Chu You bit her lower lip, as if making up her mind about something.
She took a deep breath, raised her head, and met Lin Mo’s scrutinizing gaze.
Her tone was more serious than ever before.
“…Right now, all I can tell you is—I did it to save my life.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Mo frowned slightly, his deep eyes locked onto her.
He didn’t respond right away.
He was judging the truth of her words.
To save her life?
If what she said was true, then—who wanted her dead?
Someone high up in the Swordbearer Organization?
That was unlikely.
Although the organization’s attitude toward the yao was hardly friendly, compared to their kill-on-sight policy for Abominations, it could be considered mild.
As long as they didn’t endanger city safety or disturb social order, even if yao were found in hiding, they’d usually be arrested and detained, but if nothing was found, they’d just be expelled from the city.
Even spies got rewarded with a permanent iron rice bowl.
Direct execution was almost unheard of.
So, was it the yao themselves who wanted to deal with Senior?
Or some other, unknown force?
Several possibilities flashed through Lin Mo’s mind, but he couldn’t settle on any one answer.
Silence spread between them, broken only by the pounding beat of electronic music.
A long while passed.
Lin Mo spoke slowly, his voice betraying no emotion: “Senior, I’m not very satisfied with your answer.”
This response was within Chu You’s expectations.
She knew well that her explanation was vague and hard to believe, but she had no choice.
Whether it was her bizarre transmigration, or the plot that would have her die at his hands, she simply couldn’t explain any of it.
She let out a soft sigh, with a hint of helplessness, but her gaze remained sincere: “Trust me, Lin Mo, I have no ill intentions toward you—though I did…cough, use you when I faked my death, but apart from saying a few nasty things at the end, I didn’t really hurt you in any substantial way, right?”
Hearing this, Lin Mo paused, repeating the term: “Nasty…things?”
The next instant.
The arm wrapped around Chu You’s waist suddenly tightened, lifting her up sharply.
Chu You cried out in surprise.
Her feet left the ground in an instant, and she was hoisted until her eyes met his.
The sudden weightlessness left her flustered and she instinctively tried to wriggle free, but couldn’t budge Lin Mo’s arm at all.
Their gazes met—so close that they could see the tiniest shifts in each other’s eyes.
There was a complex, unreadable emotion brewing in Lin Mo’s gaze, like a long-suppressed undercurrent finally breaking through.
He stared at Chu You’s slightly pale face, his voice low and intense: “Senior’s nasty taste…”
Suddenly, he stopped. His words came to an abrupt halt.
That pause was just like when a teacher called your parents back in your past life—like the moment before judgment was delivered.
Chu You’s heart pounded out of control, nearly bursting from her throat.
Just as she was about to crack under the pressure of that silence, Lin Mo finally uttered the rest, each word squeezed out between his teeth: “…has brought me a lot of trouble.”
Chu You held her breath, not understanding Lin Mo’s meaning, so she didn’t dare answer.
Then, Lin Mo continued, expressionless, as if reciting a report that had nothing to do with himself: “Ever since Senior faked her death, those guys in the Seventh Tactical Squad have tried every trick to give me a hard time.”
“Especially that Qing Luan girl,” he tugged at the corner of his mouth, a wry smile that was almost helpless.
“She exposed me on the internal forum, posted denunciations, snuck into my house in the middle of the night to pour manure on my bed and stuff snakes in my wardrobe…”
With every sentence Lin Mo spoke, Chu You’s heart sank a little more, and her expression grew increasingly complex.
Her emotions were a tangled mess, bittersweet—
On one hand, she felt moved and incredulous.
Those former comrades, knowing she was yao, were still willing, after her “death,” to stand up for her, even if it meant opposing a Swordbearer of Lin Mo’s level in such extreme, childish ways.
This friendship was so heavy it made her nose sting with tears.
On the other hand…
Chu You snuck a glance at Lin Mo’s expressionless face, a faint guilty feeling arising in her heart.
Ahem, so he really did blame all of this on her.
“You know how close Qing Luan is to me,” Chu You managed a strained smile, her explanation dry. “She’s still young, don’t hold it against her.”
Lin Mo nodded slightly, his reply indifferent: “Mm, I’m not holding it against her…”
But then he changed the subject—
“But if I remember right, Senior is Qing Luan’s temporary guardian, isn’t that so?”
Lin Mo released his hand from the wall, lifting Chu You’s chin with his knuckle as a faint smirk appeared on his lips: “Daughter’s debts repaid by the mother—isn’t that fair?”
“I’m not afraid of snakes,” Chu You tried to turn her face away, but Lin Mo pinched her cheeks and turned her back, her expression disgruntled.
“Pee and poop and all that, do as you please. We’re living together now, so if it stinks, we’ll stink together.”
“I’m not that malicious.”
Lin Mo’s arm around Chu You loosened, letting her stand steadily on the ground.
He laughed, “On the contrary, I’m quite generous… Senior can make it up to me in other ways.”
Other ways?
Chu You tilted her head, frowning, puzzled by the deeper meaning in Lin Mo’s words.
But before she could figure it out, there was a soft knock at the door.
“Dong dong dong dong dong…”
Lin Mo looked down, exchanging a swift glance with Chu You.
The two separated at once, in perfect tacit understanding, as if that tense, intimate moment had never happened.
Chu You cleared her throat, lowering her head to tidy her slightly rumpled clothes.
“Coming!” she called out, hurrying over to open the door.
Outside stood Xia Ji, anxiously wringing the corner of her shirt, cheeks flushed, eyes darting away, her voice as soft as a mosquito: “You-You Jie… I-I can’t find the bathroom, so… Sorry for bothering you.”
Seeing her so timid and afraid of making a mistake, Chu You was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“There’s nothing to apologize for,” she said cheerfully, wrapping her arm around Xia Ji’s and leading her toward the guest room across the hall.
“Come on, I’ll take you… All the rooms except the esports room across from mine have private bathrooms.”
As they walked, she casually reminded, “Oh right, you’d better not go into the room next to mine. There’s something dirty in there.”
Xia Ji instinctively froze, her nerves suddenly taut.
She whipped her head around to look at Chu You, panic clear in her eyes.
“Wh-what dirty thing? You Jie, don’t scare me…”
Seeing Xia Ji go tense like a startled deer, Chu You blinked, and finally couldn’t hold back, bursting into laughter: “Pfft…hahahahaha—!”
Still laughing, she pushed open the guest room door and led the bewildered Xia Ji inside.
Only after a while did she manage to stop laughing and explain: “Not that kind of dirty thing. I just meant…it’s Lin Mo’s room.”
“Lin Mo’s room?” Xia Ji froze again, her face full of shock.
As soon as Chu You finished, she seemed to realize something herself.
Her smile stiffened, but it was too late to hide it.
Xia Ji’s panic had already been replaced by astonishment.
She covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief—and beneath the shock, a flicker of irrepressible excitement and curiosity?
“You Jie… you, you two…” Her voice rose slightly in surprise, her words filled with incredulity, “Are you two already…living together?!”
Before Chu You could explain, stars of admiration were already shining in Xia Ji’s eyes, her voice full of awe.
“So…so amazing!”