Otherworldly Companions: Every Handsome Man is Extraordinary

The magnificent griffin tilted its head to look over, its gaze sharp, yet its posture as reserved as a gentleman. Its pure golden feathers shone brightly in the darkness; were it not for the surging winds around it, it would have looked more like it was resting on a terrace than having just landed.

It is Shaka, Lin Yi's mount.

Jiang Yu snapped out of her daze and, through the rising and falling of the curtains, saw that strong and upright figure.

She walked to the door, pulled back the curtains, and revealed the view of the terrace behind them. Lin Yi sat on the griffin, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yu's face.

The boy's expression was inscrutable, his lips tightly pressed together. He wore a fitted black turtleneck sweater, completely devoid of any embellishments, revealing his well-proportioned figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Jiang Yu stood inside the doorway, her hand still in the motion of pulling back the curtains. She and Lin Yi on the griffin exchanged a silent glance, unsure of what to say, afraid that something she might say would only make Lin Yi angrier.

Lin Yi spoke first.

"I just came to see you." His opening words were a bow of deference and concession; though his face remained expressionless, he sounded utterly aggrieved. His words also suggested he was about to leave.

Jiang Yu's heart suddenly softened; she felt a mixture of amusement and a pang of sadness. Without further hesitation, she strode to the griffin's side and took Lin Yi's hand.

His hands were ice-cold, and his fingers involuntarily recoiled the moment Jiang Yu grasped them.

"Wearing so little, and riding a griffin. Couldn't you have put on some more clothes, even just a jacket?" Jiang Yu said reproachfully, applying a little force to get Lin Yi off the griffin.

Lin Yi bit her lip and stubbornly said, "I'll put on more clothes when I get back now."

"I know you're a general and physically strong. Alright, come in with me." Jiang Yu saw through his awkwardness and pulled him down without much effort.

Then she patted Shaka's head, and Shaka blinked, let out a soft cry, and obediently flew away on his own.

Lin Yi was pulled into the room by Jiang Yu without saying a word. The usually flamboyant and cheerful person was now quiet and well-behaved, which made Jiang Yu a little uncomfortable. She closed the glass door and drew the curtains again to keep the sea breeze out, and pulled Lin Yi to sit down on the sofa like a child.

"How about I have someone bring some hot milk up? What would you like to eat? Are you hungry? Did you just get back?" Jiang Yu held Lin Yi's cold hands in her own, wanting to warm them up.

"Or I'll have someone light the fireplace."

"I don't want anything, I just want you." Lin Yi leaned over and rested his head on Jiang Yu's shoulder, closing his eyes slightly.

Am I not good enough? What exactly am I lacking?

Jiang Yu felt a pang of pain in her heart; the fragile Lin Yi before her made her feel sorry for him. Instead of pushing him away, she nestled into his arms.

"It's my fault, I'm sorry, Yi." Lin Yi's sweater was also cold, indicating that he had been flying in the cold night wind for quite some time. He had just returned, and I had made him so unhappy.

Jiang Yu cursed herself inwardly, hugging Lin Yi tightly. She had thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out how to deal with the situation. She didn't know how to explain or how to comfort him.

No words could explain her resistance. She could also understand the disappointment and resentment Lin Yi felt when he suddenly realized he had accepted Fan Qingyin.

She had originally planned to have a serious talk with him after returning this time, but now she needed to speed things up. She wasn't entirely without feelings for Lin Yi, and she was going to accept him sooner or later; if she could make Lin Yi feel at ease sooner, it would be worth it.

Fortunately, Lin Yi didn't make things difficult for her. As if he suddenly remembered something, he gently widened the distance between them: "I'm cold, don't catch a cold."

Then he took Jiang Yu's hand and put it inside his clothes, saying, "It's a little cool outside, but my body is warm."

Jiang Yu felt a little shy. Her hand was on Lin Yi's well-defined abs, their shape unmistakably beautiful. She resisted the cowardly urge to pull her hand away, and also the lewd act of groping him. She reached forward and wrapped her arms around Lin Yi's waist inside his clothes, pulling herself back into his embrace.

"Yi, are you aware of my past health condition?"

Hearing Jiang Yu suddenly bring up her past, Lin Yi snapped out of her reverie about the intimate moment before her.

“I’ve heard about it. I knew from a very young age that the Jiang family had a very beautiful woman who was well protected by the Empire and the Jiang family because of her health condition. She never interacted with outsiders. My father sometimes mentioned her, but only with regret. He never said anything more and forbade us to discuss it.”

"But before you came of age, your father suddenly received news that you had recovered and were going to participate in this year's partner selection conference, and had already chosen you as my partner," Lin Yi recalled.

"You've never even met me. Didn't you feel any reluctance when your family made you choose me? You're so outstanding, with so many other people to choose from. Don't you have any other candidates you're interested in?" Jiang Yu asked curiously.

"To be honest, Xiaoyu, I've been working hard to improve myself since I was a child. My father was my mother's best partner, but he was rigid and strict, and my mother didn't like him very much." Lin Yi didn't know how to say it.

"But I know that my father was also very regretful in private because he couldn't receive more love from his wife."

“I’m afraid that I won’t be loved by my partner in the future, so I developed my sunny and cheerful personality. But I know I’m no match for my father.”

"He is upright and honest. Although he regrets what he cannot get, he can face it rationally. I am not like that. I am only outwardly sunny and carefree, but I am more petty than anyone else. I am jealous and prone to envying."

"So I trained hard to become a genius in the Lin family, hoping to become the strongest one in my future partner."

"But I saw you."

"I was struck by your beauty in the Empire's publicly available information. I thought you were a riot of flowers, a paradise on the clouds."

"But when I saw those videos of you, sitting alone by the window, sleeping soundly in your warm bed for a long time, I wanted to be by your side. This feeling was stronger than ever before."

"Later I found out that my father also favored you. I was overjoyed, but he immediately poured cold water on my happiness."

"Your family background is too good; I simply can't get the ranking I want. Even if I were chosen, I would find it difficult to beat the other competitors. How can I become your favorite one?"

"Xiaoyu, I'm giving it my all, fighting with my back against the wall."

"do you understand?"