Chapter 131 Not Allowed

Chapter 131: Forbidden

"You're right, I've been to Nantian Street twice and both times I encountered unpleasant things. Today, it even escalated to the police station. Nantian Street really isn't suitable for me anymore."

"Of course, the main point is that I initially wanted to offer feng shui consultations, but the clients I met on Nantian Street were mostly tourists who just wanted their fortunes told for fun. That wasn't what I originally envisioned. If I go to Cangru Temple, I should meet some 'important figures' who would genuinely need feng shui services."

Yan Zhoubai recounted the plan he had discussed with the system to Zhan Jiayu, word for word.

"Important figures? Who else do you want to meet?"

Zhan Jiayu was already displeased at the thought of Yan Zhoubai returning to Cangru Temple, but when Yan Zhoubai mentioned going back to meet "important figures," his face turned green with anger.

He and Yan Zhoubai had met at Cangru Temple. Although he didn't want Yan Zhoubai to go back and have contact with that senior disciple, Cangru Temple still held a special place in his heart as the beginning of their relationship.

But now, Yan Zhoubai was saying he wanted to go back to Cangru Temple to meet other people?

Even though he knew Yan Zhoubai didn't mean it that way, Zhan Jiayu couldn't help but overthink it.

"Like business owners and such. Those kinds of people should have a need for this."

Yan Zhoubai counted on his fingers, realizing that there weren't many other categories; merchants were primarily interested in this. He completely failed to notice that Zhan Jiayu was already angry.

"For example, your father. The feng shui of the Zhan family's old residence must have been arranged by a master, except..."

Mid-sentence, Yan Zhoubai realized he shouldn't have brought up the Zhan family's old residence as an example. After all, he was the one who had discovered the sinister feng shui arrangement there, which seemed to involve some of the Zhan family's hidden secrets. Bringing it up now was truly inappropriate.

Yan Zhoubai glanced at Zhan Jiayu's expression and saw that he was indeed unhappy. Feeling a little guilty, he was about to say something when he suddenly felt his body lift from the soft sofa.

He was scooped up in a bridal carry by Zhan Jiayu.

"What are you doing?"

Yan Zhoubai's heart skipped a beat the moment he was lifted, but when he realized it was Zhan Jiayu holding him, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around Zhan Jiayu's neck to steady himself.

He was well aware of Zhan Jiayu's physique and strength; he could probably carry him steadily with one arm. There was no need to worry about falling.

Zhan Jiayu didn't utter a sound, carrying Yan Zhoubai straight upstairs. He kicked open the bedroom door and gently deposited Yan Zhoubai onto the large bed.

"What are you doing? Why did you suddenly carry me to the bed?"

The bedroom bed was incredibly soft. Yan Zhoubai sank into it as soon as he was placed down, trying to get up but finding himself unable to exert any force, tangled in the soft comforter for a long time.

While Yan Zhoubai was "battling" the blankets, Zhan Jiayu's body suddenly pressed down on him. Without a word, he pulled Yan Zhoubai's arms above his head and then leaned down to kiss him.

Yan Zhoubai was kissed breathless, whimpering softly, before finally being released after a long moment.

"You're not allowed to go back to Cangru Temple."

Zhan Jiayu was also breathing heavily. The bedroom door wasn't closed, but a charged atmosphere quickly filled the room.

"Why not?"

Yan Zhoubai's eyes were glistening, his lips red from the kiss. Lying on the bed, his dark hair fanned out, creating a stark contrast with the pristine white comforter. His voice was thick with a nasal tone, sounding utterly wronged.

"I don't want you to go back to being a little Taoist priest again."

Zhan Jiayu's expression was incredibly stubborn. Yan Zhoubai even thought he looked like a child, refusing to listen to anything.

"I'm not going back to be a little Taoist priest. I just want to earn some money, don't I?"

Yan Zhoubai pushed at the person on top of him, trying to get him to move.

"If you need money, you can tell me."

Zhan Jiayu showed no intention of moving.

"How is that the same?" Yan Zhoubai exclaimed, agitated. "Your money is your money, not mine. Besides, it's not just about money; I want to prove my capabilities."

"Baby, there are actually many ways to reach 'the pinnacle of success.' If all else fails, being with Zhan Jiayu counts too. He's so rich and powerful. After all, didn't we originally want to cling to his coattails?"

The system chimed in quietly at this moment, its recent urgency to complete the mission palpable.

Not long ago, the system had been happily accompanying Yan Zhoubai, thinking that since Yan Zhoubai was only eighteen, he'd still be considered young even if he only "succeeded" by thirty. There was no need to rush.

But after vaguely recovering some memories, it had grown increasingly impatient, eager to complete the mission.

It had even wondered: since Yan Zhoubai was already with Zhan Jiayu, and this was during the early plot before the male lead had risen to power—with the antagonist Zhan Jiayu being the most powerful figure at this stage—couldn't this be considered Yan Zhoubai having already "succeeded"? Why was there no prompt indicating the task was complete?

After spending three years with Yan Zhoubai, it had grown fond of him and would miss him, but recently it had an indescribable feeling that it should leave this world as soon as possible. And the only way to leave was to successfully complete the task.

"No, it's not like that."

Yan Zhoubai's voice was anxious, eager to refute the system's words, but he seemed unable to find the right reasoning immediately and could only start with a denial.

"Back then, wanting to cling to his coattails was because he was the antagonist, and Bu Qiran and I were in an adversarial relationship as the real and fake young masters. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. He was powerful, and maintaining a good relationship with him would help our plans later. But it was never about clinging to his coattails counting as success."

"Zhan Jiayu is the head of the Zhan family. He has power, money, connections—all of that is his. Even if I'm with him, it doesn't mean those things are mine."

"Besides, I'm with him because I like him, not because of these external things. If I want to achieve something in my career, I can certainly use external help, but ultimately, it has to be through my own efforts—definitely not by merely enjoying the fruits of others' labor."

Yan Zhoubai had always been relatively slow to react and soft-hearted. He rarely spoke firmly, but this long response was resolute. He hadn't forgotten what he wanted to do.

"Baby, I'm sorry. I was too impatient. I really shouldn't think like that. I was originally full of confidence, wanting to carve out a path on my own. How could I think like this?"

The system felt guilty, but although it was usually quite lively, it didn't fully possess human emotions. So, while its voice wasn't strongly mechanical, it still struggled to express emotions like guilt and self-reproach through tone.

Yet, Yan Zhoubai miraculously sensed this non-existent "emotion."

"System, what's wrong? I feel like you've been very impatient recently?" Yan Zhoubai asked.

"Nothing's wrong."

The system's voice was calm, showing no abnormality. But its usual liveliness meant that a calm voice was itself abnormal.

Yan Zhoubai still felt something was off, but just as he was about to ask more, his thoughts were pulled away.

"Are you spacing out?"

Yan Zhoubai's chin suddenly ached—Zhan Jiayu had pinched it, using some force.

Zhan Jiayu frowned, a shadow clouding his eyes.

They were on the bed, and Yan Zhoubai was spacing out? He had just forbidden him from returning to Cangru Temple, and Yan Zhoubai reacted like this—spacing out to think about other things, leaving a living person like him right here?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Zhan Jiayu unconsciously tightened his grip.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Let go quickly."

Yan Zhoubai yelped when his chin was squeezed. But Zhan Jiayu, who always released him immediately whenever Yan Zhoubai said it hurt, didn't let go—didn't even loosen his grip.

Zhan Jiayu stared at Yan Zhoubai, his eyes dark and heavy with something Yan Zhoubai couldn't understand. It wasn't until Zhan Jiayu watched drool slide from Yan Zhoubai's half-open mouth down to his own wrist that he finally let go.

"It hurts so much!"

Yan Zhoubai wrestled his hands free from Zhan Jiayu's one-handed grip, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and glared at Zhan Jiayu with a frown.

"What's wrong with you today? Did something happen, or did I upset you? Why do you keep doing weird things without my permission?"

Yan Zhoubai pushed Zhan Jiayu away a little and rubbed his own wrist. Except for their first time in the hot spring, Zhan Jiayu had never used so much force on him—he usually couldn't bear to.

This time, Zhan Jiayu was the one spacing out. He allowed Yan Zhoubai to push him away and just kept staring at Yan Zhoubai, lost in thought.

His gaze gave Yan Zhoubai the creeps. Combined with the earlier pain and Zhan Jiayu's silent treatment, Yan Zhoubai grew angry. He did something he never imagined he would—

He patted Zhan Jiayu's cheek with the back of his hand, producing a faint slap sound.

"Say something."

Yan Zhoubai was stunned when he heard the sound. He hadn't meant to hit Zhan Jiayu—he just wanted him to talk. But now it came off as a slap.

Yan Zhoubai immediately reached out to rub Zhan Jiayu's cheek. Swear to God, he really didn't mean to hit him.

But Zhan Jiayu grabbed his hand.

"I don't want you to go back to Cangru Temple because you'll have a lot of contact with that Senior Qin of yours. I don't like it.

You ran into trouble on Nantian Street today and didn't tell me. By the time I found out, it was already over. I'm pissed—I feel like I didn't protect you.

Rong Qian and that Ji Yangwen were waiting for you on Nantian Street because they're both interested in you. Today you ran into them, and they even helped you out. I'm very, very pissed.

Sometimes I really want to tie you up and keep you by my side, where you can't go anywhere."

Yan Zhoubai's eyes widened instantly.

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Author's Note: Zhan Jiayu: If you can dream it, you can do it. [dog head]