Speculation

When Jiang Li came to his senses, the soothing music and soft lights of the dessert parlor were gone, replaced by the abnormal warmth and comfort of a bed.

He vaguely remembered that after his stress response triggered by Ning Rou’s sudden “ambush,” Xiao Yuehua had rushed over, looking utterly terrified. Perhaps his state at that moment had been truly dire. She hadn’t even bothered to open the desserts she had so painstakingly prepared; instead, in a frantic panic, she had checked his pupils and his heart rate.

Only after confirming he was in no immediate danger did Xiao Yuehua finally calm down—slightly.

Even so, the mood for their date was completely ruined. The desserts were hastily packed to go, and with Xiao Yuehua supporting him, the two of them made their way back home.

Along the way, Xiao Yuehua had seemed hyper-vigilant. She kept looking over her shoulder, and after hailing a taxi, she specifically instructed the driver to circle their rented complex several times. It was as if… she was carefully trying to prevent someone from tailing them.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

My head hurts. I’m so thirsty.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, the thought suddenly occurred to him. Yet, Jiang Li didn’t get up for water. He simply continued to gaze at the cute, uniquely shaped chandelier above. At this moment, he couldn’t muster an ounce of strength. Forget getting water—he couldn’t even manage to roll over.

Moreover, in the midst of this chaotic situation, even if Jiang Li were fully awake, he would only be plagued by worry.

In the past, he had been conceited, thinking that love was just a galgame—a matter of following a walkthrough, “conquering” targets, providing companionship, and raising affection levels to easily complete the mission.

But what was the reality? Human nature is complex.

He thought he could maintain a proper distance from the two female leads, maneuvering between them rationally so that once the task was done, he could just turn and leave as if nothing had ever happened.

Instead, Xiao Yuehua and Ning Rou had turned against each other because of him. Their emotions, personalities, and lives had undergone earth-shattering changes due to his reckless intrusion.

Worst of all, he had fallen in, too.

He couldn’t bear to see these two innocent girls cry; he didn’t want them to shed another tear—even though he knew this was merely a delusion. Now, Jiang Li couldn’t help but begin to struggle.

Though he felt terribly sorry for his sister, putting aside the conflict between Xiao Yuehua and Ning Rou, a scale had truly begun to tip in his heart. On the left was his sister from the main world; on the right were Xiao Yuehua and Ning Rou.

He was actually beginning to hesitate about whether he should return to his original world.

It was a terrifying thought. While he could still lean toward his sister’s side with the help of his logic for the time being, what if… just what if?

What if he truly changed his mind and chose to stay in this world forever?

Jiang Li’s breathing grew rapid and shallow, and the noisy ringing in his ears seemed to return…

“Professor, you’re finally awake, hmm?”

Fortunately, Xiao Yuehua soon noticed he was conscious and leaned in. She embraced him tenderly. While he was grateful to wake up in such a peaceful space and appreciative of her meticulous care, Jiang Li had something far more important to confirm.

“Yuehua, did you… back at the dessert shop, did you see…”

Jiang Li’s words cut off halfway as he suddenly realized something. He had wanted to ask if she had seen Ning Rou, or if they had clashed. Lately, his head was always clouded; he frequently suffered hallucinations during his stress responses. Even now, he wasn’t sure if the conversation with Ning Rou had actually happened or if it was just a figment of his imagination.

However, he quickly realized that the current Xiao Yuehua was a hidden powder keg.

For some reason, she seemed to harbor a deep-seated sense of guilt toward him. Combined with her inferiority complex regarding Ning Rou, these negative emotions had been constantly accumulating and warping, turning into high-grade black powder.

Tonight was the “Date Night” Xiao Yuehua cherished so much. If she found out that his stress response was caused by Ning Rou, it would be no different from personally lighting the fuse.

“Did I what?” Xiao Yuehua squinted, picking up on his hesitation. “Why did the Professor stop talking?”

“Did you… did you pack the desserts? After all, you put so much heart into them…” Jiang Li stiffly tried to change the subject.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yuehua wasn’t buying it.

“Of course I brought them back… but Professor…” She suddenly began to smile, though her exquisite face under the moonlight only made Jiang Li’s heart skip a beat in fear. “Why did you suddenly have a reaction? While I was away…”

Her small hand lightly brushed across Jiang Li’s chest, moving upward past his collarbone and neck, gently hooking his chin. “Did you encounter some… ill-intentioned person?”

“No, I didn’t…” Jiang Li forced a stiff smile, struggling to sit up. His unrecovered body stung with pain, but he had to get up. “I was just… just tired. Really, there was no one…”

Jiang Li tried to stand on his own to prove his words, but Xiao Yuehua pressed down on his shoulders, pinning him firmly back onto the bed.

“Professor, what nonsense are you talking? Didn’t I… mention that I hate it most when you lie to me? Hmm?”

Xiao Yuehua’s smile grew more radiant, but her voice grew colder by the second. “Tell the truth, or else Yuehua will be very sad—who was it?”

A massive pressure surged toward him. Jiang Li felt nearly suffocated by the weight of his own guilt and her intensity. He turned his head away, trying to bluff his way through, but Xiao Yuehua cupped his cheeks and forced him to look her dead in the eye.

“Professor, Yuehua is truly going to get angry now… Hand over your phone.”

“Wha—what?”

“Professor, I’m doing this for your own good. Don’t make me say it twice.”

In the end, Jiang Li couldn’t withstand the pressure and handed over the phone. Only then did Xiao Yuehua smile with satisfaction. “That’s more like it, Professor.”

“That’s a good boy.”

As a reward, she pressed Jiang Li’s head against her chest, the scent of her body instantly filling his senses. Amidst the warm, soft pressure on both sides, he heard Xiao Yuehua murmuring to herself.

“Nothing, nothing… he really hasn’t been in private contact with her? Then why…”

She stopped mid-sentence, seemingly shifting her target as the sound of her fingers sliding across the screen became faster and sharper.

“What about the contact list? Right, that woman… why isn’t that woman’s name here…”

Fortunately, there was no incriminating information on his phone. Jiang Li was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when—

“Why isn’t the name ‘Jiang Yun’ here?”

Xiao Yuehua’s voice made his breath hitch in terror.

How does she know the name Jiang Yun?

In an instant, countless horrific possibilities flashed through Jiang Li’s mind.

“Professor.”

Jiang Li could feel Xiao Yuehua setting the phone down.

“Can you tell Yuehua?” Her voice was eerily calm. “That ‘Jiang Yun’ you kept muttering about in your sleep—just who exactly is she to you?”