Chapter 188 Just Because I Love You

Meanwhile, outside the CEO's office.

Mu Chuji leaned against the cold wall, barely supporting her limp body.

The door was very soundproof, so she couldn't hear the specific conversation, only some vague syllables of argument.

[System, they're arguing, right? Su Ruan is questioning him, isn't she?]

She clutched her chest, her heart feeling as if it were being repeatedly squeezed, each contraction bringing sharp pain.

This is the backlash from forcibly activating the highest level of destiny-based attraction.

The cost was enormous.

But as long as we can break the trust between them, make Su Ruan feel resentful, and make Yan Tingnan waver...

It was all worth it.

[Host intervention effective; rifts have appeared in the relationships between the target characters; plot-correcting forces are attempting to infiltrate.]

Mu Chuji felt a surge of joy in her heart.

As she listened to Su Ruan's tearful questioning and Yan Tingnan's suppressed growl, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a smile.

Yes, that's it.

Once the seed of doubt is planted, it only needs a little nourishment to grow into a towering tree, eventually driving them to the brink of collapse.

[Host, your energy is being depleted continuously, and the backlash is intensifying. We recommend you evacuate and rest immediately.]

Mu Chuji shook her head and stood firmly.

She wanted to hear the sound of their relationship breaking down with her own ears.

That was her hope of returning to the real world.

Bang!

A dull thud, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground, came from inside the door, interrupting Mu Chuji's reverie.

She was startled, then scoffed.

Smash things?

It seems the argument is even fiercer than expected.

very good.

The voices inside lowered, turning into a muffled conversation that was difficult to hear clearly.

Inside the door.

The muffled thud was from the file box that Yan Tingnan accidentally knocked over when he pinned Su Ruan against the desk.

He simply didn't have time to care.

The intertwining of their lips and tongues carried a punitive force, yet after she softened, it became tender and deep.

He only loosened his grip when Su Ruan was almost out of breath, his breathing heavy.

He couldn't let her continue to suspect him.

There are some things that only he can break through.

He looked at her calmly.

"Ruan Ruan, there are some things I didn't want to say, because I was afraid you would overthink it and feel uneasy."

He paused.

"But I've found that keeping it from you only makes you feel worse."

"Actually, I know."

Yan Tingnan ran his thumb across her wet cheek, his voice deep and slow.

"I know that the world is a book."

Su Ruan was stunned, her mind went blank.

What did Yan Tingnan say?

He knew the world was a book?!

She froze in his arms, as if she hadn't understood.

"What?"

Su Ruan's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"I also know that Mu Chuji was originally intended to be the female lead in that book."

Su Ruan's breath hitched, and her brain went blank for a moment.

All the surging jealousy, resentment, and unease were shattered by that one sentence.

She even wondered if she was hallucinating from anger.

He knew all that?!

When did he find out?!

Yan Tingnan looked at her suddenly tense face, and his heart softened.

Su Ruan's throat tightened, and her voice became dry.

How did you know?

"Yan Yunye."

He uttered those three words with a chilling tone.

"He awakened and came to tell me that I am the male lead, and Mu Chuji is the destined female lead."

Su Ruan's heart sank.

So early...

"So, you already knew that my initial approach to you was for..."

"Change your fate."

Yan Tingnan answered calmly, her eyes showing no trace of the disgust or scrutiny she had expected, only a tenderness that overwhelmed her.

"Um."

He lowered his head and kissed her trembling eyelashes.

"I know."

Su Ruan's breath hitched, and a feeling of utter embarrassment, as if she had been completely seen through, suddenly surged up her scalp.

"and you……"

Her voice choked as she tried to regain some control.

Yan Tingnan held her even tighter, not allowing her to back down.

"What's the panic?"

His voice was deep and steady, with a soothing quality.

"Books are inanimate, but people are alive."

“My life, Yan Tingnan’s life, is not for a piece of junk to dictate.”

"Don't you find my elaborate performance hilarious?"

"Not ridiculous."

Yan Tingnan cupped her face, forcing her to see the seriousness in his eyes.

Su Ruan was stunned.

"My Ruan Ruan, she was given such a terrible ending by that lousy book."

“A pre-defined character can break free of the puppets, go against the current, and tear the so-called script to shreds.”

"In the end, they won me over through their own abilities."

"How can this be ridiculous?"

"He's obviously incredibly handsome."

"You are so dazzling that I can't take my eyes off you."

Su Ruan felt as if her heart had been squeezed, and the tingling, numb sensation instantly dispelled the unpleasant feeling.

"That Mu Chuji..."

She still can't get over this hurdle.

“I sensed something was wrong from the first time I saw her at the coffee shop.”

"There's a force about her that's trying to control me."

Yan Tingnan frowned slightly and spoke frankly to her.

"Being near her gives me headaches, dizziness, and makes me feel like I have urges against my will."

Su Ruan's heart tightened.

"Nebula crushed the cup because a force was compelling me to protect her."

"Yan Yunye said that force is the plot's attraction."

"I can't fully control it, and it feels terrible."

"But whenever I think of you, the force that was trying to control me is like snow meeting the sun."

His tone was somber, tinged with frustration.

"I kept her under my watchful eye, not because she was anything special."

"Only by bringing hidden dangers into the open and making them clear can we eradicate them completely."

"As for recently, resisting that thing is very mentally taxing."

He paused, then pulled her even tighter into his arms.

"But I found that only when I hold you and kiss you does that feeling of being controlled subside."

His voice trailed off, tinged with a sigh.

Only then can I be sure that I am me, and that I belong only to you, Yan Tingnan.

"Coming home late, exhausted, clingy..."

He lowered his head, his nose brushing against her cheek.

"It's because I'm working so hard outside that I desperately need to recharge when I get home."

"Ruanruan, I'm not looking for a fire extinguisher."

"They're looking for my antidote."

As Su Ruan listened to his honest confessions, all her unease and suspicion were gradually soothed.

She suddenly remembered the utterly incoherent and outrageous things she had just said.

What's all this talk about finding Mu Chuji, what's all this talk about old friends...

That's absolutely stupid!

She sniffed, her voice thick with nasal congestion, and mumbled softly.

"So, you've been possessed by something evil all this time, and that's why you've come back and are desperately trying to absorb my yang energy to prolong your life?"

"Weren't you distracted by that innocent girl, and that's why you came back to vent your anger on me?"

Yan Tingnan raised an eyebrow, the heaviness in her eyes instantly replaced by helplessness and indulgence.

"Ruan Ruan, what are you thinking about all day long?"

"I've only ever had such a beastly thought about you."

He lowered his head and bit her pouting lips, his tone dangerous and ambiguous.

"Besides, can't you tell if it's venting your anger or not?"

Su Ruan's face flushed; the spot where he had brushed against her felt like it had been electrocuted.

But that little bit of resentment in my heart has completely vanished.

She gave a defiant snort, regaining some of her usual sharp wit.

"Who told you not to explain clearly!"

"You almost went too far trying to be profound, didn't you?"

Yan Tingnan sighed, pulled her back into his arms, and gently stroked her back with his large hand.

"I was afraid you'd overthink it."

"I'm afraid that you'll feel bad if you think about those things in the original book."

His voice lowered, tinged with lingering fear.

"I'm afraid you'll know that even I might be affected by that damn plot's pull."

"Then I fell into the same anxiety and self-doubt as you."

“Every choice I make and every word I say now comes from my true heart, Yan Tingnan.”

"I am not controlled by any ghostly thing."

"Su Ruan, I love you because you are Su Ruan."

"It wasn't arranged by any book, nor was it some kind of bullshit force majeure."

"Simply because I love you."