Chapter 58: Jiang Xiliu's favorite character is someone who's not exactly a green (in a literal sense)...

Jin Zhao slowly emerged from the bathroom, leaning against the wall for support.

He didn't expect to spend the night here, so he didn't bring any clothes with him.

He was only wrapped in a bath towel and stood in front of the mirror for a while.

A hot shower brought some color back to his face. He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and finally tied the towel around his waist.

Because the living room curtains were wide open, he opened the door a crack and stood inside calling out, "Jiang Xiliu."

Jiang Xiliu was impatiently extracting useful information from Shen Xiu's long string of nonsense when she heard the voice. Without even looking up, she asked, "What?"

What was Jin Zhao doing? He didn't know either; perhaps he was—seducing someone.

When people are not thinking clearly, they are most likely to do things they would normally think about but dare not do. Jin Zhao twitched the corner of his mouth, as if mocking his own audacity.

"Jiang Xiliu."

"What?" Jiang Xiliu's tone was even more impatient, but she finally looked up at him.

Her gaze lingered on him. Jin Zhao knew that his hand gripped the doorknob tightly, and the courage he had been gathering for so long crumbled when he saw Jiang Xiliu's furrowed brows.

"Bang—" Jin Zhao slammed the door shut.

Jiang Xiliu stood up from the carpet. She didn't push the door open or knock. She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and said, "Jin Zhao, you've upset me."

Even the best soundproof door can't block out sounds within ten centimeters.

Jin Zhao knew he had upset her. He was so stupid; he couldn't even seduce her, and instead, he made her feel bad.

"Open the door." Jiang Xiliu threw her phone and the fake hamster onto the sofa. She was quite certain that Jin Zhao had been corrupted by Shen Xiu. Although neither Shen Xiu nor Jin Zhao would admit it, the inherent flaws of these men meant they were destined to lie.

Jin Zhao certainly had no reason to refuse to open the door, but after opening it, he draped a bath towel over his upper body.

Jiang Xiliu pushed him and reached out to pull off the bath towel on top.

Jin Zhao's lips moved slightly, his breathing becoming rapid: "I'm a little cold." This was an excuse for his current actions, and also a way to prevent Jiang Xiliu from removing his last fig leaf.

It should be cold.

While he was taking a shower, System 0777 told her that the medicine he was taking seemed to have little effect, and after being forcibly suppressed to 38 degrees Celsius, his body temperature began to rebound.

Jiang Xiliu still pulled the bath towel off him, and said expressionlessly, "If you're cold, change into your pajamas and go to bed."

Jin Zhao stared sluggishly at the bath towel in her hand, torn between continuing to seduce her and feeling utterly embarrassed: "I don't have pajamas."

Jiang Xiliu was too lazy to engage in pointless communication with a patient: "Forget it, just wrap yourself in the blanket."

She paused, thinking that this idiot hadn't even gone to the dressing room to find pajamas to change into, so what about his lower body?

Jin Zhao's mind was truly foggy. After noticing Jiang Xiliu's gaze, he actually said, "Maybe we'll need it."

He needs physical contact to feel safe. It doesn't necessarily mean he has to do anything, but he rarely has the chance to hold her tightly, so he can only try to do it blindly through clumsy seduction.

If he pleases her, she will always sleep soundly, and at that time, he can hold her and won't be pushed away.

Jiang Xiliu laughed: "Do you know what you're saying?"

She touched his freshly washed and dried hair; it was fluffy and soft. His hair had grown a little longer while she was away.

This is a good opportunity.

Jin Zhao sat on the edge of the bed, just big enough to hug her waist.

He was quiet and seemed normal, but he wasn't. If he were sober, he would never have put most of his weight on Jiang Xiliu.

If Jiang Xiliu hadn't been firmly held between his legs, she suspected she might have fallen.

"How did you lose so much weight?" Jiang Xiliu's fingers stopped on the slightly protruding bone on his back, pressed down, as if to stuff the bone back into his body.

It hurt a little, and Jin Zhao shuddered.

He buried his face in her arms, his wisps of hair brushing against her collarbone, and began to ramble: "I hate Ye Qishan so much. He likes you, but he can't like you."

Jiang Xiliu pushed him down and changed his sitting position: "Many people like me."

She grabbed his wrist, which was resting on her waist, and with a little force, pressed his hand above his head: "Only you have poor eyesight and don't like me."

She's such a good person, she deserves to be loved by everyone, whether it's family, friends, or lovers.

Only Jin Zhao, the male protagonist who was confined, rejected her, resisted her, and hated her from the very beginning.

Jiang Xiliu didn't stay idle during the month she was away from Jin Zhao; she would often pull System 0777 aside to discuss the plot.

In the original storyline, Jin Zhao was able to escape the trap she set and leave unscathed after divorcing her. Besides having the help of an inside agent, his skillful acting also fooled Jiang Xiliu in the original storyline.

So, Jiang Xiliu looked down at the pale, beautiful face beneath her and asked, "Are you acting right now?"

Jin Zhao didn't answer, or perhaps he didn't hear him. He continued talking to himself, "...And Shen Xiu, he's so rich, why does he insist on living in your house? He's doing it on purpose. If he doesn't want to live in the dormitory, I can let him live in the house I rent."

Given the dilapidated house he rented, Shen Xiu probably wouldn't have even seen the inside of the house before he was scared away by the terrible road conditions on the way.

“Shen Yu too.” Jin Zhao’s eyelashes trembled. “Do you love him or hate him? Never mind, don’t say. No matter which one, I’m so jealous of him. I hate Shen Yu the most.”

I want to kill him, erase his existence, and drive them all away.

Jiang Xiliu patted his face: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Jin Zhao's hand was pressed against his face by the hand she raised: "I can't eat. I can't eat anything when I think about these things, so I've lost weight."

I spoke for so long just to answer her question.

Jiang Xiliu felt that he was using this opportunity to criticize her for being too likable: "Then you have to learn to adapt. Even if there is no Ye Er, there will be Zhang San, Li Si, and Wang Wu. I can't let you affect my normal social interactions."

There's a lot of truth and falsehood in this circle, and there's not much genuine affection. Many people like her not because they like her as a person, but because they like the resources behind her.

But that's alright, because her resources are also part of her personal life.

After thinking for a moment, she added, "But I like you the most."

They're lying, and they even said he was acting.

Jin Zhao gave a slight smile: "Yeah, I know."

Jiang Xiliu pulled the blanket over him: "Alright, if you know that, go to sleep early. You'll feel half better after a good night's sleep."

If you feel cold, you need to cover yourself with a blanket and sweat it out to bring down your fever.

Jin Zhao noticed she was about to leave, so he forced himself to get up again and asked her, "You like me the most, so why won't you touch me?"

Jiang Xiliu took a deep breath: ...Does he really just have a fever?

Although she doesn't seem to care much about the other person's feelings in this regard, she is still a mentally healthy, respectful, and caring young person. For her to do something inappropriate to a patient with a high fever would really make her seem...

"Don't overthink it." Jiang Xiliu shook off the useless thoughts in her mind. "I'll come up from the other side."

The two lay side by side, with at least one person between them.

Jin Zhao turned to look at Jiang Xiliu, who had her eyes closed, and stared at her for a few seconds: "Can I hug you?"

Jiang Xiliu ignored him.

Jin Zhao leaned closer and said in a low voice, "Hold me while I sleep, if you like."

Jiang Xiliu wanted to curse. She had only been so focused on rolling him up and stuffing him into the blanket that she forgot he wasn't wearing anything. So his heat, through the thin, smooth fabric of her body, quickly transferred to her.

It was so hot that she was sweating.

Whether it's pajamas or something else, they'll get damp from the change.

"Who exactly did you learn bad habits from?" Jiang Xiliu could no longer bear it and began to retaliate with her hands without restraint.

Jin Zhao took a brief breath: "In my dream."

If Jin Zhao wasn't lying, Jiang Xiliu strongly suspected that this was not a very green dream.

...

Jiang Xiliu wondered if it was because Jin Zhao had a fever.

He held her tightly, drenched in sweat, his body wet, tears streaming down his face.

Jiang Xiliu had no idea why he was crying. She slapped him, and he apologized. Of course, he didn't stop, but bent down and wiped away the tears that had accidentally fallen on her collarbone.

Jiang Xiliu is alive, he can hit him, and he has warmth.

After waking up, Jiang Xiliu stared blankly at the ceiling.

Jin Zhao is a strange person. Can a person change so much just from having a fever?

She turned her head to the side; she was alone in the room.

"What time is it?" Jiang Xiliu asked subconsciously. She touched her neck; why was her voice hoarse? Had she really caught a cold?

System 0777, whose small dark room was filled with tally marks, spontaneously emerged.

[System 0777: 4:16 PM, the next day.]

[System 0777: Jin Zhao has already forced me to feed him two meals.]

Jiang Xiliu had always found this strange; despite not exerting much effort, she recovered faster than men. It seemed that men always felt full of energy immediately after finishing.

[System 0777: Perhaps it's because they're born to be hard workers?]

[System 0777 complains: Jin Zhao not only took care of me, but also did all the housekeeper's work. This morning, even the housekeeper praised him for being virtuous.]

Then the aunt left happily because she didn't have to do any work.

Jiang Xiliu sat up and asked, "Has his fever gone down?"

[System 0777 is furious: Yes! I tested him as soon as I was released from the dark room, and his fever subsided so quickly that I suspect it's a conspiracy!]

Jiang Xiliu looked clean and tidy; clearly, this naturally capable person had not only taken care of the hamster and cleaned the house, but also kept it neat and tidy.

Where did Jin Zhao go?

The hamster stays outside, and for a system that already has a physical form, it can serve as a monitoring tool.

[System 0777: It's in the living room outside, but...]

Jiang Xiliu glanced at herself. Jin Zhao had changed her into a new set of pajamas, but she didn't like the color. After a quick wash and skincare routine, she went into the dressing room to choose a new one.

"But what?"

That damn AI has learned nothing but how to keep things a secret.

[System 0777, who can hear the young lady's thoughts: ...Not to keep you in suspense, young lady, while you were changing clothes just now, I was locked in the dark room again.]

[System 0777 quickly said: Jin Zhao isn't alone outside; Ye Qishan brought two men with him.]

[System 0777: Yes, those people Jin Zhao mentioned yesterday are all here.]

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Author's note: We're missing four players, but we could play mahjong.