Why wasn't Chapter 33 about revealing one's identity mentioned?
Xie Yunying was startled and looked in the direction of the sound.
A light snow fell yesterday, and overnight, the courtyard was painted a dazzling, seamless white. The person who slowly entered the courtyard behind the maid was dressed in a black brocade robe with a gold belt around his waist. He was tall and handsome, with striking features, like a masterpiece of traditional Chinese ink painting.
In short, he did not look like an ordinary person, but more like a fallen immortal rolling in the snow.
However, Xie Yunying had no time to appreciate the beautiful scenery and the beautiful women.
She felt only terror at that moment.
Xie Yunying: "Holy crap! System, what's Xie Qingyu doing here?!"
System: "Master, I suddenly have a bad feeling..."
Before Xie Yunying could react, Madam Wang, who was sitting beside her, had already put down her embroidery. With her eyes sparkling and her face full of joy, Madam Wang quickly went to the door and took her eldest son's hand.
She smiled broadly and said, "It's Yu'er! Come in and sit down quickly, it's too cold outside, don't catch a cold."
"Look at you, you're dressed too lightly. Why aren't you wearing that white fox fur coat?"
Xie Qingyu let Wang lead him into the house and sit down. Hearing this, he simply smiled gently and said, "It's alright, Mother. The weather is much warmer today than it was a few days ago."
Xie Yunying stole a glance at Xie Qingyu, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Just then, Madam Wang smiled and said, "Yu'er is busy with official duties, and Ying'er is always mischievous and never home. It's truly rare that you two can come to this courtyard to chat with me."
"Ying'er was just telling me that she asked if I'd noticed anything strange about you lately..."
Xie Yunying turned pale: "Mother! You just promised me you wouldn't tell my older brother!"
Madam Wang waved her sleeve and said, "Hey, child, this is your older brother, not some other person. What is there that can't be said?"
Xie Yunying: "......."
Xie Yunying: "System, I'm really done for this time. You might as well pack up and prepare to receive my corpse."
System: "Host, cheer up!!"
Madam Wang said earnestly, "I think the child feels neglected because you've been too busy since you returned to the manor. Ying'er is too embarrassed to throw a tantrum at you, so she came to me."
Looking at Xie Yunying, who looked utterly dead, Xie Qingyu's smile deepened. "So that's how it is. Yu'er didn't know."
Madam Wang comforted her, "I don't mean to blame you. But Yu'er, I also feel that you've been too busy these days. During the holidays, you and your father are nowhere to be seen. What's going on?"
"You take things too seriously. Everyone tries to shirk their duties, so it's a case of whoever is the most diligent suffers. You need to learn from others in this respect and stop pushing yourself so hard."
As Wang Shi aged, she often spoke incoherently, repeating what she had just said in a different way. Xie Yunying felt her ears were about to grow calluses every time, and it was really hard for her to bear listening to her.
But she noticed that Xie Qingyu listened very attentively, nodding from time to time, as if he were truly a dutiful son.
Xie Yunying silently thought to herself, "Load the cargo."
System: "......" I really want to laugh, but I don't dare.
Madam Wang finally poured out all the private words she had been holding back for so long. Seeing that it was already midday outside, drowsiness began to creep in. The maid, who was very perceptive, noticed Madam Wang covering her nose and yawning softly, so she stepped forward and gave a slight curtsy: "Madam, it is already past noon, you should prepare to rest."
Wang nodded: "Alright, I'm a little sleepy too."
"Yu'er, Ying'er, you should go back to your rooms first."
Xie Yunying felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly put down the crooked and terrible embroidery she was holding. Xie Qingyu on the other side also stood up gracefully with a smile on her face.
The maids bowed and began clearing away the teacups and dishes on the table.
After Wang was helped into the inner room, Xie Yunying was about to run away with her maid when Xie Qingyu called out to her, "Second sister."
Xie Yunying braked too hard and almost fell flat on her face.
She turned around stiffly, only to hear Xie Qingyu, who was standing behind the threshold, say with a gentle smile, "Yesterday I received a set of purple jade chess pieces from Lord Zhang. It is made of the finest warm jade, but I rarely play chess with others, so I fear that such a gem would be wasted. Second sister has always loved these exquisitely crafted items, so I thought I might as well give them to you."
"What does Second Sister think?"
When Xie Yunying heard that it was to deliver something to her, she became less wary.
Xie Yunying breathed a sigh of relief: "That scared me to death. I thought he was going to settle scores with me."
System: "He probably won't be that blatant, right? He hasn't even left the Wang family's courtyard yet, so he wouldn't dare do anything to you."
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, all of which slowly transformed into a lovely smile on Xie Yunying's face. She nodded and curtsied, "Then Ying'er thanks elder brother for the gift."
Xie Qingyu smiled and said, "No need to be so polite. I've finished my official business for today. Would you like to play a game of chess in my courtyard, Second Sister?"
Looking at the kind smile on this person's face, Xie Yunying couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope rising in her heart again.
Xie Yunying: "System, I think I can still be saved."
The system encouraged, "I also think so. Host, don't give up so easily! Maybe Xie Qingyu didn't notice anything at all? There might still be a chance!"
Xie Yunying: "I also think that we can take this opportunity to test his chess skills and see if we are on par."
Xie Yunying agreed, and the two of them, along with a group of servants, arrived at Xie Qingyu's Frost-Spraying Courtyard.
The chessboard was placed in the east wing, which was also where Xie Qingyu usually worked at home. The servants were all guarding the courtyard and the porch.
Xie Qingyu pushed the door open and gestured for Xie Yunying to go in first.
Xie Yunying entered the side room. The bookshelves on the walls were all made of yellow pear wood, with fine wood grain and an amber color, displaying various ancient books and scrolls. Several closed folded books were on the table, and the inkstone was idle, the ink having dried up.
Only the bronze stove in the corner burned brightly. A bone-chilling warmth gradually spread, and a faint yet cool fragrance of pine and cypress filled the air.
Xie Yunying looked around but didn't see the purple jade chess set Xie Qingyu had mentioned. A little puzzled, she turned back to look. "Big brother, is that chess set in this room—"
When she turned around, she happened to see Xie Qingyu closing the wooden door.
The scene of deep winter was cut off outside the door. The plum blossoms braving the snow in relief on the door were exquisitely crafted, yet they still could not compare to the face of Xie Qingyu standing before the door. She was dignified and divine, with unparalleled elegance.
Xie Yunying was somewhat stunned.
Xie Qingyu stood by the door watching her, her smile slowly fading.
He said softly, "You're not Xie Yunying, are you?"
Xie Qingyu didn't even use a questioning tone, but rather a declarative sentence.
Xie Yunying was truly terrified. Cold sweat poured down her back, her face was frozen stiff, and she stammered, "Huh? Big-big brother, what are you talking about? Who else could I be but Xie Yunying?"
Xie Qingyu slowly spoke: "What was the person who sent you thinking? 'Xie Yunying' is an unruly and unruly noble lady from a prestigious family, whose entire being exudes arrogance. And you are kind, obedient, and timid as a mouse, not even daring to scold or beat the servants in the mansion. Don't you think your acting is extremely clumsy?"
"......."
"Your methods of testing people are too stupid. Sending food and drink and bribing servants are one thing, but what part of your body did you use to come up with a carriage? It certainly doesn't seem like you used your brain. If I hadn't been too busy to deal with you the other day, I wouldn't have bothered to play along with your act."
"......."
“Last time you hid in Xie Zhi’s study, I guessed it was just a coincidence. But then you went to rummage through the stove, that wasn’t a coincidence, was it? I found it strange at the time, and thought you wanted to know what the Xie family was planning, but I didn’t expect that you were actually suspicious of me.”
Xie Qingyu looked at her with a forced smile, her gentle tone tinged with a hint of unease, "Don't be nervous. I've already told you so much, which means I at least don't intend to kill you outright. You can still keep your dog's life."
Xie Yunying was so frightened she almost fainted.
At this critical moment, the system not only failed to help, but also frantically sounded its alarm in her mind.
The piercing alarm blared in her ears. Xie Yunying's teeth chattered, her brain was running out of capacity, and she was already somewhat delirious. When she opened her mouth, it carried a sense of heroic sacrifice: "What do you want to do... I'm telling you, don't even think about touching a single hair on my head! I am a flower of the motherland, a pillar of the future, a glorious member of the Communist Youth League! I will never surrender to a lawbreaker like you!"
By the time she realized what she had said, it was too late.
Xie Yunying was surprised to see Xie Qingyu in front of him. His gaze towards her changed repeatedly, as if he had seen someone passing by on the street wearing their underwear on their head, which was both unbelievable and hard to believe.
Finally, as if having finished his consideration, he paused for a moment and then spoke:
"Prosperity, democracy, civility, and harmony?"
Xie Yunying: "......."
Xie Yunying: "...freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law."
The two looked at each other, and the tense atmosphere that could have been ignited by a single spark instantly relaxed.
Xie Qingyu smiled kindly again: "I see, what a coincidence. You're also a transmigrator."
Xie Yunying, who had narrowly escaped death, breathed a heavy sigh of relief, feeling completely relaxed.
Looking at Xie Qingyu again, Xie Yunying felt that everything about her was pleasing to the eye, and a sense of closeness arose spontaneously: "Yes, is it the same for you?"
Xie Qingyu: "Yes, just like you, I transmigrated from reality into this book."
Xie Yunying was already cursing in her mind: "Holy crap, that scared me to death! System, you never told me there were other transmigrators in this world!? If there were other transmigrators, why didn't you say so earlier!"
The alarm in my head stopped, but the system didn't respond either; it was as if it were dead.
Xie Yunying sensed something was wrong. From the very beginning, she had a very strong premonition that disaster was about to befall her, which had been lingering in her mind and had not dissipated even now.
Xie Qingyu continued with a smile, "By the way, let me introduce myself. My name is Xie Qingyu, the same name as this character. I used to be a history researcher, specializing in cutting-edge research on ancient Chinese civilization."
"What did you do for a living before? Do you remember how you got here?"
Xie Yunying quickly replied, "My name is Xie Yunying, which is the same as the character's name. I am a student at Huajing Normal University, and I haven't graduated yet; I'm a junior."
"After I got home, I took a nap and woke up in a strange white space. A guy who claimed to be the main system told me that I had accidentally died suddenly and that if I wanted to be resurrected and return to reality, I had to make a deal with them to help the Transcendent Bureau complete its mission. I agreed, and that's how I ended up here."
Xie Qingyu exclaimed, "Ah, I see. So, you have to complete the tasks assigned by the system here before you can go home?"
Xie Yunying nodded: "Yes."
"Have they already given you a task? Or is your task to impersonate Xie Yunying?"
Xie Yunying shook her head: "It's not just that. Besides playing the role of 'Xie Yunying' well and not being out of character, I also have to assist the system to ensure that the plot of this book can develop normally."
The smile on Xie Qingyu's face suddenly disappeared.
He repeated: "Ensure the plot develops normally?"
Xie Yunying: "Hmm, it sounds simple, right? But when you get down to the details, you'll find it's actually quite difficult. Since I transmigrated here, many things have changed from the original book. I'm starting to worry that the ending of this book might change."
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, Xie Yunying was actually very happy. Having finally found a companion, Xie Yunying poured out her troubles without even noticing that Xie Qingyu had long since stopped smiling.
At that moment, a buzzing sound of electricity flashed through my mind, followed by the system's familiar electronic voice: "Host!"
Xie Yunying said in surprise, "You're finally back! What happened to you just now? I called you so many times and you didn't answer—"
The system anxiously said, "Host, do not reveal the details of our mission to Xie Qingyu!"
Xie Yunying was stunned: "Huh? Why?"
The electrical crackling was deafening, and the system's voice sounded somewhat unsteady: "Host, do you remember when you first came to this world, I told you that this plane's rating was 'Critical Level'? That's because the main system kept detecting that there were intruders from outside the plane."
"The main program rated this intruder's abilities very high. He clearly knows the original plot and has high intelligence, mobility, and counter-surveillance capabilities. At the same time, he is also very knowledgeable about ancient common sense and can disguise himself as an ancient person very well without being exposed for so long. For some purpose, this intruder has been disrupting the plot development, which is why the plane rating has soared."
"The initial screening results of the main system show that Xie Qingyu is the intruder."
"His arrival in this world must have been an accident. If it wasn't a malicious intrusion, even the main system couldn't eliminate him directly. The mission objective of the Transmigration Bureau is clearly contrary to this outsider's objective. If he discovers your identity, he might do something to restrict your actions, and then your mission will be completely over!"
Xie Yunying grew increasingly panicked as she listened, and before she knew it, cold sweat had broken out on her back. She weakly opened her mouth: "...But I just told him. He already knows everything about our mission."
system:"......"
Xie Yunying looked tremblingly at Xie Qingyu in front of her. The clear light shone through the latticework, and five-petaled flowers swirled on the wooden floor. A corner of a petal climbed up the hem of the black robe that hung to the ground, swaying and shining.
Xie Qingyu stood where the light couldn't reach, her usually warm and gentle dark eyes now showing a hint of coldness.
Xie Qingyu gazed at her quietly, her beautiful eyebrows curving slightly, her smile insincere: "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Go on."
Xie Yunying: "......."
Someone please save her!
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