What did that mean?
Although Xin Yi still held onto Xiao Cheng Ce, the smile at the corner of her lips stalled slightly: So that little mute from the Snake Clan was hiding outside and peeking in?
The favorability by her ear kept dropping steadily.
This showed that not only had he seen it, but he was also very repulsed by her current actions. Perhaps he already saw her as a shameless bad woman, especially since Chu Chu was still unconscious, yet she took the chance to seduce Xiao Cheng Ce.
So Xin Yi was a bit unclear now: Did Xie Shuo simply hate her as a person, or was it because she had repeatedly hurt Chu Chu that he felt even more angry?
From a factual standpoint, the latter possibility was slightly greater.
In the original plotline, before learning that Chu Chu wanted to kill her, Xie Shuo had always obeyed and protected this A Jie of his, willingly staying by her side and being at her beck and call.
If it weren’t for Chu Chu later trying to kill him, Xie Shuo wouldn’t have harbored such intense hatred, blackening and seeking revenge on everyone.
Xin Yi’s mind raced with thoughts, but her teasing movements on his body didn’t stop. Her cheeks flushed beautifully, and her body pressed even more diligently against Xiao Cheng Ce.
Then she asked the system, “Give me a hint. Exactly where is Xie Shuo hiding?”
“Host’s left side, behind the second window lattice.”
After getting the precise answer, Xin Yi calmly adjusted her direction and hugged Xiao Cheng Ce’s arm a bit tighter.
Because her skirt was too loose, and she was standing in position, needing to lean forward slightly. In the movement, the thin gossamer outer robe slipped off her shoulder, revealing the full curve of her chest, with an air of trying to cover what was already exposed.
However, in the place she couldn’t see, the youth coldly scrutinized her body.
His dark eyes emotionlessly swept over the woman’s flushed lips, then to her neck, and finally to the area wrapped by the blue bustier embroidered with oleanders.
But the gaze the youth directed at her held no warmth at all, no different from looking at those Gu insects kept in boxes.
Both were equally cold and indifferent.
Facing the peeking gaze from behind the window lattice, Xin Yi extended a lotus-like arm, soft and boneless, and climbed onto Xiao Cheng Ce’s neck.
She rested her head on his shoulder, her black hair like clouds, and her voice laughed mockingly yet seductively, “Shi Bi, why don’t you look at me? Am I not pretty tonight?”
She said this with her mouth, but in her heart, she thought it didn’t matter if Xiao Cheng Ce looked or not, since Xie Shuo had already seen it anyway.
And he had seen it crystal clear.
Although the favorability kept plummeting, Xin Yi didn’t care.
Let it drop; there would always be a time for a rebound. Before that, she needed to brush her presence with Xie Shuo in all sorts of vicious supporting female lead ways.
The most pitiful was probably Xiao Cheng Ce, teased by her to the point of no return, his blood boiling all over his body.
In his heart, he was both angry and frustrated, wanting to curse her for being shameless and oblivious to the occasion. With Chu Chu still lying unconscious on the couch, she dared to tangle with him ambiguously in the study, such absurd behavior.
But when his hand gripped that slender, soft, and slippery wrist, he couldn’t bear to let go.
He could only stiffly spit out two words from his thin lips to mask the desire buried deep in his heart, “Get lost!”
The smile on Xin Yi’s lips stalled, then she raised her brow.
She really did as he wished, very sensibly “getting lost” from his body. The next second, as expected, she saw the man’s face turn even more ashen.
The eyes looking at her also hid cold intent and anger.
As if she had committed some heinous crime and deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces!
Xin Yi didn’t care if he was annoyed or not; anyway, she had done what she wanted.
As for things beyond the original character’s persona, she had no interest in developing further with Xiao Cheng Ce. So she gracefully walked to the desk, collected the porcelain bowl of deer whip broth he had finished into the food box, and closed the lid.
She turned her back, tightened her clothes, and re-tied the cloak outside.
Only then did she pout her red lips, pretending to be unhappy and pouting coquettishly as she threw a little tantrum, “Since the General dislikes me so much, I just won’t come anymore! Always telling me to get lost—who wants to hear that!”
She was already beautiful, and now with a layer of misty tears in her eyes as she glared at him, she looked even more charmingly naive.
Xiao Cheng Ce had still been angry, but seeing her like this, he felt somewhat amused and exasperated: What kind of mess was this? Clearly, tonight it was Bai Xinyi who came proactively, teasing him until he was stuck between advance and retreat, yet she acted all aggrieved.
So he rubbed his temple with a sigh, too lazy to look at her anymore, lest he anger himself into a heartache.
His words were brief, yet carried a hint of helpless indulgence, “Fine, I won’t chase you away for now. Stay peacefully in the General’s Mansion. Behave yourself from now on, and don’t cause me any more trouble.”
Xin Yi: “……”
Behave herself?
That wouldn’t do.
If she behaved, who would deliver those green hats to him? Not even heaven, let alone the system, would agree.
The gaze from behind the window lattice had long disappeared.
Xin Yi still had other things on her mind and no interest in continuing the act with him, so she smoothly played along, pretending to be sensible and obedient. With feigned reluctance, she pushed open the door and left.
On the way back, Xin Yi was in a great mood and even couldn’t help but chuckle out loud.
This left Xiang Lan, who carried the food box beside her, full of confusion. She asked in surprise and bewilderment, “Miss, what are you thinking of that’s making you so happy?”
“I’m thinking of Shi Bi.” Her tone was soft and gentle, her eyes curved, as if speaking of deep affection.
Only Xin Yi herself knew the schadenfreude hidden in her words: After all, that concentrated deer whip broth, simmered with so much premium ingredients, Xiao Cheng Ce had drunk it—he was surely burning up and unable to sleep.
The two were about to reach the courtyard gate when Xin Yi suddenly stopped and sent the maid Xiang Lan back first.
As for her, of course she had something to do. The original host had offended the little mute, so she still needed to hurry over and apologize to Xie Shuo.
Fortunately, their courtyards were adjacent, separated by just one wall. In the future, whether picking fights or starting a conquest, it would be quite convenient.
Xin Yi had originally thought this courtyard was too rundown, leaking wind at night, but now it seemed it wasn’t without its benefits.
The bright moon and clear breeze made the courtyard serene.
Although they were neighboring courtyards, the one Xie Shuo lived in was much more spacious than hers, and newly renovated too. It was clear his treatment in the General’s Mansion was pretty good.
But thinking about it, that made sense. Chu Chu hadn’t fallen out with him yet, so the surface pretense still had to be maintained.
Moreover, Xiao Cheng Ce had been critically wounded several times on the battlefield, all saved by Xie Shuo. In truth, the little mute could be considered half a benefactor to this General’s Mansion.
Compared to her current situation, it was like heaven and earth.
When Xin Yi thought of this, she couldn’t help but sigh faintly. Then, without paying attention, her foot kicked the green bamboo basket under the corridor.
She inadvertently looked down, and immediately cried out in alarm. The lantern in her hand wasn’t held steady and fell to the ground.
She also tumbled to the ground sitting, her pupils contracting sharply and stiffening. Her beautiful little face had already paled to the point of trembling in fear.
Xin Yi felt her elbow and palm scraped raw, burning with pain, but she didn’t dare move.
Because under the moonlight, countless thin black snakes wriggled on the ground, crawling over the bluestone bricks, then over her sleeves.
They slithered up from her waist, and finally two climbed to her collar, following the oleander embroidery. Their tail scales rubbed against her disheveled cloak beneath, making the gossamer fabric rustle.
As if they would drill into her collar at any moment…
She was done for.
Xin Yi’s scalp numbed as she bit her lip: Why did this world have creatures like snakes? They weren’t cute at all and liked crawling all over people.
Xie Shuo raising so many snakes was even more perverse!
No… In this entire courtyard, he was the most terrifying snake.
Xin Yi thought of her conquest task and suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe.
What to do? She hadn’t even met him yet, and she already didn’t want to pursue him anymore.
She didn’t know if these snakes were venomous, if they would bite her.
Thinking of the original plot where Bai Xinyi was bitten to death by venomous scorpions and centipedes, her skin rotting all over, she stiffened even more.
She couldn’t help but call out to the system, “System, quickly think of a way to get these black snakes away!!”
If they weren’t removed soon, even if they didn’t bite her to death, she would be scared to death alive! One or two she might muster the courage to appreciate, but this was densely packed countless ones!!
The system, standing and talking without backache, comforted her, “Host, don’t panic. Xie Shuo is nearby; he shouldn’t want to kill you right now.”
Even the Bai Xinyi in the original plot died only after later failing to crawl into bed.
Xin Yi was so angry she nearly exploded and immediately vented in her mind, cursing the system eight hundred ways, “￥#＄＋↘￥##￥&！！！”
The system detected a series of alarm-like “beep—” sounds in her mind.
System: “……”
Her vocabulary was truly rich.
Moonlight illuminated the courtyard, making everything bright and clear.
The hanging vines behind the corridor pavilion rustled lightly. Xin Yi saw a slender, delicate youth emerge from the shadows by the stone pillar, come to her side, and indifferently lower his head, looking down on her wretched state.
Xin Yi sat fallen on the ground, struggling to tilt her face up.
Those clear, enchanting eyes, reddened from the recent pain and fright, now only reflected his figure.
The youth wore exotic tribal attire, his figure slim, appearance handsome and refined, with long black hair ends adorned with several silver bells engraved with talismans.
His pupils were dark and quiet, the smoky purple clothes making him look particularly frail and harmless, like a neighborly little brother.
But thinking that this little brother’s true form might be a “towering giant python,” Xin Yi felt distance created beauty.
Even though that face looked exceedingly handsome, with a deceptively pretty and harmless charm.
Xie Shuo was also sizing up the woman on the ground.
That vicious-hearted Central Plains woman who deliberately pushed Chu Chu off the high platform just to vie for favor jealously.
Not only had she thrown away his painstakingly raised Gu insects, but she had also righteously slapped him.
Tonight, she was even more restless, dressing like that to seduce Xiao Cheng Ce.
As Chu Chu had said before: Central Plains women were the most vicious and jealous, using any dirty tricks to monopolize their husband and compete with concubines.
Now it seemed those words were spot on.
Xin Yi didn’t know what he was thinking, only that after he appeared, those densely packed thin snakes that nearly buried her receded like the tide, silently.
Her body lightened, and without caring for anything else, she scrambled up from the ground in panic.
Her eyes, brimming with moisture, glanced at him—angry yet coquettish, aggrieved to the point her voice trembled with a nasal tone, “Why did you only appear now? Did you do it on purpose to scare me, to see me make a fool of myself!”
The youth naturally wouldn’t answer her.
She knew that too, so she glared at him on her own for a while, then let go of her anger and proactively approached to make amends, “Xie Shuo, I came specifically to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have thrown away your Gu insects, shouldn’t have called them ugly, and definitely shouldn’t have hit you… Forgive me this time, okay?”
Her tone carried a natural sweetness, as if the youth before her wasn’t someone she had barbarically mistreated.
But a lover she could wrap her arms around the neck of, coquettishly complaining to.
When she had seduced Xiao Cheng Ce earlier, it was this tone; now speaking to him, it was still this tone.
Xie Shuo looked at her, deep disgust and loathing flashing in his eyes.
But Xin Yi seemed oblivious to his rejection and stepped even closer, exposing her slender fragility, her charm and her fear right before him.
She carried a thick fragrance, sweet to the point of cloying. She showed him her scraped white tender wrist, “Look, I’ve been punished already. If I hadn’t come to find you, I wouldn’t have fallen like this.”
Seeing her like this, the emotions in Xie Shuo’s eyes grew even colder.
He hated women approaching him; aside from Chu Chu, he hated all other women approaching.
Favorability “-10”“-10” sounds kept ringing in her mind, but Xin Yi pretended not to hear.
She smiled even more beautifully and, taking advantage of the youth’s lack of guard, directly pulled his hand to her cheek.
Ignoring his suddenly stiffened expression, she said softly, “Little husband, a Central Plains woman’s face can’t be casually touched; it damages a girl’s reputation. That’s way worse than a slap.”
“But if you like it tonight, you can touch more. I won’t dodge, as long as you promise not to be mad at me anymore.”
When Xin Yi looked at him like this, she noticed Xie Shuo’s eyes resembled A Jie’s—both narrow phoenix eyes.
The difference was, when this pair of eyes looked at her, there was not a shred of affection, only undisguisable disgust.
He hated her very much, to the point of intensely wanting to kill her.
Xin Yi could see it crystal clear.