CHAPTER 11

Seeing the atmosphere about to turn cold, Xu Yi pretended to speak casually: “By the way, the fried eggs you make every day taste a bit bland.”

“Fried eggs?” Wen Yang looked up at him, noticing his smug expression. She thought to herself that all the good deeds done by his “little brother” these days were mistakenly credited to her. The one doing good without leaving a name had left a massive misunderstanding for his older brother. She clarified, “I didn’t make them. It’s that little boy who brings them to you every morning.”

“What little boy? Not you?” Xu Yi worked hard to maintain his composure.

“The one you gave a lollipop to. He probably sees you as his big brother now,” Wen Yang added. “How could I possibly get up early every day to make you fried eggs?”

Xu Yi felt like she had just dealt him a heavy blow. His expression faltered, but he tried to save face: “You didn’t say anything. How was I supposed to know it wasn’t you?”

“Did you honestly believe I’d make fried eggs for you? Every day, no less.” Wen Yang emphasized the words “every day” with a tone of incredulity.

Xu Yi’s pride took another hit. He realized this girl was naturally born to keep him in check.

Running away wasn’t the behavior of a hero. Facing difficulties head-on was what a real man should do. “You have chickens at home, don’t you? I’ll make them myself from now on.”

“Fine, suit yourself. Just remember to collect the eggs on time,” Wen Yang replied. Then she added, “And don’t forget to tell that kid to stop bringing you eggs. If you want to be a kind snail boy, you need savings. Don’t go bankrupt from good deeds.”

---

After feeding the livestock, Wen Yang changed into clean clothes. She thought about taking a bath, but the water wasn’t warm enough. Heating water was an option, but having outsiders around made it inconvenient.

Hu Lishi had been escorted away by two bodyguards before Xu Yi left. Now, only a family doctor, Zhang Yuan, and another burly bodyguard remained.

Xu Yi looked at the doctor he specifically requested to stay behind and sneered. He thought to himself, I’ve still got some restraint.

---

Xu Yi knocked on Wen Yang’s door, hands in his pockets. “I need to talk to you.”

Wen Yang opened the door. “What is it?”

“There’s a doctor downstairs. He can check the injuries you got last night.”

“It’s nothing, just a few scratches,” she said casually. Then she asked, “Are you hurt?”

Hearing this, Xu Yi assumed she had some conscience and cared about her savior. He replied in an indifferent tone, “Scars are a man’s medals. These minor injuries are no big deal.”

“As long as you know your own condition,” Wen Yang said.

Seeing that he hadn’t left yet, she asked, “Anything else?”

“Wait here.”

Wen Yang watched as Xu Yi went back to his room. After some noise, he came out dragging his suitcase.

“This is for you. I just felt sorry for you and had Zhang Yuan bring these things over. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Wen Yang thought to herself that she hadn’t done anything to make him think otherwise. His statement seemed a bit self-absorbed.

Xu Yi realized his words might hurt her pride. But when he met her calm, unruffled eyes, he knew it was all in his head. Somehow, this annoyed him. He fumbled with his words, “You… I didn’t mean… You—” He couldn’t string together a coherent sentence.

Wen Yang was slightly shorter than Xu Yi, so he had to lower his head to look at her. Their gazes locked, neither backing down at first. But eventually, Xu Yi found himself retreating. His eyes landed on a strand of her hair resting on her collarbone.

She had changed into a faded brick-red short-sleeve shirt, loose and shapeless, with a collar that seemed stretched and hung below her straight collarbone. His Adam’s apple bobbed. The girl wasn’t as scrawny as he thought. He forced his wandering eyes back into check, turned his back to her, and said, “Don’t forget to return the suitcase.”

---

System: What goodies did he give you this time?

Wen Yang: You can’t eat them anyway, so don’t worry about it.

Wen Yang grabbed the suitcase handle. It still carried the warmth from Xu Yi’s hand, which made her uncomfortable. She switched her grip to a different spot and carried it inside.

The suitcase wasn’t locked, and the code was correct. Wen Yang opened it to find it packed to the brim. The most noticeable item was a boxed kettle, along with a hairdryer, and a set of toiletries in various-sized blue bottles. The rest were snacks.

Wen Yang looked at the contents with a puzzled expression. Did she really look so poor that even a proud and arrogant young master couldn’t resist pitying and helping her? She made a mental note of his kindness, planning to write a 300-word glowing comment about Xu Yi in the novel’s reviews later.

Starting with, He is a kind-hearted person… He is kind, excellent, helpful, and generous… She ran out of words after less than 100. It wasn’t that Xu Yi lacked virtues—it was her limited vocabulary at fault.

After unpacking, Wen Yang closed the suitcase and went to return it to Xu Yi.

When she handed it over, she looked him in the eye and said, “Thank you.”

Xu Yi felt a storm brewing inside him. She was frustratingly unpredictable—one moment sweet, the next exasperating. How could one person stir up so many emotions?

Even her lips, usually pale pink, had an out-of-place crumb of chips stuck on them. Before he knew it, he reached out as if possessed, about to brush it away.

Smack!

Wen Yang slapped his hand away and squinted at him, unflinching. “What are you trying to do?”

Xu Yi held his hand, flustered. He stammered, “You… your mouth… there was a bug! I didn’t want you to accidentally eat it. I was trying to swat it away.”

Wen Yang, skeptical, nodded and said, “Thanks.”

---

On the stairs, Zhang Yuan froze in shock. He witnessed the scene, utterly stunned. Was this flirting? Had his young master fallen in love while doing manual labor?

Just as Zhang Yuan reeled from the realization, Xu Yi walked past him without sparing a glance.

“Young Master~” Zhang Yuan called out nervously.

“Don’t wander around.”

“Understood.” Zhang Yuan lowered his head, feeling uneasy. It looked like his young master was being self-indulgent.

“You all can go back. I don’t need anything else.”

This time, Zhang Yuan said nothing, promptly leading the others out of the village.

On his way back upstairs, Xu Yi’s gaze lingered on the tightly closed wooden door in the middle. I must be losing my mind, he thought.

---

Inside the room.

Wen Yang: After completing the final mission of the first part of the novel, can I leave this place?

System: Yes, you’ll move to the city where the female supporting character’s parents live.

Wen Yang: After that, I’ll only have one final storyline six years later, right?

System: Correct.

Wen Yang: Can we fast-forward time?

Wen Yang didn’t want to stay in an unfamiliar place for six more years. A single conversation shouldn’t demand such a long wait.

The system, feeling helpless, replied: “The rules forbid it. Even 006 doesn’t have the authority to alter them.”

Wen Yang pressed further: “Can you guarantee that, in the real world, I’ll have only been unconscious for a few hours? What if, by the time I return, they’ve already buried me? Wouldn’t I be resurrecting like a ghost at my own funeral?”

The system reassured her: “Rest assured, host. 006 fully guarantees your rights and won’t let you lose your original identity.”

---

The next morning, Xu Yi got up early, waiting for the “Snail Boy” Wen Yang had mentioned. At dawn, a small figure approached the house. The boy carefully carried a plate of eggs and climbed over the threshold, as tall as his calves. Just as he placed the eggs on the table and was about to leave, Xu Yi’s voice stopped him.

“Come back.”

Xu Yi descended the stairs. The boy looked at him with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

“You’re the one who delivers eggs to me every morning.”

The boy nodded, his eyes sparkling.

“Stop bringing them. I don’t eat these.”

The light in the boy’s eyes dimmed instantly. His voice, barely audible, murmured, “But you’ve eaten them before.”

“I didn’t know you were the one bringing them.” Xu Yi, not one to bully children, explained: “Didn’t your family teach you not to eat food from strangers?”

“No, they didn’t.”

“Well, I’m telling you now. Remember it.”

Xu Yi had eaten the eggs in the past, assuming they were made by Wen Yang. Now that he knew the truth, he couldn’t bring himself to touch them again.

The boy’s shoulders trembled as tears began to fall. His soft cries grew louder and more uncontrollable. “I understand. I won’t bring them anymore.”

Xu Yi, seated on a small stool, watched the boy cry, feeling exasperated. ‘I didn’t even scold him, yet he’s acting like I did something terrible.’

At that moment, Wen Yang and Lin Minjing came downstairs, both woken by the crying.

Yawning, Lin Minjing muttered, “Whose kid is this, coming over so early in the morning?”

Wen Yang, fetching water from the yard to wash her face, found the crying as grating as the cacophony of children’s choir practice.

When the crying persisted, Xu Yi’s voice turned stern. “Enough already. Are you done?”

The boy sniffled and mumbled, “Sorry.” He wiped his tears and darted out of the house, his small legs moving swiftly.

---

For the first time, Xu Yi showed up for the morning class earlier than usual. Typically, he wouldn’t arrive until nearly lunchtime.

Inside the classroom, the younger students were noisily playing around, oblivious to their lessons. With no teacher present, no one took studying seriously.

Wen Yang stared blankly at her language textbook, while Xu Yi, feeling restless, leaned over to strike up a conversation. “Why was that kid crying this morning?”

Wen Yang’s stomach ached like it was being twisted into knots. She didn’t feel like talking. In a muffled voice, she replied, “Maybe you hit a sore spot with your words. He couldn’t hold back his sadness and started crying.”

Xu Yi couldn’t pinpoint anything wrong with what he had said. He figured he’d just pay the boy for the eggs and call it even.

“Lend me a pen.” He grabbed Wen Yang’s pen and began doodling in her book.

After a while, he slid the book back toward her. “Doesn’t this look like you?”

Forced to glance down, Wen Yang saw his abstract sketch. She deadpanned, “It looks like a ghost.”

“You can’t see the essence of the drawing?” he retorted.

“Only someone on a master’s level could understand. I’m just an amateur, completely clueless about art.”

Xu Yi rested his chin on his hand, satisfied with her comment. He grinned, clearly in a good mood.

---

After class, Wen Yang’s stomach still felt uncomfortable. Her period had just ended, but the pain felt like food poisoning. Maybe she’d overindulged in the snacks Xu Yi had given her.

But no matter how she felt, she couldn’t forget her task. Through the window, she spotted Qi Chen walking out of the teacher’s office with some test papers. This was her chance. She grabbed a random paper and stood up.

The movement caused a sharp pain in her stomach, but she forced herself forward. As she approached Qi Chen, she deliberately staggered and collapsed directly in his path.

Feeling herself caught securely, she exhaled in relief. Success. She kept her eyes shut, continuing her act, her nose brushing against the fabric of her “rescuer.” She caught a familiar scent.

“What’s wrong with you?” Xu Yi’s voice came from above. His arm supported her shoulders, clearly panicking.

What? Wen Yang cracked her eyes open slightly, only to find Xu Yi holding her. Where was Qi Chen?

At that moment, Xiao Yan rushed over, having heard the commotion. She looked equally flustered.

Qi Chen said, “I’ll go get the teacher.”

Wen Yang debated whether to “regain consciousness” and claim she was fine, but before she could act, Xu Yi suddenly picked her up. Her face was pressed against his chest. The movement was so abrupt that her body tensed, and the pain in her stomach flared up. Unable to suppress it, she let out a weak groan. “Stop moving around.”