Su Nian wanted to scream when she heard her mother’s question.
Like the Horned Demon?
How could she possibly like him!
In the deep of the night at Shadowmoon Manor, that man with the aggressive smile had pinned her down, using the [Lover’s Prison Collar] to imprison her magic.
That perverted Horned Demon had forced her to endure the ultimate shame and submission…
His every command was gentle yet soul-crushing.
His fingertips roamed over her skin, turning her resistance into powerless trembling.
She wished she could completely forget those humiliating memories…
Thinking about it only made her furious!
However, she had no way to tell her family the truth right now.
The look in her mother’s eyes was so sincere, filled with expectation.
Those eyes reflected Su Nian’s current appearance—a proud daughter who had captured the heart of a perfect son-in-law and was about to have a happy future.
How could she speak up and reveal that cruel truth?
Besides, if the truth were exposed and the Horned Demon grew hostile, what kind of threat would her parents’ safety face?
She couldn’t let her parents get involved in this entanglement with a demon.
Su Nian’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.
Liu Yue saw Su Nian’s hesitation and nervousness, but she simply mistook it for a young girl’s bashfulness and offered a gratified smile.
“That child, there’s truly nothing bad to say about him.” Liu Yue’s tone was full of joy she couldn’t hide.
“He’s handsome and so powerful. Most importantly, Mother can see that his eyes and heart are entirely focused on you.”
She thought back to Chu Tian’s humble and polite demeanor, as well as the indescribable tenderness in the depths of his eyes when he looked at her daughter.
“He gave away the weapon in his hand without a second thought, and that Spring of Life even healed your father’s injuries. This sincerity is heavier than anything else.”
Liu Yue spoke with a hint of pride; her daughter had found a man who truly cherished her.
At this point, Liu Yue winked mischievously, a “knowing” smile appearing on her face.
“Have you two… already…”
Her voice dropped even lower, her breath almost brushing Su Nian’s ear.
-Boom
A surge of scalding heat rushed from the soles of Su Nian’s feet to the top of her head without warning.
The girl’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
That scarlet hue rapidly spread, even staining the tips of her ears and her neck a startling shade of pink.
Her mother hadn’t finished her sentence, but Su Nian understood in a second.
Watching her daughter’s reaction—the sudden flush, the frantic, darting eyes, and the tightly pursed, trembling lips—Liu Yue knew this wasn’t just ordinary shyness.
It was the sweet bashfulness of a girl whose secret had been found out.
The smile in Liu Yue’s eyes deepened, and she patted the back of her daughter’s hand reassuringly.
Her daughter had grown up.
In the culturally open West Continent, such things were perfectly normal.
As long as the two truly loved each other, she, as a mother, would only be happy for them.
Besides, looking at Chu Tian’s actions today, he would definitely take responsibility!
Su Nian’s mind went blank.
Liu Yue gripped Su Nian’s shoulders and gently turned her so she couldn’t avoid her gaze.
Her mother’s gaze was tender but carried an undeniable seriousness.
This time, she needed a definitive answer.
“Do you like him?”
The question circled in her mind once more.
Her rationality was screaming, roaring…
‘No! I hate him! I want to kill him! I want revenge!’
However, she worried that a denial would expose too much, or perhaps jeopardize her parents’ safety and her own plan to become a god through 100 million Humiliation Value.
At the same time, deep within the girl’s heart, memories involuntarily resurfaced when her mother asked if she liked that man.
When she was falling from the sky, it was that man who pulled her back from the edge.
And at the Su Family Residence, when he stood forward with an invincible posture to crush all those petty people, shielding her and her parents behind him…
In that moment, did she feel a faint, untraceable illusion of being protected?
Thinking of this, Su Nian quickly shook her head.
Protected by the Horned Demon?
No way!
She would thank the heavens as long as he didn’t bully her.
It was just utility!
Her relationship with the Horned Demon was merely a temporary alliance to deal with the Demon Race.
There was no way she could ever like that Horned Demon bastard!
They were just using each other!
Even the submission at night was intentional on her part.
He was nothing more than a tool to gain Humiliation Value and eventually become a god!
Yes, that was it!
As for her mother’s inquiry, she would just play along for now.
It wasn’t real…
After all, if she said she didn’t like “Chu Tian,” how would she explain bringing a man she didn’t like home?
How would she explain the intimacy between them that had long since crossed the line?
One lie required countless more to cover it up.
She had no room left to retreat.
Once she gathered 100 million Humiliation Value, became a goddess, and completely escaped that demon’s control, she would tell them the whole truth.
Su Nian slowly lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling and casting a fragile shadow over her cheeks.
Her head felt heavy as lead.
Ultimately, she nodded.
The movement was very light, very slow.
A broken syllable squeezed out from the depths of her throat, so quiet it was almost inaudible.
“…I like him.”
After saying those few words, she felt as if all her strength had been drained.
Her cheeks burned even more fiercely, and she didn’t dare look up at her mother.
Even though she had grown used to life as a girl, admitting she liked a boy in front of her mother was an experience that made her feel ashamed beyond belief.
What’s more, the target of her admitted affection was her greatest nemesis.
“Ding! It has been detected that the Host has confessed “love” for the Master Horned Demon to a relative while acting against her own will. You have obtained 200,000 Humiliation Value!”
Liu Yue finally got the answer she wanted, and her smile was so wide she couldn’t close her mouth.
“That’s good, that’s good!”
She happily hugged her daughter, her heart full of joy.
“Then tonight, should I prepare the same room for you two lovebirds?”
Liu Yue released her daughter and blinked her beautiful eyes, asking half-seriously and half-teasingly.
“No… No need!” Su Nian stomped her foot, practically shouting.
***
After dinner, the night grew deep.
Her parents eventually arranged a guest room for “Chu Tian” right next to Su Nian’s room.
Only a single wall separated them.
Su Nian lay on her familiar bed.
Her nose caught the long-lost, faint scent of sunlight on the quilt.
That was the scent of home, making her feel incredibly at peace.
But she wasn’t the least bit sleepy.
Her body was sunk into the soft mattress, but her nerves were stretched tight, alert to any movement in the darkness.
Playing “the couple in love.”
The scenes that had occurred at the Su Family’s main residence during the day replayed uncontrollably in her mind.
He had stood before her parents, humble and polite, a perfect gentleman.
He had played the role of the deeply affectionate “Chu Tian” flawlessly.
And the unconcealed satisfaction and relief on her parents’ faces gave her a sense of tension and shame like never before.
What if… they were forced to make the act real…
The moment the thought appeared, she crushed it ruthlessly.
“Creak—”
“Creak—”
The extremely faint sound of a wooden door turning echoed.
Her bedroom door was pushed open silently by a hand.
‘Hm? This guy still won’t behave himself in my house?’