Chapter 52 Cherries

When Su Yunyu woke up again, he felt a throbbing headache. He rubbed his temples, opened his heavy eyelids, and looked around blankly.

Strange, where am I...?

Her consciousness seemed to have crashed. The burning sensation from the alcohol had just subsided, and her whole body felt like she was recovering from a serious illness. It took Su Yunyu a while to realize that she was in the Beast Taming Sect.

After drinking those three glasses of wine, he became less and less sober, and the more he drank, the more confused he became. He couldn't even remember how he left the room.

In the final moments of consciousness, she seemed to remember somehow reflecting on her feelings when she first participated in creating the protagonist, Long Aotian. At that time, she had only one thought: she hoped this character could be better.

If it's not good enough, how can this novel become popular?

So, excluding those possibilities, he probably wasn't drunk and acting out...

Su Yunyu, in a serious mood, swiftly launched a barrage of attacks on 111:

What happened yesterday when I was drunk?

111, munching on sunflower seeds: [Long Aotian has taken you back to your room.]

Su Yunyu frowned. Was it really that simple? Why did his memory feel so vague, like he'd been beaten up? So she asked again:

"Did anything happen after you went back to your room?"

111 spitting out sunflower seed shells: [At that moment, a strange force blinded me.]

"Oh," Su Yunyu said, intrigued, and began to think divergently again:

"Is there any possibility..."

111 interrupted him: [Do you think Long Aotian intends to do something inappropriate to you?]

Before Su Yunyu could nod, it burst into laughter:

I can sense that nothing has happened. I suspect that the magnetic field of the Child of Heaven is too strong, somewhat countering me.

"..." Su Yunyu was somewhat unwilling and repeatedly confirmed:

Are you sure nothing happened?

111: [Mmm]

Hearing this, Su Yunyu simply let the matter drop. In any case, as long as she didn't go crazy while drunk, she would never drink again.

Outside the door, Xiao Shuying leaned against a pillar in the corridor. Ever since he watched Su Yunyu fall asleep last night, he had been leaning against this pillar in silence.

The bright sunlight couldn't penetrate his deep eyes as he pondered Su Yunyu's answer from last night...

What does it mean to hope he will be better?

Is it genuine, or just a pretense?

Even after a whole night had passed, he still couldn't come up with a solution. Just as Xiao Shuying's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, she approached with light footsteps and said with a smile:

What are you doing here?

His gaze fell upon Zhu Fu, who looked exactly the same as yesterday, only appearing to be in an even better mood.

Xiao Shuying had no intention of dealing with her and remained indifferent, while Zhu Fu, although she came to see Su Yunyu, became very interested in him.

Zhu Fu stepped forward, approached Xiao Shuying, stared at his slightly impatient brow, and giggled a few times, deliberately teasing him:

"I only realized today that you are much better than Su Yunyu. What should I do? I can't stop thinking about you..."

Su Yunyu wasn't there, so Xiao Shuying didn't need to pretend. Her gaze didn't even waver upon hearing this, only a cold, mocking glint in her eyes:

"That is truly alarming. If there is nothing else, please return."

Although he was asking for a favor, that only applied to Su Yunyu.

Whether or not the missing parts of the manual can be found is not that important to Xiao Shuying. With the cultivation level of her first life, no matter how much she cultivates in this life, it will only be icing on the cake.

Seeing that Zhu Fu remained unmoved, Xiao Shuying was about to return to his room when Zhu Fu suddenly called out to him:

"etc."

Xiao Shuying stood there, not even bothering to turn her gaze, silently waiting for her next words, while Zhu Fu approached and said with a smile:

"Don't trust your master too much."

"..."

These words piqued Xiao Shuying's interest. He glanced at Zhu Fu with amusement and asked:

What do you mean by that?

"It's nothing," Zhu Fu shook her head, smiling but without any real emotion.

"He may appear upright and honest, but he is ruthless inside, so you should be careful."

Seeing Xiao Shuying lost in thought, Zhu Fu leaned closer and breathed on her with a fragrant breath:

"If he has hurt you, feel free to come to me—"

Before she could finish speaking, the door creaked open, and Xiao Shuying instinctively looked in the direction of the sound. She saw Su Yunyu walking out of the room with a tired expression, and her eyes were about to look at her the next second.

For some reason, Xiao Shuying didn't want him to misunderstand that she and Zhu Fu were getting close. But Zhu Fu just kept getting even closer, so Xiao Shuying's eyes darkened and she pushed Zhu Fu away.

This push was made without any magical power. Having maintained his persona in front of Su Yunyu for so long, he could only be innocent and harmless.

But Zhu Fu deliberately fell to the ground, cried out "Ouch!" and clutched her ankle, tearfully complaining to Su Yunyu:

"Your apprentice is so ruthless! That fall hurts so much!"

Xiao Shuying immediately glared at her with a sharp look, thinking that she had really held back just now. If that was the case, she should have died like Yin Jiang back then.

"Master, it's not like that," he hurried to Su Yunyu's side, wanting to explain, but Su Yunyu went to Zhu Fu and helped her up.

Xiao Shuying was left standing there in disbelief, staring at the two people before him, one seemingly affectionate and the other righteous. Unconsciously, his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched so tightly the veins bulged. Just as he was filled with endless regret for not killing Su Yunyu yesterday, he heard him say:

“I saw it all. He didn’t use any magic. You did it on purpose.”

"..."

Xiao Shuying loosened her clenched hand; it turned out that Su Yunyu still believed in her.

"..."

Zhu Fu, however, hadn't expected him to be so blunt. She immediately patted her shawl, chuckled twice, and said with a smile as if nothing had happened:

“I was just kidding. Let’s go, there’s a breakfast spread inside. Let’s go in and talk while we eat.”

As she spoke, she noticed Su Yunyu's eyes turn wary, and Zhu Fu then remembered something and added:

"Don't worry, I won't force you to drink anymore."

“Oh right,” Zhu Fu, still playful, covered her mouth and teased:

"You were drunk yesterday, but you claimed you were also very fond of me."

"Impossible," Su Yunyu immediately retorted.

"I don't remember saying that."

111 had already told him that Long Aotian had taken him back to his room when he got drunk. Besides, how could someone as reserved as him say such a thing?

"Okay, okay, I was just kidding."

Seeing that she had been exposed, Zhu Fu lightly flew over.

Xiao Shuying remained there, her gaze sweeping over Su Yunyu inch by inch.

He clearly remembered that he had used his spiritual power to interfere with Su Yunyu's memory last night, so that she wouldn't remember what happened when she woke up.

But why is he so certain that he didn't say that particular sentence?

Was it that his spiritual power had failed, or could Su Yunyu find out something through other means...?

Suppressing her suspicions, Xiao Shuying lowered her gaze and followed the two who had already walked forward.

Regardless, in this life, he will no longer tolerate any conspiracies or tricks.

Inside the reception hall, the banquet was as long as yesterday's, but this time the golden goblets and jade wines were removed, which relieved Su Yunyu.

He never wanted to experience being drunk again, and he couldn't understand why anyone would be so addicted to alcohol.

He avoided this awful-tasting stuff after just one sip.

To be fair, the food at the Beast Taming Sect seemed to have a distinct regional flavor compared to the banquet at the Wind Array Sect that day, mainly consisting of items unique to the Endless Corner.

Su Yunyu dared not touch anything she didn't recognize. But when she saw a plate of fruit that looked like cherries in front of her, she picked it up and took a small bite.

The familiar sweet and sour taste spread in her mouth, and Su Yunyu immediately felt extremely comfortable, focusing on enjoying the plate of cherries in front of her.

Zhu Fu, sitting in the hall, didn't rush to get straight to the point; instead, she admired Su Yunyu as if she were looking at a painting.

In terms of beauty, Zhu Fu was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women in the Fourteen Provinces. Although she wasn't as fair-skinned and delicate as some of the others, she still had her own unique charm.

However, compared to Su Yunyu, all other beauties are like fireflies compared to the bright moon. If there is a divine will, then all the favor must have been given to Su Yunyu, otherwise how could she possess such a beauty that surpasses millions of others?

Silence fell over the hall for a moment. Xiao Shuying was still pondering some clues when Su Yunyu, after eating a few bites of cherries, remembered the important matter and hurriedly asked Zhu Fu:

"I wonder when the sect leader will remember to make an exchange for that fragment of the secret manual."

"this……"

Zhu Fu took a bite of the meat, her red lips instantly becoming greasy. She chewed twice and said casually:

"I see your disciple is also exceptionally talented and handsome; how about exchanging him for him?"

Despite the clearly offensive words, Xiao Shuying was too lazy to get angry. She simply looked at Su Yunyu, trying to gauge his reaction.

Upon hearing this, Su Yunyu smiled politely.

"If that's the case, then please excuse me for taking my leave—"

After saying this, he got up to leave, but Zhu Fu stopped him:

"Hey, wait a minute, why are you like this? You can't take a joke at all."

"..."

Su Yunyu stood at the table, her gaze fixed on Zhu Fu. Zhu Fu found the gaze rather melancholic, so her smile grew even brighter.

"Please sit back down first, and let me think about it carefully."

Helpless, Su Yunyu sat back down and ate several cherries viciously as if venting her anger.

Xiao Shuying watched as he bit the bright red fruit with his pink lips, his pearly teeth stained with the luscious juice, and his soft tongue visible between his lips. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned her gaze away.

How can someone eat a cherry with such vividness and charm...

When Su Yunyu glanced at Xiao Shuying, she noticed his gaze was fixed on Zhu Fu, and he seemed quite emotional. She frowned, wondering if Long Aotian was actually quite interested in Zhu Fu's suggestion.

Just the thought of this possibility made Su Yunyu feel uneasy. He reached out and pinched Xiao Shuying's forearm—

Then I found that the muscles were too stiff and I couldn't twist them, so I had to silently withdraw my hand as if nothing had happened.

Just as she was halfway back, Xiao Shuying's large hand grabbed hers, the heat instantly covering her skin. Su Yunyu's heart tightened, and she tried to quickly pull away, but his gaze fell upon her, his tone innocent:

"Master, what's wrong?"

Su Yunyu remained silent, stubbornly trying to free her hand from Xiao Shuying's grasp, but finding it impossible, she could only suppress her anger.

"Are you interested in her too?"

Xiao Shuying was taken aback at first, then realized who she was referring to. Seeing Su Yunyu's restrained expression, she felt a surge of pleasure and released his hand, explaining:

"Master, you misunderstand. I did not mean that."

Seeing that he had finally withdrawn his hand, Su Yunyu quickly tucked it into her bosom, inwardly cursing Long Aotian for his incredible strength, which had hurt her hand. Now, hearing that he didn't mean it that way, she felt relieved and added a few more words:

"Remember this, never let yourself be seduced by beauty."

If Long Aotian really falls in love with some great beauty at first sight, wouldn't he become the biggest clown?

Xiao Shuying looked at his parted pink lips, tinged with apricot pink by cherry juice, and even seemed to smell the fragrance of his breath. Her throat tightened, and she asked inexplicably:

"Can even Master bewitch people?"

Just then, an urgent report came from outside the hall:

"Sect Master, something terrible has happened—"

The two overlapped, and Su Yunyu didn't understand, so she asked:

"What did you say"

Xiao Shuying seemed to snap out of her daze, picked up a cherry and crushed it between her fingers, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and spoke calmly:

"nothing."

If we're talking about beauty, you're the most alluring one.

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Author's Note: I read a novel today that made my stomach hurt with anger. I don't understand how someone can be emotionally involved with one person while also having sexual relations with another. It's infuriating! I definitely still prefer the "true love above all else" couple [Clown].