Song Liang spent more than half a month in a luxurious suite at the Xiao family’s private hospital. With excellent food, drinks, and attentive care, he was living exceptionally well.
The only thing missing was Xiao Ji, who never visited. Even Duan Yan came once, but Xiao Ji didn’t show up at all.
That did nothing to stop Song Liang from cultivating the image of a blissfully devoted couple.
Every day, he took a photograph—sometimes of food, sometimes of something he’d been given—and posted it to Moments, along with a caption copied from a certain little red lifestyle app, written in the voice of a thoroughly pampered spouse.
Within minutes, the comments would fill with likes and extravagant praise, everyone wishing them everlasting love and happiness.
Song Liang was delighted. He replied to each comment and tactfully mentioned that their relationship was stable and they would soon be engaged.
His words were so sweet that anyone reading them would think the two had been in love for years, spending their days wrapped around each other, oblivious to the rest of the world.
Even 3085 had to acknowledge his skill.
First, he had risked his life to protect the male lead in the crash, earning a substantial boost in goodwill. Then he had widely publicized his willingness to sacrifice himself for love, flaunting their supposed romance on Moments.
By now, probably everyone in Linhai’s wealthy younger circles knew the male lead owed his host a life. Even if Xiao Ji later tried to break off the engagement, he would be branded a heartless lover.
Brilliant. Truly brilliant.
Still, the system wondered whether its host really had no fear of death. He had managed to protect the male lead at such a critical moment.
Even the system itself hadn’t reacted quickly enough to protect its host. Yet this usually unreliable man had still remembered the mission target.
It was almost unbelievable.
Song Liang thought little of it.
“If this entire world revolves around the two romantic leads, wouldn’t something go wrong if the male lead died?”
【Yes. If either lead suffers serious harm, the instance ends immediately and the mission fails.】
But knowing that was one thing. Acting on it was another.
People had a survival instinct. In such a dangerous situation, an ordinary person would instinctively protect themselves—unless the other person mattered deeply to them.
3085 certainly didn’t think its host cared that much about the male lead.
That left only one possibility: even in such an emergency, he had remained completely calm, capable of prioritizing the main mission target’s safety.
Such extraordinary composure unsettled even the system. It made 3085 all the more curious about the soul it had secretly smuggled in and bound to itself.
Of course, it wouldn’t dare ask—and asking would be useless anyway. The man had lost his memories. It could only wait until the instance ended, then discreetly contact the colleague who had helped it pull strings.
【Now that you’ve saved the male lead’s life, the villain will have a harder time rejecting you as his nephew’s future spouse. The other Xiaos would also prefer an alliance with the Songs. We need to seize the opportunity and get you engaged quickly.】
3085 paused, then added, 【Before the other lead appears.】
Song Liang raised an eyebrow.
“He’s still going to appear?”
【The world’s narrative force is powerful. Events that are meant to happen will still happen.】
In the original story, the original Song Liang had drugged Xiao Ji on Xiao Wenyu’s orders. But he had been too frightened to actually sleep with him.
Instead, through a series of coincidences, Chen Jiahe—the other romantic lead, who had been tricked by his manager into coming aboard to entertain guests over drinks—had entered Xiao Ji’s room.
Chen Jiahe left early, and the original Song Liang hurried in afterward. As a result, Xiao Ji never realized that the person he had actually slept with was Chen Jiahe, rather than Song Liang.
Later, at a chance encounter during a banquet, Xiao Ji took an interest in Chen Jiahe and offered to keep him. Chen Jiahe naturally refused.
Unfortunately, Xiao Ji learned from his manager that Chen Jiahe had already entertained another patron on the yacht that night. He assumed Chen Jiahe was holding out for a higher price and playing hard to get.
He therefore used his influence to cut off Chen Jiahe’s work opportunities. Already struggling financially, Chen Jiahe had no choice but to submit for the sake of his mother’s medical bills and his younger siblings’ tuition, accepting Xiao Ji as his patron.
What followed was a succession of misunderstandings, melodrama, and a painfully turbulent romance. Once the original Song Liang discovered Chen Jiahe’s existence, he also began his own march toward disaster.
But the kick their host delivered upon entering the instance had thrown the plot into disarray. The butterfly effect had disrupted not only the drugging incident, but also Chen Jiahe and Xiao Ji’s night together.
Xiao Ji might not even know Chen Jiahe yet.
That, at least, was a silver lining.
“So even without their night together on the yacht, the two leads could still meet and become involved?”
【Yes.】
Song Liang raised an eyebrow.
Absolutely not. After all that effort, he wasn’t about to let someone else swoop in.
He sent Xiao Ji a message asking what he was doing.
Naturally, there was no reply, so he called him instead.
The phone rang five or six times without an answer. Song Liang was patient and kept waiting. On the ninth ring, the call finally connected.
Xiao Ji’s indifferent voice came through.
“What is it?”
“It’s me.”
Song Liang opened his mouth for the grape the caregiver offered and asked in a casual drawl, “Why aren’t you answering my messages? Keeping some little bottom on the side behind my back?”
“…”
On the other end, Xiao Ji suppressed his anger.
“Are you sick in the head?”
“I am sick. I’m in the hospital, remember? Not that you’ve visited even once.”
“…”
After a brief silence, Xiao Ji replied, “Busy.”
Song Liang sighed.
“Busy. Everyone’s busy. Keeping busy is good—just make sure you’re not busy with some other man.”
“You—”
“I won’t disturb you. Just remember to miss me.”
With that, Song Liang hung up.
He opened his banking app, checked the five million the Song father and son had transferred to him, then sent a hundred thousand to Duan Yan’s account.
Five minutes later, a message arrived.
[Duan Yan: ???? Why are you sending me money? Are you setting me up??? I’m already paying back what I owe you.]
[Song Liang: Payment. Find someone for me.]
[Duan Yan: Who?]
[Song Liang: Chen Jiahe. He works in entertainment. Probably still at university.]
[Duan Yan: …]
[Song Liang: ?]
[Duan Yan: Have you been away from class too long?]
[Song Liang: Hm?]
[Duan Yan: There’s a Chen Jiahe in our department. Third year, works in entertainment. You even sat together in a general lecture this year.]
Song Liang was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected the other lead to be so close.
Still, that only made things easier.
[Song Liang: Keep an eye on him for me. The hundred thousand is your fee.]
[Duan Yan: Why are you watching him? He’s just a broke student.]
[Song Liang: I suspect Xiao Ji wants to force himself on him.]
[Duan Yan: ???]
[Song Liang: Don’t let them meet. Every time you stop them, you get another hundred thousand.]
[Duan Yan: Understood!!!]
Song Liang left the conversation and returned to WeChat’s main screen, working through the unread messages that had accumulated lately.
He lifted his head and opened his mouth, lazily signaling for something different.
The caregiver understood. She offered him fresh blueberries that had been flown in from abroad that morning, then wiped away the juice with a clean wet tissue.
“These are good. Have them send another five kilos.”
“Of course.”
Meanwhile, at a club in Linhai, Xiao Ji had barely put down his phone when the people around him erupted in laughter.
“Hahaha! I’m dying! ‘Keeping some little bottom on the side behind my back?’”
“‘Just remember to miss me~’ Hahaha!”
“‘Just make sure you’re not busy with some other man!’ Hahaha! I can’t take it!”
“…”
Xiao Ji’s face darkened at once.
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