I transmigrated into the villain's white moonlight, but the protagonist is my brother.

Chapter 127 Green Water City Mountain Village

"Sister, do you miss me?"

Shen Yan's voice sounded somewhat distorted through the receiver, low and hoarse.

Xie Yan gripped her phone tightly, not giving a direct answer, "I was just asking, how have you been lately?"

"pretty good."

Shen Yan's reply was unexpectedly brief. Xie Yan waited for two seconds, but she didn't expect that he would actually only reply with three words.

Xie Yan had become accustomed to Shen Yan's clingy, coquettish, and adorable manner, so his current normal behavior made her feel a little uncomfortable.

She got up, took her phone, and walked to the balcony, looking down at the dark lake through the window screen.

"...Why does your voice sound like this? Are you sick?"

There was complete silence on the other end of the line. After a long pause, he gave a soft "hmm," and then said, "But it's not serious, it's nothing."

Hearing Shen Yan's efforts to maintain a normal tone, Xie Yan couldn't help but ask, "Where are you staying now? Is someone taking care of you at home?"

"I have an assistant near the company, so it's fine."

Xie Yan asked a question, and Shen Yan answered it; the two of them were very polite in their back-and-forth conversation.

It was so normal that it seemed like a conversation between an ordinary senior and junior student.

After a long pause, Xie Yan finally pursed her lips and asked, "Shen Yan, I'm asking you, did you go to the temple last month to get a peace charm?"

"Ah."

"Then...who were you praying for?"

There was complete silence on the other side, before a soft voice finally broke through.

"you."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan felt that it was indeed the case, but she didn't feel relieved at having guessed the answer correctly. She took a deep breath, and a strange anger rose in her heart. "I heard that you kowtowed all the way up? Just for that peace charm??"

"Ah."

At this point, Shen Yan seemed to have become very sparing with his words, speaking in a low voice and refusing to say a single word until Xie Yan asked him a question.

"Where's that thing? Why didn't you give it to me?"

"The day you went on a blind date, you threw it away."

The boy's voice was weak and deep, with little emotional fluctuation, making it unclear whether he was genuinely emotionless or simply too weak to investigate due to physical discomfort.

But Shen Yan was always cold, both in body temperature and temperament, like a bucket of cold water, leaving Xie Yan speechless.

She felt a lump in her throat, stunned and frozen in place, Shen Yan's voice echoing in her mind.

You threw it away.

The scene of kicking people out that day is still vivid in my mind, including the scene of her throwing that little thing off the building in a fit of anger.

In other words, while she was having dinner on her blind date that day, Shen Yan was on the mountain, kowtowing and praying for a good luck charm for her.

"It's okay, just throw away useless things, don't worry about it. I won't do those useless and stupid things again."

The boy's voice was incredibly calm and rational, as if he had matured considerably in a short period of time.

"That's enough, sister, I'm tired."

"and many more!"

Sensing that Shen Yan was about to hang up, Xie Yan couldn't help but call out, then turned to put on her shoes, "Where are you? I'm coming to find you now, let's talk face to face!"

however.

In the glaring light of the living room, the boy lay on the sofa, his light-colored shirt covered in a patch of blood on the shoulder. The dried black and fresh red intertwined, making it particularly striking.

Shen Yan's face was pale and his hair was disheveled. He could even hear the sound of his only neighbor opening the door in the hallway.

"Shen Yan, speak!"

The same anxious female voice came from both the receiver and outside the door.

The boy, with his eyes closed, actually gave a faint smile.

"Sorry, I'm not available right now."

After saying that, Shen Yan hung up the phone.

Xie Yan, who had just put on her shoes and coat and had already stepped out of the room, stared at her black-screened phone in utter shock.

Shen Yan actually hung up the phone.

She stood at the door for a long time, lost in thought, and felt a sense of loss.

After a while, Xie Yan remembered that she hadn't had time to tell Xie Yutong, so she called her again.

This time, no one really answered.

After closing the door and returning home, Xie Yan sat blankly on the sofa. After a while, she sent Shen Yan a text message, reminding him to pay attention to Xie Yutong.

Of course, the other party did not reply.

A strange emotion suddenly surged within Xie Yan's heart.

Before Shen Yan recognized her, he could still pretend to be a gentle and harmless junior, and was very polite to her.

After the two acknowledged each other, Shen Yan became even more adorable, acting like a sweetheart and an enthusiastic golden retriever, responding to everything and wanting to stick to Xie Yan and never leave her side.

But now, she's a little...

Xie Yan couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she just felt that such a cold reaction shouldn't be something Shen Yan would do; it felt somewhat disjointed.

Suddenly, the system spoke, startling Xie Yan: "Sometimes I really think you're pretty much a scumbag."

Xie Yan shuddered, nearly dropping her phone. [Can you please stop suddenly appearing and scaring me! And can you please stop prying into my thoughts? Don't you have any privacy at all?!]

The system chuckled. [You think I want this? I've noticed you're really ostrich-like when it comes to relationships.]

Xie Yan was speechless for a long time before putting down her phone and burying her face in a pillow.

"...I just don't know how to treat him anymore. I'm so conflicted, one minute I'm angry, the next I'm heartbroken. I don't know how to face him."

Xie Yan's feelings towards Shen Yan have always been incredibly complex.

She'd kissed him, touched him, even slapped him—it was just one step away from the final act. She could no longer see him as the pitiful, helpless little stray cat she knew ten years ago.

Ah, if only relationships were as simple as math problems.

The system suddenly acted like a relationship expert, posing a question: "If you were to travel to the original timeline and see Shen Yan forcibly kissing Bai Zhiwei or any other woman, going crazy for her, wanting to give her his whole heart, and not even knowing you or giving you a second glance, what would you think?"

Xie Yan immediately fell into deep thought.

Then she frowned, feeling a tightness in her chest and a general discomfort.

This was a very unfamiliar emotion; it was the first time Xie Yan had experienced this feeling. In short, it was very uncomfortable and difficult to describe.

Xie Yan pursed her lips. "It feels strange. I think... I can't accept it."

The system voice was sarcastic: "[Alright, you're being too conservative. To put it bluntly, you're just jealous.]"

【…】

Xie Yan never imagined she could be associated with the word "jealousy".

However, after imagining the scene the system had just described, she did feel a pang of sadness and irritability.

"...Um, I just heard that Shen Yan is sick. How has his mental state been lately? Could he have suffered some kind of shock?"

The system replied, "[It's alright. As I mentioned last time, his mental state has been quite stable lately. He hasn't had a relapse since you two acknowledged him.]"

Okay, I understand.

Xie Yan lowered her eyes.

After a long while, she let out a long sigh.

It's as if a certain decision has been made.

--------

Lushui City.

In the distance, the mountains rose one after another, gradually blurring in the night, leaving only deep outlines.

The shadows of the mountains stretched as far as the eye could see, pressing heavily on people's hearts and making it hard to breathe.

Despite the cold night air, Bai Zhiwei rushed out of the car wearing only a thin coat.

Because she saw a familiar figure in the crowd.

"Xiao Le!!"

The dusty-faced girl turned around immediately upon hearing the sound. In the darkness, the car headlights made it difficult to see her face, but she burst into tears as soon as she recognized her.

"Cousin!! Oh my god, I can't believe I saw you again! I thought I'd never get out of here again, waaaaaah—"

Bai Zhiwei rushed over and hugged Liu Zhaodi, her cousin, tightly. The two of them cried tears of joy, crying very loudly, as if they wanted to release all their unease.

Xie Qingyu leaned shakily against the side of the car, behind which was a long line of police cars flashing red and blue lights. Near the police cars were a group of girls with panicked expressions, trembling.

Some police officers, carrying batons, stood guard against the villagers who were watching them menacingly from afar.

A few days ago, Xie Qingyu learned about this from Xie Yan and immediately took it to heart, sparing no effort to use up his points to help Bai Zhiwei find someone.

After all, she's his younger sister now.

The older sister's sister is also a sister.

After finding the location, Xie Qingyu figured that there were probably more than just Da Meizi's sister as a victim in this remote village, so he simply called the police to investigate together.

Although the male protagonist in the novel usually acts alone, Xie Qingyu felt that he should definitely call the police to save someone.

Sure enough, there were not only young girls who had been forcibly married, but also several women who had been trafficked. The youngest was only a teenager, while the older ones had already given birth to several children. Their hearts were tied to this place, and they were unwilling to leave.

Liu Zhaodi cried, tears streaming down her face. "That old man is dying. He said my birth chart is auspicious, and he wanted to marry me as a concubine to bring him good luck. His wife is a particularly fierce old woman. She pinches and hits me every day, makes me do chores, and doesn't let me eat..."

The past few days have been like a nightmare. She doesn't even want to think about it. If her cousin hadn't found someone to rescue her, she probably would have ended her life on a mountain someday.

Bai Zhiwei listened with tears in her eyes, and cried again, "It's okay, everything will be alright in the future! I have money now, and I'll support your studies and college entrance exams when we go back. After that, we'll change your name and choose a nice one! It's fine if you don't go back to that home!"

"Ok!"

The two walked hand in hand to Xie Qingyu, and Bai Zhiwei, holding her cousin's hand, bowed deeply to him.

"Big brother, my sister says you're her only brother, so I also want to call you big brother. You saved my life, and I'm willing to give my life for you! I'd gladly die for you! I'd do anything for you! I'd be your slave! I'd be guilty even if I died a thousand deaths!"

The scene startled Xie Qingyu, who waved his hands frantically. "No need, no need! I love peace and don't like such bloody scenes! And are you frightened? Did you use the wrong word?"

"I'm so sorry, I was too excited! Big brother! I'll definitely study hard and get my revenge on you!!"

"...Really...no...need..."

Just as Liu Zhaodi was determined to repay the debt of gratitude with her life, she suddenly glanced to the side, her face lit up with joy, and she quickly waved her hand.

"Hey girl! I'm over here! You got rescued too, waaaaah, so good—"

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhiwei turned her head and saw a young girl standing in front of the bright car headlights. She paused for a moment and then walked over.

Liu Zhaodi whispered in Bai Zhiwei's ear, "Sister, let me tell you, this sister is super awesome. She was trafficked here, and on her first day, she crushed that man's testicles, and then he lost his fertility, and of course, he lost the ability to have sex."

Bai Zhiwei blinked, feeling like her CPU was having a bit of a hard time spinning. "Then...she...is she alright here, without any injuries...?"

Hard to imagine.

In impoverished rural areas, male offspring are highly valued. Even if the whole family tightens their belts, they will scrape together tens of thousands of yuan to buy a wife to carry on the family line. However, on the very day the wife is brought back, she makes it impossible for the family to continue the family line.

Wouldn't she get beaten to death?

"Of course that sister got beaten. The family was furious and even said they wanted to kill her. But she said that the man was now a complete cripple and no one would want to marry him. If they killed her, they would lose both their money and their daughter. So they kept her to do farm work for the time being. She was rescued today before they could resell her."

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl walked up to them.

The girl looked to be about the same age as Bai Zhiwei, with neat short hair, a round face, a baby face, and cute, youthful features. You would never guess she had such charisma.

Xie Qingyu had just overheard the entire conversation between Bai Zhiwei and Liu Zhaodi when he saw the legendary female warrior approaching. He felt a chill run down his lower body and instinctively straightened up, clamping his legs together.

The girl recognized Liu Zhaodi only under the car headlights and immediately smiled, "It's you! I didn't see you clearly just now. Is this your sister?"

Liu Zhaodi nodded vigorously, "Yes, this is my cousin."

After saying that, she bowed slightly with utmost respect, spread her palms out and faced Xie Qingyu, "This is my new big brother, the one who called the police to rescue us today."

The girl suddenly realized what was happening and immediately looked at Xie Qingyu with delight, "Thank you, big brother!"

Xie Qingyu: ...

Xie Qingyu: ………………

That's enough, I've said enough.

"Oh right, sis, I haven't told you yet. A couple of days ago, this sister wanted to help me run away, but we were spotted on the way, caught, and beaten up."

Bai Zhiwei was startled upon hearing this. She pulled Liu Zhaodi around in circles, examining her closely from head to toe, "Was the beating severe? Where are you injured?"

Liu Zhaodi immediately shook her head, "It wasn't heavy. This older sister said I was young and took a lot of the blows for me."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhiwei was at a loss for words.

People's true nature is revealed in times of despair, especially since they didn't know if they would ever be saved. This shows how kind and warm-hearted the girl in front of them was, even though she didn't look very old.

Her eyes were red as she grabbed the girl's hand. "Oh my god, I really... What's your name? How old are you? I'll definitely come to thank you in person when I get back! Really!!"

The girl blushed a little at Bai Zhiwei's actions and became somewhat shy.

"My name is Zhou Panpan. It's nothing, just a small favor."

[My darlings, I've been staying up late every day writing, and I haven't been in good shape lately. I also feel that my writing hasn't been as interesting as before. Being in a bad state really affects you. Sometimes I'm so tired from working during the day and writing at night that my brain just won't work. So, for the sake of quality, I might take a few days off occasionally, okay? But no matter what, I won't stop updating. I will definitely persevere and finish writing it well. After all, this is my first romance novel, and I will treat it seriously.]

[Then this second phase should end soon, and I'll try my best to get the pace back on track in the next phase. Thank you to all my darlings who are still with me, I really love you all, sob sob]