MCL CH24

Chapter 24: Watching Myself ‘Play’ With Someone Else…

It had to be said that Lin Xi was far too familiar with this office. Even with his eyes closed, he could accurately recall where every single item was supposed to be placed. However, being in front of Yan Xingzhou, he still feigned curiosity and glanced around. “What’s going on? Are we out of the instance?”

After a moment, Yan Xingzhou finally replied, “No.”

Lin Xi: “Then where are we?”

Yan Xingzhou turned to look at him. “Don’t you know?”

When he asked this, his face remained largely expressionless, but in the moment their eyes met, one could feel the dark tide he was desperately suppressing deep within his gaze.

Lin Xi paused appropriately before retorting, “Am I supposed to know?”

The few seconds of eye contact felt as long as a century. Finally, Yan Xingzhou withdrew his gaze. “Let’s find the exit first.”

After saying that, he added one more thing: “Don’t mess this place up.”

For a moment, Lin Xi couldn’t help but recall his time at the United Administration, when this man would often say the same thing to him. But obviously, such reminders were like wind passing by his ears, in one and out the other. It never took more than two or three days for him to turn the entire office into a complete mess, which Yan Xingzhou would then clean up without a word.

He had to admit, suddenly hearing this phrase again made Lin Xi feel a bit nostalgic. It was just as he had always assessed Yan Xingzhou: the man always looked unapproachable, but in reality, he was quite… domestically capable.

“Did you hear what I said?” Not hearing a response for a long time, Yan Xingzhou frowned. “What are you smiling about?”

“Nothing.” Lin Xi appropriately controlled the curve of his lips and immediately turned away.

It could only be said that for a contaminant, human emotions were indeed overly complex.

Like this time, for example.

Attacking one’s deepest obsession was indeed the easiest way to break down a person’s inner world, but unfortunately, it seemed this time the contaminant had kicked Yan Xingzhou’s iron plate.

At least, based on Lin Xi’s understanding of Yan Xingzhou, the man’s mood was clearly quite terrible right now.

From the way they entered, it was certain that the way out of here was also a “door.” What they needed to do was find that “door.”

The office space wasn’t actually that large. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing special.

The door to the north remained tightly shut. Lin Xi walked over and tried it, but no matter how much force he used, the handle wouldn’t turn. This meant that either the exit wasn’t here, or they needed to find some kind of trigger to open this door.

He tried turning it again, unwilling to give up, before letting go with a bored sigh.

When he turned around, he saw Yan Xingzhou standing in front of the bookshelf.

Did he find something?

Lin Xi looked over curiously, and his gaze followed Yan Xingzhou’s to a photo frame on the shelf.

He froze for a moment, suddenly remembering that the photo was from a team-building event back then, where others had egged Yan Xingzhou on to give him a princess carry. “…”

What’s so interesting about that?!

Lin Xi started walking, deliberately making his footsteps heavier as a reminder as he passed by, but Yan Xingzhou remained as still as a mountain in front of the bookshelf.

He could only rummage around the desk for a while before circling to the other side, and then… by the third time he passed by, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

It didn’t feel like much back then, but looking back now, the past is too embarrassing to recall…

Lin Xi cleared his throat softly, and just as he was about to say something, a sound suddenly reached his ears, making the words die in his throat.

Yan Xingzhou had clearly heard it too, finally pulling his gaze away from the bookshelf.

Tap, tap.

Rhythmic footsteps, one after another, came from the possibly non-existent corridor outside the office.

Someone was coming.

“Lin Ni, come here.”

Lin Xi heard Yan Xingzhou suddenly call him. He turned his head and understood in an instant. A smile flashed in his eyes, and he walked over without ceremony to hide behind the man.

Just then, the footsteps outside stopped at the door.

This was followed by the sound of the handle being turned from the outside.

The next second, Lin Xi saw a head of familiar black hair enter his line of sight.

He subconsciously looked up, and what he saw was Yan Xingzhou’s back, which had become even more rigid in that instant.

The person who entered also looked over the moment they opened the door, blinking slowly. “Yan Xingzhou, you’re here.”

The voice that had been silent in his mind for a long time suddenly spoke up: [Wow, the real and fake Executive?]

Lin Xi: “…”

He couldn’t quite describe the feeling. It was somehow even more complex than when he was admiring his own beauty by the coffin earlier.

The familiar facial features, the familiar expression.

This was him from when he was still the Executive of the United Administration. This was the former “Lin Xi.”

No, to be more precise, this was the him from the depths of Yan Xingzhou’s spiritual world.

Lin Xi slowly raised an eyebrow and very cooperatively took two steps back, extremely curious to see what kind of person he was in Yan Xingzhou’s mind.

Then, the next second, he saw the “Lin Xi” at the door enter the room briskly, walking straight up to Yan Xingzhou as if completely oblivious to his presence.

Then, “Lin Xi” intimately took Yan Xingzhou’s hand. “You’re finally here. I missed you so much.”

[Whoa~]

The voice in his head was full of awe at the scene unfolding before him.

Lin Xi: “…?”

He couldn’t help but glance again at the back in front of him, but from this angle, he couldn’t see Yan Xingzhou’s expression.

From the beginning, Yan Xingzhou had stood there without responding.

As “Lin Xi” approached, he slowly lowered his eyelids. When that familiar face came into view, a trace of longing finally appeared in his expression.

The hand that was taken held the gentle warmth of a human, not the temperature a corpse would have. This feeling was as if a living, breathing person was standing before him.

In a scene like this, it was more like returning to a long, long time ago.

“Lin Xi” held Yan Xingzhou’s hand in his palm, gently stroking it. Meeting the gaze directed at him, he slowly revealed a smile. “Why are you looking at me like that? I was just talking to you and you didn’t respond. Don’t you think you should express some apology?”

Yan Xingzhou finally spoke. “How do you want me to express it?”

“Then…” “Lin Xi” reached for Yan Xingzhou’s collar. The moment his fingers made contact, he pulled the man forward, causing him to lean back against the office desk behind them. The suddenly shortened distance mingled their breaths, and they could clearly smell the faint, familiar scent on each other. “He” looked straight at Yan Xingzhou and whispered in his ear, “It’s such a simple thing. Don’t you understand?”

[Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa~ Your man is about to get jumped!]

The voice in his head grew several pitches higher.

Speechless, Lin Xi directly blocked the noisy voice. He stood in place for a moment, then simply took a few steps back to give them enough space and dragged a chair over to sit down.

He crossed his long legs leisurely and leaned back against the chair, waiting with great interest for what would happen next.

He had to admit, since waking up in a new body, he had already gone through many experiences he never had before.

And compared to the funeral of the century he had the honor of attending, it was clear that this immersive experience of watching himself ‘play’ with someone else was far more rare and precious.

Everything here came from the depths of Yan Xingzhou’s mind.

Which meant…

Tsk.

He looks so proper and decent all the time, you can’t tell at all. So deep down, these are the kinds of thoughts he’s been harboring?

Looking at the coquettish “himself” pushed against the desk, Lin Xi suddenly began to reflect on whether he should have given Yan Xingzhou some “satisfaction” within his means long ago.

How did I never realize it before?

Unconsciously, the atmosphere in the office had become extremely ambiguous.

At such a close distance, no matter what happened next, it wouldn’t seem strange at all.

As they drew closer, Yan Xingzhou only needed to lean down slightly to kiss those lips, which were mere inches away, in an absolutely gentle posture.

The entire office was silent, gradually filled only by the sound of lingering breaths.

Until a voice, hoarse from extreme suppression, broke the silence, shattering everything. “How long do you plan to watch the show from the side?”

Lin Xi’s comfortable sitting posture didn’t change in the slightest. He had originally planned to make some noise before they actually kissed, but he hadn’t expected Yan Xingzhou to suddenly remember his existence at this moment.

After a moment of silence, he asked sincerely, “Should I turn around and cover my eyes then?”

“…”

Yan Xingzhou was so exasperated he actually laughed. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, all his previous longing had completely vanished. “Didn’t I tell you just now? The most important thing right now is to find a way out of here.”

As he spoke, he reached out a hand toward the person in front of him.

It looked like a very gentle and intimate gesture. His hand slowly caressed the face that had haunted his dreams countless times, sliding down from the jaw to the side of the neck.

A hint of a smile appeared in “Lin Xi’s” eyes, and he opened his arms, ready to wrap them around Yan Xingzhou’s neck in cooperation.

Suddenly, the utterly bewitching expression on his face vanished, replaced by an intense feeling of suffocation that washed over him.

“You…”

“Lin Xi’s” eyes widened in disbelief. He instinctively wanted to struggle. “Do you… know what… you’re… doing…”

“Of course, I know very well. Although I would also love to see him again, in this world, there is ultimately no second Lin Xi.”

Answering “him” was Yan Xingzhou’s voice, indifferent and devoid of any emotion. “As long as I don’t want it, mental attacks will have no effect on me. And your most foolish mistake was trying to use his face to make such a move.”