Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 260: Substitution

Xue Ning’er didn’t notice the temptation she posed to her brother-in-law. Instead, with excitement on her face, she began planning a shopping trip after dinner, her joy and enthusiasm beyond description.
Chu Tianyu gradually returned to reality, using the flimsy excuse that “men are driven by lust” to justify his reaction as a normal male response, free from any sense of guilt.
But just as he was calming down, Xue Ning’er’s casual leg lift once again sparked his thoughts, leading him to sinful fantasies about her…
This idea shocked Chu Tianyu greatly. He quickly circulated his internal energy to regain composure, and the lascivious thoughts vanished.
To be honest, this puzzled him greatly. Since parting with Xue, such occurrences had happened several times without reason, especially during those tedious periods of hiding.
With his current level of cultivation, he should have been able to control such desires completely—why was he losing control now? Could it be related to Xue’s “body”?
Before he could continue analyzing, Xue Ning’er interrupted him with an excited exclamation, “Great! Our food is here. Brother-in-law, let’s eat quickly. After that, I’ll take you to a fun place.”
“By the way, brother-in-law, have you ever tried…”
Listening to Xue Ning’er’s endless chatter, Chu Tianyu had to put aside his thoughts for now, focusing on responding to her while eating faster. This was thanks to his remark that they’d leave after eating, prompting her to keep stuffing food into his bowl, urging him to hurry.
She herself took only a few bites of the delicious snacks before focusing entirely on Chu Tianyu. As she served him food, she gazed at him with tender affection. There was only one phrase that aptly described her mood: “Love fills one’s heart even with just water!”
This put Chu Tianyu in a difficult situation—he had never found eating to be so awkward and embarrassing.
By the end of the meal, even the highly skilled Chu Tianyu was drenched in sweat, overwhelmed by Xue Ning’er’s enthusiasm. And after barely getting through the meal, he found himself in another awkward predicament.

After eating, Xue Ning’er actually pulled Chu Tianyu to the busiest amusement park on the outskirts of the city. Although it was already near afternoon, the park was still packed with people. Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but wonder, “Hey, what day is it today? Why are there so many people?”

“Weekends are always this busy, and the park stays open until 10:30 p.m. I’ve wanted to come here for a while, but I’ve never had the time or opportunity, nor anyone to accompany me. Hehe, today is perfect—I caught you!” Xue Ning’er’s expression shifted between sulky and happy.

No wonder some say a girl’s heart is like changeable weather—unpredictable, hard to fathom, and hard to see clearly. It really makes sense.

Chu Tianyu could only smile dumbly and agree, “Oh, it’s the weekend. I’ve been so busy I didn’t even know what day it was. Well, since I’m so unlucky, today my brother-in-law will follow your orders, little sister-in-law!”

Though he spoke bravely, he inwardly sighed, “I’m just overconfident and talkative. Offering to fight for her, renting a room—every mistake leads to more mistakes. It’s like throwing stones at my own feet. No wonder others blame me!”

“Alright then, I’ll give orders, brother-in-law!” Xue’er said loudly, lifting her face.

“Right, I’m at your disposal!” Chu Tianyu snapped to attention.

Xue Ning’er suppressed a smile and waved her hand, saying, “Go to the carousel, 15 meters ahead! Go!”

“Huh? Ride a carousel? Can’t we pick something else? I’m too old…” Chu Tianyu opened his mouth, looking at the carousel filled with children with a pained expression.

“What did you just say, brother-in-law? A real man can’t…”

Before Xue Ning’er could finish, Chu Tianyu surrendered, “Okay, okay. I’ll do whatever you say today. Fine, I’ll ride it. Let’s go!”

With that, Chu Tianyu put aside all his reservations and, along with Xue Ning’er, rushed over shouting and cheering.

“It’s just riding a carousel. What’s there to fear? Even kids can ride it. One word—go!” Just before getting on the carousel, Chu Tianyu still encouraged himself through gritted teeth.

To be honest, not only had Xue Ning’er never ridden such rides before, but Chu Tianyu was also doing it for the first time. The two tried almost every ride wildly until the announcement for closing the park came on, and they left the park reluctantly, still eager for more.

Along the way, Xue Ning’er seemed still in an excited state, constantly talking about her experiences at the amusement park—how her heart raced on the roller coaster, how dizzy she felt on the pirate ship, and so on, without tiring. Chu Tianyu, leaning against the seat, also looked deeply reflective. With Xue Ning’er’s chatter beside him, reminding him of what had just happened, a knowing smile naturally appeared on his lips—turns out, “playing” can sometimes be a part of life too. It had been a long time since he had felt this carefree; this trip to the amusement park had indeed been worthwhile!

In the car, Chu Tianyu checked the time—it was still early, just a little past eleven. So he suggested they enjoy the night view of the city, asking Xue Ning’er to drive and take him for a drive. For Xue Ning’er, this was of course an opportunity she couldn’t refuse. The cramped space in the car felt like the perfect private space just for her and her brother-in-law. Not only did she welcome Chu Tianyu’s suggestion, but she herself also wished they could stay like this forever—because in such an environment, at such a moment, Chu Tianyu belonged to her!

However, Chu Tianyu’s thoughts were completely different from hers. His reason for wanting to keep driving around was clearly to find a room at the hotel as a last-minute solution, as he had casually mentioned earlier. His original plan was to stay nearby, casually gathering information while also having easier movement at night. He hadn’t considered the awkwardness of being alone in a room with Xue Ning’er.

If he were really a playboy, it might be different—perhaps he’d be too happy to take advantage of such opportunities. But he wasn’t, and she was Fei Fei’s sister. As her brother-in-law, he couldn’t act recklessly.

So, after realizing this issue, Chu Tianyu had no choice but to come up with this plan—hoping to return later and discuss his plans with Ning’er before taking action, thus avoiding the awkwardness of being in the same room and giving himself time to stop overthinking…

By the time they drove back to the hotel, it was already two in the morning. Xue Ning’er remained highly excited throughout the journey, and even when they arrived at the hotel, she kept chattering nonstop with Chu Tianyu, especially asking him countless times about their plans for that night. But Chu Tianyu just smiled and refused to answer, saying he’d tell her when it was time. This made Xue Ning’er even more anxious, focusing all her thoughts on it—exactly the effect Chu Tianyu wanted.

Once the two sat down in the reserved room, before Xue Ning’er could even realize the awkwardness between them, Chu Tianyu mysteriously recounted the whole story. Her attention was completely captivated by what he said, especially when he described rescuing that woman named Xue—she was utterly focused, paying no attention to anything else.

“Hehe, brother-in-law. I’ll have to report to my sister later—saying you go around saving beautiful women everywhere. Was that woman really very pretty? Did you get tempted? Were there any ‘healing scenes’?” Xue Ning’er speculated eagerly.

“You little brat, what on earth are you thinking all the time in that little head of yours? Have you watched too many movies? Healing scenes? I’m dizzy!”

“Hehe, brother-in-law, don’t change the subject. Why are you blushing? I haven’t said much yet. Are there really some restricted scenes? You’re hiding something, right, brother-in-law?” Xue Ning’er said, winking and pretending to uncover a big secret.

Chu Tianyu, who hadn’t been blushing at all, suddenly felt awkward under her gaze. Thinking back to those so-called “healing scenes,” he reluctantly admitted, “W-what are you talking about? Kids should stop thinking about such things and focus on studying. Um, by the way, regarding our next steps…”

Without giving Xue Ning’er another chance to daydream, he firmly brought the conversation back on track.

Fortunately, this was also exciting and novel for Xue Ning’er, so after listening, she immediately focused again and asked, “Brother-in-law, does that mean our first move should be to pull out those four poisonous fangs?”

“Mm, sort of. But we need to change our approach. I originally planned to just kill them all to buy some time for Yu Ji’s family. After all, it will take time for them to send more people, and with such a strong enemy appearing, they might not focus on Yu Ji’s family anymore. This way, we can use this time to find their whereabouts ahead of the enemy.”

“Oh, so how do we change our approach now?”

“Hehe, isn’t it because you’re here? So we have to make a last-minute change—you’ll help me act out a role…” Chu Tianyu said.

“What role?” Xue Ning’er asked eagerly, her eyes shining.

“Didn’t I tell you just now that when tracking them a few days ago, another force got involved as well? It’s that woman I saved, named Xue. From my analysis, her actions must have been planned in advance. The precision of her timing in staying hidden surely stems from intelligence support, and her cultivation level is extremely high. In my opinion, their connection to the natural energy of the world is one level higher than these people’s. Although they were defeated in the last attack, that was merely due to differences in cultivation levels. Moreover, their way of harnessing the natural energy differs from ours; it seems innate to them, mysterious and incomprehensible. So, the play we’re going to put on is called…” At this point, Chu Tianyu paused briefly before continuing slowly, “Switching the Peach!”