Su Wanli silently covered her cheeks as she stood before the full-length mirror in the bathroom.
‘What on earth was that just now?! Do you have zero resistance to temptation? Just because Meng Wange said you could touch her, you actually did it?!’
Moreover, even though she had claimed it was “all for the sake of art,” she hadn’t drawn a single stroke after touching her body. Instead, she had fled the room immediately!
In doing so, she had personally undermined her own premise. She could have used “learning drawing techniques” as a shield, but now…
‘Haha! Now the biggest pervert in this house is you!’
Furthermore, she had pretended she was going to show off her drawing skills to please Meng Wange, yet she had produced something of that pathetic caliber… There were better ways to embarrass oneself than that!
Why did it turn out like this? She had clearly intended to act as a considerate, attentive steward to fulfill Meng Wange’s wishes and raise her favorability along the way… How did it escalate step by step into this mess?
It was all because of that line: “Let me show you what I’m capable of.”
‘…Ah, ah! I see! In the end, it’s all the fault of these nonsensical Prompt Glasses, isn’t it?!’
Su Wanli took off the prop that the System had spent a fortune on. She nearly hurled it into the sink, but remembering the price, she hesitated for a moment before indignantly stuffing it back into her pocket.
If it hadn’t been for those absurd, nonsensical options popping up from time to time, she wouldn’t be losing her mind in front of a bathroom mirror right now. Instead, she could have stayed elegantly in her room, striking a pose and looking down at Meng Wange with a cold smirk as the other girl drew her portrait.
She had even prepared her bullying lines in advance—things like “What is this trash? It doesn’t even capture one ten-thousandth of my beauty,” or “Is this really the extent of your skills? Is that it? Really?”
But now, everything was ruined. After a series of misunderstood conversations, she had somehow laid hands on Meng Wange, performing a string of completely inexplicable actions.
How was she supposed to face her after this? Not to mention she still had to complete the System’s Bullying Missions…
Su Wanli grit her teeth and took a deep breath, trying to exhale all the palpitation and frustration in her chest.
…Ah.
A faint fragrance still lingered on her fingertips—it was the scent from Meng Wange’s body. It felt very similar to the flowers placed by the tables in the Yan Hui Ting… lilies.
‘…No!! Su Wanli!!! What are you thinking about all day!! Reflect on yourself properly!!!’
Was there any way to make what just happened disappear entirely, or at least minimize the impact?
It was an undeniable fact that she had unscrupulously touched Meng Wange’s palms, hair, neck, and collarbones—all those intimate places. Her image in the other girl’s heart had likely hit rock bottom.
Since things had come to this, then…
Then…
Then…
The scene from moments ago flashed repeatedly before Su Wanli’s eyes—the contact of their fingertips, the feeling of hair sliding through her fingers, the sensation of her thumb brushing against that neck…
The faint scent, the slightly reddened corners of those eyes, the dust motes floating in the light…
The noisy, empty, silent world felt like an infinitely expanding universe of entropy.
…Ah, she had it.
‘I understand. I just have to do that, right?’
Though her body was still standing inside the Su Residence, Su Wanli’s thoughts had already drifted far away.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—strike down the darkness with lightning!
She covered her forehead and let her lips curl into a smile in the mirror—a smile that was both wicked and helpless, lucid yet chaotic.
‘Hehe, so what if I touched Meng Wange’s body? It was with her tacit permission, after all. It’s not some unforgivable sin.’
‘The way to get things back on track is simple—I just need to reverse the situation.’
—That’s right! She just had to let Meng Wange touch her back, right?!
The Maid Outfit Plan had failed, and the Suit Plan wasn’t exactly a success either. She didn’t even know if Zhang Ma had managed to buy a new dress yet…
So for the next item, all that was left was the bathrobe in the bathroom!
‘Haha, is that it? After I finish my bath, I’ll return to the room wearing a bathrobe. I’ll yawn and, just like Meng Wange did earlier, let her touch my body a few times—then we’ll be even!’
It was perfect! There just happened to be a well-fitting bathrobe in the bathroom; it was practically a sign from the heavens!
Yes, this was how things should develop. The wheels of history should roll forward in this manner…
**[…]**
Even the ellipses were starting to appear before her eyes as if urging her on. ‘Move quickly, Su Wanli. Bathe fast, dry your hair before lunch, and get back to the room.’
That way, she could stand confidently before Meng Wange and deliver that classic line:
‘My dear Master Meng Wange, would you like to draw first… eat lunch first… or… eat me first?’
…How wonderful. The world was so beautiful.
**[Ahem, Host, about that…]**
She had clearly set this brain-dead System to silent mode, so why was there still a strange voice in her ear?
Could it be that this wasn’t the System, but some kind of divine providence?
Su Wanli completely ignored the System’s voice. With a brilliant smile on her face, she leaped into the bathtub behind her.
***
Naturally, Meng Wange had no idea what Su Wanli was planning next.
She simply sat silently in front of her sketchbook, lightly touching her lips with her fingertips.
…It seemed she had overthought a simple matter once again.
Racking her brain to analyze the motive behind every single one of Su Wanli’s actions was a foolish endeavor in itself. Perhaps even Su Wanli herself couldn’t explain every thought in her head.
When dealing with such an erratic and hyperactive Eldest Miss, she only needed to figure out one essential thing—and that was…
What kind of feelings did Su Wanli actually harbor for her right now?
Her body had gradually returned to normal, and her thoughts were much clearer. Meng Wange lightly tapped her forehead with her knuckle and let out a helpless laugh.
“…Hehe, and here I was talking about trials and assessments. It was such an obvious thing, yet I failed to notice it immediately.”
—Last night, she had provided Su Wanli with significant help, and this morning she had collapsed by her bed with a high fever.
And that fever was most likely a result of her blocking that champagne cart for her.
Therefore, upon realizing this, the primary emotion Su Wanli felt was likely summarized in two words:
Guilt.
It was because of guilt that she chose to stay home and rest with her, brought her breakfast, and even put on the maid outfit and steward suit, using all sorts of clumsy methods to express her apology.
However, due to her pride as a young lady, she couldn’t truly lower her guard to treat her with standard tenderness, which led to such contradictory words and deeds.
As for unbuttoning her shirt…
Meng Wange frowned slightly.
Hmm… If she followed this line of reasoning, then perhaps it was because…
Su Wanli wanted to get sick together with her to alleviate that lingering sense of guilt in her heart.
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