"I didn’t mean it like that," Little Wei said, exasperated.
If things really escalated to that point, would a man’s innocence even count as innocence anymore?
And given Du Ran’s temperament, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t…
Little Wei shot a sidelong glance at Zhang Yunxiao, feeling a twinge of guilt.
Both of them were UR—who would take the lead and who would follow was anyone’s guess. For all she knew, the one crying in the end might be Zhang Yunxiao himself.
Zhang Yunxiao found Little Wei’s gaze oddly unsettling, making him hesitate.
Flirting was one thing, but sacrificing himself? Absolutely not.
"She’ll definitely take care of you. If she tries anything inappropriate, my advice is to run. Of course, you’ll have to leave the next day too—play hard to get. You know how to do that, right?" Little Wei raised an eyebrow at him.
After a moment’s thought, Zhang Yunxiao agreed.
"Even if it sounds a bit scummy, I’m willing to give it a try."
Zhang Yunxiao understood the stakes. If he didn’t go through with this, the consequences were unimaginable. If the Federation really fell into crisis, he and his family would be doomed.
"This is for the Horde—no, wait, for the Federation," Little Wei said with a saintly smile, patting Zhang Yunxiao’s shoulder.
Zhang Yunxiao nodded.
Little Wei spent a while longer drilling instructions into him before finally sending him off, satisfied.
Ling Wanbai watched Zhang Yunxiao’s retreating figure and turned to Little Wei with a quiet look. "Was it really okay to give him such devious advice?"
Little Wei: ?
"I didn’t! I would never!" Little Wei waved her hands frantically, her face the picture of innocence.
Since when was she the scheming type?
"Fair enough," Ling Wanbai said, her expression softening slightly.
"Huh? Was that a compliment?" Little Wei perked up, tilting her head to look at her.
Admittedly, Ling Wanbai had a clear height advantage. Craning her neck to meet her eyes made Little Wei’s neck ache.
Being short was such a pain.
If she could just be taller in the next world, that’d be perfect.
Ling Wanbai glanced down at her and suddenly scooped her up.
Little Wei’s feet dangled in the air, leaving her squirming uncomfortably.
"Put me down! Do I have no dignity?" Little Wei was fuming.
Was she some kind of rabbit to be picked up and carried around like this?
This was ridiculous.
"You do, but I’d say your dignity isn’t worth much," Ling Wanbai replied with a smirk.
Little Wei: ???
If that was the case, she hoped Ling Wanbai would meet an unfortunate end soon.
After silently sending up that prayer, Little Wei was caught off guard when Ling Wanbai pecked her on the lips.
Her face flushed instantly, and she glared indignantly.
"What are you doing? I’ll have you know I won’t submit to you!" Little Wei declared, her voice loud and stubborn.
"Nothing much. Just giving you a preview of how to teach Zhang Yunxiao to seduce a girl."
As she spoke, Ling Wanbai nudged the door open with her foot.
Wait—
No.
That was completely unrelated!
Before Little Wei could even cry for help, her breath was stolen by the enemy general.
"Mmph…"
A flush spread from the corners of her eyes as sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the tangled sheets.
The air was soon filled with nothing but a weak, kitten-like whimper, enough to make anyone’s ears burn.
When Little Wei woke up later, she kicked Ling Wanbai hard.
Absolutely shameless.
That was the only thought in her mind.
Ling Wanbai slowly opened her eyes, unfazed, and clapped her hands before getting up.
"I’m going to shower first."
"I want to go first!" Little Wei, being closer to the bathroom, dashed in before Ling Wanbai could react.
Ling Wanbai: …
At least put on a dress—or pajamas, if nothing else.
The morals of this world were truly in decline.
Ling Wanbai massaged her temples.
Little Wei’s plan proceeded flawlessly. Du Ran could resist anything—except a drunken butterfly (which was, in fact, Zhang Yunxiao).
Of course, Zhang Yunxiao’s innocence remained intact.
When Little Wei came downstairs, she noticed Du Ran’s mood had improved significantly. She stood beside Zhang Yunxiao, practically vibrating with excitement.
Clearly, she’d been waiting forever for a chance to get close to him.
But the moment Du Ran spotted Little Wei, her expression darkened.
Little Wei didn’t bother engaging. Instead, she grabbed Ling Wanbai’s arm.
"Let’s go buy some fruit."
Little Wei had developed a fondness for the fruits in this interstellar era. She had no idea how they were cultivated, but they almost rivaled the natural produce of ancient times.
"Sure," Ling Wanbai said, glancing at Zhang Yunxiao.
Zhang Yunxiao met their gaze briefly. Though his face was neutral, his eyes screamed misery.
If he could, he’d ditch Du Ran in a heartbeat.
She was driving him insane.
"Yunxiao-ge, let’s get some fruit too!" Du Ran clung to his arm, beaming.
Zhang Yunxiao: …
"Fine."
He’d been locked in a battle of wits with Du Ran for ten days now, and there was still no sign of her connection to the insectoids. If not for her earlier confession, Zhang Yunxiao would’ve suspected Little Wei and Ling Wanbai had tricked him.
"I like you so much!" Du Ran glanced around before suddenly planting a kiss on his cheek.
Zhang Yunxiao: …
No words could capture the internal screaming.
Oh no.
He wanted to die.
At this rate, his innocence wouldn’t last much longer.
He still had to marry someday!
With a hollow laugh, Zhang Yunxiao resigned himself to his fate while Du Ran reveled in her victory.
Meanwhile, Li Luoyi was deeply puzzled.
The plot had changed. In her past life, Zhang Yunxiao had never gotten involved with Du Ran.
This was beyond absurd.
Li Luoyi had no memory of the shadowy entity’s actions while possessing her, so she was utterly lost.
But if Zhang Yunxiao and Du Ran were together now, did that mean the tragedy could be avoided?
A look of relief crossed Li Luoyi’s face.
If so, she didn’t need to worry about them too much—just drop by their apartment occasionally to check if they were fighting.
"I got the feeling Zhang Yunxiao was silently screaming for help earlier," Ling Wanbai remarked, tapping a freshly harvested watermelon to test its ripeness.
Hmm, this one sounded good.
"Did he?" Little Wei recalled Zhang Yunxiao’s expression but couldn’t decipher it—until she saw him and Du Ran enter the same fruit shop.
Few students in the academy could afford fruit, so the shop was empty except for them.
Now, Little Wei could finally read Zhang Yunxiao’s eyes clearly.
They were a full-blown tragedy, tinged with resentment directed at her.
She nearly dropped the melon in her arms.
This mess couldn’t possibly be her fault, right?
Little Wei tilted her head up, staring at the ceiling, then pressed closer to Ling Wanbai.
"What’s wrong?" Ling Wanbai adjusted the melon in her arms and raised a brow.
"I’m scared. He’s totally going to hit me." For once, Little Wei saw Ling Wanbai as a reliable protector—a mighty goose who never lost a fight.