Chapter 21:

Vaniel wanted to shake her head, but she was too embarrassed to admit that it was the opposite of pain. She could only give a small nod.

“A little. It started this morning.”

Lin Zhihan’s expression changed.

She had a good idea what was happening.

“It’s okay.” She held Vaniel and gently rubbed her back. “Take a deep breath. Let’s go home first.”

But Vaniel seemed to realize something. Her eyes suddenly turned uneasy.

She stared at Lin Zhihan, her voice tight. “What’s happening to me?”

Before Lin Zhihan could answer, a voice sounded nearby, light with laughter.

“Oh? What made you come looking for her?”

Tang Yao had appeared outside the warehouse at some point; no one knew when.

She stood in the shadows beyond the headlights, smiling as if she were watching an amusing play.

“I thought you said you didn’t care.”

Vaniel straightened at once, forcing down her discomfort. She strode over and dragged Tang Yao around to the other side of the car.

“You did this, didn’t you?”

Tang Yao spread her hands. “Don’t be so fierce. I was only trying to solve your problem.”

“Locking her in here is your idea of helping me?”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t like this human?” Tang Yao blinked innocently. “If she died, the collar would reset. Then you could go wherever you wanted. Wouldn’t that be convenient?”

Vaniel gritted her teeth.

“You never asked what I wanted. You did it on purpose.”

Tang Yao smiled. “I was curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“Whether you’d be like the other succubi now that you’d become one.”

Tang Yao’s gaze wandered playfully over Vaniel and Lin Zhihan.

“Looking at you now, maybe you’re not so different after all.”

“That’s nonsense.”

Vaniel’s ears reddened. She kept her voice low.

“It isn’t like that. My body’s just not right at the moment. I still need her.”

Tang Yao’s eyes curved. “Oh? I could buy her soul, too. Make her obey me. Then we could—”

“No! Don’t you dare.”

Vaniel’s answer was immediate. She looked angrier than ever.

Tang Yao laughed. She’d never seen Vaniel so easy to get a rise out of. She spread her hands, delighted.

“You don’t want this, and you don’t want that. What do you want, then?”

Vaniel was silent for a moment.

“Just let me keep this human with me for now. Don’t do anything else.”

Tang Yao regarded her with a knowing smile.

“Fine.”

Then she glanced at Wen Qiao. “What about her?”

Lin Zhihan stood a little way off, unable to hear their conversation.

But she caught that last question and answered at once. “Wen Qiao has nothing to do with this.”

Wen Qiao looked at her anxiously. “Little Han…”

Lin Zhihan went to her and spoke softly. “I’m fine. Go home first. I have to go with them. Vaniel needs someone to look after her.”

Wen Qiao couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing.

Why did Vaniel know Tang Yao?

Tang Yao was clearly no ordinary person.

What kind of danger had Lin Zhihan gotten caught up in?

But Lin Zhihan looked pale and composed. In the end, Wen Qiao clenched her teeth and nodded.

“You have to come back.”

Lin Zhihan got into Tang Yao’s car with Vaniel.

Vaniel kept her eyes closed and didn’t speak during the ride.

She was clearly uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to show weakness in front of Tang Yao. Lin Zhihan watched her for a while, then reached over and gently rubbed her abdomen through her clothes.

Vaniel’s eyes flew open. Her body went stiff. She pushed Lin Zhihan’s hand away and turned her face aside, not wanting to deal with her.

But Lin Zhihan didn’t pull back. She was genuinely worried.

After a long while, Vaniel’s ears slowly turned red.

The car eventually pulled into a villa.

When Lin Zhihan got out, she saw that the place was much bigger than she’d imagined. It blazed with light, and servants stood quietly on either side. Every one of them lowered their head when Tang Yao arrived, their deference almost unsettling.

What shocked Lin Zhihan even more was the school’s vice principal.

The mature woman who normally spoke with such authority in the auditorium now opened the door for Tang Yao like a servant, her posture utterly humble.

She brought tea, then naturally knelt beside the sofa and rested her head against Tang Yao’s knee, like a pet that had been trained.

Tang Yao idly stroked her head without telling her to get up.

Lin Zhihan was stunned.

Is this the kind of devil who can take human souls?

Tang Yao looked like just a young girl, yet she was clearly the master of the house.

Vaniel had no interest in talking with Tang Yao. Her voice was hoarse.

“I want to rest.”

Tang Yao lounged on the sofa and issued an order. “Prepare the finest guest room for Lady Vaniel.”

The servants bowed at once.

Lin Zhihan got up and followed Vaniel to the room.

As soon as the door closed, Vaniel could no longer hold herself up. She bent forward, breathing lightly.

Lin Zhihan hurried to support her. “Vaniel, are you in pain?”

Vaniel looked up at her, eyes shining with moisture. Then she grabbed Lin Zhihan by the wrist and pulled her close, a little roughly.

“What’s happening to me? Do you know?”

Lin Zhihan found herself pressed against the wall. After a moment’s silence, she whispered, “You might… be about to lay an egg.”

Vaniel froze.

She vaguely remembered hearing that succubi could lay eggs. She’d always thought it was something they chose to do.

She’d never imagined it would happen to her.

Vaniel’s confusion quickly turned to panic.

“Why would I lay an egg? I don’t want to!”

Lin Zhihan spoke softly as Vaniel clutched her collar. “Succubi lay eggs when they eat too much…”

The moment Lin Zhihan said the word, Vaniel’s sensations suddenly made sense. The possibility became real.

She stared at Lin Zhihan, her feelings growing more tangled. “What am I supposed to do? This is all your fault…”

“Yes. It’s my fault.”

Vaniel gripped her tighter in her panic. Lin Zhihan struggled to breathe, but still felt sorry for her.

Vaniel had never wanted to be close to her. She didn’t like her temporary succubus identity, either. Of course she’d be angry about laying an egg.

But this was the only chance they had to escape the Time Loop.

Lin Zhihan could only hold her as best she could.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You can yell at me. But first, let’s get the egg out. We’ll get through this together, okay?”

Lin Zhihan’s deep eyes held nothing but urgency and sincerity.

Vaniel stared at her.

This human was always like that.

She seemed so weak, yet her voice was always calm and her presence warm, as if she wanted to take care of Vaniel. It made it hard to stay angry.

“But there’s no ‘together.’ We’re not—”

They weren’t one person. Vaniel was Vaniel. The most important thing now was to become a devil again.

Lin Zhihan was Lin Zhihan. What did she want?

Vaniel had said it offhandedly. She hadn’t expected Lin Zhihan to react so strongly.

“There is!”

Lin Zhihan suddenly clutched her hand. Her voice trembled.

“Vaniel, please don’t leave me now.”

“What?” Vaniel’s breathing turned ragged.

“Don’t go. Stay with me.”

Lin Zhihan ignored Vaniel’s reaction and wrapped both arms around her, burying her face against Vaniel’s chest.

“Please, Vaniel. Don’t go. Believe me. I never wanted to hurt you.”

Vaniel was completely stunned. She knew Lin Zhihan had never meant to hurt her.

When they’d met, Vaniel had been weak and Lin Zhihan’s succubus servant. Even then, Lin Zhihan hadn’t harmed her.

But what did she mean by this? Why was she clinging to Vaniel so desperately?

Vaniel’s mind whirled.

Is she confessing to me?

Was she begging Vaniel to stay with her and be together from now on?

Why did she have to say this now?

Vaniel was flustered and embarrassed, the corners of her eyes reddening. But she didn’t push Lin Zhihan away.

Lin Zhihan continued, “Believe me. If we get through this, everything will be all right. This matters to both of us.”

They fell onto the bed. Lin Zhihan lifted Vaniel’s legs and looked at her with concern.

“Does it hurt? If it gets bad, you can bite me.”

Hurt?

The slight discomfort Vaniel had felt faded beneath the other sensations brought on by Lin Zhihan’s nearness.

Vaniel’s face turned bright red. She didn’t want to admit it.

Succubi were such strange creatures. Vaniel almost wondered if they’d designed the ability to lay eggs just so they could experience all sorts of—

Ugh… so perverted, so lewd.

She was so embarrassed by the intense sensations that she resisted them, becoming so tense that she started to feel uncomfortable.

Lin Zhihan held her close. Soon she realized something seemed to be stuck. But if Vaniel could… then perhaps the egg would come out.

She didn’t think it through. She only tried to help Vaniel relax.

Vaniel had started out reluctant and confused. Before long, however, she gave herself over to the moment. She was soon drenched in sweat, her body arching again and again, her eyes glowing a brilliant pink.

The night outside the window deepened.

When it was finally over, Vaniel was exhausted and half asleep. She no longer cared about eggs. She soon drifted off.

Lin Zhihan covered her with a blanket and looked at the small golden capsule in her hand. Light flowed inside it.

The magic crystal was quite beautiful.

But it had been so hard on Vaniel.

“System, how much more of that score do I need?”

The System hesitated. “Just a little more! Keep going, Host! You’re closer to succeeding than any other host I’ve had!”

Lin Zhihan rubbed her forehead and carefully put the crystal away for Vaniel.

The next day, Tang Yao gave Vaniel a knowing smile as soon as she saw her.

“Even if you’ve only just gotten a taste of a human, you might want to show a little restraint.”

She propped her chin on her hand and drawled, “I could feel the magic fluctuations downstairs last night.”

Vaniel’s face reddened. “Shut up.”

Tang Yao had no idea what was going on with Vaniel.

Seeing her grin widen, Vaniel wanted to change the subject. “Did you find the people I asked about?”

“How could I do it that fast?” Tang Yao spread her hands. “It takes time. I have to go to school first.”

Vaniel looked faintly exasperated. “How old are you? You still go to school?”

“So what? Human knowledge changes all the time. The last time I went to school was, well, fifty years ago. A good devil keeps up with the times.”

Tang Yao paused, then offered casually, “If you’re in a hurry, I could find a few criminals for you. You could just take care of them.”

Vaniel instinctively looked at Lin Zhihan.

She remembered Lin Zhihan holding her last night, begging her not to leave.

Vaniel’s ears warmed. She looked away and said awkwardly, “No. I still want to take my own revenge.”

Tang Yao lifted a brow. “What, are you attached to your human now?”

“What are you talking about?”

Vaniel denied it at once.

Her body was unstable, and she still had a succubus egg inside her. If she forced herself to reclaim her devilhood now, who knew what would happen?

That was all.

Tang Yao checked the time.

“All right, then. I’m heading to school.”

Lin Zhihan pressed her lips together, seeming about to say something.

Vaniel noticed and said, “Let her come along, too.”

Tang Yao laughed. “Aw, you don’t want her to miss class?”

Vaniel’s expression remained blank. “I want to go out, too. I don’t want to sit here waiting for news.”

Tang Yao waved a hand. “Fine. Have someone take Lady Vaniel and her human to school.”

“…”

…

At school, Wen Qiao spotted Lin Zhihan from a distance and practically ran over.

“Lin Zhihan!”

Lin Zhihan looked up, and Wen Qiao was already gripping her wrist.

“How are you? Are you okay?”

Seeing the worry in her eyes, Lin Zhihan answered softly, “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Wen Qiao looked her up and down, still concerned.

Then she remembered something and lowered her voice. “What about Vaniel? Is she all right?”

Lin Zhihan’s expression shifted. She didn’t answer immediately, only looking toward the window.

Wen Qiao followed her gaze. Only then did she notice a crowd gathering at the other end of the hall. Students stood in small groups, all looking in the same direction. They were trying to keep their voices low, but excitement was impossible to hide.

“Who’s that friend Tang Yao brought in today?”

“She’s gorgeous!”

“And she has silver hair! Is she some rich family’s daughter?”

Tang Yao was already a famous figure at school. Even the administrators treated her with special care.

Of course everyone would notice when someone so striking suddenly appeared at her side.

The girl’s silver-white hair fell over her shoulders. She stood at the end of the hall with a cool expression. She wasn’t looking at anyone in particular, yet people instinctively kept their distance.

Wen Qiao recognized her at once.

Vaniel!

Her heart jumped. She was about to speak when a surprised voice sounded nearby.

“Isn’t that Lin Zhihan’s girlfriend?”