Ark Simulator, Am I Not Incorporeal?

She stopped abruptly in her tracks—she had indeed changed the incense incorrectly last week, but that was late at night when she was alone in the warehouse.

Volume 15, Chapter 817: Body Temperature Changes

The warehouse, bathed in moonlight, was filled with the scent of old wooden crates. Bai Xue tiptoed to reach the top shelf of wisteria, her sleeve slipping down to reveal a newly bought silver chain on her wrist.

"This is so strange..." she muttered to herself as she pulled out the incense box. "Nobody saw anything..."

[Body temperature increased by 0.8 degrees Celsius, pupils dilated, typical stress response.]

"I didn't ask you to analyze this!"

The incense box was suddenly pulled away. Bai Xue turned around abruptly and saw Lady Wenyue leaning against the door, the moonlight illuminating the subtle patterns on her kimono.

"Husband, wife!"

"This old-fashioned incense..." the lady tapped the lacquer box in her hand with her folding fan, "... must be pulled out horizontally so it doesn't dissipate."

Bai Xue then realized that she had deformed the incense box by squeezing it, and tiny wisteria petals were falling out from the gaps.

"I..."

"Three days ago, at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)," Lady Wenyue suddenly announced a precise time, "You tried on your new hair ornament in front of the bronze mirror in the warehouse."

Bai Xue's breath caught in her throat. That night, she had clearly checked the shift schedule for all the guards...

"Seven days ago, around lunchtime." The folding fan unfurled with a "whoosh," revealing the three newly inscribed characters "Feng Zhi Hua" on the back. "You secretly ate two servings of yokan (sweet rice cake)."

[Voiceprint matching accuracy 99.9%] Su Rui suddenly interrupted, [She used surveillance audio.]

Bai Xue's fingertips began to tremble. She suddenly realized that all those seemingly secretive little actions—adjusting the angle of her hairpin in front of the camellia in the courtyard, sneaking a bite of taiyaki in the corner of the training ground, and even practicing songs late at night—were all silently recorded by every brick and stone of this mansion.

"The most obvious thing is this," Lady Wenyue suddenly used the tip of her fan to lift a strand of her hair, "Children who used to only tie their hair with plain ropes have suddenly started collecting hair ornaments..."

Moonlight streamed through the windowpane, casting shimmering silver specks in Bai Xue's suddenly widened eyes. She then remembered that every hairband and hairpin she had bought in the past three months had been procured through shops under the madam's management...

"Oh, right." As the lady turned, the hem of her kimono brushed against the incense burner. "Have the kitchen prepare extra strawberry daifuku tomorrow morning." She turned back and winked. "Someone was staring at it for a long time last time."

The sound of the wooden door closing startled Bai Xue from her daze. She mechanically picked up the incense box, hearing Suri recalculating data in her mind—this time, the newly added parameters included "Manor Surveillance Coverage," "Madam's Observational Ability Rating," and "Host Behavior Abnormality Index."

"Su Rui," she suddenly asked softly, "Am I... too obvious?"

[...]

After a long silence, a barely audible sigh echoed in his Sea of Consciousness.

[It was my oversight.]

Bai Xue was stunned. This was the first time Su Rui had admitted to a mistake.

[Next time I'll teach you counter-surveillance techniques.]

The moonlight suddenly softened. Bai Xue hugged the incense box tightly, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

"Okay," she replied softly, "But I still want to eat the strawberry daifuku..."

The night breeze swept through the long corridor, carrying the fragrance of wisteria to every corner of the mansion. Meanwhile, a sniper, unwilling to admit it, was silently creating a folder in the database titled "Host Abnormal Behavior Disguise Scheme."

Bai Xue stood in the center of the courtyard, clutching her newly bought hairband in her hand, the silky texture slightly cool to the touch of her fingertips. Morning dew dampened her wooden clogs, leaving shallow watermarks on the bluestone slabs.

"Su Rui," she asked softly, "What exactly happened to Madam...?"

[Data Analysis Update.]

Su Rui's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a rare hesitation.

[New variable: Testimony of maid Aju.]

"Aju?" Bai Xue turned around abruptly, her hair ribbon slipping from her fingers.

Three days ago at dawn, she reported your laundry list to Lady Wenyue.

Bai Xue's pupils suddenly contracted. She suddenly remembered the light pink rupan embroidered with cherry blossoms—she had secretly bought it at the night market, but somehow it had ended up mixed in with her formal attire while she was washing it.

"Wait..." her voice trembled, "How could the laundry list be...?"

[Key items: Lace headband x2, Bow-tie socks x3, Strawberry pattern handkerchief...]

"Stop reading!"

Bai Xue crouched down to pick up her hair ribbon, but heard light footsteps behind her. The maid, Aju, walked across the corridor carrying a vase full of early cherry blossoms and suddenly winked at her.

"Lord Bai," the little girl whispered, "That newly opened wagashi shop..."

"What?"

"Madam asked me to remind you," Aju's lips curled into a sly smile, "That the limited-edition cherry blossom daifuku is going on sale for the last time today."

Bai Xue froze on the spot, the hair ribbon in her hand falling to the ground again.

***

The incense in the tea room had a new formula. Bai Xue knelt in her usual spot and noticed a new glass lamp she had never seen before on the table. The light shone through the stained glass, casting dappled patterns of light on the back of her hand.

"This is..."

"A little trinket from the West," Lady Wenyue, lightly tapping the lampshade with her folding fan. "I thought you'd like it."

Bai Xue's fingertips trembled slightly inside her sleeve. Last month, she had indeed stared at a similar lamp for a long time in front of the antique shop window—but that day she had clearly disguised herself, wearing a straw hat and wearing casual clothes...

[Shop records.] Su Rui suddenly spoke up, [The shopkeeper of that shop was a former servant of the Wenyue House.]

The moment the tea went down her throat, Bai Xue saw a yellowed piece of paper slip out of the lady's sleeve—it was the contact slip that the shopkeeper had asked her to leave when she tried on the hairpin that day.

"Actually..." Lady Wenyue suddenly leaned forward, the tassels of her gold hair ornament brushing against the teacup, "You'd be better suited to a pale yellow hairpin."

Bai Xue's teacup clattered onto the table. Last week on Sparrow Street, she had indeed hesitated for a full fifteen minutes between pale yellow and light pink...

[Confess.] Su Rui's voice was unusually tinged with helplessness. [According to the latest calculations, the probability of your secret operation being discovered has reached 99.97%]

***

A night breeze swept through the corridor, carrying the dampness unique to early spring. Bai Xue, carrying her newly bought cherry blossom daifuku, slipped into the training ground, only to bump into Lady Wenyue, who was feeding her cat, at the corner.

"Husband, wife!"

The snow-white Persian cat leaped down from the lady's lap and circled around her Bai Xue skirt. The sweet fragrance from the oil paper package could no longer be concealed.

"Sit down." The lady patted the empty seat beside her. "Give me half."

The moonlight was so bright that the Bai Xue had nowhere to hide. She knelt down stiffly, the sound of the oil paper package being torn open particularly clear in the quiet night.

"I..."

"Shh." The lady took half a large piece of daifu (a type of Chinese pastry). "Do you know how many mirrors are in this mansion?"

Bai Xue shook her head blankly.

"Three hundred and seventy-two mirrors." The lady took a bite of daifuku, red bean paste smearing her lips. "Every mirror remembers the angle from which you practiced your smile."

The night breeze suddenly became gentle. Bai Xue stared blankly at the fine lines at the corners of the lady's eyes in the moonlight, and suddenly realized that those little actions she thought were secret—the hem of her skirt fluttering when she twirled in solitude, the focused attention she paid to adjusting her hairpins in front of the pond, even the puffed-up cheeks when she secretly ate sweets—were all being gently watched by this ancient mansion.

"Su Rui," she whispered to herself, "Am I really that stupid?"

The Persian cat suddenly jumped into her arms.

[According to the latest data...] Su Rui paused, [the blind spot in the surveillance cameras of this mansion is only 0.3 square meters.]

"Where?"

[Behind the pickling jars in the kitchen.]

Volume 15, Lady Wenyue wanted to see...

Bai Xue suddenly burst out laughing, startling the cat in her arms, which raised its tail. Lady Wenyue covered her lips with her folding fan, her eyes curving into crescents.

As the moon began to set in the west, they finished dividing the entire box of daifuku. As the lady rose, a cherry blossom fell into her Bai Xue hair.

"Tomorrow..." the lady's voice drifted on the night breeze, "Let Aju take you to buy those pale yellow hairpins."

Bai Xue touched the flower petals in her hair, and heard Suri in her mind replanning the route for the "secret operation." The newly added parameters included "maid movements," "frequency of sweets purchases," and "mirror distribution density."

As the night dew grew heavier, behind the pickling jar in the corner of the training ground, half a half-eaten strawberry daifuku was slowly hardening in the moonlight.

Lady Wenyue's slender fingers gently traced the rim of the celadon teacup, leaving a faint watermark around the edge. She slightly raised her eyes, her gaze passing through the rising tea smoke and landing on Bai Xue, who was kneeling in a corner of the tea room.

"Xue'er."

Her voice was very soft, but it made the teaspoon in Bai Xue's hand clink against the rim of the bowl.

"Yes, Madam?" Bai Xue immediately looked up, but her fingertips were still unconsciously rubbing the edge of the teacup, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Lady Wenyue did not respond immediately. She gracefully unfolded the sandalwood folding fan in her hand, the ink landscape painting on the fan surface appearing and disappearing in the morning light. The fan ribs made a slight "rustling" sound as they opened and closed, like some kind of silent timer.

I want to meet that boy who always makes you lose focus.

As these words were spoken, even the trail of incense seemed to freeze for a moment in the tea room. Bai Xue's eyelashes trembled slightly, casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. She subconsciously pursed her lips, a subtle movement that brought a knowing glint to Lady Wenyue's eyes.

"He..." Bai Xue's voice was a few decibels lower than usual, the last syllable almost fading into the aroma of tea, "He doesn't have time right now."

Lady Wenyue tilted her head slightly, tapping her folding fan lightly in her palm. Her gaze moved from the tips of her Bai Xue, reddened ears to the unconscious twisting of her fingers around the hem of her dress, and then to the slightly tense jawline. Every detail spoke of an unspoken secret.

"Yeah?"

The lady's voice was like a feather falling on water, so soft that it barely made a ripple. She picked up her teacup, leaving a shallow ripple on the table. The tea reflected her smiling eyes, a gaze so tender it seemed to encompass all unspoken lies.

"Then let's wait until it's convenient for him."

Bai Xue suddenly looked up, causing subtle ripples to spread across the surface of the teacup. She gazed into Lady Wenyue's smiling eyes, and the knowing look within them made her heart skip a beat. Sunlight streamed through the paper door, dancing on the silver embroidery of the madam's kimono, outlining a hazy halo.

"Thank you, Madam."

Bai Xue's voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the tacit understanding in this moment. When she lowered her head, a strand of hair slipped from behind her ear and swayed gently beside her cheek.

Lady Wenyue slammed her folding fan shut with a "whoosh," the sound of the fan ribs striking each other crisp and melodious. She leaned forward and gently tapped Bai Xue's forehead with the tip of her fan. This intimate gesture made Bai Xue's eyelashes flutter again.

"However," the lady's voice held a hint of playfulness, as if sharing a secret, "Don't keep me waiting too long."

The sunlight shifted subtly, illuminating the gently swaying tea in the teacup. Bai Xue gazed at her reflection on the water's surface, and for a fleeting moment, she seemed to see another blurry silhouette overlapping her own. The tea rippled slightly, as if someone were sighing softly from somewhere unseen.

She knows.

Su Rui's voice echoed in my mind, carrying a rare hint of helplessness, and a touch of barely perceptible softness.

Bai Xue gave a soft "hmm," picked up the teacup, and took a sip. The tea was already a little cold, but she inexplicably tasted a hint of sweetness. Her fingertips lightly traced the rim of the bowl, as if caressing the back of someone unseen.

Lady Wenyue gazed out the window, where a cherry blossom petal drifted down and landed on the window frame. A slight smile played on her lips as she gently tapped her folding fan in her palm, the rhythm as leisurely as if she were waiting for an appointment that was destined to be late. The aroma of tea grew stronger in the silence, and no one brought up the topic again.

Only the wind chimes under the eaves continued to chime softly, their crisp notes leaping in the air, as if responding to this gentle invitation on behalf of someone unseen.

Since that conversation in the tea room, Bai Xue felt a sudden weight lift from her shoulders. She no longer deliberately avoided Lady Wenyue's gaze, nor did she force a smile to appear serious.

"Su Rui, look at this."

Beneath the cherry blossom tree behind the training ground, Bai Xue took out a delicate Bell from her sleeve; its silver surface gleamed in the sunlight. She shook it gently, and the crisp sound immediately startled a pair of tits on the branch.

[The tone is good.] Su Rui's voice carried a hint of approval. [It's an octave higher than the last one.]

"Right?" Bai Xue smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "I spent ages picking things out at the market."

She tied the Bell to the end of her hairpin, the silver tassels swaying gently with her movements. In the past, she would never have allowed herself to wear such a conspicuous ornament while on duty. But now—

"Anyway, Madam already knew."

Bai Xue murmured softly, her fingertips gently twirling the Bell, listening to its delicate tinkling. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the cherry blossom trees, casting dappled shadows on her white kimono.

Lady Wenyue stood at the corner of the corridor, her folding fan half-covering her lips. She looked at the girl humming a song and adjusting her hair ornaments under the cherry blossom tree in the distance, her eyes filled with a gentle smile.

"Madam," the maid Aju approached carrying a tea tray, following her gaze, "It seems that Lord Bai has recently..."

"Hmm." Lady Wenyue nodded gently, her folding fan unfurling with a "whoosh," "like a flower bud finally blooming."

As she turned to leave, a gentle breeze stirred from the hem of her kimono, scattering a few cherry blossom petals. The pink sprites twirled in the air before landing right beside the teacup that Bai Xue had just set down.

In the stillness of the night, Bai Xue leaned against the window, gazing at the night-blooming cereus in full bloom in the courtyard. The moonlight, like water, bathed her profile in a silvery glow.

"Su Rui," she suddenly spoke, "Do you think Madam finds me strange?"

[Based on behavioral data analysis, Lady Wenyue's attitude towards you shows a positive trend.]

Bai Xue pouted. "Can't you say something I can understand?"

A barely audible sigh echoed in the Sea of Consciousness.

She was very happy.