Chapter 16: Hide and Seek? No, it's a Heart-Pounding Machine!
Ever since Yan Linye allegedly "spoke the truth while drunk" that night, Yun Zhan felt like something was wrong with him.
The moment he saw Yan Linye, he couldn't help but recall the words "Stay by my side," and his heart raced, his cheeks burned, and he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. To preserve his precarious integrity and avoid being seduced by beauty and jeopardizing his assassination mission, Yun Zhan decided—to hide!
Thus, a one-sided game of "hide-and-seek" began to unfold in the villa of the Prince of Yan's mansion.
While Yan Linye was handling official business in the front hall, Yun Zhan was tinkering with his "inventions" in the backyard; when Yan Linye went to find him in the backyard, Yun Zhan would make an excuse to "conduct a field investigation" and slip away to the field ridges; when Yan Linye wanted to inspect the farmland, Yun Zhan would immediately say that he had a headache and needed to rest...
"System, do I look particularly cowardly like this?" Yun Zhan squatted in the corner of the kitchen, secretly eating the freshly cooked snacks while muttering to himself.
[The host has a very clear understanding of himself. Based on behavioral analysis, the host's current strategy is naive and inefficient, and is seriously affecting the progress of the main quest.] System Xiaoqi hit the nail on the head.
"What do you know? This is a strategic avoidance! To avoid unnecessary emotional entanglements!" Yun Zhan retorted stubbornly. "Besides, not seeing him gives me some peace and quiet to think of a new assassination plan!"
The words had barely left his mouth when he heard that voice from the kitchen doorway that made his heart skip a beat: "Yun Zhan? What are you doing here?"
Yun Zhan was so startled that he almost choked on his snack. He turned around abruptly and saw Yan Linye standing at the door, backlit, tall and straight, looking at him with his usual gentle smile.
"I...I'm hungry! Let's find something to eat!" Yun Zhan hurriedly stuffed the remaining snacks into his mouth, puffed out his cheeks and mumbled, his eyes darting around, but he didn't dare to look at Yan Linye.
Yan Linye looked at him, who resembled a frightened little animal, and his smile deepened. He walked in, casually picked up a clean handkerchief from the side, and handed it to Yun Zhan: "Eat slowly, be careful not to choke. I heard you didn't have much breakfast this morning, so I asked the kitchen to keep some porridge and side dishes warm for you. Would you like some now?"
Yun Zhan: "..." He hid for so long, and it turns out they even knew he hadn't eaten breakfast!
He took the handkerchief, wiped his mouth haphazardly, and muttered, "No need! I'm full!" Then he tried to slip away.
"Wait a minute." Yan Linye called out to him, taking out a small paper packet from his pocket. "These are some candied fruits that were recently delivered from the estate. Don't you like sweets? I specially saved these for you."
Yun Zhan looked at the bag of sweet-smelling candied fruit, then at Yan Linye's smiling eyes that seemed to accept all his awkwardness, and felt incredibly conflicted. Accepting it would seem like he lacked principles; refusing it, however, left him craving it so badly…
In the end, his foodie instincts prevailed over his awkwardness. He quickly snatched the paper bag, muttered "thank you" under his breath, and ran off without looking back.
Yan Linye watched his retreating figure, which was almost a hasty escape, and shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth always had a doting smile.
There was no escaping it. Yun Zhan tragically discovered that no matter where he hid, Yan Linye would always "coincidentally" appear, accompanied by various subtle expressions of concern.
He was hiding in the corner of the study reading, but he was actually slacking off. He fell asleep while reading and woke up to find himself covered with Yan Linye's outer robe, which still carried the man's fresh and pleasant scent.
He used the excuse of "studying water conservancy" to go to the riverbank to daydream. When he came back, he found that his shoes and socks were wet with the evening dew. The next morning, there was a pair of dry and comfortable new shoes by his bedside.
He even deliberately arrived late for meals, thinking that he would sneak into the kitchen to find something to eat after Yan Linye finished eating. But when he got there, he found that Yan Linye hadn't touched his chopsticks at all and had been waiting for him. The dishes on the table were being kept warm over a low flame.
These small, thoughtful acts of care, like a gentle, invisible net, wrapped Yun Zhan tighter and tighter. He condemned himself for his wavering stance, yet he couldn't help but succumb to their influence.
"System! He's slowly boiling a frog! It's a trick! It's all a trick!" Yun Zhan lay on the bed, rolling around in frustration.
According to the laws of thermodynamics, you can't boil a frog in lukewarm water; the frog will jump out. Host, why don't you jump out?
"I..." Yun Zhan was speechless. Could he say that he was starting to have second thoughts about jumping? "I'm going deep behind enemy lines! To gain their trust! Do you understand?"
[Trust level continues to rise, assassination intent continues to decline. Host, your actions are seriously inconsistent with your statements.]
"None of your business!"
That afternoon, Yun Zhan climbed the old locust tree in the villa, ostensibly to observe birds building nests and find inspiration for his inventions, but actually to find some peace and quiet. However, when he came down, he slipped and fell—
Wow!
He thought he was going to fall flat on his backside, but instead he landed in a warm and solid embrace.
Yan Linye appeared under the tree at some point and caught him steadily.
Their eyes met, so close they could feel each other's breath. Yun Zhan could clearly see Yan Linye's long eyelashes and the worry in his eyes.
"Climbing that high is too dangerous." Yan Linye's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible lingering fear as he steadily supported him with his arm, not letting go immediately.
Yun Zhan smelled the pleasant scent on him, felt the warmth from his chest and the strong heartbeat, and her own heart began to race uncontrollably, her cheeks flushing red.
"I...I'm fine! Put me down!" He struggled to jump down.
Yan Linye tightened his arms slightly, looked down at him, his eyes as gentle as spring water: "Don't move around, be careful not to fall." He carried Yun Zhan like this, steadily walking towards the room.
Yun Zhan froze in his arms, too afraid to move, his mind blank, with only one thought remaining: Oh no, oh no, his heartbeat was so loud, he must have heard it! How utterly humiliating!
After escorting Yun Zhan back to his room and carefully checking that he was indeed unharmed, Yan Linye finally breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out and gently straightened Yun Zhan's collar, which had been disheveled from being rubbed against the tree.
“Tell me what you want to observe next time, and I’ll go with you or get someone to help you.” His tone was filled with unquestionable concern. “Don’t climb up and down alone anymore, okay?”
Yun Zhan lowered his head and nodded haphazardly, not daring to look at him at all.
It wasn't until long after Yan Linye left that he suddenly threw himself onto the bed, buried his burning face in the blankets, and let out a wail.
"System! He's definitely interested in me! Who can resist that?!"
[This system is unable to analyze emotional issues. However, it has detected an abnormally high heart rate again. Recommendation: Take a calming pill, or confront the target and carry out the assassination.]
"Kill! Kill! Kill! All you ever think about is killing!" Yun Zhan pounded the bed in frustration. "He's so...so gentle, how could I possibly do that to him!"
There was no way to avoid it, and I couldn't bring myself to kill it.
Yun Zhan felt trapped in a bittersweet cycle. On one side was his precarious head, and on the other, Yan Linye, who was increasingly unsettling him. This agonizing, ambiguous situation was worse than being stabbed directly!
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