place.

After seeing Su Xu, Li Siwan had imagined countless scenarios of meeting Jin Yu again, even considering whether to confess to him.

But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to ask Su Xu if Jin Yu remembered him too.

It was as if he was subconsciously avoiding this person, avoiding the feelings Jin Yu had for him. Even though he didn’t know what he was afraid of...

Jin Yu, seeing Li Siwan's stunned expression, assumed this stranger was trying to figure out how to get back into bed.

Since taking full control of the Jin family's business, Jin Yu had become a target for all sorts of people who wanted to get close to him, often sending themselves to his bed. So much so that now, when traveling for business, he had to find trustworthy people to book rooms under someone else's name. Otherwise, who knew how many people might be hiding inside when he opened the door?

His ID number was no secret, and countless people wanted to curry favor with him. He had seen people of all kinds, regardless of gender, age, or nationality. But he had never seen anyone so foolish and unprofessional.

Reeking of alcohol, this person clearly thought their good looks would win him over, only to react with disbelief when rejected.

That face might be delicate and beautiful, but unfortunately, there was no one in this world who could move him anymore.

When the stranger refused to leave, Jin Yu grabbed him by the collar and pants, hoisted him up like a ragdoll, and tossed him out.

Thrown into the hallway like a piece of luggage, Li Siwan stared in disbelief: ...?

Hold on, my room key is still inside!

Before Li Siwan could react, Jin Yu had already thrown him out.

It was clear that Jin Yu, unlike some other playboys who would agree to anything, had standards.

But at least listen to his explanation!

Unable to bear such a misunderstanding, Li Siwan walked to the door and knocked.

The person inside definitely heard him but ignored him completely.

With no other option, Li Siwan hurried downstairs to the front desk.

It wasn’t his fault that his card could open the door to the next room, right?

Although in the grand plan drawn by the system, to fully assist the protagonist, Li Siwan could basically do almost anything, this kind of situation really wasn’t possible!

Hearing this, the front desk was also surprised and immediately sent someone up to the top floor room to call Jin Yu out.

After investigation, the misunderstanding was finally explained—

Due to some unclear mistake, Li Siwan's room card was actually a master key, able to open every room in the hotel.

Once the misunderstanding was cleared, Li Siwan gave Jin Yu a smug look, still treating him like a kid.

The face that had shed its youthful innocence was tightly furrowed with a look of impatience and hidden frustration.

This expression was familiar to Li Siwan.

Jin Yu generally didn’t show his headaches in front of others, but he would become irritable because of them.

Li Siwan remembered when he had woken Jin Yu up; the man had been holding his forehead. He had probably been suffering from a headache even then.

The schemes he had been plotting vanished instantly. He still cared deeply for the kid he'd raised for years.

"Forget it, just swap the room card back for me. It's getting late, I drank a lot tonight, I need to rest."

Li Siwan interrupted the hotel staff’s constant apologies and quickly took control of the situation, easing the awkwardness. They all went back to their rooms.

He really wanted to help Jin Yu, but with his current identity, there was nothing he could do.

Jin Yu was not Su Xu. He wasn’t sure if the man even remembered him, and he felt that no one in this world would believe such a ridiculous story.

Especially since Jin Yu was a suspicious person by nature. No matter what evidence Li Siwan presented, the other party probably wouldn’t believe him.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Li Siwan returned to his room.

He was still worried about Jin Yu, but there was nothing he could do. The frustration and heaviness in his heart were suffocating, as if clogging his chest.

Li Siwan rubbed his lower back, thinking, that brat deserved it! How dare he kick him, and so hard too! He deserved the headache; Li Siwan didn’t want to care.

But no matter what excuse he came up with, he couldn’t hide how much he favored him.

Li Siwan patted his cheeks irritably, trying not to think about the younger man.

He’d had so much to drink tonight, so why wasn’t it helping him forget his worries?

Fuming, he stormed back to his room, grabbed the small speaker provided by the hotel, took a shower, and headed to the poolside on the balcony.

Feeling frustrated, Li Siwan planned to soak in the pool for a while and relax with some music.

He connected via Bluetooth and opened his playlist but didn’t turn the volume too high, as it was getting late, and he didn’t want to disturb the neighbors.

The music that played wasn’t soothing, and these songs were old, from over a decade ago—antiques to the people of this world. But Li Siwan had only just returned from a trip within the system and had been too busy following Su Xu around, living the social life, to find new songs. So his playlist was still the same few tracks.

The familiar tunes helped calm his irritated mind a little, and Li Siwan didn’t think about anything else. He had drunk too much tonight; his mind couldn’t function.

If that kick hadn’t sent him flying off the bed, he’d probably still be passed out.

It was purely the shock of seeing Jin Yu that had snapped him out of his drunken haze.

After all this trouble, combined with the exhaustion from today and the shock of seeing Jin Yu again, Li Siwan was so tired that his whole body went limp. He leaned against the edge of the pool, staring blankly at the distant neon lights below.

This city was one that never slept. Even though it was well past midnight, the streets below were still brightly lit.

The small food stalls were fully occupied. In this busy world where people had no private time, they could only carve out some personal enjoyment by staying up late.

But the hotel floor was too high, and the occasional passing cars below looked like toy models, impossible to see clearly.

Li Siwan felt his head growing heavier and his body weaker, until suddenly he slipped into the pool and had no strength left to get up.

He was drowning, unable to pull himself back up.

Li Siwan was fully aware of this, but when a person is drowning, they simply have no strength to resist.

Unlike the scenes in television shows where people thrash about and create huge splashes, the moment Li Siwan realized he might be drowning, he thrashed only once before his body lost control and sank downward.

He tilted his head back, but it was as if something behind him was pulling him down. Even the calm waves gently and harmlessly lapped against his cheeks and ears, slowly swallowing him whole.

Li Siwan’s heart sank to the deepest point of coldness.

At this time, in this location, even if this were a public pool and there were people around, those without sufficient experience probably wouldn’t notice he was drowning. Especially since he was completely alone.

Was he really going to meet his end here? His mission progress hadn’t even reached 40% yet; if he died, he wouldn’t be able to return to the main space!

Just as Li Siwan was sinking into despair, a muffled sound suddenly exploded in the chaotic underwater world. Before he could even react, his arm was grabbed, and he was pulled out of the water.

Li Siwan, still in shock from his brush with death, was numb all over. It wasn’t until he regained his senses that he realized what the massive object in front of him was.

Li Siwan turned his head and coughed violently, nearly hacking up his lungs.

His entire body was burning red. No exaggeration, if it weren’t for the limits of human body temperature, he would have been on fire, heating up the entire pool.

No, this was way too intense...

Li Siwan even felt a sense of horror. He thought that probably anyone would be unable to accept having that thing shoved in their face. Even though it didn’t actually touch him and the man was only trying to save him, he still couldn’t accept it.

Since he had been soaking in the pool naked, there was no grip to hold onto. The man could only grab his arm and lift him entirely out of the water to prevent him from slipping back in and choking again.

Still shaken from the near-drowning and suffering from oxygen deprivation, Li Siwan’s limbs went weak, and he had no strength to stand up. Like a limp rag, he was thrown onto a nearby lounge chair.

The man threw a towel over him and turned to grab a bathrobe for himself.

When Li Siwan saw that familiar back, with its lean waistline and a body that could rival a male model’s, housing muscles that contained astonishing strength, he finally realized who it was.

…………………………

Why on earth is Jin Yu here!!!

He was so shocked that his body shook uncontrollably.

He had personally seen Jin Yu return to his room, so why was this person here at his pool, rescuing him?

Could it be some trick of the system?

Though it felt like an eternity to Li Siwan, it had been less than a minute.

In his fear and panic, Li Siwan hadn’t even considered calling for the system’s help.

After putting on the bathrobe, Jin Yu finally grabbed one for Li Siwan and threw it at him before turning to leave.

“You... how did you... get here?” Li Siwan asked, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable.

Hearing his question, Jin Yu frowned and looked at him, still appearing quite annoyed.

“Of course I climbed over. My card can’t open your door,” Jin Yu said, clearly still holding a grudge about Li Siwan using a card to enter his room earlier.

Climbed over?

Li Siwan glanced at the pool area and noticed some water stains on the bamboo wall used as a partition.

As his mind cleared, a wave of inexplicable anger surged through him.

"Are you insane?! Just flipping over like that?! This is the thirty-somethingth floor—have you thought about what would happen if you slipped and fell?!" He was truly angry, not expecting Jin Yu to be so reckless with his own life.

He couldn't help but feel heartache when Jin Yu had a headache, yet this guy had risked his life to save a stranger!

Li Siwan was thoroughly enraged, his current identity be damned, and launched into a scolding.

He even felt like giving Jin Yu a good beating to teach him a lesson, he was that furious.

What kind of idiot does something like that?!

The man walking back paused, turning to look at him with a mocking smile in his otherwise bored eyes. "What, I saved your life, and instead of thanking me, you want to lecture me?"

Li Siwan was about to say, why can't I scold you, when he remembered he wasn't Jin Shuyi anymore.

A complex expression crossed his face, and even Jin Yu, who was no stranger to the cutthroat world of fame and fortune, couldn’t read what this suddenly aggressive kid was thinking.

Li Siwan’s confidence deflated instantly. "You could have called the front desk instead of risking your life…"

He was genuinely shaken, having spoken without thinking.

Luckily, Jin Yu wasn't Su Xu, otherwise, he might have noticed something was off.

Jin Yu, seeing Li Siwan like this, found it somewhat amusing. "Fine, next time I'll call management to collect your corpse so you don't stink up the pool and affect my living environment."

Jin Yu’s sharp tongue was as biting as ever. Li Siwan hadn’t been snapped at like this before and found himself a bit speechless.

Muttering, he said, "It wouldn't be that quick to drown; even if breathing stopped, you could still be saved within three minutes…"

He wasn't afraid of death, but he had confidence in this body. After all, it was the system’s chosen player, and it wouldn’t die so easily—who else would fix the world’s bugs?

Li Siwan was no longer scared; with the system as his trump card, he definitely wouldn’t die so easily.

His thought wasn’t wrong, but he was definitely in for some pain.

Jin Yu gave him another look before turning away, clearly having no interest in this stubborn kid.

"Hey, wait." Li Siwan jumped up from the lounge chair, wrapping a bathrobe around himself as he headed inside.

Maybe it was his fearless and confident attitude that made Jin Yu stop to see what he wanted.

Li Siwan walked into the kitchen, took out two bottles of milk from the fridge, put them in a box, tossed in a few sticks of honey, then rummaged around and found a box of melatonin. He cut off a strip of two pills and put them in as well.

"Thank you for saving me, this is a thank-you gift." Li Siwan stretched out his arm, offering the items to him. The distance between them wasn’t close, and he added, "Sorry for disturbing your sleep; you can take a melatonin to guarantee you sleep in until noon."

Though he didn’t know how Jin Yu had changed over the past decade, he knew these headaches weren’t easy to relieve. The pain wasn’t physical, and even painkillers didn’t help, so he could only give Jin Yu two melatonin pills to prevent him from staying up all night in agony.

His current body was lactose intolerant, but when shopping, he had subconsciously picked up two bottles of milk he used to drink. The melatonin was for himself; his current body had mild neurasthenia and would occasionally take one when unable to sleep.

Li Siwan wasn’t being stingy; he deliberately only gave two pills to show that he was also taking this medicine and had no other intentions.

Jin Yu watched him bustling about, initially interested, but as he saw what was in the bag, his expression turned cold.

The man gave him a fierce look, his face losing all patience, his attitude changing completely.

"No need, I don't eat things given by others."

Jin Yu turned and left, not taking anything Li Siwan had given him.

It's still the same familiar arrogant brat as before, but Jin Yu wasn't cold and difficult to deal with back then. He used to be as obedient as a puppy, never this aggressive.

For some reason, Li Siwan felt a bit wronged for being fiercely scolded.

He understood that Jin Yu's attitude wasn't problematic. If it were him, he wouldn't casually eat something given by a stranger, especially when that stranger had "accidentally broke into" his room.

But why did it make him feel so down inside...

He put the things in his hand back one by one, and after everything was placed back, he remembered that he needed to drink some honey water and take a hangover pill; otherwise, he'd definitely have a headache the next morning.

But why did this honey water taste bitter? It was awful to drink.

That night, Li Siwan had a nightmare, and after waking up, he forgot the specific content but was still a bit unnerved.

Li Siwan woke up groggily, washed up, and when he opened the curtains, the bright sunlight outside was blinding.

He called to order breakfast but was told that someone had already pre-ordered food for him, asking if they should send it up now.

The meal was sent by Su Xu. Along with the meal on the cart, there was a small bouquet of sunflowers. The round flower heads looked particularly cute and even brightened his mood.

Besides the small bouquet of decorative flowers, Li Siwan also received a real sunflower, the kind where you could peel off the seeds.

Su Xu said that since he was busy with work outside these days and couldn't keep him company, he hoped this sunflower could keep Li Siwan occupied until he could come back to see him—hopefully before he finished snacking on all the seeds.

The clouds that had been hanging over his heart seemed to be swept away in an instant. Li Siwan found the sunflower, which was bigger than his face, amusing. He wasn't a hamster; who would snack on such a huge sunflower?

Huh? Wasn't this sent fresh? Why does it taste like it's been seasoned with salt and pepper? How did they even cook it?

Li Siwan spent the day cozily in the hotel, watching movies and munching on sunflower seeds, resting and recharging. Almost every mealtime, food was delivered. Su Xu had carefully picked out his meals, like opening blind boxes, and every time it was something he liked.

He spent the whole day lounging in the hotel, feeling like he was growing roots. He also called for a massage to loosen up. Just as he was about to sleep, he suddenly remembered something.

He seemed to have forgotten about the system.

Li Siwan let the system out. Although it was just a pure white glowing orb, it felt like he could see the resentment within it.

"Hi System, how did my plot progress go yesterday?" Li Siwan remembered he had points and quickly pulled the system out to check.

The mechanical electronic voice of System 626 sounded: "Returning to the country for a banquet plot, base plot points 8, completion rate 50%, point multiplier 3.0, final points earned 12."

Only 50% completion?

Li Siwan was a bit surprised. Last time, the base plot points were only 5, and he ended up with 15 points. This time, the base points were higher, but he ended up with 3 points less. It seemed that the completion rate was quite important. No wonder the system said most people stick closely to the original story.

"Host, you forgot to call Xie Zecheng after he left. The protagonist had no idea what Xie Zecheng was doing after he left. This is an important plot point, which is why the completion rate is so low."

After System 626 explained, Li Siwan understood.

So all his hard and shameful efforts were just to let the protagonist hear that one sentence and feel disappointed...

Missing just one sentence cost him half his points!

He kicked himself for it!

Why did he turn off the system? Otherwise, the system would have reminded him!

Mainly, Li Siwan really disliked the feeling of being monitored all the time, so unless there was an important plot task going on, he usually disabled the system. He only brought it out when he had questions.

"System, is there any way to fix this situation now?" Li Siwan remembered that during the first task, when he met Su Xu, because he was recognized as Jin Shuyi, he didn't offend Su Xu on the spot and avoided being blacklisted by the aristocratic circle.

After they sorted things out, Su Xu helped him complete the plot, and he still earned all the system points.

"It's possible, host," replied System 626. "You just need to let the protagonist know about what happened last night. You can have someone else relay the message, but the plot completion score won't be as high because it won't highlight your importance to Xie Zecheng."

Li Siwan understood a little after the system's explanation.

"Let me think about how to fix this..."

He didn't have much time left, because in two days, there would be a new plot involving him. By then, the impact of revealing his identity would be much weaker, and he wouldn't get a high completion rating.

He needed to fix this before then.

Li Siwan worried all night and discussed many plans with the system, but none of them seemed practical.

He couldn't directly contact Xie Zecheng or call him out of the blue, as that would reduce their chemistry in the early stages. If Xie Zecheng lost interest in him too soon, it would affect the subsequent plot, and he wouldn't get high completion ratings for any of them.

What could he do?

As he played with the food in his bowl, trying to figure out how to regain those system points, he remembered that even one point could let him stay in a world for an extra year.

Just as he was brainstorming solutions, his phone dinged with a new WeChat message. The screen lit up, showing a new message.

The sender didn't have a label, but Li Siwan knew who it was.

'I just saw someone who looks exactly like you at the hospital. Do you have a twin or something?'

Chen Keyue loved gossip but still had some professional ethics, so he wouldn't blatantly expose patient information. However, he was clever and often used ambiguous language to drop hints. Anyone with a bit of wit could understand his coded messages.

Though Li Siwan didn't react right away, System 626 read the message and explained it to him.

"This is the world rules repairing the plot, host. You can use this opportunity to make up for it."

Even the system couldn't be too direct. But if Li Siwan couldn't figure this out, he'd be missing an obvious clue.

Actually, if it were the usual Chen Keyue, he would never violate medical ethics to send such gossip. They had only met yesterday, shared a drink, and Chen Keyue wouldn't report to him about Xie Zecheng going to the hospital.

But the world rules would actively repair the plot, and since there was some cooperation with the Book Crossing Bureau, plot tasks would be prioritized and assigned to its employees.

In fact, when he was still Jin Shuyi, he had received many opportunities to correct the plot, but back then, Jin Shuyi didn't have a system, so he didn't notice.

Li Siwan quickly messaged Chen Keyue: 'I know him! Urgent help needed, consider it a favor owed, please keep him there!'

Seeing how urgent Li Siwan sounded, Chen Keyue replied with an OK emoji.

'No need to rush. Your relative still has many procedures to go through today and won't be leaving before noon. You can take your time. But I'll note down this favor.'

Relieved, Li Siwan planned to head straight to the hospital and find a way to let Xie Zecheng know what happened last night.

How should he do it? Go find Chen Keyue to chat about the gossip and let Xie Zecheng overhear?

That wouldn't be realistic, and Chen Keyue had already heard the gossip. If Li Siwan repeated it, Chen Keyue might think he was losing it.

What else could he do...

"Hey, System, can you use that smart brain of yours and give me some ideas?" Li Siwan, unable to come up with a good plan, tried to squeeze something out of the system.

System 626: "Based on my calculations, here are some suggestions for you to consider."

Li Siwan: !!!

It’s actually useful!

The system's mechanical voice echoed in his mind, roughly saying that Li Siwan could injure himself, go to the hospital, and someone would notify Xie Zecheng. The world's rules would then cause the main character to overhear their conversation, and Li Siwan just needed to complete the plot dialogue at that moment.

"Man, this plot is truly heart-wrenching!" Li Siwan couldn't help but exclaim, "Is there anything more horrifying than going for a prenatal check-up, having dozens of vials of blood drawn, and overhearing your spouse flirting with someone else?"

System 626: "According to the original story's emotional torture plot, this part isn't even the worst."

Li Siwan clapped his hands, impressed. "This really is a world where chasing after your wife leads to a crematorium! Can't this jerk just be directly cremated? Why is there a resurrection round for ashes? It's not scientific at all!"

After his rant, he continued, "There's also a serious question."

System 626: "Go ahead, host."

Li Siwan: "Can this injury be considered a work-related injury?"

The cold voice of System 626 rang out: "No, host."

Li Siwan: "The cold wind slaps me in the face!"

System 626: D

System 626: "In the plot, injuries are unavoidable. However, because you carry the system cheat, no matter how severe the injury, you will recover as long as you're not dead on the spot."

Li Siwan: "So should I thank you instead? What about all the pain I've endured!"

System 626: "Guess you're just unlucky?"

Li Siwan: "..."

Li Siwan: "If you can't take a joke, don't try, thanks."

He was truly done with this system. When speaking, none of the so-called humanized protocols made it feel any more human. The jokes at this time could really piss someone off.

System 626: "Tip: You can purchase the pain suppression function to effectively adjust the level of pain, making your book-crossing life more comfortable~"

To even encourage consumption, System 626 added a flirty tilde.

Li Siwan had always known the Book Crossing Bureau had great benefits, but since those benefits required points, he and his system were broke. His system even needed him to support it! Therefore, Li Siwan had avoided learning more, fearing that if he knew, he'd want to assassinate System 626, the thing that swallowed his benefits!

"How do I purchase the pain suppression function, and how many points does it cost?" Although Jin Shuyi was currently broke, he was still a bit afraid of pain.

Might as well inquire. Who knows? Maybe he could afford it.

System 626: "Host, the pain suppression function is a lifelong bound feature. The permanent version only needs to be purchased once and can be used in every world. Since this function is a cost-effective newbie benefit with high sales volume, early purchase means early enjoyment, and the price is very affordable. It only costs 300 points to buy the permanent version."

Li Siwan, whose remaining balance was less than 30 points after the second plot reward: "..."

Li Siwan: "Does your main system allow installment plans?"

System 626: "No, dear~"

Li Siwan: "This is just a black-hearted sales pitch! You didn't even change the key phrases in your script! You're just trying to scam my points!"

System 626: "To get back on track, host, you can choose a one-day trial card. The first purchase only requires 1 point. If it's not a severe injury, you can just renew the daily card according to the pain reduction level day by day."

Li Siwan: "You really go all out to push sales, huh? So if I accumulate 300 points, can I convert it to the permanent version?"

System 626: "Unfortunately, the permanent pain-blocking feature requires a one-time purchase. The host can undertake missions in worlds with high point multipliers. That way, you'll be able to afford it in just two or three worlds."

Li Siwan couldn't help but roll his eyes. This so-called Book Crossing Bureau really went to great lengths to push their unclaimed missions.

But he did need a reason to go to the hospital right now, and this one point wasn't too expensive. After completing the storyline, he would earn 12 points, so it was still worth it when he calculated it!

More importantly, he was actually a bit afraid of pain, and it was just one point. He could earn more later. In the worst case, he wouldn't have gotten those 15 points from Su Xu in the first place, so it was like getting 15 points for free! Thinking this way made him feel much better.

After a round of self-talk, Li Siwan purchased a one-day trial card for the pain-blocking function and then researched how best to get injured.

The system recommended a dislocated shoulder—it would give him a legitimate reason to go to the hospital, and the injury wasn't severe. Given his body's recovery speed with the system's cheat, the pain would be gone after the pain-blocking function wore off.

At this moment, Li Siwan felt that his system was actually being quite nice to him, or maybe he had just been successfully convinced.

With the help of the system's cheat, Li Siwan successfully dislocated his shoulder. He chose his shoulder because it looked more serious, but in reality, it was quite simple to reset.

With his dislocated arm, he headed straight to Peace Hospital. Chen Keyue had come over out of curiosity to watch the spectacle, only to see Li Siwan's arm hanging limply at his side.

"You're really pushing it, huh." Chen Keyue wasn't entirely approving. He could roughly guess that Li Siwan had done this on purpose to meet someone. "The person you're looking for just finished a blood draw and is in the lab for testing. Do you want me to show you where he is?"

"No need," Li Siwan shook his head. "Just follow the usual routine. Get me a bunch of tests first."

Chen Keyue gave him a look. "I'll get someone to fix your arm first!" The young man, clearly annoyed, put his hands on his hips, turned to make a phone call, and summoned a doctor, not even requiring Li Siwan to go find one himself.

Although he had changed identities and Chen Keyue had completely forgotten about Jin Shuyi, Li Siwan still had a good impression of this childhood friend.

Even though Chen Keyue didn't know the full story, he always chose to support Li Siwan and never exposed his secret.

Li Siwan also remembered a promise Xie Zecheng had made ten years ago that had never been fulfilled, a promise that no longer existed in this timeline.

He would have to treat Chen Keyue to a good time when he had the chance.

Xie Zecheng's eyes filled with concern as he saw Li Siwan's arm hanging limply at his side.

"How could you be so careless?" The man instinctively wanted to scold him but couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh, worried as he was. He then turned to the doctor who had come to treat Li Siwan and vented his frustration.

Since Chen Keyue was the son of the hospital's director, the doctor he called was certainly the most professional and experienced professor on duty.

The elderly doctor, having been called in at his age, didn't say much more. With practiced hands, before anyone could react, he pretended to check Li Siwan's arm and, in the blink of an eye, reset it with a click.

The good news was that Li Siwan had the pain-blocking function activated and couldn't feel a thing.

The bad news was that while the system could block his perception of pain, it couldn't block his body's instinctive reactions.

Before he could even process what happened, tears welled up and streamed down his face.

Tears streamed down his face, making him look even more vulnerable. Yet he didn't utter a word of pain, his brows didn't even furrow. The glistening tears made him even more pitiable.

Xie Zecheng was about to snap, but Li Siwan quickly stopped him.

"Thank you, doctor. I'll come to register and pay the fee later."

Li Siwan held Xie Zecheng down. He had a knack for handling such people, probably developed from his experience disciplining Jin Yu in the past.

After the elderly doctor left, Li Siwan turned to comfort Xie Zecheng, telling him he was fine.

"How can you say you're fine? I just saw you in so much pain..." Xie Zecheng had been about to say something but swallowed his words upon seeing the embarrassment on Li Siwan's face.

Li Siwan estimated the time and glanced at the door, where he spotted a partial shadow cast on the ground.

It was likely the little substitute.

"I know you're concerned about me, thank you, Zecheng. I really appreciate it, whether it was you taking me to the hospital after the welcome banquet or rushing over today," Li Siwan spoke in a gentle tone, mimicking Su Xu's way of speaking. "I messed up today. I thought you were busy, so I didn't tell you. I'm glad you came."

Xie Zecheng was completely charmed and went to pay for him, feeling concerned. He then returned, planning to personally escort him back.

The jacket, which always seemed to make him sweat, was back on his shoulders.

With Xie Zecheng carefully helping him, Li Siwan got up and left the office. He mentally checked with the system to see if the mission progress had been completed.

System 626: "Congratulations host, the mission progress is at 100%, current balance is..."

As Li Siwan was checking the system, Xie Zecheng suddenly stopped.

Li Siwan glanced up and saw a familiar figure standing at the elevator entrance, staring in their direction.

Su Xu’s usually warm expression was gone, replaced by a cold, almost distant look that made Li Siwan feel uneasy.