Su Ling returned home with Ji Lingyuan and Wen Ruyu.
The moment they stepped through the door, they heard K423’s boisterous voice.
“Wuwuwu, Highness, can you put in more meat? *slurp*… Of course, it’s not because I want to eat it!”
It turned out they were making dumplings.
At the dining table in the living room, Su Yao was kneading dough while Bai Miao mixed the meat filling.
K423 was like a little puppy, leaning over the table with curiosity, her nose already dusted with white flour.
In the corner, Hajimi was curled up in a ball, dozing off.
Ever since she had been spayed, she seemed listless for some reason.
“Master Su Ling!”
K423 was overjoyed when she heard the commotion.
She rushed over to Su Ling, who couldn’t help but pat her small head, causing the girl to let out a series of startled yelps.
“Who are you? What do you want with Master Su Ling!”
At that moment, she noticed the two people standing behind Su Ling, and her expression changed instantly.
She immediately shielded Su Ling behind her, her dark green pupils glaring intensely at Wen Ruyu and Ji Lingyuan.
Almost simultaneously, the two women shuddered.
Danger alarms blared in their minds.
“They are my guests.”
Su Ling gave K423 a flick on the forehead.
K423 scratched her head and gave a silly grin.
“Haha, so they’re guests.”
However, Wen Ruyu and Ji Lingyuan exchanged a glance.
Both were already breakng into a cold sweat.
“And this is?”
“A friend of mine.”
Su Ling didn’t notice their wary looks as she took out two pairs of slippers and said somewhat apologetically, “Sorry, they might not be the right size.”
“It’s fine.”
Wen Ruyu gave a gentle smile.
Her seductive crimson eyes stared at Su Ling as if she wanted to devour her the very next second.
Ji Lingyuan shot her a glare.
She knew exactly what Wen Ruyu was thinking.
“Oh? We have guests?”
Su Yao put down the dough and wiped the flour off her hands, her expression looking a bit awkward.
“Greetings, Ma’am.”
Ji Lingyuan gave a respectful salute.
“Greetings, Mother-in-law.”
Wen Ruyu, on the other hand, dropped a verbal bombshell.
“Huh?”
Su Yao was stunned.
Su Ling also panicked. ‘What are you yelling about!’
“Hehe, I’m being serious, you know~”
Wen Ruyu leaned into Su Ling’s ear.
She truly did want to marry Su Ling.
“Just assume I’m after your body for now. Love after marriage is quite common, anyway. We can board the train first and buy the ticket later~” Wen Ruyu whispered.
Su Ling was shocked.
‘She’s actually serious!’
“Haha, just kidding. I’m this little one’s friend,” Wen Ruyu said with a giggle as she met Su Yao’s eyes.
Su Yao breathed a sigh of relief.
She had nearly been scared to death.
Meanwhile, Ji Lingyuan’s teeth itched with irritation as she watched their intimate behavior.
She pulled Su Ling away and glared at Wen Ruyu.
“How long have you two even known each other? You’re completely forcing the issue.”
“Hmm, it is indeed a bit hasty, but for me, it was love at first sight.”
“Love at first sight? Ha, more like lust at first sight! Besides, you have a family, you…”
Ji Lingyuan grew angrier as she spoke, but when she mentioned “family,” Wen Ruyu’s eyes immediately darkened.
Yes, she did have a family.
Her daughter was even around the same age as Su Ling.
Seeing the atmosphere turn sour, Su Ling immediately broke free from Ji Lingyuan’s embrace.
“Anyway, the dumplings are almost ready. Why don’t you…”
As she spoke, she winked frantically at Su Yao.
Su Yao took the hint immediately.
“That’s right, the dumplings are almost done. Would you all like to stay for a bite?”
“Hehehe, of course I have to taste Mother-in-law’s cooking~”
Wen Ruyu completely ignored Ji Lingyuan, sat down at the table, and started helping.
Despite her elegant and noble appearance, her hands were quite nimble.
Furthermore, her aura as a mature, married woman matched Su Yao’s surprisingly well.
Ji Lingyuan huffed in anger at the sight.
She ran out to the balcony to sulk by herself.
Seeing this, Su Ling first comforted Bai Miao and then followed her out.
She didn’t notice the cold, murderous intent flashing in Bai Miao’s pupils.
This was too much!
She had already smelled the scent of the red-haired woman chatting with her mother; that was the person who had once “owned” her sister.
As for Ji Lingyuan, there was no need to even mention her.
It was bold of them to deliver themselves right to her doorstep.
*Hehehe.*
Bai Miao sneered inwardly.
To the side, K423 watched the chaotic scene and scratched her head.
‘My head is so itchy. Am I about to grow a brain?’
—
“Why aren’t you making dumplings with your future wife?”
Sensing someone approaching from behind, Ji Lingyuan spoke in a muffled voice.
Su Ling smiled helplessly.
“Stop it. I could never agree to that.”
A hint of joy flashed in Ji Lingyuan’s eyes upon hearing this.
“Of course, I won’t agree to your proposal either.”
The sound of a heart breaking.
“Why?”
Ji Lingyuan leaned against the balcony railing.
The cold night wind made her want to cry.
“Actually, I’m the one who wants to ask why.”
Su Ling looked at Ji Lingyuan with a very serious expression.
“Do you know who I am? I’m Su Ling, someone with a suspected split personality, a fan-service girl from the Lower City, a flighty person who will go to bed for money. Why would you fall in love with me?”
Su Ling also leaned against the railing, looking at the pitch-black night sky while murmuring.
“You’re so beautiful, so wealthy, and a student at the Witch Academy. There are plenty of witches better than me. Why are you so obsessed with me?”
“Then there’s Wen Ruyu. Her family is prominent, and she’s already married. Even if her family is terrible and practically nonexistent, she still wants to marry me. I know she wants to help me shoulder some of the pressure from public opinion, but I can no longer tell if she’s joking or serious.”
Su Ling sighed.
‘I only hope she’s joking and that this is just a desperate plan to help me. Otherwise, I’ll be very troubled.’
Ji Lingyuan listened quietly.
“I don’t know what that woman is thinking, but I know what I’m thinking.”
Ji Lingyuan’s gaze became somewhat dazed.
“I have an older sister. She is very powerful. She’s only three years older than me, but she’s already at the peak of the Transcendent rank, with one foot in the Great Witch realm. She is a dazzling star.”
“Under her light, I’m like an ugly duckling, completely devoid of luster.”
“My mothers are the same. Their eyes are only ever on my sister. They only send me lots of money and never care about me.”
Su Ling listened and glanced at Ji Lingyuan, feeling a bit speechless.
‘Are those even human words? Sigh, the class difference really is something else.’
“You also know I have a childhood friend, Hua Feihua.”
“But she’s too innocent. She always blushes and rejects my requests.”
“So you wanted to pursue me because I wouldn’t reject any of your wishes, right?”
Su Ling said softly.
Ji Lingyuan froze.
When S analyzed her earlier, she had given the same answer.
‘Master desires a submissive girlfriend, and Su Ling fits the requirements perfectly. This was the catalyst for Master’s attraction.’
“Is there something wrong with that?”
Ji Lingyuan pursed her lips. Didn’t love include those things?
“I didn’t say you were wrong. Although I don’t understand love and have never been in a relationship, I know that love is selfish.”
Su Ling had never been in a relationship, either before or after her transmigration.
But she still understood certain principles.
“But you’ve overlooked one point. The reason I was submissive to you was entirely because you bought me.”
“You were my Boss, so naturally, I had to obey you.”
“If you can use money to buy my submissiveness, then there will also be witches who are wealthier and more beautiful than you who can buy my obedience just the same.”
“You are completely treating me as a commodity. This isn’t love. This is possession—a possession born of desire.”
Su Ling’s voice was gentle, but her words were piercing.
“Sister Wen Ruyu is different from you. She is simply afraid.”
Su Ling looked toward the living room.
Wen Ruyu was currently laughing and chatting with Su Yao; the atmosphere was very harmonious.
“She has a very failed marriage, and this incident has doomed that marriage to end.”
“She’s afraid that she will repeat the same mistakes in the future and have her fate arranged by her family again. So, she’s like a drowning person grabbing onto me, the nearest lifesaving straw.”
“When Sister Wen Ruyu says she wants to marry me, I believe part of it is because she can’t bear to see me drowned by public opinion. But I also know that deep down, she might truly think that way.”
“She was used as a pawn by her family for the first half of her life and has long been dissatisfied. At this moment, she’s like a fully drawn bow, wanting to fiercely rebel against her family.”
“Think about it. What is my identity? If she marries me, it not only solves the fate of being exploited by her family again, but it also allows her to slap her family across the face.”
Ji Lingyuan stared blankly at Su Ling.
She hadn’t expected such a delicate person to be so incredibly clear-headed.
“So, you both say you want me as a girlfriend or want to marry me, but is it because you truly like me, or because you covet my body… or perhaps, because it satisfies your own selfish desires?”
Ji Lingyuan fell into silence.
“You’re both good people. You should have better futures.”
“But your choice shouldn’t be me.”
Su Ling finally vented the thoughts in her heart, feeling immensely refreshed.
“Ling Ling, the dumplings are ready.”
Su Yao’s voice drifted over.
Su Ling looked at Ji Lingyuan and offered a slight smile.
“Let’s go. Let’s eat.”
“Su Ling, I won’t give up. I swear, I will provide a satisfying answer.”
Ji Lingyuan’s expression was now extremely serious.
Su Ling gave her a deep look.
“I’ll be waiting.”
With that, she pulled Ji Lingyuan back into the living room.
Because two people had been added last minute, Su Yao had made some extra vegetable dumplings.
On the table, the dumplings were crystal clear and plump, looking very appetizing.
“Master Su Ling, I, I…”
“Of course you can take some back. Has your sister not returned yet?”
Su Ling knew K423 wanted to bring some for her sister.
Upon hearing this, K423’s eyes dimmed, and her voice became somewhat flustered.
“No…”
“Don’t worry. Maybe she just went out to play,” Su Ling comforted her.
Hearing that, K423 quietly relaxed.
Whatever the Empress said was law.
“Thank you all for everything recently.”
Su Ling picked up a wine glass.
Red wine had been poured into it; Su Yao had likely been unable to resist sneaking out to buy some.
“Sister Ruyu, I’m truly grateful to you, but…”
“I know.”
Wen Ruyu smiled.
She had overheard the conversation between Su Ling and Ji Lingyuan.
She was a Transcendent Witch, after all; she had that much hearing.
“I’m also sorry for causing you so much trouble.”
Su Ling shook her head. Wen Ruyu was very kind.
Upon learning that Su Ling might be dragged into the mess, she had immediately come to find her and urged her to run.
Later, when they were cornered in the cafe, she hadn’t run away either, bravely standing up to take the brunt of the public fire.
Su Ling could distinguish that much.
“Heehee, actually, marrying me wouldn’t be bad either~ Just like that girl, I’ll also give you a great answer.”
“Little one, sometimes you’re more charming than you think—in every sense of the word.”
Su Ling was somewhat stunned by her words.
Wen Ruyu didn’t say anything more.
She liked it here; this place had a sense of home she had never experienced.
She picked up her glass and downed it.
For a moment, even Ji Lingyuan looked a bit more tolerable to her.
Ji Lingyuan shot her a nasty look.
Why did this woman love stealing her ideas so much?
Not wanting to be outdone, Ji Lingyuan also drained her glass in one go.
Seeing this, Su Ling sighed.
‘Sigh, it looks like I won’t be able to get rid of them for the time being.’
Right now, she only hoped that Wen Ruyu and Ji Lingyuan were exceptions.
If all her previous customers started showing up at her door one by one, the mere thought made her head ache.
Bai Miao, in Su Ling’s arms, watched the two women coldly, though no one noticed.
Su Ling also drank the red wine in her glass.
She didn’t notice it herself, but the corners of her mouth were turned up in an uncontrollable smile.
The atmosphere at dinner was very lively and harmonious.
Su Yao and Wen Ruyu acted like a pair of sisters.
Both drank heavily, and eventually, Su Yao’s inner alcoholic was triggered.
She brought out her collection of white liquor and started drinking straight from the bottle with Wen Ruyu.
The two mothers, with flushed faces and slurred speech, draped their arms around each other’s shoulders.
“Sister, from now on, we’ll have our own separate rankings. I’ll call you Mom, and you call me Sister, how about that?”
“Heehee, of course~ My dear sister~”
It was unbearable to watch.
Su Ling pressed a hand to her forehead, her brow covered in black lines.
Meanwhile, K423 and Ji Lingyuan were surprisingly compatible.
“Hmph, you only have this much skill? So weak!”
“Oho, you little brat, you dare look down on me!”
The two of them were boasting non-stop.
One bragged about being part of the Zerg Imperial Guard protecting the Empress.
Ji Lingyuan immediately countered, saying if she was part of the Imperial Guard, then she herself was a Great Witch who could roast her into a bug jerky with a giant fireball and then “marry” her Empress to produce a few more princesses.
By the end of it, the two of them couldn’t take it anymore and collapsed.
Swirly circles replaced their eyes as they fell unconscious.
Su Yao and Wen Ruyu were the same.
The two mothers with explosive figures were currently in a very ambiguous posture, their clothes disheveled and revealing quite a bit of skin, making Su Ling look away.
“Sigh, what a mess.”
Su Ling’s brow was covered in black lines.
She cleaned up the aftermath.
With great effort, she managed to tidy the scene and then, with Bai Miao’s help, carried Wen Ruyu and Su Yao into Su Yao’s bedroom.
However, there was only one bed.
She couldn’t let Ji Lingyuan sleep in her own bedroom either, so she had no choice but to move Ji Lingyuan and K423 onto the sofa in the living room.
After finishing all this, Su Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Miao Miao, you’re tired, right? We’ll take a bath and go right to sleep.”
It was already 1:00 AM; it was indeed very late.
Bai Miao nodded obediently, though her eyes were fixed on Ji Lingyuan and Wen Ruyu in the bedroom.
When Su Ling looked over, she immediately retracted her gaze, her pupils dilating and losing all focus.
Su Ling scratched her head.
‘Must be an illusion. I thought Miao Miao had regained her sight.’
Su Ling smiled and didn’t pay it much mind.
She picked up Bai Miao and hummed a little tune as they went into the bedroom for a fragrant, hot bath.
“By the way, where did you buy that red wine? It tasted pretty good.”
Su Ling smacked her lips.
The wine had been sweet and quite to her liking.
“Um, it’s that bottle you brought home before, Sister.”
‘The one I brought home?’
While scrubbing Bai Miao with body wash, Su Ling tilted her head and tried to remember.
Perhaps because she had been drinking, she had no memory of it at all.
‘Ha, I probably just bought it randomly before.’
Su Ling didn’t worry about it.
“Sister, are they leaving tomorrow?”
Bai Miao suddenly asked as Su Ling was drying her off.
“Hmm… Does Miao Miao not like them?”
“I… I’m not really used to strangers.”
Su Ling felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing that.
She understood what Bai Miao meant.
In Bai Miao’s small world, none of the strangers she had encountered were good people.
It was normal to be afraid.
“Don’t worry, Sister is here.”
‘It’s precisely because I want Sister that I don’t like them,’ Bai Miao thought to herself.
“I will always be by your side. Goodnight, Miao Miao.”
“Mm, goodnight.”
Holding Bai Miao, the two of them soon drifted into dreamland.
However, Su Ling failed to notice that on Su Yao’s wine rack, the bottle she had brought back from Ji Lingyuan’s house—the one supposedly brewed by a Great Witch—was now completely empty.