Chapter 514: Extra: Gu Nian - Midsummer's Echo (2)

When Gu Nian had called out to Jiang Qingli just now, the others couldn’t see what was happening inside. But from Jiang Qingli’s perspective, she could clearly see that the zipper of his hoodie was halfway down, revealing a sliver of pale skin and the scratch marks she had left on his delicate collarbone that morning.

The zipper on this hoodie only went down to his waistline. It was purely decorative and had nothing to do with putting it on or taking it off.

Gu Nian’s gesture was pure seduction.

As the object of said seduction, however, Jiang Qingli was quite enjoying it.

After the door closed, her fingertips lightly brushed over his collarbone before hooking his collar and giving it a gentle tug.

At the academy, Gu Nian was known for being an obedient, innocent, model student. In the Underground City, he was a top Assassin feared by all.

Neither persona was easy to get close to.

But in front of Jiang Qingli, he was exceptionally easy to push over.

For instance, right now, Jiang Qingli had only used a little bit of force, yet Gu Nian stumbled as if he’d been shoved hard. He leaned over, bracing one hand against the door and trapping Jiang Qingli in his arms.

Jiang Qingli hooked his chin with her finger. “Is the zipper stuck?”

Gu Nian pursed his lips, looking a little embarrassed. Before he could deliver his prepared line, Jiang Qingli grabbed the fabric with one hand and the zipper pull with the other, yanking it all the way up until it covered half his face.

“All fixed.” Jiang Qingli patted his cheek through the fabric. “You’re welcome.”

Gu Nian’s mouth fell open. He blinked, looking a bit dazed.

Jiang Qingli pulled the hoodie down. “Alright, I was just teasing you. Don’t wear this. The City Lord will be here to pick us up soon, so you should wear something more formal. I’ll pick out an outfit for you.”

As she finished speaking, she felt his breathing deepen. “Is something wrong?”

‘Did he take a job to assassinate a City Lord back in the Underground City? Is he afraid of being recognized?’

Before she could ask, she saw Gu Nian close his eyes. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice was very soft. “Qingli.”

Usually, when he lowered his voice like that, it meant he wanted something from her.

Jiang Qingli feigned an expression of rapt attention. “I’m all ears.”

The next second, Gu Nian lifted his eyelids. His gaze was full of undisguised obsession. “Can you hit me a couple more times?”

Jiang Qingli, who had just played out an entire assassination drama in her head: “…”

She placed a hand on Gu Nian’s face and pushed him away. “If you keep getting hot and bothered for no reason, I’ll find someone to… take care of you.”

“It’s not for no reason. I only get like this when I see you, Qingli.”

There was a hint of hurt in Gu Nian’s voice.

A few seconds later, he added, “But.”

Jiang Qingli anticipated his move. “I’m not listening!”

Gu Nian, who was already one step ahead, curved his eyes into a smile and continued, “But you can ‘take care of me’ however you want.”

Jiang Qingli: “…”

‘There he goes again.’

‘These kinds of words just roll off his tongue.’

At first, Jiang Qingli would blush a little, but now she was mostly immune to it.

She went into the walk-in closet, held up a few outfits to compare them, and handed one to Gu Nian.

Gu Nian took it with a wide smile. “You have the best taste, Qingli.”

“Of course I do.” Jiang Qingli lifted her chin.

“Well then, I’m going to change.” Gu Nian placed his hands on Jiang Qingli’s shoulders and pushed her out. “Don’t look, Qingli. I’m about to transform.”

“Fine.” Jiang Qingli had been meaning to check her inbox for unread messages anyway, so she sat down on the sofa outside.

The tips of Gu Nian’s ears twitched before he closed the closet door.

He changed into the clothes Jiang Qingli had chosen and was straightening his collar in the mirror when he heard a faint rustling sound.

Gu Nian’s expression remained neutral. He leaned closer to the mirror to fix his hair, then opened a jewelry box and began rummaging through it for accessories, his movements deliberately casual.

From the shadows not far away, a dark figure approached silently. Several paper-thin slivers materialized in mid-air, twisting into fine needles aimed at Gu Nian’s back.

The Assassin stared intently at Gu Nian’s back, a disdainful sneer on his face.

‘Number one Assassin? What a joke. A few years out of the game and he’s completely washed up. He looks just like any other useless pretty boy who only knows how to fawn over women!’

‘Kill him, and a hundred million is mine!’

A fanatical gleam danced in the Assassin’s eyes, as if he could already see a decadent future of wealth and debauchery.

He twitched his finger, and a thousand needles shot forward. At the same time, he closed the distance in an instant, pressed the muzzle of a gun against Gu Nian’s lower back, and warned in a low voice, “Don’t move!”

Gu Nian didn’t turn around. He looked at the Assassin in the mirror and sighed. “They’re really getting sloppy, sending just one person.”

‘I have the highest kill rate in the organization, after all!’

The Assassin’s face twisted into a snarl as he growled, “Still putting on an act when you’re about to die!”

Just as he was about to make his move, his eyes shot wide open—

In the mirror, the Assassin clearly saw a spatial rift tear open behind him. A slender, youthful hand reached out from the rift, precisely and swiftly clamping down on his throat!

‘How could this be!’

The Assassin’s eyes widened in terror. He tried to cry out but was lifted off his feet. The “pretty boy” he had just been scorning in his heart possessed astonishing strength, leaving him no chance to resist.

Gu Nian’s eyelids were lowered. With a clean, decisive twist of his wrist, he snapped the man’s neck.

A few seconds later, the Assassin’s body slid limply to the floor.

Gu Nian tore open another spatial rift and tossed the body into the backyard of the Underground City Lord.

‘I heard Ye Linyuan got some new snakes recently. This can be a little nutritional supplement, a token of affection from his step-dad.’

After dealing with the Assassin, Gu Nian took out a silk handkerchief and meticulously wiped his fingers clean, his face devoid of any expression.

In truth, he felt little emotion for most people and things. He couldn’t be bothered to express joy or anger; emotions were useless to an Assassin.

Countless people had always called him cold-blooded.

Gu Nian didn’t care about the world’s opinion of him.

Most of his emotions had been worn away in bloody struggles. The few that remained were all related to Jiang Qingli.

Only when he revolved around Jiang Qingli did he feel like a living person, capable of experiencing true happiness.

In other words, Gu Nian’s greatest dream, ever since he was a child, had been to be her little trophy husband.

‘So, anyone who dares to disturb us can go and die.’

At 9:30 AM, the hover train pulled into Twelve Cities Station right on time.

The City Lord and his retinue had been waiting for some time and hurried forward to greet them.

Considering that Jiang Qingli was weary from her journey and had to visit an orphanage that afternoon, the City Lord didn’t schedule any formal engagements for lunch. The group simply had a casual meal in Zone A.

Before they left, the City Lord suddenly called over a young man and said to Jiang Qingli, “Miss Jiang, this is my youngest son, Ji Mu. He’s always had a big heart and is very interested in charity. He was especially captivated after watching your last charity livestream. How about we let him tag along and learn the ropes by lending you all a hand?”

‘It’s a good opportunity, and plenty of people tag along to burnish their own reputations.’

‘I’ll just consider it a favor. I can have him do some simple tasks later and get some screen time, that’s all.’

Jiang Qingli didn’t think much of it and agreed.

The group parted ways in the parking lot. Just as Jiang Qingli sat down in her car, she saw Ji Mu follow her over, intending to get in with her.

Assistant He reminded him, “Mr. Ji, your seat is next to me.”

“But I saw *him* riding with his big sis.” Ji Mu pointed at Gu Nian, feigning grievance. “I just want to follow his example…”

“Gu Nian is my Beast Husband.” Jiang Qingli frowned slightly. “How old are you? You don’t need to call me ‘big sis’.”

Jiang Qingli was gently reminding Ji Mu that even though he was just temporarily “lending a hand,” he needed to be mindful of his status and use a formal form of address.

Who would have thought that Ji Mu would completely miss her point? Instead, he lowered his head shyly and said in a coy voice, “I just turned eighteen last month, Sis…”