A question that could get him killed

She had barely begun speaking when the door behind her suddenly shut.

She had been shut out.

Ouyang Susu stood stunned for several seconds, her eyes reddening with hurt.

At the same time, a strange feeling welled up inside her.

Master Yu Qing and Senior Brother Xie seemed far too concerned about Senior Brother Xiao.

It should not have been this way.

Every man who met her doted on her and obeyed her every wish. Even Senior Brother Xiao was no exception.

Master Yu Qing and Senior Brother Xie should have been the same.

After she gave Xiao Qinghe's letter to Bai Yuqing and he finally showed mercy, that strange feeling reached its peak.

Xiao Qinghe had no idea what she was thinking. He simply found it strange that, a few days later, the Female Lead who had barely acknowledged him in the original novel suddenly started hovering around him.

For instance, she came over to help him when he wanted to get out of bed.

Or handed him a handkerchief when he wanted to wash his face.

Xiao Qinghe was flattered-and terrified.

Because Xie Jun stood right beside them, radiating a chill, his gaze sharp as a blade.

Xiao Qinghe felt as though needles were digging into his back. He forced a stiff smile. "Junior Sister, I'm just a rough fellow. Your soft, scented handkerchief would be wasted on me."

"What are you saying, Senior Brother Xiao?" Ouyang Susu smiled sweetly, raising the handkerchief in her slender hand to wipe Xiao Qinghe's face while her eyes drifted, seemingly casually, toward Xie Jun. "You haven't recovered from your serious injuries yet. It's only right that I look after you."

Girl, what are you playing at now?

Sure, I've groveled plenty to stay in character as your devoted lapdog, but I'm only a cannon-fodder supporting character, the kind you wouldn't spare a second glance.

You're suddenly acting out of character, and it's freaking me out!

"Senior Brother Xiao?" Ouyang Susu smiled as she wiped his face.

Suddenly, a hand caught her wrist.

Xie Jun's expression chilled slightly. "Enough. Senior Brother can wipe his own face."

He was jealous.

He couldn't stand the Female Lead being nice to me, so he was jealous!

Young man, you've finally figured out your feelings.

Xiao Qinghe patted Xie Jun's shoulder, deeply gratified. "Junior Brother, take your time chatting with Junior Sister. I won't disturb you two."

Xie Jun's brows drew together. "What are you talking about?"

Ouyang Susu's eyes, however, lit up.

Father was right. There wasn't a man in the world who didn't like her. Even those who treated her coldly simply refused to admit their feelings. So she really had imagined it when she thought Xie Jun cared more about Senior Brother Xiao than her.

Xie Jun clearly liked her. Seeing her get close to Senior Brother Xiao had made him jealous.

Ouyang Susu secretly delighted in the little secret she had discovered.

Xiao Qinghe also realized he had become a prop for provoking Xie Jun's jealousy, and quietly backed away to keep himself safe.

But Ouyang Susu refused to stop. She wanted to see Xie Jun get jealous over her, so she wrapped her hands around Xiao Qinghe's arm again. "Senior Brother Xiao, come play with me."

Xie Jun's face darkened as he stared at her hands pressed against Xiao Qinghe, his sinister gaze sharp as knives.

You lovebirds can flirt all you want, but leave innocent bystanders out of it!

Xiao Qinghe nearly coughed up blood at being used as a prop. "Junior Sister, don't do this..."

Xie Jun had been outrageously jealous in the original novel.

Girl, you're going to get me killed!

"Senior Brother Xiao, don't you like me anymore?" Ouyang Susu refused to relent, pouting her red lips with a little huff. "You always liked me best. Have your feelings changed?"

This was a question that could get him killed!

"Oh?" The corners of Xie Jun's mouth lifted. "Senior Brother likes Junior Sister best?"

His lips curved in a smile, but his eyes were icy, perfectly illustrating a smile that never reached the eyes.

Under immense pressure, Xiao Qinghe managed to say, "Junior Sister is the darling of the entire Sect. How could anyone dislike her?"

"So I'm the one you like best, right, Senior Brother Xiao?" Ouyang Susu persisted, insisting on tugging at his arm.

As they pulled back and forth, something red suddenly fell from inside Xiao Qinghe's robes.

"What's this?" Ouyang Susu reached down to pick it up.

Just then, the system's notification sounded in its mechanical monotone.

[The host has failed to fulfill the reader's request to have Xie Jun hold the host. The system will administer a random punishment to the host. The punishment item has been delivered.]

A punishment item?

It definitely couldn't be anything good!

Alarm bells blared in Xiao Qinghe's head. "Junior Sister, stop!"

But he was a moment too late.

Ouyang Susu picked up the red fabric and unfolded it. Her pretty face instantly flushed scarlet. "Senior Brother Xiao, you..."

It was a dudou.

A woman's red undergarment.

Diamond-shaped, with very little fabric and delicate embroidery, it bore a glaringly obvious "Su" that could not be ignored.

Xiao Qinghe's vision went dark.

Even being caught with a dirty book in the Scripture Pavilion had not made him want to die this badly!

Xie Jun clenched his fists, staring fixedly at the red dudou with an icy gaze.

Xie Jun really did care about her. Discovering someone else's devotion to her had made him jealous.

Secretly pleased, Ouyang Susu said shyly, "Senior Brother Xiao, no matter how much you like me, you can't steal my undergarments!"

"I didn't! It wasn't me! Don't make things up!" Xiao Qinghe nearly coughed up blood. In his panic, he blurted out, "It's Master's!"

Ouyang Susu froze. "Master Yu Qing's?"

"That's right! I stole it from Master's room. I thought it was some treasure, but I never imagined..." Cold sweat poured off Xiao Qinghe as he silently prayed that Master would never hear about this, or he would surely beat him to death. "Master may always look cold, but he's actually been quietly paying attention to you for a long time. He just isn't good with words, so he secretly hid your undergarment away."

Ouyang Susu had a maiden's crush on Master, and these words undoubtedly struck right at her heart.

After staring blankly for several seconds, she became so shy she did not know what to do. "Master Yu Qing feels that way about me..."

"Exactly what you're thinking!"

"But he's so cold to me." Ouyang Susu looked conflicted, having already forgotten all about Xie Jun.

Xie Jun was not angry. He merely gave a soft scoff, then turned an inscrutable gaze on Xiao Qinghe.

The last time Xiao Qinghe had shifted the blame in the Scripture Pavilion, Master had exposed his lie on the spot, destroying his credibility with Xie Jun. No matter how hard he performed now, he probably could not fool him.

There was no time to worry about that. He had to divert Ouyang Susu's attention first.

"That's because Master hasn't realized his true feelings yet. All you need to do is cater to his tastes. He's actually quite easy to win over."

Early in the original novel, the Female Lead had countless devoted admirers, but she had eyes only for Master.

Unfortunately, Master was aloof and untouchable, impervious to every approach, which had caused her no small amount of suffering.

Now that she seemed to have tasted a little success, she was eager to try, having long since forgotten about the dudou. "But what does Master Yu Qing like?"

She had asked the right person.

Across the entire Demon-Slaying Sect, no one understood Bai Yuqing better than Xiao Qinghe.

"Senior Brother Xiao, do you know what Master Yu Qing likes to eat?"

"Peach Blossom Pastry."

"Does Master drink?"

"He only drinks Osmanthus Wine. Also, Master prefers light flavors and dislikes meat and fish. He favors white robes..."

Xiao Qinghe answered without hesitation, stirring a trace of jealousy in Ouyang Susu. "Senior Brother Xiao, how do you know everything?"

In the original novel, Master had beaten Xiao Qinghe to death later in the story.

To save his own life, Xiao Qinghe had put plenty of effort into winning Master's favor, so naturally he knew his preferences inside out.

When he had scrubbed Master's back last time, he had even seen how many moles he had.

"No one understands Master better than I do. If you want to know how many moles he has, I can count them out for you too."

Ouyang Susu froze, her smile becoming difficult to maintain. "You even know that?"

Xiao Qinghe was about to nod when he suddenly noticed Ouyang Susu and Xie Jun both staring at him, their eyes blazing with hostility.

Especially Xie Jun. His dark eyes were stormy, and he radiated a startling chill. "You've seen?"