Chương 155: Su Yuqing's Strange Competitive Spirit

Ji Ying felt his heart pounding as he watched Su Yuqing's bright eyes, which were so close to his face. He looked at her sweet smile and felt the irresistible force in her eyes.

"That—Yuqing."

Her voice trembled slightly as she pleaded weakly, "Could you—let me go first? It feels so strange having my chin being held like this."

"!"

Looking at the black-haired, red-eyed girl in front of her with flushed cheeks, looking pitiful, and even having a few glistening tears in her eyes, Su Yuqing felt her heart skip a beat.

—So cute!

She forcibly suppressed the strong urge in her heart to immediately hug the other person and pull them tightly into her arms, maintaining a cold and aloof demeanor, and softly "humphed".

She released her grip on Ji Ying's chin, sat up straight on the edge of the bed, crossed her legs elegantly, and adopted a superior posture: "Now, can you speak?"

The moment Ji Ying regained his chin, he immediately lowered his head even further as if he had been granted a pardon.

She remained kneeling, gripping her knees tightly with both hands, curling herself into a small ball, and replied in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Okay, that's enough—what do you want to know?"

Looking at her weak and timid appearance, Su Yuqing's lips curled into a slight smile, but her tone remained icy. She first asked one of the questions that concerned her most: "First of all, why did you make me lie to Mom and Dad? You were already home, so why did you pretend to spend the night outside?"

Leaning slightly forward, her bright black eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone carried a hint of sourness: Could it be that—is he planning to sneak out again later to "meet up" with certain people? Like— Who owns this beautiful dress?

She deliberately emphasized the words "certain people," and glanced meaningfully at the white cardigan in her hand that clearly didn't belong to her.

"No! Absolutely not!" Ji Ying immediately shook her head repeatedly, as if afraid the other party would misunderstand, her voice rising a few decibels with urgency, "I'm not going anywhere tonight!"

"Oh?" Su Yuqing raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her weak explanation.

"Then why did you make me lie?"

Ji Ying's eyes darted around unconsciously, as if he found it difficult to speak.

But under Su Yuqing's oppressive gaze, she still managed to explain with some difficulty, in an almost resigned tone, in a low voice, "That's because—for some very complicated reasons, I can't undo my transformation right now—"

"Can't undo the transformation?!"

Su Yuqing's expression instantly shifted from playful to genuinely anxious. She abruptly stood up from the bed, quickly walked to Ji Ying, and knelt down, her voice filled with extreme tension: "Why did this happen? Does this mean you'll have to stay like this forever?!"

As she asked, she subconsciously reached out and cupped Ji Ying's delicate face in her hands, her eyes filled with undisguised worry.

Although she really liked the petite and adorable "Xiaoying" in front of her, and even wished she could hold her and sleep with her every day, and always interact with her intimately— But a large part of this affection stems from the fact that "Xiaoying" is the "Ache" she loves the most. If Ache really can never turn back—that's something she absolutely cannot accept!

Feeling the warmth from Su Yuqing's hands cupping his cheeks, and seeing the genuine worry in her eyes, Ji Ying felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

She gently shook her head, rejecting the terrible guess: "It's not that I can't change back forever, it's just that I can't undo the transformation for the time being, and this process will last at least until this time tomorrow."

"That's why I can't go home as 'Lin Che,' and I can only ask you to help me lie."

"Phew—so that's how it is! You scared me to death."

Upon hearing this explanation, Su Yuqing's tense expression instantly relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

She rolled her eyes at Ji Ying, annoyed.

"Can you stop talking so dramatically? You almost gave me a heart attack."

But then, a new and more practical problem immediately came to her mind: "What should I do about class tomorrow? If the teacher sees I'm not here, they'll definitely call my parents to ask what happened, right? How will I explain that?"

Upon hearing this question, Ji Ying suddenly raised her head as if she had already thought of a solution, her dark red eyes sparkling as she looked at the girl in front of her.

She clasped her hands together, a smile that was both ingratiating and expectant on her face, and pleaded in a soft, gentle voice, "This—it's all up to you, Yuqing, please help me!"

"!!!"

Looking at the petite girl in front of her who was suddenly acting cute and asking for help in a foul manner, Su Yuqing felt as if her heart had been shot with an arrow.

—What's going on?! Xiaoying tonight—she's so cute! That weak, pitiful, and helpless look, relying entirely on herself—it's infuriating! I can't stand it!

No, no, now is not the time to be soft-hearted! I still have so many questions to ask her, I can't give her a friendly look now! I have to hold back! I absolutely have to hold back!

Su Yuqing screamed wildly in her heart, trying her best to control her heart, which was about to explode from excessive excitement.

She turned around somewhat flusteredly, covered her head with her hands, and pretended to be deep in thought to hide her wavering.

After calming down slightly, she waved her hand impatiently and said to Ji Ying, "I know, I know! I'll figure out a way to handle this. Honestly, you're always causing me trouble!"

Jiying seemed to realize how incongruous her actions were with her original personality, and she thought to herself that she must have been influenced by the thinking of this feminine form without her even realizing it.

She immediately lowered her head again, maintaining that obedient kneeling posture, while secretly groaning inwardly.

—Damn it! I've been trying so hard to resist that strange influence, but I still unconsciously do things that are out of character.

Moreover, in this situation where I need someone's help, I can't stand up for myself at all, which makes me more susceptible to being influenced!

Luo Bingli, who was standing to the side, watched the entire amusing interaction between the two.

Looking at Ji Ying's adorable expression of obvious annoyance and embarrassment, and then at Su Yu Qing's forced composure while her ears were actually bright red, I felt a little sorry for her and a little amused.

She reached out and gently tugged at Su Yuqing's sleeve, her eyes silently conveying her thoughts: How about we just let it go? Let's not make things difficult for her anymore.

Su Yuqing turned her head and exchanged a glance with Luo Bingli. Although she was also somewhat shaken, after a brief hesitation, she still shook her head firmly and gently at her friend.

Seeing this, Luo Bingli could only sigh helplessly in her heart and withdraw her hand.

Su Yuqing coughed lightly, steer the conversation back to the previous "interrogation," and waved the white cardigan in her hand, continuing, "Okay, I know why I was made to lie, but—how do you explain this cardigan, and this unfamiliar scent on you?"

Her gaze swept over Ji Ying, a mischievous smile playing on her lips: "You wouldn't happen—you've actually awakened some strange fetish, secretly running away to transform into a girl, dress in women's clothing, and even spray yourself with perfume, would you?"

"How is that possible?!"

Upon hearing this conjecture, Ji Ying was struck where it hurt. She almost jumped up and instinctively retorted loudly, her voice cracking with excitement.

In her current state, if she couldn't resist, she might actually go and put on those cute clothes. Su Yuqing's words were a perfect example of hitting a landmine.

Seeing Ji Ying's intense reaction, Su Yuqing's smile deepened. She leisurely crossed one leg and slowly pressed on, "So what exactly happened? Who is that girl? And what did you and her—do?"

Ji Ying knew that if she didn't explain things clearly tonight, Su Yuqing wouldn't let it go. She sighed heavily in her heart and then said, "Let me start from the beginning about this matter."

She then chose to temporarily conceal her meeting with Luo Hongyu and her identity as a Star String Inspector.

It all started with him being suddenly attacked by Xingxian. He fought his opponent, and chose to stop when he could have launched a fatal attack. Then, due to exhaustion of his ethereal energy, he fell unconscious in front of his opponent. When he woke up, he found his opponent giving him a lap pillow.

She recounted to the two how the other person had draped the clothes over her after discovering that her own coat had dissipated due to insufficient energy.

After listening to Ji Ying's convoluted and unexpected narration, the room fell into a brief silence.

Su Yuqing and Luo Bingli were both lost in thought because of this bizarre experience, and for a moment they didn't know what to say.

After a while, Su Yuqing spoke tentatively, summarizing, "So—you mean, when you were clearing out the Void Beasts, you encountered a strange magical girl who mistook you for an enemy because of the Void Energy fluctuations on your body and launched a fierce attack on you."

"Then, after gaining her trust in a very special way, you collapsed from exhaustion."

"When I woke up, I found that this magical girl I had just met didn't take advantage of me, but instead offered me—a lap pillow?"

"And, because she was worried you'd be exposed, she took out her own clothes and draped them over you. That unfamiliar fragrance of hers—was it at that moment that it touched you?"

"Yes, yes! That's it!" Ji Ying nodded repeatedly, looking at Su Yuqing with a sincere expression and expectant eyes, while emphasizing, "Throughout the entire process, I was the passive party and had absolutely no strange thoughts!"

Although she said that on the surface, she was still a little guilty inside.

After all, while he didn't lie in this part, he didn't tell the whole truth either.

For example, the pleasant fragrance on her body likely came more from when Xingxian held her tightly later.

For example, after waking up, she had an overly intimate encounter with Xingxian due to some unexpected events.

The reason for choosing to conceal these things was partly due to Xingxian's request to keep them a secret before she left, and partly because— She had no doubt that if Su Yuqing found out about this, her fate tonight would probably be even more "miserable".

Of course, all of this has one crucial premise.

That is, during the time Xingxian hugged him, his attitude towards her was entirely out of pity and heartache for a hardworking child, and he did not have any inappropriate romantic thoughts, much less betray the girl in front of him who was so important to him.

After listening to Ji Ying's explanation and carefully observing her expression, which was so sincere it couldn't be more genuine, Su Yuqing finally let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

"Oh, I see!" A bright smile returned to her face.

"While the appearance of that strange magical girl was indeed unexpected, well—Xiaoying, just as I suspected, you didn't do anything out of line!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ying was slightly taken aback and asked in disbelief, "You—you guessed it from the beginning?"

"Of course!" Su Yuqing nodded matter-of-factly, a slightly smug smile on her face.

"After what happened last time—how could I possibly doubt you doing something like that again? I have complete, complete trust in you!"

"Then why did you look so serious just now? —" Ji Ying's tone carried a hint of grievance.

"Oh my gosh~ Do I even need to say it?" Su Yuqing's face revealed a mischievous grin, as if she had pulled off a prank.

She reached out and gently pinched Ji Ying's slightly flushed cheek: "Of course it's because—seeing you put on that pitiful, guilty, and scared look as you begged me was just too funny, so I just went along with it!"

Then she changed the subject, her eyes narrowed slightly, and her tone was once again tinged with embarrassment and sourness: "However, although the misunderstanding has been cleared up, that magical girl named Xingxian is so shameless!"

"She actually gave Xiaoying, whom you just met, a lap pillow? I've never even given you a lap pillow before!"

"No way! This is absolutely unacceptable!"

Su Yuqing felt increasingly angry and resentful as she thought about it, so she jumped up from the bed.

Under the bewildered and confused gaze of Ji Ying, he followed her example and knelt on the cool floor.

Then, she reached out and gently patted her long, shapely, and incredibly supple thighs, still encased in light pink pajama bottoms, and commanded confidently, "Xiaoying, hurry up and lie down! I can't lose to that woman I've only known for a few hours!"

"Now? Here?!" Ji Ying was somewhat flustered by Su Yuqing's sudden action and declaration.

Looking into Su Yuqing's burning eyes and that alluring aura, she waved her hand and shrank back slightly.

"Yuqing, this—isn't it a little inappropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it?!" Su Yuqing interrupted her impatiently.

"Are you shy?"

As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly and stretched out her hands, trying to forcefully push the still hesitant and resistant Ji Ying down onto her lap.

"Pfft—" A suppressed chuckle came from Luo Bingli, who had been quietly playing the role of a "background character" for a long time.

Under her gaze, which held a hint of amusement and envy, Ji Ying hadn't even had time to think of a way to refuse when she felt a soft, elastic, and warm touch on her head.

The familiar, warm, and sunny scent of a young girl lingered around my nose once again.

How did it turn out like this?

Once again, the lonely shadow let out a powerless lament in its heart.