Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!
Chapter 73: Lin Zhaoyue [1]

Chapter 73: Lin Zhaoyue [1]

Fang Yuan blinked, clearly startled.

"Do I... know you?"

His eyes narrowed slightly as he took a measured step back, posture shifting subtly into a guarded stance.

She didn’t seem hostile but that meant nothing.

Her cultivation was high and her movements were swift. She could always attack anytime she feels like it.

Still... that face? That voice?

He had remember if he ever encountered before.

The girl giggled, a soft, melodic sound that fluttered in the air like petals on a breeze.

"You’re joking, right?" she said brightly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It’s me~!"

She tucked the hairpin delicately into her bun beside the flower, then dashed forward with open arms.

Fang Yuan’s eyes widened.

Instinctively, he shifted his weight, one hand moving just slightly toward his sleeve.

But the moment she closed the gap and wrapped her arms around him, he stilled.

There was no malice nor any hint of killing intent. It was just warmth.

...Still, his body remained taut, every muscle coiled, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

She nestled against him for a moment, content, before looking up with bright, expectant eyes.

"Don’t you remember me, Fang Yuan?"

His lips thinned into a line.

Gently, he raised his hands and placed them on her shoulders, easing her away.

"I don’t," he said quietly. "Who are you?"

The light in her eyes dimmed.

Her arms dropped to her sides, and she stared at him, unblinking.

"You... really don’t?"

"No," he answered flatly. "Should I?"

For a heartbeat, she simply stood there.

Then she exhaled, stepped back, and smoothed out her skirt with exaggerated calm.

"I’m Lin Zhaoyue," she said at last.

Fang Yuan’s brow furrowed, head tilting slightly.

"Lin... Zhaoyue...?"

"Lin Zhaoyue?" Fang Yuan echoed, brows drawing together. "Lin... Lin..."

His gaze drifted, squinting slightly as he searched the corners of his memory like a man flipping through an old, half-burnt scroll.

The girl crossed her arms, a single brow rising in disbelief.

"Seriously?"

She leaned in, a little too close, voice sweet but firm.

"The Lin Zhaoyue. From the Lin family. The one and only."

Fang Yuan blinked at her.

Twice.

His head tilted slightly to one side, the same way a puppy might when asked to recite scripture.

"The Lin family?" he repeated. "Should that mean something to me?"

Zhaoyue’s eye twitched.

Her smile wavered.

For a brief second, her aura actually cracked, just slightly as if her soul took psychic damage from sheer emotional betrayal.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, more to herself than him.

Fang Yuan, completely oblivious to the social catastrophe unfolding in front of him, rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully.

"Zhaoyue... nope. Still nothing. You sure we’ve met?"

The girl pouted, her arms crossed as she stared up at him with big, expectant eyes—like a child waiting for a treat she was promised.

Fang Yuan rubbed his temple. "Lin... Lin..."

Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up.

"Wait! I get it! You’re Lin Feng’s younger sister!"

The girl blinked, and then her cheeks flushed with the faintest pink.

"E-Eh? Do I really look that young?" she whispered, a soft blush creeping over her face.

Fang Yuan’s brows furrowed. "Wait... you’re not his sister?"

She smiled.

It wasn’t teasing or smug, just soft.

She took a step closer and said, with a conspiratorial glint in her eye:

"I’ll tell you a little secret then."

Fang Yuan stayed still, listening.

She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a near whisper.

"I was the one who attacked the spirit wolves that day. And we... we both ran away together while being chased by them."

His eyes widened slightly.

Click.

The memory began slotting together.

Click.

She giggled when she saw the realization begin to dawn on his face.

Then she tilted her head, eyes dancing with mischief and nostalgia.

"Remember? When they chased us to the cliff and you fell and got caught by that tree branch?"

Fang Yuan’s throat bobbed in a slow gulp. He nodded faintly, stunned.

Her hands rose, gently cupping his face.

She traced a single finger along his cheek, slow, featherlight, until it rested just beneath his jaw.

Her voice was soft now, laced with something tender... and dangerous.

"I thought you’d jumped to your death... so I jumped too. Because if you were going to die, I wanted to be with you. Even in death."

She leaned closer, her breath brushing his ear.

"But instead... we landed in the river. Remember? That old fisherman saved us."

Fang Yuan stared at her, the final puzzle piece falling into place.

His voice was a whisper.

"You... You are Lin Feng?"

She giggled, delighted, as if she’d waited years to hear that from him.

"Yes! I am Lin Feng... but my real name is Lin Zhaoyue."

She pressed her forehead against his, eyes glowing like dusk on water.

"I want you to remember that."

Her voice dipped lower, brushing against his heart.

"My name and only mine. No other girl’s name, okay?"

She smiled sweetly.

But the glint in her eye promised that if he did forget... there would be consequences.

Fang Yuan took a step back, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Wait a second... I thought you were a boy back then! And, what are you even doing here?"

Lin Zhaoyue giggled and didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she took a bold step forward, reached out, and gently grabbed his wrist.

"Hehe~ I’m very much a girl," she whispered, voice dripping with amusement. "Here, see for yourself."

Before he could react, she tried to guide his hand toward her chest.

Fang Yuan’s eyes widened in sheer panic. He yanked his arm back so fast it was like touching a hot stove.

"Wha—! I don’t need to verify anything! I can see the truth just fine!"

She beamed, utterly unbothered.

"Good." She nodded approvingly. "Then that settles it."

She clasped her hands behind her back, eyes twinkling.

"Well? Don’t you think this is fate? You found your wife right when she was at her lowest~"

Her voice was light and playful, but the word wife rang through the air like a divine thunderclap.

Fang Yuan blinked.

Once.

Twice.

His brain stalled like a broken transmission.

Did... Did she just proclaim herself... my wife?