Chapter 946: Yue’er? It’s You?

Sister Hong walked up to the dean and said, “Master, I’m sorry. I failed to keep them in line.”

“Oh, it’s you, Xiao Hong.” The dean, who had been scowling moments ago, immediately broke into a broad smile. They seemed close.

Young Master Lü took the opportunity to escape the scolding. He quickly ran over to Ye Wenxin, worried the dean might come after him again.

The connection between Sister Hong and the dean intrigued Ye Wenxin. “Young Master Lü, your sister is the dean’s apprentice?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Young Master Lü replied without thinking, but that was all.

Ye Wenxin looked at him exasperatedly. With communication skills like his, forget someone like the ultimate boss villain, Long Qingyue. Even a random girl on the street wouldn’t be interested in him.

She clarified her question. “She’s his apprentice in what?”

Young Master Lü finally understood. “Oh, in item appraisal. The dean is highly knowledgeable about antiques and divine weapons. Scholars come from other kingdoms to learn from him.”

Ye Wenxin nodded. That sounded logical enough. But the dean’s surname tugged at her in an unsettling way. Still, dynastic grudges were best left for Long Qingyue to handle.

She dropped the matter and sat on a nearby boulder, waiting for Long Qingyue’s arrival.

More people gathered around. It seemed reputation had drawn them here, as each face brimmed with excitement to glimpse the rumored Miss Yue.

But after an hour, Long Qingyue still hadn’t shown up. Ye Wenxin started to grow impatient. She leaned toward Ghost Mother, who stiffened immediately, her face flushing without even a word said.

Her extreme reaction puzzled Ye Wenxin. “Relax, I don’t plan on doing anything to you,” she reassured.

“You’ve finally gone completely insane, haven’t you?” Ghost Mother’s voice trembled with anger. She knew Ye Wenxin was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Ye Wenxin hadn’t done anything to her because she was waiting for a terrifying moment to humiliate her.

And now, here they were, surrounded by people. Thinking about where Ye Wenxin’s hand might go next, Ghost Mother wasn’t sure whether she felt more frightened or excited.

“What the hell are you talking about? I just want to take a nap. Wake me when Miss Yue shows up,” Ye Wenxin said, baffled by whatever delusions Ghost Mother was having this time.

Ghost Mother froze, visibly flustered, and quickly snapped, “I’m not waking you!”

But Ye Wenxin still had her adorable little Liuli to rely on. “Fine, I’ll have Liuli wake me. Just don’t get jealous again.”

Ghost Mother’s expression instantly changed. “Fine, I’ll wake you!” she replied hastily.

Though she hated being bossed around, she refused to let Liuli spend more time with Ye Wenxin, threatening her position.

“Why do I always have to use my last move,” Ye Wenxin sighed.

She turned to walk in the opposite direction, looking for a suitable napping spot. She soon spotted a large tree not far away. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, and the surrounding grass looked soft enough to lie on.

There weren’t many people around. A man was asleep under the tree, a note stuck to his forehead: [Wake me if anything happens.]

Ye Wenxin pulled out her trusty golden pen and wrote her note: [Don’t wake me ever.] She placed it on herself and peacefully dozed off.

……

An indefinite time had passed, but eventually, footsteps approached. Ye Wenxin sensed a familiar presence and figured Ghost Mother had come to find her. She didn’t stir, curious to see if Ghost Mother would try anything sneaky while she was asleep.

Sure enough, when she didn’t respond, Ghost Mother’s movements became even more cautious. She crouched beside Ye Wenxin, but Ye Wenxin wasn’t sure what she was looking at.

Ye Wenxin held her breath, focusing on every movement. She sensed Ghost Mother reaching out to touch her. Ye Wenxin instinctively sprang into action, pulling her straight into her arms, immobilizing her.

But very quickly, Ye Wenxin realized something was wrong.

This woman didn’t carry the coldness typical of a ghost. Her body was warm and had a scent Ye Wenxin recognized. At that moment, she realized while this was someone she knew, it wasn’t Ghost Mother.

No… it was the one person she feared being alone with the most right now.

“So, have you hugged me long enough?” came a chilly voice from the woman in her arms. Strangely, she didn’t seem intent on pushing Ye Wenxin away.

The woman was unmistakably Long Qingyue.

“Still pretending to be asleep?” Long Qingyue’s voice came again, sounding more displeased as she looked at Ye Wenxin, who stubbornly kept her eyes shut to avoid reality.

Long Qingyue had no doubt she was wide awake by now. Just thinking about Ye Wenxin growing closer to that ghost girl annoyed her.

“……”

Ye Wenxin stayed silent, eyes closed, but she could feel that familiar presence drawing closer.

“If you keep faking it, I’ll read your mind.” Long Qingyue spoke again, her tone calm but with an edge of warning.

Ye Wenxin abruptly opened her eyes, coming face-to-face with Long Qingyue, inches away.

She was holding Long Qingyue, their legs entangled. Her instinctive defense against Ghost Mother had put her in a compromising position with the one person she least wanted to offend.

“Yue’er? It’s you?” Ye Wenxin feigned surprise, trying to shift some blame onto Ghost Mother. If she didn’t, she feared she’d die a miserable death.

“Oh? Who were you hoping for if not me?” Long Qingyue asked, smiling pleasantly, yet her eyes were cold and sharp like blades.

Ye Wenxin shrank back and carefully chose her words. “I thought it was Gui Gui. You’ve met her before. It’s that ghost who’s been traveling with me.”

She tried her best to look innocent, but it was hopeless. Long Qingyue would never fall for her act.

Long Qingyue remembered the night she’d shared a bed with Ye Wenxin, especially what Ye Wenxin and the ghost had done right under her nose.

“And what would you have done after you had her in your arms?” she asked. Long Qingyue became increasingly displeased the more she thought about it. She even heard a rumor about Ye Wenxin and Beast Taming Garden’s Head Senior Sister.