Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess

For some reason, seeing the calm smile on Mu Qinglan's face, Bai Yuyu's originally anxious and restless little heart inexplicably calmed down.

Perhaps it was because they were good friends.

Or perhaps it was because of the momentum from their consecutive victories just now, making the little girl somehow particularly trusting of her opponent.

"Come closer, don't mishear."

"! How is that possible?!"

Bai Yuyu widened her eyes, crying out indignantly in her heart. How annoying—am I really that unreliable?

"You're so far from me, and my legs don't work well. How would I know if you heard clearly?" Mu Qinglan lowered her eyes slightly with a pitiful expression.

"I really can't do anything with you!"

Bai Yuyu looked conflicted, wondering if she had touched on the other's sore spot.

Even her voice softened a bit.

When she saw Mu Qinglan still gazing ahead, beckoning for her to come closer, she finally relaxed and stopped thinking about such things.

"Eleven."

"Thirteen!"

"Nine."

"Seven!"

After two rounds, the two still hadn't determined a winner.

Sun Zhu sat beside Fat Li, nervous, forgetting even to pay attention to the courtesans he usually lingered over, thinking only that he couldn't disappoint His Highness the Crown Prince's expectations.

Bai Yuyu also clenched her hands, letting out a breath with each number she called.

"Amazing... they're actually tied."

"Who would have thought!"

The spectators discussed among themselves, adding a legendary quality to this ordinary dinner gathering.

Dong—

Suddenly, Yoo Shi extended her hand to stroke the qin, a shallow smile appearing on her face as she said:

"Both of you are legendary figures. With these ordinary methods, you can't determine a winner in two rounds. Yoo Shi suggests—why don't you both change the gambling method? It would better match your abilities."

Fat Li took a gulp of wine: "What method?"

Yoo Shi elegantly raised her hand, and two maids beside her lifted the curtain, carrying paper and brushes to both sides.

They placed them on the tables.

"What is Miss Yoo doing?" Fat Li looked puzzled.

Yoo Shi didn't keep them in suspense: "With the previous method, you two might be gambling until next year. So this humble one thought of a new method for you both."

Her seductive eyes turned, giving him a coquettish glance:

"Instead of speaking aloud, you'll use paper and brushes; instead of guessing the sum, you'll guess each die's individual number; until one side guesses completely correctly. How about it?"

Though Fat Li's bones were practically melting, considering the Crown Prince's entrustment, he didn't immediately agree.

"How about it?"

"Fine!"

After exchanging glances with Sun Zhu, he smiled: "We'll follow Miss Yoo's suggestion."

This gameplay was actually a cheating method proposed by the bad woman, so naturally Mu Qinglan wouldn't refuse either.

The little girl was just a bit nervous.

"Do we really have to agree to her?" The little girl glared at Yoo Shi angrily, feeling she was really a bad woman.

Mu Mu was winning just fine—why change methods? Was she targeting Mu Mu!

"Doesn't matter," Mu Qinglan shook her head: "In this deciding round, it's still me dictating and you writing. Little Bai isn't scared, is she?"

"Who's scared!" Bai Yuyu's voice was light and airy.

'...Just a tiny bit!'

"But I'll give you all my good luck, so there's nothing to fear!" The little girl clutched her skirt, a bit shy.

This was her first time saying such words to someone else!

"Then I'll gladly accept it. Thank you, our lucky lady."

Mu Qinglan smiled lightly.

Bai Yuyu held the brush, originally quite nervous.

But hearing Mu Qinglan's way of addressing her, she burst into laughter, her lively big eyes nearly disappearing from smiling.

"What kind of address is that!"

"Then I'll change it—lucky star. Lucky star should be fine, right?"

"That's more like it."

Bai Yuyu looked proud, then suddenly exclaimed: "Ah, he's starting to shake the dice. I'll stop talking!"

The sounds in the hall suddenly quieted.

Even the courtesan's qin music gradually softened, then returned to silence.

With the rumbling sound of rolling dice, three dice cups shaken into afterimages by the dealer nicknamed "Shadowless Hand" slammed heavily onto the table with three dull thuds.

The dice sounds continued.

Only after several seconds did they gradually cease.

"What should we guess?"

Bai Yuyu mouthed the words without making sound, afraid of disturbing the focused girl beside her.

Mu Qinglan looked over there without speaking, her gaze concentrated.

After a long while, she finally turned back.

She said thoughtfully: "I didn't hear clearly."

"What should we do!" Bai Yuyu widened her eyes, saying nervously.

They say eyes are windows to the soul. Now with little Miss Bai's light green eyes wide open, Mu Qinglan seemed to really see a pool of spring water that forever carried warmth.

"No rush," Mu Qinglan shook her head: "What's your birthday again?"

"What time is this! Why are you asking that?"

"There's no other way. Aren't you our lucky star? Let's use your birthday as our answer and leave the result to fate."

"If we lose, that won't be very lucky."

Bai Yuyu pouted.

Mu Qinglan held her hand, "Don't I have me to be unlucky with you?"

"Bah bah bah!" The little girl shook her head: "Jinx, jinx!"

Though the little girl looked very resistant, she still obediently told her birthday:

"March twelfth, which adds up to six—my lucky number."

"Now it's ours too."

Mu Qinglan smiled slightly: "Actually, I was lying to you. I heard clearly, and what I heard happened to be these three numbers."

"Eh eh eh?!"

The little girl's face exploded in red, feeling utterly embarrassed.

I was just lending you my luck, not saying that using my birthday would definitely win! Don't trust me so much! What if we lose!

But honestly.

Though the little girl was embarrassed to death, she was actually quite happy. What was Mu Mu saying!

On the other side, Fat Li also vaguely saw their interaction through the pearl curtain and gave a low, cold laugh:

"Childish!"

"Lucky star? Just an excuse for being inferior! Watch me gamble until your eyes see stars!"

He felt this round was secure.

This wasn't just because his opponent was playing this lucky star routine, but because he had secretly activated his destiny trait when no one knew.

White destiny trait—

[Sharp Ears and Keen Eyes]!

That's right, though everyone's impression of him was just a gambling drunk and waste, Fat Li had secretly spent years successfully becoming an eighth-rank warrior when others didn't know!

He had even obtained such a gambling-suitable destiny trait in the Human Gate!

Through this destiny trait and his over ten years of gambling experience, he could more accurately guess dice numbers!

He had heard it.

The dice numbers thrown were definitely not three-one-two!

With a white destiny trait, how could I lose?

Both sides wrote on three pieces of paper, which Yoo Shi solemnly collected.

Under everyone's tense gaze, the dealer slowly moved the first dice cup, and the dice number inside was starkly revealed!

"Three."

The dealer said indifferently.

At the same time, Yoo Shi looked at both sides' papers and picked out one paper with "three" written on it from each side.

"They could guess this right?!"

"Thrilling..."

The audience below discussed among themselves.

Mu Qinglan's expression didn't change; the little girl was very nervous.

"Are you confident?" Sun Zhu felt this was too thrilling and whispered to Fat Li.

"Don't worry, I heard clearly."

Fat Li's voice was full of confidence.

"I trust you." Sun Zhu relaxed.

Next, the dealer slowly moved the second dice cup. "One."

The little girl widened her eyes, feeling her luck couldn't be this good.

"This..."

"Isn't that your lucky number?" Mu Qinglan smiled lightly.

"But..."

Before Bai Yuyu could finish speaking, Fat Li had already stood up and laughed loudly:

"No need to open the next dice cup. I heard crystal clear—the dice number is five! Two and five sound completely different!"

Everyone was in uproar, not expecting the two masters to have a disagreement on the last die.

But they couldn't help discussing.

Some thought five was more likely—after all, he was Heyang's famous gambling hero—while others thought two was more reliable—this was a rising star in gambling!

Bai Yuyu's face went white for a moment. No way.

That bad guy across wouldn't have guessed right, would he!

Mu Qinglan smiled slightly without saying much, beckoning like calling a little dog to bring Bai Yuyu to her side again.

She bit her lip lightly:

"Don't you trust me?"

The little girl shook her head, then feeling there might be ambiguity, nodded vigorously:

"I trust you, I trust you!"

"Then watch carefully," Mu Qinglan whispered slowly in her ear, gently breathing, "there might be a surprise."

"Surprise?"

Fat Li sneered: "I'd like to see what you call—"

"Holy shit!!"

His words suddenly stopped mid-sentence as he cursed, his eyes unconsciously widening until people could see the bloodshot veins.

"How is this possible?"

Fat Li was dumbfounded, his finger pointing at the dice the dealer revealed, trembling non-stop.

"I, I clearly heard five!!"

"How, how could it be..."

"Two?!!"

"Two?"

The little girl suddenly removed her hands covering her eyes, looking over there in surprise.

It really was two! Bai Yuyu was stunned.

It really was her... lucky number.

She looked at the dice result, not knowing what to say, but there was indeed a wonderful, very happy feeling slowly spreading in her heart.

Even the cheers from the pavilion seemed inaudible.

"Two!"

The guests immediately burst into cheers, not expecting to see a girl who had just started gambling crush her opponent head-on in a gambling match!

"Two..."

Yoo Shi and Shen Yao almost simultaneously sighed in their hearts.

The former sighed at the bad woman's masterful flirting skills, the latter sighed that the bad woman indeed never made mistakes in anything.

Just then, Sun Zhu couldn't sit still.

He couldn't care about Fat Li, who was now lost and questioning life.

He only knew that the important task the Crown Prince had given him had failed!

Before coming, the Crown Prince had made it clear that this task was important—very important—and must be completed at all costs, even if it meant getting injured!

And now this task might fail!

No way!

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"You're cheating!"

Sun Zhu slammed the table and stood up with a livid face, ignoring the surrounding boos, staring deadly at the two pretty figures behind the pearl curtain.

"How could someone who just started learning this immediately become proficient?!!"

"You must have cheated!"

Hearing this, Shen Yao frowned slightly, preparing to get up and teach him a lesson.

—She had endured this guy for quite a while.

Just then, she saw Mu Qinglan's eye signal: don't.

Don't?

Shen Yao suppressed her confusion and sat back down.

Behind the pearl curtain, Bai Yuyu's face was almost red with anger. Who was he calling a cheater!

These were all numbers Mu Mu worked hard to guess, and also, did he mean her lucky number wasn't lucky? How could this guy be so shameless!!!

But before she could argue, she heard Mu Qinglan's calm voice.

"Cheating?"

She said with interest, her voice carrying no guilt whatsoever.

So what if I cheated?

If you're capable, threaten the house to cheat for you too!

I didn't tell the house that the Crown Prince knew their secrets and was now sending people to investigate and kill them—that was already showing mercy. Now you want to bite me back?

Really just a stupid dog.

Mu Qinglan slowly leaned back in her wheelchair, the backrest slightly compressed by her body, making an imperceptible groaning sound.

She propped her right hand on the wheelchair armrest, supporting her cheek, lazily lowering her eyes:

"If Constable Sun doesn't believe it, that's fine. You don't trust Fat Li's gambling skills, do you? You come yourself—we two will gamble."

Gray shadows gathered on her left hand:

"But Constable Sun is a fifth-rank warrior with much better hearing than this small magician. Has Constable Sun considered that this isn't fair?"

The shadows formed three small dice.

The dice were tossed up.

"But it doesn't matter."

The dice fell down.

"I don't care about that small difference."

Mu Qinglan opened her eyes, the depths blood-red:

"Come however you want, I'll take it all. I'd like to see what other tricks you can play."

When her words fell, the pavilion was silent as if the entire venue was covered with an indescribable sense of oppression.

Making it impossible for people to speak.

Yoo Shi also looked over displeasedly:

"Constable Sun, how could this kind of rule involve cheating? Are you saying that Red-Cherishing Courtyard is also cooperating with Princess Mu to cheat?"

Sun Zhu's face went white.

He collapsed to the ground.

It was over, all over! He definitely couldn't continue gambling with Mu Qinglan! He couldn't win in gambling skills! If he wanted to use force to snatch, Shen Yao would never give him that chance!

He was finished!!

Sun Zhu's pathetic state was satisfying.

But Bai Yuyu at this moment wasn't attracted by Sun Zhu's current miserable state at all.

She just lowered her head, widened her eyes, and put all her attention on the white-haired girl's delicate, pale left hand.

More precisely, on the gradually dissipating shadows on her left hand.

This was...

The little girl blinked, gradually moving her gaze to the girl's porcelain-white cheek resting on her right hand.

In her vision, this delicate profile with a hint of weariness gradually overlapped with the blurry face of the wheelchair girl who had covered her retreat in the Human Gate ritual a few days ago.

Finally, they matched completely.

'So that's how it is.'

The little girl tilted her head slightly, thinking.

So we've known each other all along.

'It's just that we didn't know about each other.'

Bai Yuyu remembered Mu Qinglan's earlier statement about leaving the result to fate.

She had always felt that from the first glance, she and Mu Qinglan got along very well. Was it destiny?

Winning continuously in gambling matches, never losing. Was it destiny?

Using her birthday as the lucky number and winning. Was it destiny?

Now, the person who was reliably protecting her and had also sacrificed herself to protect her once in the Human Gate was finally recognized by her. Was it destiny?

"It's destiny."

The little girl said softly.

"It's destiny..."

Bai Yuyu sniffled hard.