Chapter 45: Acting Skills Are Inconsistent

Chapter 45: The Acting Skills Are Sometimes Good, Sometimes Bad

Hearing this news, Liu Qingci's face, already pale and weary from the argument, suddenly had a rush of complex emotions, laced with disbelief, cross it.

No sooner had the servant outside the door finished speaking than the sound of a carriage came from beyond the courtyard gate, along with the sound of footsteps rapidly scattering.

Liu Qingci and Xiao Jing, locked in their standoff, both heard the commotion outside almost simultaneously.

The moment Xiao Jing heard the noise, his expression darkened.

Thinking of his own confident words just moments before, the coldness in his eyes turned sharper.

He stared fixedly at Liu Qingci, as if trying to read something from his face.

But Liu Qingci's eyes turned toward the window, as if his mind was already elsewhere.

Xiao Jing grew agitated.

Xiao Yan's arrival caught him off guard, and he was flustered.

He tightened his grip on Liu Qingci's wrist and pulled him along. "There's a secret passage in the back courtyard. Leave with me now."

"Wait!" Liu Qingci struggled as he quickly reasoned, "Since Prince Yu found this place so fast, he knows I'm here. As for the owner of this courtyard, he'll find out with just one check. If we leave now, he'll know it was you who took me. Xiao Jing, you don't want to go head-to-head with Prince Yu yet, do you?"

These words indeed made Xiao Jing hesitate.

His hand loosened slightly, and Liu Qingci took the chance to break free.

Rubbing his reddened wrist, he continued his plan: "If you let me go out there, I won't rat you out. Take the secret passage and leave while you can. I'll tell Prince Yu I escaped on my own and came here looking for you but didn't find you..."

Seeing Xiao Jing still hesitating, Liu Qingci pressed harder: "Xiao Jing, you're not fully established yet. Xiao Yan not only has General Zhao as a powerful ally but also enjoys the Emperor's blind favoritism. Do you really think you can take him on openly right now?"

Xiao Jing stepped aside to let him pass.

Liu Qingci gave a faint smile.

He walked out.

Xiao Jing watched Liu Qingci walk away, his tightly pressed lips revealing his strained humiliation. His expression was restrained, but his tone was determined:

"Qingci, I told you... you're mine. I'll bring you back to my side."

Liu Qingci didn't react, he kept walking.

Outside the courtyard, the carriage came to a halt before the gate.

Xiao Yan lifted the curtain and jumped down nimbly.

He was dressed in a dark brocade robe, with a cloak of the same color over it. A few strands of hair were tousled by the morning breeze and stuck to his angular face. His gaze swept toward the tightly shut high gate.

This residence was remote, surrounded by woods, far from the main road, so quiet it felt almost desolate. Gray walls and black tiles, with a modest gate—clearly, this was one of Xiao Jing's secret hideouts.

"Host, according to the mission requirements, you’re supposed to go and kick the door down now!"

Xiao Yan cast a glance, and the men behind him understood.

Several of them stepped forward together and kicked the door open with a single kick, then retreated to the sides.

Xiao Yan strode into the courtyard, which was empty and lifeless, with no one in sight.

"Your Highness..."

Hearing the voice, he looked around.

There, from under the eaves of the main hall, Liu Qingci walked step by step toward the courtyard gate.

He moved hastily, his steps unsteady, as if walking on cotton.

Xiao Yan's gaze locked onto the figure approaching him.

His deliberately cold expression instantly softened, his eyes seemed to be stabbed by something sharp.

Liu Qingci wore only a thin nightgown, casually draped with a dark green cape, its collar open and loose.

The cold morning wind hit him full force, pressing the thin fabric tightly to his slender frame, outlining his frail frame.

His face was pale, almost translucent, with no trace of color. Dark shadows lingered under his eyes, and his lips had lost their usual light pink, slightly cracked.

Damn it, Xiao Jing!!! Xiao Yan was livid.

He had been taking good care of the man these past few days, finally bringing some color back to his cheeks.

And now, after just one night, he ended up in this state!

Almost without thinking, he rushed forward.

"Qingci!"

Just as Liu Qingci’s figure swayed and seemed about to collapse, Xiao Yan reached out to catch him.

"Host, say the lines! Say the lines!" Xiao K urged anxiously.

They were here to complete the mission. How could the host lose his composure the moment he saw him?

This emergency mission was unique, with situational dialogue provided depending on the circumstances.

Xiao Yan glanced at the teleprompter Xiao K had given him and began reading:

"Liu Qingci, how dare you collude with Xiao Jing behind my back..."

He was still half-holding the man in his arms, his face having just shown concern. Uttering these words now had zero intimidating effect.

Xiao K rubbed its non-existent forehead.

Why were the host's acting skills so inconsistent?

But luckily, because the mission was urgent, there wasn’t much requirement for emotional expression; just speaking the lines would suffice.

Liu Qingci listened, his expression stunned for a moment, before speaking: "Your Highness, I left the mansion on my own and came here to seek His Highness Prince Rui. But unfortunately, His Highness Prince Rui is not here..."

He spoke slowly, his words cautious, while observing Xiao Yan’s expression.

"Oh dear!" Xiao K scrambled to take the new task from the main system. "You're not playing by the script! It was Xiao Jing who brought him out! Now the plot has deviated again. Wait a moment, host, the lines have changed. Check out the latest version! ╥﹏╥"

Xiao Yan ignored Xiao K's words. His mind was full of Liu Qingci's excuses for Xiao Jing.

He knew exactly who had taken Liu Qingci out and how.

His current weak state is precisely the aftereffects of the drug Xiao Jing slipped him!

Liu Qingci is actually covering for Xiao Jing?!

He’s actually helping Xiao Jing like this!

Does he already have such deep feelings for Xiao Jing at this point?

Well, they are the protagonists after all! It’s only natural for the protagonist bottom to have feelings for the protagonist top!!

“He’s not here?” Xiao Yan sneered sarcastically. “I bet he’s hiding in that room!!!”

Xiao Yan’s face changed in an instant—sunny one moment, stormy the next, then hailstones.

Liu Qingci stared blankly, his face frozen in shock.

Xiao K reminded him right on cue: “Host, you messed up your lines!”

Xiao Yan scowled and glanced at the teleprompter.

Everything went dark.

Damn it! What the hell kind of lines are these?!

This is too embarrassing to say! He couldn't bring himself to say them!