After staying up all night to finish The Grave Robbers' Chronicles, Lin Zhou opened his eyes to find himself a "temporary team member" in the Snake Marsh Ghost City. The System had bound itself to him, his main quest pointed straight to Xie Yuchen, and his passive skill was "the group's darling." The setup looked like someone had forced a survival script for the tomb-raiding world on him.
He knew how dangerous the Snake Marsh was, how uncanny the Yin Mountain Ancient Tower could be, and just what burdens the smiling, peach-eyed Xie Yuchen before him would someday bear as he crossed mountains of blades and seas of fire. The System said he had to "earn one hundred percent trust," but when he saw the wounds hidden at the edges of Xiaohua's sleeves and heard him casually brush off old injuries, all Lin Zhou wanted was to toss the conquest aside and drag him away from every known thorn in his path.
From the Gobi to Changsha, from the clear tea at Wu Shanju to the flower-drum opera at the Red Mansion, Lin Zhou's "foresight" became the confidence that let him protect Xiaohua, while his occasional clumsiness pried open the tightly shut door to Lord Hua's heart. Hei Xiazi teased, "Lord Hua's picked up a little shadow." Wu Xie laughed that Lin Zhou was "even more worried about Xiaohua than I am." Only Zhang Qiling watched the way Lin Zhou stood protectively in front of Xie Yuchen, his eyes shifting ever so slightly.
When the System notification sounded, "Affection: 100%," snow was falling across both their shoulders on Changbai Mountain. Xie Yuchen turned around, starlight filling his peach-shaped eyes. "What are you standing there for? Didn't you say you wanted to see the best flower-drum opera?"
Lin Zhou suddenly understood. Transmigrating and the System were nothing more than a way to cross time and space, letting him catch up with the person worth protecting for a lifetime.
"You are Xie Yuchen, and I want to be your companion through life's voyage."
