The Frail Guide Who Devoured an Entire Pollution Zone

Chapter 190: Chapter 190: She Will Be Mine

As Xu Qingsui released her spiritual power, Shen Yan’s grip on her hand suddenly went slack. His entire weight slumped against her as he fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing that he was alright, Xu Qingsui supported him, gently easing him down onto the sofa before covering him with a blanket.

[Congratulations, Host. You have gained 40% affection and 40% dependency from the SSS-level Sentinel, Shen Yan.]

The Golden Octopus chimed in with the good news, but Xu Qingsui had no time to pay it any mind. Glancing around the chaotic room, she let out a long sigh and began to clean up the mess. Once everything was tidy, she poured a glass of warm water and set it on the nightstand. Only then did she quietly slip out of Shen Yan’s room. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

However, the moment she opened the door, she spotted Lu Jingyu leaning against the wall in the corridor.

”Why are you here? Haven’t you rested?”

Lu Jingyu immediately stood up straight. Heaven knew how anxious he had been when all the sounds coming from the room had suddenly died down. Although the silence suggested nothing bad had happened, the mere thought of Xu Qingsui alone in a room with Shen Yan—especially given Shen Yan’s volatile state and the distinct possibility he might do something impulsive—had left his mind tied up in anxious knots. At one point, he had even considered barging straight in to check on them, though he had ultimately forced himself to hold back.

Seeing Xu Qingsui emerge safe and sound finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. Not forgetting to feign nonchalance, he stole a casual glance into the room. Seeing Shen Yan fast asleep on the bed and showing no signs of having done anything untoward, his heart completely settled.

”Aside from meeting up with you, I’m also here for the development of the Heiyu Alliance. Shen Yan is the twenty-seventh leader, and there are a few matters I need to discuss with him,” Lu Jingyu explained. ”I noticed he had returned earlier and originally intended to check on him and have a chat. But then I saw you coming to find him as well. Afraid of interrupting, I decided to just wait outside.”

Xu Qingsui frowned slightly, her gaze laced with suspicion. She wondered who in their right mind would discuss serious business this late at night. Moreover, given the state Shen Yan had just been in, was he even capable of having a coherent discussion?

However, since it was already quite late, she couldn’t be bothered to pry. She simply said, ”He suffered quite a shock and just fell asleep. If you want to talk business, it’s best to wait until tomorrow. He might actually be in the right headspace to talk to you then.”

Lu Jingyu nodded. ”I heard some of the commotion earlier, so I can imagine how he’s feeling. Even tomorrow might not be the best time. It will probably take a while for him to truly calm down.”

Putting himself in Shen Yan’s shoes, Lu Jingyu thought about his own past experiences. Back when Chen Yunfei had his accident and fell into a coma, Lu Jingyu had mistakenly blamed himself and sunk into a deep depression for two whole days. What Shen Yan was going through right now was far worse than that. Thus, he figured Shen Yan would need much more time to process everything and find some solace.

Xu Qingsui pondered for a moment before suddenly shaking her head. ”I don’t think it will take that long.”

While she had been comforting Shen Yan, she had distinctly felt the shift in his emotional state through the changing strength of his grip on her hands. Toward the end, she could sense that he had genuinely taken her words to heart, sparking a significant change within him. More importantly, the Golden Octopus had notified her about the increase in his affection, which was undeniable proof that he had listened to her. Given all of that, he was bound to turn things around. He certainly wouldn’t revert to the state he had been in earlier tonight.

”If nothing unexpected happens, he should be back to his old self by tomorrow, and you’ll be able to discuss your business with him.”

Seeing Xu Qingsui speak about Shen Yan with such absolute certainty, a sour pang of jealousy bubbled up in Lu Jingyu’s chest.

”Do you really know him that well? Come to think of it, hasn’t it only been a few days since you two met?”

Xu Qingsui nodded, entirely oblivious to the tartness in Lu Jingyu’s tone. ”I wouldn’t say I know him perfectly. But I did spend a long time comforting him and talking him through it. The least he can do is give me a little bit of face and pull himself together, right?”

Lu Jingyu raised an eyebrow, finding himself completely unable to come up with a retort.

Before he could speak, Xu Qingsui continued, ”It’s already very late. Let’s go back and get some rest! Once he’s recovered, you can have a proper chat with him.”

Lu Jingyu could only nod in agreement. He stood there and watched Xu Qingsui return to her room before finally heading back to his own camper van.

The next morning, the moment Xu Qingsui stepped out of her room, Lu Jingyu was already there, walking right up to her. But before the two of them could even exchange greetings, a sound echoed from Shen Yan’s room.

They both turned their gazes toward the door, watching as Shen Yan stepped out, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit and looking as meticulous as ever. Upon seeing the two of them, Shen Yan flashed his signature smile.

”Good morning. You’re both up quite early!”

A look of utter astonishment painted both of their faces. Xu Qingsui was the first to recover her wits, while Lu Jingyu was still busy sizing Shen Yan up.

”You too! Seeing you look so much like yourself again is a huge relief.”

Although she had spoken with absolute certainty to Lu Jingyu the night before, once she had returned to her room, she couldn’t help but feel she had been a bit too presumptuous. After all, Shen Yan’s reaction had been incredibly intense. A few words of comfort from her might have been too superficial to truly fix things. Seeing the old Shen Yan standing before her now, fully put back together, genuinely surprised her as well. But regardless of how it happened, the outcome was good, and that was all that mattered.

”That’s entirely to your credit,” Shen Yan replied warmly. ”Thank you for everything you said to me last night. It truly eased my heart and allowed me to pull myself together so quickly.”

Watching Shen Yan and Xu Qingsui chatting and laughing so effortlessly, Lu Jingyu grew even more astounded. He marveled at how ridiculously strong Shen Yan’s ability to self-heal was. If he hadn’t seen the state the man had been in last night with his own two eyes, he would have suspected Shen Yan had faked the whole thing just to win Xu Qingsui’s sympathy. Even he felt inferior when faced with such incredible psychological resilience.

Still, it was a bitter pill to swallow. After a moment of hesitation, he concluded that the only reason Shen Yan had been able to move on so quickly was entirely thanks to Xu Qingsui. If Xu Qingsui had been by his side to comfort him during his own ordeal back then, he was absolutely certain he would have recovered just as immediately.

While he was lost in thought, Shen Yan and Xu Qingsui had already agreed to grab breakfast together.

Xu Qingsui looked over at Lu Jingyu. ”What are you thinking about? We’re going to get some breakfast. Do you want to come along?”

Pulled from his thoughts by her voice, Lu Jingyu hurriedly nodded. ”Sure!”

With his answer, Xu Qingsui took the lead. Lu Jingyu and Shen Yan slowed their pace slightly, trailing behind her.

”Captain Lu, I misspoke the last time we talked,” Shen Yan suddenly said from beside him. ”Qingsui is indeed not an object, and I apologize for my poor choice of words.”

Lu Jingyu shot him a sideways glance, couldn’t be bothered to engage, and simply kept walking.

”At the same time, I want to make something perfectly clear to you,” Shen Yan continued. ”I’ve figured it out. A woman as wonderful as Qingsui arriving by my side must be destiny, and I absolutely refuse to let her slip through my fingers.”

This blatant provocation finally brought Lu Jingyu to a halt. As their eyes locked, invisible sparks crackled furiously in the air between them.

”What are you trying to do?”

”I am simply fighting for my own happiness by keeping a perfect woman by my side,” Shen Yan replied smoothly. ”Captain Lu, mark my words—Qingsui will definitely be mine.”