Chương 228: The Night Talk of the "Accomplices"

After listening to Luo Bingli's unique insights on "liking," Ye Zixuan was briefly surprised before slowly coming back to her senses.

She shook her head gently, her eyes filled with a hint of bewilderment.

When faced with someone you like—should you take the initiative to back down?

This is something that is hard to imagine for her, who grew up in endless competition and comparison and was taught by her parents that "only the first place has value and the loser is worthless".

"Perhaps—you're right, the three of us might not all feel the same way about Xiaoying."

"But since this feeling is called 'liking,' then at the very least, one shouldn't willingly give up the person they like to someone else, right?"

"At least that's what I think," she paused, glancing subtly towards the next room, "Yuqing—obviously thinks so too."

"And you—I still can't quite understand you."

Looking at the undisguised determination in her eyes, Luo Bingli smiled gently and said, "That's normal. After all, people are different."

She turned her gaze to the clone lying quietly beside her, her eyes filled with longing and contentment: "Maintaining the status quo, being able to feel a little warmth like this occasionally, is enough to make me happy."

"But Zixuan, you—you obviously crave more, right?"

"Of course!" Ye Zixuan answered without hesitation.

"Xiaoying is an extremely special person to me. Not only did she treat me so gently, but she also risked her life to save me from that bastard when I was at my most desperate—"

"No matter what, I want to be the most special person in her heart!"

Luo Bingli listened quietly, and a subtle sense of déjà vu arose in her heart, as if she saw in Ye Zixuan the same clumsy and stubborn version of herself from not long ago.

—It really is so similar to my past self. We were both saved by that unreasonable gentleness, and then hopelessly—fell into it.

She even had a premonition that even if one day in the future Zixuan learned Xiaoying's true identity and the truth hidden behind that gentleness, she would probably still stick to her current thoughts.

And he himself was clearly unable to give any more obvious hints than before.

Thinking of this, Luo Bingli nodded helplessly and said softly, "Then—good luck.""

"However, I still have to remind you," she paused, her tone becoming serious, "that beating Yuqing is very difficult. She is very special to Xiaoying."

"I noticed that before; she currently has a significant advantage." Ye Zixuan nodded confidently.

"However, I won't lose."

Then, she looked at Luo Bingli and asked with some doubt, "Could it be that—Xiaoli, you thought from the beginning that you couldn't beat Yuqing, so you chose not to try?"

"Eh?"

Upon hearing this pointed question, Luo Bingli's eyes wavered for a moment, but quickly, that wavering was replaced by a clearer and more resolute light.

She shook her head seriously and said, word by word, "It's not that I feel I can't win, but—I've never even thought about winning."

"Why?" Ye Zixuan was slightly taken aback and subconsciously asked.

She couldn't see any pretense or insincerity in the other person's clear eyes, only a kind of unwavering determination that surprised her.

Luo Bingli shifted her gaze from Ye Zixuan's face to the cheek of the Shadow Clone, her eyes becoming distant and gentle: "Yuqing was my only friend before. I've known her for much, much longer than I've known Xiaoying. If it weren't for her, I definitely wouldn't be like this now."

"So, I would absolutely, positively never do anything that could hurt all of us and prevent any of us from laughing and talking like this again."

"So that's the reason?" Ye Zixuan was instantly shocked.

She never expected that this seemingly aloof and reserved girl would choose to back down and not fight for Xiaoying, whom she also loved and even depended on, just to avoid hurting her best friend.

This determination to suppress her own emotions in order to protect their friendship deeply impacted Ye Zixuan.

She paused for a moment before saying with a somewhat complicated expression, "I don't really understand—making this choice for a friend."

"After all," her voice trailed off, a hint of sadness in her eyes, "I didn't have any real friends before, and this is the first time I've ever liked someone like this."

Luo Bingli gently shook her head, indicating that Ye Zixuan didn't need to continue, and then said softly, "I know, this is just my personal choice, and I have no right to demand that you act according to my principles."

"But—" she paused, her tone becoming serious, "there's only one thing I hope you can promise me."

"What was that matter?" Ye Zixuan asked softly.

"We are comrades who will fight side by side, and we are also friends who have just become acquainted. In the days to come, we will definitely experience many, many things together." Luo Bingli looked earnestly into Ye Zixuan's eyes.

"So I hope that no matter how much you want to win over Xiaoying, you will not forget this premise."

"If you and Yuqing's relationship deteriorates to the point of no return because of this—Xiaoying and I will both be very sad."

Ye Zixuan pondered for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "I can't guarantee that I can remain completely calm when arguing with that guy you mentioned, but—"

"When I spend time with Yuqing in the future, I will always remember this premise you mentioned."

1

"You're right," a relieved smile appeared on her face, "We're friends, and partners."

"Hmm!" Luo Bingli smiled happily.

"Judging from how you've gotten along before, you and Yuqing—maybe you'll become very good friends."

"Huh?! Me and her? Impossible!" Ye Zixuan's mind involuntarily conjured up Su Yuqing's hateful smiling face, and she immediately shuddered, then retorted angrily.

"That guy has been wary of me ever since we met, and he always likes to tease me! Just now, he even pinched me—" At this point, her cheeks flushed red, and she was too embarrassed to continue.

"Huh? Actually, Yuqing is just envious, isn't she?"

Looking at Ye Zixuan's adorable expression of being both shy and angry, Luo Bingli's smile deepened.

Her gaze subtly shifted downwards, landing on Ye Zixuan's impressive curves, and she teased, "To be honest, Zixuan, you have a really great figure. Even I—I'm quite envious."

"Alright! Xiao Li, why are you teasing me like her too!" Ye Zixuan suddenly felt a little embarrassed, subconsciously shrinking her body and pulling the blanket up to cover that eye-catching view.

"I wasn't teasing you, I'm genuinely envious." Luo Bingli suddenly flashed a mischievous smile just like Su Yuqing's, and slowly extended her hand towards Ye Zixuan.

"Why don't you let me try it too—how does it feel?"

"Hey! You—don't come any closer!"

Ye Zixuan let out a cute exclamation and subconsciously tried to dodge, but she quickly realized that she and Xiao Li were lying on the same bed and there was no way to avoid it.

In desperation, she could only frantically grab the Shadow Clone that she had always used as a "pillow" and hold it in front of her like a shield.

This action was entirely instinctive; she just wanted to find something to block Luo Bingli's malicious hand.

However, she had no idea that this simple act would trigger an unexpected "accident" that she never anticipated.

As expected, Luo Bingli's hand landed on the "shield," but the landing point was somewhat—subtle.

The strange sensation startled her slightly, and she let out a small gasp, instinctively trying to pull her hand back.

However, just as she was about to withdraw her hand, a thought flashed through her mind like lightning.

Wait a minute—this clone shouldn't have its senses shared with the original body, right?

In other words, whatever I do to this clone right now will not be known to Xiaoying herself; the only one who will see it is Zixuan beside her.

Luo Bingli felt her cheeks instantly become burning hot, and her heart started pounding wildly.

Instead of removing the hand that landed so subtly, she—with a suspicious blush on her face—cast a meaningful glance at Ye Zixuan beside her, as if seeking an "accomplice."

After her initial surprise, Ye Zixuan instantly understood the meaning in the other person's eyes.

Looking at Luo Bingli's shy yet bold appearance, and then at the unsuspecting "little movie doll" on the bed, a strange switch in her heart was also triggered.

She took a deep breath and nodded solemnly, as if she had agreed to something extremely serious and important.

Immediately, the two girls exchanged a knowing smile and together slowly removed the blanket from the body of the Shadow Clone.

For a moment, the only sounds in the darkness were the soft rustling of clothes and the girls' deliberately suppressed, faint breathing.

"Wow—Xiaoying is so cute!"

"Mmm—lips—so soft—"

"Xiao Li, look here—there's a tiny mole here. I never usually notice it."

"Wow, it really is beautiful!"

After a period of curious "exploration," the two of them finally covered the clone with the blanket again, and the room returned to tranquility.

After this shared "criminal act," their relationship seemed to become even closer in a very strange way.

With endless longing, Ye Zixuan gently stroked the cheek of the Shadowless Doppelganger. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, "By the way, Xiao Li, you said before—if it weren't for Yu Qing, you definitely wouldn't be like this now. What did you mean by that? What were you like before? Would you mind telling me?"

Luo Bingli was tying her clone's loose side ponytail back up when she heard the question, and she paused slightly.

Seeing the pure curiosity in Ye Zixuan's eyes, she hesitated for a moment before speaking softly, "There's nothing inconvenient to say. Do you remember when we first met, I mentioned that I had committed an unforgivable mistake, which is why those missing seniors didn't want to maintain much contact with me?"

Ye Zixuan immediately recalled the scene at that time, as well as Luo Bingli's description of her as having a terrible attitude and a withdrawn personality.

Could this really happen to this beautiful and gentle girl in front of us?

She felt a pang of doubt, but still nodded slightly and pressed on, "Was it—Yuqing who changed you?"

"It's not just Yuqing," Luo Bingli gently shook her head, a gentle smile on her face, "Xiaoying and Senior Xingshuang also deserve credit."

She paused, then added, "Of course, there's also—Yuqing's brother."

"However, the fact that Yuqing is my best friend will never change."

"So that's how it is—" Ye Zixuan nodded thoughtfully.

She initially asked the question out of curiosity about her friend, without intending to delve into the details. However, she also had a vague feeling that the matter was far from being as nonchalant as the other person was describing it.

Although Xiao Li did not show any resistance to talking about those things, in any case, uncovering those deep-seated scars would not be a pleasant experience.

Everyone has one or two sad stories they don't want to easily tell outsiders.

She herself is the same in this respect.

So Ye Zixuan naturally avoided the topic and instead asked, "Since you've spent so much time with Yuqing, you must often stay at her house, right?"

"Huh? Actually—no, not really." Luo Bingli replied somewhat awkwardly, "I've known Yuqing for almost three months, but this is the first time I've come to her house, which only happened recently."

"Even the reason I've been able to stay here these past two days is due to some—special reasons."

"Special reason?" A big question mark immediately popped into Ye Zixuan's head.

According to her understanding, since Yuqing and Xiaoli are such close friends, it should be perfectly normal for them to stay overnight at each other's homes, right?

But Xiaoli said that this was something that had only happened recently, or that it was due to "special reasons"?

But soon, Ye Zixuan's attention was drawn to something else that concerned her more.

She immediately pressed further, "You said you met Yuqing much later than you met Xiaoying, and you only recently started staying at Yuqing's house—"

"And what about Xiaoying? How many times has she stayed at Yuqing's house? And how many times—like today—has she slept with Yuqing?"

Luo Bingli was taken aback by the sudden question. After a moment's thought, she stammered, "Well, if we only count Xiaoying, tonight should be the third time—and I participated in the previous two too."

"Only three times?! That's so few?!"

Ye Zixuan ignored Luo Bingli's somewhat strange statement and instead let out a joyful shout, excitedly continuing to ask, "So—how long has it been since you met Xiaoying?"

Luo Bingli had roughly guessed what Ye Zixuan was thinking. She hesitated for a moment, looked at the other's expectant eyes, and finally couldn't bear to lie to her, so she said truthfully, "—less than a week."

"Xiao Li! Are you serious?!" Ye Zixuan's eyes lit up instantly. She grabbed Luo Bingli's hand and asked again to confirm.

"Hmm—" Luo Bingli nodded helplessly, silently lighting a candle for her best friend in her heart.

Knowing that "Xiaoying" and Yuqing had only known each other for less than a week and had slept in the same bed a handful of times was a huge boost of confidence for Zixuan, who had just been worried about the progress of her relationship with Xiaoying.

The real problem is that he obviously can't tell the girl in front of him, who is already completely excited, the "cruel" fact that the two of them have known each other for a long time and have shared a bed countless times.

As expected, after seeing Luo Bingli nod in confirmation, Ye Zixuan's expression instantly changed from the slight tension and worry she had shown when she asked the question to a look full of confidence, determination, and even eagerness.

All her previous apprehension about Su Yuqing's "first-mover advantage" vanished at this moment.

It turns out—they've only just begun!

If that's the case, then I still have a chance! No, I should say—I have a huge advantage!

Looking at her like this, Luo Bingli knew that her previous subtle reminder that "it would be difficult to beat Yuqing" had probably been completely forgotten by the other party.

For once, she also had a small complaint about the lie about being a "middle school student" that Lin Che had casually told to avoid that trouble.

If he hadn't said he was a middle school student and had just been honest, Zixuan probably wouldn't have misunderstood to this extent.

-never mind---- Luo Bingli let out a helpless sigh in her heart and silently extricated herself from this matter.

I'm sorry, Yuqing, I've already—tried my best.