Yan Ruyu clearly wavered for a moment, but she quickly snapped out of it.
“Why drag me into this? Can’t you win him over yourself?”
Yan Meng’er shot her a resentful look.
“Isn’t it obvious? I can’t. We’ve always been so close that Cousin Yan Zhen has built up a strong resistance to my charms. Taking it to the next level is way too hard—I need you, big sis.”
“You’re talking nonsense. He hates me so much. Adding me to the mix would only make things worse.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, big sis. Don’t let his sharp tongue fool you. Deep down, he loves a mature beauty like you—with those long legs, slim waist, and perfectly round hips.”
“Pfft, pfft, pfft.” Yan Ruyu’s cheeks flushed crimson as she scolded her. “What ‘long’ and what ’round’? I think that little scoundrel has corrupted you completely.”
“I’m serious, big sis.” Yan Meng’er wheedled in a coquettish voice. “You think he’s mocking your round butt, but the truth is, he’s craving it~”
“No way!”
That Yan Zhen—craving her?
“It’s true. Think about it carefully. Every time Cousin Yan Zhen sees you, doesn’t he stare straight at your behind?”
Yan Ruyu paused at her words, immediately recalling every encounter with Yan Zhen. Sure enough, he always fixated on her rear and made some comment about it.
But what if it wasn’t mockery? What if it was just a way to hide how much he liked it?
Her rational mind insisted it wasn’t true, but deep in her heart, she secretly hoped it was—even feeling a faint spark of joy at the thought.
“So he’s a little lewd wolf.”
Yan Ruyu muttered under her breath. Her tone held no real anger, only a shy coquettishness.
Yan Meng’er breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Finally pried open tsundere big sis’s heart. She’s even more stubborn than I imagined—no wonder in her previous life, she would rather huddle with me and cry her eyes out than confess to him.
Silly and pitiful. So frustrating. It makes me want to grab her and drag her off to shout her feelings to the world.
“According to the kingdom’s laws and our clan’s rules, distant cousins like us can both marry the clan head and serve him together,” Yan Meng’er said, her little mind already scheming. “Cousin Yan Zhen has recovered his talent now. He’ll surely inherit the city lord’s position and the clan head’s seat one day. Wouldn’t it be perfect if we both married him then~?”
Her words struck right at Yan Ruyu’s deepest desires.
In fact, it had been her exact plan in her previous life.
Most Garo Kingdom clans had this rule: If a cousin daughter reached a certain age without marrying, she would either be arranged into a political marriage as a tool or serve the clan head to bear children for the family.
Yan Ruyu had planned to stall and stall until she qualified, then “settle” for becoming Yan Zhen’s concubine.
That way, she wouldn’t have to confess outright or risk rejection. It guaranteed she’d be with him, even if her status as a concubine was far lower than a principal wife’s.
But Yan Zhen had left the Garo Kingdom behind and married two women of extraordinary background.
No one dared bring up the matter of concubines, and Yan Zhen himself showed no interest in taking any. In the end, she hadn’t even gotten that chance.
Waiting passively like this wouldn’t do. Concubine or not, she had to take the initiative.
Yan Meng’er stared at Yan Ruyu with utter seriousness.
Yan Ruyu couldn’t meet her gaze. “That’s too far in the future,” she protested weakly. “Right now, our priority is cultivation—graduating from Mystic Academy and getting into Holy Land Academy for advanced studies…”
“We can cultivate and pursue romance. Why not have it all?” Yan Meng’er said, brimming with energy. “Anyway, it’s settled. You have to help me win over Cousin Yan Zhen.”
“Dead lass, I haven’t agreed yet!”
Sensing the hesitation creeping back into her tone, Yan Meng’er felt a surge of annoyance. All that talking for nothing?
“If you back out, I’ll tell everyone that you like Cousin Yan Zhen—that you’ve liked him for years, ever since he spanked you. You’ve been head over heels for him ever since.”
“Wha—”
“And!” Yan Meng’er cut her off mercilessly. “Every time you see Cousin Yan Zhen, that night you’ll fantasize about him doing naughty things to you. Sometimes you even dream about him and wake up needing to change your intimate pants. You carefully save everything of his—no matter what—including that pointy paper plane he made just to poke your butt. Oh, and even those boxer shorts he wore. You picked them up when he couldn’t beat you in a fight and stripped them off to distract you.”
Yan Ruyu’s eyes went wide as saucers, her shock absolute.
These were her deepest, most guarded secrets—the ones she barely dared revisit herself. How had her little cousin uncovered them?
“Meng’er, you… you…”
“And that’s not all, big sis. You keep picking fights with Cousin Yan Zhen not out of real revenge, but because you want him to catch you again. Then… hee hee hee~”
Yan Meng’er covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes sparkling with little-devil mischief.
Yan Ruyu felt like she might faint from sheer mortification. Her entire head burned hot, the blush spreading from her face all the way to her collarbone.
She wished the ground would open up beneath her so she could bury herself and vanish from the world forever.
“Stop it!” she shrieked. “Fine, I agree!”
“Really? Yay~”
Yan Meng’er’s mood flipped like the turn of a page. She threw her arms around Yan Ruyu in delight.
“Good big sis, I love you~”
Yan Ruyu felt none of her little cousin’s “love.” In fact, she wanted to give her a thorough thrashing to teach her the consequences of teasing her big sister!
She bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth until she calmed down, then asked softly, “Where did you hear all that, Meng’er? There’s no basis for any of it—it’s all made up!”
Yan Meng’er blinked her eyes innocently. “Made up?”
“Of course it is!” Yan Ruyu insisted loudly, repeating her question. “Who told you? I’ll tear their mouth off!”
Hee hee, it was you from our previous life, big sis~
Yan Meng’er nearly burst out laughing.
Back when they’d shared a bed in their previous lives, they’d often whispered intimate girltalk. She’d coaxed these details out of Yan Ruyu bit by bit.
“It was just my guess,” Yan Meng’er said with a light smile. “Didn’t I get even a little right?”
“Not even a bit!”
“Oh~”
“Dead lass, you can’t breathe a word of this to anyone—not a soul, not even Yan Zhen. Got it?!”
“Got it! I’m your good little sister—why would I spread baseless rumors? Unless… you back out. Then I might let it slip~”
It took every ounce of Yan Ruyu’s self-control not to strangle her on the spot.
“I never should have let you get so close to Yan Zhen. He’s turned you into a total brat!”
“Aww, big sis. You say that, but you love it when Cousin Yan Zhen teases you.”
“You—get out!”
…
Meanwhile, in Yan Zhen’s room—
“Achoo!”
Yan Zhen let out a massive sneeze, rubbing his nose. Who’s talking about me?
“Whatever. Not important. Time to cultivate and break through to Mystic Practitioner—that’s the real priority.”
Once he reached Mystic Practitioner, he could finally learn Mystic Arts.
And the one he had in mind? Totally badass.
