Lin Xingyan Is the Male Lead

— I remember now, Lin Xingyan is also a male lead!

“?”

Xie An sat up straight, her expression instantly freezing.

“Don't talk nonsense, that's bad luck!”

— It's true!

Xiao Hei raised its voice slightly, clinging to Xie An's eyes and staring at her.

— Back at the art exhibition, I already felt a love-hate relationship with him. This miraculous feeling is exactly the same as what I felt from Kang Cheng and Shen Qingchen!

— This new fused plane is dominated by 000. To prevent you and 001 from knowing the original plot beforehand and interfering with its subsequent development, it will only allow you to retrieve the original script when a new storyline begins, like the routes of Kang Cheng and Shen Qingchen.

Xiao Hei's round eyes narrowed as it stopped trying to pry Xie An's eyelids open.

— But Lin Xingyan's route is clearly not like that. For some purpose, 000 intentionally hid Lin Xingyan's identity as a male lead, and the original script has also been locked.

— Therefore, neither 000 nor you realized that the third route had already begun from the very first time you and Lin Xingyan met.

Xie An rubbed her eyes, constantly digesting the explosive wave of information Xiao Hei had just thrown at her, feeling a splitting headache.

“If Lin Xingyan's obsession is also related to me, 000 has no reason to accelerate this route, nor could it intentionally hide the original script. Its sudden deviation from the norm can only be because...”

001 perched on Xie An's shoulder and chimed in, its youthful electronic voice sounding a bit tired.

【There is a high probability that Lin Xingyan's wish is different from the two male leads in the previous routes.】

Xie An glanced at Shen Qingchen. He seemed to have things on his mind as well and wasn't paying much attention to her. So she reached out, stealthily lifted 001 off her shoulder, and placed it in her palm to knead it.

“In other words, his original wish probably had nothing to do with me, and our chance encounters during this period were entirely accidental.”

Seeing Xie An favoring one over the other, Xiao Hei pushed 001 aside, squeezed into her palm, and exposed its belly to demand rubs. 001 didn't bicker with it, carefully listening to Xie An's subsequent analysis.

“If I'm not needed, then according to 000's design, after Shen Qingchen's route ends, it would skip Lin Xingyan entirely and directly transmit the new plot of the next route to me, on the premise that the obsession of that route's male lead is also related to me.”

001 nodded.

【I think so too.】

But as if thinking of something troublesome, it sighed, picked up Xiao Hei—who was acting spoiled in Xie An's hands—and hovered in midair, facing her.

【Lin Xingyan's obsession having nothing to do with you is actually a good thing for us. However, Xiao Hei needs to consume resentment points, so in a sense, the scum-abuse points in his route won't be easy to obtain.】

Xiao Hei, who had been screaming and struggling, instantly fell silent upon hearing this. It poked its two fingers together, looking like a culprit caught red-handed.

Reminded by 001, Xie An also found it tricky.

Currently, Shen Qingchen and Lin Xingyan's routes are intertwined. 000 will definitely prioritize satisfying Shen Qingchen's wish and prevent her from contacting Lin Xingyan. But without contact, she has absolutely no way to abuse Lin Xingyan.

Frowning slightly, she looked at Xiao Hei, who had been a black ball but was now starting to stretch out, and asked in a low voice, “000 and I are restricted from actively viewing Lin Xingyan's plot. Since you've remembered that Lin Xingyan is a male lead, do you remember the script for this third route?”

Xiao Hei nodded, then shook its head, its tone a bit defeated.

— 000's restrictions also affect me. Right now, I only remember a few brief fragments, not a coherent plot. Perhaps we have to wait a bit longer.

“It's fine, take your time to remember. After all, our primary target right now is still Shen Qingchen.”

Xie An wasn't in a hurry either. She knew too little about Lin Xingyan, and there was still the 'giant mountain' of Shen Qingchen to cross. With everything piling up like this, she didn't have enough energy.

She looked back at 001: “How is the progress of accelerating the timeline?”

Its deep blue eyes resting on Xie An, 001 slowly spoke.

【Quite smooth, it should be faster than expected.】

“That's good.”

Xie An's willow brows relaxed. She scooped both the black and white fluffballs into her arms, kneading them to her heart's content.

“Keep it up!”

The car slowly came to a stop. Xie An was led into the villa by Shen Qingchen. Under the sunset, the elegant architecture looked even more cold and desolate. A cold wind blew past; Xie An pulled up her collar, a faint trace of unease appearing on her face, though her heart was incredibly excited.

Finally, the moment had come.

Shen Qingchen glanced sideways at Xie An, smiling reassuringly as he tightened his grip on her hand. His dark eyes were gloomier than the night.

“This place is indeed a bit remote, but don't be afraid, I'm here with you.”

It's precisely because you're here that I'm afraid.

Xie An sneered inwardly. She didn't expect this conversation to go smoothly and peacefully. Thinking of that locked room, Xie An's eyes flickered.

She had to make good use of it.

“Why did you hire people to follow me?”

Xie An sat upright on the sofa, her hands resting on her knees, clenching them tensely.

Her personality was naturally calm, unused to questioning others. Clearly, Shen Qingchen was the one in the wrong, yet she looked like a child who had done something wrong, extremely constrained and unnatural.

Shen Qingchen brewed a pot of hot tea, poured a cup for Xie An, and placed it in front of her to cool down. He reached out to hold her hand; his body temperature was even lower than hers, and his expression looked somewhat hurt.

“It's not stalking. I was just worried about you, so I sent them to protect you.”

“Then why...”

Xie An pulled her hand back, looking into his pitch-black eyes.

“Whether it was the time I accidentally found Jin Yansi in the warehouse, or the time I was harassed by that drunkard at the convenience store, they never showed themselves. They just stood by and watched.”

Women are sometimes extraordinarily sensitive. Even a gentle person like Xie An could no longer easily believe his explanation at this moment.

“If they were just people you sent to protect me, why did you deliberately lie to me from the very beginning?”

Shen Qingchen's fingers curled slightly. Persisting with the old excuse at this point would be too foolish.

“I'm not as perfect as you think, An An.”

His expression was somewhat dazed, a trace of self-deprecation appearing on his handsome face.

“Seeing so many people surrounding you, I get jealous, and I get insecure. I worry that you'll be attracted to others, which is why I tried to appear mature and tolerant. But in reality...”

Shen Qingchen tilted his head slightly, a few strands of bangs falling over his forehead, making him look both lonely and fragile. He placed Xie An's hand against his cheek, a very faint smile playing on his lips.

“I only want you to always look at me, just as I have always looked at you.”

He bowed his head to kiss Xie An's fingertips, as if trying to please her, yet also to reassure her. Compared to that somewhat humble gesture, his warm black eyes at this moment revealed a hint of aggression and invasiveness.

“I love you, An An.”

The tense and silent atmosphere from earlier suddenly shifted because of Shen Qingchen's abrupt confession. The surrounding temperature seemed to rise, and Xie An's mind was in a mess, unable to ignore the racing beat of her heart.

“Because I love you too much, that's why I did such bad things.”