Listening to Ouyang Ye's self-aware response, Jia felt a bit awkward. But the moment he thought of Ouyang Ye saying it, he suddenly lost the courage to overthink, leaving only a foolish smile on his face.
Seeing Jia's foolish grin, Ouyang Ye lost the inclination to converse with him. He withdrew his gaze, looking towards the door. Then, while pondering Feng Qishi's attitude and how Mu Anxiao chose to 'end it all' over this matter, his eyes deepened. With a sudden realization, he murmured, "Not good," and walked towards the door.
Startled, Jia quickly followed and asked, "What are you going to do?"
Hearing this, Ouyang Ye remembered his promise to Jia and stopped, turning to face the catching-up Jia. He said, "This is none of your business."
"You said you weren't in a hurry…"
"I was tricked, how can I not be in a hurry?" Ouyang Ye said inexplicably.
Jia was utterly confused. He glanced towards the room and said, "Who tricked you? Explain it clearly." Dispelling all fear, he reached out and grabbed Ouyang Ye's arm.
Ouyang Ye lowered his head, glancing at Jia's hand, and said coldly, "Brat, this is none of your business. Let go."
"I'm not a brat, I'm a Yin messenger," Jia stated with determination. "I understand reason better than anyone. Just tell me, and I can analyze it for you."
"You analyze it for me?" Ouyang Ye retorted.
Jia looked up at Ouyang Ye's indifferent expression and told himself not to back down. "Yes, I'll analyze it for you." He projected absolute confidence.
Ouyang Ye let out a cold laugh.
Seeing Ouyang Ye's attitude, Jia felt annoyed. "I'm telling the truth. If you tell me your concerns, I can analyze them. I..." While thinking about Mu Anxiao's safety and his own, he continued, "I'm serious."
At this moment, Ouyang Ye also deeply felt Jia's seriousness. He took a breath, glanced at the door, and thought, there's no harm in waiting a moment longer. "Alright, you can speak," he said indifferently.
"It's not me who should speak, it's you," Jia said, feeling speechless at Ouyang Ye's sudden change.
"..." After a faint smile, Ouyang Ye's expression turned stern again. "You've been with Mu Anxiao for quite some time, haven't you?"
"You... didn't you want me to analyze the problem? Why are you asking me questions?" Jia was confused by Ouyang Ye's inquiry.
"Analyzing problems and answering questions are the same to me. Hurry up, my patience," Ouyang Ye reached out and rested his hand on Jia's head, "is limited."
"You..." Jia hesitated, intimidated by Ouyang Ye's demeanor. "Alright, Mu Anxiao and I have a pretty good relationship."
"You always followed her."
"No..."
"I don't like people lying to me," Ouyang Ye interrupted coldly.
Jia disliked being threatened, but he also didn't dare offend Ouyang Ye. So, he could only brace himself and reply, "Sort of. But I am quite busy. In other words, if she has something going on, I'll help. We're colleagues, after all. These are things I should do."
"Colleagues?" Ouyang Ye seemed not to understand Jia's words.
Seeing Ouyang Ye stepping into unfamiliar territory and thinking about the modern language he used, Jia gave an awkward chuckle and said, "I misspoke. I should say, associates."
"You're truly thoughtful," Ouyang Ye said blandly.
"We're all associates. If I need something, she'll help me too. See, when I got into trouble this time, she rushed over immediately. We..." Jia's smile became stiff. "We just help each other out."
"When associates reach this point, it proves your relationship is very good," Ouyang Ye smiled.
Jia looked up at Ouyang Ye's smile, which held a hint of threat, and felt intimidated. "Yes, we have a pretty good relationship. What about it?" He sensed Ouyang Ye still had something else to ask, so... to prepare himself mentally, he asked first.
"What's her relationship with Feng Qishi like?" Ouyang Ye felt... Jia must know something?
Similarly, Jia also understood... Ouyang Ye's confident execution of those chaotic plans indicated he didn't fear wasting time. Moreover... he thought Ouyang Ye's ultimate goal was to separate Feng Qishi and Mu Anxiao. Now that his objective was within reach, Ouyang Ye suddenly asked him this. He couldn't understand.
"Why are you asking this?" Not daring to reply blindly, he countered.
"Answer," Ouyang Ye uttered the two words coldly.
"I don't know... how to answer," Jia said, and finally let go of his hand.
Then, Ouyang Ye looked down at Jia's voluntarily released hand and at his innocent expression. He realized that it wasn't quite right to ask such questions of a child. So, Ouyang Ye thought for a moment and then said, "I suspect Mu Anxiao likes Feng Qishi."
"Likes..."
"Didn't you say you could analyze? Now, analyze for me. What is Mu Anxiao truly thinking?" Ouyang Ye's mind was beginning to race.
Jia instantly understood Ouyang Ye's meaning and tested, "You're talking about her life-risking behavior."
"Yes, given the current situation, Feng Qishi is about to marry Gu Yan. At this critical juncture, she chose to die. What would you call such behavior... a love suicide." Ouyang Ye hadn't wanted to utter the last two words, but considering Mu Anxiao's actions, he could only say it this way.
"You think she likes Feng Qishi, and to an extreme degree," Jia said deliberately.
Ouyang Ye put aside his view of Jia as a child and nodded.
Upon hearing this, Jia smiled. "The facts prove that everything she did was just to avoid..." He stopped midway, suddenly remembering... Mu Anxiao's blatant affection for Feng Qishi, and looking at Ouyang Ye, who was unsure if Mu Anxiao truly liked Feng Qishi, he suddenly didn't know what to say.
Seeing this, Ouyang Ye's expression turned stern. "Why aren't you speaking?"
"I'm still a child, I don't understand these things. But I can be sure she probably doesn't like Feng Qishi, because she often speaks ill of Feng Qishi." Jia spoke nonsense.
Ouyang Ye believed him, his eyes lighting up. "Really?"
"Mmm, she seems to only want to achieve immortality. Other thoughts... she has none." Jia finished and shrugged.
Just then, Feng Qishi opened the door. "Ouyang Ye, you can go in." He said, stepping over the threshold and approaching.
The next second, Ouyang Ye turned to look at the cold-faced Feng Qishi, and recalling Jia's words, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He asked, "How is she?" his expression full of concern.
Feng Qishi walked up to Ouyang Ye and said coldly, "She's fine now. You can go." After speaking, he stepped aside.