Chapter 44: Pressed Down by a Cold and Dominant Force

Seeing Zhou Yili’s long eyes narrow slightly, Shen Jixing’s damp lashes fluttered gently.

“It’s alright. If you can’t do it…” The rest of the sentence implied he would step in himself.

Before he could finish, Zhou Yili interrupted with a cold, dismissive laugh. “Can’t do it? Just watch.”

“Fishing for stars!”

“yOyOyO, here comes the show-off~”

“Today, Young Master has to catch a hundred fish even if he grinds his molars to dust (heart gesture)”

“Young Master finishes catching a hundred fish only to realize he’s shattered his molars (heart gesture)”

“A man can never say he can’t! Go catch them for your Starry Wife!”

Zhou Yili embodied the predatory instincts of a wild animal to perfection.

In just ten minutes, he had caught a hundred fish.

“How long did that take?”

“So strong, so powerful—I mean the fish.”

“How long did it take for Starry Wife to catch just one? Three minutes?”

“Shut up, it was two minutes and forty seconds!”

“…Enough, you didn’t spare Emperor Shen either.”

Emperor Shen experienced firsthand the gulf between people. Fortunately, Zhou Yili was a lovable fool, not particularly bright, which offered him some psychological comfort.

Five clue cards were handed to him—

“He is a man.”

“He loves to dye his hair.”

“He can sing.”

“He’s very wealthy.”

Shen Jixing’s gaze lifted slowly, settling on Zhou Yili, who was tossing his hair like a playful animal.

Zhou Yili had always been carefree and unruly; he casually pushed his wet hair atop his head, revealing his sharp, handsome features.

“What is it?”

Catch a few fish, and Shen Jixing falls for him all over again?

“The lover the mermaid is searching for is you.” Shen Jixing passed the clue cards to him with a calm expression.

Zhou Yili: “?”

What kind of joke was this?

Did he have an identity card he himself didn’t know about?

He took the four clue cards, only to find they described him to a tee.

“And the last one?” Zhou Yili was unconvinced.

Shen Jixing unfolded the final clue card, and the two leaned in to read it together—

“He… might also be a woman?”

Shen Jixing: “…”

Zhou Yili: “…”

Zhou Yili’s long eyes narrowed as he was about to speak, but then he noticed Shen Jixing’s scrutinizing gaze sweeping over him, calm and deliberate.

“Are you playing Minesweeper?” Zhou Yili gritted his teeth and leaned in close. “Don’t you know if I’m a woman or not…”

The topic was skating dangerously close to the line.

Suddenly, Shen Jixing covered his mouth and pressed him directly under the clue table.

You’re acting up again?

As Zhou Yili tried to get up, Shen Jixing’s long leg pinned his knee, his entire presence cold and overbearing as he pressed down.

With a cold hand, he yanked Zhou Yili by the collar, rolling them both beneath the table—

“Shh.”

Shen Jixing’s cool, elegant lips brushed his ear, his voice lowered to a whisper. “Hunter.”

Zhou Yili went stiff as a board.

Damn.

So he’s the hunter, is he?

I’m leagues ahead of him, and now you’re pinning me under the table for some kind of harassment, aren’t you?

In the dim, shadowy light, Shen Jixing noticed his prolonged silence and cast a cool, indifferent glance his way—

Zhou Yili looked away, his breath hot. “Oh.”

“Where’s the paid perspective?”

“I’m a Nobel Literature Prize reader, a student at the country’s top university, an applicant to Fortune 500 companies, a participant in billion-dollar lottery projects, and a former VIP member of all the top streaming services—don’t I deserve a paid under-the-table perspective?”

“Whoa, boss, wait—”

Shen Jixing emerged looking as composed as ever.

Zhou Yili came out looking like a boiled shrimp.

He was blushing again, hot as ever.

“It’s too warm,” Zhou Yili fanned his collar, finding an excuse.

Shen Jixing replied with a hum. “I can tell.”

His body temperature was astonishingly high.

Shen Jixing’s gaze swept over Zhou Yili’s slightly damp collar, then he quickly and calmly looked away. “Let’s go find someone.”

“Find who?”

“The mermaid’s lover.”

Zhou Yili followed closely behind, snatching a prop coconut to drink from. “Don’t think I look like a woman anymore?”

This might sound like nothing to others, but Shen Jixing knew this mischievous little lion all too well.

He shot him a cold, warning sidelong glance.

Zhou Yili bit his straw, stifling a laugh, easily amused.

“Can you sing?” Their gaze finally settled on the NPC lady with dyed hair standing at the entrance to the money exchange.

The lady elegantly cracked sunflower seeds. “Sing? Guo’er, tell them.”

Her servant girl slapped her thigh. “Sing? My lady is the most famous songstress within ten miles of Seaside Town. My humble home is filled with her albums.”

Zhou Yili: “Sing a line for me.”

The lady lifted her hand gracefully. “Guo’er.”

“At your service!” The maid supported her lady’s arm. “My lady, please begin.”

With great confidence and a powerful voice, the lady raised her head and sang, “Don’t look at me as just a sheep, a sheep’s intelligence is beyond belief~ No matter how high the sky, my spirits remain free, every day chasing the sun~”

Shen Jixing pressed his forehead in exasperation.

He felt this variety show might become the black mark of his entire life.

“You had your fun, didn’t you, brat? Remember to give me two episodes next time.”

“I want to as well (face burning) … I want to (breathing out steam) … to be an NPC on variety shows (rolling on the floor in embarrassment)”

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

Zhou Yili promptly blocked her mouth with the sunflower seed plate.

“That’s enough, we’re all friends here, no need to sing.”

Shen Jixing rubbed his ears. “So, the ‘Death Songstress’ in full, right?”

The first round of verification was almost upon them.

Shen Jixing decided to take her to try: “Since she’s the songstress, it must be her.”

He looked at Zhou Yili. “You coming, or…?”

“Coming.” Zhou Yili answered lazily, unconcerned. “If we run into the hunter, I’ll push you out as a human shield.”

“…”

It turned out their guess was correct.

When they avoided the hunter and reached the seaside, the mermaid spun excitedly in circles. “It’s him, it’s him! I remember, I remember everything now!”

“Success?” Zhou Yili raised an eyebrow. That easy?

“No…” The mermaid pondered. “His face changes. I’ve seen many versions of him. I need to hear his voice…”

Shen Jixing nodded. “Alright.”

He immediately covered his ears.

Zhou Yili glanced at him and followed suit.

The mermaid’s gaze shifted between the two, finally locking her blue eyes on Shen Jixing.

“I want to hear you sing.”

Shen Jixing’s fingers froze. “What?”

This mermaid was surprisingly easy to deal with. Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at him. “At night, the town is filled with song.”

The lady reminded him in her soft but grating voice: “Don’t look at me as just a sheep~~”

Shen Jixing: “…”

Zhou Yili fought back a grin. “Teacher Shen, please begin.”

Shen Jixing: “…”

No matter. A lifetime passes in the blink of an eye.