Transmigrated into the world of an NTR novel as the NTR Bastard (Patreon)

Chapter 25: Mutual Understanding Through Words

Lu Qingchuan gazed at Chen Yanyu with an unwavering countenance, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before rising from his seat, a dawning realization animating his movements.

"You can sit down first."

"What about you?"

"Don’t worry about me, I'll figure something out."

Chen Yanyu cautiously eased towards the sofa's edge, her dainty, ivory hands anxiously folding and unfolding the hem of her shirt, gliding over her waist, her legs maintaining a tightly woven closeness, huddled in a distant corner of the sofa, reminiscent of a pitiable little creature seeking solace.

"Lu Qingchuan..." Chen Yanyu's gaze brimmed with tenderness and a trace of mournful indignation, "Was this yet another intentional act?"

"This time, it wasn't intentional."

Lu Qingchuan's features remained devoid of emotion as he draped a delicate, light blue blanket over Chen Yanyu's legs, the action gentle and deliberate.

He resettled himself on the sofa, positioned next to Chen Yanyu, though maintaining a modest gap between them.

"Let's watch TV." The cadence of the young man's voice carried an air of tranquility and equilibrium, as if he had transcended the mundane intricacies of life. But his heart raced fervently.

The sight of this dragon girl Ivory tresses, wearing his shirt with her exposed legs... what a captivating blend!

Chen Yanyu's countenance finally eased into a semblance of relaxation, a sweet smile gracing her lips, a playful dimple forming on her cheek. "Thank you."

A fragrance, pure and tender, hung suspended around them. In the company of someone cherished, Lu Qingchuan found himself involuntarily exhaling, proffering the remote control to Chen Yanyu in a hushed exchange.

Don't be greedy, he definitely can’t be too greedy.

If Chen Yanyu turned into a tyrant due to being influenced by negative emotions and started wrecking things with her lightning magic, the careful disguise he had crafted tonight would be in vain.

"You can choose whatever you want to watch, I'm fine with anything. But just one episode, then we'll rest. I have things to do tomorrow."

"Okay, okay!"

Chen Yanyu happily picked up the remote control and started pressing the buttons, a far cry from her clumsiness when she was playing with her phone.

Although she was pressing the buttons quickly, Chen Yanyu took an extended period to make her selection. It felt as if she worried that the young man beside her might grow impatient, a touch of redness gracing her eyes.

"I don't know what to watch..."

After finally being given the chance to do this after doing it alone for so long, Chen Yanyu wanted this "first time" of watching TV with her friend to be perfect, to become a beautiful memory that would stay in her heart forever.

Chen Yanyu's indecisiveness struck again.

Seeing that the dragon girl was at a loss, Lu Qingchuan let out a smile and said, "Take your time."

Lu Qingchuan wasn't in a hurry, and while he waited for the dragon girl to make her choice, he filled his time by browsing through posts on his phone, learning about the appearance of the mysterious "Inner World" after the resurgence of spiritual energy.

Among young cultivators of this new world, there seemed to be an implicit understanding.

They referred to the ordinary world as the "Outer World," where people sang, played cards, and video games, went to bars and had barbecues at night, and took the subway to work during the day, where they do what normal non-supernatural people would do.

And then, the situations where cultivators or the people of the supernatural world were to interact with each other were referred to as the "Inner World."

When a cultivator met with each other, they would discuss cultivation insights, and sometimes, they would also spend their time with a spar, trading some extraordinary items, or forming teams to explore the wider world to search for some otherworldly treasures, or go somewhere to pay respects to a certain master's sect.

Then, Lu Qingchuan discovered a "Pathseeker List."

It seemed that after completing one's personal information, they would be eligible to be listed.

Entering the top ten would gain the support of the Dragon Summer Country's Dao Alliance and increase the chances of being noticed by reclusive experts. In case they had the intention to take in disciples, even forming a good relationship would lead to many benefits.

The top ten of the "Pathseeker List" were names that are unfamiliar to Lu Qingchuan, and the ones that he was familiar with are ranked quite low.

They were probably going to accomplish something significant in the future.

But for now, Lu Qingchuan didn't have the time to think about it.

Because Chen Yanyu had finally chosen what she wanted to watch and was busy tugging at his sleeve with a cute pout in her face.

“Yes yes, wait a second." Seeing her pout, Lu Qingchuan let out a happy smile, stood up again under Chen Yanyu's surprised gaze and went to get two bottles of chilled sparkling water.

After sitting down at his original place, Lu Qingchuan gave the dragon girl one of the bottles. "Here."

"Thank you so much!"

After skipping a 15-second advertisement, the two teenagers sat side by side on the sofa, unscrewing their drinks and simultaneously taking big sips.

Then...

"Ha—"

The drinks are a bit chilly.

Then, Lu Qingchuan glanced at Chen Yanyu.

The girl's cheeks were no longer as blush-red as before. They were as fair as fresh snow, a sight that made one want to hold her in their palms.

Right now, both of the dragon girl arms are hugging a small pillow that she placed in her lap, golden pupils gleaming, her focused gaze reflecting the distorted image of the TV screen, it’s obvious that she was completely absorbed in the show.

Seeing Chen Yanyu so happy, Lu Qingchuan couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort that infected his mood.

Lu Qingchuan hadn't paid much attention to the name of the TV show, probably something like "Zhang Family's Classmate."

"Have you seen this one before?" Chen Yanyu pointed to the screen with the remote control.

Lu Qingchuan shook his head and hesitated, before turning his head to take a look at her and asked "What about you?"

"I'm watching it for the first time too!"

Hearing her words, Lu Qingchuan seemed to understand why Chen Yanyu took so long to choose.

She had seen countless shows and wanted to have a perfect first-time viewing experience with him, so she deliberately picked a new drama that she hadn't watched just yet.

The “Zhang Family’s Classmate.”  had just started airing these past few days.

The TV show began, and Lu Qingchuan didn't really mind watching. Even though these idol dramas usually had somewhat predictable plots, one could guess how they would develop.

But...

Surprisingly, once immersed into the show, it's quite interesting. And Chen Yanyu chose a good drama to watch – the acting of the male and female leads is commendable, at least not to the point of being scary during emotional scenes.

Around halftime, the TV show forcefully inserted an advertisement... even having a membership didn't help them skip the Ads..

"Oh, by the way," Lu Qingchuan suddenly remembered something and smiled, "Let me check what new movies are going to be released soon."

Chen Yanyu's eyes sparkled, and she looked at him eagerly. "Anime movies!"

"Sure."

Lu Qingchuan began searching on his phone.

Chen Yanyu wanted to lean over to see but restrained herself, anxiously waiting. She raised her big eyes, trying hard to catch a glimpse of Lu Qingchuan's phone screen. She looked so nervous that one would want to give her a hug.

"I found one."

Lu Qingchuan looked at the comments and couldn't help but smile. "Looks like we struck gold. Everyone's praising it. It's probably a good movie. Let's go watch it sometime."

"Sure, sure!" Chen Yanyu responded immediately, without even thinking.

The curious Chen Yanyu couldn't resist any longer. She supported herself on the side of the couch with both hands, slowly and cautiously inching her body toward Lu Qingchuan.

She leaned in close to Lu Qingchuan, gently and carefully, like a cautious little bird, her head resting lightly on his shoulder, just like in the bar.

Chen Yanyu asked softly, "What's the story about, roughly?"

Lu Qingchuan slid his finger and glanced at the title and description.

"Well... let me see..."

He smiled slightly, "It's about the sweet love story between an insecure girl and a socially anxious boy during summer vacation. They confess their feelings during a fireworks festival, overcoming their own fears and weaknesses, bravely pursuing happiness."

Chen Yanyu's eyelashes trembled, her heart seemingly thinking of something, and she muttered, "It sounds so beautiful. What's the title?"

Then Lu Qingchuan hesitated for a moment and slowly, gently spoke:

"Yán Yǔ Xū Xiāng Zhī."

"Yán?"

"Don't rush, it's a bit tongue-twisting."

Lu Qingchuan enunciated each word slowly, his voice soft and warm,

"Yán... Yǔ... Xū... Xiāng... Zhī."

Silver hair cascaded over his cheek, and Chen Yanyu's eyes were as tender as clear water, crystal-clear like a pure moon. "『Yán Yǔ Xū Xiāng Zhī』."

Chen Yanyu repeated it once more, her heart feeling ticklish, and she softly recited, "Yán Yǔ Xū Xiāng Zhī..."

"Yes, that's it."

"Lu, Lu Qingchuan..."

"Hmm?"

Chen Yanyu's gaze tilted toward Lu Qingchuan by her side, and then she shyly looked away.

"I..."

"I love you."

Hearing the unexpected words, Lu Qingchuan movement all froze up for a moment.

And just like the boy, Chen Yanyu's body did too.

Both of them turned their gazes to the TV screen at the same time, where the female lead was confessing her feelings to the male lead under the bright sunlight.

The BGM in the show also stopped, leaving only the relentless chirping of cicadas in the midsummer.

The camera switched to the actor's face.

He spoke in a cold tone, about to give his response.

That response seemed to make everything go silent.

Lu Qingchuan was so entranced that he stared blankly.

And then...

"Please watch the preview for the next episode." A charismatic male voice suddenly interrupted.

Bang!

The remote control was smashed against the TV by a soft little hand and bounced off, sliding a long way across the clear floor.

Chen Yanyu's silver hair was disheveled within the arc, and she bit her lip, saying, "I'm going to smash it!"

Lu Qingchuan: "???"

Girl, that TV was mine!

However, Chen Yanyu was already furiously pushing aside the small blanket and leaping onto the coffee table. She dashed forward like a frenzied kitten, her two slender and fair legs completely exposed in the air, her little feet a rosy shade.

Lu Qingchuan was taken aback and quickly embraced Chen Yanyu, who was standing on the coffee table.

"Calm down a bit. This is my TV."

"Why did they pause it here?! Let him say he likes her, let him say it!!!"

"It's not its fault! It's the screenwriters and directors, they're trying hard to make you watch the next episode! That's why!"

Struggling, Chen Yanyu's anger quickly faded. As a result, as soon as she softened her strength, her body unavoidably tilted backward, causing Lu Qingchuan, who was holding onto her waist, to also fall back onto the sofa.

The girl lay in Lu Qingchuan's embrace, like a little cat that had rolled onto its back, her unsuccessful assault causing her snow-white fingers to awkwardly spread over her chest.

They exchanged silent glances, both feeling a bit dazed.