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The system told me to temporarily stay away from him; maybe He Yu was just under the illusion of my long-time company.

Everything will be fine once his destined female lead appears.

After applying the medicine on me, He Yu sat next to me with his legs crossed. The soft light cast a faint halo on his profile, making his features look even more beautiful and captivating.

I made a clean cut.

I took out a key and placed it on the coffee table in front of me.

“He Yu, I need to tell you something. I’m planning to move out soon, so here’s the house key back.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees instantly.

He Yu turned the plain ring on his thumb, looking at me, his voice carrying a chilling tone, like jade:

“Why? If you don’t like this house, I can pick another one.”

From being impoverished to becoming a successful figure in the business world, he had become one of the new elites of North City.

The house was already top-tier.

I took off my gold-rimmed glasses, leaned back on the couch, and patted He Yu on the shoulder.

“He Yu, we’re both 25 now. We’re not the 5-year-olds from the orphanage anymore. It’s time to settle down and have our own lives.”

He Yu lowered his eyes to look at me, his lashes casting a shadow:

“Are you thinking of settling down? Do you have someone you like?”

“Sort of.”

The female lead, Shi Qing, will appear at He Yu’s birthday party next month. My role as the affectionate second male lead is about to begin.

Those deep, dark eyes became even colder.

“Who is it? Can I meet them?”

“Well…you will meet her.”

“Fine, then move.”

He Yu’s long, narrow eyes held a faint smile, and he casually took off the ring.

His tone sounded indifferent.

I knocked on the system: “Hey, don’t you think the male lead seems a bit off?”

He used to be a shy, reserved boy, but over the years, he had become more withdrawn and taciturn.

Like a cold, desolate snow mountain, ready to avalanche at any moment.

The system mocked me: “Stop with your forced romance fantasies. The male lead isn’t the type of person you think he is.”

“Hehe, you read people so well.”

“Don’t worry, he can’t beat me. At most, he’ll just get jealous when he hears I have someone I like.”

“I’m a dominant top! If it weren’t for this damn ‘straight man’ persona, I would’ve had him by now!”

System: “Ha.”

---

The moving out got delayed for a few days, and I still hadn’t returned the key.

He Yu said he wanted to help me move. But recently, he took on an important project, so it had to be postponed:

“Ah Jin, we’ve been living together for so many years. I’m worried you won’t adapt to the new place so quickly. Once I finish my work, I’ll help you pack some things you’re used to.”

“I remember you were quite fond of that blue and white porcelain tea set, weren’t you?”

“There’s no rush, right? Can’t you wait a day?”

He leaned back against the sofa, rubbing his temples and eyebrows, looking a bit tired.

His words were so considerate that I couldn’t find any reason to refuse.

The company was something He Yu and I started from scratch in university, after all, and we put in so much effort.

After those tough times passed, I became a bit lax.

I sighed to the system: “The male lead is a role model. While I wasn’t paying attention, he got involved in another big deal.”

For once, the system didn’t argue: “Don’t ask me, I don’t know either. We only monitor the main plot points, not these kinds of details.”

He Yu decided on the moving day. It was a weekend.

From the morning, the sky was misty and somewhat gloomy.

North City had been dry and hot lately, but today, it seemed like it might rain.

He Yu was already helping me organize my wardrobe.

His slender fingers neatly folded the clothes on the bed with care and precision.

He had the vibe of a caring housewife.

I leaned against the door, admiring the sight of He Yu bending down, the loose collar revealing a bit of skin, as I prepared to pack symbolically and move to the new place before it started raining.

While grabbing my phone from the bedside to charge it, something shiny caught my eye.

I picked it up from between the gaps and found it was a necklace glinting with silver light.

It was a double-layered chain, with a plain ring in the middle, twisted like two thorny branches entwined.

It wasn’t expensive, but it was intricate and unique.

It was a gift He Yu had given me when we earned our first pot of gold together years ago.

I had lost it recently.

Turns out, it had fallen here.

He Yu had said that this necklace suited my aura well.

Though I often bicker with the system and make flirty jokes, in reality, I have a refined and cultured appearance, so silver accessories match me best.

Of course, according to the system, I’m a “beast in scholar’s clothing.”

Pretentious, sly, and lusting after the male lead for ages.

The system wasn’t wrong.

Because that ring in the middle of the necklace was something He Yu later asked for. He said the ring suited him more.

I teased him back then: “So stingy, giving a gift only to take half of it back?”

He Yu looked at me with those deep, lake-like eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he said, “It feels like a shackle, a restraint, reminding me to stay rational and restrained in life. I like it.”

I mischievously told the system: “Seems like your male lead has a certain… potential.”

The system was puzzled: “What potential?”

“A certain letter, between L and N.”

The system researched overnight and ended up finding a bunch of censored content.

If it had a face, it would probably be green with frustration.

That night, I had a dream.

In the dream, He Yu was tied to a chair, his chest bare, pale skin entwined with dark red thorns.

Like a once sacred and solemn full moon undergoing a rare lunar eclipse, transforming into a seductive and enchanting blood moon.

It was quite a sight.

I woke up, still thinking about the dream, while the system sarcastically said: “Disgusting hosts with sudden S tendencies.”

“Like SP.”

Now that I’ve found the necklace again, I don’t feel like wearing it anymore.

I remember that day at the office, He Yu also took off his ring.

Maybe it’s a sign that, sooner or later, He Yu and I will follow the plot and go our separate ways.

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