Chapter 559: Xie Yan's Confession

Just a little bit.

Xie Yan's expression stalled, he lowered his gaze to the girl in his arms, his voice tinged with a faint, hard-to-detect grievance: "Just a little bit?"

"Mm." Yuan Yao gave a soft reply, though the corner of her mouth involuntarily twitched up before she quickly pressed it down, acting as if nothing had happened.

Xie Yan lifted his head, extended a hand, and his long, distinct fingers lightly pinched Yuan Yao's soft cheek; his beautiful phoenix eyes locked onto her, as if trying to draw her in: "Yuan Yao, do you really… only like me a little bit?"

Yuan Yao met his gaze, raised an eyebrow, and countered: "Xie Yan, then how much more do you want?"

"I want you to like me, not just a little bit." He spoke with firm certainty, leaving no room for doubt.

Yuan Yao watched his slightly furrowed brows; up close, his exquisite, alluring face was laid bare before her—his brows like a painting, his skin deathly pale, making his thin lips appear all the more vividly red.

At this moment his jawline was tense, carrying a fragile mix of nervousness and stubbornness that stirred her heart.

She placed her hand over his wrist that held her cheek, feeling his cool temperature and slight tremor through her fingertips, and asked softly: "And you? How much do you like me?"

"I like you a lot."

His voice was soft, yet heavy as a stone dropped into a heart-lake, sending out ripples.

"Yuan Yao, I like you." He leaned in slightly, his lips almost brushing her ear, warm breath grazing her, stirring her heart: "I like you, I like you."

Yuan Yao only felt a numbness spread from her ear root, the heat quickly traveling to her cheeks; her heartbeat skipped a beat, then uncontrollably accelerated.

Yuan Yao gave a light cough: "Why are you so close?"

Seeing her cheeks flush slightly, Xie Yan chuckled lightly: "I'm afraid you won't hear me."

"I heard you clearly."

"Yuan Yao, you defended me at the Immortal Sect Grand Competition earlier—could it be just because you like me a little that you disregarded your own safety?" Xie Yan released his hand, leaned forward slightly to meet her eyes levelly, his phoenix eyes smiling as they locked onto her: "Yuan Yao, just be stubborn."

No sooner had his words fallen than Yuan Yao stepped on his foot and then let out an arrogant huff.

"Who's being stubborn. Xie Yan, you're not a tapeworm in my gut—how would you know what I'm thinking?"

Xie Yan, however, felt her kick wasn't strong, and seeing her arrogant expression, his smile deepened.

She must have been adorable as a child.

Yuan Yao felt a bit annoyed seeing him constantly staring at her with a smile.

【Target: Xie Yan, Awakening Value reached 10.】

【Target: Xie Yan, Awakening Value reached 30.】

【Target: Xie Yan, Awakening Value reached 49.】

Yuan Yao suddenly heard the system's announcement and froze for a moment.

Xie Yan's Awakening Value had actually jumped by 49 points all at once.

But unfortunately, it got stuck at the final point.

Yuan Yao's heart twitched; she reached out a finger and poked his firm chest: "Xie Yan, what exactly do you like about me?"

Xie Yan's gaze fell on her slender finger, his Adam's apple rolling as he spoke slowly: "I like that you treat me well, I like that you're fierce with me, I like that you look at me, I like you as a whole."

As he spoke, his deep phoenix eyes locked firmly onto her.

Yuan Yao's ears felt hot.

Yuan Yao's gaze unintentionally swept over Xie Yan's neck, where a striking red string suddenly caught her eye. She blinked, then instinctively reached out and gently pulled the string free.

At the end of that red string hung a dazzling top-grade spirit stone!

On the spirit stone was crudely carved a terribly familiar 'yan' character.

Yuan Yao stared up at him in shock: "You've really been wearing this all along?"

Xie Yan's lips curled into a faint, gentle smile as he gave a low reply: "Mm."

That single 'mm,' spoken offhand, made Yuan Yao feel her cheeks instantly burn.

It was nothing more than a trinket she had idly carved back then, yet he wore it so solemnly every day.

"Yuan Yao." Xie Yan's voice suddenly dropped a few degrees, carrying an undeniable seriousness: "When do you plan to announce our relationship?"

Yuan Yao froze, looked up at him, and said: "We don't have any relationship… we're just… just friends."

Xie Yan lowered his eyes, gazing at the top-grade spirit stone on her fingertip, and said: "Isn't this the love token you gave me?"

Yuan Yao exclaimed in shock: "Xie Yan, this is absolutely not a love token!"

"Then you're not planning to take responsibility?"

"Responsibility for what?"

"I've already laid out my feelings, you like me too—shouldn't we be together?" Xie Yan gazed at her wistfully, "Or do you still want to be with others? Besides, I'm already yours."

Yuan Yao averted her gaze: "…I haven't done anything to you."

"You made a contract with me." Xie Yan pressed closer, his eyes full of hurt as he looked at her: "Do you really want to abandon me?"

His demeanor was truly alluring.

But she hadn't prepared herself mentally!

She did indeed have romantic feelings for him, but… she had never imagined pushing their relationship forward so quickly.

Xie Yan saw her hesitation and felt a dull ache in his chest.

Yuan Yao took a deep breath, earnestly staring at Xie Yan: "Xie Yan, I don't intend to abandon you. If you truly wish to become my dao companion, we must first leave the Boundary Abyss and consult my master."

"Dao companion?" Xie Yan froze.

Seeing his surprise, Yuan Yao thought of many story plots, furrowed her brows, and said coldly: "Xie Yan, could it be that you don't actually want to become my dao companion, but rather you wish to be like those scumbags of the Immortal Sect realm…"

"I want to become your dao companion!" Xie Yan declared earnestly.

Yuan Yao stepped closer to him and asked: "Will you ever come to like someone else in the future?"

Xie Yan replied solemnly: "No."

"Xie Yan, if you truly like me, you should know my nature. If you ever betray me in the future, I will surely hack you to pieces, making you wish you were dead." Yuan Yao stared at him unblinking.

"Fine." Xie Yan agreed, pursing his lips, then asked: "And will you not be good to others in the future?"

Immediately, he fixed her with a cold, grim stare: "You are not allowed to be on good terms with anyone else from now on! If you are on good terms with anyone else, I will kill them, chop them into minced meat and feed them to the dogs."

Yuan Yao blinked, "Then why don't you kill me?"

Xie Yan pressed his thin lips together, "It's all them who seduced you into making mistakes."

Yuan Yao let out a puff of laughter.

She suddenly recalled what the Youngest Senior Brother had once said about Xie Yan's past life.

In his previous life, in the eyes of the world, Xie Yan was a mad demon emperor, cold-blooded and ruthless, his methods extremely perverse.

And now he stands right before her eyes, vivid and real.

Yuan Yao had known from the start that he was not perfect.

Yuan Yao reached out her hand toward him.

"Xie Yan, let's give it a try."