The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

"This is a long story," Xue Liao said, taking a bite of his meat bun, his expression tinged with sorrow. "So, on that dark and windy night, your subordinate—"

"Stop!" Seeing that he was about to launch into a long, pointless rant, Shen Zhizhi stopped him in time. "Get to the point!"

Xue Liao blinked, pondered for a moment, and then his expression turned solemn.

Seeing his expression, Shen Zhizhi thought he was about to say something earth-shattering, and prepared to listen attentively.

But then the boy's chewing sounds gradually subsided, and he swallowed slowly, saying:

"The meat buns made by the cook of the Red Prince's mansion are the best I have ever eaten since I was a child."

Shen Zhizhi:? ? ?

No, this person has some kind of problem.

Her lips twitched violently, her eyes widening in disbelief. "So, just because of Baozi, you went to the Red Prince's mansion and acknowledged the Second Prince as your master?"

"Mmm, mmm, it's this one." Xue Liao's cheeks were bulging from the meat bun in his hand, making his voice sound muffled.

Looking at his foolish appearance, Shen Zhizhi almost doubted whether this person was really the knife behind Zhang Jiali in the story.

"Master, where are we going?"

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Xue Liao lightly touched the ground with his toes and landed steadily beside her.

The boy's voice was extremely soft, and in the darkness of the night, the word "owner" sounded almost censored, nearly causing her to choke on her saliva.

Shen Zhizhi looked up at him stiffly with a pained expression. "Could you please stop calling me 'master'? Can't you use a different title for me?"

He nodded, paused for a moment, and then said with certainty:

"Okay, master."

Shen Zhizhi: Subway grandpa looking at his phone emoji.jpg

Shen Zhizhi smiled gently and made the international sign, "You better not force me to beat you up in such a beautiful night."

Xue Liao obediently fell silent, took two steps, then his eyes narrowed, and his tiger teeth were faintly visible. "Master, what was the meaning of that gesture just now?"

Shen Zhizhi glanced at him nonchalantly, "An international gesture of goodwill, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."

Ignoring the first two characters, the last two characters, "血辽," mean—

He understands.

After a moment's hesitation, he raised his eyes and said in a solemn tone, "I understand, thank you for your guidance, Master."

"What do you know?" Shen Zhizhi asked, her face full of questions.

"That's a gesture of goodwill," Xue Liao said, his eyes crinkling like scattered stars, particularly dazzling in the night. "Thank you, Master. From now on, this will be the greeting I give when I see you."

Shen Zhizhi looked shocked.

Young man, do you know what you're saying?

"Screw you! If you dare to bow like that, I'll make sure the Red King's Mansion never gives you meat buns again."

Shen Zhizhi felt as if she had transformed into a chibi-style character, with fire blazing in her eyes and flames erupting behind her, making her unapproachable within a hundred meters.

Xue Liao's eager hand froze for a moment, then smoothly moved behind his head, gazing nonchalantly at the starry sky.

Shen Zhizhi glanced at him speechlessly, lowered her eyes in thought, and hesitated before asking, "Do you know Lord Shaoqing?"

The red-clad figure behind him paused abruptly, then quickly recovered and laughed, "Of course I recognize you, Lord Shaoqing of Nanliyue Star City. Your name is renowned throughout the city. Who doesn't know you? Who doesn't know you?"

"No, what I mean is, besides this, haven't you had any contact with him at all?"

Xue Liao hesitated, but his eyes suddenly became incredibly clear, and a coldness flashed across them.

After asking the question, Shen Zhizhi lowered her eyes in annoyance.

Why is she asking this? If Xue Liao had really been in contact with Zhang Jiali, he would have become Zhang Jiali's most loyal subordinate long ago. How could he possibly recognize her as his master?

"Fine, whether you know me or not doesn't matter." She stopped and turned to look at Xue Liao.

The moment her gaze fell upon him, the coldness in the boy's eyes instantly turned into confusion. He tilted his head, puzzled, and asked, "What are your orders, Master?"

Shen Zhizhi stepped forward and said, “You don’t need to follow me. Today I will take you to Lord Zhang’s residence. You can go with him.”

"..." Xue Liao lowered his eyes, a cold frost flashing across them unnoticed by anyone, and said in a deep voice, "What does Master need me to do? Report his whereabouts to the Second Prince in full?"

His face remained expressionless, but Xue Liao's heart was already burning with killing intent.

If she truly intends to do so, he will eliminate her tonight. He will not let go of anyone who poses a threat to the young master.

Before Xue Liao could even pull the hidden weapon out of his sleeve, he received a sharp rap on the head.

"Ugh!" He groaned in pain, his eyes welling up with tears as he stared at the girl in front of him, who was raising her fist and gesturing arrogantly.

In the original text, Shen Zhizhi had a mixed feeling of joy and worry towards Xue Liao. He was pleased that Xue Liao was loyal, but worried that his bloodthirsty side was truly terrifying.

She only felt the pressure emanating from him when she heard his voice suddenly turn cold and carry a murderous intent.

Xue Liao is no soft and cute little baby; he's ruthless when it comes to killing.

"You think you can just treat the Second Prince like a master just because I gave you a meat bun? You even reported Lord Zhang's whereabouts to him? Don't you know anything about privacy?"

Shen Zhizhi glared at him and continued, "Besides, Lord Zhang is a frank person. What's there to report about his whereabouts? How many times did he take a bath in a day? Or how many times did he go to the outhouse?"

Shen Zhizhi, who was talking non-stop, did not notice Xue Liao behind her. The killing intent surrounding her gradually subsided, and her clear eyes returned to a state of confusion and helplessness.

She kept walking forward without paying attention, and only after a while did she realize that the boy's footsteps had disappeared behind her. She quickly turned around and asked, "Did you hear me?"

Xue Liao strode forward, his eyes crinkling with a smile, and asked, "Then what does Master want me to do with Lord Zhang?"

Unbeknownst to them, the two had already walked into the alley and stood in front of Zhang Jiali's courtyard.

Shen Zhizhi raised her hand and pointed to the tightly closed courtyard gate, lowering her voice, "This is where Lord Zhang lives. You will stay here and protect him secretly, so that he is not harmed by villains."

Xue Liao looked up in surprise, seemingly not expecting her to make such a request.

He paused for a moment, stuck out his tongue and licked his little tiger tooth, then blinked with one eye, "Your subordinate has always been very principled."

"What principle?" Shen Zhizhi looked up with suspicion.

"He only recognizes those who treat his subordinates like meat buns as his masters."

"You son of a bitch!" Shen Zhizhi's voice rose, becoming exceptionally loud in the quiet alley, even echoing. Startled, she lowered her voice and continued to coax, "Lord Zhang will definitely not mistreat you; he will give you plenty of meat buns."

"That's not OK."

"What's wrong with it now?" Shen Zhizhi grimaced.

"I am always very principled in my work and do not recognize too many masters." Xue Liao's expression was firm, his loyalty as if he were about to join the Party.

Shen Zhizhi smiled and raised her hand, slapping the back of his head, making Xue Liao's head droop down.

"Principles my ass! First you acknowledged me, then the cook in the Second Prince's residence acknowledged the Second Prince as her master, and you still have the nerve to talk to me about principles? Would it kill you to acknowledge another one?"

"No way!" Xue Liao covered the back of his head, curling up into a ball in grievance. "My mother said that things shouldn't happen more than three times. I can't admit to a third one."

"You fucking have to admit it today, whether you want to or not!" Shen Zhizhi was furious.

This lousy plot is already annoying enough; we can't afford any more mishaps!

"Squeak!"

As she shouted, the wooden door behind them creaked open, as if it had been slowly pushed open from the inside.