CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER 335 MUTUAL PROBING

Maybe it was time to move the "dying and turning into a beautiful girl" project up on his to-do list, Le Yuxin thought.

He handled the underhanded dealings of the Silver Blood gatherings with ease, joked with the unmatched Lan Yan, had witnessed the dying confessions of Yin Yinyin, listened to Qin Leyin’s gentle comfort, and now was even about to join a sword-hunting competition, going toe-to-toe with all the greatest heroes in the land.

He hadn’t even been transmigrated for a year, but Le Yu had already grown a lot. He could hear the subtle sparring in conversations, see the exchanges of power beneath the surface, and feel the undercurrents of chaos in the times—he had learned how to survive in this world.

But he still totally couldn’t figure out what women were thinking.

"Guess you really have no right to comment until you’ve actually been a woman yourself. Every time Le Yu tried to strike up a conversation with confidence, they always managed to surprise him with something new."

"People just can’t understand each other, unless Le Yu was willing to give up Jill."

"If a man can’t even give up Jill, what the hell can he protect!?"

"This is...not what I expected," Le Yu interlaced his fingers, sitting upright as he stared at Qian Yuya, "Given your age, and the fact that I’m missing some family members right now, you say you want to become my family. I can only assume...you want to be my mom?"

Le Yu tried tossing out a joke to lighten the mood, but Qian Yuya replied in absolute seriousness, "While I think the little sister role suits me better, if you need a young mom to let you relive your maternal love, I don’t mind either."

Fuck. (Birds chirping, spring’s here.)

"Reliving maternal love, that would be way too wild. Qin Leyin already had enough weird rumors; adding a tag for ’messed up motherly love’ was definitely unnecessary."

Le Yu shrugged, played with his wine-red hair, and deliberately asked in a soft, magnetic voice, "Why does it have to be family? Are you saying you want to get closer to me so you can fish for intel? Wouldn’t becoming my lover be a more direct approach?"

Faced with this blatant boundary-pushing schoolyard harassment from Le Yu, the proper response for Qian Yuya should have been to jump up and yell, "Where’s the principal!" Then the Platinum Tower would suddenly shine, Cha Huan would appear in a beam of light yelling, "The principal is here!" and together they’d haul Qin Leyin off to the Statistical Department’s fairest Raccoon Slave inspector, for his righteous judgment to fall, and the light of justice would shine down once more.

But Qian Yuya’s moral awareness wasn’t high enough; instead of ridding the world of evil on the spot, she just looked a little surprised.

"My friends all say I’m not cut out for relationships, that I’d definitely be pretty boring as a lover. And I’ve never really resonated with romance stories myself—I don’t have that kind of emotional need, and I tend to keep a certain distance from everyone..."

"Perfect, I love a lover who doesn’t care if I party around and flirt all over town," Le Yu said, folding his arms, "What you call a flaw is honestly a once-in-a-lifetime advantage to me."

"Really?" Qian Yuya said calmly, "If you want, being lovers is fine with me."

"Seriously? So, cuddling, holding hands, kissing, sleeping together, all good?"

"Mhm."

"No problem with having kids together?"

"Mhm."

"And being mine for the rest of your life’s cool too?"

"Mhm."

The wind rustled through the little grove on the fake mountain, sounding like dry leaves. A couple of students, skipping their nap, snuck up for some privacy, saw that there was someone here and were startled, then tiptoed away, whispering.

When the clouds moved and a shaft of sunlight fell on the stone table in the pavilion, Le Yu stood up without any expression.

"I just suddenly had a new idea," he said, "Deal’s off. Spread the news about Zhengwei’s death however you want, but you won’t get a word out of me."

"As for Qian Yuliu, Yin Yinyin, and Zhengwei, no one else in this world but me knows the truth, so don’t bother chasing any further. By the way, don’t sign up for my class, if you do, just expect to get zeros for both participation and final grades."

"Don’t let Qin Yueshi ask me out anymore. I won’t see you again."

Qian Yuya sat still and asked, "You’re really disappointed in me?"

"No, I’m disappointed in myself," Le Yu said, turning his head to look at her, "Testing people’s hearts is honestly what I hate most, because "I know the human heart can’t stand testing," but I just can’t help it...It’s like smashing a glass bottle on the ground, over and over, just to see how many times it takes for it to break. But when I see the beautiful bottle finally shattered on the floor, "I feel no joy, not even sadness, just that I’m an idiot for being the one to break it.""

"I’m not like Ms. Qin," Qian Yuya said, "I don’t mind testing people, especially when the glass bottle turns out, just as I expected, unbroken. It tells me—I’ve found the right person."

Le Yu turned his head away and stared at her. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Were you lying just now?"

Qian Yuya shook her head, "No, I never lie. If you sincerely want me as your lover, to have kids with you, stay by your side until old age, I wouldn’t refuse."

"There’s no intel in the world worth your whole life," Le Yu said coldly, "and besides, that’s a dead man’s story."

"Then why not just seal the deal, Mr. Qin?"

Qian Yuya still didn’t stand, her tone unchanging, but her words suddenly grew sharp, "You’re Dongyang Silver Blood Association’s top merchant. Buying low and selling high is basically your nature. When you see a deal this good, why refuse?"

"Setting aside the lover thing, even just going by talent, skills, looks, fighting ability—I’d say buying my next half of life would be a bargain for you—"

"Because Zhengwei taught me people aren’t products, or at least they shouldn’t be," Le Yu said, already getting pretty skilled at using "As Zhengwei once said," as a conversational tool, "and besides, how do I know you’re not a White Night assassin, waiting to off me in my sleep?"

"Because you know I wouldn’t hurt you, just like I know you want to protect me."

Rustle—

Leaves on the ground were blown up by the wind. Le Yu stared as a lonely leaf followed a tumultuous, tornado-like path, and the storm inside him slowly calmed down.

"You say you can’t resonate with romance stories, but I’m not so sure," he said with a slight smile, "The way you talk so confidently almost makes me feel awkward, like there’s actually something sketchy between us."

"Then why refuse the deal?"

"Because I don’t need more tools, followers, or lovers," Le Yu said lazily, "Even if you’re talented, I have enough people on hand—I don’t need you."

"There are ways you could use me," Qian Yuya said, "For example, I could help you get intel from White Night, or help you pass messages to them."

Le Yu raised an eyebrow a little, "You want to betray White Night?"

"I was never officially a member, so what’s there to betray?" Qian Yuya shook her head, "They’re still deciding if I qualify to join, and I’m deciding if they’re even worth my loyalty."

"Honestly, I’m kind of surprised," Le Yu said, "Qian Yuliu was a White Night Walker. He entrusted you to White Night’s care. I figured you’d want to just carry on his will..."

"Was my brother’s will really about White Night?" Qian Yuya asked back, "Was he truly fascinated by White Night’s dreams, fired up, willing to risk everything?"

Le Yu opened his mouth to give a definite answer, but then swallowed the words.

Because he knew the real answer.