Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess

Being able to say such words in court, Shen Yao was both sincere and insincere.

Sincere because she knew the bad woman almost always won, as if nothing could escape her calculations, even herself... who had eventually taken the bait.

So she truly admired her.

But insincere because she had just arrived and hadn't yet figured out what had happened. In this situation, with Shen Yao's cold personality, asking her to praise someone in public was indeed a bit much.

If it weren't Mu Qinglan, she would have already activated her death glare.

In fact, after hearing these words, the subordinates she brought along were so shocked their eyeballs nearly popped out!

Everyone widened their eyes, horrified as they looked at Shen Yao.

Where was Constable Shen? Where had that intimidating, cold Constable Shen gone? This current Constable Shen who seemed to be pampering someone was definitely not the real one!!

Shen Yao was also speechless.

Seeing her subordinates' loss of composure, she remained silent for two seconds before explaining: "She's a friend I know."

Yes, yes, yes!

The subordinates secretly rolled their eyes in their hearts. If you say friend, then friend it is. We'll just accept it. Looking at her appearance, she seems to be that rumored girlfriend of yours who was wildly discussed in the bureau recently. This also counts as a friend.

Yes, who says a girlfriend doesn't count as a friend?

—Friends and family, those who understand, understand.

Mu Qinglan watched all of this with interest. Seeing this cold girl Shen Yao at a loss truly gave her a long-absent sense of pleasure.

Serves you right for being so hard to defeat in the game!

Hmph!

Beside them, the Jiang family head, who had come for social obligations, noticed the awkward atmosphere and actively changed the subject:

"Constable Shen, the culprit has already been found, so..."

"A simple check, just to be safe." Shen Yao came back to her senses and said calmly.

The guests standing nearby who heard this were slightly dissatisfied. Because of today's incident, they had waited until now, and even though the culprit had been found, they still had to stay and suffer?

"Any objections?"

Shen Yao coldly swept her gaze around.

The front hall quieted down. Clearly, no one dared to oppose Shen Yao.

Great Xia was established through martial prowess and ruled by it. Powerful warriors had higher status than civil officials. Shen Yao was also a young fourth-rank expert with a bright future. The people here obviously wouldn't antagonize her over such a small matter.

Seeing no objections, Shen Yao skillfully arranged the work.

Those who needed to find physical evidence searched for it, those who needed to record statements did so, and the one who needed to be teased by the bad woman waited for her to push her luck.

With many people in the front hall, Madam Jiang, seeing the situation, intelligently led the two honored guests to a side hall and instructed the maids to serve them well.

Clearly, she was being accommodating. The source of this content ɪs NoveI(F)ire.net

After Shen Yao nodded slightly, she briefly looked at the summary of the situation her subordinates had brought up and, with a businesslike manner, asked with a straight face:

"How did you discover she was hiding there?"

Mu Qinglan smiled.

In the side hall, with no one watching, the bad woman's courage swelled.

"Guess."

She raised her chin, her pretty face smug, deliberately keeping Shen Yao in suspense.

"There's a reward if you guess correctly."

But Shen Yao wasn't easily swayed. She couldn't guess, and she had no way to deal with Mu Qinglan, so she simply stopped trying to guess and instead did something most constables despise and look down upon—

Making false testimony.

She thought clearly: even if Mu Qinglan truly explained the reason, she couldn't record it truthfully.

Because it would expose Mu Qinglan's strength.

Even though based on Mu Qinglan's current behavior, exposing her transcendence was a foregone conclusion, exposing a little versus exposing a lot were two completely different situations.

She didn't know that Mu Qinglan had crossed the ninth rank's barrier in just three days.

But this didn't prevent her from knowing that Mu Qinglan was undoubtedly a genius.

Exposing a little was like an iceberg, never letting opponents know how much was hidden beneath the surface, or even making enemies careless and underestimating her.

But if she exposed too much...

Then enemies would likely have a complete set of countermeasures.

"I'll make it up myself." Shen Yao decided resolutely.

"As you wish," Mu Qinglan said, somewhat bored. "Let me see what you come up with. If the files can be seen by outsiders, attribute the reason to the shadow servant, and add some luck factor."

Shen Yao nodded; she had been thinking the same.

"By the way, your method of forcing her out...?" Shen Yao asked.

"Oh, that? You can just tell the truth. It's shadow-burning incense, made from Shadow Insect Grass mixed with fire tinder to create a fire lighter. It has a remarkable effect on abnormal shadows. It's produced near my hometown, so I have quite a few of these."

Mu Qinglan explained, then asked:

"Do you want to take one back?"

Shen Yao shook her head. "No need. I just wanted to know how to record it. The people above should know the effect of this item."

"It's a tribute item, surely someone understands it."

Shen Yao glanced at Mu Qinglan, lowered her head, and silently drafted the statement. With her fourth-rank knowledge, fabricating a somewhat plausible statement was simple.

After a brief review, Mu Qinglan handed it back.

It was quite skilled.

With the statement prepared and no opportunity found to tease Miss Shen further, Mu Qinglan reluctantly returned to the front hall.

"Constable Shen?" The Jiang family head probed.

Shen Yao snapped out of her thoughts about the statement, still wondering why this bad woman was being so distant with her. Besides work, the two had no other interaction. But as a qualified chief constable, she quickly adjusted her mindset and said:

"They can go now. Your family still needs to cooperate a bit more."

"That's good, that's good." The Jiang head wiped away sweat. The guests in his home were not easy people to deal with. If they couldn't vent their anger at Shen Yao, couldn't they vent it at him?

Just in that short half hour, he had been nearly steaming with anxiety.

So among everyone present, he was the most grateful to Mu Qinglan.

A great savior!

With permission granted, the guests dispersed.

Only the constables who needed to stay to handle the aftermath remained, along with the Jiang family members who had nowhere to go, and of course, Miss Shen Yao, who had moved to one side to oversee the work.

Mu Qinglan finally had no one around her, and at this moment, Zhu Yan finally found an opportunity to be alone with her.

She silently stood beside her and handed over the dagger the assassin had dropped earlier.

Taking the dagger, a system screen quickly appeared before her eyes:

[Ghost's Tears]

[Weapon (Blue)]

[Effect: Slightly increases the holder's concealment ability, slightly increases damage against ghost-type creatures]

[Note: After losing her sibling forever in the secret realm, Yun Juan spent her entire fortune to commission a Strange Art Practitioner to forge this blade, vowing to exterminate every ghost she encountered]

This equipment...

Hmm? Secret realm? Ghosts?

Such familiar terms. Someone from the Fragrant Mountain secret realm recently?

Mu Qinglan pondered for a moment and, combining the assassin's identity as under Prince Li in the game's storyline, quickly formed a guess.

The death warrior leader from the secret realm? But wasn't she seventh rank? Now sixth rank... She lost her sister, worked hard to improve, and entered the sixth rank ahead of the game's timeline, thus causing this assassination event to happen earlier through the butterfly effect?

Well, what a coincidence.

Then the relationship is significant...

Mu Qinglan thought of this and suddenly stopped:

'Wait, I didn't conceal my identity in the secret realm, and she saw me. So she must have recognized me now.'

'Since I didn't die in the secret realm and now have crossed paths with her here, would this provoke her to madness?'

Mu Qinglan thought for two seconds, feeling a bit of a headache, but could only deal with things as they came. Anyway, with Ah Qi around, anyone trying to spring out from shadows like the previous assassin wouldn't escape her eyes.

No point thinking about it...

Mu Qinglan shook her head, turned, and handed the dagger to Zhu Yan.

The bonus against ghosts wasn't very useful, but the concealment trait... it perfectly complemented Zhu Yan.

For an assassin like Zhu Yan, improving concealment ability was like giving a gun to a robber, as if fearing she couldn't showcase her talents!

Zhu Yan silently accepted it without refusing.

Becoming stronger would allow her to better help Sister Mu.

At this moment, the ponytailed constable who had gone to pursue the culprit also returned. She nervously scanned around, didn't see Shen Yao, but only saw Mu Qinglan's curious gaze.

After a moment's hesitation, she lowered her head and said:

"Sorry, I lost track of her."

"How could you lose track?" Mu Qinglan was stunned for a moment.

"She threw poison at ordinary citizens. I couldn't not intercept. I'm not good at pursuit, so I lost her."

In front of Mu Qinglan, for some unknown reason, the ponytailed woman inexplicably lowered her head, obediently explaining the reason, like a humble worker waiting for a superior's reprimand, cautious and careful.

Mu Qinglan shook her head internally but didn't say anything.

"Don't give her a chance next time."

The ponytailed woman nodded, suddenly realizing that Mu Qinglan wasn't her superior. She laughed a bit embarrassedly, then turned to find Shen Yao.

Only Mu Qinglan's thoughtful figure remained.

○

Until evening, the Six Bureaus team finally finished processing the Jiang family's testimonies and evidence, packed up, and prepared to end their day.

Passing through the front hall, everyone unconsciously lightened their footsteps.

As if there was a sleeping lion there.

At first, Shen Yao didn't understand why, but when she finally came out, she discovered that in a certain spot, the white-haired girl was quietly leaning in her wheelchair, her expression serene, resting her head on the table and taking a quiet nap.

Not far away, several gossipy female constables hadn't left, secretly watching and giggling softly.

Shen Yao was silent.

In front of the peeking girls outside, she took off her pure white cape and covered the girl.

"Ohh~"

A sound like aunties cooing came from outside.

Shen Yao nearly lost her composure, giving a slight glare in that direction, frightening the giggling girls away.

She closed the door, her heart quite unsettled. But when she turned back, she saw that the girl in the wheelchair had somehow already awakened and was resting on the table, smiling at her.

"How about it? Is Miss Shen also afraid of others' gossip?"

Mu Qinglan stretched.

"Didn't you not want to appear too intimate with me?" Shen Yao deflected.

"Wrong."

"Hmm?"

Mu Qinglan rested on the table, lazily saying: "As long as we don't openly show affection in front of others, as for rumors?"

She laughed: "Does anyone really believe those?"

Shen Yao felt somewhat uncomfortable inside, but outwardly nodded in agreement: "Rumors are the most baseless."

"Then what do you think if I spread a rumor about me and little Bai?" Mu Qinglan suddenly asked.

"...Whatever makes you happy."

Shen Yao turned her head.

"Just joking," Mu Qinglan's face was full of the smile of successful teasing: "Everything should be in order of arrival, right? I've already had rumors spread about me and Miss Shen, how could I spread more with little Bai? Am I that kind of person?"

"You absolutely are..."

Shen Yao said in a low voice, clearly having thoroughly understood this bad woman's personality.

Looking at her attitude toward Bai Yuyu, it wouldn't be surprising at all if some rumor spread out one day.

Thinking of this, Shen Yao suddenly felt an inexplicable discomfort in her heart, and also a bit like it was snowing, with the phrase "I came first" somehow emerging from the depths of her heart.

"Hmph, if you don't believe me, fine."

Mu Qinglan pouted.

The atmosphere in the room stilled for a moment.

As the sky darkened and the sunlight dimmed, the two were silent, and the atmosphere somehow became a bit ambiguous.

After a long while, it was Mu Qinglan who broke the silence first.

"Take me home?" she asked.

"Okay."

Shen Yao answered.

○

The same day, evening.

Having just finished a bath and returned home from work, without having had a chance to eat a late-night snack, Bai Yuyu was sitting in the study, staring at her grandfather, who had recently entered a rebellious phase.

She was a bit hungry, but because of recent events, she didn't want to show her unreliable side in front of her grandfather.

So she maintained a straight face, silently zoning out inside.

"Eat your late snack first."

Old Master Bai, obviously understanding his granddaughter well, brought out the prepared late snack, and with one sentence broke the stiff atmosphere between them.

Bai Yuyu didn't want to show weakness, but she was willing to eat.

With these two combined, she was now maintaining a straight face while her mouth chewed away, like a frog with its cheeks puffing in and out.

"If there's nothing else, I'm going to read."

Eating makes one less sharp-tongued. Bai Yuyu gave in a little.

"Aren't you curious about why I called you over?" Old Master Bai narrowed his eyes and asked gravely.

"It's probably just some boring stuff anyway." Bai Yuyu said dismissively.

"Hah, I thought you cared so much about that good friend of yours, but now I see, not so much."

Old Master Bai's voice was calm, like a thousand-year-old fox fishing for bait.

"...Speak."

"Anyway, you don't care." Old Master Bai made a motion to leave.

"You old geezer! When I reach the fourth rank, I'll pluck out all your beard!" Bai Yuyu was nearly angered to death.

"With your current style of working three days and slacking off for two?"

Old Master Bai cold-laughed like a random antagonist, feeling quite amused inside. He recently discovered that irritating his granddaughter, who had entered a rebellious phase, was quite interesting—much more interesting than kindly persuading her to work hard.

And effective too.

"Just you wait!" Bai Yuyu stopped eating her late snack, staring at her grandfather with puffed cheeks.

Seeing the atmosphere lighten a bit, Old Master Bai made a virtual pressing motion with his hand and explained why he had called her over:

"The Jiang family matter, do you know about it?"

"The Jiang family...?" Bai Yuyu thought for a moment. "The family where someone died during the full-month celebration?"

"Yes, you don't know the details?"

Bai Yuyu shook her head: "This case was followed by Senior Sister, I didn't look into it. Recently, didn't you want me to focus on martial arts? So I didn't interfere in other matters. Why? Is it related to Mu Mu?"

"Your friend was also there." Old Master Bai deliberately kept her in suspense.

"Oh."

"Why such a bland reaction?"

"She wouldn't have any problems," Bai Yuyu rolled her eyes, deploying her intellectual pressure. "Besides, you're only finding me to talk about it now, so it can't be anything serious."

"You're not stupid after all. That good friend of yours, using some unknown method, exposed the assassin in court. It's spreading quite widely. I wanted to ask your thoughts."

"What's the big deal about that?" Bai Yuyu countered: "It's not like we haven't seen this kind of thing before."

Old Master Bai was silent: "But that assassin was sixth rank."

"Doesn't this just prove that grandfather's eyesight is good! You and Mu Mu are cooperating. The stronger she is, the more benefits you can receive. Who knows, maybe one day, she might even save the Bai family from danger!"

"Such things..."

Old Master Bai didn't take it seriously, laughing and shaking his head: "Haven't happened in hundreds of years."

"I was just making an example." Bai Yuyu gave a little snort, also feeling that her previous topic was a bit inappropriate.

"But this time, she did indeed make quite a splash. I'm wondering, could it be that her actions this time were deliberately to demonstrate her ability to this old man?" Old Master Bai said.

After seeing Mu Qinglan's methods, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this young girl was unfathomable.

"Anyway, you just need to believe in Mu Mu."

Bai Yuyu said matter-of-factly:

"She has never disappointed anyone."