Faced with Gu Chenyuan's sudden confession and earnest gaze, Ye Qingyun was momentarily stunned.

But he quickly realized what he meant and refused, saying, "I don't want to."

Gu Chenyuan himself is not the type to enjoy vying for power and profit, nor does he have any ambition for the highest position. This can be seen from the fact that before Gu Chenyuan met him, he had never developed his own power or used his own strength to obtain certain positions.

Even a fool could tell Ye Qingyun how dangerous it was to fight for control of this star field; a small mistake could kill Gu Chenyuan.

If Gu Chenyuan's original dream was to become the ruler of the empire, then Ye Qingyun might have supported him. But since Gu Chenyuan didn't originally have this idea, Ye Qingyun naturally had to stop him. She certainly wouldn't agree to Gu Chenyuan's request for this condition and let him work towards that goal.

A hint of sadness flashed in Gu Chenyuan's eyes. He lowered his gaze, holding Ye Qingyun's hand tightly instead of loosening his grip. After a long silence, he gave a faint smile: "It was wrong of me to make such grand pronouncements before even starting. I'll ask you again after I succeed."

Ye Qingyun: "???"

Ye Qingyun was shocked to hear this and was about to say that even if she succeeded, it would be useless, when she caught a glimpse of Gu Chenyuan's eyes.

It was a look in my eyes that suggested I was carefully maintaining something.

Gu Chenyuan was carefully maintaining the possibility of being with him. Obviously, if he rejected Gu Chenyuan again now, he would be cruelly shattering Gu Chenyuan's hope. No one knew what Gu Chenyuan would do if he lost hope.

Ye Qingyun choked on her words, unsure whether to speak or remain silent.

Fortunately, by the time Ye Qingyun returned to her hotel, she had figured out a way to stop Gu Chenyuan.

Perhaps it was because he had been so positive and optimistic during this period that Gu Chenyuan felt he was full of enthusiasm for life and had given up the idea of ​​dying for love, which is why he began to actively plan for the future.

If he reverts to a negative attitude, Gu Chenyuan's focus will definitely not shift towards conquering the stars.

"You won't take me with you when you go, will you?" Ye Qingyun asked, fiddling with the blanket. "I can be fine on my own."

As expected, Gu Chenyuan stopped moving upon hearing what he said.

"I will always be by your side," Gu Chenyuan said.

He could stay with Ye Qingyun and prevent her from doing anything foolish, while also trying to control other planets. However, doing so would require more effort and would be much slower.

But it doesn't matter, Ye Qingyun is the most important. As long as Ye Qingyun is safe and sound, everything can be taken slowly.

————

That night, Ye Qingyun couldn't sleep.

Although he had temporarily stabilized Gu Chenyuan, he still remembered his original goal: to find a way to remove the bloodline restriction from Gu Chenyuan and get him to cooperate with him by providing the various things he needed for his research.

The plan to make Gu Chenyuan dislike him and then cooperate with him failed. Gu Chenyuan's attitude towards him was definitely not one of dislike, but rather one of great liking.

Ye Qingyun inevitably recalled the look in Gu Chenyuan's eyes when he confessed to her. It was an extremely intense look in Gu Chenyuan's eyes, like a frozen lake thawing and being burned hot.

Ye Qingyun was lost in thought as she pondered that look in his eyes.

The system whispered: [Host, do you like the protagonist?]

Ye Qingyun: [Why are you asking this?]

The system solemnly stated: "I advise you not to be tempted. Whether the protagonist is single and who their partner is is a fundamental question for this world. If this fundamental question goes wrong, the world's consciousness will awaken. The world's consciousness... might not approve of the protagonist being with a vicious cannon fodder character. Based on my experience traveling through multiple worlds, the world's consciousness might despise your not-so-pure status, lest you tarnish its pristine, unattainable protagonist."

Ye Qingyun remained silent.

The system continued: "The plot of this world is too chaotic. The main system has already granted you permissions so that you won't have a headache even if you don't maintain your persona. You should already be aware of this."

Ye Qingyun: [Um... thank you.]

System: [However, the world's consciousness is not under our control, and we do not know what it will do, so please be vigilant. Of course, we also have a rebirth package waiting for you, so you don't need to worry too much.]

Ye Qingyun: [I understand, thank you for reminding me.]

The system quieted down again, and Ye Qingyun raised her hand to rub her temples.

Just in case, he should try to find a way to break the bloodline restriction on Gu Chenyuan as soon as possible.

To study this curse, he needs to find a way to obtain at least some of Gu Chenyuan's hair, blood, saliva, and crystal liquid, the more the better.

Since the liquid crystal is out of the question, he can't get it, so he should try his best to get the remaining items.

There are also experimental studies; he can pretend to be studying the Love Stone while secretly studying Gu Chenyuan's composition.

The equipment in this double room was definitely insufficient for his research, so Ye Qingyun made another request to Gu Chenyuan.

"I don't want to live here anymore. There's no way to study the stones here. I want to live somewhere quiet with plenty of research equipment," Ye Qingyun said.

Gu Chenyuan agreed to Ye Qingyun's request. He took Ye Qingyun away from this planet and traveled to a secluded planet in a spaceship.

They landed in front of a large courtyard, which exuded a sense of desolation. A layer of black mist shrouded the outside, and there was no sound inside, as if no one had lived there for a long time.

Ye Qingyun was led inside by Gu Chenyuan with practiced ease. As she curiously looked around, she heard Gu Chenyuan say, "This is my hometown. I bought a lot of research equipment here, which should be helpful to you. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Ah," Ye Qingyun paused, then seemed to realize something, "Is this your hometown? Is your grandmother here too?"

Gu Chenyuan boarded the ship because his grandmother had been captured and threatened by Pu Tian. He wondered how she was doing now.

"My grandmother?" Gu Chenyuan seemed a little surprised that he would suddenly bring up this topic, but still answered, "She has been gone for many years."

Ye Qingyun: "..."

Gu Chenyuan's grandmother had passed away long ago, so there was no possibility that she was kidnapped by Pu Tian. So why did Gu Chenyuan get on the ship?

...Could it be that they admire his talent and came all the way here to see him?

This is so weird!

Unable to figure out Gu Chenyuan's motives, Ye Qingyun simply stopped thinking about it and focused on how to obtain what Gu Chenyuan possessed.

Ye Qingyun believed that among these items, Gu Chenyuan's hair was the easiest to obtain.

Normal people lose a few hairs every day. It shouldn't be too difficult for him to secretly pick up a few from the ground and take them home, right?

To make the collection easier, Ye Qingyun didn't expose Gu Chenyuan's lie when he said there was only one room for sleeping in the big house.

Fortunately, although Gu Chenyuan lied and said there was only one room, he still arranged two beds, making it look like the double room they had stayed in before.

Ye Qingyun slept soundly, and the next day, after Gu Chenyuan got up to prepare breakfast, Ye Qingyun quietly got out of bed.

When Ye Qingyun arrived at Gu Chenyuan's bedside, the quilt had already been neatly folded, allowing Ye Qingyun to see the sheets clearly.

The sheets were spotless, without a single hair left on them.

That doesn't make sense! Did Gu Chenyuan clean the bed while folding the blankets?

Ye Qingyun was very confused, but he decided to stop dwelling on it and instead change his direction.

Ye Qingyun squatted down and looked at the floor. The floor was so shiny it was like a mirror, without a speck of dust, let alone a hair.

...Maybe it's just a coincidence that I didn't lose any hair today?

Ye Qingyun decided to wait; he still had that much time.

However, after waiting for three days, Ye Qingyun did not find a single hair that Gu Chenyuan had lost in the entire house. It was as if Gu Chenyuan did not have the function of metabolism.

Ye Qingyun was utterly shocked and became even more curious about Gu Chenyuan's structure.

This is just the simplest thing. If he can't even get a hair, what excuse can he use to get blood and saliva?

There is another kind of liquid, without even thinking about it!

Ye Qingyun heard the system's serious voice in her mind: "[I think this is wrong. For you, the simplest thing shouldn't be getting hair, but rather getting... fluid.]"

Ye Qingyun: [...]

The system's voice remained serious: "[You don't even need to have much emotional interaction. Just drink some alcohol, pretend you're drunk, lie in Gu Chenyuan's arms, and have a drunken, incoherent conversation—leaving the research target inside your body. Then the next day, go to the lab, take out the research target, and conduct your research. Oh, and by the way, if you prepare beforehand, you might be able to obtain saliva as well.]"

Ye Qingyun didn't understand at first, but after following the system's steps for a moment, he became furious and embarrassed: [Shut up and go back to wash your brain!]

The system quickly went silent, leaving Ye Qingyun alone, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Ye Qingyun scratched her hair, trying her best to erase the method she had just heard from her mind.

There are countless methods, so he certainly doesn't need to take this one to heart.

Moreover, the system doesn't know Gu Chenyuan at all. Even if Gu Chenyuan was momentarily confused and infatuated, he would definitely clean him up afterwards. It's impossible for him to sleep like that, all dirty.

Hmph, that's totally unreliable!