After a brief moment of frustration, Ye Zhizhou quickly regained his composure. He opened the system data and began his mandatory research on each world, looking for clues within the details.
Based on his recent interactions with the male leads, he was now quite certain that there were hidden motives behind the male leads' relationships with the protagonist. Shen Zixia was straightforward, and Su Yu genuinely liked the real Shen Mengxi. Cen Yuebai got close to the protagonist to help Shen Mengxi regain her soul, while Yin Feiyu deeply despised the protagonist's dark soul. As for Zhang Lin and Cao Yu, judging by their behavior at the police station, their passionate displays when Fan Lang occupied Shen Mengxi's body didn't seem to be genuine love; it appeared they wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Given these circumstances, he concluded that none of the six male leads genuinely loved the protagonist!
...Perhaps this protagonist was the most inept one in all the task worlds, as none of the harem members truly loved him... After a brief moment of complaining, he refocused on the plot. Since the male leads didn't love the protagonist, why did they later choose to be with him?
Unable to understand, he set this question aside for the moment. He skipped over all the romantic scenes and looked into another aspect he didn't quite grasp: Shen Zihao's ending. If Shen Zixia and Su Yu didn't truly love the protagonist, they shouldn't have had a reason to harm their own younger brother... No, Su Yu might have a reason to harm him. He sighed and rubbed his face; his mind had been a bit scattered lately... Also, it seemed Shen Zihao didn't actually die; the original plot only mentioned him going to jail after being abused, and he was never mentioned again... Let's assume the original protagonist had always been in jail.
Finding no breakthrough in Shen Zihao's ending, he turned his attention to what Fan Lang did after regaining his soul. After a long period of rehabilitation, Fan Lang recovered his health and became much more stable in character. At this point, he was twenty-six years old, and people his age were busy with their careers, while his memories were still stuck in his university days. But he seemed unfazed by this and, after fully recovering, joined his family's company. He started from the bottom, working diligently to familiarize himself with the business, displaying a level of dedication that was entirely uncharacteristic of Fan Lang.
...His diligence and hard work were completely unlike Fan Lang.
Ye Zhizhou frowned and focused on this part of the plot. Yin Feiyu had mentioned that Fan Lang's personality had changed after awakening... So, this diligent and hardworking individual in the original plot should have been the invading soul.
With a clearer train of thought, he concentrated on analyzing further. Fan Lang's hard work earned him praise and recognition from his family, but it didn't last long. Fan Lang soon came out as gay and, immediately afterward, abandoned his career to spend money abroad and indulge in casual affairs.
He furrowed his brow. This part sounded like something Fan Lang would do on his own, spending money to pursue casual relationships... Afterward, he was angrily confronted by the male leads and locked in a "small dark room."
Wait, a "small dark room"?
He finally realized what was amiss! In all the plot data, there was not a single description of the male leads being intimate with the protagonist! None at all! They had alluded to it with the "small dark room," but there was no direct portrayal of intimacy! Even simple acts like holding hands or kissing weren't described! The most they had was a hug... Yes, it was Cen Yuebai's hug!
While the protagonist's various affairs were described explicitly, the male leads were merely locked in a "small dark room," which was highly abnormal. Could it be that the male leads didn't actually have intimate encounters with the protagonist in the "small dark room"? Then, what about the protagonist's complaints about their positions during those encounters?
Suddenly, he remembered his partner's proficiency with symbols and Su Yu's preference for the real Shen Mengxi. The disconnected pieces finally began to make sense. Yin Feiyu's clairvoyance, Cen Yuebai's symbol-making skills, soul merging, and the possible grudges held by Shen Zixia and Su Yu against Fan Lang... Could it be that the male leads locked the protagonist in the "small dark room" to attempt to separate the invading soul? And then, to cover it up, they created a false impression of intimacy?
But what about Zhang Lin and Cao Yu? Why did they get involved in this situation? Cen Yuebai and Yin Feiyu seemed related to the invading soul, and Shen Zixia and Su Yu might be motivated by revenge, but what about these two? To save their brothers?
"... " He pulled his wandering thoughts back and forced himself to focus on the true protagonist of this world: the invading soul. If the "small dark room" play was the male leads' way of struggling with the invading soul, why did they always choose to do it after the protagonist's affairs? Considering the concept of soul merging... could it be that there was a problem with the protagonist's soul merging? So, sometimes, the one in control was the real Fan Lang, and other times it was the invading soul? Given what was known about Fan Lang's personality, during his affairs, he must have been in control, which is why the male leads chose that time for the "small dark room"...
Imagining the male leads eagerly waiting for the protagonist to have affairs, Ye Zhizhou suddenly felt like laughing. Finally, there was an explanation for Fan Lang's alternating between diligence and casual affairs in the original plot... With Cen Yuebai around, it seemed that merging with the invading soul was indeed quite challenging.
After a moment of amusement, the plot moved on to the Yuan family part, and his lightened mood grew heavy once again. The protagonist's soul flags had now been transferred to the two children of the Yuan family. From this, it seemed that the invading soul either had a grudge against the Yuan family or coveted something they had.
He reviewed the part where the protagonist pursued the wife of the big shot again and discovered a horrifying fact. Unlike previous instances where the protagonist had affairs with little regard for emotions, this time, the protagonist took the route of gentle care, discussing emotions before intimacy. Moreover, the big shot's discovery of his wife's affair seemed too coincidental, as if someone had deliberately informed him.
His expression grew serious as he turned to the part where the protagonist had slept with the big shot's son and daughter.
... It's too deliberate. Unlike what was mentioned in the original plot, where the protagonist slept with the big shot's son and daughter in anger at the male leads' indifference, this part of the plot seems more like the protagonist intentionally slept with the big shot's children to provoke him, unrelated to the male leads at all.
Moreover, this incident happened many years after the last time they locked him in a "small dark room," and the male leads rarely appeared by the protagonist's side. This time, when the protagonist slept with the big shot's wife, the male leads didn't come to clean up the mess and behaved very passively. Considering the possible reasons why the male leads were with the protagonist, could it be that at this point, the male leads no longer cared about the protagonist because the soul merging had been successful, and Fan Lang couldn't come back...
After repeatedly pondering over this part of the plot, he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart. The big shot was indeed furious when the protagonist slept with his wife, but he didn't actually harm the protagonist; he only tortured him for a while, and the protagonist had no injuries afterward, just a bit sleep-deprived... Later, when the protagonist slept with the big shot's son and daughter, the big shot was also angry but still didn't harm him. The protagonist's ultimate demise came from the big shot's wife, son, and daughter jointly causing his death.
Why did this big shot seem reluctant to let the protagonist die? And the subsequent scenes of the male leads' struggles against the big shot showed that the male leads' revenge was rather perfunctory, but the big shot's retaliation was intense, forcing the male leads to take it seriously. What puzzled him the most was the big shot's reaction after his wife and children killed the protagonist; he actually buried the protagonist and then divorced his wife, not asking for anything from his son and daughter. He dedicated all his assets and enthusiasm to the fight against the male leads and even left a will giving everything to his adopted son, without giving anything to his biological son and daughter.
This big shot...
A thought began to take shape in his mind, and he sighed, preparing himself mentally before channeling his psychic energy into the internet to investigate the big shot's life history. Half an hour later, he sat back on the bed, speechless, and questioned the heavens.
The big shot... was bisexual, and he had worked his way up from a humble background. He had a childhood friend who was also his boyfriend... Later, he abandoned his boyfriend because he had become infatuated with a rich young lady and even got her pregnant...
The childhood friend and boyfriend went insane, attempted to kill the young lady but failed, and he was killed instead. The big shot had no knowledge of this and believed that his childhood friend had moved abroad to heal from his heartbreak...
The current big shot was not yet a big shot; he was just a son-in-law with no status in the rich family and was quietly working hard...
It felt like a bucket of melodrama had been poured over him, and now he just wanted to pummel that big shot.
"Are you done spacing out?" Cen Yuebai, who had been quietly sitting on the side, suddenly spoke up, reached out, and touched his eyes. "I want to know your name and, more importantly, what you originally looked like... I suddenly envy Yin Feiyu; his clairvoyance can see into souls, and naturally, he can see your true appearance."
Ye Zhizhou snapped out of his thoughts from the plot and blinked for a moment. Then, he quickly took out pen and paper from his space and started drawing, not minding revealing the secret of his space to his beloved.
Cen Yuebai was briefly surprised by the pen and paper Ye Zhizhou conjured out of nowhere but quickly regained his composure. He moved closer to Ye Zhizhou, almost as if he wanted to lock him in with a possessive demeanor.
"I don't have any photos, so I'll draw it for you. I'm not good at drawing, and you..." Ye Zhizhou suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. He extended the drawing halfway and then hesitated, speaking softly, "My name is Ye Zhizhou... You, you're not allowed to say I'm ugly. I haven't complained about your domineering and bad-tempered attitude..."
A gentle smile appeared on Cen Yuebai's face as he took the drawing from Ye Zhizhou's hand and examined it carefully. Then, he looked up at Ye Zhizhou's eyes, suddenly laughed, and hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear, "It's very handsome... Zhizhou, is it the Zhizhou in '关关雎鸠,在河之洲'?"
"No, no," Ye Zhizhou couldn't help blushing and tugged at his lover's clothes. "I'm an orphan, and when I was in the welfare home, I only had a number, no name. Later, when I had to go to school, I needed a name, so the welfare home let us choose one. And when we became adults and weren't satisfied with it, we could change it... I was found in a forest on a sandbank, covered in leaves, so... that's how I got this name... I didn't know that poem at the time..."
The more he talked, the more embarrassed he felt. He hadn't thought there was anything wrong with his name before, but now, in front of his beloved, he felt unusually self-conscious.
"Amidst the forest sands, Ye Zhizhou," Cen Yuebai repeated softly, gently brushing against his blushing ear. After a while, he murmured, "Little Zhizhou..."
This was the first time his lover had called him by his real name, and the embarrassment was stronger than ever. He awkwardly covered his reddened face and then quickly covered his lover's eyes. "Don't call me that! And don't look at me like that! Be normal, and don't... don't pronounce my name like that."
"How should I say it?" Cen Yuebai's mouth curled up with delight. "Little Zhizhou, do you not like it when I call you that?"
He couldn't handle it anymore! That tone of voice, that expression, and the suggestive tone at the end... He simply pounced on him and pressed him onto the bed, even covering his mouth. He was blushing intensely now and shifted from embarrassment to anger. "You need to calm down! Close your eyes and don't look at me like that!"
Cen Yuebai chuckled softly, raised his arm to embrace him, and pulled him closer. His fingers slowly traced his ears and neck, and suddenly, he extended his tongue to lick his palm.
!!! He quickly withdrew his hand, locking eyes with his lover's amused gaze. After a moment of embarrassment, he crawled to the head of the bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and loudly declared, "Get out! Get out! I want to sleep!"
The bed shifted slightly, and then the blanket covering him was tugged. "But you just woke up not long ago."
He hastily tightened his grip on the blanket, his leg kicking out aimlessly to push him away. "I-I'm sleepy again, is that not allowed? Aren't you supposed to prepare a soul-returning talisman for Mengxi? Go quickly, and don't stick to me."
"The soul-returning talisman is already prepared." His legs were subdued, and the blanket was pulled up again. A voice filled with a teasing tone came from above the blanket. "Now, I want to date with my little Zhizhou."
"..."
Ah, ah, ah! Foul play! This isn't fair! He doesn't even know his lover's real name and what he originally looked like! No, his lover is reborn normally every time, and it seems like his name and appearance are always the same... Anyway, it's unfair!
Shen Zixia noticed that Cen Yuebai and his younger brother seemed to have become even more affectionate. His usually prickly younger brother turned into a soft and cute bunny in front of Cen Yuebai, leaving him feeling a bit left out and wanting some alone time. He decided to escape to the neighboring ward where he wouldn't have to witness their lovey-dovey moments. However, he was greeted by his cousin's infatuated expression, making him wish he could disappear from this world.
This world was just too unfriendly for single people... He leaned against the wall outside the ward and suddenly felt like having a cigarette.
"Hospital rules forbid smoking." A hand reached into his pocket but was stopped. He turned his head to see Yin Feiyu standing in front of him with a blank expression. His eyebrows twitched, and he looked down to see a notebook in Yin Feiyu's hand.
He took out a pack of mint candies from his pocket and shook it towards Yin Feiyu. "Doctor, want one? It's guaranteed to refresh your mind."
Yin Feiyu stared at the box of mint candies, slowly withdrew the notebook, and changed the subject. "How is Shen Mengxi's condition?"
Shen Zixia, who had been trying to be a good big brother lately, immediately became vigilant. He looked at Yin Feiyu and asked, "Why are you so concerned about Mengxi? Do you really have feelings for her?" He had learned from his younger brother that this doctor had initially approached Mengxi because he noticed something was off with her soul. But now that her soul was back to normal, why was this doctor still sticking around?
Yin Feiyu scrutinized him from top to bottom and continued, "How is Shen Sihao's condition?"
"Do you have feelings for my brother too?!" He became even more guarded.
Communication breakdown.
Yin Feiyu gave up on trying to communicate with him and pushed open the door to Ye Zhizhou's ward. After going inside, he slammed the door shut.
The loud closing of the door brought Shen Zixia back to his senses. He stiffened for a moment and then rubbed his face with a sigh. It seemed like the doctor's concern for the patient's condition was quite normal... He had been under a lot of stress lately, and his reaction had been a bit exaggerated.
Click. The door to the ward was opened again, and Yin Feiyu walked out. He glanced deeply at Shen Zixia and suddenly said, "I suggest you visit the psychiatric department downstairs." After saying this, he turned and left in a hurry.
Shen Zixia was taken aback and then became furious. No wonder doctor-patient relationships were so bad these days, with the attitude of doctors like him. The way he treated patients' family members, they could easily tear down the hospital!
Cen Yuebai came out of the room afterward, seemingly unsurprised to find him outside. He took out a piece of talisman paper and said, "Get ready; we can perform the soul-returning ritual for Shen Mengxi now."