Chapter 367: The Tenth Day in the Struggle for Supremacy World

Chapter 367: The Tenth Day in a Hegemony Novel

Bai Ji's entire mind went blank, leaving only shock and disbelief frantically flashing through his thoughts.

Damn!

An Yi was actually some kind of superhuman strongman?! What kind of terrifying, godlike strength is this?! How is this even possible?!

How could some noble young master who looks all refined and delicate, with a slim, lean frame, possibly have this much strength?!

One hand! No, one finger! He lifted a full-grown man with one finger?! This is the kind of thing that only happens in novels, right?!

He wasn't short, okay?! And he definitely wasn't light!

Since he was being held completely horizontal, Bai Ji's center of gravity was all over the place. His robes fell completely open from the pull of gravity, and the moon-white undergarment beneath wrinkled up, exposing a strip of his lean waist and a whole lot more skin.

His soaking-wet long hair fanned out and hung straight down, with water droplets flicking off the ends and landing on An Yi's boots and the polished floor.

This position, this whole scene—it was absurd, and he looked a total mess.

He'd come here to test if this body could pull off a little seduction, not to become a plaything.

Though... being a toy wasn't exactly a bad option either.

An Yi didn't seem to plan on holding him up forever. He just held him up with zero effort, spun him half a turn, giving him a taste of what it felt like to "fly through the air," before lowering his wrist and setting him down nice and steady.

His feet hit solid ground again, but Bai Ji still hadn't fully recovered from the sheer shock and that weightless feeling. When he landed, he couldn't get his footing right away and stumbled, stumbling back half a step before he barely managed to steady himself.

That stumble made his already-loose robes gape even wider. His collar was hanging wide open, and his wet hair was plastered messily to his cheeks and neck.

An Yi glanced at him. Not bad to look at.

The packaging was decent.

An Yi pulled his hand back and casually smoothed out his sleeves before lifting his gaze to the still-rattled Bai Ji. The sly, mischievous grin at the corner of his mouth grew even wider. He tilted his head a little and asked casually, "So? How was that?"

Bai Ji: "..."

He opened his mouth, but for a second, nothing came out.

It took him a few seconds to suck in a deep breath, raised a hand to hurriedly smooth down his rumpled collar and hair, and let out a bitter, complicated smile.

"My Lord..." His voice was still a little shaky. "Truly... divine strength."

The words came out flat and stiff.

An Yi looked at this rare sight of Bai Ji completely dumbfounded and couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst out laughing.

His laugh was clear and pleasant, his brows curving, his eyes sparkling.

Watching An Yi laugh so freely and heartily, his shoulders actually trembling a little, Bai Ji's initial shock and embarrassment slowly faded, replaced by a hint of helplessness.

Well, if it could make An Yi laugh, what was a little embarrassment?

He shook his head too and let out a low, helpless chuckle.

Watching An Yi laugh with such a lively, spirited expression, his own heart felt light with joy too.

So damn cute.

He sighed quietly to himself.

So An Yi could have such a lively, mischievous side—even a bit of a "tricky" one.

Only after An Yi had laughed his fill did he slowly rein in his smile, though the corners of his eyes and brows still held a hint of softness from the lingering laughter.

He cleared his throat, picked up the bowl of milk, and took another sip, then looked at Bai Ji. His tone was back to its usual gentleness, but with a bit more ease and familiarity than before: "Alright, just kidding around. Don't take it to heart, Ruzhi."

He paused, then said more seriously, "There's a lot to handle on this journey, and I'll need your careful coordination."

Bai Ji had also pulled himself together, refastening his loosened robes and casually sweeping his wet hair back over his shoulders.

Seduction was a no-go. Better to get dressed properly—it was a little cold.

Hearing this, Bai Ji said, "It's my duty. I wouldn't call it trouble."

He stood by the desk, the candlelight casting their long shadows on the wall and bookshelves, partially overlapping, swaying gently with the flickering flames.

The study went quiet for a moment, with only the occasional crackle and pop of the candle wick breaking the silence.

Bai Ji raised his eyes, his gaze once again landing on An Yi's face.

After that little exchange, the subtle distance and wariness between them seemed to have faded quite a bit.

Looking at An Yi's face, he suddenly spoke in a low voice, curious and probing: "With strength like that... did my Lord train in martial arts from a young age? Or maybe..." He paused, as if weighing his words. "Born with it?"

An Yi set down the tea bowl, glanced at him, and smiled. "I trained. Just for self-defense. In times like these, it's always good to have more cards up your sleeve."

Trained? He must mean martial arts. It's not like he's cultivating immortality, right?

Bai Ji got it and didn't push further.

"It's getting late." An Yi glanced at the bronze water clock in the corner. "You should head back and get some rest, Ruzhi. We've got a long day of travel tomorrow."

"Yes." Bai Ji responded.

He bowed to An Yi once more, a formal salute. "Rest well, my Lord. Ruzhi takes his leave."

Comments section:

"What the hell?! What just happened?! Bai Ji went to deliver milk and then An Yi just picked him up?!"

"Did I see that right? An Yi hooked one finger on the belt and lifted the male lead up?! What kind of ridiculous plot is this?!"

"An Yi is a strongman??? His whole character is supposed to be this refined, clever strategist lord! Since when does he have combat stats?!"

"Am I the only one who thinks this is weird? Two grown men, in the middle of the night, clothes all messed up, tossing each other around..."

"And the author won't even give us their inner thoughts!"

"I think it's fine. I just see two people having a good time together!"

"...No! Why isn't the male lead wearing proper clothes?! Why would he show up in front of another man like that?! Why!! Something's off! Is the author messing with me? Is this turning into a BL story? Who the hell goes to their boss's room half-dressed in the middle of the night and then starts wrestling around?! Gross! Gross! Bleh~@author, I curse your ancestors!"

"The person above is way too sensitive!"

"Sensitive? Would you do this with your boss of the same gender?"

"Holy shit! I'll report your ass to the mods, you're so gross!"

"...Don't you think something's off too, you dumbass? This is straight-up sexual enticement! Ugh, ugh, ugh~ I'm gonna barf!"

"Sexual enticement? No way! We're reading a serious male-oriented power struggle novel! This is definitely just a joke between brothers and confidants!"

"Keep lying to yourselves! Ah! Heaven above! Everyone's blind but me! The author is GAY! The author is GAY! Hey mods, come check this out! Your author is GAY!"

"Then get the hell out if you don't like it!"

"No way! It's definitely gay! I want to see the author slap you all in the face! Ugh, ugh, ugh~"

"...That guy above is nuts."

"..."

An Yi: "..."

Well, that's right.

He is gay.

And your male lead probably is too. Haha.