Hearing her anxious words, Qin Luo was touched. He knew Murong Liyue's personality well; she seemed elegant and aloof, but was actually strong-willed and resilient. Leaving her alone at home this time had indeed caused her a lot of suffering.
He gently took Murong Liyue's hand, looked at her tenderly, and said:
“Liyue, I understand your feelings and know that you want to walk alongside me. This feeling is very precious to me.”
"But have you forgotten our agreement? Your current focus on cultivation is the greatest help you can give me."
Upon hearing this, Murong Liyue was taken aback, and then a sense of shame welled up within her.
She lowered her eyes, not daring to meet Qin Luo's gentle and expectant gaze. She thought to herself that a month had already passed, and she should have made greater progress in her cultivation in this place rich in spiritual energy. However, she had not yet reached the half-step Spirit Control Realm, which was really disappointing Qin Luo's expectations of her.
Feeling ashamed, I could only whisper:
"Qin Luo, I understand. I will work hard to cultivate. But... but next time you go out, you must come back earlier to tell me what happened. Don't make me so worried."
Seeing her like this, Qin Luo felt a little gratified. He raised his hand and gently stroked Murong Liyue's hair, then smiled and agreed.
Dan Bingli, who was standing aside and watching coldly, snorted inwardly when she saw the two of them being so affectionate.
She, who rarely even spoke to men, already disdained such cloying scenes. Now, she found it even more boring, frowned, and became even more aloof, as if everything around her was irrelevant to her. She simply stood there quietly like a block of ice that would never melt.
Only then did Murong Liyue "seem" to notice Dan Bingli. Her gaze swept lightly over Dan Bingli before she looked away, turning instead to Qin Luo and speaking softly:
"Qin Luo, who is this young lady?"
Although it was a question, her tone carried a subtle distance, as if she was deliberately emphasizing the closer relationship between her and Qin Luo.
Seeing this, Qin Luo revealed the draft he had already prepared:
"This is Miss Dan Bingli. You must have met her before. I met her during the mission and found that she has a high level of cultivation. So I invited her here so that she can stay for a while and help me prepare for some important matters."
Upon hearing Qin Luo's introduction, Murong Liyue nodded slightly, but the scrutinizing look in her eyes did not fade.
He turned his gaze to Dan Bingli again, his tone still cool and aloof, and said:
"So it's Miss Dan. I'm sorry, Li Yue was too blind to recognize you immediately. In that case, I'll trouble Miss Dan to assist Qin Luo here. However, the preparations must be quite complicated. I wonder if you are absolutely certain that you can be of assistance?"
Although her words seemed polite, the underlying doubt was clearly audible. She was unwilling to so easily accept a strange woman moving into the residence and to be so close to Qin Luo in preparing important matters.
Dan Bingli was already frustrated by her previous failed bloodline awakening, and now, hearing Murong Liyue's sarcastic words, she merely glanced at her coldly, her expression growing even icy. After a moment of silence, she finally uttered a few words:
No need to trouble yourself.
Her brief response made Murong Liyue raise an eyebrow. She was about to make a sarcastic remark when she saw the somewhat helpless look in Qin Luo's eyes. She felt a chill and remembered that she had just promised Qin Luo that she would work hard to cultivate and not cause him any trouble because of these trivial matters.
So, she took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the jealousy in her heart, and said coldly:
"Miss Dan is indeed sparing with her words. I hope that, as you say, you can handle these preparations well and not let Qin Luo down."
After saying that, she looked at Qin Luo again, but didn't say anything more. However, her tightly clenched hands betrayed the slight grievance in her heart at that moment.
Seeing that the atmosphere had become a bit stiff again, Qin Luo knew that the initial meeting between the two had been sufficiently heated, and if it continued, it would be difficult to end the situation.
So he tried to smooth things over, saying:
"Miss Dan must be tired from your journey. Please rest in the first room on the second floor for a while. I will discuss other 'matters' with you later."
Hearing that she would finally be free from watching the two of them being all lovey-dovey, Dan Bingli didn't linger. She simply gave a cold reply and turned to walk towards the stairs.
She moved with a light and agile gait, her steps carrying a cool and distant air, and she quickly disappeared around the corner on the second floor.
Seeing Dan Bingli leave, Qin Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to look at Murong Liyue, and seeing her aggrieved expression, he gently took her smooth little hand and said softly:
"What's wrong, are you jealous?"
Upon hearing this, Murong Liyue blushed slightly. However, she did not answer Qin Luo, but instead bit her lower lip and looked at him with misty eyes.
There were only two rooms on the second floor, and the first room Qin Luo had told Dan Bingli to rest in was precisely his own room. This made her wonder what could possibly be so important that they needed to discuss it in his own room.
A moment later, the mist in Murong Liyue's eyes grew thicker, and she finally couldn't help but sob softly:
"Was there something wrong with Liyue's service last time? Is that why you're avoiding me now and discussing that 'so-called' matter with her in your own room..."
The crying was visibly trembling, and the words were full of grievance and unease.
Upon hearing this, Qin Luo's heart tightened. He gently pulled Murong Liyue into his arms with one hand and lightly stroked her back with the other, explaining:
“Liyue, why would you think that way? You’ve always been a good person, and you’re very important to me. I asked Miss Dan to go to that room simply because it was the only place on the second floor that was properly prepared for her to rest for a while.”
This explanation clearly failed to dispel Murong Liyue's suspicions. She leaned against Qin Luo's chest, sobbing silently.
“But that’s your room. You said you wanted to discuss things with her. I… I don’t want to think about it anymore.”
After hearing Murong Liyue's words, Qin Luo gently lifted Murong Liyue's chin, making her look directly into his eyes, and continued to explain:
"Liyue, to be honest, the reason I invited Miss Dan here is all for the upcoming freshman competition."
At this point, Qin Luo paused slightly, gathered his thoughts, and continued:
"As you know, this freshman competition is of great importance to us, as it concerns many aspects of our development. Miss Dan has a high level of cultivation, and her strength will be of great help to my preparations for the competition."
Qin Luo's gaze remained tenderly fixed on Murong Liyue, gently stroking her hair, his voice growing ever more gentle:
"The competition among freshmen this time is extremely fierce, with top talents from all sides gathered. If I want to achieve the best results, I have no choice but to resort to this strategy."
"Liyue, can you understand what I'm doing and help me ascend to the throne of the top freshman?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
