THIP Chapter 72

Chi Yan sat quietly beside Mu Liuyin, her gaze soft as she looked at his pale face. He hadn’t slept well, clearly exhausted from the events of the night before. Even in his sleep, his brows were furrowed slightly.

Memories from the previous night replayed in Chi Yan’s mind, of Mu Liuyin, who was usually cold and reserved, showing a vulnerable side. It had left a deeper impression on her than she expected.

She gently reached out, brushing her fingers against his wrist. The ropes she had used—more out of desperation than intention—had left faint red marks. She hadn’t expected her impulsive plan to succeed, especially knowing Mu Liuyin had martial arts training.

But she had succeeded. Which only proved how much he trusted her.

A faint smile curved on Chi Yan’s lips. She leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before getting up to order some breakfast delivery.

The apartment was newly bought by Mu Liuyin. Though it had been renovated, there was no food stocked in the kitchen. Chi Yan knew how to cook, but she had never inherited her mother’s culinary skills—her dishes were barely edible. So she opted for delivery instead.

The food arrived quickly. Just as she returned with it, she saw Mu Liuyin slowly waking. His eyelashes trembled slightly before his eyes opened.

The first thing he saw was the person who had hurt him emotionally the night before.

Mu Liuyin’s expression was colder than usual. Though he had realized yesterday that he might have feelings for Chi Yan, he never expected things to unfold the way they had. Her actions had left him confused and deeply uncomfortable.

Chi Yan had anticipated his distant look, but it still hurt.

“You’re awake. Let’s eat something first,” she said gently, placing the food on the nightstand and reaching out to help him sit up.

Mu Liuyin avoided her touch, pushing himself up on his own. Chi Yan slowly withdrew her hand, blinking back the sting of rejection.

Mu Liuyin remained silent.

You think I’ll just forgive you because you look upset? He thought bitterly.

Chi Yan handed him a steamed bun. Watching him take it wordlessly, she said softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would hurt you like that.”

Mu Liuyin clenched his teeth, biting into the bun without replying.

Chi Yan stopped speaking and quietly cleaned up after breakfast. Mu Liuyin only picked at the food, clearly having no appetite. When she stepped out to throw the trash away, he tried to get up and dress. But even moving slightly sent a wave of pain through his body, and he turned pale.

When Chi Yan came back in, she saw him struggling to stand. His legs barely touched the floor before his knees buckled. She rushed over and caught him just in time.

His ears turned red—not from shyness, but from sheer embarrassment.

Helping him back to bed, Chi Yan couldn’t resist teasingly tugging his ear. Mu Liuyin glared at her, his cool black eyes flickering with irritation.

“Don’t rush it,” Chi Yan said with a small smile. “You need to rest and recover. I already treated your injuries, but you’ll need a few more days.”

In disbelief, Mu Liuyin stared at her. “You… treated me?”

She nodded. “Don’t worry, I promised your mom you’d only be here for two days. I’ll take you back the day after tomorrow.”

Mu Liuyin buried his face in the pillow, trying to collect himself. The once composed persona he worked so hard to maintain felt like it was unraveling.

“Chi Yan!” he suddenly snapped, lifting his head. His tone was cold, tinged with anger and embarrassment. “How could you do this to me?”

Didn’t she fear retaliation? Did she think he would just forget?

Chi Yan looked down at him and gently pinned his wrists to keep him from pushing away. Then she leaned in and kissed him softly.

When she pulled away, she said simply, “Because I like you.”

Mu Liuyin stared at her, breathless. His cheeks flushed, his eyes misty—not with warmth, but frustration and confusion.

Chi Yan leaned in again, whispering near his ear, “Zhuoran… what if I told you I still want to be close to you?”

Mu Liuyin instinctively tried to pull away, but his body was still sore and weak. Any resistance was quickly subdued.

Chi Yan sighed and released him. “Sorry. I won’t force you. Not again.”

Mu Liuyin was so overwhelmed that he eventually drifted back to sleep. Chi Yan sat beside him, brushing her fingers lightly over his pale cheek, a bitter smile forming on her lips. She slowly untied the ropes around his wrists.

The day passed quickly.

Later, when Mu Liuyin awoke again, Chi Yan was applying ointment to help ease the pain from his injuries.

“Ow…” he mumbled, still groggy.

As soon as he realized what she was doing, he tried to move away, only to find his wrists gently secured again, not tightly, just enough to keep him still.

“Relax,” Chi Yan whispered, patting his arm softly. “Just a little longer.”

Mu Liuyin didn’t answer. He buried his face in the blanket, feeling angry and helpless.

When she finished, Chi Yan kissed his forehead and said, “I checked your scores last night. Have you thought about what college you want to apply to?”

Mu Liuyin remained silent.

Chi Yan tried to lift the mood, but her phone rang. It was Xie Shaoke.

She declined the call three times. Meanwhile, the AI assistant in Mu Liuyin’s mind, Xiao Jiu, warned her that Xie Shaoke had found their location and was plotting something dangerous—something involving fire.

When the phone rang a fourth time, Mu Liuyin suddenly said, “Pick it up.”

Chi Yan looked at him, surprised but hopeful.

On the line, Xie Shaoke said his father wanted to talk about something regarding Chi Yan’s mother.

Hearing this, Chi Yan stood up and said gently, “Zhuoran, I’ll be back soon.”

Mu Liuyin simply nodded with a cold expression.

After Chi Yan left, Mu Liuyin sat in silence. She couldn’t understand why Xie Shaoke hated her so much, to the point of wanting her dead. Would he go as far as burning her alive?

Moments later, the voice in her mind declared the mission complete.

Before leaving the mission world, Mu Liuyin instructed Xiao Jiu to make the evidence of Xie Shaoke’s actions easier to find.

She wasn’t sure how the fire had been set up, but it had been a powerful explosion, not a slow burn—proof of Xie Shaoke’s lethal intentions.

Fortunately, she escaped before the fire could reach her.

From outside the mission world, she watched events unfold through a magical mirror. Chi Yan returned home only to see the remains of the blaze, her face going pale with panic as she searched the crowd.

Then she saw the stretcher… and the body too charred to be recognized.

Tears flooded Chi Yan’s face. The person on the stretcher had no pulse.

Word quickly spread. The Ye family, devastated by the loss of their youngest son, soon uncovered Xie Shaoke’s role and handed over irrefutable evidence. He was sentenced to death.

The Xie family quickly crumbled.

And Chi Yan…

Mu Liuyin couldn’t bear to keep watching. Her heart ached for the pain Chi Yan must have felt. She pressed her hand over her eyes.

For the first time, she wondered: Was any of this worth it?

She sat quietly by the lake. In the water’s reflection, her real face appeared.

A long time passed before she finally said, “Xiao Jiu.”

A vial appeared in the air.

She drank the emotion-clearing serum.

“Start the next mission,” she said softly.