Chapter 154: Soul and Shell

Yang Jingyuan said as her fingers slowly slid down from Wen Nan's jaw to his neck, tracing skillful circles over his protruding Adam's apple.

Since the other party had already put it that way, how could Wen Nan and his little companion possibly refuse?

He was a man with a strong sense of justice, deeply well-versed in the principle that life is short and getting straight to business is what truly matters.

Therefore, while smiling and replying, "Understood, sister," he wrapped an arm around her slender waist and prepared to get right down to business.

However, the expression on the other person's face underwent a dramatic transformation in an instant.

The very moment Wen Nan touched her, she suddenly raised her leg in a flying kick that almost left Wen Nan unable to continue his family line.

Fortunately, Wen Nan maintained a certain level of vigilance, backed by decent agility stats, allowing him to easily evade the incoming attack. He raised a hand, gripped her ankle tightly, and looked at the woman in front of him in sheer bewilderment.

Why the sudden change in expression?

Upon being touched on the skin of her ankle, Yang Jingyuan's expression grew even worse. She yanked her foot back as if receiving an electric shock and recoiled backward, pressing her damp spine tightly against the car door, staring at Wen Nan with eyes full of vigilance and hostility.

"What's wrong, sister?"

Wen Nan asked with a blank expression.

Yang Jingyuan spoke coldly, "Get the hell out of my car!"

Wen Nan:?

9527: [Attention, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has dropped to: 88%.]

9527: [Attention, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has dropped to: 85%.]

9527: [Attention, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has dropped to: 82%.]

Wen Nan:……

Though completely baffled, seeing that the favorability rating was about to plummet below 80%, Wen Nan reluctantly raised his hands in a compromise and said, "Alright, I'll get out now. Don't be angry, but at least let me put my shirt back on first."

Yang Jingyuan's expression softened slightly. She lifted her foot, hooked the shirt lying by the edge of the seat, and pushed it toward Wen Nan.

Wen Nan picked the shirt up from her instep while simultaneously activating his skill within the system.

9527: [Your skill, Mind Reading, has taken effect. The item Tear of Insight has been stacked for you, with a total duration of 30 minutes.]

A female voice, much gloomier than Yang Jingyuan's actual voice, echoed in his mind—

"Hmph! Shameless stinky man!"

"This new soul taking over this body is simply both stupid and cheap!"

"Why should I have been sent to the furnace to be completely destroyed, only to have such a dull soul usurp this vessel?"

9527: [Attention, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has dropped to: 76%.]

"Good thing I was smart enough to open the devoured player's welfare item halfway through, hiding inside to escape disaster..."

"I knew that as long as I kept lying dormant in this body, I would eventually be reawakened one day!"

"Hmph, all that nonsense about defying the world's consciousness, breaking game rules, and slaughtering innocent players—it's all utter bullshit! Pure nonsense!"

"These people deserve to die! Their heads should be chewed off by me! Instead of acting like this cheap bitch right now, kneeling before this stinky man and chewing on another kind of head!"

9527: [Attention, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has dropped to: 69%.]

Wen Nan:……

He had just buttoned the final button at the collar of his shirt, and the target's favorability rating had already plunged below 70% directly...

Wen Nan sighed and shook his head, leaning forward as he reached out toward her waist and hips.

Yang Jingyuan's body instantly tensed up, her eyes narrowing like a leopard ready to pounce at any second.

"Still daring to approach?!"

"You're simply asking for a death wish!"

"I'll show you what this young lady is made of right now!"

"......"

"Why? Why can't I sense it? Not even a tiny trace of that emotion can be sensed..."

"Why does this man look... so special... especially handsome..."

9527: [Congratulations, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has increased to: 72%.]

Wen Nan:?

It could actually rise by 3 points instead of dropping under these circumstances?

He hadn't even intended to romance her; when he leaned in, he had no preparations whatsoever to deal with this abruptly appearing "flamingo" personality.

"Apologies, please move aside for a moment, I need to grab something," Wen Nan said.

Yang Jingyuan froze, failing to react for a moment, and somewhat dazed, she turned her body to the other side.

"Thank you." Wen Nan thrust his hand into the crevice of the adjacent seat and retrieved the black marker that had fallen inside.

Afterward, he withdrew from her space, turned around, opened the car door, and walked out without looking back.

He had barely taken two steps when Yang Jingyuan's shout came from behind: "Wait!"

She rolled down the car window, poked her head out, and looked at Wen Nan with an apologetic expression. "Little brother, I'm sorry. I couldn't control my emotions just now and lost my composure for a moment. I didn't mean to..."

9527: [Congratulations, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has increased to: 91%.]

Had it... returned to the original favorability rating?

Wen Nan paused in his tracks, turned around, walked back to the side of the car, bent down, rested his hands on the car window, and looked down at her from above.

Yang Jingyuan raised a hand, stroked Wen Nan's arm, and smiled as she tried to make him stay. "Get back in, shall we continue?"

Wen Nan was still holding the marker in his hand. At this moment, he used the tail end of the pen to intentionally or unintentionally poke the fair skin covered in a fine layer of sweat on her arm.

"Sister Xiaoyuan, are you harboring something on your mind?"

Shadows gathered once more within the depths of Yang Jingyuan's eyes.

Noticing her expression, Wen Nan seized the opportunity to ask, "Does it have anything to do with that furnace?"

Yang Jingyuan was startled, staring blankly at Wen Nan without answering.

"He... how does he know about the furnace?"

"Did that foolish soul tell him? No! Impossible! She doesn't even know the furnace exists! How could a soul that hasn't experienced the nightmare of complete destruction know of the furnace's existence?"

Wen Nan asked casually, as if it were nothing, "Where is that furnace?"

"Far away in the horizon yet right before your very eyes, you idiot!"

"Could it be... right beneath our feet?"

"He's... trying to probe me? What a terrifying stinky man!"

9527: [Attention, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has dropped to: 69%.]

"Have you been there? Can you take me?" Wen Nan pressed on.

"Why does he know... why does he know..."

"Why am I here... why am I here..."

"Screech—screech—screech—"

A piercing, shrill ringing sounded in his mind, causing Wen Nan's head to throb with blinding pain. He was forced to pull his hand back, pressing hard against his temples while shaking his head in an attempt to shake off the horrifying noise.

Regaining his focus and looking back at Yang Jingyuan, he found that she had already reverted to her previous demeanor, looking at him with a blank expression. "...Little brother? What... exactly is wrong?"

9527: [Congratulations, target "Wealthy woman seeking a child for a fortune", current favorability rating has increased to: 91%.]

Wen Nan's mind grew quiet once more, his thoughts clearer than ever before.

So that was how it was...

The corners of his lips curved upward, revealing a smile of complete understanding.