Ying Bei's Self-Awareness

Duoduo had been having a rough time lately.

She'd finally managed to get her own name mentioned a few more times in her diary by spending time with Xiao Ge and Ying Bei. But then Xiao Ge had gone and mentioned someone else's name even more often.

Yesterday, she'd finally gotten her name to appear a few times, but then she'd run into that annoying guy called Young Master Xiao at the cafeteria. He'd ruined her mood all over again.

To avoid bumping into more people at the cafeteria who had diaries like hers, Duoduo decided to... go out to eat.

Thinking about all that, Duoduo took a deep breath, then put on a perfect, radiant smile. "I've eaten at the cafeteria so much lately that I'm sick of it. Why don't we eat out today? I've been wanting to go to the old city for ages! We can buy some things while we're there."

Her companion glanced at Duoduo but didn't voice any objections.

In her eyes, Duoduo's status was extraordinary. If Duoduo had given her a warning, she naturally wouldn't go against her.

And Xiao Ge wouldn't refuse either.

After all, Duoduo was the one paying. Where they ate... well, Duoduo could decide.

Seeing that neither of them objected, Duoduo's smile grew even brighter.

Honestly... she'd never be able to beat them at this rate.

[Little Mo Yu, are you there?]

[Ah... Never mind. I've completely forgotten about it! I still have to go practice my cooking!]

Under Xiao Ge's reminder, Duoduo and her companion couldn't help looking toward the long line of people gathered outside the Ouyang Family's gates.

The entrance to the Ouyang Family's estate was packed with merchants, and the crowds bustled with activity. Plenty of Ouyang Family servants were there, helping with the goods. But the people waiting in line were even more numerous, and most of them were students from the Ouyang Family.

This made Duoduo and her companion curious.

The person in charge of the line was, naturally, the diligent young master Mo Yu.

With the help of his uncle, who had been cooking for the Tang family for years, Mo Yu's little restaurant had finally gotten off the ground. He'd quickly built a name for himself in just a few days, and his business and his life were finally looking up.

Thinking of that, Duoduo couldn't help glancing at Ying Bei beside her with a grateful look.

It was thanks to her that he'd settled the cafeteria's problem and secured ingredients. She'd also given him the golden signboard for the best restaurant in the academy.

If it weren't for her, his cold, lonely family would never have enjoyed such an ordinary, peaceful life.

Aside from his relatives, she was the first person who'd treated him well. He had to repay her kindness and help her get her family's restaurant back on track.

Mo Yu believed he could do it.

As long as he could open his second martial soul with the help of his big brother, he'd surely become a powerful fighter one day, bring honor to Ying Bei, and repay her kindness.

"Little Mo Yu..."

Mo Yu had barely managed to say a few words of loyalty before he saw Uncle Tang hurrying over.

"Mo Yu, save me a seat at the restaurant! I'll be right over!"

Seeing this, Mo Yu was a little puzzled, but didn't ask anything. Instead, he got straight back to work.

Ying Bei had hurried away because she'd spotted Xiao Ge in the crowd.

Ever since the fight in her diary had changed the markings on her third soul ring, and she'd gained a life-bound soul ring, the desire she'd felt to devour and refine a soul beast had been suppressed.

Besides, her cultivation seemed to have reached a bottleneck lately.

According to Ying Bei's judgment, Xiao Ge's martial soul had awakened.

That jade-faced, pale young master the ancestor had mentioned had turned out to be a fake!

A shameless, lecherous disciple!

If not for Ying San's strength, that jade-faced young master might have ended up calling someone else his younger brother!

That was exactly why she wanted to get closer to Xiao Ge: to learn more secrets and gain more advantages.

But halfway there, she remembered Xiao Ge's lazy manner whenever he showed up in the diary, as well as Zhuo Zhuo.

Without any confirmation, she couldn't be sure whether the name in her diary belonged to Xiao Ge.

If she wanted her name to appear more often in her diary, she'd have to get closer to Xiao Ge. But wouldn't Zhuo Zhuo feel uncomfortable seeing her getting so close to another man?

Ying Bei's steps slowed, and a trace of hesitation crept into her heart.

But soon, the little devil in her heart took over, and she came up with a plan.

Zhuo Zhuo had told her about everything that had happened at the academy... The academy's great senior sister had never appeared in front of her and Zhuo Zhuo together. Zhuo Zhuo had never told her about any interaction between him and that senior sister. Wasn't that a little suspicious?

Since Zhuo Zhuo hadn't told her anything about that jade-faced young master, then there was nothing wrong with her getting close to Xiao Ge...

That was only fair.

He'd slept with her before, after all.

She just wanted to spend more time with Xiao Ge, learn some secrets, and improve her chances of getting into the inner court. Once she got in, she'd be able to stay with Zhuo Zhuo for longer.

That was all.

She just wanted to spend more time with Zhuo Zhuo.

Ying Bei finally realized where she stood.

The opportunity was right there. It all depended on how she seized it: how far she could go to make her name appear in the diary without letting Xiao Ge realize who she was.

Just as Ying Bei was hesitating, a figure emerged from the crowd and walked out of the Ouyang Family estate.

The figure, standing out from the crowd, immediately caught the eyes of a great many male students.

She looked only fourteen or fifteen, tall and slender, with long golden hair flowing over her shoulders like golden waves. Her skin was smooth and supple, and her eyes were as clear as spring water. She had an elegant, refined bearing, and a face as lovely as jade. Between her graceful brows was a beauty so striking that the surrounding crowd seemed to fade into the background.

The figure was, of course, Jiang Nannan, hailed as the prettiest girl in the outer court!

[That figure... She's been showing up so much lately. Could it really be Jiang Nannan?]

[Tsk. She's quite pretty, but what a shame she's just some passerby.]

Thinking of the diary's contents, Jiang Nannan's steps slowed. Her gaze shifted, and she quickly picked out Xiao Ge from the crowd.

Xiao Ge stood out far too much in a crowd. It was almost impossible for Jiang Nannan not to notice him.

And since Xiao Ge had mentioned his own golden hair in the diary, Jiang Nannan could easily identify him.

Toward the mysterious diary that had appeared in her mind, Jiang Nannan was always wary.

Even though the diary had already revealed some of its mysteries, and something miraculous had really happened to her, Jiang Nannan was still a hundred percent certain.

Something had happened to her... or perhaps it was a good thing she'd been waiting for.

But Xiao Ge had called her a passerby... What did that mean?

Jiang Nannan's eyes revealed a trace of confusion.