Chen Qing’s chilling smile now carried a hint of eager anticipation.
Of course, Su Mu would never let Chen Qing change clothes for her. Letting this Villain, who bullied her every day, help her change—wouldn’t that be like sending a lamb right into a tiger’s mouth?
Fortunately, thanks to the mess outside, Chen Qing had no intention of bullying this Silly Shizun for the moment, sparing her from that ordeal.
After a while, feeling rather uncomfortable, Su Mu cautiously stepped out of the room.
Chen Qing, who had just gotten the fire going, watched Su Mu emerge from the room. A flash of amazement lit up her eyes.
The Miao Ethnic Costume, shrouded in an air of mystery, draped over Silly Shizun’s body.
Her moist eyes darted about uneasily, sparkling with lively shyness.
She was like a little deer bending down to drink from a mountain stream, tempting one to burst out from the bushes and savor her panicked, coquettishly angry expression.
However, the silliness deep in Traitorous Shizun’s bones would never change. She had barely taken two steps before nearly tripping over the long hem, on the verge of a flat fall.
The way Su Mu awkwardly yanked the hem from under her foot transformed her instantly from a pure mountain deer into a silly roe deer eager to become the hunter’s extra meal.
“This outfit is hard to wear. How about using a sword to cut the hem shorter?”
It was probably the wrong size that Miao Meng had given her; Su Mu kept stepping on the hem.
After stumbling a few times, she started feeling frustrated.
She wanted to borrow Chen Qing’s sword to use as scissors but didn’t dare, so she sidled up to Chen Qing and foolishly tried to goad her instead.
Of course, Chen Qing had no intention of letting Su Mu get her way. She hadn’t had her fill of admiring Traitorous Shizun in this exotic look yet.
Soon, Silly Shizun would be wearing this outfit while getting bullied by her.
Just the thought of Silly Shizun in the alluring Miao Ethnic Costume—curling up her little feet, face flushed red as she cried “no” to her—made Chen Qing’s resolve to stop her from cutting the clothes rock-solid.
Having hit a wall with Chen Qing, Su Mu could only struggle to adapt to this unfamiliar Miao Ethnic Costume.
To shake off the discomfort as quickly as possible, she gave her soaked clothes a quick rinse and hung them beside the small fire pile Chen Qing had just built.
Su Mu held her frozen-red little hands close to the warm flames. The gradual return of sensation felt incredibly comforting.
For tonight’s dinner, since Su Mu hadn’t managed to catch any fish properly, they only had the few she had flung onto the shore.
Chen Qing wasn’t as foolish as Su Mu. She rigged up a small pot from the kitchen on a tripod over the fire.
She hauled out all the kitchen ingredients that Su Mu’s fire hadn’t reached.
Relocating, she continued cooking.
Su Mu watched the steaming rice on Chen Qing’s side with longing eyes. Her growling stomach tempted her to snatch it with lightning speed.
But reason held her back. If she dared to grab food from the Villain’s hands, she’d really be courting death.
To get a taste of that fragrant meal, she’d have to outsmart her.
The reason they were now huddled around this small fire pile was precisely because she had accidentally burned down the kitchen.
Thick-skinned as she was, asking Chen Qing for food now made Su Mu feel too embarrassed.
Chen Qing naturally noticed Silly Shizun’s hungry gaze, but the more this Silly Shizun wanted it, the longer she planned to tease her.
Moreover, she intended to exploit Silly Shizun’s craving for the food to trick her into drinking some of last night’s Strong Liquor.
After all, she still needed to test whether the liquor truly had that kind of effect.
Su Mu had no clue about all the schemes already brewing in Chen Qing’s mind.
She just felt a chill on her back and a vague sense of foreboding.
Chen Qing covered the pile of fragrant Fried Meat and stood to head toward the hidden liquor stash.
Watching Chen Qing’s retreating back, Su Mu’s heart began to race nervously.
Two little figures bickered in her hesitant mind.
One frantically urged her to steal a piece of Fried Meat while the Villain was away—such a tantalizing aroma, didn’t she want to try it?
The other hurriedly warned her just how wicked and cunning this detestable Villain was; leaving the Fried Meat out like that was surely a trap.
A moment later, Chen Qing returned to the campfire, hugging the jar of liquor.
Su Mu guiltily turned her back to roast by the fire. As for why she faced away from Chen Qing…
Not only had the urging little figure won, but Su Mu was even greedier. She hadn’t stopped at just one piece of Fried Meat.
Her nimble little hands kept stuffing her mouth until it was full.
Now Su Mu resembled a squirrel packing its cheeks, frantically chewing and swallowing the Fried Meat.
Chen Qing eyed the noticeably depleted pile of Fried Meat, black lines forming on her forehead.
She had expected this Silly Shizun to steal some, but not that she’d be so gluttonous as to shrink the pile by a full layer.
To lure Silly Shizun in, though, she had deliberately oversalted the Fried Meat. With that much eaten, she’d be parched soon enough.
This would only make her own plan even more effective.
Still, seeing the guilty Silly Shizun, Chen Qing couldn’t resist teasing her.
“Isn’t the Fried Meat a bit short?”
“No way! I’ve been right here watching it for you the whole time. If anyone tried to steal some Fried Meat, I’d definitely stop her.”
Su Mu spoke with righteous indignation to Chen Qing. This time, she had wised up and wiped the grease from her mouth.
But her shifty, guilty eyes gave her away without needing proof.
“Maybe I misjudged. But this Fried Meat has way too much salt—I’m planning to toss it. If someone heads to the kitchen for water, then that’s the thief who stole my Fried Meat.”
Chen Qing’s words sealed off Su Mu’s last escape route.
At the same time, Su Mu realized her mouth was dry.
And that dry feeling was intensifying. Her moist lips couldn’t resist a quick lick over her soft ones.
Su Mu’s lip-licking motion brought a glint of amusement to Chen Qing’s eyes.
She had only just snuck the Fried Meat; soon, this Silly Shizun’s thirst would grow even more unbearable.
Like a wily old fox, Chen Qing had laid her trap perfectly and now waited patiently for Su Mu to fall into it.
As expected, Su Mu’s body began to rebel against her. The urge to drink water mounted relentlessly.
Her gaze flicked toward the kitchen now and then. All she wanted was to dash over, scoop a ladle from the water jar, and chug it down.
But Chen Qing’s earlier words pinned her in place.
In this situation, if Chen Qing confirmed she had stolen the Fried Meat, she’d have yet another excuse to bully her.
Even if Chen Qing knew full well, as long as Su Mu refused to admit it, there was no evidence—Chen Qing couldn’t hassle her without cause, right?
Rushing off to the kitchen for water now, though, would give her the perfect opening to accuse her outright.
Damn it, that Fried Meat really was a trap.
Seeing the moment had ripened, Chen Qing grabbed an empty bowl and filled it to the brim with clear Strong Liquor.
