My CEO Harem Cultivation System

"Miss Lifen?" Li Yang asked once she picked up the phone. He made sure to go out of his way and head out to the rooftop of the hospital once more to call her and even though he didn't want to admit it...

He was glad that she called.

The night when Li Yang reunited with Ying Yue He and reached Shanghai again after heading to the Liu's island, the woman left without another word and didn't say goodbye at all. 

It was a good indication that their exchange at the Celestial Ship was something that freaked her out, and that perhaps even when she said that she'd like to pour him a cup of tea in the future or next life, that things ended for them before it even began.

[ Yang ] there was a small croak in her voice that alerted him.

"Miss Lifen, are you okay?" Li Yang prompted again. "Are you crying?"

[ What? No. ] A slightly stuffy voice came from the other end of the phone. Bo Lifen's voice was a bit scratchy but she still kept up her stance. [ I'm not. I just wanted to call you. ]

"Really?" he asked doubtfully.

[ … Did I call you at the wrong time? ] she asked.

Li Yang wasn't the type of person to pry and he respected if a person wished to hold up the facade of being okay. There were people who refused to break down in the face of other people and he assumed that Bo Lifen was like that.

The fact that she was reaching out to him right now meant that Bo Lifen was already doing an extraordinary thing. He wanted to wait for her to open up to him when she was comfortable.

"No, not at all. If you wanted to just talk, I'm here," he said and then hesitated for a moment. He did have prior obligations with Ying Yue He and the others, but then he still asked. "Do you need me to come over to the Heavenly Jade Pavilion?"

[ No! ] Bo Lifen raised her voice at him, but then calmed down. [ I mean, no. It's not necessary. You don't have to come here for me, just stay where you are. ]

"I see… well, if you say that it's like that, then a call would suffice."

[ Yes, I just wanted to see if you were safe and okay. ]

"...and why wouldn't I be safe?" he asked and listened to the silence that came from the other end of the phone. It remained that way for nearly a good minute before  Li Yang asked again. "Lifen?"

[ Well, after heading out to get your secretary, maybe you were right to have suspicions about any possible attacks. I… I'm just worried because I'm weak and can't do anything to help you. ]

"What are you even talking about?" Li Yang scrunched up his nose. "You're an incredible person, Lifen. I don't understand why you see yourself as weak."

[ Did you remember when you mentioned about cultivation and immortality? ]

"Was that back on the ship?" he asked.

[ Yeah. ]

"Did… did I say anything that might have changed your mind or did something happen that made you think about it?" Li Yang asked. He remembered his conversation with Elizabeth Hawthorne and her words did make him think about immortality in a different light.

[ Maybe. ]

"Oh, in what way?"

[ I just remember the old and proud tales of my great grandmother and even that of her great great parents about the time when gods actually came here on earth. I'm not sure if they're actually divine beings or simply ascended beings that transcended earth and simply returned to earth for nostalgia but… ]

"But?"

[ I don't like violence. I hate it. ] 

Li Yang smiled slightly. "Well, I'm not sure if most people are predisposed to actually liking carnage and deaths if they can prevent it from happening at all. I'd like to think that most individuals who've matured are more likely to look for peace and rest."

[ Exactly. The word here is prevent. ]

"Yes?" he frowned a bit.

[ Saving the world, peace for everyone and without anyone experiencing pain… those things are impossible and maybe for someone like me, I only care about those who I care about. Er, do you get what I mean? ]

"Hmm, I think so. It's a more difficult mindset to always think about others than to think about our own selves."

[ Yes, you get it. As long as my family, friends and co-workers stay fine, maybe the idea of the world burning down isn't so bad… but not because I'm being a bad person, it's just that if I have to choose between the world and my loved ones, I'd probably end up choosing the people I care about. ]

Li Yang glanced up at the dark sky and stared into the distant stars. "I don't see how that is anything wrong. Maybe not exactly heroic, but we're only human."

[ I'm not saying my mindset is wrong, I simply wish to say that is how I think. ]

"Oh, then my apologies for assuming otherwise," Li Yang coughed. "I presumed that you called me to vent or something else."

[ I didn't call you for phone sex. ] Bo Lifen stated flatly.

"I didn't assume that," Li Yang snickered. "What do you think of me? A crazed sex addict always looking for it when we meet."

This time he heard her sigh and it was a more relaxed one. [ Alright, I was sure that you didn't, but I could be surprised. ]

Li Yang raised a brow. "Would you actually liked it if I called you for sex all the time?"

A silence occured for a good second before he heard her clearing her throat. Bo Lifen seemed to be shy about admitting or denying what he said. 

[ I didn't call to just exchange pleasantries or to place my problems on your shoulders… but, but… maybe I did actually call you to ask for your help. ]

Ah. So that was what she wanted and what Li Yang was waiting for all this time. Bo Lifen always presented herself as someone who was fiercely independent, but this time, she reached out to him. "Say the word—"

[ And you'll measure the pros and cons of helping me? ]

Li Yang bit down on his tongue and realized that he was about to help her without any hesitation. Even though Bo Lifen had been somewhat vague about it, he already wanted to help despite not knowing the weight of his actions or what were the consequences.

When did he even become this reckless?

Bo Lifen made a good point that it was impossible for him to truly help everyone and that simply meant he needed to make good choices when it came to situations like this one.

[ Yang? ]

"What is it, Lifen?" 

[ You only started cultivating last year, right? ]

"I did."

[ I want to grow as fast as you when it comes to cultivation. I… I didn't think I'd ever need to learn how to fight, but I do know that I want to be able to protect those who I care about. ] Bo Lifen told him. [ Can I… can I ask for your help? ]