Chapter 363: I Thought You Wouldn’t Come Back Tonight

Chapter 363: Chapter 363: I Thought You Wouldn’t Come Back Tonight

Hearing Bai Ye’s words, the haze in Yun Sheng’s eyes instantly dissipated, and her muddled mind snapped to clarity. Her heart tightened slightly, and she immediately fell into hesitation.

She wondered what Si Jin had been thinking when he offered to let Bai Ye stay the night. But no matter what, this was Si Jin’s place. If she were to sleep in the guest bedroom with Bai Ye tonight, how inappropriate would that be!

Yun Sheng lowered her eyelashes, her fingertips gently gripping the hem of her clothes, hesitating to reply.

Her obvious dilemma and inner struggle were clearly seen by Bai Ye, who was close at hand. How could he not understand?

Bai Ye reined in the longing in his eyes. He lowered his head and gently kissed her burning cheek, his movements tender and restrained. His hoarse voice sounded slowly, "It’s my fault. I shouldn’t make things difficult for you. Just pretend you didn’t hear what I said just now."

He couldn’t bear to push her even the slightest bit.

Hearing this, Yun Sheng’s heart felt both soft and achy. She stood on her tiptoes, tilted her head up, and gently kissed the corner of his lips. The kiss was very light and soft, carrying her apology and tenderness as it barely brushed against his skin.

Bai Ye froze slightly. Looking down at the Little Guide who had taken the initiative to draw near to him, the emptiness in his heart was instantly filled. He reached around to gently encircle her waist, giving her a tender hug, and refrained from making any more excessive demands.

The two embraced quietly, lingering in their affection for a moment. Then, Bai Ye released her and gently ruffled the top of her hair. "It’s getting late. Go get some rest."

Yun Sheng nodded slightly. She gave him a longing look before turning to leave the guest bedroom, gently closing the door behind her.

The living room was quiet, bathed in soft lighting. The dishes in the kitchen had been cleaned and put away immaculately, leaving the space completely tidy. The only thing missing was Si Jin’s Eagle.

She padded softly back to the master bedroom, which was similarly empty.

Just as she felt puzzled, a sound suddenly came from nearby. Following it, she walked over to the balcony. Pulling aside the curtains, she immediately spotted Si Jin standing outside alone. The evening breeze fluttered the hem of his clothes. The night was heavy, and the chilly moonlight fell upon his tall, straight back, exuding an indescribably profound coldness.

He leaned against the railing by himself. His posture was upright, and an oppressive aura silently spread around him. He was so quiet that it made people afraid to approach.

Yun Sheng stood where she was and looked at him for a few seconds as a sour ache slowly welled up in her heart. She slid the balcony door open and stepped out into the cool evening breeze, walking up right behind him. Without saying a word, she simply raised her arms and gently hugged his waist from behind.

As her warm, soft cheek gently pressed against his slightly cool back, Si Jin’s body stiffened imperceptibly, and the icy aura surrounding him softened in an instant. He didn’t turn around, simply standing quietly in place, letting her hold him.

The evening breeze blew gently. After they had embraced quietly for quite a while, Si Jin slowly raised his hand, covered the back of the hands encircling his waist, and turned around.

The cold aloofness that had previously veiled his eyes completely faded. Looking down at the person in his arms, fragments of tenderness rippled in his gaze.

"I thought you weren’t coming back tonight."

Yun Sheng looked up at him and shook her head. With her cheek still nuzzling his warm palm, she replied softly, "How could I not?"

She kept holding onto him, refusing to let go, greedily clinging to this sense of security.

Si Jin quietly felt the soft reliance of the person in his arms, and that faint trace of gloom in his heart completely dissipated. He raised his hand to clasp her waist and lifted her effortlessly into his arms in a bridal carry.

The sudden feeling of being lifted into the air made Yun Sheng’s eyes widen slightly. She subconsciously threw her arms around his neck, a flash of astonishment crossing her gaze.

Si Jin looked down at her wide-eyed expression, his eyes brimming with tenderness, his deep voice carrying a smile. "It’s late. No more standing in the wind; let’s go back inside to wash up and sleep."

He turned and carried her into the master bedroom, his movements gentle and steady.

After a quick wash, the two of them lay down in bed together. Yun Sheng and Si Jin lay very close to each other. The bedding was warm and soft. In the quiet bedroom, slowly, only the steady, intertwined rhythm of their breathing remained.

***

The next morning, sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains, warm and inviting.

Yun Sheng leisurely woke up. The spot beside her on the bed was already slightly cool, indicating that Si Jin had been up for quite some time. She rubbed her eyes, stretched lazily, and draped a loose coat over her shoulders before walking out of the bedroom.

The living room was spotless. The guest room door was wide open, and the bedding inside was neatly folded. It was obvious that Bai Ye had left early.

Shifting her gaze, she saw Si Jin sitting on the sofa. He sat upright, tapping the floating terminal with his fingertips. A screen was enlarged before his eyes, displaying dense clusters of data and documents. He was exceptionally focused, his features bearing a gravity and seriousness rarely seen on normal days.

Wearing soft slippers, Yun Sheng slowly shuffled over. She crouched down right beside him, leaning in to look at the screen as she spoke softly. "What are you looking at? You’re so focused."

Hearing her voice, Si Jin turned his head to look at her. The gravity in his eyes faded a little, replaced by a touch of softness. He replied casually, "Some documents sent by Xing Che."

Yun Sheng tilted her head slightly, curiosity in her eyes. "Sent by Xing Che? Are they documents related to Dark Nest?"

"Mhm." Si Jin gave a low hum of affirmation. He reached out and gently grasped her wrist, pulling her up to sit next to him before continuing, "Yes, they are all internal documents from Dark Nest."

Yun Sheng immediately leaned closer to the floating screen, seriously scanning the dense text and data displayed on it. She didn’t understand the professional parameters for potions, but even with a rough glance, she could clearly tell something was wrong.

Frowning slowly, she voiced her confusion, "Is this... Dark Nest’s improved research on the Spiritual Induction Agent? Why do the data sets toward the end look like such a mess? Did their research run into problems?"

Si Jin nodded. Pointing at a string of abnormal data on the screen, his expression darkened slightly. "Judging from these records, Dark Nest must have previously had a core expert dedicated to researching High-level Spiritual Power Potions. But that person either hit a critical bottleneck they couldn’t break through, or met with an accident halfway through. As a result, the research on the improved induction agent completely stalled, and there hasn’t been any new progress for a long time."

He swiped on the screen with his fingertip, pulling up more data.

"If my guess is right, they should be in desperate need of a top expert proficient in spiritual power research right now to help them break through this technical bottleneck and perfect the induction agent targeting High-level Sentinels."

Yun Sheng’s heart skipped a beat. The words Lin Yueyao had told her in the interrogation room previously flashed through her mind, and she instantly understood what he meant, her breathing hitching.

"You mean..."

Si Jin turned to meet her gaze and slowly nodded. "It’s Mo Chen. Dark Nest’s next move will definitely be to try everything they can to capture him."

These words caused Yun Sheng’s heart to hang in her throat. Her expression filled with anxiety, she hurriedly asked, "Have you sent this document to Bai Ye?"

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became, causing her to speak a bit faster.

"He said before that he would send people to heavily guard Mo Chen. Is that actually reliable? If Mo Chen really gets taken by the people from Dark Nest, allowing them to break through the bottleneck in their induction agent research, the consequences would be unimaginable!"