Chapter 257

Chapter 257

Qin Nan, Jian Fan, and the others instinctively turned toward the voice.

The moment Qin Nan saw who it was, he froze.

The same words burst from his mind and mouth at once. “What the fuck?”

Standing in front of them was none other than the Prince who had been searching for Qin Nan.

He was smiling at Qin Nan, though there was something indescribably strange about that smile. A large group of people stood behind him, and they had already surrounded Qin Nan and the others.

This…

Qin Nan felt a headache coming on.

Lu Jing wasn’t here, so their group had no way to fight back.

While Qin Nan was trying to figure out how they could escape, the Prince frowned.

“You swore again.” The Prince seemed displeased.

Qin Nan: “???”

Huh?

Jian Fan studied the Prince with a frown.

The Prince, however, seemed completely indifferent to Jian Fan’s presence and kept staring at Qin Nan. Perhaps Jian Fan’s gaze was simply too intense, because the Prince finally turned to look at him.

The instant he saw Jian Fan, the Prince’s expression darkened.

“Why are you so disobedient?” the Prince asked in an icy voice.

“Huh?” Qin Nan was completely bewildered.

The Prince continued, “You even dared to stay with him.” He chuckled softly, and a violent killing intent erupted in his eyes.

At the sight of this, fireworks went off in Qin Nan’s head.

No way.

The Prince didn’t like Snow White. He liked the Evil Queen? And now, because Qin Nan was with Snow White, the Prince was so jealous and furious that he wanted to kill Snow White?

Good lord.

Just how wildly had the plot been rewritten?

Was this some kind of stepmom romance?

The evil stepmother and her stepson? No, wait, her step-son-in-law?

What kind of bizarre development was this?

Qin Nan’s thoughts were in complete disarray. At that moment, however, a voice suddenly sounded in Jian Fan’s mind.

“Ding! Character mission triggered! Before the ball ends at midnight, you and the Stepmother Queen must confess your feelings to each other and confirm your romantic relationship. Success will reward you with one piece of information needed to clear the stage. Failure will result in erasure.”

Jian Fan: “???”

For a moment, Jian Fan couldn’t decide whether to complain about this trashy Realm of Death forcing two men to confess their feelings to each other, or to point out that this mission would be laughably easy for him.

Given his relationship with Qin Nan, all he needed was a little cooperation from him. It couldn’t be simpler.

Just then, the System spoke again.

“You may not communicate with the Player. Any communication will render the mission invalid.”

Jian Fan: “?”

Why hadn’t it mentioned such a crucial detail earlier?

“It seems I’ve been far too merciful with you.” The Prince had no idea what Qin Nan and Jian Fan were thinking. He simply said what he wanted to say, as usual.

His words snapped both Qin Nan and Jian Fan out of their thoughts.

Ignoring the Prince, Jian Fan turned to Qin Nan with an odd expression.

The mission itself wasn’t difficult. The problem was that he couldn’t communicate with Qin Nan. Did that mean he had to confess first? Would Qin Nan understand what he meant? If he didn’t… Jian Fan had a feeling things might get troublesome.

As for Qin Nan, he was still baffled. He turned to Jian Fan, hoping to get some help from him.

The two stared silently at each other, equally strange expressions on their faces.

Watching them gaze at each other without saying a word, the fury in the Prince’s heart soared.

“Very well!” the Prince snarled. He ordered the men behind him, “Kill this woman who’s in the way.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the bodyguards behind the Prince charged at Jian Fan.

Without even thinking, Qin Nan stepped directly in front of Jian Fan.

Jian Fan was clever, but he lacked physical strength. If those men got their hands on him, would he even survive?
Meanwhile–

Yellow Hair, who had been treated as if he were invisible this entire time, also heard a System notification in his mind.

“Ding! Character quest triggered. Protect Snow White and help him escape the Prince’s pursuit before the ball ends at midnight. Success will grant one piece of information needed to clear the game. Failure will result in erasure.”

Yellow Hair: “???”

Seriously? With this many people around? He wasn’t Lu Jing. How was he supposed to get Jian Fan out of here?

This was ridiculous.

Yellow Hair wanted to ask Jian Fan what he thought, but given the situation, Jian Fan probably had no attention to spare for him. Yellow Hair silently closed his mouth again.

Qin Nan stood protectively in front of Jian Fan, facing off against the bodyguards.

The bodyguards seemed wary of Qin Nan. They surrounded the two of them but did not dare rush forward for fear of hurting him.

Once Qin Nan realized this, he moved even closer to Jian Fan.

“If you want to kill him, you’ll have to step over my dead body first!” Qin Nan declared resolutely. The moment the words left his mouth, he cringed inside. What kind of line was that? Still, it did fit his current situation rather well.

At the sight of this, Jian Fan’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Then he spoke.

“I like you,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan froze.

He whipped his head around and stared at Jian Fan in disbelief. “Huh?”

Jian Fan calmly met Qin Nan’s gaze.

Qin Nan’s thoughts ground to a halt.

Jian Fan liked him? No, with that expressionless face, did he look like he liked anyone? Unless… Jian Fan had some deeper meaning in mind?

It never occurred to Qin Nan that Jian Fan had triggered a character quest. He assumed Jian Fan was either putting on an act or trying to provoke the Prince. But how did Jian Fan want him to play along?

Jian Fan was already looking at him as he asked his next question. “What about you? Do you like me?”

Qin Nan studied Jian Fan’s expression and quickly made up his mind.

He nodded. “I like you too.”

If Jian Fan needed him to reject the confession, he would not have phrased the question like that. Clearly, this was the response Jian Fan needed from him. Although Qin Nan had no idea what Jian Fan was planning, he obviously trusted him.

A smile appeared on Jian Fan’s face when he heard Qin Nan’s answer.

“Then let’s be together,” Jian Fan said.

Qin Nan: “…”

Even though he knew Jian Fan was probably just acting, Qin Nan still had mixed feelings. He could not decide whether to complain about Jian Fan’s painfully blunt confession or feel awkward about the bizarre scene the two of them were playing out.

Still, he nodded cooperatively. “All right. Let’s be together.” As he spoke, Qin Nan caught sight of the Prince from the corner of his eye. The Prince’s expression could not have been any darker. Qin Nan paused, then added, “We’ll be together in life and death. If you die, I’ll follow you.”

Jian Fan: “…”

Even though he knew Qin Nan was only acting, Jian Fan had rather complicated feelings about that too.

The moment Qin Nan finished speaking, another System notification sounded in Jian Fan’s mind.

“Ding! Congratulations, Player. Quest completed. The Player is no longer bound by the character’s identity and may now participate in the game freely.”

“Ding! Quest completed. The Player has received one quest reward: a Fragmented Story Page.”

Jian Fan turned his hand over, and a torn page appeared in his palm. Instead of examining it immediately, he quickly put it away.

Qin Nan was standing face-to-face with Jian Fan, so he naturally saw it.

The sight of that somewhat familiar torn page left him stunned.

Jian Fan… had completed a quest?

Wait, when had he even accepted one? How had he suddenly finished it already?

Was he trying to astonish everyone without saying a word?