Chapter 252 (2/2): The Kiss

Yun Ruoxi never expected Lin Zhen to make such a joke-like suggestion. She blinked her eyes in total surprise.

However, after hearing his explanation, she felt that the suggestion wasn’t bad.

“To me, as long as I can study and have you by my side, it doesn’t matter if it’s the battle camp or anywhere else.”

Lin Zhen held her hand, speaking with utmost sincerity.

“But Jiu, A Che, A Kai, and Anvil don’t belong here. My obsession is to let them regain their freedom.”

“And… although I’m reluctant to say it, Jiu probably likes me too. You should have noticed that, right, Xiao Xi?”

“I know,” Yun Ruoxi said, pouting her lips.

“But I won’t let Sister Jiu get her way.”

“Then why not do as I said and send her away?” Lin Zhen smiled as he threw out his trump card. “That way, no one will be able to interfere with our relationship.”

“Invincible. Is this a harem anime after all?”

“‘I’ll be with you forever, let Jiu go get lost.’ “

“Lao Lin couldn’t be serious, right?”

“It’s definitely fake.”

Surprisingly, the logic was so smooth that even the audience began to wonder alongside Lao Xi whether what Lao Lin was saying was true or false.

Yun Ruoxi fell silent.

Her gaze gradually turned deep, no longer using her pure smile as a disguise. She seemed to be seriously considering the possibility in Lin Zhen’s words.

For “Yun Ruoxi,” although Dr. Forefinger’s forced mind control made her loyal to the Saints’ Hand Society…

The Mental Brand of “loyalty” had been broken by Lin Zhen once before.

***

The second time, it was built upon a distorted worldview nurtured by Dr. Forefinger.

It could be said that her distorted worldview was the foundation of the Mental Brand.

Therefore, she began to consider whether to let Zi Jiu and the others go for the sake of “possessing Lin Zhen.”

After all, the distorted worldview of “selfishness” as a foundation took higher priority than the result of “loyalty to the Saints’ Hand Society.”

Besides, letting Zi Jiu and the others go didn’t seem to count as betraying the society, right? Did the society have such a rule?

Of course, Lin Zhen couldn’t think that deeply yet.

He had simply caught the loophole in her logic based on his understanding of her and their recent conversation.

He didn’t ponder for long, and there was no time to allow Yun Ruoxi to engage in such lengthy logical reasoning.

The arrival of the tree giant not only made the spaceship shake slightly but also caused Mo Yuan to resume his attack.

With the tree god guard joining in, Zi Jiu, Yun Che, and Kaos began to lose at an alarming rate.

There was no time left!

Lin Zhen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Without even waiting for Yun Ruoxi to give her final answer, he directly unlocked her restraints.

As the device locking her supernatural power clicked open…

She almost instinctively took a step forward, releasing her telekinesis to take Lin Zhen down immediately.

But in the next second…

Lin Zhen took a step forward as if walking into a trap, resolutely crashing into her telekinesis and pulling her into his arms.

The young man leaned down, and before the girl’s startled eyes…

He kissed her.

The girl’s fists instantly clenched, then loosened, then clenched again the moment she realized what was happening.

“Is Lao Lin this brave? He went straight for the kill! Holy crap!”

“Of all the anime I’ve watched, this is the most proactive protagonist I’ve ever seen!”

“Guy above, where are you putting Denji?”

“Isn’t Denji just a pure, sexually repressed brat?”

“Is he using a beauty trap just to get Lao Xi to help? You rascal, Drunken Sword Style!”

“Lao Lin: ‘If the Doctor can use a beauty trap to win over Xiao Xi, there’s no reason I, the beauty myself, can’t use it too.’ “

“Sweet, sweet, sweet!”

‘Damn it, these stinking viewers only know how to jeer.’

‘How is this sweet?!’

‘My first kiss is gone!’

When Lin Zhen leaned down, Yun Ruoxi thought he just wanted to give her a hug.

If he wanted to hug, fine; she was already desensitized to it and didn’t care. Her heart was calm, treating it all as a performance.

But the moment Yun Ruoxi realized Lin Zhen was going to kiss her, and the moment he actually did it, she truly couldn’t hold it together.

The emotions she had carefully cultivated and the expressions she had faked shattered instantly.

That confusion, that shock, and the clenching of her fists were all her most primal, instinctive reactions!

She was restraining herself… restraining the urge to kill Lin Zhen with a single punch.

This was her first kiss!

How did it get stolen by this guy Lin Zhen for no reason?

This was completely outside of her plan!

One should know that Yun Ruoxi never intended not to help. After all, how could she not let Lin Zhen fly away?

Was she really going to let Lin Zhen get brainwashed along with her and become a die-hard fan of the Saints’ Hand Society?

If that happened and the anime couldn’t continue or got canceled, or if the protagonist was replaced, what then?

She would suffer a huge loss!

So even if Lin Zhen hadn’t used his “talk-no-jutsu” just now, Yun Ruoxi had intended to find an excuse to step forward.

But none of that mattered now.

The issue was, how did this guy have the nerve!

Yun Ruoxi believed she already knew Lin Zhen incredibly well — perhaps even better than his own grandparents — so she had fully expected him to try and persuade her.

However, she truly had not anticipated this “persuasion!”

Facing such an incomprehensible Lin Zhen, Yun Ruoxi felt an inexplicable sense of panic. She was somewhat unwilling to be with him any longer, fearing he would continue to do things beyond her control.

But since the anime was still filming, she was like an arrow notched on a bowstring; she had to keep acting.

Otherwise, the massive sunk costs, as well as the Popularity Points needed to resurrect her parents and defeat the Overlord… all of that would be gone!

But… but… if he kissed her, fine. She could just treat it like a pig’s mouth touching hers.

Why did he have to use his tongue?!

Who taught him that?!

Did he watch too many Hollywood blockbusters? Is now the time for that?!

Yun Ruoxi desperately suppressed the urge to bite him. She felt embarrassed, annoyed, and angry. Her fists loosened and tightened repeatedly.

A flush of red spread from her cheeks all the way down to her neck, and her legs felt slightly weak.

‘Fine, I’ve been kissed. For the sake of Popularity Points, I’ll just treat it as eating a braised pig’s tongue!’

Yun Ruoxi forced herself to calm down.

Relying on her powerful inner discipline, she didn’t push Lin Zhen away.

She wouldn’t waste this opportunity; she would let the audience’s feelings for her and Lin Zhen’s CP explode all at once.

‘I’ll just act like I’m the guy. Being kissed isn’t a loss. If anything, I’ll kiss him back!’

A few seconds later, Yun Ruoxi seemed to react. She suddenly pushed Lin Zhen away.

Her tender little face was as red as a ripe peach.

Looking at Yun Ruoxi, who lowered her head after wiping the corner of her mouth, Lin Zhen also felt a bit embarrassed. Just as he was about to speak…

Unexpectedly, Yun Ruoxi took a step forward, stood on her tiptoes, and proactively kissed him.

She kissed him in a clumsy, awkward, yet proactive way!

‘Xiao Xi, you…’ Lin Zhen was stunned. He hadn’t expected the brainwashed Yun Ruoxi to actively respond to his kiss.

But on second thought, maybe it was precisely because she was brainwashed that she responded this way?

“Sweet! I’m so sweet I’m fainting!”

“Lao Jiu: ‘I’m out here fighting on the front lines, and you guys are in the back kissing? Is there no justice? Is there no decency?’ “

“Lao Jiu’s feelings ended before they even began.”

“Lao Jiu: ‘There’s a home-wrecking cat!’ “

“Loser dog Jiu.”

“The Lin-Xi stock has been suspended for investigation due to abnormal gains.”

Yun Ruoxi’s green kiss didn’t last long, ending only because they both choked.

She wiped the corner of her mouth again and said seriously, “Twenty minutes!”

Lin Zhen didn’t react for a moment.

“I’ll hold them off for twenty minutes.”

Yun Ruoxi paused near the rear hatch and added, “Also, remember to bring Xiao Ai back with me when the time comes. She’s going to be my bridesmaid!”

Having said that, she didn’t wait for Lin Zhen’s answer. She suddenly floated up and flew out of the cabin.