Spoiled Eldest Miss x Two-faced Madman

CHAPTER 4: Damn It, He's Really A Sinister Villain!

　　

　　The man's wide outer robe still held his faint warmth, draped over An Jiu's shoulders, bringing a wave of comforting warmth that dispelled the chill around her.

　　Pei Ji was tall and slender, even with his disabled legs, his physique was far from frail.

　　The robe, once draped over her, was like a small tent, completely enveloping An Jiu. Since she was curled up in a squat, the hem dragged on the ground.

　　She gently sniffed the air, catching a strong scent of herbs.

　　The aroma lingered in the white snowy collar. When he had bent down to put the robe on her, the scent was even more pronounced.

　　Anyone with knowledge would know that this fragrance wasn't accidental. It was the result of years of being surrounded by herbs, allowing the scent to permeate his clothing, so that every movement exuded the aroma of medicine. 

　　Such a person was either physically ailing or a practitioner of medicine.

　　An Jiu lightly coughed a few times, as if caught off guard, and with her slender fingers pressed against her nose, she deliberately said, “Fei Yi, you smell quite strongly of medicine.”

　　The man in white had just sat back down when he paused at her words.

　　After a brief silence, he replied nonchalantly, “I was injured a few days ago and applied some medicinal ointment for a while. I must have accidentally let the scent reach you, Miss.”

　　【Pei Ji's favorability towards you has decreased by 1, currently at -102.】

　　An Jiu: “……”

　　Is this person too petty? She just reminded him that his clothes have a smell, and he has to deduct favorability points for that?

　　An Jiu felt helpless, but fortunately, she had a broad mind and didn’t care about such a trivial favorability point.

　　After all, it was already at -102; ¹more lice wouldn’t make it itch, and more debts wouldn’t bring worry.

　　While she internally grumbled, her expression remained unchanged as she eagerly asked, “Fei Yi, why are you wearing a mask? What do you look like? Can I see?”

　　The girl, having regained her composure, gradually revealed her bold nature, her big, shiny eyes wide open. Even though she had nearly faced disaster not long ago, she now appeared lively, as if she didn’t carry any shadows of gloom.

　　Pei Ji was clearly trying to play the role of a chivalrous gentleman rescuing a damsel in distress, patiently explaining, “I have some enemies in the martial world, and to prevent them from seeking revenge, I wear this mask daily. Thus, I cannot reveal my true appearance, I hope you can understand, Miss.”

　　That excuse was quite good; he was adept at weaving lies.

　　“Then I won't look anymore.” An Jiu waved her hands repeatedly, appearing very understanding, but couldn't help but worry, “If that's the case, how will I find you in the future? A drop of kindness deserves a fountain of gratitude. You've saved me, and I won't be that ungrateful person!”

　　The girl furrowed her brow, her cheeks slightly puffed out, making her seem oddly innocent and cute.

　　She resembled a pampered young lady from a wealthy family, who had never stepped outside her home. Just from reading too many stories, she had learned to adopt the mannerisms of a chivalrous hero.

　　The man in white glanced at her. As a martial artist, he had keener senses than ordinary people, and even in the darkness, he could clearly see the girl's expression.

　　His expression was obscure, but his voice was calm and measured, “There's no need for thanks, Miss. Fei Yi merely did what any decent person would do in such a situation.”

　　【Pei Ji's favorability towards you has decreased by 1, currently at -103.】

　　An Jiu was genuinely stunned this time. What had caused another deduction in favorability?

　　She didn't seem to have said anything that would offend him.

　　An Jiu couldn't figure it out, but she didn't dare show any unusual reaction. Pei Ji's mind was unpredictable; who knew what he was thinking? If he deducted another few dozen points, she might as well give up on this mission.

　　Her eyes flickered for a moment, then she quickly lowered her head and began to search her body. Unfortunately, she had been asleep when she was abducted, and her accessories had been removed. She rummaged for a while before finally pulling out a milky white jade pendant from her neck.

　　An Jiu took off the pendant and handed it to the man in white, “Here you go.” 

　　The man in white didn't move. His eyes behind the mask looked at the jade pendant, his tone seemingly puzzled, “What is the meaning of this, Miss?”

　　An Jiu puffed out her cheeks, her expression serious as she said, “Since you're unwilling to reveal your identity, then take this jade pendant. If you ever encounter difficulties in the future, you can come to me. My name is An Jiu, the daughter of Minister An. I can help you with any troubles you may have.”

　　The man in white said, “Why would the daughter of Minister An be in Jiufang City?”

　　As soon as these words left his mouth, the young woman seemed to be overcome with anger and embarrassment. She grabbed the man's hand and shoved the jade pendant into his palm.

　　She muttered under her breath, “Don't you believe me? I said I'm here to visit relatives, so that's what it is. Who says the daughter of Minister An can't come to Jiufang City?”

　　Her voice was soft, like a complaint, yet clear enough to be heard.

　　The man held the thumb-sized jade pendant between his fingers. The sheep fat white jade was smooth and delicate, of excellent quality. Since it had been worn close to the girl's body, it held her warmth. In this cold spring night, it brought a touch of comfort. 

　　Faintly, he seemed to catch a hint of a sweet fragrance, fresh like flowers and fruits.

　　An Jiu felt pleased with herself; this maneuver was sure to earn her some favorability points. A naturally proud yet sincere girl expressing her gratitude to her savior would surely evoke goodwill in anyone.

　　However, the next moment, a series of electronic sounds echoed in her mind.

　　【Pei Ji's favorability towards you +1, currently at -102.】

　　【Pei Ji's favorability towards you -2, currently at -104.】

　　【Pei Ji's favorability towards you +1...】

　　【Pei Ji's favorability towards you -2...】

　　【……】

　　The favorability reminders went haywire, repeatedly cycling through +1 and -2 multiple times, making her head feel like it was about to explode.

　　“Seriously, is Pei Ji insane? Does he have a problem? Is he not even moved by this?” An Jiu couldn't believe it.

　　From the outside, she thought the dark and unpredictable character was intriguing, but dealing with someone so inscrutable in person made her just want to run away.

　　She couldn't figure out what he was thinking at all, like walking on a ticking time bomb, never knowing when she might say the wrong thing and he would deduct points from her favorability again.

　　For example, An Jiu believed she had acted flawlessly.

　　Although she didn't know how the real An Jiu would have treated her savior, her actions just now would never evoke any ill feelings in a normal person.

　　Therefore, Pei Ji must be the one who was abnormal.

　　An Jiu's head was spinning, enduring the incessant ringing of the prompts in her mind. She frantically poked the system, “System, can you turn off the favorability prompts?”

　　If it didn't shut up, she suspected that Pei Ji would drive her crazy tonight.

　　【Yes.】

　　【Do you want to close the favorability prompts? Closing them may cause you to miss important reminders. Please choose carefully, host.】

　　“Yes, yes, yes!” 

　　With a “ding,” the mechanical voice that had been swirling in An Jiu's mind suddenly disappeared, and she let out a sigh of relief.

　　Releasing a breath of relief, she subconsciously looked at the man in white not far away. The other party didn't seem to notice her recent abnormality, still looking down at the jade in his hand. It was unclear whether she was a good actress or he was simply preoccupied.

　　In just this brief moment, An Jiu felt completely drained.

　　Dealing with the villain was too difficult; it tested both her acting skills and her mental resilience. She was truly exhausted.

　　“Forget it,” she thought, “There's plenty of time for strategy.”

　　After all, dawn would bring her to the main characters.

　　An Jiu simply sat down on the ground, the white robe of Pei Ji cushioning her, so she felt warm enough.

　　In the darkness, she adjusted her subtle facial expressions, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness as she asked the man in white, “Fei Yi, are you... tired?”

　　The pride of a young lady didn't allow An Jiu to show weakness; even if she was sleepy, she wouldn't admit that she needed to sleep.

　　The man in white slightly raised his head and turned to look in her direction.

　　The girl’s long eyelashes fluttered, and the subtle unease reflected in her eyes.

　　After a moment of silence, a calm and gentle male voice came from behind the mask, giving her a strong sense of security: “Miss An, please go to sleep. I won't leave tonight.”

　　Only then did An Jiu feel reassured enough to close her eyes, leaning against the wall beside her, preparing to sleep. In truth, she wasn't worried at all; her earlier anxiety was just for show.

　　Her vision plunged into darkness, yet within her consciousness, something like an electronic screen floated.

　　On it, a line of text was displayed:【Target: Pei Ji. Current Favorability: -100.】 

　　“Wow,” she thought, “It finally went up a bit.” 

　　Although it had only increased by 3 points, it still meant her strategy was working. 

　　An Jiu relaxed abruptly. As her mind eased, fatigue washed over her. She had experienced so much tonight, she was utterly exhausted; she had only been pretending with Pei Ji just now.

　　A wave of drowsiness enveloped her, and An Jiu gradually slipped into a half-dreaming, half-awake state. Yet deep in her consciousness, she maintained a sliver of awareness, calculating the time.

　　About a quarter of an hour later, she struggled to open her eyelids and looked toward the position where the man in white was sitting.

　　Her movement was very slight, and at this late hour, it would be nearly undetectable to an ordinary person. However, the tips of the fingers resting on his knees twitched slightly as he keenly looked at her.

　　“Fei Yi... please don't go…” 

　　The girl's words were muffled, barely audible, as her exhaustion made her sounds as faint as a mosquito's buzz. If one didn't listen closely, they wouldn't catch it at all.

　　Seeing the silhouette sitting steadily in the darkness, she felt reassured. Her long eyelashes slowly fell, covering her bright eyes.

　　Even when asleep, she couldn't sleep soundly. Occasionally, she would wake from her slumber, and in a daze, she would glance at him to confirm that he was still there. Only when she saw that he remained would she feel at ease enough to drift back to sleep.

　　This was a visible dependence.

　　An Jiu didn't sleep well that night; she woke several times. It wasn't until the early hours before dawn that she finally let herself go, surrendering completely to a deep sleep.

　　Pei Ji couldn’t appear before Lin Qingyan as “Fei Yi.” By dawn, he would revert back to the renowned physician Pei Ji, and she needed to give him a chance to switch back.

　　Indeed, the next morning, she was awakened by the crisp sound of birds chirping outside the temple. As An Jiu opened her bleary eyes, she found that the man in white was no longer in the temple.

　　The man in white who had appeared so gracefully in the dead of night seemed to have been merely a figment of her imagination.

　　But An Jiu knew that everything that had happened last night was real; the flower’s thief was still lying unconscious on the ground.

　　She went to the flower’s thief, knelt down, and checked his breath.  

　　He was still breathing; he wasn't dead, but for some reason, he remained unconscious. An Jiu kicked him twice hard, but he didn't react.

　　She guessed Pei Ji must have poisoned him. The book mentioned that Pei Ji liked using poison to kill, even after he cultivated his powerful internal energy. He seldom fought directly but instead used poison to kill people invisibly.

　　The author had specifically explained that Pei Ji, a sinister villain with a dark mind, was not associated with open and honest methods; he preferred underhanded tactics.

　　Having narrowly escaped death, and with her life now seemingly tied to Pei Ji, she no longer needed to worry about her safety. An Jiu was in a good mood.

　　She stood up, breathing in the fresh, slightly cool air after the rain, and poked the system, “System, report Pei Ji's favorability.”

　　After all her hard work throughout the night, even acting while sleeping, she should have gained a few more points, right?

　　【Target: Pei Ji. Current Favorability: -111.】

　　An Jiu: “???”

　　Damn it, he really is a sinister villain!

________________

Glossary:

¹More lice wouldn’t make it itch, and more debts wouldn’t bring worry.: This sentence uses hyperbole to express a sense of overwhelming negativity and resignation. The implication is that the speaker has reached a point where further misfortune is inconsequential; they're already so far down that additional hardship is barely noticeable. It's a fatalistic attitude of acceptance.

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