Chapter 44: Can a Gloomy Extra Be Locked in a Dark Room? [10]

Chapter 44: Can a Gloomy Cannon Fodder Also Get Locked in the Dark Room? "10"

Mu Jin never expected that when Ji Fengyan said he'd take him home, he meant his downtown penthouse, not the Ji family mansion.

What surprised him even more was that Ji Fengyan went ahead and added his fingerprint to the lock too.

"To make things easier for work, I moved out of the family home. You can come by and see me here anytime."

Mu Jin had originally planned to find an excuse to leave, but after Ji Fengyan poured him a cup of tea, took off his jacket, tied on an apron, and went straight to the kitchen.

Ji Fengyan asked, "There's not much food in the house, so I can only whip up something simple. A Jin, any foods you don't eat?"

Mu Jin's eyes lit up as he looked at Ji Fengyan and said firmly, "Nope! I'll eat anything—I'm not picky!"

Watching Ji Fengyan chop veggies and cook like a pro, Mu Jin silently swallowed the excuse he'd just come up with.

Well, he could leave anytime, but there was no way he was missing a meal.

Mu Jin knew full well that while he could make edible food himself, it wasn't nearly as good as what other people made.

But 648 had promised him he'd always have enough to eat in every world he went to, so he didn't sweat those things.

Mu Jin looked at Ji Fengyan and said sincerely, "Ji Fengyan, you're amazing—you can cook so many dishes."

The male leads in these worlds were all so impressive—even at cooking.

Hearing this, Ji Fengyan paused mid-motion, as if recalling some bad memory, and finally spoke slowly:

"Well, I did spend a few years abroad."

"I've gotten used to cooking for myself. If you want, you can come over every day and eat with me..."

Ji Fengyan paused for a beat, then added, "Or you could just move in with me, period. My mom said I should take good care of you."

Mu Jin didn't think twice about why Ji Fengyan had proactively suggested he move in.

At that moment, with the smell of the food filling the air, he had only one thought: if it weren't for the stuff he still had to do, moving in with Ji Fengyan wouldn't be a bad idea at all.

What a shame...

Maybe once he went abroad, he could hire a few chefs to cook just for him.

Mu Jin's mind wandered, and for a moment he didn't notice the look Ji Fengyan was giving him.

Seeing that Mu Jin stayed quiet, Ji Fengyan figured he'd silently turned him down, and though he felt a twinge of regret, he didn't say anything.

As he ate the food Ji Fengyan had made, Mu Jin became even more convinced he should find a few chefs in the future to cook for him every day.

Mu Jin had originally planned to leave after eating, but he didn't expect to get sleepier and sleepier after the meal.

He had a vague sense something was off, but before he could think it through, he blacked out completely.

When he woke up the next morning and saw Ji Fengyan lying beside him, holding him, Mu Jin thought for three seconds but couldn't remember what had happened last night.

He'd only eaten one meal—how could he have gotten so sleepy he just passed out?

Maybe because he'd been reading those novels 648 had given him these past few days, Mu Jin felt he might have been drugged.

But looking at Ji Fengyan, he couldn't think of any reason why Ji Fengyan would drug him.

Besides, other than falling asleep right after dinner last night, nothing else felt off with his body...

So maybe he was just overthinking things?

Mu Jin thought to himself, not wanting to dwell on it too much.

Just as he was about to sneak away like he had the previous times, before Ji Fengyan woke up—

The second he sat up, Ji Fengyan reached out and pulled him back by the waist.

"Huh?!"

Caught off guard, Mu Jin was yanked back into Ji Fengyan's arms, and the blanket was pulled over his head, leaving him totally confused.

In the quiet room, Mu Jin could clearly feel his own heartbeat speeding up, along with Ji Fengyan's heavy, ragged breathing behind him.

Just as he finally got his thoughts together and couldn't take it anymore, about to shove Ji Fengyan away—

Ji Fengyan's slightly hoarse voice came softly from behind him:

"A Jin... you up?"

As if he still wasn't fully awake, Ji Fengyan held him even tighter, burying his face in the crook of Mu Jin's neck and nuzzling.

That familiar little gesture made Mu Jin's mind go completely blank.

Mu Jin's eyelashes fluttered, and for a moment, he forgot to struggle or resist.

In the last world, even though he hadn't ended up with Ying Huaifeng in the end, nor given him a proper title—

That didn't stop Ying Huaifeng from sneaking into his bed at every chance.

Every time he snuck into his bed, when Mu Jin woke up the next morning, he'd hold him like this, burying his face in his neck and nuzzling.

All clingy and soft, not wanting to get up himself, and not wanting to let Mu Jin get up either.

And now, the male lead of this world was holding him from behind, doing the exact same thing.

...Could it just be a coincidence?

Mu Jin felt his thoughts all jumbled up, and not wanting to stay any longer, he shoved Ji Fengyan away.

Ji Fengyan was wide awake now, lying in bed and gazing at him with pleading eyes, a faint sheen of tears forming, looking a bit hurt.

"A Jin..."

"I just remembered—my flower shop still has some orders to take care of. You get some rest. I, I'll head out now."

Mu Jin quickly made up an excuse.

He was wearing the pajamas Ji Fengyan had helped him into last night, but at this point, he didn't care. He stripped out of them right in front of Ji Fengyan, quickly threw on his own clothes, and turned to leave.

In his rush to find 648 and ask what was going on, Mu Jin didn't notice that when he'd stripped off his clothes in front of Ji Fengyan, the look in Ji Fengyan's eyes was anything but innocent.

"A Jin!"

Ji Fengyan wanted to chase after him, but unfortunately, his current situation was way too awkward, so he could only deal with that first.

The blanket still smelled of Mu Jin. Ji Fengyan hugged it and pressed his face into it, as if sinking into Mu Jin's embrace, making his cheeks flush a little.

Mu Jin had no clue what Ji Fengyan did after he left; he was just hurrying home.

He stared at himself in the mirror, a little confused, and touched the spot where Ji Fengyan had nuzzled him.

He asked, "Xiao Liu, Ji Fengyan feels just like Ying Huaifeng from the last world."

"Could the male leads in different worlds be the same person?"

After all, as a Tasker, he could travel to different worlds—so wouldn't that mean the protagonists in those worlds could also be the same person?

But if they were the same person, why wouldn't Ji Fengyan recognize him?

Mu Jin was confused and needed answers.

648 looked at Mu Jin's bewildered expression and asked, "Host, why would you think that?"

"Only legit Taskers like us and those rogue Wild Systems on the run can enter different worlds."

"But Wild Systems and the hosts they carry can never possess a protagonist's body."

"Although the Administration has a Protagonist Department, if two Taskers showed up in the same world, we'd get a notification."

648 reassured him, "So don't overthink it. The male leads in these two worlds are definitely not the same person."

Even as he said this, 648 double-checked.

After confirming that the protagonists of these two worlds were definitely not the same person, he let out a sigh of relief and asked again:

"Host, did you fall for the male lead from the last world?"

Mu Jin was silent for a long moment before speaking slowly.

"I don't like him... but he really seems to like me, so I can't bring myself to dislike him."

"He stayed with me for a year, and I've gotten used to him."

648 paused to think, then asked, "What about Ji Fengyan? Do you like him?"

Mu Jin shot back, puzzled, "He doesn't like me, so why would I like him?"

648 said, "But you said he was a good guy."

"There are plenty of good people out there."

Mu Jin reasoned carefully, "He's kind to me, he cooks well—it's normal for me to have a good impression of him, but that doesn't mean I like him."

648 was momentarily speechless. "That actually makes sense."

648 looked at Mu Jin, suddenly curious:

"Host, if the male leads of these two worlds actually were the same person, would you like him?"

Mu Jin lowered his head, sounding confused. "I... don't know..."

648 sighed. "Since you don't know, then stop thinking about it."

"Alright, host, they're both male leads, so it's normal for them to have similarities. Don't overthink it."

Mu Jin's restless heart calmed a little at 648's words.

He hummed softly in acknowledgment and let it go.

It wasn't until then that he finally felt like tidying himself up.

However, just as he finished getting ready and sat down on the sofa to grab some fruit, he received a call from Ye Luochen.

"Brother Mu~ Long time no see, have you missed me?"

Ye Luochen's cheerful voice came through the phone. Mu Jin remembered that he had promised to have a meal with him, so he softened his tone and asked:

"Are you done with your stuff?"

Ye Luochen hedged, "Mm, not yet, but the day after tomorrow is my brother's birthday, so I have some time off these two days."

Mu Jin asked again, "Then when are you coming back? When can we grab a meal together?"

Ye Luochen was silent for a few seconds, then his voice perked up noticeably:

"Brother Mu, do you miss me?"

"Don't worry, I need to go see my brother now, but I'll be back this afternoon to come see you."

"Brother Mu, I got you a gift—you're definitely going to love it~"

Just as Mu Jin was about to reply, another message popped up.

Wen Yihe: "A Jin, I think I accidentally left a document in your flower shop yesterday. Could you drop it off for me?"

— "A little bonus scene unrelated to the main story" —

Yes, I drew today's side story myself.

You are NOT allowed to dislike it! (said confidently)

So why do we have to drink the medicinal soup?

Maybe someone would be willing to buy three cups of milk tea for Xiaolongjin with five-star reviews and small freebies (hint (*/∇＼*))