Chapter 32: Looks Like I’ll Have to Turn Her into a Good-for-Nothing

Lin Huanhuan popped a piece of meat into her mouth, chewed noisily, and only after swallowing did she ask:

“Yun’er, how have I treated you these years?”

“Huh?”

Dong Yun’er was momentarily stunned, at a loss for what to do. “Very well, of course. Why does Miss suddenly ask this? Is there some special meaning behind it?”

Lin Huanhuan hesitated for a moment, but in the end decided to speak her mind. “Is there something you want to pursue? If there is, you should go for it.”

“If you want to leave, I can let you go. There’s no need to stay by my side forever. I know I have a pretty rotten personality, and following me must be tiring. Maybe leaving would be better for you.”

“Leave?”

For a moment, the world seemed to turn black and white, all sound vanishing without a trace.

Dong Yun’er had to struggle with all her might to snap out of it. Forcing a smile, she asked, “I’m not unhappy at all. Why is Miss saying such things? After so many years by your side, I’m already used to it.”

Lin Huanhuan set down her chopsticks, stretched lazily, her graceful curves on full display. “I just suddenly feel like I don’t have much of a future. If you keep following me, you probably won’t amount to much either—after all, I’m so lazy.”

“Your talent is probably higher than mine, right? I can ask Father to write you a recommendation letter, let you become a disciple under a Golden Core expert. You’d be treated no worse than you are with me, and you’d have more time to do the things you want.”

“Pursuing immortality is our ambition, isn’t it? You shouldn’t be an exception. So go—I won’t blame you.”

‘After all, I’m just a minor villain. Even if the best ending is that I complete the story and return to how things were, I’ll still have to leave.’

‘If I’m unlucky, I could be killed by some great cultivator at any moment. Dong Yun’er’s been with me so long, she must be tired too. Might as well give her a brighter future.’

Lin Huanhuan murmured in her heart. Though she sounded casual, saying these words still felt bitter. People aren’t plants—how could they be emotionless? Ever since awakening her memories, she’d considered this many times. The thought kept surfacing in her mind these past days—could she really have a future? If she was doomed to leave, whether she succeeded or failed, then she might as well let Dong Yun’er go now.

‘While I can still offer her something, I should compensate her. Otherwise, when I hit rock bottom, I’ll have nothing left to give.’

Dong Yun’er quietly listened to her finish, then gave a gentle smile, her eyes curving sweetly. “Miss, what are you talking about?”

“There you go again, talking about freedom, about the future. I really don’t care about those things. Just being by your side, staying with you, is more than enough for me.”

Lin Huanhuan couldn’t quite understand. “Don’t you want to see the world from a higher place?”

If it were her, she’d definitely want to see the view from the mountaintop if given the chance.

“I do.”

To Lin Huanhuan’s surprise, Dong Yun’er answered without hesitation.

“If that’s so, then why don’t you leave?”

Dong Yun’er smiled as she replied, “But if I leave, what about you, Miss? Who will take care of you? With someone as rotten as you, if no one’s there to help, you might do something irreversible.”

“You…”

Lin Huanhuan’s eyes reddened slightly, her heart suddenly trembling. Unhappy, she snorted, flopped onto her bed, turned her back, and grumbled:

“Anyway, I’ve given you the chance. Since you’re not leaving, don’t regret it later! I won’t give you a chance to go back on it—just stay here for life!”

‘Even if I really am this terrible, I shouldn’t say it out loud. No emotional intelligence at all—if she went out, she’d be tricked in no time. To keep this girl from getting hacked to death by random blades, she’d better stay with me.’

‘Anyway, I know the plot. If things get tough, I’ll make sure she gets some perks. Even if I leave in the end, I’ll make arrangements for her.’

Watching Lin Huanhuan play dead on the spot, Dong Yun’er sighed softly and gently placed her hand on Huanhuan’s shoulder. Even through the layer of clothing, she could still feel that tender softness.

‘Miss’s body really is so beautiful. If I could get a little closer… what would that feel like?’

She nudged Lin Huanhuan. “Miss, don’t sleep yet. It’s time to cultivate. If the Eldest Miss finds out, she’ll scold you again.”

Lin Huanhuan remained motionless, lying like a corpse. “Then just don’t tell her, all right? I’ve been in class all day—exhausted. Let me rest before I cultivate.”

“All right, but remember to get up in time.”

Dong Yun’er could only shake her head helplessly. She covered Lin Huanhuan with a quilt, tidied the room, and after finishing everything, quietly left.

She went to the corridor window and leaned there. The bright moonlight poured down, cicadas chirped in succession, and the courtyard was even more enchanting. But she had no heart to appreciate it. As time passed, she slowly recalled what Lin Huanhuan had just said, and her expression grew darker and darker.

“Is Miss trying to drive me away?”

“She promised long ago that I could always take care of her, and now she wants me gone? What is this—abandonment?”

Dong Yun’er clenched her fists, her eyes bloodshot and frightening. “Why does Miss have to do this? There’s no reason at all.”

“Oh, I get it! It must be because of that woman called Ye Jinxiu! It must be her—Miss only wants me gone because of her!”

“Now that I think about it, Miss only started talking about being independent after meeting Ye Jinxiu! That hateful woman. I even allowed you to be around Miss, and now you’re seducing her into this—unforgivable!”

“Looks like I’ll have to find an opportunity to get rid of her. And I can’t let anyone find out. Best if she vanishes from this world without a sound—that will do.”

Dong Yun’er relaxed her hands, her eyes narrowing like a venomous snake lurking in the night, searching for the right prey, ready to strike, inject her venom, kill it, and swallow it whole.

“And Miss too—she only needs me, doesn’t she? Isn’t it good being taken care of by me all the time?”

“Why does she have to awaken? What’s the point of independence? The world outside is so dangerous. It’s safer if I’m the one looking after her.”

“That’s settled, then. I’ll have to take good care of Miss—turn her into a complete good-for-nothing, someone who can never leave me. That way, she’ll never even think of sending me away again.”