They all want to change my future.

Chapter 23, Song Hongxiao, number unknown.

Listen to the crisp applause.

Ji Baizhi snapped out of her daze, her gaze sweeping over Li Zhi's face, a hint of inquiry flashing in her mind:

"Young master, what you just did wasn't just for fun, was it?"

You're right.

Li Zhi frankly admitted it, looked at Lin Yueyin, and reminded her:

"Miss Lin, you should go back and report to the Holy Maiden what happened tonight."

"Why should I go back?" Lin Yueyin frowned in confusion.

"Don't you need to report?" Li Zhi asked, somewhat surprised, as if she had said something strange. "Didn't she arrange for you to follow me? She must be trying to find out what I do."

"Oh," Li Zhi said, as if suddenly realizing something, "Could it be that you two have some kind of tool that allows you to report to each other remotely?"

"You're overthinking it." Lin Yueyin's expression was calm, so calm it was almost unnatural.

Even Ji Baizhi could tell that something was wrong with her.

Li Zhi naturally saw this too, and he shook his head: "Miss Lin, you have no choice but to leave now."

Lin Yueyin paused for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

"By the way, Miss Lin, her task for you was to follow me around all day, right?"

Li Zhi said slowly, "It seems that besides being my sparring partner, you also have the responsibility to protect me."

Before Lin Yueyin could answer, Ji Baizhi hurriedly asked, "Why protect the young master? Is someone trying to harm him?"

"That's for sure." Li Zhi pointed out without much thought: "According to your plan, I should be the stone for asking for directions, the pawn for crossing the river."

Looking at this nonchalant attitude, Lin Yueyin said coldly, "But it seems to me that the bird on the outside is quite happy."

"That's right." Li Zhi nodded and looked at Ji Baizhi: "That's what makes life interesting. Besides, I feel that Miss Ji should be able to protect me."

Ji Baizhi was somewhat ashamed: "Young Master, you flatter me."

She paused, as if she had thought of something, and quickly said, "Just now, the imperial decree said that the young master should move to a small courtyard to live alone. Could it be that this is targeting the young master?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Li Zhi shrugged nonchalantly, then looked at Lin Yueyin:

"If you're planning to use me for fishing, I'll move in. If not, I'll stay in this yard. After all, living alone is too boring."

Ji Baizhi said somewhat forcefully, "Young Master, regardless of the truth, for your safety, you should stay here."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yueyin subconsciously glanced at Ji Baizhi, her eyes conveying a clear meaning: a lone man and a lone woman in the same courtyard—this is bad for your reputations…

Ji Baizhi seemed not to have received the look, or perhaps she did but didn't care, and simply sat quietly looking at Li Zhi.

Such focus and deep affection made Lin Yueyin even more confused; what was so good about this man?

And I was really overthinking it. This princess has even had more outrageous ideas, so why would she care about such a trivial reputation?

Lin Yueyin remained silent for a long time before saying, "I don't know, I'll go back and ask."

As soon as she finished speaking, her voice disappeared, as if it had blended into the darkness.

Firstly, she really wanted to go back and ask, and secondly, she couldn't stand this woman's infatuated appearance.

This time, she's really gone.

Only the two of them remained inside.

"Can you confirm whether Miss Lin has really left?" Li Zhi asked.

"Did you deliberately send Miss Lin away, young master?" Ji Baizhi asked, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Some things are always inconvenient to say when a third party is present," Li Zhi frankly admitted. "Do you have a way to verify this?"

Ji Baizhi nodded, and with a slight lift of her fingertips, a pure and bright light silently shone from her fingertips.

Wherever the light reached, every corner and every shadow in the room was illuminated, revealing every detail and leaving nothing hidden.

The phoenix's radiance illuminates the darkness and dispels obscurity.

The light lasted for several breaths before Ji Baizhi slowly withdrew her hand.

The room was restored to its original candlelight lighting.

"I didn't sense anything unusual," Ji Baizhi said. "Miss Lin has really left."

"That's good." Li Zhi looked at Ji Baizhi with a serious expression. "Now, we can talk about something more private."

Ji Baizhi's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at him: "What does Young Master want to say?"

"Of course, it's the future."

Li Zhi spoke very seriously.

He was so serious that Ji Baizhi realized she had been tricked.

But she quickly composed herself: "Young master, what do you want to ask about the future?"

"Your reaction is wrong." Li Zhi shook his head: "It seems I should have talked about our future just now."

"Young master, please stop teasing me." Ji Baizhi's eyes grew increasingly resentful.

"Alright, I'll listen to you," Li Zhi said. "In the future you see, is there any news about Lin Yueyin and that Heavenly Sect Saintess?"

Ji Baizhi lowered her head, lost in memories.

After a while, she looked up and said, "No, or rather, I didn't see it."

"It seems the future you saw was incomplete." Li Zhi wasn't surprised by this result: "However, this makes things interesting."

"Young Master, why do you ask this?" Ji Baizhi asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I just thought of something important."

Li Zhi lowered his head and began to think. Ji Baizhi was clearly the template for the female protagonist.

But how can there only be one female protagonist in a game?

Therefore, Ji Baizhi represents the imperial court's line of action.

Lin Yueyin and the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect follow the sect's path.

Lin Yueyin is clearly the protagonist template who carries a deep-seated blood feud, possesses extraordinary talent, and rises to the peak for revenge.

As for the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, her methods are unpredictable, her plans are far-reaching, and her wisdom is outstanding. She is like a wise female protagonist who plays the game behind the scenes.

So here's the problem: the number of female leads is wrong.

Who is the other female lead in the imperial court storyline?

Li Zhi's gaze lingered on Ji Baizhi's face for a moment, scrutinizing her closely.

The woman before him had exquisite features and skin as white as snow. In the candlelight, her beauty was even more breathtaking; she was truly a peerless beauty.

"By the way, who is the most beautiful woman in the capital besides you?" Li Zhi suddenly asked.

Why ask that? You're going to be the female lead, how could you not be good-looking?

"Young master, you seem to be sexually unsatisfied. You've already got your hands on Miss Lin and are already thinking about other things." Ji Baizhi said quietly, "

Li Zhi didn't care about such misunderstandings and even admitted directly: "That's right, I want to find a second target."

"Young master, you're just admitting it like that?"

"You've already assumed I'm a lecherous womanizer." Li Zhi shrugged. "What's there for me to explain?"

"Young Master, you..." Ji Baizhi sighed helplessly, abandoning her sour feelings, and remembered the inappropriateness in Li Zhi's words.

She asked, somewhat curiously, "Why the second one? Shouldn't it be the third?"

"Because you don't need a strategy guide," Li Zhi said matter-of-factly, looking at her with clear eyes. "You're not on my side."

These words were sincere and direct, causing Ji Baizhi to lower her head, her ears burning slightly, and whisper:

"Young master... always says things that leave people speechless."

She paused, then returned to his original question, pondering it carefully:

"If we're talking about someone in the capital whose looks and demeanor are comparable to mine, I can only think of one. After all, she's quite famous."

"Who?"

"Countless red silks were sung, and the owner of the Red Silk Pavilion was Qu Hongxiao."