Lin Yu checked Xin Yao’s vital signs and found them remarkably stable; she was simply in a very deep sleep.
He couldn’t help but marvel once again at how sophisticated Qin Wuyue’s methods were.
Looking around, it was obvious the room was originally a prison cell. The simple medical equipment had clearly been moved in recently. With only these meager resources, she had managed to pull someone back who already had one foot in the grave.
To some extent, this even challenged the existing laws of science.
‘Is it something unique to Qin Wuyue herself, or… is it because the patient is an ability user?’
He couldn’t quite figure it out. As he learned more about that woman, she only seemed to become more of an enigma.
But whatever, now wasn’t the time for that.
“Sorry, Captain Xin Yao. My hand was forced, so I had to resort to this. Just bear with it, and it’ll be over soon,” he whispered to himself. Then, he slowly pulled down the zipper of her jacket…
***
“Mm…”
With a soft moan, Xin Yao slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry at first, so she closed her eyes again to slowly untangle her chaotic thoughts. The last memory in her mind was the aftermath of an explosion, where the shockwave had flipped their motorcycle along with the charging Rift Beasts.
Her last thought before losing consciousness was to use her body to shield that boy. She hadn’t expected him to be a Harmonizer, someone they hadn’t heard from in eighteen years; he was important.
She moved her fingers, carefully feeling the sensations of her body.
‘I actually didn’t die?’
Perhaps this was the first thought of everyone who had accepted death but failed to actually die.
When she opened her eyes again, a sharp, capable glint had returned to her gaze. She was a seasoned veteran. Although this wasn’t her primary job, it didn’t affect her habit of efficiency.
Dragging her still-heavy body, she tried to sit up, but a voice suddenly came from the side.
“You’re awake?”
She turned her head and saw the young man sitting not far away, watching her. However, a clear trace of mockery was visible on his face, and that look in his eyes… why did it look so familiar?
She didn’t know Lin Yu well, but her first impression had been decent.
‘Is this kid really this kind of person?’
She wanted to sit up and talk to him, but as soon as she moved, she felt a sudden chill on her chest.
She instinctively looked down. The sight of her own exposed skin caused her eyes to widen instantly. She immediately threw her arms across her chest and frantically looked around for any clothing to cover herself. At the same time, she realized that she was currently completely naked. Which meant…
Finding nothing within reach to cover herself with, she could only curl her body up, hugging herself tightly with her arms.
“You… you…” She frowned deeply, her face flushed with a sudden heat. She bit her lower lip, momentarily at a loss for words.
Why was he here? Had he seen everything? Was it someone else who undressed her during the treatment, or…
She was, after all, a woman of experience. Though she looked panicked, she was still able to think calmly.
Lin Yu quickly provided an explanation. He curled the corners of his mouth into a smirk, his tone flippant.
“That’s right, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. I *helped* you take them off, thinking you might sleep more comfortably.”
He emphasized the word “helped,” dragging it out as if he were being particularly helpful.
Xin Yao gritted her teeth. Even though times had changed, some things remained the same; having a stranger see your body was still embarrassing and uncomfortable.
“Then I truly thank you. Could I trouble you to bring me my clothes?”
As the saying goes, for an ordinary person with a standard education, the difference in combat effectiveness between being dressed and being naked was like heaven and earth.
The same applied to Xin Yao. Even though she could handle Lin Yu with a single finger, he would see everything the moment she let go.
Lin Yu maintained his smile, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands crossed under his chin.
“Of course, I’ll get your clothes for you. But… let’s talk, Captain Xin Yao.”
Feeling the other person’s gaze wandering over her body as if he were boldly appraising a piece of merchandise, Xin Yao couldn’t help but feel a chill of disgust.
She remembered why that look felt familiar. She often drew that kind of expression. For research, she would even look at certain types of “thematic” works.
Yes, her main job was a manga artist—the adult kind. Those sold well.
Such a perfectly recreated scene caused her to instinctively slip into the emotions of a protagonist from her own creations.
She put on an expression of gritted teeth and defiant resistance. “Hmph. Fine, talk. What about?”
Her reaction actually stunned Lin Yu for a moment. ‘Wait, has this lady seen too many of those videos? She entered the role that quickly?’
According to his plan, they were supposed to have a calm conversation, and then he would use his superb acting and deception to force her into agreeing to his terms.
Now… he felt a strange sense of being a villain forcing a virtuous woman into a compromise, even though the reality wasn’t much different.
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat and began his pitch according to the original plan.
“Captain Xin Yao, you should already know that I am a Harmonizer, right?”
“I know. So what?”
“Then I’d like to ask you to keep it a secret for me, okay?”
“Sure.”
“…”
‘Wait, you just agreed like that? Without even asking why?’
This was why a script was just a script; real developments were always unpredictable.
As for Xin Yao’s thoughts, they were simple: ‘I’ll agree to it, but I never said I’d actually do it.’
There was no reason to hide such a massive matter. A Harmonizer! Only one could appear in an entire era. Shouldn’t he be put to good use?
They were both adults. Adults were just this despicable.
It could only be said that the two of them were thinking on completely different wavelengths.
Of course, Lin Yu also quickly realized this—agreeing didn’t mean she would follow through.
He continued to smile calmly and shook his phone. “Good, good. Since Captain Xin Yao agreed so readily, there’s no need to keep the photos on here then.”
“You even took photos?!” The words almost burst out of Xin Yao’s mouth before she forced herself to swallow them. She changed her tune. “That’s right. Delete them. I’ll definitely keep your secret.”
“Should I really delete them?” Lin Yu showed a calculating smile.
“Yes. Hurry up.”
“Alright.”
“Mm.”
The two of them stared at each other for at least thirty seconds before Xin Yao finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“Then delete them already!”
“Yeah, okay.”
“…”
At this point, she realized something was wrong. She squeezed out a few words through her teeth. “Are you playing with me?”
“You played with me first, didn’t you? Your word alone means nothing. Why should I believe you’ll keep my secret?”
“You… you little brat, you have so many schemes,” she muttered under her breath.
“I heard that! You’re the one who provided me with leverage, so you’d better show me some respect.”
Xin Yao glared at him, and any shred of a good impression she had of him was tossed into the wastepaper basket.
“Is this your only request? Nothing else?”
Lin Yu smirked. “Oh? Could it be that Captain Xin Yao has some… special interests?”
“Bullshit! What special interests could I have? You…”
She had only asked instinctively, but now it looked like she had some other motives. She lost her composure and let out a curse.
“Alright, alright. I don’t have any other requests. Just this one. As long as you agree, I’ll go get your clothes.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the nearby cabinet.
At that moment, Xin Yao saw an opportunity. If she could just get his phone, then wouldn’t all her problems be solved?
Taking advantage of the moment his back was turned, Xin Yao pounced forward like a leopard.
Unfortunately, she had vastly overestimated her current physical condition. The moment her feet hit the floor, they went weak, and her pounce turned into a fall.
“Ah!”
Hearing the noise behind him, Lin Yu spun around and was immediately tackled full-on.
“Ow, what the—”
*Thud, clatter.*
The chair was knocked over, and they crashed into the nearby equipment.
Lin Yu’s head was spinning after hitting the floor, but something felt soft against his face. For a moment, he couldn’t tell what it was and instinctively reached out to brace himself.
“Ah…”
Right then, at the worst possible moment, a voice came from outside.
“Captain Xin Yao, are you awake? I came to get you for a… meet… ing…”
Mu Qingqing looked at the scene of the woman on top of the man. Her lip twitched wildly, and her eyelids fluttered.
‘Wait, you kid… again?’