"No." Little Wei lied without batting an eye.
Youyin, who had been scrolling through videos, pursed her lips slightly.
"She’s lying to you."
Little Wei’s face instantly fell.
Was there no justice left in this world?
This was her own wife, yet she kept betraying her at every turn.
Hmph, (╯°□°)╯ she was angry.
"Ancestor, you..." Jiang Chu didn’t know what to say either.
Oh well. Things had already reached this point, and nothing she said could change the fact that Fu Yuanzhong had bought a place here. Besides, this was his business—she shouldn’t be nitpicking over such trivial matters anyway.
With that thought, Jiang Chu felt a bit more at ease.
"By the way, Fu Yuanzhong is treating us to dinner later. We need to go grocery shopping—he gave me money, so let’s make something good today." Youyin quickly stood up.
Was this Fu Yuanzhong’s housewarming party?
Or something along those lines.
Fu Yuanzhong had originally planned to eat out, but considering Little Wei’s special circumstances, he decided it’d be better to cook at home.
"Alright."
"I’ll drive—it’ll be faster." Youyin suggested.
After all, they had quite a bit to buy.
Four people—they’d never cooked this much before.
But the dishes would be split into two batches. Fu Yuanzhong’s side had to finish moving in first—he’d handle three dishes, while they’d prepare four.
The delivery for Fu Yuanzhong’s place had already arrived. He didn’t have much from the hotel—just two suitcases. As for the rest of the living space, Fu Yuanzhong had already stocked up on a full set of kitchenware—pots, pans, dishes, you name it.
After buying the apartment, he still had plenty left to spare.
The previous owner was a decent person—they’d thrown in all the furniture, which was practically brand new, less than a year old. Fu Yuanzhong saw no reason to replace any of it.
By the time Little Wei and the others stepped out, Fu Yuanzhong was almost done unpacking.
The apartment was well-maintained. Little Wei nudged Jiang Chu with her elbow.
"See? If you’d been a bit more sensible, you could’ve been the lady of this house."
Fu Yuanzhong and Jiang Chu both froze, their eyes locking onto Little Wei.
Little Wei pouted.
"Fine, fine, I’ll shut up. You all hate me anyway, boohoo." She was honestly fed up with this group.
She was clearly the least popular one here.
"Enough with the jokes." Fu Yuanzhong set down what he was holding.
"Let’s go."
Jiang Chu also suppressed her embarrassment.
She knew Fu Yuanzhong was a good guy, but with the ancestor constantly stirring up trouble like this, she couldn’t help feeling shy around him.
What none of them expected was running into the male and female leads at the supermarket.
Zhao Xi and Xu Yichen.
It had been so long since they’d last seen them that Little Wei half-expected their graves to be overgrown by now.
Zhao Xi was still browsing the shelves. Little Wei stroked her chin as she observed her.
Given how Xu Yichen had been using her as a "nutrient supplement," she’d assumed Zhao Xi would look worse for wear. But surprisingly, Zhao Xi showed no signs of exhaustion.
"Is the female lead just built different?" Little Wei couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Meanwhile, Fu Yuanzhong’s frown deepened into multiple layers of creases.
He could tell there was something off about this human-ghost pair.
Normally, he wouldn’t bother with such things, but the male ghost reeked of murderous energy—far more sinister than the spirits from that haunted house. If left unchecked, the consequences would be dire.
So Fu Yuanzhong blocked Zhao Xi’s path.
"Some things shouldn’t be done." His voice was icy as he glared at Zhao Xi.
Jiang Chu rarely saw his usually gentle face wear such a stern expression.
"Who the hell are you? Mind your own business." Zhao Xi didn’t give Fu Yuanzhong the time of day.
Little Wei never would’ve guessed that Fu Yuanzhong was playing the role of Fahai in this novel.
Too bad Zhao Xi wasn’t the White Snake, and Xu Yichen was no Xu Xian.
Mainly because these two were a terrible match.
"You don’t need to know who I am. But as someone with cultivation, how could you taint yourself with such filth?"
Fu Yuanzhong’s glare was sharp enough to cut glass.
Little Wei replayed his words in her head a few times and couldn’t shake the feeling that he was insulting her.
"Boo-hoo, Si, since when did Fu Yuanzhong become such a jerk? I can’t take this anymore."
She genuinely didn’t think she could keep pretending to get along with the male lead she’d handpicked.
Si: "..."
"He wasn’t talking about you. And let’s be real—if Fu Yuanzhong couldn’t accept your relationship with Youyin, he wouldn’t be this friendly with you guys."
Si honestly didn’t know what to do with this little piglet.
Might as well roast her and be done with it.
But the most pissed-off person right now wasn’t Little Wei—it was Xu Yichen.
If Xu Yichen knew how to swear, he’d be spewing enough profanity to rival the entire League of Legends player base.
What the hell is this dumbass calling filthy?
But Xu Yichen wasn’t the type to curse.
That didn’t stop his face from darkening.
"Watch your tone." His voice was dripping with menace as he stared Fu Yuanzhong down.
Seeing Fu Yuanzhong about to escalate things, Little Wei quickly tugged his sleeve.
"Chill, bro."
If this guy couldn’t stay calm, at least it meant he had good stamina.
Girls probably like that.
Wait—
Her train of thought derailed into the gutter, and Little Wei mentally scolded herself.
Fu Yuanzhong took a deep breath.
"If you can’t handle this, I’d be happy to clean up for you."
Little Wei cringed at the textbook villain dialogue.
Picking a fight with the main leads? Not a great idea.
She hadn’t even had time to gauge Fu Yuanzhong’s actual skill level yet.
Lately, she’d been too busy drafting cultivation manuals to boost Jiang Chu’s progress.
"Are you insane? Since when do I need you to meddle in my affairs?" Zhao Xi was genuinely baffled by this random guy’s audacity.
Especially since he was hanging around that annoying Jiang Xixi.
Just the sight of Jiang Xixi made Zhao Xi’s skin crawl.
She didn’t even want to engage with this ghost anymore—Xu Yichen would give her whatever she needed anyway.
Xu Yichen shielded Zhao Xi behind him.
"Go ahead and shop. Let me deal with this."
Watching Xu Yichen’s domineering display of protection, Zhao Xi’s cheeks flushed as she nodded.
"Okay." Her smile was warm.
At least, that’s how Xu Yichen saw it.
"The main leads have already developed some emotional foundation," Si remarked.
Little Wei could see that much.
Spend enough time together, and feelings were bound to grow.
Otherwise, the phrase familiarity breeds affection would be a lie.
Once Zhao Xi was gone, Xu Yichen’s gaze turned frigid as he sized up the group.
Just as Fu Yuanzhong braced for an attack—
Poof.
Xu Yichen vanished into thin air.
Little Wei: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
Well. That escape was executed with impressive finesse.
Now Little Wei understood where the emotional progress lay.
The male lead had grown a sense of pride—he couldn’t just flee in front of the female lead anymore.
Out of all the world’s male leads she’d encountered, this one was surprisingly shrewd. He knew when he was outmatched and chose not to fight.
Discretion is the better part of valor.
For a general, there was no shame in retreat.