A Deliberate Deception

Yixiya, still clad in her clothes, settled into the pool beside Yu Lian. She wrapped her right arm around Yu Lian’s hand, nuzzling her face against Yu Lian’s cheek.

A faint, feverish blush colored her face, though it was merely an act to fully immerse herself in the role. To achieve a realistic effect and convince Yu Lian, she had to overcome her inner discomfort. Playing the part of someone crazed and devoid of reason was truly a challenge for her.

Yixiya opened her mouth, feigning as if she would bite off a piece of Yu Lian’s flesh. Her lips pressed against Yu Lian’s cheek, her sharp canines scraping lightly across the skin.

Yu Lian trembled incessantly.

What should I do? Yixiya’s illness has truly worsened. If she genuinely intends to harm me—to devour me—I barely have any strength left to resist.

Her previous outburst had drained all her physical strength. Now, Yu Lian’s bones felt like jelly; how could she possibly escape from the jaws of a tiger?

She turned her head, intending to soothe Yixiya with words and calm her wildly fluctuating emotions. Yet, she was suddenly struck with such astonishment that her jaw nearly dropped.

What the hell! Where is the black mist? Where did the black mist with the human face hovering above Yixiya’s head go? It’s gone! I looked left and right, but I couldn’t see even the slightest trace of it.

“The black mist’s disappearance signifies that the yandere transformation has receded. But why does Yixiya still maintain this manic expression, showing no signs of recovering her sanity? What exactly went wrong? Could it be that the transformation intensified, causing the mist to vanish? It’s possible. If that’s the case, won’t I be in constant danger from now on?”

A chill permeated Yu Lian’s heart. However, another possibility suddenly occurred to her.

Could it be… Yixiya’s yandere state hasn’t worsened at all? Perhaps she woke up after our deep kiss and is now deliberately trying to scare and tease me?

She quickly shook her head.

No, no, that’s even more impossible than the previous speculation. Yu Lian believed she knew Yixiya’s character; the idea of her biting someone’s face while fully conscious just for a prank seemed utterly impossible.

“Emm…”

“Yu Lian?”

“Hmm?”

“Ahhh! Why am I hugging you while still sitting in the pool? My clothes are completely soaked!”

Just as Yu Lian was pondering, Yixiya decided the time was right. She slowly feigned regaining consciousness, then pretended to be utterly shocked as she rose, clutching her soaking wet knee-length dress.

“Yixiya? You… you’re awake?”

Yu Lian felt the sticky sensation leave her face and looked up at Yixiya, who appeared dazed and confused, as if unsure of what had transpired.

Yixiya lowered her head, her gaze meeting Yu Lian’s upward, questioning stare. From her vantage point, she had a full view of Yu Lian’s bare form: smooth, snow-white shoulders, rounded curves, a flat abdomen, and those alluringly fair legs. Everything was laid bare.

She sniffed, a lovely blush subtly blooming on her cheeks.

“Yu Lian, did I… do anything to you just now? I seem to… have been in a daze again, feeling like I had a dream. I dreamt I was hugging Ya’er and biting her madly. You… you didn’t take advantage of me, did you?”

She had completely inverted the roles, turning the tables. The truth was that she had been the aggressor, invading Yu Lian’s space, yet when she spoke, she presented herself as the innocent victim.

Yu Lian felt a deep unease, but she didn’t want to argue about who took advantage of whom. As long as Yixiya returned to normal, she could finally relax.

“Actually, I haven’t quite figured out what happened either,” Yu Lian said, sitting in the pool and hugging her knees, her chin resting on them. “I remember taking a bath and feeling dizzy. When I woke up, you suddenly appeared before me and mistook me for the Second Miss, trying to kill me.”

She told a small lie, changing their deep kiss into an attempted murder.

“I tried to kill you?”

“Yes, the situation was incredibly tense at the time. My heart was in my throat. If you hadn’t come to your senses in time, I truly would have met my end here.”

Yixiya’s eyes held a complex expression. So, Yu Lian can lie too. If I hadn’t known the specifics, I might have actually been fooled.

She lowered the hand clutching her dress and sat back down in the pool. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen. Look, you’re perfectly fine now, aren’t you? This just proves that I’ll wake up at critical moments. At most, you’ll only be startled; you won’t get hurt.”

Yu Lian nodded silently. Yixiya couldn’t control her gaze; her eyes fell upon Yu Lian’s body through the clear water. Her heart pounded rapidly, like a thief’s.

“Actually, I saved you not long ago. Did you know you passed out in the bath? If I hadn’t happened to come over, you would have drowned in this pool.”

“Ah?”

“‘Ah’ what? You’re not allowed to bathe alone again. A careless woman like you… no one would be surprised if you accidentally died one of these days.”

“I’m not careless…” Her voice was weak, lacking conviction.

Yixiya chuckled, pointing at Yu Lian. “Then who was it that passed out in the pool? Don’t tell me it wasn’t you.”

Yu Lian pouted, looking aggrieved. “How can you be so blunt and expose someone like that? Can’t you just feign ignorance and give me some face?”

Yixiya’s heart raced, and her face flushed crimson. So cute! Why does Yu Lian’s aggrieved expression make my heart flutter so much? Something’s not right. It must be that some improper ingredients were added to this pool water!

She rubbed her reddening cheeks. Feeling too warm, she directly shed her dress. Then, as Yu Lian’s eyes widened, she tossed her undergarments onto the ground.

“What are you looking at?” Yixiya glared at Yu Lian, annoyed.

Yu Lian swallowed, guiltily turning her head away. She meekly inquired, “You… why did you take off your clothes?”

“My clothes were already wet; why keep them on? Besides, I specifically came here to bathe anyway.”

“But this is the Bai Manor…”

“So what if it’s the Bai Manor? Go ask the maidservants guarding the door; I often come here to bathe.”

Yu Lian hung her head. Coming here often… it must be to bathe with the Second Miss, right?

Yixiya lay on her back, exhaling softly. Her chest glowed under the lamplight.

“Yu Lian, tell me, does this count as part of our simulated romance? You and I, both unclothed, facing each other candidly. It’s just like the feeding rehearsal, right?”

Yu Lian detected the insecurity hidden in her words. Perhaps Yixiya had made this decision with great resolve, but now that she had acted, she felt lost and uneasy, fearing she was betraying the Second Miss.

“That’s right, this is also a part of our simulated romance. To make the Second Miss jealous, situations like this are sometimes necessary. You don’t need to carry too much of a psychological burden.”