novelhk Chapter 138 More delicate than a woman
Chapter 138 More delicate than a woman
Jiang Lin's gaze paused slightly as she traced the man's lips with her fingertips.
Ji Xingyi couldn't understand Jiang Lin's gaze, but he could sense that Jiang Lin had something on his mind. He patted the young man's head and said, "Chen Jiangqiao is a madman. I will always be by your side."
Jiang Lin tried hard to force a smile, but looking into Ji Xingyi's clear eyes, his brain just couldn't control his facial muscles. It was supposed to be his best fake smile, but he just couldn't manage it.
Day 3 of the instance.
Ji Xing woke up just as dawn broke and was surprised to find the weather had cooled down, so she pulled the blanket around Jiang Lin and went to wash up first.
This era was very inconvenient; there was no automatic hot water. But Ji Xingyi was so delicate that she simply took a towel, put it in the basin, and added cold water. As a result, her right hand got a little cold when it touched the water, and she instinctively pulled it back.
Ji Xingyi immersed her hands back into the cold water in the basin, and the biting chill instantly spread from her fingertips throughout her body.
It's so cold! The hand I pulled back in just a few seconds was so cold that my entire palm turned red.
He used cold water yesterday, so why is it so cold today? Ji Xingyi looked at his hands, which were red from the cold, with a surprised expression.
Jiang Lin also woke up at this moment, hugged the man from behind, and rubbed her face against Ji Xingyi's back.
Ji Xing felt a sharp, stinging pain in his back for a moment. He frowned slightly. It wasn't very painful, but it was strange.
Jiang Lin didn't receive a good morning kiss from the man, and looked up at Ji Xingyi with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong?"
Ji Xingyi thought for a moment and asked, "Linlin, do you feel cold?"
"Cold? No, I'm not." Jiang Lin looked at their reflections in the basin, put her hand in, and after a few seconds looked up at Ji Xingyi again: "You feel cold?"
Jiang Lin's expression instantly turned serious: "Besides the cold, is there anything else you feel?"
Ji Xing turned his head and glanced at his back.
Confused, Jiang Lin pulled open the man's collar and took a look. She saw that the spot where she had just rubbed her face was red.
Jiang Lin: "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Ji Xing shook his head. He didn't care about this kind of scratch. He just didn't understand when his skin became more delicate than a woman's.
Like a baby's skin, it turned red after Jiang Lin rubbed it a couple of times through the sweater.
Could it be...?
Their eyes met.
"Qingxi tea?" Jiang Lin's expression changed slightly.
Ji Xingyi grabbed Jiang Lin's hand: "I'm fine."
Wang Zhe unexpectedly got up very early today. When Jiang Lin and Ji Xing came downstairs, he was chatting with Chi Xuan and Zhou Jue while eating breakfast. They didn't know what they were talking about, but Chi Xuan had a smile on her face the whole time.
The smile didn't diminish in the slightest even after Jiang Lin and Ji Xingyi sat down.
"I didn't say anything wrong! Didn't you promise Chi Xuan to exchange information?" Wang Zhe felt stung by Jiang Lin's gaze.
"I can testify, he didn't say anything, just that you two are childhood sweethearts." Chi Xuan's gaze couldn't help but drift towards Ji Xingyi's neck; it was red, definitely a hickey! Oh no, she'd bumped into him again!
Having promised Chi Xuan, Jiang Lin wouldn't go back on his word, so he briefly explained the information he had obtained from Qing Dai.
"Is it a bit cold today?" Jiang Lin asked casually after saying that.
"It's not cold!" Wang Zhe replied casually.
Chi Xuan asked with concern, "Did you catch a cold yesterday? Drink some hot water, and don't get sick in the dungeon!"
Jiang Lin nodded, and the group began a brief discussion about the dungeon. It seemed this dungeon wasn't a player-versus-player (PvP) dungeon. Therefore, Zhou Jue and Chi Xuan behaved quite amicably; the more dungeons they played, the less willing they were to make enemies unnecessarily.
After chatting for only a few minutes, Song Erniang called over the waiter, Shitou, with Qingxi tea.
Strangely, there were only four bowls of Qingxi tea today, which were served to Ji Xingyi, Su Yuning, Chi Xuan, and Zhu Qingya respectively.
"Boss lady, you've gone too far. You insisted we drink yesterday, but today you're only giving them a few?" Wang Zhe's eyes darted around as he deliberately spoke to Song Erniang.
Song Erniang gently waved her palm-leaf fan: "Honored guests, I told you long ago that this Qingxi tea is extremely precious and not for ordinary people. Yesterday, I made an exception because you had come from afar, which is why you were required to drink it. According to the rules, today's Qingxi tea is only offered to these four distinguished guests who are participating in the fan beauty pageant!"
Chi Xuan's expression tightened, and she couldn't help but look at Zhou Jue.
Zhou Jue tried to comfort Chi Xuan with his eyes, then reached out to drink the bowl of wine for her, mimicking Ji Xingyi's actions from yesterday. Unexpectedly, Song Erniang's palm-leaf fan slapped his hand.
Song Erniang: "Not today! This is a reward for these four distinguished guests who made it to the second round!"
Zhou Jue's breath hitched, and Chi Xuan shook her head slightly, picking up her teacup.
Jiang Lin watched as Ji Xingyi also drank the Qingxi tea in one gulp, his eyes darkening slightly.
Song Erniang smiled with satisfaction: "The second round of the competition will begin in half an hour. Good luck, esteemed guests!"
All the players set off for the Three Lives Bridge, and Chi Xuan and Zhou Jue deliberately stopped to wait for Jiang Lin and the other two.
Zhou Jue: "There's definitely something wrong with this tea. If she advances to the third round, Chi Xuan will definitely have to drink the third bowl of Qingxi tea. I'm going to make Chi Xuan withdraw from the competition today."
Wang Zhe's eyes widened: "You can withdraw from the competition?"
Zhou Jue: "Give it a try, or you can just be eliminated in this round."
Wang Zhe hadn't expected this method: "Won't this trigger the death rule?"
"Uncertain." Zhou Jue shook his head, looking at Jiang Lin and Ji Xingyi: "Currently, we don't have any direct clues about the BOSS. There are actually two paths in this instance. The first is to participate in the competition to obtain the most crucial clue; the second is that the Fan Beauty is a trap, so not participating is the best option. Which one do you think is better?"
Jiang Lin smiled slightly: "If we even knew this, wouldn't we have cleared the game long ago?"
Upon hearing this answer, Zhou Jue smiled at Jiang Lin, and then left with Chi Xuan.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Wang Zhe couldn't help but ask Jiang Lin, "Are they really going to withdraw from the competition? Are all the top players this fierce?"
Jiang Lin looked at Ji Xingyi: "Zhou Jue may have also obtained Yunniang's clue."
Ji Xingyi understood Jiang Lin's meaning: "Zhou Jue believes that I will become the Fan Beauty, and Chi Xuan will definitely be eliminated, so he made Chi Xuan withdraw from the competition in advance?"
The old beggar's story about Yunniang not only points out that all fan-shaped beauties die, but also implies that Ji Xingyi, who shares the same fate as Yunniang, will become a fan-shaped beauty.
If Zhou Jue gets this clue and analyzes it, withdrawing from the competition would be their best option to protect Chi Xuan.
Jiang Lin: "He told us in advance that Chi Xuan's withdrawal from the competition was a gesture of goodwill. If you become the Fan Beauty and obtain key clues later, Zhou Jue will come to us again."
"Wow!" Wang Zhe exclaimed in a sudden realization, "Is this guy really that cunning?"
Jiang Lin chuckled: "You're just as cunning as him!"
"By the way, can we withdraw from the competition?" Wang Zhe asked suddenly.
Jiang Lin looked at Ji Xingyi: "He won't let Xingyi withdraw from the competition; this is the only way for us."