A Strategist’s Thirst

Yu Lian collapsed against the door, pounding her chest and stamping her feet.

Her hope had vanished once more!

Yixiya, her supposed savior, had barely appeared before being eliminated by an ‘evil force.’

Wait, was the ‘evil force’ actually Lingyi?

Well, that changed everything.

If it was Lingyi, then it was understandable; she couldn’t bring herself to be angry.

Yu Lian wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes, then resettled herself at the wooden table, listlessly picking at her food with chopsticks.

It seemed her mood was indeed affected; even the thought of eating had become unappetizing, despite the lavish spread of meat dishes before her.

“She made me bark like a dog…”

“And she saw everything…”

“You better sneak back here, do you hear me?!”

Yu Lian jabbed her chopsticks against the bottom of her bowl, venting her frustrations.

“Hmm? What are you doing?”

Bai Lingyi, who had returned with two large platters of vegetarian dishes, cautiously pushed open the door. Seeing Yu Lian’s inexplicable actions, she asked curiously.

‘Was she cursing someone?’

Yu Lian’s hand froze, beads of sweat breaking out. ‘Why was Lingyi here, and of all times, she had to appear just as I was muttering complaints to myself? Did she hear everything I said?’

Even if Lingyi had heard, she wouldn’t gain any useful information, yet Yu Lian still didn’t want Lingyi to know what she was planning.

“Lingyi, it’s you.”

Yu Lian rose and hurried to greet her.

“What were you just mumbling about?”

“Nothing at all. Wow, did you come to bring me more food?”

“Yes, I heard the maids say you don’t seem to like meat, so I brought you some vegetarian dishes. Look, do you like them?”

“Mhm! I love them!”

It was unclear whether she was referring to the vegetarian dishes or to Lingyi herself. Yu Lian stared at Lingyi’s face, her eyes sparkling, nodding vigorously.

‘Success! The topic has been successfully diverted.’

Bai Lingyi tilted her head. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Yu Lian’s words held a deeper meaning, which struck her as odd. Yet, when she looked into Yu Lian’s eyes, they were pure and unblemished.

‘It seems I was overthinking things,’ she mused, shaking her head subtly.

‘She is the Second Miss’s concubine, and can only be the Second Miss’s concubine. Lingyi, oh, Lingyi, the Second Miss has treated you well; don’t harbor any strange thoughts.’

Her mind instantly cleared.

Suddenly, the platters in her hands felt lighter. Bai Lingyi looked over in confusion, only to realize Yu Lian had taken them.

“Have you eaten yet, Lingyi? Shall we eat together?”

Yu Lian placed the platters on the wooden table, then returned to her spot, taking Lingyi’s hand and guiding her to sit beside her. They sat so close, almost shoulder-to-shoulder, that Yu Lian could detect a wonderfully pleasant scent interwoven with the aroma of the dishes.

“I ate ages ago. You, on the other hand, you big lazy pig, slept in so late that you’re combining two meals into one.”

Bai Lingyi playfully poked Yu Lian’s nose.

Yu Lian wrinkled her nose and huffed, “I had insomnia last night, you know. I wanted to wake up early too.”

“Insomnia?” Bai Lingyi’s eyes darted. “Oh, I know why! You must have been too excited to sleep, knowing that the Second Miss was finally coming out to see you, right?”

Yu Lian’s small mouth pouted slightly.

‘What? It wasn’t because of that at all.’

“There’s some unfortunate news I have to tell you. The Second Miss still won’t be able to come out today. Your excitement was for naught.”

Seeing a flicker of disappointment cross Yu Lian’s face, Bai Lingyi quickly reassured her.

“But don’t worry, she’ll definitely be able to come out tomorrow. You don’t need to worry about her too much.”

Yu Lian was ecstatic, so much so that she felt an internal injury brewing from suppressing her joy. Yet, she had to feign sadness and dejection. She replayed every sad event of her life to barely restrain the laughter threatening to escape her throat.

“Is… is that so? That’s wonderful.”

‘No, no, this won’t do. Who smiles when they’re sad? It’s too obvious; I’ll give myself away.’

Bai Lingyi didn’t overthink it, genuinely fooled by Yu Lian’s clumsy acting. She rested her chin on her clasped hands, smiling sweetly.

“You’ll be happy, you know.”

As she spoke, her smile seemed to dim a fraction.

“Mhm, I will be happy.”

Yu Lian said, looking at Lingyi, her words carrying a hidden meaning.

She picked up her chopsticks, chose a vegetable, and brought it to Lingyi’s lips. “Come, try this. Eating more vegetables will help you grow plump.”

Bai Lingyi was amused by her words.

“I don’t need to gain weight; my weight is just right.”

“I meant other places, of course.”

Bai Lingyi followed Yu Lian’s gaze, which landed on her chest, and immediately tapped Yu Lian’s head with a bent finger.

“Girls shouldn’t say such suggestive things.”

Yu Lian covered her head, her eyes watering. “I’m just giving a blessing! The book says that a woman’s greatest pride is having enough ‘weight and size’ there, so they don’t feel inferior when they walk.”

Bai Lingyi didn’t know what to make of Yu Lian. On one hand, she seemed to understand everything, yet she had been so clueless about what happened last night. On the other hand, these casually spoken ‘flowery words’ were far too seasoned for someone supposedly naive.

“Are you reading a proper book?”

Yu Lian seemed uncertain, her gaze flitting about. ‘It should be… proper, right? I haven’t seen anything improper in the book.’

“Lingyi, let’s not talk about this anymore. Come, you take a bite, then I’ll eat.” Yu Lian lowered her hand from her head, deciding to transform her pain into appetite.

Bai Lingyi still wanted to refuse; after all, sharing chopsticks was a bit much. But ultimately, under Yu Lian’s persistence, she took one bite, refusing to eat any more.

“Come, I’ll feed you.”

“Eh? No, no, I can do it myself…”

“Don’t refuse. I usually feed the Second Miss like this, so I’m used to it.”

‘Lingyi always feeds that crazy woman like this?’

Yu Lian suddenly grew irritated. She took a big bite, no longer refusing. If that woman could enjoy Lingyi’s service, why couldn’t she?

Bai Lingyi was a little puzzled. ‘Why did she suddenly become so well-behaved? Not pushing me away anymore?’ Still, this was a good thing; it saved her the trouble of arguing, and such a change was truly a great development.

“You should rest well for now. If you’re really bored, you can ask the maids outside to bring you some books to read, but you cannot leave the room.”

Bai Lingyi instructed, then called the maids to tidy up before leaving with them.

As the door closed, silence descended once more.

Yu Lian rubbed her belly, leaning back in her chair, unmoving. She was so full, even her brain didn’t want to work.

Being fed by the person you liked was truly a comfortable experience.

It was just…

‘It’s a shame I’m not the only one who gets fed.’

Yu Lian grew increasingly displeased with Bai Muya.

Hmph, just you wait. Lingyi can only be mine.

Besides escaping, Yu Lian now had another idea: to completely win over Lingyi and elope with her.

‘You forcibly took me, so I’ll take your steward.’

Hmph, a perfectly fair exchange.

The night deepened.

Yixiya hadn’t reappeared that day, and Yu Lian no longer held any hope for her. Relying on outsiders was ultimately unreliable; it was better to think of other, better methods herself.

There was no bath to be had tonight, as Lingyi hadn’t come over.

Yu Lian felt a deep sense of regret and simply went to sleep.

She still had to face the Second Miss tomorrow. What a headache.

It wasn’t quite dawn yet.

Yu Lian woke up, not naturally, but because she was parched. She was so thirsty, unbelievably so; she felt if she didn’t drink water soon, she would die of thirst.

However, no matter how many cups of water she drank, the thirst remained, clinging stubbornly.

‘How could this be?’

Yu Lian’s heart trembled.