The Wind Is a Little Rowdy Today / I Thought I Could Do Whatever I Wanted ...

Today, the wind was a little restless

But Zhang Mou still looked disgusted with Xiangyi. "I don't know. If I did, I wouldn't be Xiangyi's guardian now."

As she spoke, Zhang Mou seemed to grow angrier, then told her just how unbearable Xiangyi had been over the years.

She'd always opposed Zhang Mou and treated her like an enemy. She had no understanding of how the world worked. If not for Zhang Mou, someone would have beaten Xiangyi to death for being so rigid.

"She didn't have any friends, either. She'd spend every day clutching a stack of books, and whenever she smiled at me, I always felt like she wanted to kill me." Zhang Mou's dislike for her was even more intense. Shuxuan didn't want to bad-mouth Xiangyi, so she could only listen while Zhang Mou vented.

But once Zhang Mou finished, Shuxuan still added something.

"Auntie, Little Yi's grown up now. She cleans my place every day and doesn't cause trouble. She never stays out from sunrise until late at night." Shuxuan tried her best to make Xiangyi sound good, but even she didn't believe what she'd just said.

Last night, Shuxuan had seen Xiangyi at the hotel with her own eyes. The words "I'm here to cause trouble" might as well have been written all over her face. But after thinking it over, Shuxuan decided not to mention it.

Zhang Mou seemed even angrier. Shuxuan could only change the subject. "By the way, that waitress yesterday was so pretty." She'd only meant to change the topic and see whether everyone else, like her, failed to recognize Xiangyi's face.

Strangely, Zhang Mou's temper, which had seemed so fiery just moments ago, calmed down. Her expression softened, too.

"She really was pretty."

"Auntie, when you first went in yesterday, didn't you scold her and say she looked like a fox spirit trying to seduce rich men?" Shuxuan was at a loss. She felt that something must have happened between Zhang Mou and Xiangyi, but she couldn't guess what. It seemed to her that whatever it was might be the key to improving their relationship.

"That was because I didn't know what kind of person she was. She's gentle and patient." Zhang Mou's gaze began to drift, and the smile at the corners of her mouth was unmistakable. Her fondness for the glasses-free version of Xiangyi was far beyond anything she could keep off her face.

"Besides, I think those siblings suddenly started being nice to me because of her." Zhang Mou smiled sweetly, and her guess was probably right.

"Sounds like you two really had a long chat. I wish things could be like that between you and Little Yi." Shuxuan's expression was helpless, but she couldn't tell Zhang Mou the truth.

Zhang Mou, who had just seemed so mild, bared her claws again. "Not a chance. That kid was rotten to the core!" She sounded like she was gritting her teeth. It seemed the original Xiangyi had put her through a lot, from childhood onward.

Xiangyi, who was now the person in question, felt even more helpless. She shifted to get a more comfortable position for eavesdropping, only to turn and find the flower spirits looking at her with contempt.

Hua Nu: Flower Master, I didn't realize you were this fond of causing trouble wherever you went.

Shaoyao: Flower Master, even I wasn't that much of a brat when I was little.

The two of them had put it differently, but their meaning was exactly the same. Xiangyi ignored Hua Nu's hint. Zhang Mou's hatred of Xiangyi was entirely understandable, but Xiangyi's dislike of Zhang Mou was just as justified.

Even now, Xiangyi's body instinctively felt some resistance toward Zhang Mou.

Xiangyi: Since you're both so free, go make some trouble. Just don't scare them to death.

Xiangyi had no choice but to fob them off and send them to keep busy.

Hua Nu: Ah, I suddenly feel a little bad. But what can I say? You're the Flower Master.

Shaoyao: Exactly. Flower Master, you're terrifying.

Xiangyi's face darkened at their teasing, but in her heart she cursed this rotten world. To keep the story moving along smoothly, it had imagined Xiangyi's childhood as downright deranged, pushing Zhang Mou and Xiangyi to the point of mutual hatred.

Zhang Mou, who shouldn't have been a flower spirit at all, had suddenly become one. That made Xiangyi realize that she was the reason Zhang Mou had been so physically and emotionally exhausted.

No matter what, she was a Harem Harvester without feelings. Xiangyi reminded herself of that, only to see Hua Nu and Shaoyao already starting to create a series of ghostly disturbances.

The television switched on by itself and played a blank screen. The cup beside it suddenly shattered, and music started playing. They turned the volume up as loud as it would go, making the two women shriek in terror.

Then Xiangyi had the housekeeper, Little Grass, tell a ghost story. She said that someone who'd lived in the house decades ago had committed suicide, building the frightening atmosphere to its peak. Shuxuan, who had been calmer than Zhang Mou, was scared out of her wits, too. But with Zhang Mou holding on to her, they had no choice but to stay in the room.

Eight o'clock...

Eleven o'clock...

Little Grass, the housekeeper, finished her shift. The two women tried desperately to persuade her to stay, but she made an excuse and hurried off. Shuxuan wanted to leave, but Zhang Mou held her back.

As for the two helpers, they'd already been sent to look after Prince Qin. That left only the two women in the house.

"Auntie, Little Yi's waiting for me at home. Can I leave first?"

"No, Shuxuan. Stay here tonight. I'm really scared."

Things had gone completely differently from what Xiangyi expected. If Shuxuan stayed over tonight, Xiangyi worried she might go home tomorrow. Anxious, Xiangyi heard Shuxuan ignore the script completely and say, "But Little Yi still needs someone to look after her. Why don't you come home with me?"

Zhang Mou gave her an even stranger look, as if Xiangyi were scarier than a ghost, then said, "No. I'll stay at a hotel tonight."

As she spoke, she took Shuxuan by the hand and headed outside.

The plot had completely veered off course. Xiangyi stared in astonishment, unsure what to do.

But then she thought about it. Shuxuan's home was a home, Zhang Mou's home was a home, and besides, it was her own home, too. If she took Muning to the original home, that seemed more reasonable and comfortable.

Most importantly, she'd already scared them off.

Shaoyao: Well, what do we do now that they've left?

Xiangyi: It's fine. Zhang Mou was scared so badly, she probably won't come back for days.

After reassuring them, Xiangyi put on her hooded jacket and climbed out the window again. She saw that Shuxuan's car had already started. Zhang Mou was sitting inside, and the two women were nervously peering back into the house.

Xiangyi thought it over, picked up a leaf, gathered her qi, and flung it toward a tree beside them. In an instant, it was as if the leaf had been given a strange power, stirring up a bitterly cold wind.

Shuxuan and Zhang Mou didn't dare wait any longer. They immediately drove off.

After checking the scene and making sure she'd left no trace, Xiangyi quickly ran after the car to find out where Zhang Mou would spend the night, so she could keep causing trouble.

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I Thought I Could Do Whatever I Wanted

The car was going fast, but it wasn't hard for Xiangyi to keep up. Instead, she worried the two of them might get into an accident while fleeing in a panic. Fortunately, although Shuxuan had started out driving fast, she was mindful of her passenger's safety and soon slowed down.

Zhang Mou kept looking around as Xiangyi followed them. She watched them take several more turns, apparently still unsure what to do, before they finally headed toward Shuxuan's place. Xiangyi was annoyed, but in the end she didn't follow them. She took out her skateboard, hopped on, and flew away.

It took her only ten minutes to get to Shuxuan's place. Xiangyi climbed in through the window, turned on the television, changed into casual clothes, and sat down to watch.

About half an hour later, the door finally opened. Shuxuan came in first, with a reluctant Zhang Mou following behind her.

It looked like Zhang Mou had hesitated and struggled for a while before finally deciding to stay at Shuxuan's place. But there was only one bed, which meant that Xiangyi, the junior, would have to sleep on the sofa tonight.

Still, that was nothing compared to being discovered.

"Wel...come back..." Xiangyi made sure to get her expression right. When she saw Zhang Mou's reluctance, she showed it at once. Zhang Mou was awkward, too, but still managed to greet her.

"Little Yi, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Shuxuan tried to ease the tension, as if smoothing things over might keep Xiangyi from having such a miserable time in Heaven City.

Xiangyi nodded, then pointed to the fruit she'd just washed on the table. "Auntie, have some fruit."

At last, Zhang Mou's taut nerves eased a little, though she still didn't sit down. Shuxuan had no choice but to sit between them and act as a bridge.

Silence. More silence...

"Come to think of it, that was really frightening. Something like this happened at the library, too. I wonder if what happened today was connected to what happened there." Shuxuan could only break the awkward silence herself, bringing up the terrifying events at Zhang Mou's house.

Xiangyi's expression barely changed. She looked indifferent, which suited the way she acted around Zhang Mou.

Zhang Mou glanced at Xiangyi. Seeing that she was as usual, she said, "If a certain someone weren't away, I'd have thought that someone had pulled a prank just to scare me."

Her words were quite cutting. Her fear had turned into resentment. Zhang Mou seemed to be deliberately provoking Xiangyi, but Xiangyi wasn't the original Xiangyi anymore. Nothing like that could sway her now. She thought for a moment, then held out the plate in front of her. "Auntie, have some watermelon to cool off."

Shuxuan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gratefully at Xiangyi.

In this pointless quarrel, Shuxuan was clearly the most innocent. Xiangyi didn't mind causing trouble, but she still had to show some consideration for Shuxuan, who was a flower spirit.

As for Zhang Mou, it seemed her body instinctively rejected Xiangyi. She had no idea what kind of love-hate relationship the two of them had.

"Since none of us have eaten, why don't we go out for a meal?" Shuxuan tried to smooth things over again. Zhang Mou shook her head. "I'm on a diet. You two go ahead."

She got up and went into the bathroom, as if she didn't want to be in the same room as Xiangyi.

The apartment consisted of only one living room, one bedroom, and one bathroom. With three people there, it felt cramped. Shuxuan could only take Xiangyi outside with her. It wasn't until they were in the elevator that she said, "I'm sorry. It all happened so suddenly, and we were both scared. If Auntie hadn't been with me, I think I would've had to call you before I dared come home."

Xiangyi was a little confused. "Doesn't Auntie stay here at night?"

Shuxuan smiled and said lightly, "I knew you two wouldn't get along, so I tactfully asked Auntie to stay at a nearby hotel for the night."

"Was that thing really so scary? It frightened Zhang Mou that badly?" Xiangyi, the one responsible, put on an act and asked. Shuxuan gave her a more detailed account of what she'd seen that day.

"For a moment, I thought it was you. But I figured that even if you really hated Auntie and wanted revenge, you wouldn't play a prank on me, too. So I thought of what happened at the library. Maybe the two things are connected." Shuxuan sounded even more thoughtful. Xiangyi guiltily looked away.

As it happened, she was exactly the kind of person who'd do anything to achieve her goals. But she could only bluff her way through the topic and say, "Still, staying at a hotel isn't a long-term solution. We need to get to the bottom of this."

"Who knows with something like this? What if we bring someone over and the ghost doesn't show up? Besides, Auntie's become more and more sensitive. When we talked about it on the way, she was very opposed to having strangers come to her home, let alone stay the night." Shuxuan sighed. They were already walking down the street, so there was no need to worry about Zhang Mou overhearing them.

But her words gave Xiangyi an idea.

"You said she doesn't want a stranger staying over. I wouldn't count as a stranger, and my powers have only just awakened. Maybe I could help." Just when Xiangyi was worrying about how to keep other people from staying with Muning for the night, she'd accidentally created an awkward situation like this.

Shuxuan seemed to think that made sense, but she considered it for a moment before saying, "I'll ask Auntie what she thinks first."

Xiangyi nodded. They went to the first floor and had dinner at a nearby shop. When they got back, Zhang Mou was asleep on the sofa. She seemed exhausted, but her posture was still elegant. Curled up like that, she looked painfully short on a sense of security.

Shuxuan hurriedly asked Xiangyi to get a blanket, but Zhang Mou woke up at once and watched Xiangyi warily. Shuxuan spoke up again, drawing Zhang Mou's attention back to her. "Auntie, if you're tired, why didn't you sleep in my room?"

"No, I just dozed off. What time is it...? Are you going to bed?" Zhang Mou yawned and glanced at the time. It was already past eleven, so she quickly got up.

Today, she was dressed casually, which made her look even younger and more radiant. It was just a shame that the dark circles under her eyes were so pronounced. She looked as if she'd been under a great deal of stress lately.

After nearly being hurt by that uncle from the Qin family yesterday, Zhang Mou still seemed to be on the verge of physical or mental collapse, despite putting on a strong front.

"Auntie, why don't you stay? I'll sleep on the sofa tonight." Shuxuan couldn't bear to see her like this. But Zhang Mou glanced at Xiangyi and said, "No. I'm not used to sleeping with strangers."

And the "stranger" she meant was clearly Xiangyi.

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Shuxuan followed Zhang Mou toward the door. "Then I'll walk you out, Auntie."

Zhang Mou shook her head. "No need. You're busy enough with work every day. You've had a long day even after getting off work." But even she didn't seem all that sure of what she was saying.

She hadn't driven, and the long walk felt even more frightening to her. Especially after what had just happened, she was even more worried something dirty might latch onto her.

"Then... Little Yi, why don't you walk Auntie back to the hotel?" Shuxuan turned to Xiangyi, as if she'd deliberately laid the groundwork for this request. Xiangyi wasn't keen, but Shuxuan tightened her grip on Xiangyi's arm, silently signaling her with her eyes.

Xiangyi had no choice but to say, "Auntie, I'll walk you back. The neighborhood around here isn't as safe as yours."

Zhang Mou had wanted to refuse, but Xiangyi had hit on what frightened her most.

Xiangyi said nothing more and went to put on her shoes. Zhang Mou thought about it, then swallowed the refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue. They left together, with Xiangyi leading the way. Zhang Mou followed behind in her high heels, their footsteps tapping on the ground.

Neither of them spoke. One simply led the way while the other followed, and the silence between them was frightening.

Hua Nu and Shaoyao were naturally following beside them, too. Seeing how strange the atmosphere was, they couldn't help teasing Xiangyi about how she and Zhang Mou got along.

Shaoyao: It's hard to believe that this woman can be so outgoing when she's alone with you.

Hua Nu: Be clear. She's outgoing when she's with Hua Linglong. Sometimes people are more willing to show their true selves around strangers.

Xiangyi: Easy for you to say. I'm not the one who wants things to be like this. It's just...

Xiangyi was speechless. She wanted to tell them she didn't want to be saddled with this, either. But she knew there was no point trying to explain, so she simply slowed down a little to match Zhang Mou's pace. It wasn't because she wanted to improve their relationship; they'd reached their destination.

"Auntie, this is the place."

"Oh, thank you."

Zhang Mou looked up at the building, then went inside and spoke to the person at the front desk. She soon booked a room and was shown upstairs.

Seeing that she was no longer needed, Xiangyi quickly returned home. Shuxuan had already showered and changed into her pajamas. She sat with her legs crossed, watching the television. When she saw Xiangyi come back, she merely nodded before continuing to click through the channels, absorbed in searching for something.

Xiangyi sat down beside her and picked up an apple to eat.

"What are you watching?"

"I'm checking whether anything like what happened to us has happened elsewhere. Guess what I found?"

Shuxuan put on a mysterious air. Xiangyi felt no ripple of concern, knowing she definitely hadn't left behind a single clue.

"This is so boring. But it really is strange. There's no local news about anything like this, and no one's talking about anything similar on their social media or anywhere else. It's as if Auntie and I were the only ones it happened to." Shuxuan began analyzing the situation. She looked at Xiangyi as though she were starting to consider whether Xiangyi had anything to do with it.

Xiangyi kept her expression calm, but inside she was panicking. She'd forgotten that the heroines' intelligence could kick in at any time. That was why she always checked the scene carefully, to make sure she hadn't left behind any clues. But even after doing everything perfectly, she was still suspected because of that invisibility skill.

Shuxuan only watched her for a few seconds, then looked away and laughed at herself.