Otherworldly Companions: Every Handsome Man is Extraordinary

Since everyone had been drinking the night before, breakfast the next morning was prepared to be exceptionally light: a slightly salty porridge, a few side dishes, and the only meat was a fresh small fish.

The dining table was quiet. Lin Yi seemed to still be recovering from what happened last night, and her mood was somewhat low.

Fan Qingyin has always been quiet and doesn't initiate conversations.

As for Jiang Yu, she was so scared that she wanted to bury her head in the porridge and didn't dare to say a word.

The meal was rather awkward. After eating, the three of them went back to their rooms. Lin Yi said he wanted to rest a bit more. Jiang Yu had some plans for the day, but she didn't dare to say anything and had to postpone them. She went back to her room to read.

After finishing his meal, Fan Qingyin went back to his room, tidied up briefly, and put on the robes of a divine messenger. He had arranged a blessing ceremony for the day and would be setting off soon.

He stood in front of the mirror, looking at his icy expression, and then recalled Lin Yi's radiant enthusiasm, feeling a pang of self-loathing. Lost in thought, he heard a knock at the door, but the rhythm of the knocking was not the familiar sound of Jiang Yu knocking.

Standing outside the door was Lin Yi.

Fan Qingyin was somewhat surprised that Lin Yi would come to see him. He had intentionally avoided him last night, wanting Jiang Yu to spend more time with Lin Yi, who had just returned. However, the way the two of them acted at breakfast today suggested that they had had some conflict last night. Thinking of this, he stepped aside, gesturing for Lin Yi to come in.

This was Lin Yi's first time visiting Fan Qingyin's room. After all, they were both men, and although they were both Jiang Yu's husbands, they didn't have much to do in private, and they didn't work in the same field.

Fan Qingyin's room, like himself, was rather cold, which seemed to match the icy continent of the Aurora Empire quite well, except for the bunch of orange orchids by the window.

Seeing Lin Yi's gaze linger on the orchids, Fan Qingyin said nothing, only gesturing for him to sit down. Jiang Yu loved having fresh flowers in her room, and later would also send him a bouquet; every morning, a servant would bring flowers to place in her room.

Lin Yi shifted his gaze and sat down. Looking at Fan Qingyin's aloof and otherworldly demeanor, he inwardly scoffed, but went straight to the point: "Did Xiaoyu have someone she liked before she married us?"

"What do you mean by this?" Fan Qingyin sat down as well, frowning slightly, not understanding Lin Yi's meaning for a moment. "Your two families are old friends, why are you asking me such a question?"

“What I mean is,” Lin Yi leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees and clasping his hands together, “your family is so noble and aloof, and you chose Jiang Yu as your wife, you must have put in a lot of effort to investigate. Since I don’t know anything, and you haven’t found anything either, then I suppose there isn’t anything.”

Fan Qingyin didn't speak, but just looked at Lin Yi calmly, waiting for him to say something next.

“Didn’t you ever think about why she’s so resistant to us, so,” Lin Yi paused, “and so averse to our touch?”

"Don't pressure her." Fan Qingyin's eyes turned truly cold this time. He hadn't expected Lin Yi to act so recklessly last night.

"Fan Qingyin, I really didn't expect that you, who seem so calm and collected, are truly without desires. No wonder you and Xiaoyu haven't made any progress even after I've been gone for so long." Lin Yi couldn't help but mock Fan Qingyin. But to his surprise, the other party didn't care at all and just asked him seriously what he had done last night.

"What can I do? I just want to fulfill my duties as a husband. It's a pity that I've tried everything, but I still couldn't move our wife. Who do you think she's keeping her chastity for?" Lin Yi didn't complain, nor did he believe it himself, and his words carried a hint of anger.

“Xiaoyu has her own thoughts. Now that we’ve become her husbands, we should respect her.” Fan Qingyin’s voice remained calm. Although he understood Lin Yi’s feelings, he didn’t agree with his approach. “Xiaoyu isn’t a promiscuous person; her sincerity is especially rare. You shouldn’t pressure her. She will gradually accept us.”

"Should we wait for her to slowly accept us?" Lin Yi stood up. "She's not promiscuous. If I don't pressure her, and instead wait with you like you do, waiting for her to accept us, what if she falls in love with someone else and then brings him to us to tell us that she can't live without him?"

“Fan Qingyin, I’m not like you. I don’t have such a powerful background as you.” Lin Yi turned around and looked directly into Fan Qingyin’s eyes.

"I don't know if your family has been putting pressure on you lately, but my family keeps asking me questions. You know how good Xiaoyu is; so many men are chasing after her, waiting to be chosen. If I don't work hard, who will give me a chance? You're not so naive as to think she chose us because she fell in love with us at first sight, are you?"

Fan Qingyin looked at Lin Yi, unmoved by his words, and said, "You should have more trust in Xiaoyu and more confidence in yourself."

"It seems we have nothing more to say." Lin Yi turned and walked towards the door. "I've said all I need to say, and now I know what you're thinking. But Fan Qingyin, although you're ranked higher, since you're not competing or vying for anything, don't blame me for breaking the rules and overtaking you. As for who Xiaoyu falls in love with, that's up to each of us."

As Lin Yi left, the door closed softly. Fan Qingyin sat on the sofa without moving for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. He wanted to too... but everything couldn't be rushed.