Are you him?
"You can't explain it, right?" Shi Youchen pressed on, unyielding. "Because even you know very well that Kulin is the best candidate, so why do you say he's not good enough?"
A taste of rust filled Ying Yungui's mouth, but he still refused to loosen his teeth, as if loosening his teeth would mean he was backing down.
"He's not the only candidate. There are other candidates with similar background, abilities, and connections to Visa!"
"But Noah specifically asked for only him!" Shi Youchen almost shouted this sentence with a trembling voice.
He was furious. Ying Yungui suddenly realized this, and his eyes were filled with tears. He knew what he was angry about.
"Tell me what you really think in your heart, the reason why Kulin can't become the bearer. Now, say it." Shi Youchen's voice was obviously still trembling, but he still pressed on.
Ying Yungui's eyes were completely red, and the corners of his mouth twitched a few times. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and accepted his fate: "I mentioned to you before that I don't want to involve friends in our plan anymore. You were thinking about the Feller family at the time, so I'm afraid you didn't take it to heart."
"So you're saying that because he's your friend, you don't want your friend to get involved, so even if he's suitable and beneficial to the plan, he can't be the carrier, right?" Shi Youchen's voice stopped shaking, and it was clear and cold, like moonlight.
Ying Yungui didn't calm down at all because of this voice. Instead, he became a little annoyed. "Isn't that possible? He Xian, Molier, and even Pei Chanbai, aren't there enough of my friends who have been dragged into this for no reason and are about to disappear completely with us? I just want one less person, just one less person! Is that not possible?"
He almost growled at the end of his words. He had never spoken to Shi Youchen in such a tone before, not even in the original world line.
"Ying Yungui, you are just thinking about your friends, and I am the one who dragged them all into the quagmire." Shi Youchen blinked and said this.
"I...no, that's not what I meant, Youchen..." Ying Yungui was startled and explained in a panic.
Shi Youchen raised his hand to block his lips: "Okay, I know, you didn't mean that. I was just distracted for a moment." He withdrew his arm before Ying Yungui grabbed his wrist, turned his back, and said decisively: "Let's all calm down. You go back first. It will be troublesome if Kulin can't find you later."
He quickly added, "I want to stay here for a while. Give me some time to think about it carefully." Ying Yungui naturally knew what he wanted to think about. It was nothing more than the selection of the bearer of the bear totem, but this was obviously not a good time for him to raise any objections.
The atmosphere between the two of them was a little too stiff.
"Then I'll go back first." Ying Yungui finally relented first. He took off his coat and put it on Shi Youchen's shoulders. "It's windy. Don't catch a cold. Come back early."
"Yeah." Shi Youchen hunched his shoulders inward and tightened his coat. Even without looking back, he could feel his lover getting farther away.
After Ying Yungui completely left the "Moon Goddess" area, Shi Youchen seemed to lose his strength and slowly slid down onto the stone bench. He looked up to find the moon hidden among the clouds, but after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find it.
He felt very uncomfortable.
The quarrel and anger just now were just the most insignificant emotions. What really made him almost unable to breathe was the gentleness from Ying Yungui, which was almost misunderstood as betrayal.
He completely understood and sympathized with Ying Yungui's stubbornness. Ying Yungui treated Kulin the same way he treated Lin Zhouze. He wondered if there was a better way.
A better way would be one that doesn't require sacrificing Kulin.
Just when Shi Youchen finally caught sight of the moon emerging from behind the clouds and was lost in thought, a subtle sound of footsteps was amplified countless times in the open space.
"Who?!" Shi Youchen suddenly sat up and looked in the only direction he came from. The person who appeared there was someone he had never expected.
"Mr. Kulin?"
Ku Lin looked somewhat dejected. He smiled at Shi Youchen, nodded, and asked, "Assistant Lin, can I sit next to you?"
Shi Youchen instantly suppressed all outward emotions and put on the demeanor of a guildmaster's assistant. "Of course, please take a seat." After the group sat down, he politely asked, "Mr. Kulin, do you want to ask me about the guildmaster's affairs?"
Of course, he didn't think that Kulin came to see him specially. Judging from the time, the dinner should not be over yet, so leaving early was most likely related to Ying Yungui.
Kulin nodded, thought for a moment, and then shook his head: "Not entirely. I came here mainly to talk to you."
If he hadn't looked so serious when he said this, Shi Youchen might have thought that he was interested in "Assistant Lin" like those people.
"Please speak." Shi Youchen was not sure what he intended to do, and because the limiters on his body had restarted, he could not use his ability to detect it, so he could only continue to cater to him.
Kulin asked, "How long have you been his assistant? What are your main responsibilities? Don't get me wrong, Yun Gui is a friend I value very much, but I don't see him very often. I just wanted to... find out how he's doing."
"It's almost been two months. I'm now responsible for all the documents that the president doesn't have time to handle, or that the data shows have a comprehensive coverage rate above 40%."
"Will he let you interfere with his personal life?"
"What do you mean?"
Kulin said calmly: "Diet, exercise, and sex, will they let you interfere?" He said this in the tone of someone doing some serious research, making it impossible for Shi Youchen to refuse to answer.
"Yes, I need help solving all the problems in the president's life, including the ones you mentioned."
Shi Youchen thought: Clearly, Kulin has already heard about "Assistant Lin" from the elders or from Tamer. What tone do they use when they mention him? Joking? Nonchalant? Disparaging?
Kulin nodded slowly with an expression of "as expected" and said, "Thank you for your hard work. This job is not easy."
This was beyond Shi Youchen's expectations. He had already prepared himself to play the stereotypical role of the president's assistant, but he didn't expect the other party to suddenly say this.
So, considerate? This puzzled him. Was Kulin someone who could easily empathize with someone like Assistant Lin?
Shi Youchen was silent and did not respond.
Kulin didn't care and continued, "His temper has been a little strange in recent years, very different from before, but he has changed significantly since he took over as president... It's like a patient with no desire to live who suddenly becomes very desperate to live."
Shi Youchen remained silent, not intending to respond. Kulin studied his face, finally resting his gaze on his eyes. He asked, "Has anyone ever told you that you resemble someone?"
There was not a trace of emotion in those eyes.
"Especially with this expressionless face, it's more like him." Kulin finally looked away. "Yun Gui has been going through a very difficult time in recent years, especially after Uncle Ying disappeared and the Luo family's incident."
He began counting on his fingers. "A few years isn't a particularly long time, but no one dared to mention them in front of him. I was worried about his condition, but he avoided me, so I had to investigate on my own."
"Later I found out that I was there the day his lover died. He didn't want to see me and think about that time. I can understand that."
Kulin pointed at Shi Youchen's eyes and said, "I met his lover a few times. I will never forget those eyes."
"Mr. Kulin, these are probably not things that a mere assistant like me should know. What is your purpose in coming here to tell me all this?" Shi Youchen interrupted him, pretending that he didn't want to listen.
Kulin was stunned for a moment, then laughed self-deprecatingly. "What I'm trying to say is, after all these years, I think I know Ying Yungui quite well. I've seen him in his prime, I've also seen him in his self-deceiving decadence, and I've even personally experienced the malice he unleashed upon the outside world while in agony."
"So I can confirm even more clearly the extent to which he has become obsessed with love, and I am even more convinced that there is only one person in this world who can easily affect his emotions."
"Are you that person?"
Kulin tapped his solar plexus with his finger, "You have successfully expanded your domain."
"No third person will know what happened between us, you can rest assured."
"So, can you tell me, are you him?"
Shi Youchen frowned slightly, pondering for a few seconds. "Did you steal the information from this place twenty minutes ago? Or did the Tech Eye upgrade to some new technology?"
Kulin shook his head and confessed, "Neither. The Luna relies on the energy of my Tech Eye to maintain its operation, and I happened to be nearby, so hearing your argument just now was just a coincidence." He quickly added, "But that piece of data has been shattered by me, and the same will be true for our current and future data."
Shi Youchen looked at him: "Whether I am him or not, does it necessarily matter to you? Or do you want to ask me not to involve you?"
Even if Kulin really wanted to protect his status and safety, Shi Youchen had no right to blame him. After all, it was understandable.
This sounded to Kulin like a disguised recognition of his identity, but he said, "On the contrary, I want to ask you to let me be a pawn in your plan."
He made it very clear that they were chess pieces, not companions.
"Since you heard our quarrel, you should know how much he opposes it. My feelings for him are the same as his feelings for me, so why do you think I will agree?" Shi Youchen asked casually.
"Because I am the most suitable candidate in your mind." Kulin expected him to ask this question. "As for the reason why I want to do this, you have already explained it clearly to Yun Gui."
If he could destroy this corrupt and disgusting system, or even deal a blow to super evolution, then he would willingly become what they called a "carrier", even if the final result was disappearance.
"That's why you came here before going to look for him."
"Yes, I know if it was Shi Youchen, he would agree."
After a long pause, Shi Youchen finally replied, "I need time to plan the next step, and you need time to prepare as well. Take care of your social relationships, adjust your state of mind, and gather at the northern glacier area in ten days."
A piece of dry bark appeared in the palm of his hand. Kulin took it, turned it over, and saw a string of coordinates engraved inside.
"Everyone you meet there can be fully trusted. They are all...comrades." Shi Youchen reminded meaningfully, "No matter who they are."
Then he extended his right hand towards Kulin and said formally, "Welcome to the Maintenance Bureau."
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