Seeing that the cool hand around her waist was starting to wander again, Ye Ran immediately grabbed it, then turned and pushed Lu Li, who was pressed against her, away.
“Since Senior Brother Lu has already accepted my apology, then we’re even. You should go back now. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us.”
Back when she had been avoiding Lu Li, Ye Ran had already thought it through.
Since the love letters had been a misunderstanding, she shouldn’t have too much to do with Lu Li.
After all, Lu Li had a volatile temper and was extremely fond of killing. If she grew too close to him, one day he might kill her just for his own amusement.
But what had happened last night caught her off guard. Now her mind was a complete mess.
Hearing Lu Li say he had forgiven her, she decided to go along with it and use this chance to draw a clear line between them.
But Lu Li’s expression darkened at her words. He grabbed her wrist and flipped her over, pinning her down.
“Even?”
“Junior sister, since you were the one who provoked me in the first place, don’t ever think you can call it even.”
Before Ye Ran could react, Lu Li lowered his head and bit her lip, grinding against it as if venting his anger.
Though his force wasn’t strong, Ye Ran was terrified.
Instinctively, she kicked out. This time, she didn’t hit anything vital—but she still managed to kick Lu Li clean off the bed.
The thud of a heavy object hitting the floor snapped Ye Ran back to reality, and she realized what she had done.
By the time she sat up in a panic, Lu Li was already on his feet.
His tall figure slowly approached again, frightening Ye Ran so much that she clutched the blanket tighter and scooted further toward the inside of the bed.
“Junior sister really is quite strong.”
Lu Li stood by the bed, looking down at Ye Ran with a hint of regret in his eyes.
As if regretting that he hadn’t tried hard enough the night before, leaving her with enough strength to kick him.
“I—”
Before Ye Ran could say anything, a paper crane suddenly flew in through the window and landed in front of her.
Ye Ran, as if seeing a savior, excitedly grabbed it.
“My master needs me for something, so I can’t entertain Senior Brother Lu any longer. You should go back now.”
With that, Ye Ran grabbed her scattered clothes, dressed quickly, and hurried off to her master’s main hall—without bothering to check whether Lu Li had left.
Only when Ye Ran’s figure had vanished from sight did Lu Li leisurely pick up his clothes and put them on one by one.
As he put on the last piece and fastened his belt, a chubby figure jumped in through the window.
“Host! I’m back!”
Tail held high, the system toddled in on its little feet, heading toward the bed with practiced ease.
But just as it looked up, expecting to be petted, it didn’t see Ye Ran. Instead, it saw Lu Li standing by the bed, quietly staring down at it.
“Meow!!!”
The system’s fur puffed up in terror, its cry turning hoarse.
It immediately turned to flee, but before it could get far, an invisible hand scooped it up. The next moment, it landed in Lu Li’s arms.
The system’s body went rigid, frozen in place.
Lu Li carried it over to a small couch and lay down. With a wave of his hand, a mirror appeared before him.
In the mirror was Ye Ran’s reflection.
By now, Ye Ran had arrived at the main hall. Seeing her master, she looked as if she had just met a long-lost relative.
“Master, you called for me? Do you have instructions for me?”
There was a barely suppressed excitement in Ye Ran’s voice, which made Li Qiuyu look at her with curiosity. She walked over to Ye Ran and studied her closely.
“Good disciple, what’s with you today? You seem so happy to see me.”
The scrutiny in Li Qiuyu’s gaze made Ye Ran somewhat uneasy. To prevent her master from noticing anything unusual, Ye Ran immediately lowered her head and spoke again:
“It’s because I haven’t seen Master in a long time, so I can’t help but be a little happy.”
“Still as sweet-tongued as ever, my good disciple.”
Li Qiuyu patted Ye Ran on the shoulder, then casually draped an arm around her and leaned down to look at her face.
“Your master has a task here that I’m thinking of entrusting to my good disciple. What do you say?”
The moment Ye Ran looked up, Li Qiuyu winked at her.
Ye Ran immediately understood. The sect leader had probably assigned this task to her master, but her master didn’t want to go, so she had passed it down to Ye Ran.
“What kind of task?”
“The sect competition has already begun. According to tradition, we need to invite that person from Zeyang Manor to come and bestow blessings upon the outstanding disciples after the competition. The disciples from other peaks are all busy right now, so only our Liuyun Peak has some free time. The sect leader wants me to lead the disciples of Liuyun Peak to extend the invitation—but the sect leader’s youngest disciple is also going, and I don’t particularly like him. How about you go in my stead, good disciple?”
With that, Li Qiuyu winked at Ye Ran again.
Ye Ran’s eyes lit up the moment she heard it was a task requiring her to leave the sect.
She had been worrying about how to avoid Lu Li, and now someone had delivered the perfect solution right to her doorstep.
“Master, you can rest assured and leave it to me.”
Ye Ran agreed without the slightest hesitation.
Her joyful expression was clearly reflected in the mirror, falling right into Lu Li’s gaze.
Lu Li lay on the small couch, lazily stroking the fat cat in his arms. His eyes rested on Ye Ran’s excited face, and the corner of his mouth curled up slightly.
“Trying to avoid me, junior sister? I’m afraid your plan will fall short this time.”
The moment he finished speaking, the mirror before him vanished.
Lu Li’s gaze shifted downward to the fat cat in his arms.
The system had remained frozen in Lu Li’s embrace, not daring to move an inch. Feeling his eyes on it, it finally mustered its courage and looked up at him.
“Do one thing for me.” Lu Li stroked the system’s head again.
“Meow meow~” What are you saying? I don’t understand.
The system let out two coquettish meows, trying to play dumb and bluff its way through.
But Lu Li’s hand on its head slowly slid down and pinched the back of its neck.
“I know you can talk.”
The coldness in Lu Li’s voice made the system’s fur puff up in terror. It immediately wrapped its paws around Lu Li’s arm, eager to please.
“Whatever you command, this one will go through fire and water for you.”
The system’s voice was dripping with sycophancy.
Only then did Lu Li curl his lips in satisfaction.
He raised his hand and touched the system’s forehead. In an instant, the system’s body was enveloped in a white glow and rose into the air.
Soon, the white glow grew larger and larger, forming a human shape. When the light faded, another Lu Li stood before the couch.
Only this “Lu Li” had a certain innocent stupidity in his eyes.
He raised his arm to look himself over, then turned to the real Lu Li in confusion.
“Meow?”
“During the time I’m away, you need to play the role of me well. If you get discovered—”
He paused there, then smiled at the system.
The system was so frightened it immediately took several steps back. Then, remembering its new identity, it quickly composed itself and straightened its back.
“I understand. Don’t worry.”
Though its tone was still a bit stiff, its demeanor was already eighty percent there—more than enough to fool the people in the sect.
So Lu Li nodded, then waved his hand and sent the system off to Wangxian Hall.
Then he looked toward the window. When his gaze caught a cheerful figure, he smiled. The next moment, he transformed into a fat cat and lay down on the small couch.
Ye Ran returned to her quarters excitedly. Just as she was about to push the door open, she seemed to think of something. She immediately wiped the smile off her face and carefully pushed the door ajar to peek inside.
After scanning the room and confirming that Lu Li was nowhere to be seen, she finally pushed the door all the way open with relief.
The moment she stepped inside, her gaze immediately locked onto the fat cat on the small couch.
“Let’s go, System! We’re going on a business trip!”
Ye Ran scooped up the fat cat and hurried out of the room.
She did not notice at all that the system’s eyes were no longer so clear.
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