Chapter 20: Going Berserk

Chapter 20: Going Mad

His breath, as he spoke, brushed past his ear, scaldingly hot, making Liu Qingci flinch.

This reaction, in the eyes of others, only painted a scene of awkward intimacy.

"...No."

Liu Qingci quickly came to his senses and denied it.

Although Xiao Yan was very close to him, they weren't actually touching—like he was keeping just the right amount of space.

His body, which had been taut to the extreme, gradually relaxed, only to sink into another kind of dazed confusion.

"Scared of those beasts?" Xiao Yan pressed on, even adding a dead-serious comment, "They do look a bit fierce."

"I... I'm not scared." Liu Qingci replied almost on instinct.

The presence beside him was overwhelmingly strong. The not-quite-a-stranger's sandalwood scent washed over him inch by inch, almost making his head spin.

Liu Qingci wondered why Prince Yu's moves were so hard to figure out.

What was he doing, leaning in to whisper all those fake-concerned questions one after another?

Why did Xiao Yan seem so out of place among the spoiled rich kids down there?

These doubts churned in Liu Qingci's mind without any answer.

Watching Liu Qingci's gradually easing expression, Xiao Yan thought he somehow looked like an innocent, adorable little white rabbit that had stumbled into a wolf's den.

He laughed to himself: "Is that so? Good you're not scared."

If he were scared, the upcoming scene would be difficult to handle.

Just then, the system popped up out of nowhere and reminded him:

"Host, talking like that doesn't really match your character!"

Since when would Prince Yu care so much about Liu Qingci? He's lucky he didn't scare him!

"Who cares? No one else can hear." Xiao Yan said matter-of-factly.

Little K: "Also, the task is to show everyone that Liu Qingci belongs to you, and this is all you're doing?"

At the very least, he should be holding him, embracing him, or making him pour wine and drink it!

Just like those shameless young masters down below.

"Isn't this doing it? You can't just look at my actions; you gotta look at the effect you're getting."

Xiao Yan, while casually scanning the crowd below, unhurriedly explained to the system:

"Look at me now. Among everyone in this hall, every single one of them, their eyes are all on us, right?"

Little K was silent for a few seconds, its data streams whirring rapidly as if analyzing the logic behind Xiao Yan's words.

Then it spoke hesitantly: "Seems... reasonable? The mood data from everyone around does show they're all gloating, just waiting for the show to start."

"The original script is rigid, but people are flexible." Xiao Yan cut it off, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Does the method matter? The system judges task completion based on the result, not on how faithful the process is to the original, right?"

Little K faltered again, finally sheepishly answering: "...Theoretically, that's correct. As long as the core judgment criteria are met... then, host, continue? But still, watch out for going OOC!"

"Got it." Xiao Yan brushed it off, his attention shifting back to Liu Qingci beside him.

Liu Qingci sat very upright, his hands neatly placed on his knees, like a well-behaved schoolkid.

Xiao Yan thought, thankfully he had fed him some food in the carriage; now his color looked pretty good.

Otherwise, with that frail little frame, it didn't seem like he could handle going hungry even once.

After all, during this banquet, Liu Qingci would have no chance to eat.

Xiao Yan's thoughts were all over the place.

Just then, two burly, bare-chested animal handlers led a massive beast toward the viewing platform.

This was the mastiff king Xiao Yan had mentioned.

It was a dog Prince Yu had raised before, and Xiao Yan was seeing it for the first time.

Its shoulder height almost reached a man's chest and abdomen. Its entire body was covered in long white fur, revealing rows of glimmering, crisscrossed fangs. Its terrifying eyes were a murky yellowish-brown, shot through with violent red veins.

This was clearly a killing machine, bred on blood for years, having lost all its gentle nature, leaving only primal savagery.

The noise on the platform suddenly quieted for a moment.

"Your Highness's mastiff king is truly majestic and extraordinary!" Xu Ming was the first to react, his face twisted into an exaggerated look of admiration.

"Yes, indeed!" another immediately chimed in, "With such a fierce beast, even tigers and leopards would probably back off. Only Your Highness could tame such a ferocious creature!"

Little K leisurely added a remark: "Host, I hope you can handle it too."

Xiao Yan: "Quit gloating."

He looked at the ferocious beast not far away. It was sniffing around nervously.

He asked, "Little K, it's gonna go by the script, right? I'm safe, right?"

That scary thing looked like it could actually kill someone.

Little K reassured him, "Normally, it'll follow the script for sure. In the original story, Prince Yu is just startled, not injured. Relax~"

Xiao Yan: "What do you mean 'normally'? Aren't you supposed to guarantee my safety?"

Little K: "Well, normally, Liu Qingci should still be held in Prince Yu's arms at this moment, doing all sorts of touchy stuff. But you didn't do that either!"

Xiao Yan: "..."

He said nothing more, sitting quietly.

A weird gleam suddenly flickered in the mastiff king's eyes, locking right onto Xiao Yan.

It was so fast that almost no one else noticed.

Immediately after, its muscles twitched oddly for a second, and then it let out a savage roar!

The mastiff suddenly went berserk.

It dragged the iron chains with a loud clanking noise, charging straight toward the center of the viewing platform.

No one had anticipated this sudden turn of events.

"Hold it! Hold it!"

"Move aside! Move aside, now!"

"Protect His Highness Prince Yu!!!"

Screams, roars, the shattering of cups and dishes, the crashing of tables and chairs erupted in an instant.

The tamer had already been dragged to the ground, futilely trying to grab the iron chains, only to be dragged across the floor by the terrifying force of the beast.

In the midst of this utter chaos, the maddened mastiff had already lunged at the main seat.

A pair of blackish-green eyes glared ferociously at Liu Qingci.

Liu Qingci froze in terror, his pupils contracting sharply, the shadow of death closing in on him completely.

In a flash, he felt a sudden jerk at the sash behind him, as if something had snagged it.

An irresistible force yanked him backward with brutal force!

He stumbled backward and fell, crashing to the ground.

"Urgh!"

He heard a stifled grunt, as if right next to his ear, nearly drowned out by the surrounding screams.

Liu Qingci, still in shock, hastily turned to look back.

But his view was completely blocked by the chaotic figures and the wall of guards forming a human barrier.

He only caught a glimpse of the corner of a dark robe flickering through the gaps, then disappearing entirely into the throng.

His ears were filled with the increasingly frenzied roars of the great mastiff, along with the clashing of scabbards and chains.

The chaos lasted for a few moments, and the maddened roars gradually turned into pained whimpers, finally dying down.

Through the gaps in the crowd, Liu Qingci saw the great mastiff being restrained by guards with iron chains, its body drenched in blood as it was dragged out.

He could not tell whether that blood was its own or someone else's.

Just then, Fu'an's shrill voice rang out.

"Come quickly! Someone! His Highness Prince Yu is injured!"

"Your Highness—"

"Hurry! Get a doctor!"

The other personal attendants all surged forward, crowding around the scene, making it impenetrable.