The King of Curses

Chapter 99 Yi Qingyan's persistence
"..."

Cen Dongsheng's fingers were tapping the steering wheel unconsciously, but now they stopped.

He looked out the windshield at the inconspicuous research institute building, the open door and the elevator leading to the underground, and a drop of cold sweat seeped out of his forehead.

——"What did you and Miss An do this morning?"

...Yeah, what did you do?

Becoming a lover with the future philosopher king was originally an achievement worth talking about openly; but in front of sister Qingyan, he couldn't help feeling a little timid and it was difficult for him to speak frankly.

Because, even a thick-skinned man like him could see that Sister Qingyan clearly had some kind of obsession with him...

Maybe it wasn't necessarily a romantic relationship, maybe just some vague affection. It was normal for Yi Qingyan to feel dependent on the man who had helped her, affirmed her, and made her determined to accept the power in her body.

But everyone's emotions are ultimately delicate and complex. Someone who is easy to talk to on a daily basis may not have a taboo in his heart that makes him angry at the slightest provocation. The human heart is unpredictable, and you can only understand what kind of reaction a word will cause after it is spoken.

He could not care about others, but he could not care about Yi Qingyan's thoughts.

If I say it here, it would be fine if the girl just feels sad, but what if she gets angry and loses her temper?
The possibility is small, but it is a danger that cannot be ignored. Because any problem would not be a small problem for King Pingdeng.

"elder brother?"

The girl in the back seat of the car couldn't help but notice Cen Dongsheng's embarrassment at the moment, but she obviously wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Why do not you speak?"

“…Tatta.”

Cen Dongsheng tapped his fingers on the steering wheel twice again and made up his mind.

In the rearview mirror, the high school girl sitting in the back looked calm and only a little curious.

But to him, it was more like the calm before the storm.

Should I hide it? As soon as this thought came into his mind, he rejected it.

Truth cannot be hidden, and it is impossible to hide this kind of thing from the people around them. The three of them are currently living under the same roof.

And deep down, he didn't want to deceive the other party.

"This morning, Sister Zhizhen and I went for a walk in the mountains and saw the scenery."

"Ah."

"On the way, I suddenly felt a little impulsive..."

"——couldn't resist the urge and threw Miss An down?"

Cen Dongsheng blinked and replied.

"…I wasn't so impulsive. It was in broad daylight…"

"I think so. My brother is not that brave."

How can you talk like that, kid?
However, seeing that Yi Qingyan was still in the mood to joke, he felt that her mood should not be too bad. He tried to speak in a relaxed tone:

"I just... confessed to Sister Zhizhen."

……

After a moment of silence.

"Oh~"

Yi Qingyan deliberately lengthened her tone.

Sitting in the back seat, she did not look at her brother's face, but held her chin with one hand, looked at the road outside the car window, pretending to be indifferent.

"I really want to ask you, brother, aren't you worried about being rejected? But after you came back, I knew that your confession was finally accepted by Miss An."

"Correct."

When she heard Brother Dongsheng admit it, it was like a hammer hitting her heart.

There was no pain, but it made people feel that the dust had settled.

However, Yi Qingyan felt empty in her heart for a while and her nose felt slightly sour.

But she tried hard not to show anything unusual in front of the man, because if she was seen, or even if she was comforted by Brother Dongsheng... she would feel very embarrassed.

Maybe because she had a premonition and was mentally prepared, she didn't cry or shed tears.

Yi Qingyan sniffed and calmed her breathing. The little girl stopped looking at Cen Dongsheng's face and began to stare at the road scenery outside the window in a daze.

"Qingyan...? Are you okay?"

Even after hearing Dongsheng's concerned inquiries, she did not respond.

Because the girl was afraid that once she opened her mouth, her trembling voice would reveal her depressed mood at the moment.

……

On the other side, Cen Dongsheng asked a question, but found that the little girl did not respond, so he stopped talking.

He found that Yi Qingyan's expression had not changed much from before, just a little quieter than usual.

The worst possible scenario did not happen after all.

She should still be sad, but she just didn't show it. He was thinking wrongly. Yi Qingyan had a natural aversion to An Zhizhen, but it was not unreasonable.

but……

Cen Dongsheng sighed secretly.
Although the little girl tried her best to hide it, he still noticed the sparkling light in her pupils when she turned her head away.

Should I say something to comfort her?

After careful consideration, his emotional intelligence level exceeded expectations and he felt it would be better for him to keep quiet.

From his point of view, the more he talked, the more wrong he would be. For this kind of thing, the only way was for her to slowly accept and get used to it.

All he could do was stand by and wait.

Anyway, it's good that nothing happened. Cen Dongsheng didn't plan to delve into it any further. When he gets to know girls better, he might be able to handle these emotional issues with ease...

Hope so.

……

Cen Dongsheng sat in the driver's seat without saying a word, waiting silently for a while.

Until Yi Qingyan turned her gaze to him again.

She seemed to have sorted out her emotions, and asked in a calm tone:

"Anything else? Something about me."

"Nothing."

Cen Dongsheng wanted to turn his head to look at her face, but stopped halfway. He deliberately didn't look at her, or rather, he didn't want Yi Qingyan to realize that he was observing her. This was the gentleness of being a brother.

"We didn't say bad things about you behind your back."

"That's not what I'm asking. I mean, didn't Sister Zhizhen and I have a fight? Although it ended because of you, my brother... So, what do you think about the conflict between me and her?"

"about this issue……"

Cen Dongsheng remembered that he really needed to make this matter clear to Yi Qingyan.

"I appreciate your help, and I don't mind receiving help from others, especially those around me, but..."

This acceptance has its limits.

Endlessly relying on the powerful strength of two partners can certainly defeat all enemies, but after a long time, you will become a useless person.

"When facing battles where I am certain to win, I hope to defeat the enemy with my own strength. Because only by doing so, as a curse-master, can I continue to 'break the rules' and become stronger."

He said in a deep voice, his eyes meeting the girl's in the rearview mirror. The man's expression was serious.

"I hope to keep up with Sister Zhizhen and you and fight side by side with you on the same battlefield."

He wanted to see the scenery at the top of the world with his own eyes.

After the tide of the times reshaped society, he wanted to participate openly in the fierce open and covert struggles among the "ancestors" and the major battles that affected the entire country and even the world.

This time, he would no longer be a bystander, a mediocre person who could only watch the wonderful lives of influential figures in the media and newspapers, yearning for them but unable to control his own destiny. "..."

Yi Qingyan did not express any opinion, but just nodded silently after he finished speaking.

Cen Dongsheng felt relieved about this.

He thought that his idea was indeed correct. Qingyan was a good child. She was able to listen to his advice and change her original behavior.

This gave him confidence.

If we take a broader view, if he could stay by her side and give her timely advice, the future King of Equality's paranoia would definitely not be unchangeable...

In this life, she will not crash into the abyss of self-destruction like a derailed train.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard the little girl muttering:
"…In the end, my brother still stood on her side."

Cen Dongsheng was speechless for a moment.

"I'm sorry, but that's what I really think."

"……I know."

Yi Qingyan shook her head.

"I will pay attention to this in the future."

……

After this topic was over, the atmosphere in the car eased a little.

But since no one spoke up, it was still a little awkward.

Just when Cen Dongsheng was about to chat about something, his cell phone rang.

He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Sister Zhizhen.

"Dongsheng, have you comforted your 'good sister'? If she is bullied, remember to tell me. I can find a way to help you discipline her."

He laughed and shook his head, then sent a reply saying "I'll come to you now".

Cen Dongsheng thought for a moment, then turned to Yi Qingyan and said:
"Qingyan, should we go take a look inside this laboratory?"

He extended the invitation again.

"Ok?"

"I went there last time and the environment inside was pretty good..."

"Do you really think it's interesting?"

Yi Qingyan looked a little strange.

"Laboratory or something. I thought Dongsheng-ge had the same hobbies as me and wouldn't be interested in such things."

Cen Dongsheng believes that he should be honest.

"I'm not really interested."

"Then why..."

"But I'm interested in her lab. Not only the lab, but everything she's doing now, I want to know."

"Oh~"

The girl drawled once again, her tone sour.

"Don't show off your affection in front of me. I don't like that woman."

Cen Dongsheng laughed.

“Following someone doesn’t necessarily mean you like her. It’s okay to hate her.”

"..."

"Don't you want to know more about An Zhizhen?"

If you want to say...

When Yi Qingyan thought about this topic, even she herself felt a little surprised.

She did think so.

A strong feeling of rejection - from the first moment they met, she and An Zhizhen had the impression that they were natural enemies.

Their abilities were the same as hers, but their ways of thinking were completely different. If it weren't for Brother Dongsheng who got in between them, they would have definitely fought as soon as they met.

The only way to avoid this possibility is for them to never have any contact with each other in their lifetime and never meet each other even once.

Come to think of it, the reason why the two of them met was because of Cen Dongsheng; and the reason why they didn't completely fall out was also because of the same man...If you think about it carefully, this is quite amazing.

But Yi Qingyan had to admit that the other side of this feeling might be the curiosity to find out the truth.

Even if I treat her as an enemy that I must defeat in the future, in order to get more information about her in advance...

"Sister Zhizhen is a person who is good at hiding things. Often people can't see through her thoughts, but as long as you stay by my side, you will be able to see her clearly one day."

"Um……"

Yi Qingyan folded her hands, as if in deep thought. Finally, she nodded slightly.

"Sure, I have nothing to do right now anyway."

"Great! Then let's get off now..."

"Wait, I'm not finished yet. In exchange, you have to spend more time with me over the next few days."

The little girl pouted.

"When the summer vacation is over, you will send me to school."

"You live on campus, so you can see me whenever you come home."

"I don't care! Didn't you go to the mountains with that woman alone today? Don't you have time to accompany me?"

"..."

He understood that she still couldn't let go.

"From today on, if I see you acting too intimately with other girls... I'll be jealous, okay?"

Sister Zhizhen’s warning still echoes in my ears.

However, if I just want to play with the little girl, like buying things and going shopping, it shouldn't be a problem after getting Sister Zhizhen's consent...

Cen Dongsheng sighed and replied:
"Isn't summer vacation over yet? If I have time during this period..."

"Okay! I'll take that as your agreement."

Yi Qingyan clenched her fists, and her expression suddenly changed from cold to happy.

*
What Cen Dongsheng didn't know was that Yi Qingyan wasn't actually too affected by his relationship with Sister Zhizhen.

She knew that Cen Dongsheng had known An Zhizhen before her, and their relationship had been ambiguous from the beginning. She was a latecomer and could not catch up so quickly.

If there was anything that was not pleasant, it was mainly because this day came too suddenly, and it happened right under her nose...

You know, they climbed the mountain together as a group of three, and a series of things happened during the process, including the haunted forest, her fight with An Zhizhen, and Dongsheng's obsession.

As a result, the next day, the two of them were together, and I felt a little frustrated that I had become the "relationship catalyst" between them.

But from another perspective, it was precisely because she saw the two of them become a couple that Yi Qingyan could feel at ease.

Because she found that her obsession with her brother, those thoughts that were difficult to confide, did not waver even though he had an intimate relationship with other women.

There is not a single sign of that.

This made the little girl feel relieved, and she was sure that the relationship between her and her brother would not change because of anyone or anything.

It may seem abnormal in the eyes of others, but for Yi Qingyan, this is the proof of "being true to oneself".

From today on, she will no longer be confused.

(End of this chapter)