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Join the ServerAlthough Song Jingyao and Shen Xiuzhu had rolled down the hillside, they hadn’t ended up very far from the paintball field.
The only problem was that neither of them had their phones, so there was no way to contact anyone.
All they could do was wait for someone to come looking for them.
Fortunately…
They didn’t have to wait long.
While the two were still bickering, someone found them.
Shen Xiuzhu’s hearing was exceptionally sharp.
The moment he heard approaching footsteps, he immediately darted behind a tree to hide himself.
He was still in his snake form, with no time to transform back, and… completely naked.
When Wen Lu arrived, she only saw Song Jingyao…
And a fleeting glimpse of a snake disappearing behind a tree.
She immediately turned pale.
Snakes were the thing she feared most.
Those cold, slithering reptiles terrified her.
But she was too worried about Song Jingyao to run away.
Her legs trembled as she cautiously approached, stammering in a voice barely louder than a mosquito.
“Br-Brother Yao… are you okay?”
“I… I-I think I just saw a snake.”
“Q-Quick, come over here…”
Normally, Song Jingyao would’ve laughed at how adorably frightened she looked.
This time…
He couldn’t smile.
Because he clearly saw the fear and disgust on Wen Lu’s face.
He understood.
Lots of girls were afraid of snakes.
But…
Shen Xiuzhu was half human.
Half snake.
If Shen Xiuzhu truly liked Wen Lu…
If he learned that she not only didn’t like him, but even hated his true form…
He’d probably be devastated.
Song Jingyao quietly pressed his lips together.
His mood sank.
“Brother Yao?”
Wen Lu looked worried.
She assumed he must’ve been injured somewhere, otherwise why would he look so miserable?
Instead, Song Jingyao suddenly asked softly,
“You’re afraid of snakes?”
Wen Lu froze.
Immediately picturing one, her expression filled with even stronger revulsion.
“Very.”
“I can’t even look at pictures of them without getting goosebumps.”
“Brother Yao, let’s hurry back. There are so many trees around here. What if there’s really a snake?”
“What if it’s venomous?”
“Getting bitten would be terrible.”
Song Jingyao’s heart sank.
Understanding something intellectually…
And hearing it said aloud…
Were completely different things.
His lips parted slightly.
He wanted to ask—
If there were a snake…
One that had a human mind…
One that would never hurt you…
Would you still hate it?
But…
That wasn’t a question he should ask.
It was strange.
And it risked exposing Shen Xiuzhu’s secret.
So he quietly swallowed the words.
Thinking Song Jingyao was injured, Wen Lu cautiously looked around for signs of snakes while preparing to help support him back.
Only then did she suddenly remember.
Hadn’t President Shen been with Brother Yao earlier?
When both of them disappeared after the game, everyone had split up to search.
She’d been so worried about Song Jingyao that she’d completely forgotten about Shen Xiuzhu.
“Oh right.”
“Where’s President Shen?”
“Have you seen him?”
Song Jingyao nodded calmly.
“Yeah.”
“We got separated while looking for the way back.”
“He should still be somewhere nearby.”
“Go tell everyone we’re okay.”
“Sorry for making everyone worry.”
“I’ll stay with you.”
Wen Lu immediately offered.
Song Jingyao shook his head.
“No need.”
She still wanted to insist.
But seeing how determined—and emotionally drained—he looked, she assumed he simply wanted some time alone.
Being as considerate as always, she reluctantly pointed out the path back before leaving.
Every few steps, she turned around for another worried glance.
Only after Wen Lu disappeared completely did Song Jingyao finally speak.
Without even turning around, he said quietly to the person hiding behind the tree,
“I’ll go get you some clothes.”
Before Shen Xiuzhu could answer…
He had already run off.
The sadness came without warning.
It hurt.
He didn’t even know whether he was grieving for Shen Xiuzhu…
Or for himself.
They were both living, breathing people.
Why did they have to be trapped inside the framework of a novel?
Why couldn’t they live outside the plot?
Why did the male lead and female lead absolutely have to end up together?
Why were the protagonists treated as people…
While cannon fodder didn’t matter at all?
Did supporting characters deserve to remain supporting characters forever?
The more Song Jingyao thought about it…
The more miserable he felt.
Before he knew it, tears had begun streaming down his face.
But he cared far too much about appearances to let anyone see him crying.
He kept his head lowered.
His shoulders shook silently.
Again and again, he wiped away every trace of tears before anyone could notice.
Not long afterward…
Footsteps approached.
The next second, he was pulled into a broad, solid embrace.
It wasn’t warm.
Instead, it carried that familiar coolness that belonged only to Shen Xiuzhu.
He didn’t know why Song Jingyao was crying.
All he knew was that he wanted to comfort him.
His hand gently stroked Song Jingyao’s back again and again.
Softly, he asked,
“What happened?”
“Why are you crying all of a sudden?”
“Tell me.”
“No matter what it is…”
“I’ll help you.”
Song Jingyao buried his damp face against Shen Xiuzhu’s chest.
His heart felt soft and sore.
At the same time…
He felt embarrassed.
He was acting like some overly emotional child who cried whenever something upset him.
With his head lowered, he muttered quietly.
Shen Xiuzhu frowned in confusion.
“Who says I have to treat someone else well?”
“Can anyone decide that for me?”
The casual words struck Song Jingyao like lightning.
All this time…
The plot had imprisoned every one of his thoughts.
Like invisible walls surrounding him, refusing to let him step beyond them.
But…
Why did he have to obey?
If thinking about it gave him headaches…
Why not simply live however he wanted?
To hell with the plot.
I’d have to be crazy to keep listening to it.
Something inside him suddenly shattered.
The invisible cage surrounding his heart crumbled into countless fragments before dissolving into nothingness.
It had imprisoned itself.
Slowly, Song Jingyao lifted his head.
His eyes, washed clean by tears, were as clear as the sky after rain.
For the first time…
His resolve was unmistakable.
He didn’t want to keep pretending to be the arrogant young master the novel demanded.
He wanted to be himself.
Earn the most money.
Drink the strongest liquor.
And…
Date the hottest man.
He’d live however he pleased.
His eyes landed on Shen Xiuzhu.
Inside, he silently clenched a fist.
Go for it!
Get him!
Gathering every ounce of courage, Song Jingyao gritted his teeth.
He was just about to throw caution to the wind, kiss Shen Xiuzhu, and confess—
“Hey!”
“What are you two doing?”
“Didn’t even bother putting your clothes back on?”
“Having some wild outdoor fun?”
A cheerful voice interrupted them.
Liang Ming walked over with his usual grin, followed by the tall man beside him, Zou Lin.
In Zou Lin’s hands…
Were Shen Xiuzhu’s clothes.
The “wild outdoor fun” Liang Ming referred to was obviously not the paintball kind.
It was something much more suggestive.
As he drew closer and noticed Song Jingyao’s red eyes…
His smile disappeared instantly.
He immediately yanked Song Jingyao over to his side.
“What happened?”
“Who bullied you?”
“Shen Xiuzhu?”
“Damn it!”
“I’ll beat him up for you!”
He didn’t ask questions.
He didn’t care about the circumstances.
All he knew was that someone had made his brother cry.
That alone was enough.
Fortunately, Zou Lin was the more rational one.
He tossed the clothes toward Shen Xiuzhu before grabbing Liang Ming by the back of his shirt.
“Calm down.”
“Find out what happened first.”
“What calm down?”
Liang Ming exploded.
“There are only two of them here.”
“If it wasn’t Shen Xiuzhu, then who made Brother Yao cry?”
“He bullies our Yao Yao all the time!”
Without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around Song Jingyao’s shoulders and patted him comfortingly.
Like a mother hen protecting her chick.
Watching the scene, Zou Lin felt both exasperated…
And inexplicably jealous.
“Let go first.”
“What if Song Jingyao’s injured?”
Using that excuse, he pulled Liang Ming away.
Truthfully…
He simply didn’t like seeing the two hugging.
Meanwhile, Song Jingyao stood there blankly.
Confessions required courage.
The kind that only lasted for a single burst.
Liang Ming’s interruption had been like poking a balloon.
The determination he’d gathered vanished with a tiny pop.
Shen Xiuzhu quickly dressed himself.
His gaze lingered thoughtfully on Song Jingyao.
Just now…
It had felt as though Song Jingyao was about to say something important.
Then Liang Ming had appeared out of nowhere.
For some reason…
Shen Xiuzhu felt as though he’d just missed out on several hundred million yuan.
The more he thought about it…
The less willing he was to let it go.
Unable to help himself, he shot Liang Ming a cold glare.
He couldn’t have shown up at a worse time.
Liang Ming blinked.
“…?”
His face filled with the unmistakable confusion of a husky.
Then, remembering his best friend had cried, he immediately glared right back.
Song Jingyao quickly explained everything to Liang Ming.
Smiling casually, he claimed something had gotten into his eyes while rolling down the hill.
“It had nothing to do with Shen Xiuzhu.”
“Otherwise I’d have beaten him until he couldn’t get back up.”
To make the lie more convincing, he pointed at the paint covering Shen Xiuzhu’s combat jacket.
“See all those hits?”
“I shot every single one.”
“I killed him dozens of times.”
Liang Ming whistled.
“Ouch.”
“That’s brutal.”
That evening, their little friend group gathered together for drinks.
It had nothing to do with the company trip.
Liang Ming and Zou Lin were there.
Liang Ming’s younger sister, Liang Jie, had dragged Wen Lu along as well.
Several other rich friends from their usual circle joined too.
Officially, they’d come to visit Brother Yao.
Unofficially…
They’d come to enjoy the resort and laugh at Song Jingyao’s tragic life as an assistant forced to work by his parents.
No private jet.
No luxury suite.
No world-class chef preparing every meal.
Wasn’t that unbearably miserable?
Their terrible friends certainly thought so.
Someone suggested playing cards.
Whoever lost would have to draw a card from a box and complete whatever challenge was written on it.
No refusing allowed.
The previous losers had already suffered through plenty of ridiculous dares.
Bark at the next customer who walked into the bar.
Convince a complete stranger to buy them a drink.
Perform a magical girl transformation.
Finally…
Lady Luck smiled upon Song Jingyao.
He placed down the Joker card.
Reached into the box.
Drew a challenge.
Looked at it.
His expression instantly became indescribable.
Without hesitation, he tried throwing the card back into the box before anyone noticed.
Unfortunately…
His so-called friends lived to watch others suffer.
Someone snatched the card away in 0.1 seconds using the fastest hand speed achieved since birth.
After reading it—
“PFFT!”
“Hahahahahaha!”
The entire group burst into hysterical laughter.
One friend pointed at Song Jingyao while laughing so hard he nearly fell over.
“Brother Yao!”
“You actually drew the best one!”
“No cheating!”
Everyone else crowded around curiously.
The moment they saw the words…
They laughed even harder.
Too short to see over everyone’s shoulders, Wen Lu bounced repeatedly on tiptoe.
“What is it?”
“What does it say?”
Unable to stop laughing, Liang Jie finally answered,
“Become a gorgeous girl!”
“Wear women’s clothes!”
Song Jingyao immediately declared he wasn’t playing anymore.
The entire group instantly began booing.
Nobody intended to let him escape.
Looking pitifully around the table, Song Jingyao silently begged someone—anyone—to speak up for him.
Shen Xiuzhu merely raised an eyebrow.
There was unmistakable amusement in his eyes.
With exaggerated helplessness, he sighed.
“The rules are the rules.”
“Nothing we can do.”
Song Jingyao looked at him expressionlessly.
Heh.
Wasn’t there someone today who kept chasing me after he’d already been declared dead?
Liang Ming, on the other hand, was thrilled.
“Brother Yao!”
“I believe in you!”
“I’ll go buy you a dress right now!”
Song Jingyao smiled sweetly.
You wear it.
I’ll watch.
I’m perfectly okay with that.
Even gentle, kind-hearted Wen Lu blinked up at him with sparkling eyes.
Her cheeks turned pink with excitement.
“Brother Yao…”
“You’d definitely look amazing in women’s clothes.”
Song Jingyao fell silent.
…
What happened to my sweet little healing angel?
Why have you joined forces with these people too?!
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, The Dragon’s Song Echoing in the Heavens is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : The Dragon’s Song Echoing in the Heavens
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