Otherworldly Companions: Every Handsome Man is Extraordinary

Lin Yi returned in a rage. If it weren't for the unexpected assignment, he could have gone home for his scheduled holiday long ago.

What angered him was that his subordinates, used to a life of luxury, couldn't even do the simplest tasks properly, allowing someone who should have been buried at the bottom of the sea to escape.

He tossed his cloak to a servant and strode up the stairs to find Jiang Yu. His crisp, gleaming military boots clattered heavily on the carpeted marble steps.

Hearing the voice that seemed to carry the owner's anger, Fan Qingyin, who was standing at the end of the steps, couldn't help but frown. He didn't know what Lin Yi had to accuse him of.

Lin Yi took two steps and looked up to see Fan Qingyin standing on the steps. His handsome face immediately darkened.

"You actually sent people to stop me? You did nothing yourself, what right do you have?" He got straight to the point, extremely angry.

He was a decisive and ruthless general who had long disliked Fan Qingyin's detached, indecisive, and feigned compassionate demeanor. This time, relying on Jiang Yu's affection for him, he actually sent people to obstruct his arrangements.

“Foolish.” Fan Qingyin looked down at the angry young man, and seeing that the other party was about to be ignited by these two words, she continued unhurriedly.

"I originally wanted to stop your foolish actions before Xiaoyu found out, but unfortunately, Xiaoyu still figured it out. It seems I was meddling. With you going to see Xiaoyu like this, it seems you still haven't figured things out." Saying this, he walked down the steps and passed by Lin Yi.

"How dare you!...Say that again!" Lin Yi felt a surge of anger rising to his head, wishing he could burn that pretentious person to ashes. But when he turned around, he saw the other person's figure gracefully walking away. The calm and collected back view strangely calmed him down. After a moment's thought, he went to Jiang Yu's room.

Jiang Yu was painting. It was the change of seasons, and the weather would soon get colder. Although the Ocean Empire was never very cold, the area bordering the Forest Empire was about ten degrees colder than here.

Ever since seeing Fan Qingyin wearing that robe with a large fur collar, Jiang Yu had wanted to design several outfits with fur collars or trim. Now that she had some free time, she scribbled and revised on paper, and three sets of winter clothes with fur trim, similar to couple outfits, appeared on the paper. When Lin Yi came in, Jiang Yu was adding details.

"Yi?" Jiang Yu put down her pen and went to greet him in surprise. "Why did you suddenly come back? You didn't send anyone back to inform us beforehand. Didn't you say your vacation was canceled?"

Lin Yi pursed his lips, unable to utter the words he had intended to use to accuse her. He simply said somewhat sullenly, "The leave wasn't canceled; it was just postponed due to an urgent mission."

"Oh, is that so?" Jiang Yu looked at the person in front of her, and the image of Lanny covered in blood involuntarily flashed through her mind. It would be a lie to say she wasn't angry, but she didn't want to get angry with Lin Yi right now. Just as she could understand Lanny's desire to transcend class at all costs, she could also understand Lin Yi's handling of this matter from his own perspective, as long as she stood in the context of this world's social standing.

So she said softly, "Go back to your room quickly to wash up and rest, and change into some comfortable clothes. What would you like to eat? I'll have someone make it for you."

"I can't eat anything." Lin Yi said, sounding a little aggrieved. He sat down on the sofa, still unable to suppress a questioning tone: "Xiao Yu, when I came back, I heard that you released Lanny back? And that you're going to support him to become the head of the Wilman family?"

"Yes," Jiang Yu said patiently. "Is there a problem?"

"How can someone like him be fit to be the head of the family?" Lin Yi's voice instantly rose: "So despicable, so shameless..."

“Watch your words,” Jiang Yu interrupted Lin Yi loudly. “I hope you can act as if certain things never happened, just like I have, and never mention them again. That way, I won’t pursue your actions any further.”

"Never mention it? Why should I? He had the audacity to do such a shameless thing, why should I help him cover it up!" Lin Yi stood up and walked excitedly to Jiang Yu.

"You still want to hold me accountable? Hold me accountable for what? Yes, that's right, I wanted to kill him, and I did send someone to do it. I know you must already know, but so what? Since I did it, I'm not afraid to let you know!"

Lin Yi was a straightforward person, and he was also impulsive when he got angry. He would say many things without thinking, especially in front of Jiang Yu. He wanted to show her all his thoughts and lay his heart bare.

"Why are you getting angry with me over someone who has nothing to do with you? Where do you place me? Or do you actually like him?" Lin Yi became angrier and angrier as she spoke, until finally she sounded aggrieved.

Seeing Lin Yi acting so recklessly, and not wanting to lose her temper along with him, Jiang Yu had no choice but to patiently explain everything to Lin Yi: "I have never had any romantic feelings for Lanny. You should have more confidence in yourself and in me."

"But you did actually get to the Bopodo Sea, didn't you? As soon as you heard that guy was in trouble, you dropped everything and rushed over, didn't you?" Lin Yi said angrily.

He couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Yu would have dropped everything to find him if he were the one in trouble. But he wasn't even sure about the outcome. So when he saw Jiang Yu showing such enthusiasm to someone unrelated to him, it was like his reason was ignited, leaving him only with a feeling of grievance and anger.

"Now that we've both calmed down, I'll explain things to you properly. Please don't be angry. Would you like to listen to me calmly?" Jiang Yu pulled up the man in front of her, who was extremely aggrieved but whose anger was like a sharp barb, and comforted him by leading him to sit down.

“I don’t want to shirk responsibility either. It’s my fault for giving Lanny unrealistic ideas. I didn’t define the boundaries of friendship between partners properly. For some inexplicable reasons, I showed him some inappropriate affection, and I haven’t corrected myself, which has led to this situation.” Raising her hand to stop Lin Yi from speaking, Jiang Yu continued:

"Lanny set up this scheme to gamble on whether my slightest bit of affection for him, mixed with the shock of losing him and the joy of seeing him again, could earn him a place in my life."

“I can’t offer him any explanation either, because looking back now, there are clues to why he did it. He probably had this idea a long time ago, and it couldn’t have been a whim. He had already started pearl diving and exploration in the nearby waters, so this time no one found his disappearance strange.”

"He chose the Popodo Sea for a reason. What he actually valued was the Forbidden Sea. Only by hiding there could his plan be foolproof. He just overestimated my feelings for him and his importance in my heart. As for me, I think that although he is guilty, he does not deserve to die, and he should not drag his family down into the abyss."

"After all, his family has achieved what it has today through the efforts of several generations. I don't want to easily pronounce the fate of a person or even his family just because I hold power."

"He's not just overestimating himself, he's practically a toad trying to eat swan meat," Lin Yi retorted angrily, though he didn't seem so angry anymore. Jiang Yu observed his expression and finally felt relieved.

“But Yi, I know that you sent people to find and kill Lanny, and I’m very angry. You know I wanted him to come back safely.”

Jiang Yu earnestly pulled Lin Yi aside and said, "I don't blame you for making this decision. I know you must be very angry, but many things can't be solved by killing the people involved."

"Since I'm going to kill him, I'm confident I can handle everything that follows," Lin Yi said disdainfully. "I don't even consider the mere Wilman family a threat."

“I know that with your abilities, suppressing or supporting another Wilman family in Hollande County would be a piece of cake, but we could have easily covered this up perfectly without putting in so much effort. The Wilman family will remember our kindness, and besides, the local nobles have seen our attitude,” Jiang Yu said gently. This was the best solution she could think of. She hoped that Lin Yi would support her decision as Qingyin did.

"Since this is your thought and decision," Lin Yi turned his head to the side, clearly agreeing reluctantly. Seeing that he didn't want to talk anymore, Jiang Yu thought that since she had already achieved her goal, she would go along with it and change the subject.

"Yi, how long will you stay this time?" Jiang Yu held Lin Yi's hands in her own, and couldn't help but laugh as she watched him secretly rub his fingers against her palms, even though he was still sulking.

“I can stay a few more days. Those bastards on the border have been much quieter lately. Considering I’m newly married, the higher-ups granted me a special leave.” Lin Yi’s tone suddenly became cheerful. “I can finally spend more time with you again.”

Looking at the gentle smile on his beautiful wife's face, the anger and unease that had been lingering in his heart finally dissipated somewhat. At least Xiaoyu seemed to be recovering well, her face looking rosy and chubby, making one want to take a bite.

"What are you drawing? Are you designing clothes?" Lin Yi frowned slightly as he looked at the fluffy design on the drawing board. "It's very warm on the border, I hardly ever need these big fur collars, I'm already afraid of the heat. It's cold at Qingyin's house, but he doesn't go home much, and besides, the Divine Envoy is protected by a true god, why would he be afraid of the cold?"

He snorted and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark. He had disliked him for a long time, and now he disliked him even more.

Jiang Yu felt a little amused despite her exasperation; how could a powerful general be so childish? But she couldn't very well say that the inspiration came from Qingyin, so she just said it was to cheer him up: "A general is supposed to be magnificent and noble, looking like a majestic lion, so I wanted to design a coat with a big fur collar. If we have the chance to go to a cold place, we can wear it!"

Lin Yi turned her head to one side, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily lifted up, clearly pleased by those words.

Jiang Yu had just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lin Yi suddenly tense up, his whole body radiating a chilling aura. Following his stiff gaze, she saw Fan Qingyin's files neatly arranged on the desk, his usual quill pen placed next to Jiang Yu's, looking incredibly intimate.

“Yi…” Jiang Yu suddenly felt a headache coming on. She hadn’t figured out how to tell Lin Yi about this. His return was too sudden, and his reaction now meant that he must have figured out or guessed something.

Lin Yi, with a cold face, strode towards the bedroom and pushed open the inner room door. When he saw Fan Qingyin's house robe draped over the bedside, his lips tightened into a straight line. Two seconds later, he turned to leave, without even glancing at Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu had never seen Lin Yi like this before. Whether he was angry or furious, it was always outwardly intense. So, at this moment, Jiang Yu felt a slight panic. She grabbed Lin Yi's arm, feeling his taut muscles, and never before had she felt so inadequate in her words, only able to weakly call out, "Yi..."

But Lin Yi didn't turn around, and his voice was calm: "Xiao Yu, I'm hungry. Let me go get something to eat."

Jiang Yu had no choice but to let go of his hand and watch him leave without looking back.

He didn't return until dinner time. Jiang Yu sat at the table, the dishes untouched, feeling uneasy. Fan Qingyin sat beside him, her narrow eyes filled with impatience after learning what had happened. She thought the martial artist was reckless and impulsive, and even Xiao Yu was sighing and unable to eat properly.

"Xiao Yu, we've already sent people to look for him. Yi has been an adult for a long time, so nothing unexpected will happen to him. If you want to wait for him, have something to eat first. He'll come back once he's thought things through," Fan Qingyin said gently, handing her a small plate.

“I can’t eat anything. Yi just came back, and he ran away in a huff again. I’m not worried about his safety, I just feel uneasy because he’s unhappy.”

Jiang Yu thought for a moment, then, fearing that Fan Qingyin might misunderstand, added, "I was planning to talk to him about us when I had time, but he found out on his own before I even had a chance."

Fan Qingyin hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Xiaoyu, do you feel guilty towards Yi because of our intimacy?"

"Of course not." Jiang Yu didn't miss the fleeting hurt in Fan Qingyin's eyes. She turned around, cupped Fan Qingyin's face in her hands, as if holding the most precious and purest ice and snow in the world.

"Qingyin, you don't know how much I love you. I just don't know how to balance things. Yi is also my husband and our family. I don't want him to feel uncomfortable, especially since he's always away working as a general. I don't want him to feel isolated from us when he comes back." Jiang Yu didn't know what she was saying, nor did she know if Fan Qingyin could understand her.

But Fan Qingyin clearly understood. He gave Jiang Yu a reassuring smile. "Xiao Yu, let him be by himself for a while. He'll come back on his own once he's figured things out. Trust me, he'll come to you to resolve the issue. Let's eat first. I'll have the kitchen keep the food ready so he won't go hungry when he gets back."

Jiang Yu was eventually persuaded by Qingyin. After a quick dinner, Qingyin let her leave the table when she felt that Jiang Yu had eaten enough.

Because of her bad mood, Jiang Yu returned to her room and had no interest in doing anything else. She picked up a book of stories, flipped through a couple of pages, and then became lost in thought.

She thought of the partner selection conference where she chose Fan Qingyin and Lin Yi together, and of the efforts her two husbands had made and their love for her over the years. Then she thought of the little moments she had spent with Fan Qingyin every day, while she had spent much less time with Lin Yi because of his work.

Then she thought of the intimacy she had shared with Fan Qingyin during this time, living a blissful life like any newlywed couple. Lin Yi had never experienced such intimacy, and his absence was precisely what she felt indebted to him.

But this is not Lin Yi's responsibility. It is her untimely insistence that makes her out of step with the world's expectations and causes everyone's suffering.

Just then, a gust of wind suddenly blew in. Jiang Yu was still lost in her thoughts and looked up blankly. She saw the curtains on the other side of the terrace, which had been drawn, being suddenly blown up by the strong wind. In the hazy rise and fall, a majestic and strong griffin neatly folded its wings and turned its head sharply to look over.