Chapter 40 Part 2

The woman had dropped by occasionally since then, but the two no longer exchanged words. Tong Yuwu went about her tasks while the woman sat quietly nearby, arms crossed, watching her every move in silence.

“Not mine,” Tong Yuwu replied.

She turned to leave, but the elder stopped her again. “It is yours.” He brushed dust from the desk. “A special reward from above for your outstanding work here lately.”

Tong Yuwu froze mid-step.

Sunlight streamed through the towering glass windows of the First Library, painting irregular geometric patterns across the floor. One spot stretched into a sharp, elongated diamond, its pointed edge thrusting toward the front desk like a sword tip.

Dust motes danced in the air, and tattered pages on the shelves rustled in the breeze.

The Noble Miss had been at it for nearly a month, yet she’d cleared only a tiny corner of the first floor. The library remained as filthy and chaotic as ever.

The elder acted as if he saw nothing and nudged the box closer. “It’s yours now—just take it.

“Good stuff. No sense turning down freebies.”

Tong Yuwu shot him a cool glance, said nothing, and walked away.

At noon, Meng Yiran arrived as usual.

“Finally, a few days off,” she whispered, leaning in to confer with Tong Yuwu. “Tomorrow, should we head back to the Small Building on Rose Street?”

Tong Yuwu’s eyes lifted from the yellowed pages on the table to trace Meng Yiran’s features. She nodded. “Mm.”

Meng Yiran draped herself over the desk. “I think it’d be best if I went back as a cat. What do you say?”

She had her own little scheme. “That way, we won’t have to explain the cat to Jenny and the others. If plans change later, I can always shift back—no fuss.”

Unseen even by herself, a flicker of indulgence warmed the Noble Miss’s brilliant purple eyes.

She leaned back in her chair, drinking in the sight of Meng Yiran’s cascade of silver hair, and murmured a soft, “Good.”

The mood was perfectly relaxed when footsteps suddenly echoed through the room.

Meng Yiran hadn’t even raised her head toward the sound when a familiar voice rang out. “Ha! So this is where you sneak off to goof off every noon!”

Ling Ge puffed out her cheeks as she marched up to them, slapping the long table without ceremony.

“Gotcha now!”

Meng Yiran straightened up. “What are you doing here?” She hastened to explain, “I’m not goofing off.”

“Then why are you here?” Ling Ge’s eyes shifted to Tong Yuwu.

Tong Yuwu met her gaze steadily, a expertly masked flicker of displeasure lurking in her purple eyes.

Even slouched casually against her chair, the Noble Miss’s shoulders and neck formed lines of flawless, graceful elegance. She tilted her head up slightly, appraising Ling Ge without a hint of restraint.

Against her poised serenity, Ling Ge came off all the more like a restless, fidgety girl.

Meng Yiran stepped in to smooth things over.

“Uh, let me introduce you.” She positioned herself between them, turning to Ling Ge. “This is Tong Yuwu.”

Meng Yiran then turned to face Tong Yuwu and explained, “This is Ling Ge, a… friend I made at Clarity Magic Academy.”

Tong Yuwu furrowed her brow slightly.

Ling Ge wrinkled her nose but took the initiative to greet her for Meng Yiran’s sake. “Hello. I’ve heard so much about you.”

She glanced around the room. “Ah, right—I remember now. You got punished to do volunteer work here. Hmm, you adapting okay?”

Tong Yuwu withdrew her gaze, flipped through an old book on the table without looking up, and replied, “Thanks for your concern.”

Meng Yiran grabbed Ling Ge’s arm. “I’m not pulling your leg. I’m not here to slack off.”

She pointed to the cleaning tools nearby and showed them to Ling Ge. “Teacher Liya told me to exercise my magic power whenever I get the chance. Tong Yuwu needed some cleaning done here, so I came to help out—and to practice controlling brooms with spiritual power for cleaning.”

She gestured around them. “See? This whole area was cleaned using our spiritual power.”

Ling Ge pursed her lips, not bothering to hide her disdain. “You’ve been here almost a month, and that’s all you’ve managed to clean?”

The spotless area actually covered about a quarter of the first floor—not insignificant by any means. But compared to the library as a whole, it was still just a drop in the bucket.

Meng Yiran stuck out her tongue. “Yeah, it’s pretty slow going.”

She spread her hands helplessly. “We’re both total newbies, so our efficiency’s still pretty low.”

Ling Ge suddenly perked up. “If you can’t handle it, you could’ve asked me for help. Just the two of you cleaning an entire library? What a hassle.” She lifted her little chin proudly in that tsundere way of hers. “Watch this.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the cleaning tools nearby sprang to life all at once. As if following precise orders, they zipped off to tackle the untouched areas around them. They moved at blinding speed. The cleaning wasn’t exactly meticulous—visible stains lingered in spots they’d already passed over—but the sheer efficiency was jaw-dropping.

Meng Yiran had tried this herself before. With her current skills, she could control maybe two brooms at once, tops. Ling Ge was on another level entirely; at least ten tools danced to her command in perfect sync.

Meng Yiran let out an awed sigh. “You’re… incredible!”

The two chatted away so intently that neither noticed the Noble Miss nearby. She appeared absorbed in her book, but she hadn’t turned a page in ages.

Ling Ge waved it off casually. “Piece of cake.”

She clapped Meng Yiran on the shoulder. “Keep at it, and in a year or two tops, you’ll be at my level.”

Meng Yiran nodded eagerly. “Yeah! I’ll do my best!”

Her eyes followed the brooms, mops, and buckets as they swept farther away. Then Ling Ge’s sharp gaze caught something: a staircase tucked behind a bookshelf not far off.

She leaned in close to Meng Yiran. “Remember that legend I told you about this library?”

Meng Yiran whispered back, “Of course.”

“But I’ve been here tons of times and never gotten trapped.” She glanced over at Tong Yuwu. “Tong Yuwu hasn’t either. She always leaves right on time. Nothing like the weird stuff you described—getting lost and stuck until midnight.”

“Tch.” Ling Ge wasn’t thrilled; her enthusiasm deflated a bit. “Guess most of those old stories are bunk, huh?”

She grumbled, “That Senior Sister made it sound so legit back then. And I went and told you about it like it was real.”

Meng Yiran laughed.

Ling Ge asked, “Have you checked out the upper floors?”

Meng Yiran nodded. “I went up to the Second Floor my first time here, but the Third Floor’s locked. Couldn’t get in.”

Remembering something, she grabbed Ling Ge’s arm. “The Second Floor has this super weird spot, though… the floor’s covered in wood shavings. Even if you don’t get lost, I’d stay away from there.”

That only fueled Ling Ge’s curiosity. “Come on, are you seriously that chicken?”

She shook off Meng Yiran’s hand and dashed toward the stairs with quick thudding footsteps. “I’ll check it out myself!”

Meng Yiran couldn’t stop her. She just shook her head helplessly at Ling Ge’s retreating back.

She wasn’t too worried, though—she’d gone up there alone herself before. Instead, she settled back down beside Tong Yuwu.

“Ling Ge’s always been like that. You saw it yourself in the Illusion Realm.” She watched the Noble Miss’s expression carefully. “If she said anything rude, please don’t take it to heart.”

Tong Yuwu looked up at her. Her first question was, “Are you two close?”

“This… well…” Meng Yiran propped her cheek on her hand and pondered for a long moment before answering, “Not as close as you and me.”

Tong Yuwu blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering like tiny brushes. Meng Yiran watched, utterly captivated.

She lowered her eyes and asked once more, “Do you have many ‘friends’?”

“A fair few,” Meng Yiran replied, then turned the question back. “Why do you ask?”

Tong Yuwu’s fingers tapped lightly twice on the long table, the dull thud-thud echoing through the air around them.

“I’m just one of your ‘friends’.”

Meng Yiran froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, shaking her head. “No, you’re not.”

Tentatively, she reached out and placed her hand over the one Tong Yuwu had used to tap the table. “You didn’t know who I was before, so I let it slide. But now that you do… well… we’re more than just ordinary friends, aren’t we?”

Tong Yuwu’s gaze lingered on the hand Meng Yiran had extended toward her.

Her body ran cool, so the warmth radiating from Meng Yiran’s palm felt especially vivid as it seeped along the back of her hand and into her veins.

Meng Yiran gazed down at the crown of her head, paused briefly, then pressed on. “You’re something truly special—a one-of-a-kind existence. In this world, what you mean to me goes beyond friendship or family.

“You’re not just one of many.”

Tong Yuwu said nothing, and silence settled between them.

But Meng Yiran watched as an unmistakable smile bloomed across the Noble Miss’s perpetually impassive face. It was like spring winds melting winter snow, flowers bursting into bloom across ten miles of hillside. On Tong Yuwu’s already flawless features, that smile was utterly breathtaking.

Meng Yiran stared, transfixed, and the words slipped out unbidden. “You look so beautiful when you smile.”

The smile faded as Tong Yuwu glanced up. “Hm?”

“Ahem—” Meng Yiran cleared her throat, trying to shake off the flush creeping across her cheeks from staring at such loveliness. “I mean it.”

With genuine sincerity, she added, “You should smile more often.”

Tong Yuwu turned her head aside, though the faint upward curve of her lips betrayed the lingering amusement.

“There’s nothing to laugh about,” she said.

Meng Yiran opened her mouth to keep the conversation flowing, but a sudden dryness gripped her throat, leaving her speechless.

She rose and began pacing slowly around the room, forcing her attention away from Tong Yuwu.

Abruptly, she glanced up at the ceiling. “Huh? Isn’t Ling Ge up there? It’s awfully quiet.” She muttered under her breath, “That doesn’t sound like our little firecracker at all.”

Tong Yuwu closed her book and stood. “Time’s up. Let’s go.”

Meng Yiran blinked in surprise, then twisted around to eye the staircase.

“I’ll go call Ling Ge,” she said. “We’ll head out together.”

Tong Yuwu frowned.

Her gaze tracked Meng Yiran’s retreating figure as the other woman hurried past her toward the shadowy stairs, purple eyes flickering dimly.

Only after grasping the banister did Meng Yiran turn back to the still-motionless Tong Yuwu. “Yuwu… um, want to come up with me?”

Tong Yuwu approached slowly and stopped at the base of the stairs, tilting her head up to meet Meng Yiran’s eyes.

“Why bother with her?” Arms crossed over her chest, her expression cool and detached. “She probably just got lost.”

Meng Yiran scowled. “Bah, no way. That’s not happening.”

She drew a deep breath. “Getting lost in a place like this is no joke.” She climbed two more steps. “I’ve got to check on her. If you don’t want to come, go on ahead without me.”

With that, she turned and ascended to the second floor without another glance back.

Tong Yuwu narrowed her eyes, watching until Meng Yiran vanished around the bend.

She glanced down at her palm, where a translucent Crystal Magic Cube materialized out of nowhere.

The cube spun lazily, and at its core, a faint silhouette of a petite figure came into view. The girl appeared trapped, standing beside a row of bookshelves. She scanned her surroundings endlessly, dithering over which path to take, before finally slumping in despair and yanking at her hair.

Tong Yuwu spared it a single glance before making the cube disappear.

A sly curve tugged at her lips as she set off with light, eager steps to catch up with Meng Yiran.