Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess

Bai Yuyu turned around.

Her eyes sparkled with pure, charming excitement as she sat beside the girl, grabbing her hands and swaying left and right.

"I heard that this time the Hundred Flowers Banquet will have the royal family's Ninth Princess Jiang He attending! It's a pity she's from the Jiang family and doesn't participate in the competition, otherwise with that innate destiny trait, who knows who would claim the first place at the Hundred Flowers Banquet!"

Little Bai said this while harboring her own little thoughts.

With an innate destiny trait, one could claim first place at the Hundred Flowers Banquet.

But who didn't have an innate destiny trait?

She had one too! It just wasn't activated yet.

"Maybe she can't compare to little Bai." Mu Qinglan immediately understood the girl's thoughts and went along with them.

The little girl squinted comfortably but didn't mention her own innate destiny trait:

"How could I compare to someone with an innate destiny trait? But Mu Mu is probably Great Xia's greatest genius! It's just a pity you don't want to show off at all..."

Mu Qinglan feigned ignorance, looking confused:

"Do I really?"

Bai Yuyu said reproachfully: "Silly, Mu Mu isn't good at lying at all."

Hearing this, the bad woman's confused expression slowly softened into a "can't fool you after all" look: "Of course I can't fool little Bai."

"Naturally."

The bad woman never lied—she just didn't tell the whole truth.

That didn't count as lying.

Originally having many things to say about the Hundred Flowers Banquet, but seeing Mu Qinglan's currently frail body, little Bai's thousand words turned into just one sentence:

"Then Mu Mu must take care of your health and be careful not to catch cold."

Mu Qinglan was slightly stunned, feeling that little Bai was truly thoughtful.

This silly child could even notice this?

"..."

"If Mu Mu goes to the night banquet, would you like me to introduce you to other friends? I know quite a few people."

"No need, let things happen naturally."

Mu Qinglan knew her current identity was sensitive and didn't plan to attract too much attention.

Even Shen Yao was someone she met secretly—how could ordinary people imagine they had such a relationship?

The Crown Prince could notice her because their interests conflicted too much, opposing each other at every turn. But if it were that saint, he might not necessarily care about her small movements.

Different perspectives naturally led to noticing different things.

"Mu Mu, you're too good at enduring. Look at Great Xia's other geniuses—they all became famous young. There's no one like you."

The little girl muttered:

"You are famous though—infamous."

Mu Qinglan smiled slightly without explaining. Sometimes, having a bad reputation could actually become a protective charm, making her less suspicious to others.

But there was no need to tell this little fool about that.

After chatting a bit more, as evening approached, Mu Qinglan invited Bai Yuyu to stay for dinner.

The little girl politely declined, saying she needed to go home to eat with her grandfather.

Mu Qinglan smiled as she saw her off, casually listening to the little girl's chatter, then sent her to the carriage. Her eyes blinked twice, a hint of amusement rising.

The little girl was indeed interesting.

Interesting and easy to deceive.

She liked her very much.

○

That night.

The girl's bedroom.

Mu Qinglan finished reading the information about the Hundred Flowers Banquet submitted by the mansion's spies and frowned slightly.

This knowledge was too sparse and not what she wanted.

To ensure she could handle whatever happened at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, she needed to thoroughly scout the entire area around the venue.

'I still remember the approximate locations of several important rest spots from the dungeon.'

'But I need maps and need to reinforce those memories.'

Of course, the accuracy of her remembered information needed further investigation. When possible, Mu Qinglan was willing to send people to verify such things.

She was a perfectionist.

Although she sometimes engaged in bold gambles, those were very rare.

Her plan to use the assassination case from the plot at the Hundred Flowers Banquet was also based on confirming the very small possibility of danger to herself.

After all, in the original plot, Jiang He only suffered minor scratches.

Of course, if reality differed greatly from her plans, she would naturally abandon them and honestly be a spectator.

Mu Qinglan lowered her eyes, propping up her face with one hand as she looked out the window:

"Shadow One, have people investigate the situation around the Hundred Flowers Banquet venue. Also, focus on scouting the locations marked on the map. Whether anyone lives there, who lives there..."

Shadow One acknowledged: "Yes."

"Also, remember to wake me tomorrow morning."

When the night grew deeper, Mu Qinglan walked to the window, parted her lips slightly, and sighed out a cool breath in the moonlight.

In less than a month, she was already plotting seventh rank matters.

How truly... exciting.

Closing the window, extinguishing the candles, and calling out Ah Qi to keep watch, Mu Qinglan finally relaxed in her wheelchair, summoned the system, and slowly closed her eyes.

As the last trace of light faded.

The room became dark as water, no longer showing a trace of light...

"Let's begin."

○

First came two or three bird calls.

Then, as time passed, a few wisps of faint light gradually filtered through the window paper.

Shadow One pushed open the door.

She held a map of the eastern district, covered with information gathered by spies the previous night.

She was about to call out "Miss" and report on last night's progress when she paused slightly.

She saw a white-haired girl leaning in her wheelchair by the window, sleeping with a relaxed and peaceful expression, showing the fragile charm befitting her sixteen-year-old tender appearance.

Shadow One instinctively slowed her breathing.

Thinking of the young lady's hard work these past days, and after confirming repeatedly that the young lady had nothing urgent this morning, the shadow attendant draped a blanket over her and silently withdrew.

She'd come wake the young lady later.

After all, autumn drowsiness was natural—sleeping a bit more was understandable.

In the room's dark shadows, dozens of blood-red eyes slowly closed.

Not a bad person...

○

Rubbing her temples with slight annoyance, Mu Qinglan knocked Ah Qi's head:

"Didn't I tell you to wake me up?"

"Ah Qi saw mama sleeping happily."

The cat nuzzled into her embrace.

After tidying her appearance, Mu Qinglan left the room.

Miss Shadow Attendant was sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, repeatedly writing and drawing on a paper. Seeing Mu Qinglan arrive, she handed over that paper—the eastern district map she had requested.

"The spies finished scouting almost everything last night."

"So fast?"

"I also collected some information this morning and compiled it all together."

"Thank you for your hard work," Mu Qinglan smiled. "Go rest. I'll return to my room to look it over."

Mu Qinglan returned to her bedroom and spread out the map, but didn't rush to examine it. Instead, she first considered her current transcendent rank.

'Seventh rank now…'

'From eighth to seventh rank, although I didn't cross the three gates to gain a new destiny trait, my spiritual power definitely increased considerably, and my spell power also improved.'

'A skill slot also opened—I need to find a way to fill it.'

Mu Qinglan frowned slightly.

For spells, naturally getting the best and most complete ones from the National Advisor's mansion would be ideal, but she lacked a suitable reason. After all, it wasn't mid-October yet, and she couldn't tell the National Advisor she was already eighth rank.

That would be no different from self-exposure.

Forget it, no rush. Mid-month was mid-month. Her current self-defense capabilities were sufficient for now.

When mid-month came, she'd first obtain the National Advisor mansion's secret techniques, learn some, then save a few skill slots to ask Ning Shuyu about, extracting some experience from her.

Learning skills with one experience point...

Although eighth and seventh rank skills weren't as easy to learn as ninth rank ones, saving even a little was worthwhile.

She was truly a thrifty housewife!

○

Time without major tasks actually passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, October arrived unexpectedly.

"Mu Mu knows to spend time playing with me every day, but Senior Sister is terribly busy instead."

Shen Yao shook her head indifferently: "You know how busy I've been lately."

Bai Yuyu didn't pay much attention to these matters and was just casually complaining: "Shifu is really too lazy."

"It's going with the flow. He knows I currently need these matters to hint to the entire Six Bureaus that I'm the predetermined next Chief Constable."

"Wasn't that already the case?"

"It's just very likely, not set in stone."

Shen Yao said coldly, casually approving another document and tossing it into the pile of files beside her desk.

Someone would naturally organize them later.

"Besides you, I can't think of anyone else who could become Chief Constable," the little girl said. "Although I don't want to say this about the brothers and sisters in the bureau, they're still far from this position. I don't know why they all want to compete..."

People said the little girl was foolish, but Bai Yuyu saw this matter quite clearly.

Unfortunately, many people were confused when they were in the thick of it.

Shen Yao didn't respond, only saying: "The outcome is undetermined, I don't want to gamble."

"Is it that you don't want to gamble, or that you don't want to disappoint Mu Mu's good intentions?" Bai Yuyu leaned closer with a mischievous expression: "Senior Sister, you didn't seem to have any plans for the Chief Constable position before."

The little girl smiled slyly, with an "I've figured it out" expression.

Shen Yao frowned slightly:

"That's none of your business."

"Hmph, I'm always helping Mu Mu deliver messages to you, and you say it's none of my business!" Little Bai put her hands on her hips. "She watches you all day long now and neglects me, her best friend!"

"Heh."

Shen Yao ignored her, dipped her brush in ink, and began annotating documents again.

Best friend? More like a pet.

You silly child, being completely deceived by that bad woman yet thinking she's your best friend. I really don't know what to say.

Forget it.

I'm not much better myself.

The black-haired girl lowered her eyes slightly, cold as ice.

○

Night gradually deepened.

Little Bai had little work today and left early, having no interest in staying to sit in prison with Shen Yao.

After going home to dress up, she took the Duke's mansion carriage to the eastern district.

The eastern district had many markets and was commercially prosperous. The source of this content ɪs novel★fire.net

It even had places like Tianyin Ward, Heyang's entertainment quarter.

So the Hundred Flowers Banquet, jointly organized by several major families with royal backing, was held here.

The carriage rolled over stone bricks, crossing several stone bridges. Many buildings along the inner river hung lanterns, presumably building momentum for this biannual grand banquet.

Too bad it was autumn now.

If it were a spring night, seeing flowers blooming along the riverbank and lights throughout the buildings, many people would be inspired to poetry. Perhaps occasionally producing one or two eternal masterpieces like "Sapphire Case" or "Yangzhou Slow."

Of course, such things happened once in a century.

Most likely only Mu Qinglan could provide such service.

Huaiyun Ward was a prosperous market district in eastern Heyang City, mainly characterized by an inner river flowing through it.

Called the Huai River.

The first day's night banquet of the Hundred Flowers Banquet was also held here.

Getting off the carriage, the little girl restrained her usual silly demeanor, became slightly more reliable, and entered the venue.

Several acquaintances happened to turn around, saw little Bai, stood up, and came to greet her.

"Miss Bai."

Bai Yuyu glanced at them, confirmed they were the type of casual friends she'd exchanged a few words with, and said indifferently: "Are you all gathering together because there's some new gossip in the city?"

Although little Bai was lively and outgoing, she wasn't like this with everyone.

She was quite cold toward those who merely wanted to curry favor with her status and position.

The several people exchanged glances:

"We were talking about that Constable Shen again. There's been a lot of news about her at home these days. If she weren't absent, even Young Master Wan, who's first at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, might feel uneasy."

Wan Chao, heir of the capital's great Wan family, had talent even better than little Bai's.

He was also a genius who broke through the Human Gate in just over two months.

The speaker's face showed obvious envy.

"Senior Sister, what happened to her?" Bai Yuyu asked.

"Isn't it about the Six Bureaus Chief Constable position? That's a high official in the capital—who in the Six Bureaus wouldn't be envious?" Several people boasted while subtly flattering Bai Yuyu's status.

Bai Yuyu was noncommittal.

She was already immune to such ordinary flattery, nodded indifferently, and turned to squeeze into another circle of beautiful girls.

"What's Bai Bai inquiring about now?"

Several beautiful girls teased.

Even if their families weren't as good as Bai Yuyu's, they wouldn't be too far behind, so naturally they interacted more casually.

Bai Yuyu also relatively liked chatting with them. In her eyes, they were ordinary friends who generally wouldn't involve much conflict of interest or scheming.

"Talking about senior sister," Bai Yuyu pursed her lips. "A big iceberg—I don't know what's worth discussing."

Hmph, wouldn't even accompany her out.

"She's a popular figure now! My family is also inquiring about this!" A girl surnamed Zhang, the legitimate daughter of Heyang's Zhang family, laughed.

"My family is also inquiring, but they're more curious about the person behind Constable Shen."

Another girl added.

What they were discussing wasn't really secret. Although Shen Yao had outstanding talent, suddenly gaining such strong support definitely had someone pulling strings behind the scenes. Everyone was just curious about who this person was.

If there were real secrets, they wouldn't tell ordinary friends.

The person behind her?

Bai Yuyu suddenly became interested.

Although Mu Qinglan had been secretly advising Shen Yao and doing many things, nobody knew about such matters!

So to outsiders, there seemed to be a mysterious person.

"What do you think of that person?" Bai Yuyu asked.

"Doesn't Bai Bai know better?"

"Hmph, Senior Sister guards against me like guarding against a thief. How would I know!" Bai Yuyu said irritably, her acting quite good.

The several girls didn't suspect anything.

"I don't understand these things much, but people at home all think this is a very capable person."

"More than capable," the Zhang-surnamed girl said. "Although Constable Shen is strong, she's never shown much scheming. To help her achieve this much, how could this person's abilities even need questioning?"

The Zhang-surnamed girl's eyes showed some admiration.

"People at home even want to see if there's a chance to meet the person behind her!"

The Zhang family's influence wasn't much inferior to Duke Bai's mansion.

Although Bai Yuyu was somewhat dim, she wasn't stupid. She could naturally see from Zhang Yao's reaction just how impressive Miss Mu's strategic moves were.

Little Bai remained composed:

"Why see her?"

"To win her over, naturally. With such a capable person, even getting acquainted would be good. So many constables have people supporting them! Shen Yao being able to steal the spotlight like this is really impressive!"

"At least the strategists at my home can't compare to her."

Zhang Yao's words nearly stunned little Bai.

She only knew that what Mu Qinglan instructed her to do was confidential. Usually spending every day with Shen Yao, she was too lazy to care about how much Shen Yao was showing off now. After all, the two still got along as before, so she had no real sense of it.

But now you're telling me Mu Mu is a top-tier strategist?

Little Bai was first bewildered for a moment.

Then felt proud.

Those ingenious plans you mentioned were all conveyed through me!

Bai Yuyu snapped out of her daze, seeing several good friends asking if she had any suspects and could introduce them.

She couldn't help but deflect:

"I'll tell you when I see them."

Just kidding—how could I introduce my true good friend Mu Mu to you people?

Mu Mu is so innocent. What if you bad women deceive her?

Besides, you, and you—didn't you say during previous chats that you didn't like that daughter of Prince Qi? Saying she was arrogant with a bad personality? How come you want to curry favor with her now?

Tsk!

The several girls smiled and thanked her, unable to confirm whether this was Bai Yuyu being modest.

Bai Yuyu found it increasingly boring.

She eagerly looked around, wanting to find Mu Mu to chat and secretly tell her this amusing news.

'You've become a world-famous shadow strategist!'

After looking around for a while, the little girl actually found where Mu Qinglan was.

But...

The little girl frowned.

Why was Mu Mu sitting next to an unfamiliar woman, smiling so happily!

Mu Mu had been deceived by a bad woman!

Alarms rang in Bai Yuyu's heart.

○

A short while earlier.

A carriage bearing Prince Qi's insignia leisurely stopped in front of Wange Tower.

Wange Tower was the venue for the Hundred Flowers Night Banquet.

Mu Qinglan got out of the carriage and was pushed inside by a shadow attendant. The guards outside, seeing that luxurious carriage, had no intention of stopping this young lady.

"I'll push myself. You can wait aside."

The shadow attendant withdrew.

Only then did she begin to simply survey the venue of this Hundred Flowers Night Banquet.

Since little Bai represented Duke Bai's mansion and couldn't share a carriage with her, Mu Qinglan had simply suggested coming alone.

Bai Yuyu hadn't objected—they could contact each other after reaching Wange Tower.

But as Mu Qinglan looked around the venue now, she wasn't looking for Bai Yuyu.

She was looking for...

Another cute little fellow.

Shortly after, Mu Qinglan's eyes brightened slightly. She pushed her wheelchair to a less crowded area, smiling as she looked at the aloof girl sitting alone in a corner eating golden cake.

There she was...

At the same time, the black-haired girl seemed to notice someone staring at her and looked over coldly.

Upon realizing it was a child in a wheelchair, the girl paused, her willow eyebrows trembling slightly, then withdrew her gaze and quietly continued eating the next piece of golden cake.

Forgot your good friend, did you?

Mu Qinglan chuckled inwardly, pushing her wheelchair closer.

Facts proved that dining with beautiful girls was a pleasing experience, provided you didn't pay the bill yourself—having a rich woman pay personally would be even better.

Mu Qinglan was already a rich woman and didn't lack money.

The Hundred Flowers Banquet wasn't even her expense.

So she felt even more delighted.

But most delightful was reuniting with a good friend. She wondered if tonight's incident would happen and whether the welcome gift she'd prepared for Miss Jiang He would have a chance to be delivered.

Thinking this, before Mu Qinglan could speak, she saw Jiang He's body shift slightly.

Holding her plate, she inconspicuously moved further into the corner.

?

Mu Qinglan raised an eyebrow.

Very good, woman, you've caught my attention!

She took the initiative.

"I see everyone gathering in twos and threes. Why are you sitting here alone? Could it be your familiar friends haven't arrived yet? It just so happens I haven't seen my friend either. Shall we chat for a while? By the way, I'm called Mu Qinglan."

After Mu Qinglan finished speaking, Jiang He indeed turned around, staring at her with those clear eyes for a moment.

Then nodded.

Her voice was clear and cold, like broken ice: "My surname is Jiang."

She does recognize me. I just don't know how she sees it. Logically, after so many days, this good friend should have secretly investigated that incident.

She should have seen my name many times.

"Then I'll call you Jiang Jiang?"

Mu Qinglan pressed her advantage, directly using the nickname from the Human Gate.

Jiang He frowned slightly.

"Then I'll call you Miss Jiang." Mu Qinglan smoothly transitioned.

This time Jiang He didn't object.

Next, the bad woman chatted intermittently beside the aloof girl, occasionally bringing over two plates. Jiang He listened silently, her previous wariness mostly dissipating.

She knew Mu Qinglan—a central figure in the Human Gate plot, though they'd never met.

She wouldn't harm her.

Most of the time, Jiang He just listened to the bad woman talk, occasionally saying a sentence or two, then casually bringing over plates of food Mu Qinglan ate more of, reciprocating the courtesy.

Miss Jiang He only ate sweets, especially loving pastries.

The bad woman preferred fruits, particularly those that were juicy and refreshing when bitten.

Very sweet, very moist.

After this mutual back-and-forth for a while, little Bai came running over with an unfriendly look.

"Mu Mu," little Bai leaned down, hugging Mu Qinglan from behind, tilting her head to ask: "Who is this?"

How had Mu Mu been seduced by a bad woman in just this short time she hadn't seen her!

She didn't recognize Jiang He either.

Great Xia's Ninth Imperial Princess lived in seclusion—hardly anyone in Heyang City knew her, though many had heard her name.

"This is Miss Jiang. I feel quite compatible with her."

"Compatible?"

"..."

After some back and forth, Bai Yuyu also understood the situation, knowing Mu Qinglan didn't like talking with others, so she'd found a quiet place and happened to meet this aloof girl.

So she didn't say anything more.

"I'm called Bai Yuyu. And you?"

"My surname is Jiang."

Jiang He had no intention of revealing her real name. After all, she was currently the royal family's rising star, with an innate destiny trait. If she said her name, everyone would come over curiously to look at her.

Like looking at a monkey.

Too terrifying...

The conversation changed from two people to three, but with the addition of lively and cute little Bai, the atmosphere actually improved.

Bai Yuyu felt this Miss Jiang somehow gave her a sense of déjà vu.

And Jiang He felt both people across from her gave her a sense of déjà vu.

Only the bad woman was secretly smiling sinisterly, thinking that all the cuties from the Human Gate had taken the bait—she was truly fated with these two.

The night banquet was quite short.

After all, eating was just an appetizer to build relationships. Who seriously came here to eat? Wasn't it all about making friends and networking?

Jiang He naively took a plate of pastries outside.

She really had come to eat.

Although the palace had much better food than here, it wouldn't provide unlimited sweets.

The three left Wange Tower to find themselves at the Huai River.

"The latter half of the night banquet is painted boat tours. You can also stroll around Huaiyun Ward first. Although it's not as good as Tianyin Ward, it's still quite prosperous." Bai Yuyu introduced.

"Thank you, little Bai."

Mu Qinglan smiled slightly and pulled Jiang He.

Jiang He was bewildered, not understanding why she was being pulled along. Bai Yuyu was equally confused, so she could only stay in place, eyes wide, watching the two figures grow more distant.

After a long while, she stamped her foot and walked away huffily.

Annoying!

She was clearly the one who invited you! And you've been ignoring her for two days now! No, three days!

○

The night in Huaiyun Ward was a bit cold.

But after the Huai River banks were decorated with flower lanterns, they were indeed beautiful.

After casually choosing a pleasure boat, the two sat inside—today's painted boat tours were paid for by the Hundred Flowers Banquet, no charge.

Mu Qinglan took the boat out of pure curiosity.

At most, she also wanted to spend time alone with Jiang He.

Of course, most importantly, she was stalling for time. Otherwise, if the assassins came but Jiang He had left early out of boredom, how awkward would that be?

Jiang He's reason for agreeing to the boat was very simple.

She was afraid the golden cake would get completely cold.

Pastries should be eaten hot to taste good—they wouldn't taste good when cold. The boat curtains could perfectly block the wind.

"Miss Jiang is from the royal family, right?"

"Mm."

"As far as I know, only one person from the royal family seems to have come this time. Could Miss Jiang's name be Jiang He?"

"..."

Mu Qinglan smiled brightly:

"Just kidding. Whether Miss Jiang is Jiang He or Jiang Miao doesn't matter to me. I just feel Miss Jiang looks familiar and wanted to chat more. After all, you know, with this body of mine, I probably can't make friends."

She emphasized the words "looks familiar" slightly, but knew Jiang He couldn't possibly react immediately.

Jiang He was stunned.

Her expression relaxed considerably.

But she still quietly protested: "I have friends."

Friends from the Human Gate were also friends. Now she just needed to find this friend again in reality.

Mu Qinglan smiled slightly: "I'm so envious..."

Jiang He's eyes were clear. When speaking of that friend she'd met in the Human Gate, her entire aura visibly brightened with happiness.

She really liked that friend very much.

Mu Qinglan lowered her eyes slightly. Thank you for your affection, but soon the assassination case at the Hundred Flowers Night Banquet would occur. You won't be in danger and won't even suffer minor injuries, so I'm sorry, but I can't let you escape.

Don't worry, if anything happens, I'll protect you.

Just like in the Human Gate.

Just as planned.

Presumably then you'll remember me, your only good friend.

Jiang Jiang.