Release the Female Lead, Leave Her to Me
Release the Female Lead Ch. 482

Chapter 482: Eat More

Qiao Ni wore a mischievous smile on her face. Before “Gu Qingcheng” could react, she quickly pulled out some money and bought the pair of earrings that Madam Yu had been eyeing for quite a while.

“Hurry and block me. I can’t let my mother see that I have money,” Qiao Ni whispered urgently when she saw “Gu Qingcheng” still frozen in place. “Gu Qingcheng” suddenly realized what was happening—Qiao Ni was planning to surprise Madam Yu with a gift. She had deliberately sent Madam Yu away to buy the earrings, and hoped to make her mother happy later.

“Gu Qingcheng” subtly blocked Madam Yu’s line of sight. Madam Yu soon returned, holding a sugar figure1, completely unaware of what Qiao Ni and “Gu Qingcheng” had just done. Qiao Ni acted as usual, eating and drinking along the way, without mentioning anything about the gift.

As the night deepened, the crowd watching the festivities only grew, and Qiao Ni seemed far from done enjoying herself. However, Madam Yu was starting to feel a bit worn out. She sat down to rest, glancing at Qiao Ni, who was just a few meters away, buying snacks.

“Gu Qingcheng” just stood there, still dressed in the same black attire. Madam Yu couldn’t help but stare at the figure, feeling as if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Ever since the day she had met that powerful person again, no matter who she looked at, she always felt as though she was seeing Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng. Even now, the person in front of her gave her that same familiar feeling.

Unable to resist, Madam Yu leaned her head forward, trying to change her angle to get a better look at “Gu Qingcheng”. Her graceful neck, already long and beautiful, became even more visible with the movement. However, “Gu Qingcheng’s” mask was tightly secured, giving nothing away. Madam Yu found this somewhat dull, but she was unwilling to give up completely. She decided to ask, “Do you always wear that mask?”

“Gu Qingcheng” hesitated for a moment, realizing that Madam Yu was speaking to her. If she remembered correctly, after spending the entire day together, this was the first time Madam Yu had initiated a conversation with her.

“Gu Qingcheng” nodded. “Yes, madam. Is there something wrong with that?”

“Ni Ni told me that you’re quite beautiful.”

“Young Miss was only trying to comfort me.”

“Gu Qingcheng” responded in a slow and deliberate tone, doing her best to act differently from Ye Wenxin. However, even though Ye Wenxin was now “Gu Qingcheng”, it was impossible to completely hide her true nature that lay deep within.

“I see.” Madam Yu nodded, understanding that “Gu Qingcheng” had politely refused her suggestion to take off the mask. She didn’t insist.

Just then, Qiao Ni returned, her arms full of snacks, and immediately began offering some to Madam Yu. Madam Yu smiled and declined, but Qiao Ni still managed to slip some osmanthus cakes into her hands.

“Mother, you really should eat more. You’re so thin, there’s barely any meat left on you.”

Madam Yu felt a pang in her heart hearing this, but her mood quickly recovered, and she opened her mouth with a smile, accepting the food Qiao Ni offered. Although she ate with cultured grace, she couldn’t savor the sweetness of the osmanthus cake.

Lately, Madam Yu couldn’t help feeling that her life was nearing its end, and her desire to see that person had only grown stronger. Yesterday, she had gone to seek out Liu Churan, but even Liu Churan had no way of locating the Demon Lord. So, how could she, a mere manor lady of Green Isle Manor, ever find that person?

“Xiao Hei, you should eat some too.”

Qiao Ni walked over to the tall and slender “Gu Qingcheng”, holding up a piece of pastry. “Gu Qingcheng” couldn’t eat, as her full mask blocked her mouth. On top of that, she had lied about being a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, which meant she hadn’t eaten anything all day.

Now, with Qiao Ni’s attention on her, “Gu Qingcheng” felt as if the heavens were mocking her misfortune by sending Qiao Ni to make things even harder. To make matters worse, Madam Yu seemed to be growing increasingly curious about her. However, under Qiao Ni’s expectant look, “Gu Qingcheng” could only accept the pastry. She had no intention of eating it, though.

Qiao Ni, smiling, stuffed a few more pieces into her hand before popping some into her own mouth. Although she seemed to be talking to herself, it also felt like she was speaking to everyone present. “Eat more, so you can grow up faster.”

Hearing this made Madam Yu feel even more heartbroken. Ever since the day she had told Qiao Ni the truth, Qiao Ni had matured so quickly. Now, watching her daughter yearn to grow up, Madam Yu felt she hadn’t fulfilled her responsibilities as a mother.

Madam Yu glanced again at the mysterious woman in front of her, unsure whether she should trust her or not. Her days were numbered. Even though Green Isle Manor had both the manor lord, Lüdao, and his brother, Lümao, Madam Yu still couldn’t feel at ease when it came to Qiao Ni, who had no blood ties to any of them.

Qiao Ni was her daughter, not the young miss of Green Isle Manor. If she passed away, no one could predict what would happen to Qiao Ni afterward. Madam Yu needed to think of a secure future for her daughter.

As she watched Qiao Ni stuff more snacks into “Gu Qingcheng’s” hands, Madam Yu smiled and said, “Ni Ni, don’t give Xiao Hei so much. How will she have her hands free to eat?”

Only then did Qiao Ni realize she had been too eager. Hurriedly, she relieved “Gu Qingcheng” of half of the snacks, which ultimately found their way into her own mouth.

“Gu Qingcheng” had no choice but to slightly lift her mask and eat the osmanthus cake, carefully concealing herself in Madam Yu’s blind spot. From there, she could clearly see the probing expression on Madam Yu’s face.

As a mother, Madam Yu was far more perceptive than the other women “Gu Qingcheng” knew. However, “Gu Qingcheng” was confident that she hadn’t been discovered, and calmly adjusted her mask, following the two as they strolled back to the inn.

It was already late into the night. Madam Yu instinctively wanted to send “Gu Qingcheng”, an outsider, away so she could speak privately with Qiao Ni. However, Qiao Ni was inseparable from “Gu Qingcheng”, and the girl managed to persuade Madam Yu to keep “Gu Qingcheng” in the room with them.

Madam Yu eventually gave in to Qiao Ni’s pleas and agreed. As she opened the door to give Qiao Ni a gentle reminder not to cling to “Gu Qingcheng” so much, and to let “Gu Qingcheng” rest for the night, she suddenly noticed a shadowy figure inside the room.

Madam Yu’s pupils shrank sharply. She instinctively moved to close the door, but Qiao Ni had already noticed the person in the room. She paused in surprise for a moment, then, remembering that she couldn’t stray too far from “Gu Qingcheng”, she happily called out, “Auntie!”

The woman inside the room was dressed in red, her lips crimson like blood; she oozed seductive charm. She smiled warmly at Qiao Ni, but the moment she noticed “Gu Qingcheng” standing behind Madam Yu, her expression shifted to one of caution.

It was only in that moment, that the resemblance between Madam Yu and her sister, Liu Churan, became unmistakable.


Footnotes:

  1. 1. Sugar figures is a traditional Chinese form of folk art using hot, liquid sugar to create three-dimensional figures. ↩︎

D[Translator]

Newbie translator and long time yuri fan. I can handle CN/JP to EN translations. I have ko-fi if you want to support my work. **Check out the new series I've posted on SF: Players Please Take Your Positions**

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