After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Yu Linzhou stood there, stunned for a long while before he seemed to finally digest those words.

He stared at Lin Zhixu in disbelief, his chest heaving violently: "You want to start something and then abandon it? We've been intimate, we've done everything we should and shouldn't have done, and now you're telling me you don't want to be my Daoist partner!"

Lin Zhixu: "...You knew perfectly well that it was an accident, that you had no other choice."

Yu Linzhou raised his voice: "Forced! You mean you would have agreed if it had been anyone else?!"

Lin Zhixu: "..." No, that won't happen.

Yu Linzhou took his silence as tacit agreement, which made him feel suffocated with anger.

"Very well." He took a step back, his voice hoarse and trembling, as if squeezed out from between his teeth. "I never thought I'd end up like this. From now on, I'll never sleep with you again!"

Lin Zhixu looked at him like a cat panting with its mouth open, and remained silent for a moment.

Who exactly is being threatened by this threat?

Yu Linzhou regretted his words as soon as he finished speaking. He waited for a long time but did not receive a response from Lin Zhixu, which made him even more flustered.

He cleared his throat. "If you apologize now and say you're willing to become my Daoist partner, I'll reluctantly take back what I just said."

Lin Zhixu looked at him, his tone calm and serious: "I don't think I did anything wrong. That night at the Wen residence was indeed an accident, and I've never blamed you. But I don't want to make a decision under such pressure."

"If you insist on an answer, I'm sorry, I can't give you one."

Yu Linzhou was heartbroken.

Lin Zhixu left him with space to grieve, then turned and left.

……

Back in the courtyard, Lin Zhixu had just closed the door when a long-lost voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

The system, with a mix of arrogance and reluctance, awkwardly replied: "I saw everything. You rejected him. Since you behaved very well, I've decided to forgive you this time."

Lin Zhixu snapped out of her daze and exclaimed with delight, "You're finally back! I thought you were really leaving."

The system snorted, its tone full of complaint: "I'd like to leave, but it's not that easy. You're tied to me; as long as your storyline doesn't end, I can't leave even if I want to. I was just being withdrawn for a while."

However, considering you were still somewhat clear-headed and not completely misled, I'll be magnanimous and forgive you.

The system got more and more carried away, launching into a long, lecturing lecture: "From now on, you must focus on the storyline and not make any more mistakes. Love and romance are nothing but stumbling blocks on your path to freedom."

[Once we finish the entire storyline, you'll be free, and you can date as many men as you want. Just don't get involved with that villain right now.]

The villain is indeed a menace; he almost ruined his own host. From now on, it must keep a closer eye on things.

The system blamed all the mistakes on Yu Linzhou, which made it feel a little better.

Lin Zhixu smiled and nodded, replying, "Don't worry, I understand."

His cooperation made the system a little embarrassed, so it cleared its throat and steered the conversation back to the main topic: [The following plot involves the revelation of your framing of Luo Yiyan. Your identity as the man in black is exposed, Luo Yiyan confronts you, and the two of you become complete enemies.]

The plot has now completely deviated from the original story, so I don't expect you to be perfect. The most important core element is singular: your identity is exposed, and Luo Yiyan is disappointed in you. Once this point is achieved, this part of the plot is considered complete.

Lin Zhixu remained silent for a moment, his gaze gradually calming down. He had known this day would come.

He forged his own path, and he should have accepted it long ago.

Lin Zhixu nodded: "I understand."

The system suddenly asked: "By the way, do you know what Luo Yiyan and Yan Lingcang are doing right now? Why can't I find any information about them? It's like they've been blocked by something."

It paused, a hint of confusion in its voice, "This situation feels so familiar; I feel like I've encountered it somewhere before."

Lin Zhixu's gaze shifted slightly: "They're probably... doing something very important right now."

The system asked suspiciously, "What could possibly be something that even I can block? There are very few situations in this world where you can block a system's detection."

It rapidly searched its database, its tone growing increasingly serious. "I really feel like this situation is familiar."

Lin Zhixu remained unfazed: "You're overthinking it. They're probably taking a shower right now. Don't you have a privacy feature? It's normal that you can't see them."

Besides, they're the main characters, protected by their protagonist aura and watched over by the Heavenly Dao. Nothing bad will happen to them.

The system reluctantly accepted this explanation, its tone still tinged with skepticism: "What you said... makes some sense. The protagonist does indeed possess some special privileges that I sometimes can't detect."

Lin Zhixu breathed a sigh of relief.

Anyway, he wasn't the one who orchestrated this whole thing from beginning to end, and he knew absolutely nothing about what Yan Lingcang and Luo Yiyan did in the quiet room.

Even if the system finds out later, it won't be his fault.

Besides, the two main characters being all lovey-dovey is something that was bound to happen sooner or later in the original story.

It's just been moved up a bit and the setting has changed, but it's still essentially following the storyline.

The system had been hoping for the protagonist's romantic storyline to progress smoothly, and now that it's all in the air, it should be happy.

Thinking this way, Lin Zhixu felt even more confident.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with him.

……

Yu Linzhou plunged headlong into the depths of the forest, startling the monsters within a radius of several miles into a frenzy of escape.

He was too lazy to chase after the fleeing monsters, and instead vented his anger by slashing the mountain wall with one palm after another. Rock fragments tumbled down with a rumble, startling the birds in the forest.

He became increasingly irritable the more he chopped.

Finally, he simply stopped, leaned against an ancient tree that had been split in half, looked up at the sky that had been shattered by branches and leaves, but the suffocating feeling in his chest just wouldn't dissipate.

Why shouldn't I want to become his Daoist partner? Why shouldn't I want to be with him?

Does Lin Zhixu know how many people outside are vying for his attention, kneeling and crying, begging him to spare a glance, while he discards them like worn-out shoes?

Yu Linzhou grew angrier and more aggrieved the more he thought about it.

"You heartless bastard! You have no conscience!"

A wisp of extremely faint black mist seeped silently from the cracks in the gravel, and under the cover of shadow, it silently wrapped around his wrist.

The demonic energy whispered in his ear, its voice soft and alluring, "Your heart is in turmoil. What's troubling you? Tell me, and I can help you."

Yu Linzhou didn't even lift his eyelids or change his posture. He simply raised his finger, and a wisp of dark purple spiritual power condensed at his fingertip, precisely locking onto the core of the black mist.

Is he some kind of useless person who dares to let any demonic energy stick to him?

Sensing the power capable of tearing it apart instantly, the demonic energy cried out shrilly, "Wait! I guessed it! You're venting your anger here all alone because you're troubled by love, right? I can help you solve it!"