The sun rose in the east, its rays spilling across the airship’s deck like a layer of golden fleece.
Mentor Yu Xuan knocked on each door in turn, inviting everyone to her room for breakfast. Even the unpopular Huangfu Wenqing received an invitation.
Huangfu Wenqing had no intention of going at first. But if she skipped out, Yan Zhen would be monopolized by Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu, and it would look like she’d already admitted defeat. So she wouldn’t back down!
Whatever tricks Yan Meng’er had up her sleeve, let her bring them on. Huangfu Wenqing would never lose to some child-faced, big-chested little green tea!
As expected, the moment she stepped into Mentor Yu Xuan’s room, she saw Yan Meng’er stuck to Yan Zhen’s side like a piece of taffy.
What surprised her, though, was that Yan Meng’er wasn’t targeting her at all. Instead, she was glaring furiously at the girl named Mi Xue’er nearby.
Because Mi Xue’er was clinging to Yan Zhen’s other side.
Huangfu Wenqing clearly remembered how, last night, this Mi Xue’er had been the quickest with her tongue alongside Yan Meng’er, tag-teaming to mock her. Were they fighting now over Yan Zhen?
How unsightly.
“Wenqing’s here,” Mentor Yu Xuan said with a faint smile, breaking the tense atmosphere. “Grab a seat anywhere. I’ll ladle some porridge for you.”
“Thank you, Mentor Yu Xuan.”
With Yan Zhen’s left and right sides both occupied, Huangfu Wenqing sat down across from him. She politely accepted the bowl of dried scallop porridge from Mentor Yu Xuan and sipped at it delicately, occasionally glancing toward Yan Meng’er and Mi Xue’er to see if they were about to tear into each other.
Pure drama-watching bliss.
Not far away, Yan Ruyu and Xiao Xinyan watched Yan Meng’er and Mi Xue’er with equal curiosity.
The two women occasionally bickered, but outright hostility like this was rare. They’d been glaring at each other since leaving their rooms, and they still weren’t tired of it.
Mentor Yu Xuan asked helplessly, “You two, what happened?”
“Ask her!” The usually sweet and adorable Yan Meng’er was like a little firecracker now, igniting at the slightest touch. “Shameless Sister Xue’er!”
“Me?” Mi Xue’er bristled and shot back. “Don’t think I don’t know—you and Ruyu did the exact same thing back then!”
The other four women listened in complete confusion.
Though she didn’t fully understand, Huangfu Wenqing’s heart bubbled with delight. Keep ripping into each other! Let Yan Zhen see your ugly true colors!
Sheer joy.
“What exactly happened?” Mentor Yu Xuan’s tone sharpened. “Yan Zhen, you explain.”
Yan Zhen, who had been quietly scarfing down his food, froze. He lifted his head, his handsome young face twisting into an extremely awkward expression.
“This, uh, well…”
—How am I supposed to explain this?!
He’d only meant to punish Mi Xue’er a little, to teach her that even if she was pretty, she couldn’t just assault boys willy-nilly—that was against the law!
But things had spiraled, leaving him, the one stuck in the middle, the most embarrassed.
“About that, uh, you know, emmm…”
“What is it? Spit it out,” Mentor Yu Xuan pressed. A bad premonition stirred in her. “This have something to do with you?”
—I can’t say it!
Yan Zhen felt deeply wronged.
“I’ll explain, Mentor.” Mi Xue’er clung tightly to Yan Zhen’s arm. “It’s just—I already confirmed our relationship with Little Brother Yan Zhen. From now on, I’m his woman!”
The words landed like a bomb. Huangfu Wenqing, who had been happily spectating, froze on the spot. She blurted out, “Confirmed the relationship? You mean that kind of confirmation?”
Mi Xue’er bit her lip, her face flushing with shy delight.
“Yes~”
Huangfu Wenqing stood stunned.
—Had she been cuckolded?
First those cousin sisters Yan Meng’er and Yan Ruyu, and now Mi Xue’er too!
Mentor Yu Xuan, Yan Ruyu, and Xiao Xinyan were equally incredulous.
“Xue’er, you’re saying you and Yan Zhen… did that?”
“Ahem, sorry, Ruyu. I told you, I won’t give up.”
“You actually…” Xiao Xinyan seethed, itching to grind her teeth. “Junior Brother Yan Zhen would never accept that!”
“Of course he would~,” Mi Xue’er cooed, resting her head on Yan Zhen’s shoulder with a blissed-out smile. “Little Brother Yan Zhen is the best~”
“Cousin didn’t accept! You snuck onto him while we were asleep and forced him to take responsibility for you!” Yan Meng’er spilled the truth, then accused, “Sister Xue’er, doing it this way means you might get Cousin’s body, but never his heart!”
Mi Xue’er’s pretty face turned red. Truth be told, this method wasn’t exactly honorable. She’d acted on impulse, and if given another chance, she probably wouldn’t have the guts.
“I-I don’t care! I just like Little Brother Yan Zhen! I want to be with him!”
Yan Meng’er was so furious she could burst.
“Mentor, look at Sister Xue’er—she’s thrown away all shame!”
Mi Xue’er, though lacking the moral high ground, stood her ground boldly.
“What do you mean? You and Ruyu did the same thing! Little Brother Yan Zhen only saw you as ordinary table cousins at first. He had no intention of taking you to bed. You two teamed up and pushed him down!”
Yan Ruyu flushed with embarrassment.
Yan Meng’er huffed.
“Cousin Sister and I did it with Cousin fully awake. We were both willing. What you did, Sister Xue’er, is called ‘riding the sleeping dragon’!”
“Th-that’s just a different kind of fun! Little Brother Yan Zhen loved it.”
“Loved it my foot. You went twice, but Cousin wasn’t satisfied at all!”
“I-I’m a newbie, okay? What can I do about that? Besides, you didn’t last long either. When it was your turn to take over, you tapped out quick. If I hadn’t stepped up to help, you couldn’t have satisfied him either!”
The argument grew more outrageous by the second. Yan Zhen felt even more mortified than his cousins, wishing he could crawl into a hole.
Huangfu Wenqing listened while vivid images flashed in her mind. Her heart pounded wildly—equal parts heartache and strange excitement.
—Yan Zhen had been pushed down by other women, completely unaware in his sleep. He might’ve even thought the person on top of him was Yan Meng’er…
“Enough, you two! You’re getting way too out of hand!”
Mentor Yu Xuan hurriedly stopped them before they could say anything even more scandalous.
She sighed inwardly. In the end, this was how it turned out. That fool Yan Zhen wasn’t careful at all—letting Xue’er succeed. Was it on purpose?
With that thought, she shot Yan Zhen a glare. He looked so innocent and helpless that her anger evaporated instantly.
“What’s done is done. I won’t say anything more about your private matters. Sort it out yourselves—Yan Zhen, what do you plan to do?”
Twelve eyes locked onto Yan Zhen, giving him an instant headache.
His fiancée, closest in name; his cousins, closest in truth; his mentor, with whom things had grown ambiguously intimate; and the senior sister who liked him…
A death question if there ever was one!
“I-I don’t have the ability to take responsibility for so many right now. I want to focus on cultivation for the time being and decide later.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than System-chan’s voice chimed in his mind.
【Ding! System Warm Reminder: Host’s words and actions lean toward scumbag behavior, violating the protagonist’s upright persona. Please note, please note.】
Ah, this…
—System-chan, don’t stir up trouble right now!
