Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess

Summer night.

Outside the walls of the Crown Prince's courtyard, it was pitch black, with only a few sparse trees swaying by themselves, quite annoying.

Mu Qinglan was silently listening.

She had come with Zhu Yan, not wanting to expose her identity, so she hadn't spoken a word from beginning to end.

The white-haired girl leaned back in her wheelchair and sighed. From her experience, Zhu Yan had been lurking beside the Crown Prince for so long while fighting against the disgust in her heart—now she was probably finally going to lay her cards on the table.

That made sense.

All the irrelevant personnel in this Human Gate had now been cleared out, so only the three of them remained.

Perfect for a slow interrogation.

If she remembered correctly, in the original game plot, she would do exactly this in the future, but because it alerted that third-rank grand eunuch Meng Fangyuan, Zhu Yan had to flee.

But now, no one would disturb them.

Inside the courtyard.

After hearing Zhu Yan's voice laden with meaning and questioning, the Crown Prince was stunned, his heart erupting in fury as he immediately wanted to stand up and slap this mudfoot who dared to be disrespectful to him.

But what horrified him was that

He suddenly discovered his whole body was powerless, his legs weak—he couldn't stand up at all.

The Crown Prince immediately became nervous, instantly understanding his situation.

"You poisoned me?"

He questioned, his heart beating as rapidly as drumbeats, almost jumping out of his throat, his voice losing all composure.

With these words, Zhu Yan pulled over a chair from beside and sat down.

Strangely enough, Zhu Yan had originally felt slightly fearful about directly confronting the Crown Prince and even poisoning him. After all, she had spent nearly eight years at Skyreach Tower, and accumulated over time, the Crown Prince still held residual authority.

But seeing his current ugly face trying to maintain composure, Zhu Yan only felt tired.

And burning hatred welling up from her heart.

"I did."

Zhu Yan was frank.

"Do you know what crime it is to poison the heir apparent?" The Crown Prince forced himself to rally, hoping his dignity could intimidate the little thief across from him.

"Do you know who I am?"

"..."

Staring at that young, cold pretty face across from him, the Crown Prince was silent for a long time, truly unable to find even a trace of related memory.

He knew this was the Human Gate ceremony's influence.

In the Human Gate ceremony, all ability to associate faces with people would be lost—this was like some kind of natural law, firmly fixed in the ceremony's foundation that no one could defy.

He might indeed know her.

But he couldn't recognize her, and after leaving the Human Gate, he wouldn't remember her face either—he would only know that some woman had poisoned him.

And she had been undercover beside him, lurking for five full days.

"Are you a defector from the tower?"

The Crown Prince's heart stirred. Thinking of the clue about Skyreach Tower's secret codes, he couldn't help but have some guesses.

Even if this person was truly one of the two subordinates he had brought in, it didn't matter. With this happening, he hadn't planned to spare anyone anyway—after getting out, he'd just dispose of those two directly.

Seeing him still probing her, Zhu Yan frowned.

"Ah!... Damn!"

The Crown Prince suddenly cried out in pain, flopping in his chair like a fish on shore before tumbling sideways to the ground.

Zhu Yan looked down at him condescendingly:

"I ask, you answer."

The Crown Prince, accustomed to luxury, had never suffered such torment. He felt it would be better to die quickly now, but he didn't dare bite his tongue to commit suicide because he'd heard it was very painful, and he didn't know if the person across from him had medicine to save him.

"Ask away..." he panted.

"Do you treat all those Skyreach Tower death warriors like this, helping them..."

Zhu Yan's expression showed discomfort as she made a gesture:

"Settle their family affairs?"

The Crown Prince hummed in acknowledgment and answered truthfully: "Only those promising ones with some talent get this treatment."

"Like the genius you just mentioned?" Zhu Yan carefully excluded herself to prevent the Crown Prince from guessing her identity.

"She was one too."

Zhu Yan glanced at him and asked indifferently: "Who was that genius? You remember her so clearly?"

"Surnamed Zhu, called Zhu Yan, from Qingxiang in Qingzhou. After capturing her, we discovered she had good talent, then later found she had an innate destiny trait." The Crown Prince said—he wasn't too wary about information regarding the dead.

"Innate destiny trait?"

"Right, the killing type. Seemed like within a certain distance, anyone weaker than her would die if she stared at them."

"You weren't afraid of her?"

The Crown Prince looked disheartened: "I didn't dare let her break through the Human Gate. Both being ninth rank, her destiny trait couldn't easily kill me. Who knew she'd die inexplicably."

"Did you make her do things for you?"

"..."

Zhu Yan hid her hands in her sleeves, clenching them tightly until her nails nearly dug into her flesh, but even so, her expression didn't change one bit.

Over these eight years, she had long grown accustomed to concealing her emotional fluctuations.

That's right—Zhu Yan didn't want the Crown Prince to guess she was Zhu Yan at all. Since the Crown Prince thought she was already dead, let her stay dead. When the Crown Prince was truly about to die, she would deliver the final blow.

Even with ironclad evidence, she had spent eight years at Skyreach Tower after all.

No matter what.

She wanted to hear the Crown Prince's personal admission.

So she could truly let go.

Completely give up hope.

○

Alone leaning against the tree's shadow, Mu Qinglan listened and gently shook her head.

Perhaps due to experience and background, Zhu Yan's vigilance was still insufficient. Questioning like this almost blatantly told others she was connected to Skyreach Tower—come investigate me!

Zhu Yan probably considered the codes and didn't hide it.

But if she dared claim to be a Great Xia spy, then paired with a meaningful smile, the damage to the Crown Prince would probably be even greater.

I'm sent by your father to investigate you!

Such a hint would probably keep him from sleeping well for months.

But Zhu Yan wasn't that malicious, and Mu Qinglan hadn't thought of this beforehand, otherwise it would have been quite a show.

The interrogation inside continued.

"Who else did Skyreach Tower kill?"

"What are you planning to do?"

"Speak."

Thud—

After a chicken-slaughtering-like sound, the courtyard gate opened.

Stepping from the relatively bright courtyard into darkness, her vision suddenly went black. Zhu Yan's pupils contracted twice before slowly adapting after several seconds.

Mu Qinglan waved her over.

Zhu Yan walked over in small steps without a word, her mouth pursed, her whole being icy.

"Finished questioning?"

Mu Qinglan's expression was very calm, as if nothing had exceeded her expectations.

Bad women were like this—to make others convinced and unconsciously dependent, they had to first have that reliable quality that made people naturally want to rely on them. Unable to work from appearance, Mu Qinglan could only pay special attention to scheming.

Zhu Yan nodded silently:

"Sister Mu was right."

Mu Qinglan lowered her head slightly: "My condolences."

Even though she knew her guess was definitely correct—her subordinate had no reason to lie about such things—the necessary comfort still had to be given.

To put her at ease.

Hearing these words, Zhu Yan's movements stiffened slightly, and the cold, hard aloofness she had been pretending instantly shattered all over the ground.

A tear quietly slid down.

She was already small in stature, and now crying with a streaked face, she really looked just like an ordinary crybaby. But precisely because of this, she was especially heartbreaking.

Before tonight's questioning, Zhu Yan had been mentally prepared.

She just wanted to hear him admit it personally.

But eight full years of sunk costs, eight years of blood feud—how could it be so easy to accept when suddenly exposed!

Zhu Yan stood there dazedly, her heart as silent as someone who had just drunk poison and become world-weary, just a walking corpse, but one that could still cry.

Crying very quietly.

"Go ahead and cry," Mu Qinglan sighed softly.

Zhu Yan's body trembled slightly twice.

"I have nothing to do tonight, I won't leave." There were indeed only the two of them left in the Human Gate now, so there really wasn't anything urgent.

The white-haired girl's expression was calm, without the slightest thought about this, not even a trace of pity or regret, but such consideration made Zhu Yan cry even more sadly.

Tears like rain.

Unable to control herself.

She recalled the Crown Prince's panicked ugly state when she held the blade to interrogate him, then couldn't help but think of his confident, smug appearance from recent days.

Utterly disgusting.

And it was such a person who, eight years ago, left her with nowhere to belong.

She still remembered the helpless bewilderment when she first learned she had been sold.

And the gratitude after being rescued.

Originally she should have lived on ordinary and unremarkably.

Though not eating well, she wouldn't starve to death either—just living on ordinary and silently like that.

"It's all my fault… I..."

Zhu Yan's mouth twitched twice, but ultimately she couldn't say anything more.

"If you're really upset, come cry in my arms for a while."

Mu Qinglan sat in her wheelchair, looking up at her from below, her voice gentle as the night wind: "Though I may not count as reliable, I think I can occasionally be depended upon."

Zhu Yan was stunned, carefully and tentatively bending down to fall into the white-haired girl's embrace.

Creak.

The wheelchair was pressed back a bit, stopping against the tree.

She nestled in Mu Qinglan's arms, tears no longer controllable, soaking her clothes and chest, whimpering and shuddering like a small animal.

Her crying grew quieter, and the strength gripping the hem of her clothes gradually weakened.

Zhu Yan's arms embracing Mu Qinglan were trembling. After a long while, she barely managed to control her red eyes from shedding more tears.

Her pale blue sea-like eyes were now red.

Like sunset sinking into the sea surface.

Ever since seeing clear evidence of what the Crown Prince had done years ago, Zhu Yan often had dreams—dreams of childhood, of her parents, of her baby brother who couldn't even speak yet, of the old house, of the cake broken in half and given to her...

She closed her eyes, expressing her emotions only through actions.

"It's alright." Mu Qinglan stroked her head, her eyes drooping slightly: "You've already succeeded in getting revenge once. When we get out, you'll succeed again."

"For now, just cry in my arms for a while."

"...Mm."

Zhu Yan nuzzled very slightly in her arms, then looked up at the sky.

In the night sky, dark clouds had dispersed, starlight dotting the darkness like holes burned in the night.

○

West of the city.

In the courtyard's flower garden, lilies bloomed with effort, trying hard to demonstrate their presence.

Mu Qinglan glanced at the flowers outside the window without care, lowered her head, and smoothed the hair of the gray-haired girl lying on her, like petting a cat.

Ah Qi was very dissatisfied.

Clearly humans weren't cats—why should they enjoy cat treatment?

Mu Qinglan quietly told her that cat girls were acceptable, then Ah Qi stared with big ruby-like eyes and swayed back inside.

"I've searched all the known hideouts. Those I can't find, there's probably no way."

Zhu Yan closed her eyes with no intention of leaving.

These past two days she had rooted out all the Great Xia spy hideouts in the area, adding quite a few points to Mu Qinglan's evaluation. As mutual honest score-boosting, she had also used intelligence Mu Qinglan gave her to kill three ninth-rank saintesses.

She didn't have time to kill the fourth one, who was protected.

Mu Qinglan shook her head: "No rush, we don't need those few."

The Human Gate ceremony had reached its seventh day, time was running out. Even if they found people now, it wouldn't be convenient to kill them.

Mu Qinglan had some collecting hobbies in the game.

But in this world, she really didn't, mainly because there was no world will to give her a medal and then dismiss her with experience points and items.

And there were still things to do today.

Mu Qinglan looked herself over, thinking whether her current appearance had the bearing of a demon clan saintess. Was she bad enough? Was her tail perky enough? What about her ears?

Stare—

Zhu Yan watched Mu Qinglan's tail swaying back and forth, quite curious indeed, but the little obedience in her heart still suppressed her impulse to reach out and touch randomly.

Being disliked would be very bad.

"Sister Mu's tail is...?" She was ultimately too curious and asked.

"Not an attachment." Mu Qinglan interrupted, her expression serious and stern.

"Attach...ment?" Zhu Yan was confused for a moment, not understanding what this word meant.

"It has feeling, don't touch."

"Oh."

Zhu Yan played with her own tail, which was disguised with medicine and secret techniques and had no feeling.

She was indeed very curious.

Mu Qinglan chuckled coldly in her heart. Indeed, people she knew would all be curious. Good thing Xiao Bai wasn't here, otherwise she would definitely pounce over and hug her tail without even asking.

Creak—

In the bedroom, the sound of a door opening rang out.

Maid Xiao Zi came to report that the inspector had finally come to Canghai City today, was currently at the city lord's mansion, and was inviting her over.

Zhu Yan instinctively looked at Mu Qinglan, only to see a faint smile appear at the corner of her mouth.

"I understand. You may go."

Xiao Zi withdrew.

Then Mu Qinglan lowered her head and straightened her hem:

"I'll go meet her."

She said calmly to Zhu Yan.

○

Inside the city lord's mansion, it was much livelier than usual.

In a medium-sized city like Canghai, the city lord's mansion normally didn't have much to do, so watching that candidate saintess show her divine prowess these past few days was indeed a rare topic of conversation.

Perhaps it could be remembered for many years.

"Inspector, how is it?" People in the city lord's mansion looked at her expectantly.

"You'll know in a moment."

The inspector smiled without revealing anything.

Of course she wouldn't reveal right now that she had already successfully persuaded the council of elders, even though everyone probably guessed it.

Seeing everyone's envious expressions, she felt secretly pleased.

This was the saintess she had worked hard to discover.

There was somewhat of a incense bond involved.

Perhaps her future position could even be elevated with the new saintess's support.

Just then, the conversation in the room suddenly fell silent, everyone looking toward the main door as a servant came running in.

"The Saintess has arrived!"

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