Volume 3, Chapter 39 – Like

To be honest, in Yumo’s understanding, the relationship between the members of the Main Character Group should have been quite harmonious. They should have respected and helped one another, standing united and growing together. Eventually, after reaching a certain level of strength, they would defeat one powerful enemy after another and save the world.

As the Chosen Maiden and the Chosen Son respectively, the relationship between Mengxi and Xue Tian’ao, these two Chosen Ones, should have been exceptionally good.

However, at today’s welcoming banquet, Yumo discovered that the reality seemed a bit different from her imagination. At the beginning, when Mengxi rejected Xue Tian’ao’s invitation without hesitation, Yumo felt a hint of something being amiss. Now, after hearing Mengxi’s words, Yumo could not help but show an expression of utter bewilderment.

‘Did this girl, Mengxi, actually hate Xue Tian’ao that much?’

The fact that the Chosen Ones did not get along should have been a very distressing matter for Yumo. After all, if they were not united, how could they pass their future assessments and eventually eliminate her?

Yet, upon learning of Mengxi’s loathing for Xue Tian’ao, Yumo was surprised to find that her first reaction was not one of worry, but rather a ‘secret delight’…

It was a strange feeling. Yumo could not help but frown, and hearing Mengxi’s words just now, Yumo’s azure eyes were filled with even more confusion.

‘This girl actually told me never to get close to Xue Tian’ao? Why… why would she suddenly say that?’

“Why? Why is that?” Yumo asked curiously. At the same time, she also wanted to know more about Mengxi’s inner thoughts regarding Xue Tian’ao.

Upon hearing Yumo’s question, Mengxi sighed helplessly before casting a look of extreme disgust and contempt toward the blonde man in the hall who was currently conversing with envoys from other factions.

“It’s for your own good!”

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“Hmm?”

“That Xue Tian’ao is nothing but a walking stallion. He would never let a lady as beautiful as you go. Moreover, the guy is insatiably greedy. In the future, whenever he sees a pretty girl, he’ll find a way to take her into his harem. If you follow him, he’ll definitely toss you aside once he grows tired of you. Did you know? He even wants to make a move on his own sister! He’s an absolute beast who does whatever he wants just because he’s the Chosen Son. Besides, that guy is a total despicable villain who will use any means to achieve his goals. Don’t be fooled by his decent appearance; he’s plotting conspiracies in the shadows all day and night. The death of the previous emperor of the Snownight Empire most likely has something to do with him…”

At this moment, Mengxi held nothing back, firing on all cylinders to madly bash Xue Tian’ao. She told Yumo all the dark history she knew about him, and for the parts that were not quite as dark, she directly added a healthy dose of exaggeration. She even took a page out of the BBC and CNN playbooks by fabricating things out of thin air.

Right now, Mengxi had only one thought in her mind. She wanted to completely reduce her Sister Yumo’s favorability of Xue Tian’ao to zero, or as low as it could possibly go. It would be best to drop it so low that no matter how many flowery words Xue Tian’ao used, he could never win her back! She had to thoroughly eradicate any possibility of Xue Tian’ao “conquering” Sister Yumo.

If Sister Yumo followed someone like Xue Tian’ao, she would never find happiness. Moreover, Xue Tian’ao might not be as tolerant of an Abyssal Demon as she was. If he ever discovered Sister Yumo’s true identity, the consequences would be unimaginable.

For Sister Yumo’s safety, Mengxi could not let her have too much contact with him. Sister Yumo had saved her so many times, so she naturally could not watch her go down the wrong path…

Thus, with Mengxi’s further assistance, Yumo’s internal favorability toward Xue Tian’ao dropped even further. Meeting Mengxi’s pleading gaze, Yumo nodded slightly with a helpless air. “I understand. I will try my best to avoid him.”

“Mm-hmm.” Only after receiving this answer did Mengxi stop recounting Xue Tian’ao’s ‘great achievements’.

The silver-haired girl then sighed helplessly. “I don’t care about the others, but you are a member of the Blackrose Family. The Blackrose Family saved me from the forest when I was unconscious. I owe you a debt of gratitude. Naturally, I don’t want to see you being deceived by that guy, Xue Tian’ao.”

The reason Mengxi said this was naturally to dispel Yumo’s suspicions. After all, they were supposed to be strangers meeting for the first time. If she suddenly told Sister Yumo to stay away from Xue Tian’ao without a reason, it would definitely arouse Yumo’s doubt. Putting it this way made it seem much more reasonable.

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As it turned out, Mengxi’s estimation was quite accurate. After hearing these words, the doubt in Yumo’s eyes slowly dissipated, and she nodded in agreement, clearly accepting Mengxi’s explanation.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Mengxi took a deep breath and spoke slowly to Yumo. “Um, Miss Yu, to be honest, I am actually quite interested in the southern Sadik Empire and the Blackrose Family. Since we have nothing to do right now, could you chat with me for a bit? Tell me about the southern part of the continent. Also, I would like to properly thank you.”

“A chat?” Yumo felt a slight sense of surprise at Mengxi’s proposal. In Yumo’s memory, Mengxi was rarely so proactive and enthusiastic toward strangers. A hint of doubt flickered in Yumo’s heart once again.

However, facing Mengxi’s little eyes that were radiating intense anticipation, Yumo, who did not want to continue socializing anyway, slowly nodded. Between dealing with those self-interested faction representatives or chatting with the cute female lead, Yumo would choose the latter without hesitation.

“Alright then, Miss Mengxi.” Yumo replied with an elegant and beautiful smile.

In response, Mengxi also revealed a sweet grin. “By the way, Miss Yu, may I make a presumptuous request?”

“Oh? Please speak, Miss Chosen Maiden.”

“It’s… it’s just…” Mengxi showed a hint of hesitation.

Seeing this, Yumo comforted her softly. “It’s fine. I won’t mind if it’s presumptuous. Just say it, Miss Mengxi.”

“It’s just, Miss Yu, could you stop calling me Miss Chosen Maiden or Miss Mengxi? You can just call me Mengxi.”

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“Oh? Is that so?”

“Yes! Please, you must call me that!”

“Well, alright then.”

“Also,” after hesitating for another moment, Mengxi blinked her eyes and looked at Yumo piteously with a pleading gaze. “Um, Miss Yu, can I call you Sister Yu? You see, I don’t really like those tedious formalities. It’s more relaxing to call you that in private, hee-hee~”

“I see.” Yumo’s heart trembled slightly. After hesitating for a moment under Mengxi’s joyful gaze, she slowly nodded. “Alright then, as long as it makes you happy.”

“Really? That’s great, Sister Yu!” After getting Yumo’s consent, Mengxi immediately broke into an incredibly sweet and happy smile. She then lunged forward, hugging Yumo’s arm intimately without a second word. “Then, Sister Yu, let’s go for a stroll together~”

Faced with Mengxi’s sudden intimate gesture, Yumo was stunned again, a faint blush appearing on her pretty face. To be honest, the feeling of having her arm hugged by Mengxi and hearing her call her ‘Sister’ was something Yumo quite missed. It made her recall the days spent with the ‘child-like’ Mengxi back in the Deepwinter Forest.

However, nostalgia aside, a trace of doubt still rose in Yumo’s heart. “Mengxi, this should be our first time meeting, right?”

“Yes, Sister Yu.”

“Then why are you…?”

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“Why am I suddenly so close to you, Sister? Is that what you want to ask?”

“Uh, yes.”

“As for that, actually, I don’t know either.”

“Eh? You don’t know?”

“Yes.” Mengxi nodded slightly, then tilted her small head up to meet Yumo’s gaze with a serious expression. “Anyway, Sister Yu just gives me a strange sense of deep intimacy and familiarity. Being by your side feels quite comfortable~ Hmm, in short…”

“In short?”

Showing a bashful expression, Mengxi smiled shyly. Then, under Yumo’s stunned gaze, Mengxi leaned her small mouth directly against Yumo’s ear and whispered softly.

“Although it’s our ‘first’ time meeting, I think I’ve already fallen for you, Sister Yu~”

“Eh?”

As these words entered her ears unexpectedly, Miss Yumo’s eyes suddenly shrank. Her pretty face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple.