CH 102

If Xiao Zhenyun was truly a heartless villain, he would’ve stabbed Si Di to death in the hospital when he had the chance. Instead, this lecherous guy is here swaggering around, calling Xiao Zhenyun a scoundrel.

This kind of plot deviation is exactly the type of butterfly effect Xiao Nian fears the most. The ones who should’ve died didn’t, and the evil deeds that should’ve been done weren’t. It’s really hard for him to make amends or fix things now.

“So what should we do?”

“You tell me.”

“Why are you asking me? Aren’t you the administrator?” Xiao Zhenyun lit a cigarette, didn’t bother to hide the half pack left, and casually tossed it on the coffee table. “You have the world book, you’re the one who knows the plot best. Didn’t you prepare any emergency plans? As for me, I never cared about the plot that had nothing to do with ‘Xiao Zhenyun,’ and it’s been almost a year. I’ve pretty much forgotten everything.”

“…” Xiao Nian was silent for a moment. “I’m rethinking my strategy. Why did I stick around Si Chu and Ye Feiran? The protagonists don’t need me to worry about them. I should’ve been watching you and those graveyard grass sentinel soldiers you raised!”

“Graveyard grass sentinel soldiers?” Xiao Zhenyun exhaled a wisp of smoke. The hazy gray mist covered half his face, his blue eyes narrowed, and he smiled as he looked at Xiao Nian through the screen. “What soldiers? I’ve only raised one wolf that bites and a bird that pecks. When are you giving my bird back?”

Xiao Nian rolled his eyes. “The dead are gone, stop harping on it.”

“If I don’t keep mentioning it, what if he’s forgotten?”

“…” Xiao Nian couldn’t stand him and pursed his lips. After a while, he impatiently said, “He won’t be forgotten, at least not while we’re working in this world.”

“Good.” Xiao Zhenyun was very pleased with this answer.

Xiao Nian wasn’t willing to be manipulated by Xiao Zhenyun. Suddenly, he smirked mischievously and said, “Xiao Zhenyun, besides the wolf and the bird, did you forget about another familiar sentinel?”

Xiao Zhenyun asked in confusion, “A puppy?”

“Not him.”

Excluding the wolf, bird, and dog, Xiao Zhenyun thought for a while: “Union Director Lao Liu?”

Xiao Nian’s expression turned slightly twisted. “You can remember Union Director Lao Liu, but you can’t think of him?”

“Who?”

Xiao Nian calmly uttered two words: “Han Bang.”

“…” Xiao Zhenyun was even more puzzled. “Who?”

“The dark sentinel, S-level, with a short-tailed viper as his spiritual body.”

Xiao Zhenyun finally realized who he was talking about, recalling the nickname Hedgehog.

“What about him?” Xiao Zhenyun’s expression grew a bit serious. “Why did you say he also has grass growing on his grave?”

Xiao Nian smiled mysteriously. “What do you think?”

“…” Xiao Zhenyun immediately started to recall the original plot. He wasn’t lying earlier; he hadn’t paid much attention to anything outside of the parts involving ‘Xiao Zhenyun.’ Nearly a year had passed, and he had forgotten most of it.

Moreover, Xiao Zhenyun was unfamiliar with the names ‘Hedgehog’ and ‘Han Bang,’ indicating they weren’t important characters in the book. He guessed there might have been just a couple of lines about the Dark Sentinel with brown hair who loved showing off and died during a tough, dangerous mission.

“Do you want to save him?” Xiao Nian grinned like a sly young fox.

“…” Saying no would be a lie. Xiao Zhenyun knew Xiao Nian had him pegged as someone with a conscience. Annoyed, he stubbed out his cigarette. “If it’s possible, of course, I want to save him… So, what do you want me to do?”

“Help me fix this plot deviation,” Xiao Nian said. “Then I’ll tell you how Hedgehog died in the original story.”

Indeed, they really were a group of sentinels who should have grass growing on their graves… Xiao Zhenyun fished an apple out of the fridge and washed it in the sink. Lowering his gaze, he said quietly, “After going through so many plots, I’ve roughly figured out a standard for scoring the completion. As long as you reduce the plot to its simplest form, ensure the main characters are present, the main storyline is complete, and the final outcome is achieved, no matter how absurd the process, you can score above 60.”

Xiao Nian: “…”

“So, the summary of the Duan family’s plot can be condensed into one sentence: Duan Fei and Si Chu became close friends after not knowing each other. As for the plotline ‘a fire at home, the Commander dies,’ whether it’s there or not, it doesn’t matter much.”

Xiao Nian: “…”

Xiao Zhenyun ate the apple without bothering to peel it, took a bite, and sat down on the sofa. “Am I right, Administrator?”

“… I really don’t like seeing you taking shortcuts like this,” Xiao Nian’s eight-year-old face showed the weight of an eighty-year-old. “Sixty percent is the bottom line, and using 60 as the standard for plot completion is very dangerous, as it could lead to irreparable consequences at any time.”

Xiao Zhenyun’s thirty-year-old face showed a mischievous thirteen-year-old smirk. “Looks like I was right.”

“But setting fire to the Duan family’s house is indeed too difficult for you, and I am also responsible for this matter. So, just this once, it won’t happen again,” Xiao Nian sighed. “I’ll leave the rest to you. As long as you can get sixty points, I’ll tell you Han Bang’s cause of death.”

After ending the video call, Xiao Zhenyun didn’t have to wait long before Hedgehog returned carefree, holding a bucket of fried chicken and bringing him a plate of stir-fried beef noodles and fruit salad.

“Your brother Hedgehog treats you well, huh?” Hedgehog proudly gnawed on a chicken leg.

Facing his big brother act, Xiao Zhenyun naturally ignored him. He suddenly looked up while unwrapping the package of noodles. “Han Bang?”

Hedgehog paused and turned to him. “Did Black Wolf tell you?”

Seeing Xiao Zhenyun’s expression wasn’t right, Hedgehog was puzzled. “…Was it Xiao Jingfeng?”

Surprised by the sudden mention of his uncle’s name, Xiao Zhenyun’s movements paused. He hadn’t expected this guy to have connections with the guild chairman.

Hedgehog quickly judged from his expression that it had nothing to do with Xiao Jingfeng. “Then it must be Black Wolf… Why did he tell you my real name?”

“He probably thinks our relationship can progress further, to the point of revealing each other’s true identities,” Xiao Zhenyun casually replied without needing to think. Hedgehog expressed doubt, “Are we that close?”

“Think carefully before you speak,” Xiao Zhenyun took another bite of noodles.

Hedgehog couldn’t detect the hidden meaning behind his words but wisely changed his tone, “Okay, we’re a little close. It doesn’t matter if I tell you my real name.”

Xiao Zhenyun left the small single room for Duan Pei and Duan Fei to stay temporarily, and before dark, he returned to the countryside villa with Hedgehog.

Upon hearing the call of wild chickens in the forest, the instinct engraved into the viper’s DNA kicked in. After a few swims, it dug up a nest of eggs and brought some back. Hedgehog left two for it and used the rest to make a plate of scrambled eggs. He claimed that all his culinary skills combined amounted to this plate of scrambled eggs, which indeed looked appetizing. Xiao Zhenyun joined him in the meal, enjoying the aroma.

Of course, after eating and drinking, he had to drive the cook away. Xiao Zhenyun escorted Hedgehog to the guest room on the first floor, where he skillfully turned on the white noise, knowing that this guy could take care of himself well. Then, he slowly climbed to the second floor.

At that moment, a video call invitation from Si Di chimed in, neither a second too early nor too late.

“Did you install surveillance in my house? Timing seems too perfect,” Xiao Zhenyun said, taking off his pants in the warm room and bending down to remove his prosthetic leg.

“You finally noticed,” Si Di chuckled. He was still sitting in his office, obviously taking a little time out of his busy schedule to talk sweetly with his lover.

“Xiao Nian called me during the day,” Xiao Zhenyun set a serious tone for tonight’s conversation with a single sentence, and Si Di unknowingly sat up straight. “What’s wrong? Is the plot going awry again?”

Xiao Zhenyun briefly recounted Duan Pei’s plot, then told Si Di about Hedgehog. He also reminded him not to slip up and let Si Di bear the blame for Han Bang’s name.

“Oh, by the way, what’s the relationship between Hedgehog and Xiao Jingfeng?” Xiao Zhenyun asked. “Why would he suddenly think that Xiao Jingfeng might have told me his name?”

“…,” Si Di hesitated, and Xiao Zhenyun could tell from his expression that this was definitely something that Si Di didn’t want to mention.

“It doesn’t hurt to tell you. Since you’re already saving his life, what harm is there in satisfying your curiosity a bit?” Si Di engaged in a mental struggle. “Do you remember when I mentioned that, back when Hedgehog was still studying at the Tower, he participated in a live combat simulation and then harassed a guide on the field? He was beaten by the guide’s sentinel and had to withdraw from the competition.”

“In fact, this is the version that’s been circulating externally. The real situation was… the guide he harassed was an examiner, your uncle Xiao Jingfeng, who wasn’t the guild chairman at the time… And it wasn’t a sentinel who beat him, but rather Chairman Xiao’s spiritual whip that whipped him until he couldn’t take it anymore. The sentinel was another examiner, who was also Hedgehog’s instructor at the Tower. He just came over to give a light kick as a show of support to calm down Chairman Xiao. Hedgehog, a Dark sentinel who had never experienced spiritual pain before, was truly overwhelmed at the time. He hugged a tree and vomited uncontrollably, and the instructor lightly kicked him, causing him to collapse with his eyes rolled back.”

Xiao Zhenyun: “…”

Si Di, still trembling with fear, said, “Chairman Xiao used to have quite a temper when he was young, like a sentinel… No, wait, we sentinels emphasize self-cultivation and rarely get angry easily, unlike Chairman Xiao. He showed no restraint… He was fierce and ruthless… It got much better after he became chairman.”

“Why did he provoke Chairman Xiao?” Xiao Zhenyun frowned. “Was his brain not functioning properly?”

“The chairman is an S-level radiant guide. For a Dark sentinel, he’s as attractive as a moth to a flame,” Si Di explained. “Don’t be fooled by Hedgehog’s current attitude of ‘stay away from me, even if you’re a guide.’ If any radiant guide says they want to give him mental grooming, he’ll be on the highway on his motorcycle overnight.”

“…,” Xiao Zhenyun couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Xiao Jingfeng to give someone mental grooming. Though his spiritual body, the white horse, had always been gentle, Xiao Jingfeng’s most memorable image for Xiao Zhenyun was the fierce scene of him pulling the reins to stop abruptly and whipping three sentinels unconscious with a spiritual lash.

“So, what are you going to do about Duan Fei and Si Chu’s plotline of becoming friends?” Si Di brought the topic back on track. Xiao Zhenyun had already figured out a solution: “It’s simple. The Storm Team is currently tracking Duan Fei’s whereabouts, right? Just delegate this task entirely to Si Chu and Ye Feiran. Then they’ll clash. You can take a break and come on a date with me.”

“…,” Si Di said, “Don’t underestimate Si Chu. After all, he’s an outstanding Tower graduate, an A-level sentinel, and the original male lead. If I completely wash my hands of this, what if he actually catches Duan Fei and Duan Pei? Then what?”

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ