Chapter 63: You Even Found Excuses for My Coldness Part 2

The day’s classes went by surprisingly fast.

Maybe it was because I’d gotten some proper rest, or maybe the yin energy I’d absorbed yesterday had recharged me, but I wasn’t nearly as drowsy as I had been. I only yawned a couple of times throughout the day.

“Baby?” I called out softly when there was no one around.

Si Zhiruo still didn’t respond. Looks like she was still asleep.

I was really curious about how long this deep slumber would last.

“Hey, classmate.”

A somewhat familiar voice called out to me from a distance.

It was the girl who helped me get to the restroom last time.

“What a coincidence,” she said, wearing oversized glasses. A few tiny freckles dotted her face, and she had a gentle, easygoing personality.

She was easy to talk to—very much in line with my impression of a typical Jiangnan beauty.

“Yeah, quite the coincidence.”
Seeing a familiar face, I smiled and greeted her.

“You—heading back to the dorm?”

She was holding a bag with bubble tea inside. Looked like she’d just come back from the shopping street.

“Mm, that’s right.”

“Bye-bye.”

I’d already spotted the bright and cheerful girl waiting for me up ahead. I waved toward her and quickly walked over.

Behind me, the girl stared at my retreating back.

How had it only been a day or two since they last met, yet she felt like something had changed?

Had Si Yixin… gained a little weight?

Well, not exactly fat, per se.

The rest of her looked pretty much the same—except her lower belly looked a bit… round.

She shook her head in confusion, then turned and headed toward the girls’ dormitory, not paying much attention to the fleeting thought that vanished from her mind in a second.

“You… classmate?”

“Yes.”

Su Liumeng stared at the figure walking away in the distance for a long while.

“She’s leaving. Just a classmate who helped me out once, don’t overthink it.”
I pouted and spoke in a light, crisp voice, grabbing her hand and pulling her into the car.

The middle-aged man in a suit—clearly the butler type—had already opened the backseat door and was waiting respectfully.

Only then did Su Liumeng finally look away, letting my soft little hand pull her into the car.

The ride was silent.

*****

Back at the villa, I paused briefly in front of my bedroom door.

Su Liumeng was in the kitchen.

I listened carefully to the sounds coming from that direction, then suddenly bent down and plucked a single strand of hair caught in the door crack.

Now I was sure—no one had entered my room.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Su Liumeng’s character. But there were important things kept in here. And there were always times when Su Liumeng wasn’t at the villa. If someone broke in during that time, I couldn’t afford to be completely unaware.

I walked slowly back into the room. On the desk was an open meridian diagram.

Just a few more days, and I’d be able to attempt cultivation for the first time.

I had a feeling that my meridians had already begun circulating energy last night.

I closed my eyes and recalled the sensation. The route of both the Minor and Major Circulations was becoming increasingly clear in my mind.

I had considered it—What if I could cling to Su Liumeng and draw out the root of her cold poison all at once?

But thinking it through carefully, I knew it wasn’t possible.

If it were truly that simple, then when her cold poison flared up yesterday, I should’ve been able to absorb all of it. Instead, she was the one who ultimately managed to suppress it—albeit temporarily.

I had a vague feeling…

The thousand-year cold energy had already condensed into droplets of liquid within Su Liumeng’s body.

These cold droplets were the true source of her recurring outbreaks.

Even though I possessed the rare Extreme Yin Constitution, the thought of swallowing those cold droplets all at once still left me uncertain.

After all, I was still just an ordinary person with no cultivation. For someone like me to forcibly absorb a type of Yin energy that was considered harmful even in the cultivation world—
the fact that I hadn’t already suffered serious consequences was purely thanks to my unique physique.

If my cultivation were even a little higher, I wouldn’t be so wary of these cold droplets.

But the problem was—I hadn’t even begun cultivating yet.

Even if I had just stepped onto the path, I would still be no different from a mortal in practice.

So, if I wanted to resolve her cold poison, I needed a proper plan.

Today, the villa was unusually quiet.

Normally, Su Liumeng would chatter endlessly with me. But ever since we got back, she had been busy with her own affairs.

She wasn’t clinging to me anymore.

That thought had barely surfaced in my mind before it startled me.

I pursed my lips, hesitated for a few minutes, then finally made up my mind.

Knock knock knock—

Su Liumeng was in the study.

Hearing the sound, she replied calmly, “Come in.”

I was still in a rather good mood, so the moment I saw her, I greeted her cheerfully, “Su Liumeng! Su Liu—”

“Su Liumeng!”

“Let me check the location of your cold poison. Maybe… maybe I can absorb it?”

Even though I had just admitted to myself that it would be difficult, I still held onto a sliver of hope.

What if…What if I actually could?

You never know unless you try.

Su Liumeng’s gaze remained calm as still water. “You can look. But absorption is out of the question.”

I stared at her with stubborn eyes, saying nothing, just silently meeting her gaze.

In the end, she gave in with a sigh.
“Fine. Take a look first.”

Su Liumeng lifted the hem of her skirt.

She wasn’t wearing safety shorts underneath.

From my angle, I could clearly see her pure white panties… and that faint, intimate dip just beneath the fabric.

My face flushed instantly.

I chanted in my heart over and over: ‘Do not stare, do not stare, do not stare…’

And then quickly looked away.

On the inside of her upper thigh, I spotted a pattern—three butterfly-shaped markings. Just as I was about to press my small hand against it—

I suddenly heard her voice, soft and almost mocking herself.

“You won’t even look at me.”

“Am I just a temporary stand-in for Si Xinyan—someone he picked because he’s too busy to care for you himself?”

My hand froze in midair.

Su Liumeng had been bottling up her grievances all day. Now, seeing this scene—how I refused to even look at her—she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

She had prepared herself for the possibility of being the third, or the fourth…
But what she hadn’t prepared for was being nothing more than a replacement.

The seduction she’d just attempted—intentional and deliberate—had been brushed off, my gaze quickly shifting away, as if… as if I found her unpleasant to look at. That instant rejection shattered her defenses.
It was like a dam breaking loose.

“So be it.”

“I’m just a woman, after all. I can’t get you pregnant like he can, and I don’t have the strength he does to be your pillar.”

She laughed bitterly, the despair in her eyes spilling out in quiet waves.

She had considered the ways she might lose—maybe she wasn’t good enough, maybe her timing was wrong. But she never imagined she would lose because of her gender.

If it were the old Yan Shen, maybe she would’ve stood a chance.

But now?

The Yan Shen I loved…He was just as beautiful as I was, he had his own baby now… and even a husband.

My face crumpled. I couldn’t hold it in anymore—tears streamed down my cheeks.

The grief inside me was about to explode.

It felt like my heart had shattered into countless pieces.

The one person I had longed to save, clung to, dreamed of saving even in my sleep—

And this is what she thought of me?

Just as I approached her with a heart full of joy, taking light little steps, ready to try and save her life—

I heard those words.

How could I not break down? How could I not feel wronged?

“Su Liumeng…”

“Is that really what you think of me?”

I sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming like broken pearls from a snapped string.

What… what did I do wrong?

From beginning to end, all I ever thought about was you. Even your coldness—I tried to find excuses for it, tried to justify it in my heart.

Seeing the girl in front of her like that, Su Liumeng panicked completely. She had no energy left to think about who was right or wrong—her knees gave out almost instinctively.