“Hmph, hmph.”
After defeating her so-called rival once again, Lin Huanhuan hummed twice in delight.
Lin Huanhuan noticed that Ye Jinxiu was still watching her. “Hey, why haven’t you left yet?”
‘Although I don’t need to capture Ye Jinxiu for now, the previous deviation in the plot was because I showed compassion. To avoid any trouble, I’d better lower her favorability a bit.’
Thinking this, Lin Huanhuan immediately put on a confident smile. “Oh, I get it. You’re grateful that I saved you before, aren’t you? Tell you what, just sleep with me once, and we’ll call it even. How about that?”
‘Such a shameless and greasy line—no girl could take it. I bet Ye Jinxiu will be speechless and put me on her untouchable list.’
“You say that, but I doubt you’d dare if I agreed,” Ye Jinxiu muttered quietly. Lin Huanhuan didn’t catch what she said, but her willow brows instinctively knitted a little.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. You misheard.”
“Forget all that.” Lin Huanhuan tucked her hands into her sleeves, acting all arrogant. “Just answer—do you agree or not? I’m not asking your opinion. If you refuse, I’ll just grab you and do it by force!”
“Tch.”
Ye Jinxiu’s face didn’t show the slightest panic. “Let’s not talk about that. Just now I helped you out of a jam, didn’t I? How do you plan to repay me?”
“Wasn’t that just the truth? You were supposed to do it.” Lin Huanhuan sounded a little disgruntled.
Ye Jinxiu smiled and said, “It was the truth, but if I hadn’t admitted it, no one would have said a thing. So in the end, I helped you. Shouldn’t you be grateful to me?”
“What a load of nonsense. When did you learn to talk like this?”
Lin Huanhuan scoffed. “Grateful? Why don’t I just let you enjoy yourself, then? How about I use my body?”
‘Trying the shameless teasing tactic again—there’s no way Ye Jinxiu, a pure little kitchen maid, can withstand this.’
“Use your body to let me have a good time?”
Ye Jinxiu tilted her head, her finger pressed to her lips. “That actually sounds pretty nice. Sure. When do we start?”
“Ah?”
Just as Lin Huanhuan was bracing herself for Ye Jinxiu’s biting retort, she was stunned by this reply.
When she came back to her senses, her little face flushed bright red. Seeing the playful smile on Ye Jinxiu’s face, her anger shot up instantly.
Lin Huanhuan snapped, “What are you scheming at this time? Are you messing with me?”
“No, I’m being completely honest.”
“On the contrary, Lin Huanhuan, haven’t you always said you like me? I just agreed to sleep with you for a night so we can both enjoy ourselves, but you act so shocked. As if you can’t believe I’d agree.”
“Is it that in your plan, there’s no way I’d ever agree, that I’d only ever reject you?”
Ye Jinxiu put on a suspicious look, staring intently at Lin Huanhuan, as if she could see through her disguise—her heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys laid bare.
“This, this, this…”
Lin Huanhuan grew more and more guilty, then finally just pretended to be angry, waving her hands twice. “What nonsense are you spouting? I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I just find your behavior so strange. Maybe you’re plotting some scheme against me? That’s all!”
“If you’re so easily won over, I don’t even want you. If I want something, I’ll take it myself—I’ll be satisfied only after I tie you up and throw you onto the bed!”
“Enjoy your good times while they last. Next time I make a move, you won’t be so lucky.”
After blurting all this out in one breath, Lin Huanhuan spun around and left, not even a cloud left behind.
Her steps were hurried, as if she feared some presence would chase after her if she lingered.
Ye Jinxiu stood where she was, watching Lin Huanhuan’s figure grow smaller and smaller, but did not chase after her.
She murmured to herself, “Just as I thought. Lin Huanhuan really does act that way for a reason.”
“It feels a bit like when I was little and wanted tangyuan, but my family couldn’t afford it, so I had to run errands for other kids just to earn a few copper coins. Is she also being controlled by someone or something?”
“What could the reason be? I kind of want to know.”
Ye Jinxiu bit her lower lip, the corners of her mouth suddenly lifting in a faint smile.
She walked down the mountain and ran into her roommate, who looked a bit listless.
“Jin Lvyue, what’s wrong? You don’t look so well.”
“It’s nothing. I just trained a little late last night. I’ve got something to do, so I’ll head in first.”
Jin Lvyue hurried inside. Ye Jinxiu felt that something was off about her, but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
*****
Lin Huanhuan glanced back every three steps, as if guarding against a thief. Only after confirming no one was following her did she scurry back to her residence in a fluster.
After returning, she even grabbed the door frame and poked half her head out, sneakily checking the outside before slamming the door shut.
This scene left Dong Yun’er, who had just finished cooking, completely baffled. “What is Miss doing? Was she followed by some wicked person?”
“But what kind of being would even dare to tail Miss? There’s no such creature in this world, right?”
Lin Huanhuan retorted, exasperated, “Hey, don’t go lumping me in with those untouchable chaos entities! I’m obviously so pretty—maybe not adored by all, but at least not hated, right?”
“I have no argument about your looks, Miss, but with the way you usually act, it’s pretty hard for most people to like you. Not that it matters—no matter what, I’ll support you unconditionally.”
Lin Huanhuan plopped into a chair and poured herself a cup of tea, downing it in one gulp. Only then did she feel alive again. “It’s touching and all, but isn’t that just how things should be?”
“So what exactly happened?”
Dong Yun’er still fixated on this question. She wanted to know everything about Miss. If today’s class hadn’t been so important, she definitely would have followed Miss to class.
A skilled alchemist can use all sorts of precious medicinal herbs to refine all kinds of pills, earning vast rewards. This has everything to do with Miss’s quality of life after her ‘fall from grace’ someday, so she can’t treat it lightly.
“It’s nothing, really. Just a little thing, nothing to worry about.” Lin Huanhuan waved her hand dismissively.
‘A few days ago I was plotting to capture Ye Jinxiu, and now I’m admitting to dodging her craziness? That’s too embarrassing. Better not let it slip.’
“Alright, then.” Dong Yun’er nodded understandingly. ‘I’ll investigate later myself. Miss has another secret—I have to know about it.’