The Pervert in Pajamas

It stands to reason that her temperament would undergo a drastic change, now that the Demon Lord’s memories have awakened, doesn’t it?

Li Yue, for her part, felt no surprise at Mo Changhong’s inner thoughts; while she didn’t truly know the original Mo Linyu, it was inconceivable that she could have been as self-centered and rambling as she was now.

The atmosphere in the living room seemed to congeal.

Mo Linyu sat in the very center of the sofa, her arms crossed, exuding the demeanor of a household head despite her status as a daughter, even with the two maids standing silently behind her.

Li Yue glanced at Mo Linyu’s chest.

[To think something like this happened while I was out… Well, I suppose I should clarify the situation first.]

Mo Changhong, the father, was instead seated in a guest chair to the side, facing Li Yue.

“Father, could you please explain the situation first?”

Mo Linyu seemed to be presiding over a fair inquiry, yet her tone conveyed a distinct sense of detachment.

Mo Changhong’s brow furrowed slightly, but he still replied, “Linyu, a man wearing your pajamas just came out of your room… I couldn’t catch him, and he might still be hiding somewhere in this house.”

This was slander.

Li Yue muttered to herself; she had never set foot in Mo Linyu’s room.

“…Oh, the pervert wearing my pajamas?”

Li Yue frowned, but Mo Linyu merely curved her lips into a smirk as she looked at her.

[That set of pajamas is unusable now, what a shame, I quite liked them.]

A surge of indignation welled within her, almost causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood from the sheer frustration.

Mo Linyu had been the one to lend her the pajamas, and she had run off without a word; how could she now pin the label of ‘pervert’ on her?

Of course, Li Yue had to maintain her composure, even if she felt like collapsing; while it was highly unlikely that her identity as the ‘pervert’ would be discovered, nothing was ever absolute.

Last night, she had nonsensically claimed to cultivate immortality, so in Dong Lu’s eyes, would it also be reasonable for her to possess a shapeshifting and disguise spell?

Fortunately, Dong Lu appeared to be on Mo Linyu’s side and seemed unlikely to speak out.

Mo Linyu merely stroked her chin, seemingly lost in thought.

Then she inquired, “So, what did this pervert look like?”

Mo Changhong recollected for a moment before answering, “A man a little shorter than me, with medium-length hair reaching his ears.

He appeared quite robust and agile, but…”

He paused mid-sentence, then lifted his stern face and declared:

“Judging from the pajamas and the outline of his buttocks, he wasn’t even wearing any underwear beneath your sleepwear.”

…Huh?

Mo Changhong’s statement nearly caused Li Yue’s brain to short-circuit.

Could this uncle really have noticed such a detail while chasing her?!

Meanwhile, Mo Linyu subtly cast a glance at Li Yue, a dialogue box appearing over her chest read:

[Is she wearing anything underneath now?]

“W-why are you looking at me? Of course, I’m wearing something!”

She hadn’t been wearing any moments ago, as the women’s underwear had felt a bit constricting, but she had put on her own clothes after retrieving them.

“I see. So, that pervert must have climbed over the wall and escaped, right?”

Mo Changhong, however, countered, “…That’s a three-meter wall. Could he really have climbed over it?”

Would a normal estate really have a three-meter-high wall?!

The wall had indeed looked tall, and even the estate’s main gate was the same height as the green hedge fence, but she hadn’t expected it to be quite so high.

Its security was certainly maximized; nothing inside the estate could be seen from the outside.

“You yourself said he was robust. If he’s an athlete, climbing over a three-meter wall wouldn’t be difficult.”

Mo Changhong’s brows knitted together.

‘Please, stop romanticizing athletes.’

Mo Linyu continued, “Besides, it’s a hedge fence, not without footholds… And if he didn’t climb over the wall, how else would he have gotten in?”

Clearly, Mo Linyu was doing everything in her power to clear Li Yue of suspicion.

Mo Changhong simply stated, “I’ll have the community security guards check the surveillance footage.”

“Checking surveillance probably won’t yield any clues. Someone who could sneak in unnoticed must have bypassed the cameras… They’re likely a master.”

Mo Linyu analyzed the situation with an air of seriousness, but Li Yue knew full well that she was merely spouting nonsense.

Mo Changhong, unaware, simply said, “Linyu, I will hire a private detective to investigate this… Of course, I’ll only bring in a female detective, so you don’t need to worry about men.”

“…Sigh.”

Mo Changhong’s words caused Mo Linyu to let out a long sigh.

“No, there’s no need for such trouble; I’ll handle it myself.”

“Handle it? You, yourself?”

Mo Changhong shook his head, his sharp eyebrows drawing closer together.

“Linyu, I don’t believe you’re capable of handling this matter. You should rely on me more before you become independent.”

Mo Linyu merely retorted flatly, “You never believe I can do anything right, do you?”

“No…”

The words displayed over Mo Changhong’s chest read, ‘[Why has this child become so sharp-tongued?]’

Li Yue sensed the odd tension in the air.

The relationship between the father and daughter was indeed far from harmonious, yet it seemed this wasn’t a new development since the Demon Lord’s memories had awakened…

As an outsider, it felt awkward to speak, yet she was undeniably caught between the two, enduring the oppressive atmosphere.

Just as Li Yue was about to say something to alleviate the tension, Mo Changhong’s phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at Mo Linyu, then answered the call, his expression turning serious after a few hushed words.

“Another problem? These idiots… I’ll be right there; you all stabilize the situation for now.”

He reluctantly hung up the phone, then stood and said, “There’s an issue at the company that I must rush to handle… Sigh, Linyu, stay put at home for now.”

Mo Linyu’s expression remained unperturbed; she simply replied:

“Go on. It’s not like you’ve ever prioritized my affairs anyway.”

Mo Changhong wanted to say more, but in the end, he merely sighed.

Before leaving, however, he still cast a glance at Li Yue.

“Young lady, I’m truly sorry about what happened earlier… Since you’re Linyu’s friend, I kindly ask you to look after her safety and refrain from zipping around the city on a motorcycle.”

Evidently, Mo Changhong had known Li Yue’s identity beforehand, as those agents from last night must have reported her situation to him.

In that case, perhaps she hadn’t needed to worry about being mistaken for the ‘pajama-stealing pervert’ from the very beginning?

Li Yue simply replied, “I understand, Uncle. I will abide by traffic rules.”

Ultimately, Mo Changhong departed, his expression still etched with a headache.

Of course, before he left, he didn’t forget to instruct Dong Lu to ensure no suspicious perverts entered the estate again.

“Hmph, finally gone.”

Mo Linyu, however, remained disdainful.

“…Ahem, isn’t your attitude towards your father a bit too unfriendly?”

Li Yue even felt a pang of sympathy for Mo Changhong.

“Ah, you can’t blame the young lady.”

Xia Xi, who had been tense throughout Mo Changhong’s presence, now spoke up, “The master hardly shows his face in this house once a week; he’s never home normally.

To demand that his daughter not distance herself, all while failing to fulfill his paternal duties… I think, you know~ the young lady has been remarkably restrained.”

Xia Xi’s words inevitably earned her a scolding from Dong Lu.

“Xia Xi, don’t speak ill of the master behind his back.”

“Ill? That’s not ill talk at all! Everything I said was just the trut—”

Xia Xi was mercilessly thumped on the head by Dong Lu’s fist, nearly biting her tongue in the process.

Only then did Dong Lu turn to Li Yue, explaining on Mo Changhong’s behalf, “Miss Li, the master has indeed been lacking in concern for the young lady over the years, but it’s not because he doesn’t love her…”

However, just as Li Yue was about to settle in for some juicy gossip, Mo Linyu interrupted:

“Dong Lu, there’s no need to discuss this… He only cares about my status as his daughter, merely wanting to maintain a superficial father-daughter relationship.”

Huh? Even after all that, she still wouldn’t clarify?