Nara Luling slowly lifted her lowered head, a hint of guilt flickering in her eyes as she cautiously glanced at Shi Xiu.
At that glance, her heart clenched. She saw that Shi Xiu's already stern face had darkened, as black and ominous as the sky before a storm.
Nara Luling felt her heart thumping wildly, like a little rabbit trapped inside her chest.
She forced out a smile, hoping to hide her unease and embarrassment, but it looked more like a grimace than a smile.
Stammering, Nara Luling said to Shi Xiu, "M-Master Shi Xiu, what I said just now... th-those were all things I said in my sleep! Hehehe... Please don't take them to heart!"
After she finished, she scratched the back of her head, trying to look innocent.
Shi Xiu stared at Nara Luling's utterly awkward expression. The anger still blazed inside him, but for some reason, as time passed, it gradually died down.
Perhaps Nara Luling's comical expression had helped.
In the end, Shi Xiu sighed helplessly and shook his head.
His gaze remained fixed on Nara Luling, equal parts exasperated and amused. Then he pointed at the door and spoke in a slightly displeased but fairly calm tone.
"Enough, enough. Get out, quickly! I need to get some proper rest. I don't have time to mess around with you here."
At his words, Nara Luling felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and secretly rejoiced.
The heart she had been holding in suspense finally settled back into her chest, and she immediately felt much more at ease.
Nara Luling let out a long breath, then sprang up from her seat at lightning speed. She nimbly slipped past Shi Xiu and dashed toward the door like a gust of wind.
In the blink of an eye, she had disappeared outside, leaving only the sound of her hurried footsteps echoing through the room.
Shi Xiu watched Nara Luling's slightly flustered figure quietly. A helpless look crossed his face, and he shook his head.
Then Shi Xiu slowly turned around, ready to straighten his pillow.
But just as he was about to lie down, a thought suddenly crossed his mind—hadn't Nara Luling just accidentally clamped his pillow between her thighs?
Shi Xiu sighed helplessly and had to set the pillow aside for now.
Then he slowly lay down on the bed, trying to drift off to sleep as soon as possible.
But without his pillow for support, Shi Xiu tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. No matter how he adjusted his position, he couldn't find a comfortable way to rest.
In the end, Shi Xiu couldn't stand it anymore. Gritting his teeth, he sat up and couldn't help looking at the lonely pillow beside the bed.
After a struggle with himself, Shi Xiu decided to pick up the pillow again and tuck it under his head.
As Shi Xiu lay back down, he instinctively twitched his nose.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he seemed to catch a faint, delicate fragrance rising from the pillow.
The scent brushed softly across Shi Xiu's nostrils like a gentle breeze, stirring his heart and leaving him unsettled for a long while.
Time galloped by like a horse that had broken free of its reins, and before long, dusk was approaching.
Shi Xiu was still deep in sleep when he suddenly jolted upright, as if badly frightened. His body trembled with fear, and he gasped for breath, as though trying to expel every last bit of stale air from his chest.
"Oh, my god! That was terrifying!" Shi Xiu muttered, still shaken, swallowing to ease his dry throat.
Shi Xiu's face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He clearly hadn't yet recovered from the nightmare.
It turned out that Shi Xiu had just had an absolutely terrifying dream. In it, after enduring countless hardships, he finally found a way back to Blue Star. Overjoyed, he eagerly bid Minato and the others farewell, one by one.
But Shi Xiu never imagined that such a calamity would befall him on the night before he was due to leave.
That night, Nara Luling and Reina, two women who seemed gentle and charming, had secretly drugged him.
When the drug took effect, Shi Xiu's whole body went limp and his limbs were powerless. He couldn't resist their abuse at all.
Then something even more terrifying happened: Shi Xiu watched helplessly as his hands and feet were brutally broken, before the two of them locked him up.
Even now, the nightmare was still vivid in his mind, making Shi Xiu shudder.
Shi Xiu couldn't help thinking to himself, So this is what they mean by a yandere turning dark!
As the saying went, falling in love with a yandere made for a dramatic story, but being loved by one was nothing less than a full-blown disaster!
Shi Xiu slowly raised his head and looked out the window at the darkening sky. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm the turmoil inside and steady himself.
After a brief pause, Shi Xiu slowly sat up. He stretched at length, then flexed his limbs, stiff from lying in bed for so long.
Once his body had loosened up a little, Shi Xiu slowly got to his feet and headed outside, his steps somewhat heavy.
When he reached the doorway, he immediately saw Nara Luling standing quietly outside.
Nara Luling was wearing a light purple dress. Her figure was graceful, and she stood like a slender, elegant flower.
A gentle breeze stirred her silky hair and the hem of her dress, making her look like a beautiful painting.
Nara Luling felt somewhat anxious. She had asked Kushina for advice about her outfit, and since it was her first time wearing a dress like this, she felt very uncomfortable.
But Nara Luling remembered Kushina telling her that dressing like this would surely make Master Shi Xiu forgive her. She wasn't sure whether that was true.
Shi Xiu, however, wasn't in the mood to admire the lovely sight. The moment he saw Nara Luling, he couldn't help remembering the terrifying nightmare he had just experienced.
A chill ran up his spine, and he couldn't help shuddering violently.
Still, Shi Xiu took a deep breath, trying to appear calm and composed.
Putting on an unconcerned expression, Shi Xiu asked Nara Luling, "You haven't been standing here waiting for me this whole time, have you?"
At Shi Xiu's question, Nara Luling first froze slightly, then quickly lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
Nara Luling clasped her hands tightly together and answered in a slightly trembling voice, "Master Shi Xiu, I... what you said earlier about forgiving me—is that still true?"
As she spoke, Nara Luling's cheeks turned faintly pink, making her look even more delicate and charming.
The sun was setting, and its orange-red afterglow spread over the land like a soft blanket, falling gently on Nara Luling as well.
The warm light gilded her in a faint golden glow, making her look all the more touching.
Shi Xiu gazed quietly at Nara Luling, his thoughts drifting back to the dream.
The tender yet twisted yandere expression on Nara Luling's face in the dream had already been branded deep in Shi Xiu's mind.
To nip any potential trouble in the bud, Shi Xiu secretly resolved to have an open and honest talk with Nara Luling.
He took a deep breath, beckoned her over, and said gently, "Luling, come over here. There's something I'd like to talk to you about."
At Shi Xiu's call, Nara Luling's cheeks instantly flushed.
She lowered her head slightly and nervously fidgeted with the hem of her dress as she walked toward Shi Xiu, a little awkwardly. Every step was cautious, as if she were afraid of disturbing something.
As Nara Luling drew closer, a familiar, faint fragrance drifted into Shi Xiu's nose like a gentle breeze.
The delicate scent made Shi Xiu feel a little awkward. He instinctively touched his nose, then cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound natural.
"Luling, let's put what happened before behind us. I've forgiven you. It's just... I wanted to ask why you're dressed like this today."
At Shi Xiu's question, Nara Luling's already flustered thoughts grew even more confused.
She hurriedly raised her head and gazed at Shi Xiu with uncertain eyes, stammering, "I... Lady Kushina told me to dress like this. Don't you like it, Master Shi Xiu?"
Shi Xiu looked at Nara Luling's flushed face, red with nervousness. In the end, he decided to be honest and shook his head as he explained.
"No, it looks nice. It's just... if you dress like this and someone else sees you, they might get the wrong idea about us, and that wouldn't be good."
After hearing Shi Xiu's words, Nara Luling's mood suddenly felt as if it had been weighed down by a heavy stone.
An indescribable sense of disappointment welled up inside her, and her chest felt strangely tight.
Nara Luling understood what Shi Xiu meant by "getting the wrong idea."
She parted her cherry-red lips slightly, seeming to want to say something—perhaps to tell Shi Xiu that she didn't care about any so-called misunderstanding at all.
But the words reached her lips and she swallowed them back. In the end, she could only lower her head helplessly and say softly, "All right, Master Shi Xiu. I understand."