But the only thing she knew for sure was that she had indeed gotten closer to Zhou Muning.
If not, how could the usually quiet and gentle Zhou Muning have reached out to hit her?
Qin Xiangyi relaxed, and the two of them got on the bus.
The bus was nearly empty, and as they sat down, their conversation continued.
“Speaking of which, my grandma mentioned you last time.
She asked why you haven’t come over in so long.”
Qin Xiangyi made a sound of acknowledgment, unsure what kind of emotion she should show at this moment to not seem out of place, so she simply asked Zhou Muning directly, “What did you tell her?”
Zhou Muning replied softly, “I said you went traveling during summer break, so if she asks you what you’ve been up to lately, make sure you don’t slip up.”
Although saving Zhou Muning wasn’t something to be ashamed of, it was too dangerous.
If Zhou Muning’s grandma found out about all the twists and turns, the old lady, already in poor health, probably couldn’t take it.
So Qin Xiangyi completely understood why Zhou Muning wanted her to tell this kind of lie, and she nodded in agreement.
“Thank you, Xiangyi.” Zhou Muning thanked her again, her eyes showing a bit of guilt as she leaned against Qin Xiangyi’s shoulder.
“I know you don’t like lying, but sometimes, you have to tell a few lies to get by.” At this moment, their roles seemed to have switched.
Zhou Muning, though still carrying emotional scars, had become much more mature.
“I know.
And you’ve had it tough too… You have to get past your fear.” Qin Xiangyi hinted to Zhou Muning that even though that experience would be terrifying for any ordinary woman, if she couldn’t move on, she’d only end up hurting herself.
“I know.” Zhou Muning pressed her lips together, reached out and held Qin Xiangyi’s hand, her face full of reluctance, but she didn’t say anything more.
Qin Xiangyi continued to act as if she didn’t notice any of this.
Sometimes, people prefer someone who plays dumb at the right moment over someone who’s too clever.
Only then does it not feel so sad.
Zhou Muning was clearly hiding the fact that she was about to move to Tiantang City with someone else, and that just happened to be the angle Qin Xiangyi planned to use.
As long as she created a farewell atmosphere, maybe Zhou Muning would be willing to kiss her, and then three minutes could be used as an excuse for not wanting to part.
It was still a bit ambiguous, but as long as she achieved her goal and got the top-quality flower person out of Zhou Muning, Qin Xiangyi’s mission for the day would be complete.
She quietly kept pace with Zhou Muning, once again grateful for having read so many novels.
Of course, these tricks might not even work.
The main reason was that Zhou Muning was already so close to Qin Xiangyi, which gave her such a big opportunity.
Qin Xiangyi went over her plan in her mind, her eyes catching sight of Shaoyao, who was standing on the bus, curiously looking at everything around her.
For flower people, this brand new world was just too interesting.
The flower slave was also sitting on a seat, looking around curiously at the city as it gradually darkened.
The neon lights reflected all kinds of colors, and the flower slave showed a bit of appreciation.
Out of everyone here, she seemed the most at ease in society.
Just then, the weight on her shoulder suddenly increased.
Qin Xiangyi turned to look and saw that Zhou Muning had actually fallen asleep on her shoulder.
Luckily, Qin Xiangyi already knew roughly where Zhou Muning’s home was, so when she heard the stop being called, she could just wake her up in advance.
Of course, to make Zhou Muning more comfortable, she shifted her position.
Zhou Muning didn’t react at all, probably because she’d been having nightmares again last night and couldn’t sleep.
The flower slave, wandering around, watched with interest as Qin Xiangyi and Zhou Muning leaned together, her eyes full of mischief.
Flower slave: Flower master, you really don’t need help tonight?
Qin Xiangyi: No, you guys still know too little about this world.
Get to know it better before you do anything.
And next time, don’t kick the billboards.
You know you have to pay for damaging them, right?
Qin Xiangyi gently reminded her.
The world now wasn’t the xianxia world the flower slaves imagined.
This world needed more order to maintain the balance between ordinary humans and the chosen ones.
Flower slave: Yes.
If possible, help me apologize to that girl.
I really didn’t expect humans to be so fragile these days.
The flower slave’s words were ambiguous—it was hard to tell if she was mocking humans or if she really meant it.
Qin Xiangyi: Yeah, humans are pretty fragile now.
If they’re good people, it’s better to treat them gently.
She thought for a moment and decided to answer directly.
Now that she was the flower master, she should help these people build the right values.
Flower slave: Flower master, I take back what I said before.
Qin Xiangyi: Suddenly feel like we don’t get along anymore?
Qin Xiangyi laughed, but worried it was too obvious, she deliberately hid her expression.
After all, to others, it would look like she was suddenly grinning at thin air.
Flower slave: No, it’s just that…
The flower slave was about to emphasize something when her words suddenly stopped.
Her gaze sharpened as she looked into the distance.
Shaoyao also stopped sitting and flew to Qin Xiangyi’s side, taking a defensive stance.
Qin Xiangyi sensed a different aura and also heard the system’s warning sound.
System: Warning! Warning! Dangerous individual approaching.
The system seemed to go haywire in Qin Xiangyi’s mind, and she felt even more confused.
She had arranged for plenty of villains to be stepping stones for the protagonist, but since Haiyang City wasn’t the main setting, she rarely let the villains show up here.
But now, something outside the plot was happening again, making Qin Xiangyi wonder if it was because she’d become the protagonist, causing a butterfly effect and making a villain appear early.
Thinking this, she stared at the bus stop, wanting to see what kind of person would show up.
Soon, under Qin Xiangyi’s gaze, a few people got on the bus, but they all looked completely ordinary, nothing like the villains she’d imagined.
The system’s warning kept going, and the flower slave and Shaoyao were still searching for the person.
Qin Xiangyi’s eyes kept darting around until she saw a woman holding an umbrella at the bus stop suddenly vanish into thin air.
Qin Xiangyi didn’t see her face, just the slight curve of her lips and the feeling of being watched.
Her heart pounded, and she forced herself to look away, praying that this unknown villain didn’t know her identity and hadn’t noticed anything strange.
The bus kept moving, and finally, the system’s alarm stopped, signaling that the danger had passed.
Qin Xiangyi let out a sigh of relief.
The flower slave and Shaoyao were still on guard, apparently not realizing the person had already left.
