Chương 209: An Unexpected Embrace

Of course, Ji Ying still remembered that when she first met Xing Xian, she could clearly feel that the proud inspector was under a lot of pressure and his emotions were on the verge of getting out of control.

After feeling that deep longing to be held, it was the tenderness and compassion deep in her heart that made her not want to see her companion suffer that led her to finally give up struggling and let Xingxian hold her, allowing him to draw comfort from her embrace.

However, precisely because the process was so complicated and delicate, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble and misunderstandings, she deliberately concealed the detail of "taking the initiative to let her hug him" when explaining her encounter with Xingxian to Su Yuqing and Luo Bingli.

Unexpectedly, Ye Zixuan, who is usually meticulous in her thinking but frighteningly straightforward in some aspects, would choose this terrible time to bring up this matter in front of Yuqing as something to brag about!

Ji Ying inwardly groaned. She didn't even need to open her eyes to imagine the "kind" expression on the little devil's face beside her, as well as the resentment rising behind her.

She knew that Yuqing—this time, she definitely wouldn't let it go easily.

As expected, after a brief lapse, Su Yuqing immediately focused her attention entirely on the "culprit" who was still trying to make himself inconspicuous in Ye Zixuan's arms.

With a sweet smile on her face and a voice so soft it seemed to drip water, she slowly asked, "Zixuan, what did you just say? I don't think I heard you quite clearly."

You mean, what interesting thing happened when you and Xiaoying first met?

Ye Zixuan had no idea that her boasting had unintentionally pushed a poor girl into an abyss of no return. Looking at Su Yuqing's obviously concerned expression, she was filled with smugness.

She blinked innocently and replied in a light voice, "It's nothing, it's just that when Xiaoying and I first met, she was very affectionate towards me and let me hug her."

After saying that, as if that wasn't enough, she put on a curious and innocent expression and asked in a concerned tone, "Speaking of which, Yuqing, what was it like when you first met Xiaoying? Was she—so proactive towards you too?"

"Oh? Taking the initiative?" Su Yuqing's smile grew even sweeter, and her voice even gentler.

"Xiaoying, aren't you going to—explain it to me personally?"

Feeling Su Yuqing's icy gaze and her almost explosive emotions, Ji Ying's body shuddered uncontrollably.

Her survival instinct kicked in, and she immediately tried to break free from Ye Zixuan's warm and soft embrace, saying somewhat flusteredly, "Um—Zixuan, why don't you let me go first? I think—I need some space—" However, Ye Zixuan completely misunderstood Ji Ying's intentions at this moment, thinking that he was only showing this pitiful expression because he was afraid that he would be "bullied" by Su Yuqing again.

So instead of letting go, she hugged the petite girl in her arms even tighter, rendering the girl's struggles completely futile, and causing her to bury her head even deeper.

"Xiaoying, don't be afraid of her, I will protect you." Ye Zixuan comforted her in an extremely gentle voice, while glancing back at Su Yuqing, provoking her with both actions and words.

"I'm not like her—I would never treat you that roughly."

With all her might, Ji Ying managed to break free from the suffocating embrace, her voice trembling slightly with embarrassment and shame: "I'm not afraid of her—no, I'm a little afraid—anyway, please let me go! Please!"

She had no mind to appreciate the comforting soft touch; all that remained in her heart was the endless fear of the impending "judgment."

However, Ye Zixuan completely ignored the request, taking it as Ji Ying being stubborn. Instead of loosening her grip on his petite body, she tightened her embrace.

She even gently stroked Ji Ying's back, as if conveying the message "Don't worry, I'm here" through her actions.

Meanwhile, upon seeing Ye Zixuan's provocative posture, Su Yuqing's anger flared up again, and the veins on her forehead throbbed involuntarily.

She could no longer maintain her composure and quickly reached out, trying to pull Ji Ying out of Ye Zixuan's arms.

Ye Zixuan reacted swiftly, deftly turning to the side and naturally dodging Su Yuqing's hand. She then calmly posed the question that Su Yuqing couldn't avoid: "Yuqing, why are you so agitated? If your relationship is really as close as you claim, why are you reacting so strongly to me and Xiaoying simply hugging?"

"Could it be—you're afraid? Afraid that Xiaoying—will start to feel more relaxed with me?"

"Who's afraid of that kind of thing?" Su Yuqing sneered, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly like a cat eyeing its prey.

"I just want my Xiaoying to give me a reasonable explanation right now."

"And then—" She paused, her gaze sweeping meaningfully over Ji Ying's body in her cute pajamas, "just a little 'punishment' for her disobedience."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down Ji Ying's spine as she was caught in the middle.

Feeling the trembling of the girl in her arms, Ye Zixuan's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

She knew that Ji Ying and Su Yuqing were closer than she was, but she didn't know that they were actually a couple. She also didn't know that "taking the initiative to hug someone of the opposite sex other than Su Yuqing" constituted "betrayal" in a sense.

In her view, Su Yuqing's behavior at this moment had gone beyond the scope of ordinary playful banter between friends, and was more like an unreasonable form of bullying. She did not believe that the other party had the right to unilaterally "judge" and "punish" Xiaoying in this way.

Therefore, faced with Su Yuqing's questioning, she chose to continue to "fight for the rights" of the girl in her arms.

"Yuqing, on what grounds are you questioning Xiaoying?" she asked in a deep voice.

"Why can you forcibly hug and bully Xiaoying, yet react so strongly to her hugging me?"

"Xiaoying is just your companion, not your personal property. Of course she has the freedom to make her own choices, doesn't she?"

"I----" Su Yuqing was speechless for a moment after being choked by Ye Zixuan's question, and her pretty face flushed slightly with anger.

Of course, she wanted to refute him righteously, to loudly tell this woman who was "stealing her boyfriend's girlfriend"—of course I have a right to object! Because she (he) is my boyfriend, A-Che, who belongs only to me. She took the initiative to hug you, a woman I've only known for one day. Shouldn't I react?!

In Su Yuqing's view, questioning Xiaoying about this matter was perfectly justified and a matter of course.

However, she also knew very well that in Ye Zixuan's eyes, "Xiaoying" was a genuine junior high school girl, and she and Xiaoying were just close companions.

It's understandable for friends to quarrel over jealousy, but to adopt a judgmental attitude like this is utterly unreasonable.

But—I can't exactly say "Because Xiaoying is my boyfriend" to her face, can I?!

If I were to reveal this shocking truth now, it would not only fail to resolve the current conflict, but would also make the entire situation more chaotic and difficult to manage.

The frustration of wanting to speak but being unable to make Su Yuqing grit her teeth in anger, and could only curse the culprit who had put her in such a predicament in her heart.

- You idiot Xiaoying! You idiot Ache! You should have just told her you were a man when you first met her, instead of all this trouble now!

But she also knew that this idea was unrealistic. After all, although it was for different reasons, Xiaoying had never intended to tell Xiaoli and herself, who were closer to her, about this. Her identity was exposed by her own accident, not to mention Xingxian, whom she had just met.

Moreover—she woke up with Xingxian's lap as a pillow, so even if she wanted to explain, she probably wouldn't be able to bring herself to say it.

More importantly———— Su Yuqing's gaze involuntarily fell on Ye Zixuan's exquisite and beautiful face, and her curves, which appeared even more alluring under the nightgown. An extremely unsettling thought involuntarily popped into her mind.

If she really said it out loud, would Ye Zixuan, who was originally just competing with her for "Xiaoying," start competing with her for "man" in the real sense?

No! Absolutely not!

Thinking of this, Su Yuqing immediately banished the dangerous thought from her mind.

Frustrated, she could only abandon the idea of explaining, forcibly suppressing all the resentment and frustration in her heart, and said in an almost unreasonable tone, "I don't care! I just want to know! Xiaoying, you better tell me honestly, what exactly happened that night?!"

After experiencing the brief trust crisis with Luo Bingli and Lin Che, she actually trusted Lin Che completely and no longer had any doubts about the possibility of him betraying her.

So at this moment, she wasn't really angry or sad.

However, the fact that Xiaoying had concealed some of the truth from her, as well as Ye Zixuan's boastful attitude in front of her just now, still made her feel indescribably wronged and annoyed.

She desperately wanted to know the truth, to know what the person she cared about so much had gone through in a place she didn't know about.

With this thought in mind, her voice eventually even uncontrollably carried a faint sob.

"————" This vulnerability hidden beneath the tough stance was immediately and keenly observed by Ji Ying.

Oh no, Yuqing—she's really wronged.

Her heart sank, knowing she couldn't let this little devil continue to suffer.

"Zixuan," Jiying said to Ye Zixuan, who was still holding him, in an unusually serious tone, "Please let me go first, okay? I really need to explain this to her properly."

Hearing Ji Ying's solemn tone, Ye Zixuan glanced at Su Yuqing, whose eyes were slightly red, and was slightly taken aback. She then realized that her words and actions just now seemed to have gone too far.

Although she still didn't approve of Su Yuqing's domineering behavior, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her when she saw the other woman looking so pitiful.

She hesitated for a moment, but finally slowly loosened her arms around his waist, letting Ji Ying break free from her embrace.

The moment he regained his freedom, Ji Ying gave Ye Zixuan an apologetic smile and said softly, "I'm sorry, Zixuan, I made you laugh at me."

Then, she turned to look at Su Yuqing's aggrieved expression, her heart filled with helplessness and doting affection, but even more so with embarrassment at not knowing how to start a conversation.

Meanwhile, after releasing Ji Ying, Ye Zixuan looked at the hesitant expression on her face and suddenly realized— I seem to have made another mistake.

She knew that Xiaoying's willingness to let her hug her stemmed from her deep-seated gentleness and thoughtfulness; it was Xiaoying accommodating her, not from a relationship that had truly become that intimate.

However, this did not stop her from using this experience as a topic of conversation to brag to Su Yuqing, after all, the fact that Xiaoying took the initiative to let her hug her was real.

She also needed to use this unique experience with Xiaoying to combat the unease and resentment of being excluded from the group, so she impulsively brought it up as something to brag about.

And now, his impulsive actions have once again put this gentle young girl in a dilemma.

She either had to lie to Su Yuqing, with whom she was clearly closer, or she had to tell the truth and lose face in front of them.

Looking at Ji Ying's delicate face, which was filled with difficulty, Ye Zixuan felt an indescribable sense of guilt and self-blame.

—I had clearly decided never to make things difficult for Xiaoying again—but then, I did it again— She even felt that even if Xiaoying revealed the "truth" later, she had no right to blame her. Even if Yuqing and Xiaoli mocked her, it would be the punishment she deserved.

Just as Ye Zixuan had expected, Ji Ying was hesitating about how to bring it up, caught in a dilemma.

She had actually noticed from their interactions that Ye Zixuan was essentially an extremely proud girl.

I just don't know why, but only when facing myself, I'm willing to put aside that pride and show my vulnerable and dependent side.

She also knew that if she revealed the truth now, it would certainly dispel Su Yuqing's doubts immediately, but it would undoubtedly severely damage Ye Zixuan's self-esteem, hurt this proud girl, and even affect her relationship with Yuqing and Xiaoli.

However, faced with the aggrieved question from the person she cared about most, she couldn't find any reason to continue hiding the truth, nor could she continue to conceal it with silence.

"It's all my fault—why didn't I make things clear back then? This has led to this mess."

Just as Ji Ying was caught in a dilemma, unsure of what to do, Su Yuqing, who had been watching her intently, suddenly seemed to realize something.

Based on her profound understanding of the soul within her, Su Yuqing instantly guessed the real reason for the other party's hesitation— This idiot! Even at a time like this, he's still thinking about saving face for Ye Zixuan!

Although she still really wanted to know what exactly happened back then, and although she was still very dissatisfied with Lin Che's "philanthropy" and Ye Zixuan's "provocation," she was even already planning how to properly "teach" this disobedient guy a lesson.

But in the end, seeing Jiying's troubled look, she decided to put the matter aside for the time being and not confront this potentially sensitive truth.

—Yi-zhen is such an incurable good-natured person, A-Che.

However, this time, I'll be generous and help you out.

—As for Zixuan—Hmph, Xiaoying was just protecting your fragile ego; she doesn't have any romantic feelings for you. No matter how you look at it, you lost? The winner—is clearly me!

With this thought in mind, in the suffocating silence, Su Yuqing suddenly raised her head. While Ye Zixuan's gaze was still on Ji Ying, she quickly gestured with her lips in her direction, sending a look that only the other person could understand.

Ji Ying was slightly taken aback, but then instantly understood what Su Yuqing meant.

I know you're in a difficult position. Now, I'm giving you a chance to come up with a plausible reason to fool "me"!

This unspoken understanding warmed Ji Ying's heart and put her at ease.

She knew that Yuqing was giving her a way out, and also helping her to uphold Ye Zixuan's dignity.

Without further hesitation, Ji Ying cleared her throat, a look of apology and helplessness on her face. Under Ye Zixuan's tense and apprehensive gaze, she began her "performance": "Um—Yuqing, this was indeed my fault. I shouldn't have kept it from you."

"Actually, the battle with Hoshino that night was more intense than I described to you before."

At the time—because I wasn't yet proficient in controlling my new power, I couldn't completely stop myself at the last moment, resulting in Hoshino suffering a minor injury.

"Out of guilt about what happened, and also because of the need for healing, I took the initiative to hug her, wanting to use my power to help stabilize the chaotic magic within her body."

"Moreover, this process—did indeed last for quite a while. After that, I fell into a coma due to excessive consumption of my ethereal energy, which led to the later incident—where Xingxian held me."

Throughout the explanation, Luo Bingli, who was huddled at the foot of the bed, stared at Ji Ying with a look full of confusion.

—Wait a minute— This is completely different from the version I heard before. Shouldn't it be that Xiaoying stopped at the last moment, gained Xingxian's trust in this way, and then fainted due to insufficient energy? How did it become "accidental injury"?

But when Luo Bingli turned her gaze to her friend Su Yuqing, she found that the other woman did not show any doubt on her face. Instead, she had an expression that said, "Oh, I see. I'll accept it reluctantly." In that instant, Luo Bingli understood something.

She looked at the two girls in front of her who were putting on some kind of "tacit performance," and then glanced at Ye Zixuan beside her, who had obviously breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the "truth." Finally, she couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh in her heart.

—Zixuan—was tricked by Yuqing and Xiaoying working together.

A knowing smile appeared on Luo Bingli's lips. She lowered her head, hugged the "Little Shadow" in her arms even tighter, and gently rubbed her soft cheek against it again.

After hearing Ji Ying's "reasonable" explanation, Su Yuqing, though still somewhat dissatisfied, grumbled, "Hmph, since you accidentally hurt me, a hug as compensation is fine! Don't let it happen again!"

"Mhm!" Ji Ying immediately smiled and nodded repeatedly.

On the other side, Ye Zixuan was completely stunned after hearing this explanation.

She no longer paid attention to what position Su Yuqing was on in demanding an explanation from Xiaoying, and even said that this would not happen again.

Her entire attention was focused on something else— —Xiaoying——in order to protect me, in order to keep my secret about "liking to hug cute things to relieve stress"—actually went so far as to lie to Su Yuqing, with whom she was clearly closer!

This realization made her feel both incredibly happy and overwhelmingly guilty.

She knew how childish and immature her boastful words and actions had been, but Xiaoying—with her unique gentleness—silently bore it all, even going so far as to deceive her close companions to protect her ridiculous self-esteem.

This tenderness, this favoritism, made it impossible for her to suppress her emotions any longer.

"Xiaoying————" With a soft call filled with emotion and tenderness, Ye Zixuan couldn't help but lunge forward, wanting to hold this petite girl who had moved her so deeply in her arms once again.

However, Su Yuqing, who had always been highly wary of her, reacted even faster.

"Don't even think about it!"

With lightning speed, Su Yuqing pulled Ji Ying away from beside her, narrowly avoiding the pounce, but she herself was caught off guard by the action.

"Huh?!"

Under Luo Bingli's slightly astonished gaze, the two equally beautiful girls unexpectedly embraced each other tightly.