That Elusive and Mysterious Male Lead (27)

[20, 19, 18...]
This was the mission-related countdown. As long as a mission was triggered, it would sound, tirelessly carrying out its duty even in the absence of the system itself.

Si Jiu, sunk in deep sleep, was gradually awakened by the relentless beeping of the countdown.

[15, 14...]

[What is this?] Si Jiu was still bewildered.

[Host, there’s no time. Listen to me—quick, kiss the man running toward you!]

[Hold on? Kiss? Kid, you’re back?]

[9, 8, 7...]

[Hurry! The delivery’s about to fail!]

The two voices clamoring in her mind thoroughly irritated Si Jiu. She snapped her eyes open and shoved away the face that was nearly pressed against her own. At that exact moment, Charles rushed up, leaning over to grab the black-haired man’s shoulder.

[3, 2...]

[Host, please!]

"Get out of my way."

"Move."

The alert, the system, Charles, and the stranger’s voices all exploded in Si Jiu’s ears and mind at once.

She seized Charles by the collar and tugged him forcefully toward her, tilting her head up to press her lips against his.

[Ding... Golden Finger has been successfully delivered and signed for. Detected that the host still has unfinished side missions; exiting the current world is temporarily suspended.]

Si Jiu ignored it.
The system watched as its host lay in the arms of the black-haired man, one hand bracing against his face, the other clutching the blond’s collar, their lips joined.
With a trembling heart and quivering hands: [Red... red chicken!]

The moment she heard the delivery confirmation, Si Jiu quickly pulled away.
The whole affair was swift—no more than two or three seconds.
But in those brief seconds, Charles, previously seething with rage, was utterly petrified.
In that instant of stupefaction, massive wings burst forth, shrouded in murderous intent, and swept toward Charles.

"Stop."
The girl’s voice was a beat slower than the wings, but it jolted Charles awake.
His pupils contracted, and he darted aside, but not quickly enough; the edge of a wing caught him, slamming him against the wall before he crashed to the ground, propping himself up with one hand as blood trickled from his lips.

This black-haired man was a black dragon!
Charles’s gaze became grave.

The black wings unfurled again.

"Xiu, I told you to stop."
Si Jiu had meant to grab his collar, only to realize he wasn’t wearing one; instead, she grasped his long black hair. "Don’t hurt him," she said, each word clear, her eyes fixed on the black-haired man.

That sentence made both Charles’s and Xiu’s eyes light up—one with irrepressible joy, the other with fury.

She’s defending me! Charles could hardly contain the sweetness swelling in his heart.
"Your Highness!" Charles struggled to his feet, staggering toward her.

Xiu’s vertical pupils narrowed with a glare that could chill the blood.

Si Jiu cupped his face, forcing his deadly gaze away from Charles and onto her.

She stared intently at his features: the familiar shape of his eyes, the contours of his face exactly like Qi Yan’s, lips identical to Shen Huai’s—all combining into a visage deeply familiar to her.

Except his eyes. He bore double pupils—black irises with golden centers—an appearance perfectly matching the one from Si Jiu’s memory.

No, he seemed even more mature than she remembered, exuding a masculine allure and an air of dominance.

A strange glimmer flickered in Si Jiu’s eyes. She turned to look at Charles as he approached.

She hadn’t noticed before, distracted by his hair and eye color, but upon closer inspection, aside from the eyes, his features were strikingly similar to the man before her.

It was all so obvious now. If she still couldn’t figure it out, she’d truly be a fool.

[They’re the same person,] she told the system.

The system, deeply engrossed in observing its host’s melodrama, was so startled by Si Jiu’s words that it let out a thunderous belch.