Chapter 4: This Jade Is Not Bad

Chapter 4: This Jade Is Nice

Xiao Yan's fingers that had been tapping the table paused.

Nervous?

The veins on his temples throbbed twice, but he didn't deny it. Instead, he ground his teeth and said:

"Xiao K, can you shut up for a second? I'm completing the mission."

It even monitors his body! Fine, that's one thing, but it keeps yapping in his head!

As soon as Xiao K heard it was about the mission, it obediently shut up.

Anything for the KPI; it would do whatever the host said!

The noise in his head stopped.

Liu Qingci had already sat down on the edge of the bed.

He couldn't stand for long because of his back injuries; being able to sit let him catch his breath.

The candlelight flickered in the hall, casting warm, soft light upon him.

He lowered his eyelids, his long lashes casting two uneasy shadows on his pale cheeks, making him look like a snow statue about to melt.

Xiao Yan stood up.

His black robe trailed on the floor as he walked over to Liu Qingci.

His tall figure completely overshadowed the fragile man on the bed, casting a shadow that brought a suffocating sense of pressure.

Liu Qingci was nearing his limit, and Xiao Yan knew it.

He lifted his robe and sat down beside him.

He kept an arm's length between them, no more, no less.

"Are the wounds all treated?"

Xiao Yan's tone gave nothing away.

But the instant Liu Qingci heard his voice, he instinctively tensed up.

"Your Highness, the imperial physician has examined and bandaged the wounds."

The once-hideous wounds have been treated and covered with bandages.

So as not to spoil the prince's enjoyment.

Then he heard Xiao Yan ask:

"Did you take your medicine?"

Liu Qingci was startled, then replied, "...I have."

Asking about his wounds made sense, but asking about the medicine...

Did he think the bitterness in Liu Qingci's mouth would ruin the mood?

Liu Qingci's fingers, hanging at his side, unconsciously curled, his knuckles turning white.

His voice trembled, carrying humiliated obedience as he voluntarily explained:

"Rest assured, Your Highness. Before coming here... servants have already bathed me and changed my clothes, and I have rinsed my mouth thoroughly."

Xiao Yan was somewhat surprised, not understanding why Liu Qingci was volunteering so much information.

But those servants had done their job well.

Now it seemed that the sickly beauty's condition was not as bad as at the beginning; at least there was no danger to his life.

But he could hear the submission and ingratiation in Liu Qingci's tone.

Xiao Yan felt a strange ache in his chest.

He remembered the Liu Qingci described in the book—the top scholar who once wielded his brush at the Qionglin Banquet, astounding everyone present.

So radiant and proud, like a bamboo.

Xiao Yan couldn't figure out where that inexplicable anger came from.

Was it because of a pearl covered in dust, a beautiful jade trampled into mud?

Or because he was the one holding the knife, forcing him to break his spirit?

Right then, Xiao K popped up to remind him:

"Host, stop spacing out! Time for the 'forced possession' scene!"

Xiao Yan's eyebrow twitched violently.

"Shut up!"

Xiao K was startled by this roar.

"Ahh! Why is the host so harsh?! I only interrupted because you were spacing out for so long!"

You were spacing out so long that even Liu Qingci noticed it was weird!!!

After shouting at the system in his head, Xiao Yan let a trace of anger show on his face.

This slight change in expression was clearly caught by Liu Qingci, who had been on edge the whole time.

In Liu Qingci's eyes, Prince Yu's darkened expression, tight lips, and suddenly more oppressive aura were all signs of a coming storm.

He instinctively wanted to back away, but his body was frozen.

He could only watch helplessly as Xiao Yan suddenly turned to look at him.

He saw Xiao Yan raise his hand and reach toward him.

He couldn't fight back.

He couldn't avoid it.

In his current situation, if he wanted to live,

he had to endure.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan's hand had already reached his chest.

He yanked open his lapel.

His fingertips were slightly cool, like a venomous snake's tongue.

At that moment, Liu Qingci could almost hear the sound of his blood freezing.

The mere thought of what was about to happen, his stomach, already aching from the medicine, began to churn, bringing waves of nausea.

He closed his eyes in resignation.

But that lecherous Prince Yu did not continue to undress him.

A tugging sensation at his neck.

Liu Qingci opened his eyes in surprise.

He realized Xiao Yan had taken the jade ring pendant from his neck and was now holding it in his hand, toying with it.

He seemed quite interested...

He looked down at his own lapel again—still neatly fastened.

"... Your Highness?" Liu Qingci said hesitantly.

Xiao Yan did not look up: "Hmm?"

Liu Qingci: "..."

He suddenly didn't know what to say.

But Xiao Yan simply stuffed the jade ring into his own chest, boldly claiming it as his own.

"This jade is not bad. I fancy it."

Liu Qingci hesitated visibly.

Although this jade ring was the only thing his mother left him, it was ultimately a worldly possession.

If Prince Yu was only interested in his jade ring and not in him,

he would be more than happy with that...

Xiao Yan glanced at him lazily and asked:

"What? Now that even you yourself belong to me, I just took your pendant, and you're this unwilling?"

Liu Qingci quickly lowered his head, his voice hoarse:

"I wouldn't dare... Since Your Highness likes it, it is the jade's honor."

A wicked smile curled at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth. He looked very satisfied with this answer, but in reality, he was dealing with Little K screaming in his mind.

"Host! What are you doing! That's not how the plot is supposed to go! You're supposed to forcibly possess the person! The person! Not the jade!!! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"

"Little K, go take a closer look at the task requirements. The task says, 'Complete the forced possession scene tonight.' It doesn't specify whether it's a person or a jade." Xiao Yan calmly tricked the system.

Little K: "⊙０⊙"

It carefully analyzed the task requirement word by word.

It found that what the host said had no logical flaws whatsoever!

Little K exclaimed: "Oh my god, Host! That's actually true!"

Xiao Yan had anticipated this.

He remembered that when he read the book, this part wasn't very detailed.

After all, this was a legit novel on a proper website. Although it was about a forced-romance torment genre, they glossed over explicit details as much as possible.

"Mhm, Little K is getting smarter by the day, even able to analyze task requirements." Xiao Yan generously praised the system, then asked, "So, is this part of the forced possession scene complete?"

Little K: "(//∇//) Done, it's done."

Little K was on cloud nine from the praise. This was the first time anyone had ever called it smart!

Thus, Xiao Yan had successfully completed two-thirds of the task.

He sat there with an inscrutable expression, having a mental conversation with the system, but he didn't notice Liu Qingci watching him thoughtfully.

Liu Qingci was thinking... why didn't Xiao Yan touch him?

There was no way he would believe that this notorious libertine had reformed.

So he recalled a prescription he had inadvertently glimpsed that afternoon when the imperial physician was treating the prince.

The ink on the prescription was still wet, so it must have been written recently.

And the imperial physician had come to Prince Yu's mansion that day specifically to treat the prince, so that prescription was for Xiao Yan.

Liu Qingci knew a bit about medicine and immediately recognized what that prescription was for.

That prescription was... to boost virility.

Putting this together with what had just happened, he understood.

Xiao Yan was impotent.