"Xiaomi, didn't Wu Li say you were feeling unwell and resting in your room?"
Seeing Chai Xiaomi's sudden appearance, a trace of surprise flashed across Song Yueyao's face, but she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
For some reason, whenever she was alone with Wu Li, she always felt a faint sense of unease.
She didn't know if she was overthinking it, but she always felt that when Xiaomi wasn't around, a cold and dangerous aura would emanate from this youth, as if he could devour everything at any moment.
Even though he smiled so innocently and harmlessly, his eyes as clear as a stream.
He inexplicably gave off an aloof sense that warned strangers to keep away.
It was as if all this obedience and docility were just an illusion he created, much like how a predator often disguises itself as harmless before hunting its prey.
But the moment Xiaomi appeared, it was as if the youth truly "came alive."
Breaking free from some sort of self-enclosed shell, he formed a vivid connection with this world.
He gained expressions, he gained warmth.
He gained genuine emotions.
Just like at this moment, the youth's obedient exterior silently shattered like a thin, brittle sugar shell, revealing his true nature.
The curve of his lips abruptly vanished, his smile dissipating completely, and his voice carried a low reprimand: "Didn't I tell you to be good and stay in your room? Why did you run out to wander around alone at night?"
As he said this, he subconsciously reached out to pull her to his side.
The night market was bustling with crowds, people rubbing shoulders and following closely on each other's heels, making it difficult to navigate.
It was a full three streets away from the Phantom Sound Pavilion to this bow and arrow shop. The person who usually complained that her "feet were ruined and legs were broken" after taking just two extra steps had actually rushed all the way here in one breath.
He wondered if the soles of her feet were burning hot right now. Later when they went back, she would probably act shamelessly again, claiming her feet were ruined and her legs were broken, begging him to carry her on his back.
"You can wander around, but I can't?" Chai Xiaomi, having been lightly scolded by him, turned sideways to avoid his outstretched hand, the jealousy in her bones almost overflowing. "Besides, I'm not alone."
To think he actually lied about her feeling unwell, just so he could come out alone with Song Yueyao.
She didn't know where this sudden urge to compete came from.
Chai Xiaomi turned her head and waved at Ouyang Rui, who was cracking melon seeds next to the signboard.
Ouyang Rui immediately understood. He brushed off non-existent dust from his brocade robe, adjusted his hair crown, and then walked over slowly.
If he guessed correctly, the little fairy was calling him over to back her up!
He had heard it clearly just now; that woman called her "Xiaomi."
So cute, so pleasant to hear.
Her cheeks were also like cooked grains of rice, white, moist, and shining.
"Xiaomi."
With a warm smile on his lips, Ouyang Rui walked to Chai Xiaomi's side.
"I do have company. Let me introduce you, this is a friend I just met, named Ouyang... Ouyang Feng!" Chai Xiaomi paused for a moment. He had introduced himself after saving her, but she only remembered his two-character surname and could only blurt out a somewhat familiar name off the top of her head.
Ouyang Rui coughed lightly, leaned close to her, covered his face, and whispered, "It's Rui, Ouyang Rui."
Immediately after, he looked up at the two people opposite him, his brow relaxed, and he bowed gracefully. "You all must have traveled from afar to participate in the New Moon Archery Tournament. Welcome to Thousand Mists Town. If you need anything, I, Ouyang Rui, am willing to do the honors as a host."
He paused, his gaze turning to Chai Xiaomi, his smile deepening. "By the way, Xiaomi, it was truly impolite of me to hug you so abruptly in a moment of urgency just now. To express my apologies, I am hosting a banquet at my residence tomorrow night to make amends. I wonder if you would do me the honor of attending with your friends?"
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Wu Li, sizing him up secretly, an undisguised provocation rising in his eyes.
Looking from afar just now, he had felt that this young master's appearance and bearing were extremely threatening. Now looking closely, it was even more glaring.
Indeed a formidable rival.
But it was fine. He had money, plenty of it.
Who in the entire Thousand Mists Town didn't know the wealthiest Ouyang family? Even in Liangya Prefecture, they were a renowned family known to everyone.
The New Moon Archery Tournament that attracted heroes from all directions this time was single-handedly organized by his family. Even the Ice Bow and Black Arrows used as the grand prize were won by his father at a high price from the Impermanence Ghost Market in his early years.
Just as Ouyang Rui was feeling secretly smug.
Hiss—
He suddenly gasped.
Those bizarre and stunning heterochromatic eyes were coldly fixed on his face.
The gaze was deep and sinister, as if a storm was brewing in the dark, making one tremble with fear.
"You just met, and you're already wandering the streets together?" Wu Li clicked his tongue, the corners of his lips twitching slightly. "And—"
He dragged out his tone slowly, the hand hanging by his side clenching tight.
He hooked up a terrifyingly calm sneer.
"You hugged?"
That smile was wrapped in endless contempt and malice.
His expression was as calm as a dead sea, seemingly tranquil, but beneath the surface, man-eating undercurrents were already surging.
Ouyang Rui's gaze, as if singed by fire, abruptly darted away.
Right at that moment, his heart felt as if it had been ruthlessly gripped by an invisible hand, sending waves of agonizing, twisting pain.
He suddenly clutched his chest. The unexpected, severe pain made him bend over, almost unable to straighten up.
"Hey! Ouyang Feng, what's wrong with you?"
Chai Xiaomi was startled. Could it be that he suffered internal injuries just now when saving her from the horse's hooves?
"It's... Rui..." Ouyang Rui forced himself to endure the pain, squeezing a few words through his gritted teeth, stubbornly correcting her, "Ouyang Rui..."
He had finally met a little lady who made his heart flutter; he couldn't let his name be remembered incorrectly.
"It's fine... an old ailment, it will pass in a moment..." To show his consideration, he deliberately comforted her, "Xiaomi, don't worry."
Chai Xiaomi's face was filled with anxiety. How could she not worry?
This situation looked like a sudden heart attack or some hidden illness.
If he died because he saved her, she would be to blame!
"You, you, you, lie down first!" Without a second word, she laid him down flat on the ground. Just as she knelt beside Ouyang Rui, she heard the shop owner crying out anxiously from the side:
"Miss! What are you doing?! Don't move him recklessly, I'll go call a doctor!"
This was their young master!
More than half the shops in Thousand Mists Town belonged to the Ouyang family. If something happened to him here, and Master Ouyang laid the blame, his life wouldn't be enough to pay for it.
Chai Xiaomi didn't even lift her head. "I'm saving him!"
"She is going to press on this Young Master Ouyang's chest first. If that doesn't work, she will need to pass air into him." Song Yueyao, standing to the side, remembered the set of techniques Xiaomi used to save Lady Yue last time, and explained to the pale-faced owner to prevent him from stopping her.
But just as she finished speaking, the painful expression on Ouyang Rui's face suddenly relaxed.
"Eh?" He blinked, feeling somewhat in disbelief himself. He sat up and touched his chest. "It seems... it doesn't hurt anymore."
This was the first time the pain had receded so quickly.
In the past, every time he woke up from a nightmare, the angina would last for quite a while.
However, this was also the first time it acted up outside, not caused by a dream, which was rather unusual.
"Since he is fine, what are you still kneeling for? Mourning at a grave?"
"Get up."
The youth's icy voice came from above, bone-chillingly cold, devoid of any emotion.
Compared to the gentle, smiling tone he had used with Song Yueyao earlier, it was like looking at a completely different person!
In fact, his voice was even colder and harsher than how he usually spoke to her.
Although this guy was normally obnoxious and loved to tease her, there was always a lingering smile in his eyes; his intentions were mostly playful.
He had never been like this before. There was not a trace of amusement in him. A gloomy shadow loomed over his features, exuding a suppressed hostility and impatience.
Chai Xiaomi could almost feel the restless, murderous aura brewing inside him, as if it would burst from his body the very next second and swallow her whole.
Youtiao's anxious voice suddenly echoed in her mind:
"Host! The system has detected severe emotional fluctuations from the villain, showing mild signs of turning dark! Based on our plot analysis, it is highly likely due to the host interrupting his attempt to plant a Gu bug in the female lead. Please take immediate countermeasures!"
!!!
What!!
Signs of turning dark!?
He was not going to unleash his Gu bugs to gnaw on her, was he!?
