Chapter 3091: After Divorce, Forced to Compete with My Ex-Husband (21)

Outside the base.

The artificial lake shimmered with rippling light in the morning glow, reflecting the pink‑purple clouds and the dense vegetation along the shore.

This place was originally a landscape facility built for tourists during the Tourism Star era; although it is now abandoned, the lake water remains clear, but the banks are overgrown with weeds and the once‑neat pathways have been largely covered by rampant plants.

Chi Mu walked beside Jin Chen with a light step, like a pet that had finally gained its master's attention, striving to show its most likable side.

He had almost exhausted all his tricks, trying to use this unfailingly effective method to close the distance.

Jin Chen let him carry on, listening silently while he pondered the code he needed to write, until he could replace that part of the system's audit detection.

The two walked to the edge of the artificial lake and finally stopped.

The lake was wide; the forest on the opposite bank cast dark reflections in the morning light. Jin Chen stood firm by the water and turned to face Chi Mu.

"How did you meet Chenshu?"

Chi Mu pressed his lips, then quickly put on his signature smile and said in a coquettish tone, "Chen‑ge, when we're together, can you not mention anyone else?"

Jin Chen glanced at him sideways, a hint of a smile on his lips, "Alright, I'll change the question."

His voice still carried a smile, but the words that followed made the temperature in the air drop several degrees.

"Last night, you came to knock on Chenshu's door—what did you want to do?"

This line isn't in the script, but 999 didn't dare to interrupt; it could only hope that Lord Jin Chen wouldn't be punished by the plot.

Chi Mu's expression froze for a moment.

He lifted his head and suddenly realized something.

Last night Chenshu didn't open the door—could it be because Jin Chen was inside…

Chi Mu tightened his grip on the corner of his clothing; he looked as if he might sway and fall, seeming both shy and afraid.

"Last night… I thought I'd encountered something strange, I was really scared… I was so panicked then that I didn't think much."

He said this, then lifted his eyes to Jin Chen, a soft light in his gaze.

To be fair, among all the Sons of Fate, Chi Mu truly likes Jin Chen's face the most—his strong‑featured looks, refined brows and eyes that aren't soft, making one want to approach yet hesitate to do so.

If it weren't for this person being utterly inscrutable, he wouldn't have restrained himself to the point of doing nothing now; but the more he can't have him, the more his heart itches.

Chi Mu took a half step forward, softened his voice further, and asked, "If I encounter danger in the future, can I come to you, Chen‑ge?"

Jin Chen looked at him, then suddenly bent slightly forward.

The live‑broadcast ball hovered a few steps away, unable to pick up Jin Chen's voice from that angle.

Jin Chen turned his face, his gaze sweeping past Chi Mu's shoulder to land on the wind‑ruffled ripples on the lake, his voice lowered to a whisper.

"Keep your behavior in check and stop causing trouble for Chenshu."

"If you try again to control him with the plot, I'll turn you into a living dead in the game, chop off your hands and feet, and leave you soaking in nutrient solution—okay?"

Though it was low and even a little tender in tone, it made Chi Mu's pupils contract sharply, his scalp go numb, and he shouted about danger.

How could Jin Chen possibly know about the plot!!

No wonder……

No wonder Jin Chen has never been bound by this story, no wonder his attitude toward himself is completely different—no matter how he revises the plot or adjusts the settings, Jin Chen always seems to stand outside the story, watching what happens inside.

A chill ran up Chi Mu's back from his tailbone to the base of his skull, freezing him in place as his body involuntarily leaned back a little, giving him a sense of being completely under control.

But Jin Chen gave him no chance to retreat, reached out and patted his shoulder, then said slowly, "Rest assured, I do what I say."

In the distant view of the live‑broadcast ball, the danmaku could only see Jin Chen lean close to Chi Mu's ear and say something, then pat his shoulder, the scene looking rather intimate.

: What did Jin Chen just say? Why did Chi Mu's expression change?

: I don't know… If a beautiful person were this close to me talking, I'd be dazed too……

: Why hasn't the Upper General come yet!!

: What on earth is Jin Chen scheming? He used to be indifferent to Chi Mu!

: Don't try to guess a man's mind—no amount of guessing will figure it out.

Chi Mu's legs went weak from the fright of Jin Chen's pat, then he tripped on an unknown vine underfoot, lost his balance, and stumbled into the dense pink thicket by the shore.

That thicket looked soft, but it was covered with tiny thorns and fuzzy‑leafed vegetation; Chi Mu's arms and cheeks were sliced open in several places as he fell, blood immediately seeping out and standing out starkly against his fair skin.

His body kept sliding, half of him already hanging over the lake's edge; he lifted his head in shock, eyelashes trembling, and saw Jin Chen looking down at him from above.

That person stood in the morning light, his backlit silhouette traced with an overly sharp outline—he looked gorgeous in the sunlight, yet also perilous.

Chi Mu was choked by the pink powder puffed up from the thicket, coughing several times, and even his Tears were driven out.

He flailed, propping himself up with his arms to stand, but the soil beneath was too loose; two attempts failed.

Jin Chen waited a few seconds; seeing that Chi Mu, though disheveled, had not immediately summoned plot power to fight back or escape, he realized that for now Chi Mu couldn't freely use the plot to do anything—perhaps it required consuming some resource.

He tilted his head slightly, smiling, and asked, "Do you need me to help you up?"

Chi Mu's eye sockets reddened, not knowing whether from the fall or the fright; his voice trembled, as if afraid to anger the person before him: "No… I… I want to go find Yan Xu…"

"Alright, what a pity."

Jin Chen turned and walked back the way he had come, his pace unhurried, as if nothing had just happened.

999 popped up in his mind: 【Tasker, you haven't said those lines yet!】

Jin Chen: 【I know—how far is Chenshu from me?】

999 reported a distance.

Jin Chen walked for about three minutes and saw Chenshu hurrying over from that direction.

The dizziness arrived as expected.

In the second before the dizziness hit, he quickened his last two steps, wrapped his arms around Chenshu's neck, leaned his weight onto him, then turned his head and bit Chenshu's cheek in a vent of frustration.

"I'm dizzy." Jin Chen's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction and complaint, as if blaming Chenshu for not arriving quickly enough.

Chenshu was leaned back half a step by his weight, his arms circling around Jin Chen's back to support his waist, his lips brushing Jin Chen's ear as he spoke low and soft, "Sorry, I'll take you back."

Jin Chen leaned on his shoulder, closed his eyes, and felt the familiar aura envelop him.

Yun Wu stood not far away, watching this scene, then looked again toward the direction of that patch of pink grass in the distance. Chi Mu stumbled up from the grass, his face covered in tears, blood still flowing from his arm.

Yun Wu turned and followed Chenshu's steps, not glancing back again.