Chapter 2: The villain seems to have... set his sights on me?
After the banquet, Su Yan almost floated back to his room.
Huo Shen's words "I don't like it" were like a demonic sound filling his ears, playing in his mind on a loop. He plunged headfirst into the soft big bed, buried his face in the pillow, and let out a silent wail.
"System! System! Come out and explain! What's going on? Shouldn't Huo Shen be looking for trouble with Lin Qingyu? How can he be a hero if he targets a cannon fodder like me?!" Su Yan called out frantically in his heart.
[System detection... The target character 'Huo Shen''s' behavior pattern deviates from the original data. Cause of deviation: Unknown. System prompt: The host's behavior may have triggered a butterfly effect.]
"Butterfly effect? I just brought my brother and Lin Qingyu together, and the effect is too big, right?!" Su Yan was about to cry, "Now that he's noticed me, will he kill me off early?"
The host's health is currently stable, and there's no immediate danger. However, Huo Shen is considered a high-risk character, so proceed with caution. New quest: During Su Chen and Lin Qingyu's "Gallery Encounter" tomorrow, ensure that Su Chen purchases Lin Qingyu's painting "Spring Dawn." Reward: +15 Health. Penalty for failure: -20 Health.
Su Yan looked at the "-20" penalty and his eyes went dark. This system was truly forcing him to death! Fail once, and his pitiful little health bar would be depleted!
But in order to survive, he had no choice but to go ahead. According to the original novel, tomorrow Su Chen will go to a gallery and happen to meet Lin Qingyu, who works part-time as a tour guide there. He will be attracted by one of Lin Qingyu's paintings full of spiritual energy and buy it. This is a key event in the warming of their relationship.
The next afternoon, Su Yan sneaked in near the high-end gallery. He wore a baseball cap and sunglasses, looking like a lousy private detective.
"As long as the plot goes according to plan, my brother will definitely buy the painting. I just need to observe secretly to make sure everything goes well..." Su Yan planned silently in his mind.
However, plans cannot keep up with changes.
Just as he saw Su Chen's figure appear at the gallery entrance and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a sleek and luxurious black car stopped silently beside him. The window rolled down, revealing Huo Shen's handsome face, which frightened Su Yan.
"Young Master Su, what a coincidence." Huo Shen had a faint smile on his face, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle. "Waiting for someone here...?"
Su Yan was so frightened that he almost jumped up, his sunglasses tilted. He forced himself to remain calm and forced a smile that was uglier than crying: "Mr. Huo? What a coincidence... I, I was just browsing."
"Walk around?" Huo Shen's eyes swept over his overly "concealed" outfit, and his smile deepened. "It's just right, I'm planning to go in and take a look too. Want to join us?"
This is not a question, it's a notification.
Su Yan's scalp tingled, and he wished he could disappear right there, but Huo Shen had already pushed the door open and gotten out of the car, standing beside him without question. The oppressive feeling brought by his tall figure made it almost impossible for Su Yan to breathe.
He was forced to walk into the gallery with Huo Shen.
The gallery was quiet and elegant. Su Yan immediately spotted Lin Qingyu, who was explaining something to a group of guests, and Su Chen, who was standing not far away, his eyes unconsciously following Lin Qingyu. The plot was unfolding according to the script!
Su Yan prayed silently in his heart: Buy the painting quickly! Buy the painting quickly! I'll run away after I buy it!
Huo Shen seemed uninterested in the painting; his attention was mostly focused on the uneasy young man beside him. He watched Su Yan nervously steal glances at Su Chen and Lin Qingyu, his eyes light up when Su Chen moved closer to Lin Qingyu, and his inner anxiety when they separated.
The look of wanting to intervene but not daring to do so openly, and cautiously holding back his bad intentions (from Huo Shen's perspective), like a cat extending its claws and then quickly retracting them, unexpectedly pleased Huo Shen.
Finally, the plot reached a crucial point. Su Chen paused before the watercolor painting titled "Spring Dawn." It depicted a garden at dawn, its light and shadow expertly executed, brimming with hope and tenderness. Lin Qingyu stood shyly by.
Su Yan's heart was in his throat, and he screamed frantically in his heart: "Buy it! Brother! Buy it quickly!"
Su Chen seemed to really appreciate the painting. He asked, "This painting..."
At this moment, an untimely voice interrupted with a somewhat commercialized praise: "This painting has a good artistic conception. Although the brushstrokes are immature, they are full of spirit. Mr. Su has good taste."
The one who spoke was Huo Shen! He had walked to the front of the painting at some point, looking like a seasoned connoisseur.
Su Chen frowned slightly when he saw Huo Shen, clearly a little surprised. Lin Qingyu lowered his head nervously.
Su Yan's heart skipped a beat as he felt a sense of foreboding. If the villain spoke, it was bound to be bad news!
Sure enough, Huo Shen's next words made Su Yan feel like he was falling into an ice cave: "Coincidentally, I also like this painting. Mr. Su, why don't you give it up?"
Su Chen's face instantly darkened. Huo Shen was clearly doing this on purpose! Two business giants, fighting over a painting, a work by an unknown artist at that. How could this get out? Given Su Chen's personality, there was no way he would argue with Huo Shen under such circumstances.
Su Yan's eyes went dark, as if he saw 20 points of health flying away with wings. He was so anxious that he almost rushed over to cover Huo Shen's mouth!
Just when Su Chen was about to give up, Huo Shen changed the subject and looked at Su Yan, whose face was pale, with an indescribable teasing:
"However, since it was Young Master Su who brought me here... (He paused deliberately and gave Su Yan a meaningful look) then I won't take what is his. This painting should belong to Mr. Su."
Su Chen: “???”
Lin Qingyu: "???"
Su Yan: “!!!”
Who came with you?! Who took a fancy to you?! Su Yan felt like a thousand beasts were galloping through his heart. Huo Shen's words were like putting him on fire! Didn't he see that the look in his brother's eyes had become extremely complicated?!
In the end, Su Chen bought the painting. A system notification sounded in Su Yan's mind: [Mission completed, HP +15, current HP 55/100.]
The mission was accomplished, but Su Yan wasn't happy at all. He felt like a puppet, being manipulated by Huo Shen. Huo Shen's casual words could almost ruin his efforts and even sow discord between their "brotherhood."
When leaving the gallery, Huo Shen deliberately fell behind by a step, standing shoulder to shoulder with the dazed Su Yan.
He tilted his head slightly and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear. His warm breath brushed against the tip of Su Yan's ear, carrying with it a deadly danger and temptation:
"Look, without my 'permission', your little task...wouldn't it be difficult to complete?"
Su Yan raised his head suddenly and met Huo Shen's bottomless eyes, which clearly reflected his panicked face.
He knew! He actually knew that I was deliberately bringing Su Chen and Lin Qingyu together! What on earth was he trying to do?!
Huo Shen looked at the fear and disbelief exploding in the boy's eyes with satisfaction, chuckled, and as if he had teased his prey enough, turned around and left gracefully.
Su Yan was left standing alone at the door of the gallery. The afternoon sun shone on his body, but he could not feel a trace of warmth, only a biting cold.
This villain not only targeted him, but also told him in this way: Your life or death is just a matter of my thoughts.
His matchmaking journey was upgraded directly from the hellish difficulty to the Shura field mode.
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