Ye Xinglan went from realizing the Astrologer was Su Yuening to a complete 180-degree attitude shift in an instant.
Xiaoxi found it amusing.
‘Someone was just talking big about how cozying up to a Six Seats was unscrupulous, and now they’re chatting so warmly with her, huh? Their voice even unconsciously turned cutesy.’
So Xiaoxi couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Then the little rich girl gave her lower back a vicious pinch.
Xiaoxi’s back instantly straightened. “No manners! I didn’t twist when I pinched you!”
Although Ye Xinglan’s surface was calm, her heart was already in turmoil.
‘S-So Su Yuening is the Astrologer lady?! Why didn’t Xiaoxi tell me something so important earlier… If I had known, I wouldn’t have said that in the office just now!’
Ye Xinglan remembered two days ago, when she went home with Xiaoxi and chatted with Su Yuening.
To appear as a good girl, she had pretended to be reserved and said a bunch of things like, “Xiaoxi and I both value emotional connection, so we don’t have much physical contact.” Now it was all exposed!
‘T-This way, the cute and well-behaved persona I kept in front of Su Yuening is completely ruined, meow! What if she thinks I’m a bad woman full of lies? The next step is parents disapproving and forcing us to break up… Waa! I don’t want that!’
At the thought of this, Ye Xinglan’s smile became even sweeter, as if she wasn’t the one who had just scolded Xiaoxi harshly.
Xiaoxi always thought Ye Xinglan was overthinking this.
Her mother wasn’t some tigress who would eat the little rich girl alive. She wouldn’t care about such trivial matters.
Rather, Xiaoxi thought her mother was quite open-minded.
Otherwise, when they were kids, her mother wouldn’t have left the task of coaxing Xiao Keke to sleep to her while they went off to enjoy their own time together.
Just then, Xiao Keke, holding a thermos to get water, pushed open the training room door.
She immediately saw her older sister and Sister Xinglan standing at the door, chatting happily with the Astrologer lady.
Xiao Keke’s back instantly straightened.
“Hello, Senior… Hello, Astrologer lady!”
Watching her younger sister’s respectfully nervous figure quickly escape after greeting them, Xiaoxi helplessly shook her head.
Her younger sister was the one who cared most about using titles during work hours. It would have been fine to be a bit more casual.
Xiao Keke knew the Astrologer was a Six Seats, so when she encountered her at the Association, it was inevitable to be a little nervous… Yeah, her older sister was [Eternal Star] after all, so it was normal for her to chat happily with a big shot like the Astrologer.
If not for the coincidence of the last Apocalyptic Church incident, ordinary magic girls like her would probably never have a chance to talk to a big shot like the Astrologer in everyday life, right?
Xiaoxi had promised her mother that she would definitely come back with Xinglan to visit her before leaving.
As she was leaving the Association, she unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure at the other end of the corridor… Was that Qiuli?
The backs of Qiuli and Qingluan walked farther and farther away, soon disappearing around the corner of the corridor. Xiaoxi blinked.
Strange, how did those two end up together? Didn’t Qingluan look down on Qiuli for being a Monster?
As soon as she stepped out of the Association’s main gate, a pair of hands grabbed Xiaoxi’s shoulders and shook her violently back and forth.
“Xiaoxi! Why didn’t you tell me sooner that our mom is the Astrologer lady! So embarrassing, so embarrassing!”
The little rich girl was unusually shy. Xiaoxi, being shaken like a rocking toy, helplessly spoke.
“I only found out about this not long ago myself. I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet. Sorry, sorry…”
“…Hmph!”
Ye Xinglan pouted and turned her face away, looking a bit displeased.
She muttered quietly, “I always thought you were just an ordinary person making a living by writing school romance novels… Now it doesn’t feel like I’m keeping a little girlfriend anymore!”
Xiaoxi: “?”
Xiaoxi had thought she was angry about not being told about her mother, but it turned out she was concerned about this kind of thing!
“Watch what you say! What do you mean ‘keeping’? I’ve been paying rent on time all along!”
Although Xiaoxi knew Ye Xinglan was very rich, a relationship was between two people.
So during their time in North Blossom City, she had been writing to earn money and splitting living expenses and rent evenly with Ye Xinglan.
She felt that adults should take care of themselves, so even after knowing her mother was rich, she never thought of just asking her mother for money to slack off.
But Xiao Keke, who received high-amount transfers from Mo Lan’er every month and was asked considerately if she had enough to spend, probably wouldn’t understand that point.
“That’s because Xiaoxi is too rigid! I told you long ago that you could use other things to pay rent~”
“Preferably the kind where close to the end-of-month rent deadline, after taking a shower, you come to me in your bathrobe, hesitantly saying you can’t pay the rent this month, begging me to give you a couple more days, and then… Hehehe.”
“If you keep talking nonsense, I swear I’ll sleep on the couch tonight!”
Xiaoxi angrily slapped away the thin tentacles that had silently wrapped around her waist.
Seriously, the little rich girl’s habit of playing around outside was impossible to break.
Although it was worse at home… at least at home no outsiders could see!
Perhaps because Xiaoxi was too cute, Ye Xinglan had always enjoyed the feeling of keeping a delicate little girlfriend.
Unfortunately, Xiaoxi had always been strong-willed in life, never giving the little rich girl much chance.
After learning that Xiaoxi was her archrival, Ye Xinglan’s thoughts became even stronger, and she secretly felt a need to outdo Xiaoxi.
But now not only was Xiaoxi [Eternal Star], her mother was also the Astrologer, one of the Six Seats.
No matter how she thought about it, she just couldn’t compare!
But Ye Xinglan quickly changed her mind… Xiaoxi was the daughter of a Six Seats big shot, and she herself was very strong.
That identity was practically a high-born lady, right?
A noble lady like that, accidentally fallen from grace and forced to live with her, then being trained and gradually submitting until she couldn’t live without her…
Hiss, the feeling of defiling such a lofty flower seemed pretty good.
How about having Xiaoxi act this out with her tonight…
Ye Xinglan got interested. As she thought, she leaned in to Xiaoxi and lifted her chin. “Baby, tonight…”
“No!”
“What? Why not? I haven’t even said anything yet, okay?”
“Do I even need to say? One look at your tone and I know it’s nothing good. Don’t I know you?”
Ye Xinglan clicked her tongue in displeasure. “Tsk,” as expected of a spoiled lady, she sure had a bad temper… Looks like she hadn’t been trained enough. Hakixi needs another lesson!
“By the way, Xinglan,” Xiaoxi suddenly softened her tone. “About going to Hidden Bone Hall… are you really okay with it?”
Xiaoxi knew that Ye Xinglan had been imprisoned in Hidden Bone Hall before and had no good feelings about the place.
So Xiaoxi had intentionally avoided bringing up anything related to Hidden Bone Hall in front of Ye Xinglan.
Yet today Ye Xinglan agreed so readily, which completely caught her off guard.
“Of course it’s fine. I’m not a prisoner of Hidden Bone Hall anymore. What’s my status now? I’m [Eternal Star]’s girlfriend. Would the people at Hidden Bone Hall dare to pressure me? It’s good enough that I don’t pressure them!”
Ye Xinglan patted her chest confidently, producing a duang, duang sound. Xiaoxi quickly averted her gaze.
Seeing the little rich girl speak so confidently, Xiaoxi didn’t say anything more.
After all, from a rational standpoint, if they could help Ye Xinglan solve the problem of magic exhaustion and loss of control, it would definitely be a good thing… Plus, it would give the little rich girl one less excuse to force her to eat veggies. That was good too, wasn’t it?
“Oh right, I’ll tell Aluan about this first, so she doesn’t have to keep staying here with me.”
“Miss Mo Lan’er… is she still in North Blossom City?”
“Yeah, I told her it’s fine, but Aluan just can’t stop worrying and won’t go back to Summersea City.”
Xiaoxi nodded. Mo Lan’er was indeed very attentive to the little rich girl.
She had noticed this back in Summersea City… Or rather, instead of “attentive,” describing Mo Lan’er’s attitude toward Ye Xinglan as “spoiling” might be more accurate.
—
In the evening, Xiaoxi, who had just finished writing at her desk, stretched with a big yawn.
Suddenly, her phone received a text from an unknown number.
“Miss Xiaoxi, can you come out and talk about the young lady?”
Xiaoxi blinked. She didn’t recognize this number, but judging by the tone, the only person she knew who would say “young lady” was probably one person, right?
At that moment, Ye Xinglan was playing games at Silver Bell’s house with Da Tianxin.
The whole house was quiet, with only Xiaoxi alone.
She was just about to confirm the sender’s identity and ask where to meet when a knock sounded at the door.
Xiaoxi threw on a coat and opened the door.
Under the quiet moonlight, Mo Lan’er, wearing a crisp OL uniform and glasses, stood at the door and greeted her.
“Good evening. Sorry for disturbing you so late, Miss Xiaoxi.”