For all its deliciousness, the late-night barbecue left Jiang Yuan feeling a little uneasy.

It wasn’t for any other reason. Yi Nanye’s suggestion had genuinely tempted him for a moment. He’d been under a lot of pressure lately and needed some way to let off steam—but he was being monitored right now.

So Jiang Yuan mostly just held it in whenever he could.

But the thought of using clothes someone else had worn to get himself off made him feel both repulsed and tempted. Maybe that was the thrill of doing something taboo.

“Jiang Yuan.”

“What?”

As they ate, Yi Nanye suddenly looked up at Jiang Yuan.

“You were just thinking something disgusting, weren’t you?”

“Huh?!”

Jiang Yuan froze.

“Judging by that reaction, you were. Good. Keep it up.”

“Huh? What are you playing at now?”

“A psychological assessment. You’ve been far too calm and rational up till now. Honestly, I wasn’t reassured. But judging by your reaction just now, I’d say you’re normal. If you could completely suppress even those kinds of urges, I’d have to report it.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the wristband on her wrist.

“Your hormone levels are within the normal range. Good.”

“I think if I get embarrassed now, I lose. You really won’t let any of my suspicious behavior slide, will you? I’m still too young—I keep instinctively thinking of you as a girl my own age, so I can’t help wondering about things that don’t matter.”

“I’ll take care of it myself tonight. Just remember to give me some privacy.”

Jiang Yuan started reflecting on things. Yi Nanye didn’t treat any of this as a big deal at all, so what was he getting all flustered for?

“Sure. I don’t have anything I need to change into today, but I changed into these this morning and have been wearing them all day. They should’ve picked up a nice scent by now.”

As she spoke, she suddenly hiked up her skirt, revealing a flash of vivid blue.

“Do you like the style?”

“It’s okay.”

Jiang Yuan glanced over without changing expression. He didn’t make a fuss or start shouting. When dealing with someone like Yi Nanye, whoever got embarrassed first was the one who’d feel awkward.

“By the way, how do you feel about men and women getting involved?”

Jiang Yuan genuinely couldn’t accept it. How could Yi Nanye be so open about doing one outrageous thing after another?

“How do I feel about it? I take it normally. I mean, I live with you, so I think a lot of things are bound to happen. The more you try to hide from them, the more you fixate on them—and before you know it, you’ve developed feelings. That’s exactly why I choose not to care about this stuff from the start.”

That was Yi Nanye’s view: better to let things out than bottle them up. Face them openly, and she could stay cheerful in everyday life—then, when the crucial moment came, kill Jiang Yuan without the slightest hesitation.

“So you’ve considered the possibility that you might fall for me?”

“Of course. We’re around the same age and live together. Hormones make it easy to develop feelings you shouldn’t have. That’s what adolescence is like—it’s the stage of life when people are most likely to fall for someone without thinking.”

“And once you’ve let those urges out, reason has an easier time beating desire. So even if you see me writhing around on the bed with your clothes in my hands one day, don’t get the wrong idea.”

“That’s hardcore.”

Jiang Yuan couldn’t even begin to describe how he felt. Yi Nanye was incredible. She could act incredibly close to him on the surface, while raising an insurmountable wall between them inside, leaving no doubt about where each of them stood.

“It’s just basic psychology. Since I’m responsible for monitoring you, I’m also responsible for a whole range of assessments. Feelings are just hormones hypnotizing the brain, and love is just a form of self-conditioning.”

“One word: incredible!”

What could Jiang Yuan even say? Yi Nanye had ripped apart and dissected every bit of adolescent confusion, then laid it all out in front of him. She’d completely killed his libido.

“So you really don’t need to— Hm?”

Yi Nanye started to speak, ready to continue showing off her mature views. But halfway through, she suddenly stood and looked past Jiang Yuan.

“What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yuan instinctively turned around. In the distance, a building was engulfed in towering flames, bright enough to nearly light up the night.

“When did that catch fire...?”

Jiang Yuan hadn’t noticed at all. But neither had Yi Nanye until just now. The fire had started very suddenly, and there hadn’t even been much smoke.

“There’s something unusual about this fire. It’s a flash fire, not a normal one. Either there’s some highly explosive material inside the building, or something that’s feeding the flames.”

“What do you mean? Are you going to help put it out?”

“That’s outside my jurisdiction. Someone will handle it soon.”

Yi Nanye frowned as she watched the burning building. Jiang Yuan could now faintly hear the wail of fire engines, and rescue helicopters were approaching across the distant sky. The fire department was responding pretty quickly.

“A lot of people are probably going to die in that fire... If I could save even a few of them...”

Jiang Yuan was starting to feel the urge to prove himself. He desperately needed to show the world that he was a good person, but Yi Nanye simply shook her head.

“Forget it. How exactly are you going to save them?”

“If you helped me...”

“Why would I help? I’m only responsible for your safety.”

Yi Nanye had no intention of doing anything about the fire right in front of them. She simply watched in silence. Even if she’d wanted to help, there wasn’t much she could do. The heat from those flames would burn you—moving fast wouldn’t make you immune to it.

The two of them watched in silence as the building was gradually swallowed by the flames, until...

Until the flames suddenly went out, and frost began to form on the building’s blackened exterior.

“What...?”

Jiang Yuan realized something almost instantly. He hurried to the edge of the rooftop and squinted into the distance, but he couldn’t see a thing. The building was still quite far from the unfinished one they were in.

Yi Nanye, on the other hand, walked over to Jiang Yuan without hurrying and patted him on the shoulder.

“Let’s go back. It’s over now.”

“Who put the fire out?”

“Who do you think could put out a huge fire in an instant? Qin Xin may go by the title ‘Heat Death’—I don’t know which busybodies came up with it—but it really does suit her ability.”

The fire that had devoured the entire building went out like a candle being blown out. It had started fast and ended just as quickly. All told, it hadn’t even lasted half an hour. Jiang Yuan pulled out his phone to check the news, and as soon as he opened the browser, the fire was already the top story.

Breaking news: The fire at the East Star Building has been extinguished. Doomsday Hero Qin Xin shows off her skills.