Chapter 156 (2/2): I’ve Been Exposed?

Men’s Shushan and women’s Shushan outfits were worlds apart.

The men’s white robes looked cheap, like wandering swordsmen.

The women’s white robes were much more elegant. Like the runaway outfit of a noble lady setting off to roam the jianghu.

No matter how mysterious the Immortal World is, it still made the same mistake as most MMOs.

Women’s costumes are always better than men’s.

White stockings, silver-patterned long boots, and a snow-white leaf skirt (totally made up)—that’s the women’s Shushan look.

Gazing at the round, skirt-covered butt, Chen Xiaoyan swallowed again.

This time, it wasn’t out of fear, but temptation.

She admitted she was a little moved.

She almost wanted to reach out and feel it, but sanity held her back.

She put the wicked idea aside.

“Can’t bear to do it?” Mu Qingxue teased, seeing her hesitate.

“Eh, are you Chongchong? Why are you standing there? Looking for Xiaoyan?” came [March Without Snow]’s voice from outside.

Chongchong?

Both girls inside jumped.

Especially Chen Xiaoyan, who wanted to pull away from Mu Qingxue.

But with the sofa’s edge right there, there was nowhere to go. She looked at Mu Qingxue, annoyed.

“Qingxue, scoot over.”

Mu Qingxue pouted, moving aside to give Chen Xiaoyan space.

That little influencer is so annoying. If there’s a chance, I’ll send her to Africa to mine.

“Ah, right, is Sister Xiaoyan inside?” came Chongchong’s doll-like voice from outside.

“She is, but you’ll have to wait. Xiaoyan is discussing something with the boss.”

[March Without Snow]’s blatant lie made Chongchong look at her with contempt.

Discussing something?

Who are you kidding? Like I just got here?

But it wouldn’t look good to eavesdrop, so she nodded quietly.

“Could you go ask if I can come in?”

“Uh…”

[March Without Snow] didn’t dare. If she disturbed Missy’s fun, her bonus for the month—or the year—would be gone.

No way, absolutely not.

“Why don’t you wait a while? I’ll let you know when they’re done.”

Chongchong pouted, looking wronged.

“But I really have something important to discuss with Sister Xiaoyan. Please, big sister, help me, okay?”

Four parts pitiful, six parts cute, and those tearful eyes would melt anyone’s heart.

[March Without Snow]’s heart ached.

How could there be such a cute girl in the world?

Ah, what to do? I’m dying, I’m dying…

She took a deep breath, patted her cheeks, and forced herself to recover.

As cute as Chongchong was, Missy’s business was more important.

Helpless, she shook her head.

“No! Way!”

Chongchong looked surprised.

Her usual trump card had never failed before.

Interesting, this woman had some backbone.

But it’s fine—she had a second trump card.

Her big, watery eyes filled with tears, ready to spill at any moment.

She bit her lip, trying hard not to cry, and once again shattered [March Without Snow]’s defenses.

Heart: broken again.

Ah!!!

I’m guilty.

How could I make the universe’s cutest girl cry?

No, I must protect this cuteness and fight the forces of evil.

She didn’t know where the courage came from.

[March Without Snow] actually pushed open the door.

But as soon as she saw Mu Qingxue’s serious expression—

Her courage evaporated.

“Sorry, wrong room!” she said, panicking, then spun and rushed out.

Mu Qingxue and Chen Xiaoyan both looked confused.

What was that all about?

After closing the door, [March Without Snow] breathed a deep sigh of relief, but as soon as she saw Chongchong’s questioning look, she hugged her and bawled.

“Waaah, it’s my fault, I couldn’t help you.”

Chongchong was speechless.

“What are you doing out there? Get in here,” came Mu Qingxue’s stern voice from inside.

[March Without Snow] shuddered, let go of Chongchong, and nervously went back in.

With that tone, she was definitely in trouble.

But as she opened the door, Chongchong seized the chance and slipped inside like an eel.

“Chongchong, don’t go in!” [March Without Snow] was shocked, reaching for her.

She didn’t want to see such a cute girl get punished.

But Chongchong’s slippery moves were too fast.

“Sister Xiaoyan!” Chongchong ran straight to Chen Xiaoyan and sat down beside her, sweet as ever.

Seeing the girl wasn’t being touchy-feely, Chen Xiaoyan let down her guard.

“What brings you here?”

Chongchong smiled, “Of course I came to play with Sister Xiaoyan.”

“Eh?” [March Without Snow] was dumbfounded.

Didn’t you have something urgent to discuss?

I’ve been fooled?

No, no way. Such a cute girl wouldn’t lie—it must be my imagination.

Comforting herself, she relaxed.

Noticing her inner conflict, Chongchong shot her a little grimace.

It definitely looked like a taunt.

No!!!

Someone’s heart gave out right there.

“What’s going on?”

Mu Qingxue and Chen Xiaoyan jumped to their feet, seeing [March Without Snow] faint.

Mu Qingxue hurried over to check on her.

“Xiaoyan, come help, let’s lift Qianqian onto the sofa.”

“Okay.”

The two of them moved [March Without Snow] onto the sofa, lying her down flat.

Chongchong also stood aside silently, her big eyes full of confusion.

What’s up with her?

Why did she faint all of a sudden?

Was it because she realized I tricked her, and got so mad she passed out?

“Qianqian?” Mu Qingxue patted her face and called her name.

But [March Without Snow] didn’t respond, making Mu Qingxue anxious. She quickly called Qiu Xue.

“Lingling, hurry and get Gu Yisheng here—Qianqian fainted.”

After hanging up, Mu Qingxue’s face looked grim.

Ever since she was rescued, her father had brought in three older sisters from somewhere.

Later she learned they were from an orphanage, adopted and trained to protect her.

Because of her illness, she couldn’t be around men, so they were all girls.

Over more than a decade together, Mu Qingxue already saw them as true sisters.

But their training included brainwashing, and the hierarchy was deep-rooted and unchangeable.

“Qingxue, don’t worry, [March Without Snow] will be fine.”

“I’m not worried,” Mu Qingxue replied irritably.

Chen Xiaoyan was speechless and shut up.

You’re practically wearing “worried” on your face, but say you’re not?

Sensing the awkward silence, Mu Qingxue softened her tone.

“Sorry, Xiaoyan, I was too harsh.”

“It’s nothing. You’re just anxious—I understand.”

“Thank you, Xiaoyan.”

“Thank me for what? I didn’t do anything. Actually, there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask about Sanxue and the others…”

Mu Qingxue smiled, glancing at the still-unconscious [March Without Snow], her expression extremely gentle.

“You could say they’re all my sisters.”

Chen Xiaoyan nodded, asking no more.

“You know, Xiaoyan, all these years, all those nights, it’s been them protecting me.”

“When I was little, if I woke up from nightmares, scared of the dark, they’d come running, hold me, comfort me, until I fell back asleep.”

“Honestly, my parents never did as much for me as they have.”

Chen Xiaoyan smiled and shook her head, sharing the emotion.

“I see Sanxue respects you a lot. I thought maybe she was your…”

She didn’t finish the last few words.

“That? I’ve given up. I tried to change their thinking, but nothing worked, so I let it be.”

“Besides, real feelings aren’t just words—they have to be heartfelt.”

Chen Xiaoyan nodded repeatedly, becoming a nodding machine.

“My dad was afraid something bad might happen to me again, so he trained them strictly. Yeah, trained. He adopted them from the orphanage.”

“So Sanxue respects you because of your father’s training? Hiss~”

Chen Xiaoyan was stunned, afraid to even breathe.

Does the richest man in Central Zhou have a black industry behind him?

Worries from the future, plus one.

Mu Qingxue nodded slightly, “More or less. But I don’t blame him. He just wanted to protect me. Blame my childhood curiosity, blame those damn traffickers.”

Her eyes filled with hatred and fear at the mention of traffickers.

Hate and fear, all at once.

“Alright, Qingxue, don’t dwell on the past. Let’s look forward to the future.”

“Mm, let’s look forward.” Mu Qingxue gazed intently at Chen Xiaoyan.

That heated gaze made her blush.

Normally, Chongchong would have jumped in by now.

But this time she was silent, maybe because she felt guilty.

Gu Yisheng arrived quickly with her assistant.

After a thorough examination, she found nothing wrong with [March Without Snow].

“Did Qianqian suffer some kind of shock?”

Mu Qingxue shook her head.

“No, Dr. Gu, how is Qianqian?”

“Her body is fine.”

“Then why won’t she wake up?”

“That’s why I’m asking if she suffered a shock. Her symptoms clearly indicate mental trauma.”

Mu Qingxue frowned and called Qiu Xue and the others.

But the answer was the same: nobody knew.

That was odd. If Lingling and the others didn’t know, where did Qianqian get shocked?

Chongchong heard this and her heart jumped to her throat.

No way, was it really because of me?

Can normal people’s hearts be this weak?

“Qingxue, was San…uh, Qianqian acting weird when she came in?” Chen Xiaoyan asked.

Hearing that, Chongchong panicked.

Never thought her beloved Xiaoyan would stab her in the back one day.

No way, I’ll never admit it was because of me.

“Yes, yes, she did seem strange outside,” Chongchong chimed in.

Chen Xiaoyan shot her a glance but said nothing.

After much discussion, no one figured out what had shocked [March Without Snow].

They could only give up.

“Let Qianqian rest, and also, your dad has been overworked lately, keep an eye on him.”

“It’s fine, I’ll be going now.”

“Bye, Sister Gu.”

After sending Gu Yisheng off, Mu Qingxue found a thin blanket to cover [March Without Snow].

“That Dr. Gu—is she your sister too?”

“No, I’m not close to her. My dad hired her to handle the Mu family’s medical care.”

Chen Xiaoyan sighed with envy.

No wonder he’s the richest man in Central Zhou—life is really different.

He even has a private doctor.

By five-thirty in the afternoon, the evening glow painted the earth.

The weather shifted from scorching to muggy.

Inside the greenhouse, all the programs had ended.

Only the final item remained: the banquet.

Qiu Xue and Qianrenxue directed the staff to clean up and set up round tables.

A banquet for over a thousand people wasn’t easy to arrange.

Fortunately, the Mu family had brought plenty of staff. Hundreds of people worked to clear away the long, rectangular tables.

The players gathered below the stage. With the performances over, the troupe returned to the stage for another show.

But their minds were elsewhere: those lucky enough to win prizes.

Not the Jiangsang Ka, since those were set in advance.

But the Choujiang Ka—people were green with envy.

Even the lowest Anwei Jiang was 18,888 RMB. The Teding Jiang was a hundred times that.

Out of a hundred winners, only one got the Teding Jiang.

That was our Miss Xianyun.

“Xianyun, where’s Xianyun? I want to be your kept man. I’m handsome, sweet-voiced, a total puppy, woo woo woo…”

“Damn, 1.88 million prize money. I’m so jealous I’m splitting apart!”

“Ai, even if I didn’t have Miss Big Boss’s luck, I still got the Yideng Jiang—180,000 RMB. That’s enough for a year’s expenses.”

“Ahhhh! Lucky dog, take my bad luck spear!”

“Yideng Jiang +1. From now on, I live for Xueyange, die for Xueyange.”

“Tch, I already think of Xueyange as my home. Even if the boss kicks me out, I’m not leaving.”

“I object! I worked so hard for Xueyange and didn’t even get an Anwei Jiang! I object!!!”

“I’ve been with Xueyange since the start. Not a single prize. Am I saying anything?”

“I’m not like you, you’re just a slacker.”

“Screw you, who are you calling a slacker?”

“You, obviously.”

“You two, stop arguing. Stop, stop. Where’s Xianyun? I want to hug—uh, rub some of that luck off her.”

“Get lost, I don’t know.” ×2

“What the hell, such a coordinated answer—why argue? Might as well hold hands and go home together.”

On the other side, Dream Like Dust and [Curtained Dreams] crowded around Xianyun, staring at her Teding Jiang card, their eyes full of envy.

When the party ended,

You could use the code on the card to claim your prize from Qiu Xue in the guild group.

“I’m so jealous, my period came early! Why can’t I have that kind of luck? Damn it!” [Curtained Dreams] chewed her thumbnail, grumbling.

Xianyun flipped the card over and over—it was just an ordinary card, the code hidden under scratch-off paint.

Seeing her so calm, Dream Like Dust said, “Xianyun-chan, come on, you’re a millionaire now, at least look a little excited.”

Xianyun smiled faintly.

“Why should I be excited?”

“How can you not? It’s almost two million RMB!”

“Oh, I know,” Xianyun replied blandly.

Then she casually clipped the card to her wrist guard.

Her nonchalant manner startled Dream Like Dust, who reached out both hands.

“No, please, Xianyun, let me keep it safe for you. I’m really afraid you’ll lose it!”

“Sure,” Xianyun said, handing the card right over.

Dream Like Dust stared blankly at the card in her hands.

Eh?

Eh? Eh?

She actually just handed it over so easily?

Isn’t she afraid I’ll run off with it?

Xianyun really doesn’t care about the money. Is she secretly a rich girl too?

Definitely. Only someone who treats money like dirt could be so indifferent.

Dream Like Dust rubbed the card against her face.

Ah!

That’s the scent of RMB—so intoxicating.

Xianyun walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and took a few sips.

She watched the troupe’s ancient dance performance on stage, a hint of loneliness in her eyes.

She’d already made up her mind.

But she still couldn’t stop thinking of her.

Sigh, to cut the cord for good, she’d need something drastic.

“Xianyun, you really gave the card to Dream Like Dust?” [Curtained Dreams] asked.

“Mm.” Xianyun nodded. “She wanted to keep it for me, so let her.”

“Wow, that’s over a million! Wouldn’t you feel safer keeping it yourself?”

“No need. Even if I lost it, it wouldn’t matter. The reward isn’t the Choujiang Ka, it’s the identity.”

Whether it was a Choujiang or Jiajiang, everyone got a Duihuan Ka.

Actually, Xianyun could see the card was meaningless. Even if she gave it away, without the right ID, Qiu Xue wouldn’t release the reward.

Because they’d already recorded the winners.

That’s why you had to claim it in the guild group.

There, everyone’s identity was tied to their game ID.

There was no way to fake it.

[Curtained Dreams] nodded, whether she understood or not.

“By the way, have you seen the boss or Chongchong?”

“No.” [Curtained Dreams] shook her head. “Didn’t the boss call them over? Said Xiaoyan would host the Jiajiang and Choujiang, but the program started and they never showed up. Who knows what happened?”

They’d been gone so long. Nothing could have happened, right?

Xianyun was a bit worried.

“Come on, we’re bored anyway. Let’s go look for them, and call Dream Like Dust too.”

“Okay.”