Chapter 12: Confession or Deception?

At 7 PM in New Eridu, the night sky unfolded like a vast black silk satin, with twinkling stars scattered across it, resembling brilliant gems embedded in the fabric.

"You've really gone to trouble for me this time; next time, I'll treat you to a meal."

Ye Ye Qingfeng and Zhu Yuan stood at the entrance of an apartment building not far from the Cunning Hare House, bidding each other farewell.

He had only told Zhu Yuan the general location; upon arriving near that area, he picked an apartment building on this street and lied that he lived there.

After all, Ye Ye Qingfeng knew little about the laws here—whether civilians could possess firearms—and besides, the Cunning Hare House, which had kindly taken him in, surely wasn't an illegal organization, was it?

Still, it was better to be cautious.

"No trouble at all; it was on my way. I live just on the next street over; I didn't realize it was this close."

Zhu Yuan hadn't expected Ye Ye Qingfeng to live so near her, and after chatting along the way, she felt very compatible with him; he had now become her top choice for a friend.

"You have work tomorrow, so go home early and rest. I'll treat you to dinner this weekend."

Ye Ye Qingfeng hadn't expected that his initial approach to Zhu Yuan had been merely to raise her favorability, but after these few hours of interaction, their time together had been extremely pleasant and comfortable.

He believed that as long as there was no direct conflict of interest between them, she would become a good friend.

"Alright, I'll message you when I'm free. See you next time~"

Zhu Yuan stopped pretending to decline; her cheeks flushed slightly as she broke into a brilliant smile, waving goodbye to Ye Ye Qingfeng.

"Zhu Yuan..."

Seeing Zhu Yuan about to turn and leave, Ye Ye Qingfeng felt his heart suddenly clench for some reason, and he blurted out her name.

"What's wrong?"

Hearing his call, Zhu Yuan halted her turn, tilting her head in confusion.

"I..." Ye Ye Qingfeng took a deep breath, looking at her with determined eyes, "The family heirloom is actually fake... I lied to you..."

"I know."

Zhu Yuan showed no expression, simply gazing quietly at Ye Ye Qingfeng.

She had indeed suspected that the heirloom might be fake, but after spending time with him, she had unconsciously placed a filter over him; more than anything, she simply hadn't wanted to believe it...

Just as she had changed into her casual clothes and stepped out of the locker room, an officer, as if waiting for her in advance, handed her an inspection report.

The gist of it was that after testing, the item was determined to be an ordinary glass product.

The moment she finished reading the report, her heart was filled with immense rage; she could not accept such deception, and she strode furiously toward the entrance of the Public Security Bureau.

She intended to ask Ye Ye Qingfeng clearly why he had deceived her.

But as she gradually approached the main gate, seeing his back standing in the cold wind, she sensed from him a loneliness and desolation she had never experienced before; she stared at him blankly, and her inner fury gradually faded with the passing time.

I don't know how long passed, perhaps ten-plus seconds or maybe several minutes, before she walked out of the Public Security Bureau gates with a complex expression in her eyes.

"Are you going to explain it to me?"

Ye Ye Qingfeng looked at Zhu Yuan in disbelief; he had imagined countless possible responses, but this was the one he had never anticipated.

Why had he never encountered a girl like this in his previous life? Was she a unique specialty of this world?

Seeing her gentle profile, Ye Ye Qingfeng became momentarily dazed, while Zhu Yuan did not urge him, standing quietly in place.

"It's roughly like this..."

Ye Ye Qingfeng did not try to make himself sound particularly pitiful within his story; he simply recounted his past experiences fact by fact.

However, he did not mention the two matters of transmigration and imprisonment, as the risk was too great; what if Zhu Yuan checked past records and discovered no person like him existed? What would he do then?

I actually lied to you again? The past is the past; if one keeps fixating on the past, how can one enjoy the present or look forward to the future?

After listening to the past experiences of this boy a few years younger than herself, Zhu Yuan couldn't help but sigh, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes.

As a Public Security Officer, she had seen many people like Ye Ye Qingfeng; ever since the outbreak of the Hollow Zero, so many had lost their parents, growing up strong yet alone from a young age...

Her own strength was truly too insignificant; she had the heart but lacked the power.

"Would you like to come to my home this Saturday? Um... let's say, as friends for now."

She walked up to Ye Ye Qingfeng, raised her arm, and gently patted the top of his head.

"I... someone like me..."

Ye Ye Qingfeng looked at Zhu Yuan, who was right before his eyes, in astonishment; his voice inexplicably became choked, and he instinctively mocked himself.

Zhu Yuan hurriedly extended a finger and pressed it against Ye Ye Qingfeng's lips. "Are you coming?"

He stood quietly in place, his slightly trembling hands clenched tightly into fists, as if striving to restrain the surging emotions within his heart.

"Okay..."

His lips parted slightly, yet no words came out; ultimately, only a single character escaped.

"Mm, good boy!"

Hearing his answer, Zhu Yuan, like a teacher praising a student, lightly patted the top of his head two more times.

The feel wasn't bad (?? ω??)

"Then, see you Saturday~"

"Mm, okay! See you Saturday."

After the two bid each other farewell, she turned around in high spirits, humming a little tune as she walked toward her home.

This brings us back to a short while ago~

Not long after the two had departed from the Public Security Bureau, they exchanged contact information; when Zhu Yuan casually asked about Ye Ye Qingfeng's age and learned he was only nineteen, she showed a hint of surprise.

Just then, her mobile phone rang; she offered Ye Ye Qingfeng an apologetic faint smile, and upon seeing the caller's name, her expression suddenly relaxed.

Zhu Yuan did not answer the call immediately; instead, she made a silence gesture to Ye Ye Qingfeng, and only after seeing him nod in agreement did she confidently accept the call.

The two did not stop walking but continued forward; Ye Ye Qingfeng consciously increased his distance from Zhu Yuan slightly, of course, only enough to ensure he couldn't hear the voice on the phone.

"Zhu Yuan, are you off work?"

"Mom~ I'm already off work."

"Has work been busy lately?"

"Work hasn't been busy lately..."

"Even if work is busy, you must eat well, take care of your health, go to bed early tonight, and avoid staying up late..."

The voice on the other end of the phone tirelessly repeated various precautions; Zhu Yuan felt not a shred of impatience. "Okay, I understand. Is there anything else?"

"Your father bought a wild pheasant today; I'll make wild pheasant soup for you to drink this Saturday."

"Saturday... I've made plans to eat out with a friend; I'll be back this weekend."

Zhu Yuan secretly glanced at Ye Ye Qingfeng beside her and lowered her voice while he wasn't paying attention.

"Mom, let's not talk about it now; I'll call you back tonight."

"No need to call back; everything has been said. Just remember to come home this weekend."

Just as Zhu Yuan was about to hang up the phone, completely failing to notice a protruding stone beneath her feet, the next second, unsurprisingly, she slipped.

"Ah—"

Her body instantly lost balance and fell forward uncontrollably; at this critical moment, Ye Ye Qingfeng's figure flashed past her like lightning, his pair of powerful shoulders steadily catching her.

"Are you okay?"

Zhu Yuan snapped out of her daze, realizing she had fallen into a warm and solid embrace; what met her eyes was Ye Ye Qingfeng's gaze full of concern, causing her cheeks to instantly flush crimson and her heart to accelerate uncontrollably.

Yet at this moment, her mind was completely blank, as if she had forgotten her formidable martial prowess, obediently nestling in Ye Ye Qingfeng's arms.

Afraid Zhu Yuan might fall, Ye Ye Qingfeng unconsciously added two parts of strength to his grip, tightly holding her soft body; in that instant, it seemed as though time itself had stopped.

For him, the most intimate action with a member of the opposite sex to date had been holding hands with girls in the orphanage...

The moment he held Zhu Yuan, he subconsciously lowered his head, and by sheer coincidence, caught sight of a patch of snow-white skin; for a young man who had just come of age, this was too stimulating, so he urgently withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes.

The moment his vision plunged into darkness, his sense of touch and smell reached their peak.

He had not expected a girl's body to be so soft; her form was as light as a cloud, as delicate as a flower petal, emitting a fragrance that hooked the soul.

Ye Ye Qingfeng's heart at this moment pounded incessantly, as if it were about to leap out of his throat, and his mind was also a complete blank.

【Ding! Zhu Yuan's Favorability increased by 15%; Current Favorability: 50%】

【Acquired two lottery draws】

The two remained frozen in this position, but it lasted only about ten seconds before Ye Ye Qingfeng came to his senses first, quickly stepping back two paces and hurriedly explaining, "Sorry... I only hugged you because I saw you were about to fall..."

Zhu Yuan woke up as if from a dream; looking at Ye Ye Qingfeng, she couldn't help but recall the embrace from just now, and her heartbeat, which had not yet calmed, shamelessly accelerated again.

Zhu Yuan hastily took two deep breaths to steady her emotions. "It's nothing; I should be the one thanking you..."

The atmosphere instantly fell into silence; the blush on both their faces lingered for a long time, and their accidental eye contact caused them to quickly look away.

Zhu Yuan turned her head to look at a shop nearby that had long since closed its doors, while Ye Ye Qingfeng kept his head down, staring blankly at the ground; at this moment, the feelings of both reached a high degree of overlap.

So awkward... right now...

Ye Ye Qingfeng suddenly noticed a mobile phone by his feet; the screen was currently off, meaning it must have been dropped by Zhu Yuan just now; he had almost failed to notice it... luckily, he hadn't stepped on it.

"You dropped your phone."

He bent down, picked up the phone, and handed it to Zhu Yuan, who was standing before him staring blankly to the side.

Zhu Yuan hadn't even noticed the phone dropping; luckily, Ye Ye Qingfeng had been watching the ground, otherwise losing the phone would be a minor issue compared to having to buy a new one.

It was late at night with nowhere to buy one; if the Public Security Bureau issued a notification in the meantime, it would be disastrous...

"I didn't even notice... Thank you..."

Zhu Yuan hastily took the phone, finally letting out a sigh of relief; after thanking Ye Ye Qingfeng, she began inspecting the phone for damage.

"Mom...?"

The moment the screen lit up, her face suddenly stiffened into an expression uglier than crying; trembling, she raised the phone to her ear.

"... Zhu Yuan, you've grown up now, so Mom won't say much more. If you're short on money, just tell Mom. Yesterday, I found the stash of private money your old man hid away; find a chance to bring him home so Mom and your dad can have a look..."

The other end of the phone fell into a brief silence, momentarily making Zhu Yuan break out in a cold sweat; just as she was preparing to open her mouth to explain, her mother's voice came through the phone again.

"We only just met today; nothing is certain yet..."

Zhu Yuan shyly stole a glance at Ye Ye Qingfeng and spoke the truth.

Although she did have quite a bit of favorability toward Ye Ye Qingfeng, the future was still uncertain...

"Sigh... When your father and I first met, we hadn't known each other long either; feeling compatible was enough to get married. Although the old man has many bad habits now, back in his youth, he could be considered a..."

"In short! Good men are not so plentiful; you must seize the opportunity."

Zhu Yuan's face, which she had managed with great difficulty to cool down with the cold wind, ignited once again with her mother's words.

"Mom!! It's not that fast yet; let's not talk about it... hanging up."

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhu Yuan hung up the phone.

Ah! This is so awkward now... Mom, really...

Zhu Yuan took a deep breath to calm down; Ye Ye Qingfeng had more or less guessed the content of her conversation with her mother, making her now unsure how to face him.

Why does Mom always think about giving her daughter away for free! I'm not lacking at all...

If I wanted to find a boyfriend, wouldn't that be an easy matter...

While Zhu Yuan's mind was storming, Ye Ye Qingfeng, who had been standing in the cold wind for quite some time nearby, also calmed down.

Just as Zhu Yuan had guessed, he had indeed surmised the general content of her conversation with her aunt; he didn't think too much about it, viewing her as the kind of child other parents always talked about.

She was a kind, righteous girl with a bright future, an officer growing robustly under the sunlight, who had firmly believed in an ordinary citizen.

And I am merely an ordinary guy who has served time... an ordinary person struggling to crawl through the shadows, who deceived an officer full of righteousness.

"Zhu Yuan!"

Ye Ye Qingfeng shouted toward the dazed Zhu Yuan.

"Ah...?" Zhu Yuan vaguely came to her senses, looking at Ye Ye Qingfeng with a blank, innocent expression. "What's wrong?"

"I've pretty much arrived; just walk me this far."

Ye Ye Qingfeng opened his mouth slightly but could make no sound; his honest words seemed stuck in his throat—he was merely a penniless man who had exploited Zhu Yuan's kindness to deceive her...

Why still fantasize about those impractical things...

"This won't do! What if... what if you encounter danger on the road?"

Zhu Yuan forcefully voiced her refusal, took two steps to stand before him, grabbed his wrist with one hand, and pointed ahead with the other, "It's this direction, right?"

"Ah... um..."

Startled by her sudden assault, Ye Ye Qingfeng answered instinctively.

"It's getting late; let's go quickly."

Zhu Yuan took the lead, walking forward and pulling him along at a brisk pace.

Ye Ye Qingfeng hesitated in his heart; he knew that once she delivered him to the destination and left, he would never have another chance to explain...