An Unsettling Affection and a Grand Arrival

As Lin Yi stared blankly at her, Chen Sishi’s breathing suddenly grew shallow and quick.

Their gazes locked, and within her cerulean eyes, a profound stillness settled.

She reached out a pale hand to gently caress Lin Yi’s cheek, her smile deepening into something increasingly manic.

Naturally, Lin Yi was startled by the girl’s gesture, a shiver running down his spine. He instinctively tightened his grip on the dagger at his waist.

That earlier flicker of emotion was instantly supplanted by a surge of apprehension.

Such a twisted affection was something he found utterly unacceptable, at least for the moment.

As Chen Sishi gazed into Lin Yi’s amber eyes, her fondness for them intensified with each passing second.

She loved them so intensely that a deranged thought surfaced: to pluck them out and embed them into her own being, thereby erasing any distinction between them.

This insane notion rapidly consumed her mind, and Chen Sishi’s sanity quickly crumbled under its weight.

With an almost frenzied, pathological greed, she inhaled the air Lin Yi exhaled.

This was the very breath metabolized by Lin Yi’s body; in essence, it was a part of him.

And now, that breath, once expelled by Lin Yi, was drawn into her own lungs.

To her twisted logic, this signified that Lin Yi had entered her body, making them irrevocably one.

As Chen Sishi’s lips drew ever nearer, Lin Yi could even feel the girl’s soft exhalations ghosting across his cheek.

In the precise moment their lips were about to meet, the car door abruptly swung open, and a head poked inside.

“What in the world are you doing?”

By the time Lin Yiting’s voice rang out, Chen Sishi’s soft lips had already pressed against Lin Yi’s cheek.

In that instant, the awkward tension within the car surged to an unbearable peak.

Lin Yiting’s eyes widened into perfect circles, and the gauze wrapped around her right hand seemed to flush a deeper crimson.

Chen Sishi, having completed her act, remained utterly unruffled, her complexion unchanged and her heart rate steady.

She merely cast a fleeting glance at Lin Yiting before calmly releasing Lin Yi’s face and settling back into her seat, as if nothing untoward had transpired.

Lin Yiting narrowed her eyes, feeling as though a breath was caught in her chest.

She truly wanted to toss Chen Sishi out of the car, yet she knew this was not the moment for an outburst.

After all, Chen Lujun was still observing them nearby.

“Sishi, don’t frighten them.”

It was then that Chen Lujun, who had remained silent until now, tapped lightly on the car window.

Chen Sishi, still somewhat lost in the lingering sensation of Lin Yi’s proximity, gave a slight tremor of alarm. She quickly straightened up, her head bowed, not daring to meet the gaze of Chen Lujun outside.

She had always harbored a deep fear of her father. This fear stemmed from the beliefs her mother had instilled in her during childhood.

Her mother had never wanted her to grow too close to Chen Lujun. Whenever she and Chen Lujun displayed too much affection, her mother would lock her away.

Consequently, this pattern of thought had persisted within her, becoming almost a second nature.

Noting Chen Sishi’s bowed head and silence, Chen Lujun let out a helpless sigh. Though he had achieved his desired outcome, he found no joy in it.

In truth, Chen Lujun had always endeavored to mend the rift between himself and his daughter. However, her mother’s influence had left an indelible mark on Chen Sishi’s psyche. Even after all this time, she remained unchanged.

Chen Lujun quietly entered the sedan, his gaze occasionally flickering to the central rearview mirror. He sought to gauge Chen Sishi’s reaction.

The light in the mirror was somewhat dim, yet he could still make out the girl’s movements. The silver-haired girl in the reflection maintained the same posture as before. After a few glances, Chen Lujun ceased to focus on her.

****

In the outskirts of New City stood a sprawling estate, occupying an expansive plot of land.

It spanned approximately 80 mu.

Encircling the outermost perimeter of the estate was an imposing eight-meter-high white wall.

Within the walls, broad roads wound through lush lawns, past a football field, and around a tranquil fish pond. Even more strikingly, a group of individuals dressed in maid uniforms could be seen moving about.

As Lin Yi peered through the tinted car window and spotted the maids, his perception of reality was utterly refreshed. It was his first time realizing that such a profession genuinely existed outside of fiction.

Then again, that wasn’t entirely accurate. After all, this was a world born from a novel. Given that, the presence of such unusual elements was, perhaps, quite acceptable.

Muttering reassurances to himself, Lin Yi shifted his gaze towards the darkened sky.

The midday sun should have been at its most intense, yet today the sky was a terrifying shade of black. It looked as though a torrential downpour was imminent.

Just then, a towering structure emerged in the distance. Standing approximately sixteen meters tall, it bore a striking resemblance to a medieval castle.

His astonishment knew no bounds; for a moment, Lin Yi felt as though he had transmigrated once more. This time, perhaps, to the Middle Ages itself.

Lin Yi pushed open the car door and stepped out, the biting wind that greeted him making him shiver involuntarily.

‘The wind today seems particularly boisterous,’ he mused inwardly.

With that internal sigh, Lin Yi turned his attention back to the castle before him.

From the castle’s grand entrance emerged several striking young women, all clad in black and white maid uniforms. White stockings adorned their legs beneath the hems of their skirts.

Each young woman exuded youthful beauty, appearing to be in her early twenties, with a touch of youthful innocence still gracing her features.

They lined up, bowing respectfully to the arriving group. The ornate European-style door served as a magnificent backdrop.

For a moment, Lin Yi stood transfixed, utterly dumbfounded, until Lin Yiting, standing beside him, nudged him back to reality.

“Oh? So, Little Yi, do you fancy this type?”

Lin Yiting’s tone held a hint of a blush, causing Lin Yi to hastily avert his eyes.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“No… how could I possibly be attracted to that type?”

After scrutinizing Lin Yi with a skeptical gaze for a moment, a sly smile played on Lin Yiting’s lips.

“I recall there’s a similar outfit back home. Would you like me to try it on for you?”

Lin Yi quickly waved his hands, utterly unwilling to let Lin Yiting don such an attire.

That girl was a true schemer; if she concocted another mischievous plan, Lin Yi would surely be the one to suffer.

Jests aside, Lin Yiting was merely indulging in some playful banter. If she were truly to wear it, it would undoubtedly be reserved for a special occasion.

Stepping through the castle’s grand entrance, Lin Yi cast his gaze around.

He took in the spacious, immaculate hall, the patterned beige floor tiles, the soft gray rug, the pristine white walls adorned with a few contrasting landscape paintings.

Two symmetrical staircases ascended, flanking the walls on either side. Between them, directly opposite the castle’s main door, stood a small artificial tree. Its warm lighting made it a surprisingly pleasant sight.

Above the staircase, four Roman columns supported a tiered ceiling.

Through the archway created by these columns, glimpses of the second floor could be faintly seen.

Everything was new to Lin Yi; he felt like a country bumpkin entering a grand garden, finding novelty in every single detail.

Just then, a maid descended from the second floor. Her appearance was far more striking than those outside.

Every graceful movement, every subtle gesture, exuded an aura of refined elegance and nobility.

Lin Yi found himself unable to resist stealing a few more glances at her, and it was these very glances that made his heart flutter.

She was truly stunning, almost as if she had stepped right out of an anime.