“—Only I can give that to you.”

In a certain sense, Lin Zhu really wasn’t wrong.

The amusement and speechless disbelief that had just risen in Yan Ruojun vanished at once. Carefully savoring those words, he suddenly asked, “Lin Zhu, you know why I asked you to meet me here tonight, don’t you?”

He was obviously asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Lin Zhu, having read the original novel, of course knew. He nodded. “Mm.”

Yan Ruojun was cautious and thoughtful by nature, a trait that showed itself vividly in the business world. More than that, he had another advantage: he was decisive and straightforward. Once he made up his mind, he never hesitated again.

A 100% pheromone compatibility rate had indeed been the reason he and Lin Zhu met in the first place. But the reason he wanted to continue interacting with Lin Zhu was because, on some level, he realized he did not dislike the boy in front of him.

He even thought the kid was rather cute.

Yan Ruojun’s family background and position had brought him into contact with no small number of people, most of whom were Alphas from the same social class and of a similar age.

After all, Omega heirs in positions of such power as his were exceedingly rare.

Those Alphas were just like Yan Ruojun in one regard—

They were exceptionally good at disguising themselves. They could wear smiles on their faces while calculating in their hearts how to take advantage of the other party, preferably tearing off a bloody chunk in the process.

Because of the differences between Alphas and Omegas, and because men in power were so often romantically unscrupulous, many people knowingly sent him suggestive signals even though they were fully aware that he was already engaged. In private, they even spread a joking remark about him.

Marry Yan Ruojun, and you get the entire Yan family for free.

That brat Lin Xiujie really hit the jackpot.

Who could blame them for not being able to reach a lofty flower on a high peak like him? Still, it didn’t matter. Even getting just a taste would be enough to make it worthwhile.

Whenever Yan Ruojun thought of the way they acted refined and courteous to his face, only to reveal their vulgar, greasy true selves the moment they turned around, spewing one crude line after another, he couldn’t help but feel sick.

It was utterly disgusting.

But Lin Zhu…

He was like a pool hidden beneath dead leaves and withered branches. All one had to do was gently brush aside the cover on the surface, and what lay beneath would be revealed—clean and clear.

Exceptionally transparent. Exceptionally easy to understand.

Yan Ruojun had rarely come into contact with an Alpha with such a simple temperament before. Yet today, at first glance, he realized that he quite liked this side of Lin Zhu.

He was especially fun to tease.

Yan Ruojun had a very clear understanding of himself: he was a strong-willed Omega who liked to keep everything firmly within the palm of his hand and could not tolerate other people trying to ride over his head.

Even his closest elders could not force him into anything. At most, they could reason with him and appeal to his emotions; they would never arrange his life without first obtaining his consent.

Someone like Lin Zhu seemed, in a way, rather complementary to him.

Yan Ruojun stared thoughtfully at the blond-haired boy, then followed his heart and said, “Since you know, and you still came tonight to meet me… then what do you think of me?”

Without waiting for an answer, he added bluntly, “I think you’re pretty good.”

—

The moment Lin Zhu gathered his courage and finished saying the key line, the final 2% of the progress bar instantly filled up. After twist after twist, the first mission had finally been completed with great difficulty.

The system had already transformed into the shape of a cipi cat and was joyfully dancing a mission-clearance dance inside the host’s consciousness. It still didn’t forget to say, “Host, see? I told you so! Don’t overthink it, just charge straight in—”

Lin Zhu only found it noisy.

Having won the first battle, the system wasted no time broadcasting the contents of the next key plot point.

“Oho, in the original novel, the scumbag ex-husband brother and the protagonist meet for the second time half a month later, at Beidu First Hospital.”

The system summarized it in a few words:

“After their first meeting, the scumbag who deliberately induced the protagonist into heat was almost sent packing out of the country by him. But then the protagonist’s heat came early, and he couldn’t control the physical fever, so he had no choice but to call the scumbag over for a temporary mark…”

After finishing the summary, it even added a comment.

“Mmm… hospital play. Would that be too stimulating for the host? I suggest you prepare yourself mentally in advance and study up on the relevant material, so you don’t get stuck on the plot again when the time comes.”

“This system can provide teaching materials~”

Lin Zhu skillfully ignored certain sentences. Suddenly thinking of something, he asked nervously and doubtfully, “System, I feel like the protagonist doesn’t seem all that angry with me right now… He probably wouldn’t retaliate afterward and kick me out of the country, right?”

The system didn’t understand and asked back, “Hm? Is there a problem with that?”

There was a huge problem.

Drawing in a breath, Lin Zhu voiced his confusion.

“If that’s the case… doesn’t that mean the original plot was butterfly-effected away right from the start? Will there be any consequences?”

The system let out an “Ah!” and said, “Because I bound the wrong target, I was so upset that I forgot to explain this to you, host!”

Lin Zhu: “…”

Just how many mistakes are there that I still don’t know about?

The system continued chattering away:

“Didn’t I say before? This isn’t a real higher-dimensional world, but a book world made of data…”

“Stable book worlds all have a layer of data shielding on the outside. Host, you can think of that shield as ‘the original novel itself as it can be observed by people.’ In other words, as long as the shield remains intact, it doesn’t matter how the world inside the book changes…”

“Mmm. Because the original data for the ex-husband brother role was damaged, corresponding cracks appeared in the shield, which caused the book world to start collapsing… So what the host needs to repair isn’t the entire storyline, but to make sure that the key plot points involving the ex-husband brother’s missing sections can be observed again. That way, the shield can be restored.”

Lin Zhu understood.

It was basically like patching the sky after it broke—fix whatever part was missing.

After finishing the explanation, the system returned to the earlier topic. “Host, do you really not want this system to provide teaching materials? If your acting is bad, then you have to work harder! As the saying goes, bad students need more stationery—”

“If your grades are bad, then you need to prepare more props!”

Lin Zhu: “…”

That saying probably wasn’t supposed to be interpreted that way, right?

And also, was this so-called “prop” of yours even decent?

Strictly speaking, the system counted as Lin Zhu’s lifesaver… uh, life-saving system. But Lin Zhu really, truly—completely could not bring himself to respect it!

While getting along with the system, Lin Zhu often had the surreal feeling of “the second-worst student explaining a problem to the worst student.”

It was completely ridiculous.

And that second-worst student was especially chatty too, so noisy that Lin Zhu’s head felt like fireworks were going off inside it, crackling nonstop. He had to deliberately focus just to hear Yan Ruojun’s voice clearly.

So much so that after the other party finished speaking, it took Lin Zhu quite a while to react.

Lin Zhu blankly parted his lips. “…Huh?”

The man, dressed only in a bathrobe, sat on the bed. Because one of his legs was bent, the hem of the robe had caught at the top of his thigh and slid down to both sides, exposing one long folded leg.

His skin was fair, and the robe was also pure white, making the black collar fastened around his neck stand out all the more. As a result, a thread of mature allure was mixed into the man’s cool, elegant aura.

Yan Ruojun did not get annoyed. Patiently, he repeated what he had just said.

“—What do you think of me?”

He lifted one finger and pointed at himself, then added,

“—I think you’re pretty good.”

Lin Zhu froze, then his mouth moved a second faster than his brain as he blurted out, “Huh? Didn’t you just say you thought I was pretty good?”

Yan Ruojun couldn’t help letting out a snort of laughter. His vaguely gray-green eyes rippled with scattered light, and the slight curve at the corners of his eyes and brows was stunningly beautiful.

“So you did hear me?” he said.

Embarrassed, Lin Zhu rubbed his nose. For no reason at all, he suddenly felt as though he had been spacing out in class and had been called on by the teacher to answer a question in front of everyone. He nodded. “…Mm.”

Meeting the man’s gaze, he thought seriously for a few seconds, then forced himself to give an answer.

“I think… you’re very good.”

That wasn’t just politeness.

It was only that in this kind of setting, under this sort of atmosphere, Yan Ruojun’s question made him feel as if his heartbeat had fallen out of rhythm and even his breathing had become uneven.

Lin Zhu quietly raised a hand and touched the area over his heart.

Then, instead of following up on that answer, Yan Ruojun suddenly changed the subject. “Right, you also know that I have an engagement with your older half-brother, don’t you?”

Lin Zhu: “…I know.”

How could he possibly not know?

After all, Lin Xiujie was the legitimate male lead in Hormonal Illusion—the one who ultimately ended up with the protagonist, Yan Ruojun.