THIP Chapter 67

Having made it in time to rescue the girl before anything happened, Mu Liuyin finally breathed a sigh of relief. But the moment he thought about the mastermind behind it all—Xie Shaoke—his relaxed expression tensed again, and his brows furrowed slightly.

Tapping his fingers lightly on the coffee table, Mu Liuyin pulled out his phone and called the bodyguard who had been with him earlier. He told him to hand over both the evidence and the interrogation recording to the head of the Xie family.

Leaning back against the couch, Mu Liuyin closed his eyes for a moment, exhaustion tugging at him. In the eyes of the Xie family patriarch, Qi Yan certainly didn’t compare to Xie Shaoke, the Xie family’s chosen heir. But Mu Liuyin wasn’t trying to get the Xie family to punish Xie Shaoke—he just wanted them to understand one thing: Qi Yan had the Ye family protecting her now.

Luckily, the Ye family was more powerful than the Xie family, and Mu Liuyin’s current body was particularly favored and doted on, which gave him the confidence to act so boldly.

Still, he knew he’d have to explain today’s events to his parents and older brother sooner or later—and just thinking about it gave him a headache.

Even though the original body’s parents hadn’t returned yet, Mu Liuyin could already imagine the scene when they did.

Questions like, “Why are you so invested in a girl your age?”

Or worse: “If you don’t like her, why would someone like you, who’s always been so aloof and indifferent, go to such lengths for her? You brought her home, and even went after the mastermind behind her assault?”

But what worried Mu Liuyin the most was the possibility that Qi Yan might misunderstand his intentions. If she started to develop feelings for him because he saved her, that wouldn’t be good for anyone. After all, once the mission was over, he would be leaving this world for good.

And since it was currently the first semester of senior year, there were only a few months left until the mission ended.

For a moment, Mu Liuyin lay slumped on the couch, feeling utterly drained.

He let out a quiet sigh. If only the original host had been warm, outgoing, and known for their kindness, he thought. Even if they helped someone out, no one would overthink it.

But then again, if the original host had been like that, the plot would probably have had them help Qi Yan on their own, and there wouldn’t have been any need for Mu Liuyin to take on this mission in the first place.

So, avoiding any misunderstandings with Qi Yan had become a top priority.

Just as Mu Liuyin was struggling to think of a good excuse, Xiao Jiu, who had recently become obsessed with human internet culture, glanced at a response on a forum thread and meowed twice.

“Host, you could just pretend to be gay!”

“Hm?” Mu Liuyin asked. “What’s ‘gay’?”

“It means homosexual,” Xiao Jiu blinked his cat-like eyes, surprised that someone who had been through so many worlds still didn’t know what “gay” meant.

Mu Liuyin: “???”

“If you don’t want the mission target to misunderstand,” Xiao Jiu explained, “you could just say you like boys. After all, once the mission is done, you’ll be leaving this world. No attachments, no consequences.”

Mu Liuyin: “……”

Now that Xiao Jiu mentioned it… that did kind of make sense? But since when was Xiao Jiu this sharp?

Before Mu Liuyin could fully process it, Xiao Jiu asked curiously:

“Wait—after all these mission worlds, have you stopped liking boys and started liking girls?”

“…Shut up!” Mu Liuyin’s heart skipped a beat. For some reason, his ears turned slightly red.

A fleeting thought crept into his mind—maybe soft, sweet girls aren’t so bad after all. But remembering how things had ended in some of the previous worlds, Mu Liuyin quickly shook the idea from his head.

Meanwhile, in the guest room, Qi Yan’s eyes were filled with complicated emotions. Her mind replayed the way the boy had shown up, anxious and worried, holding her and whispering words of comfort. Had Ye Zhuoran not arrived when he did, Qi Yan would already have known what might have happened to her.

But… how did Ye Zhuoran know she had been kidnapped? And how had he gotten there so fast?

Though she strongly suspected it had been Xie Shaoke who sent people after her, she didn’t want to doubt the one who saved her.

Still, the sudden appearance of help, combined with the warmth and gentleness in his voice… Qi Yan lifted a hand to cover her tear-filled eyes. She didn’t dare believe that it was just kindness. Just a concern.

After all, she was still just a seventeen-year-old girl. No matter how smart or composed she usually was, going through something like that was enough to make anyone break down. Curling into herself, she slowly shut her eyes and forced herself to stop thinking about what might’ve happened if Ye Zhuoran hadn’t come—and to stop questioning his intentions without evidence.

Yet still, a single tear slipped down her cheek, soaking into the pillow beneath her.

Back in the living room, Mu Liuyin hung up the call from his mother with a blank expression. Sure enough, his parents and older brother were coming home tonight.

He told the chef to prepare one extra portion for lunch and then went back to his room to rest.

After all, he’d been yanked out of sleep that morning by Xiao Jiu to rescue Qi Yan. He’d been tense and on edge ever since. Now that he’d been curled up on the couch for a bit, the exhaustion was creeping back in.

As soon as he lay down, Mu Liuyin quickly fell asleep. He only woke up when a servant came knocking at the door.

Yawning behind a hand, his freshly awakened eyes were misty, and the unbuttoned collar of his shirt revealed a glimpse of delicate collarbone. In that moment, he gave off a strange mix of restrained charm and quiet allure.

Mu Liuyin didn’t notice. He simply washed his face in the bathroom and stepped out again.

The young maid standing outside the door averted her eyes immediately, trying not to look at him.

“Lunch is ready, young master,” she said quickly. “Would you like me to wake the young lady for the meal?”

“I’ll do it myself,” Mu Liuyin replied coolly.

After speaking, Mu Liuyin walked straight to the guest room where she had just placed Xi Yan. She lifted her slender index finger and knocked lightly on the door.

Xi Yan, who had just woken up, got out of bed. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Mu Liuyin standing in front of her. The boy’s cool voice held a hint of warmth as he said, “You’re awake? Come have lunch.”

His slightly exposed collarbone came into view. Xi Yan softly responded with an “Mm,” and the tips of her ears, hidden beneath her black hair, flushed faintly red.

They went downstairs. Sitting at the dining table, Xi Yan hesitated to pick up her chopsticks. Mu Liuyin glanced at her and said, “I didn’t know what you liked to eat, so I just told the kitchen to make a few things. Is there anything you don’t like?”

Xi Yan shook her head gently, picked up her chopsticks, and took a bite of the food. “It’s really good,” she said.

“Mm.” Seeing the girl so well-behaved and sweet, the corners of Mu Liuyin’s lips curved slightly without her realizing it. “Eat more.”

The cold and aloof boy, who rarely smiled, looked especially good when he did—even if it was just a subtle lift of his lips. For a moment, Xi Yan was stunned.

Noticing her gaze, Mu Liuyin quietly pressed his lips together.

The atmosphere quieted, and only the soft sounds of their eating remained.

“Thank you for today,” Xi Yan said after a while in a low voice. Then, looking a little embarrassed, she asked, “Can I ask… how did you find me?”

“I had something to do at school this morning and thought I’d drop by to see you,” Mu Liuyin said, calmly delivering the story she had already prepared. “But you weren’t there. A classmate mentioned you went to the bookstore, so I decided to check it out.”

It sounded like a perfectly reasonable explanation. Xi Yan tightened her grip on her chopsticks slightly.

“As for what happened today, it’s already been confirmed that Xie Shaoke was behind it,” Mu Liuyin continued in that same cool tone. “I’ve had the evidence sent to the Xie family. I don’t think he’ll dare act out again.”

“Really?” Xi Yan murmured.

Mu Liuyin nodded, not noticing the subtle doubt in her voice. She softened her tone and added, “I’ve already told the school you went home today, so tomorrow, come to school with me.”

Xi Yan suddenly looked up at her, her pale eyes blinking.

Seeing the girl’s dazed expression, Mu Liuyin couldn’t help but smile again. “My parents and older brother are coming back tonight. They might misunderstand the situation, but don’t worry about it.”

“Misunderstand what?” Xi Yan asked softly, eyes lowered.

And right then, she noticed the tips of the boy’s ears turn slightly red.

Mu Liuyin thought to herself that a girl this innocent, one who didn’t even understand what kind of misunderstanding people might have, probably hadn’t misunderstood her feelings at all.

Still, to be safe, she patiently explained, “They might think we’re dating, but don’t worry—I don’t see you that way.”

Xi Yan: “…”

The air fell awkwardly silent.

Mu Liuyin looked a bit confused—she wasn’t sure why Xi Yan suddenly stopped talking.

After a long pause, Xi Yan asked in a soft voice, “Then… do you like any girls?”

Mu Liuyin answered coolly, “No.”

Then she heard Xiao Jiu speak up in her mind:
【Host, this is the perfect time to say you don’t like girls!】

【…Xi Yan doesn’t like me. There’s no need to bring it up.】

【Aren’t you worried she’ll misunderstand your feelings later?】 Xiao Jiu blinked its big cat-like eyes.

【……】

Alright, fine.

Even though she was a girl herself, saying she liked men while in a male body just felt so awkward.

So, just seconds later, Xi Yan saw the boy’s already slightly red ears flush an even deeper shade.

She lifted her gaze and quietly studied the boy’s cold yet striking features.

Mu Liuyin, holding back her embarrassment, tried to maintain her usual cool expression and said with forced calm:
“I like men.”