【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

My heartbeat quickened, as if the world had stopped for a moment. Ye Lin, the man I'd only seen a few times before, was suddenly here before me. My mind was in a tizzy. Why was he in a place like this? Why was he at this mission site? Why was he with these patrolmen?

Ye Lin's eyes swept over me, and instantly met mine. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest, and I desperately told myself to calm down, calm down—but every nerve in my body felt like it had been electrocuted, and I couldn't calm down.

He wore that simple, slightly fitted military uniform, which still made him look serious and intimidating. His deep eyes remained unchanged, cold and sharp. Even in such a complex environment, Ye Lin maintained his usual calm and composure—a stark contrast to the nervousness of the patrolmen.

Haha, you are worthy of being General Ye.

I involuntarily took a step back, almost subconsciously hiding behind Nightingale, trying not to be too conspicuous. My inner anxiety made my thoughts a mess: What would Ye Qing do if he knew I was here? What if Ye Lin knew I had become so famous on the Capital Star? Would there be any bad consequences?

But this wasn't the first time Ye Lin had seen me. His eyes, piercing through a seemingly indifferent exterior, pierced my heart. He stared at me silently for a few seconds, as if assessing my readiness for what was to come.

"Yang Ruyuan?" Ye Lin finally spoke, his voice low and clear, with a barely perceptible chill. I raised my head, trying to calm myself, forcing myself to respond calmly, "Ye Lin."

He nodded calmly, his eyes sweeping over me, as if he wasn't particularly surprised by my presence. "What are you doing? Such a commotion?" He spoke with the same soldierly composure. He didn't look like someone he'd just happened to meet before, but rather like someone who already had all the information.

I could almost feel his attention on my every move - it made me feel an invisible pressure, as if he had seen through everything on the surface of me and seen the deepest secrets in my heart.

I didn't dare look directly into his cold eyes. The surging emotions in my heart made it almost impossible to speak. Nightingale stood beside me and seemed to notice my nervousness. She gently patted my shoulder, giving me a little comfort. However, Ye Lin still didn't take his eyes off me.

"You know what role my father plays in the imperial army, Yang Ruyuan." The hint in Ye Lin's tone was more obvious, which made my heart beat faster.

He actually mentioned Ye Qing directly—one of my adoptive fathers. Ye Lin clearly hadn't intended to show any emotion on this occasion, but the message revealed in his words made me feel an inexplicable pressure. I instinctively knew that this man wasn't just here to investigate my mission, but to clarify something.

"I know," I finally couldn't help but respond, my voice remaining calm, even though my heart was already churning. "Your father is a high-ranking official in the Imperial Army. As you know, I'm not here for any particular purpose, but rather to carry out a mission."

"Oh?" Ye Lin raised his eyebrows, seeming somewhat interested, but his eyes remained cold. "Mission? Doing a mission in this situation isn't as easy as you think, Yang Ruyuan."

This sentence made me realize immediately that he was testing me, trying to get more information from me. And I obviously couldn't let my guard down. Any careless words could cause unnecessary trouble, or even drag me into his complex web of relationships.

"Every mission I undertake is related to my own goals." I didn't directly answer his probing questions, but cleverly changed the subject. "But what about your mission? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be busy somewhere else, Ye Lin?"

Ye Lin clearly hadn't expected my rebuttal. He was stunned for a moment, then silent for a moment. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but was quickly masked by his calm exterior. "I just happened to be passing by here and heard about what was going on, so I stopped by to take a look." His tone remained calm, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

I knew his words weren't true. Ye Lin's presence couldn't simply be "passing by." He couldn't have appeared in this place so easily, and the sense of oppression was enough to indicate that he had some deep connection to this occasion and this incident.

I lowered my head and stopped looking at him. Although my mood became more complicated, I remained calm on the outside. Ye Lin did not continue to ask questions, but nodded slightly and turned to leave.

"If we meet again in this kind of situation in the future, Yang Ruyuan," Ye Lin said in a low and warning tone, "remember to take care of your own affairs and don't cause unnecessary trouble."

He left, leaving Nightingale and I standing there, his words ringing in my ears. My heart was still beating fast, and everything before me seemed shrouded in an indescribable shadow.

Ye Lin—Ye Qing's son—was also one of the fates I once tried to escape. He couldn't have appeared here for no reason. Perhaps he was secretly monitoring me, or perhaps he had some other purpose. Whatever the case, he was no ordinary person.

And I may really have to face all the secrets that are about to be revealed.