"Eh, eh, eh, little Cai Ya, don't be mad. It's not that I've been ignoring you, I really had things to deal with." Chu Lian bent her body slightly, standing pitifully before Cai Ya and the other three, who were sitting on the sofa with crossed legs.
"Haven't you been avoiding us these past few days? That's already more than just ignoring us. To say you're ignoring us is putting it lightly. I think you just don't want to see us, that's why you've been acting like this." Cai Ya's face carried a trace of pride, her tone sharp.
But Chu Lian, attentive as ever, caught the flicker of another emotion in her eyes. She knew Cai Ya had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. The only way to convince her was to lower her own stance, soften her tone, and slowly wear her down until she agreed.
For someone like Chu Lian, who had already fully recovered her past life memories (all those dark memories were borne by Dark Chu Lian, and she herself did not recall them, so for now they were not considered part of her memory), such things were nothing. In her past life, in order to survive, in order to secure a single chance to perform, she had humbled herself and begged countless times. Doing so now placed no burden on her at all.
Besides, she was now an irresistibly cute little loli. Her opponent was only a sheltered young lady just starting to face the world. If she couldn't handle even this, then all of her past life's experience might as well be useless.
"This really isn't me avoiding you or not wanting to see you. There are just some things I need to resolve, and I don't want to drag you into them." At this point, Chu Lian chose to reveal a bit of the truth—though mixed in with many lies. Truth and falsehood mingled so no one could tell what was real and what wasn't.
There was no helping it. She couldn't possibly tell them the whole truth. If they knew that the Valkyrie was the same weak and delicate Chu Lian they always saw, whether they believed her or not would be troublesome. And beyond that, there were immortals, Qin Shi Huang, the gate to the Otherside, and many more incomprehensible things. Such truths would completely overturn their worldview.
She knew well: the more people who knew about her, the more danger they would face. Even though she now had confidence that she wouldn't easily lose in a one-on-one battle, that didn't mean she could protect so many people alone.
So even though she felt guilty, the lies had to be told—not only to protect them, but to protect herself as well.
"You should know there really are unbelievable powers in this world, right? Honestly, Chu Chu, Inori, and I all have special powers. Of course, we're not as amazing as legendary immortals or superheroes, and we're not as shocking as the Valkyrie from the other day. Think of it more like martial arts in wuxia novels. We can scale walls under certain conditions, but anything stronger than that isn't possible."
As someone carrying the title of "Literary Girl," Chu Lian never needed a draft. She could make up settings on the spot that sounded convincing. Aside from Lux Lyle and Ruriko Nana, who knew she was speaking a partial truth about the hidden world, Cai Ya and Liu Yanran remained doubtful.
"See, I can do this." Knowing words alone weren't enough, Chu Lian casually pulled a tissue from the table, infused it with spiritual power, and with a flick of her hand, it sliced cleanly into the hotel wall.
"Even a falling leaf can injure. This kind of ability is more impressive than wall-scaling, isn't it? And yet you claim scaling walls requires special conditions, while you can do this so easily? You're lying to us, aren't you?" Cai Ya's mind was sharp. She instantly spotted the flaw, and beside her Liu Yanran nodded in agreement.
"Uh…" Chu Lian felt cornered. Being exposed like this was embarrassing to the extreme. Fortunately, she still had two 'traitors' on the other side to back her up.
"I know about this. Scaling walls consumes a lot of energy and requires extensive training. But channeling inner power into objects like that is only a basic application, which is why Chu Lian can do it so easily." Just as Chu Lian was about to open her mouth to explain, Ruriko Nana's voice rang out, coming to her rescue.
"Nana, could it be you're the same type as her? Otherwise, how would you know so clearly?" Cai Ya's gaze shifted to Ruriko Nana, her expression full of doubt.
"Nana isn't someone who can use this kind of special energy. But one of my ancestors was an outstanding kendo master. He wrote everything he knew in a book, and instructed that it must never be leaked." What Ruriko Nana said was true, though she hid the fact that now their family also possessed the ability to use such energy.
"That book is called Wanderer's Notes, and it is the Ruriko family's most precious ancestral treasure. It records all kinds of things about people who could use this power. The world calls them 'cultivators,' and their hidden world is known as the 'Cultivation World.' So, for Nana, hearing about this isn't surprising at all." As she finished, Ruriko Nana placed a finger gently on her lips and gave a playful shake of her head, looking adorably cute.
"Basically, it's just as Nana said. We've been keeping our distance only because of matters in the cultivation world, not to avoid you." Chu Lian let out a breath of relief, giving Nana a discreet nod of thanks for helping her out.
"Then why didn't you tell us from the beginning? If you had, we wouldn't have overthought everything. In the end, all of this is your fault." Cai Ya's tone carried heavy dissatisfaction. What she hated wasn't that Chu Lian had avoided her, but that she hadn't said anything beforehand.
"Ahem, it's not that I didn't want to say, I simply didn't get the chance. You know, on the very first day we were attacked by unknown monsters, Zhang Feng died and revived, and then Inori and I spent the whole afternoon performing. By night we were exhausted and fell asleep as soon as we returned to the hotel. The next day was the Lishan trip. We didn't see you when we set out."
"On the mountaintop, I was preoccupied and forgot to tell you. As for today, you saw what happened this morning. If we hadn't run quickly, we might still be trapped there. And climbing Mount Tai—I admit I avoided you on purpose. That was my fault. But now I'm here to admit it, aren't I?"
Chu Lian knew that admitting mistakes and showing reflection was the best way to win forgiveness, so she laid everything out clearly and even confessed fault in the end.
Hearing her, Cai Ya's lips finally curved into a satisfied smile. Her tone turned haughty as she said, "Hmph, remember this—it was you who begged me, not me who offered to help. If you treat me like this again, I'll never forgive you."
When she said this, Cai Ya didn't even notice her words were tinged with coquettishness, as if she were pouting to someone she liked—spoiled and cute.
"Alright, alright, it was all my fault this time. Next time I'll tell my good Cai Ya in advance, so you won't worry." Joy showed at the corners of Chu Lian's lips, and in her happiness she spoke without thinking.
"Wh-Who… who… who is your good Cai Ya? I-I-I… you're so annoying!" In an instant, Cai Ya's cheeks flushed pink, the color spreading across her whole face, betraying her embarrassment. Ordinarily, the words would mean nothing, but with her growing feelings for Chu Lian, she heard them differently.
To her, Chu Lian's "my good Cai Ya" sounded like a confession: "This is the Cai Ya I like." Otherwise, why would she blush so fiercely?
"I'm sorry, that was my mistake." Chu Lian didn't think much of it, immediately falling back on her usual solution—taking the blame.
But no sooner had she spoken than Cai Ya lowered her head, raised her right hand, and pointed toward the door. Her voice stiff, she said, "Get out. Leave right now. I don't want to see you."
"Ah? Did I say something wrong again?" Chu Lian blinked in confusion, staring at her.
"I said get out! If you still want me to help with the music, then leave my sight. I mean it—I won't say it a third time." Cai Ya's tone was icy. But Chu Lian could hear something beneath her words. She did not reply further, only bowed, and quietly turned to leave.
She did not see that, as she turned away, two streams of tears slid down Cai Ya's cheeks and fell onto her long dress. It was not only Cai Ya who wept, but also a sensitive girl's heart. Unfortunately, Chu Lian would never know that someone was crying because of her.
The other three girls seemed to understand why she acted that way. They silently chose not to say anything, simply staying by her side and keeping her company in quiet.
"Although it was a bit troublesome, I still managed to resolve things. Aside from Cai Ya's unstable emotions, everything else should be fine." Chu Lian kept what had just happened to herself. She didn't want to cause discord among those around her.
She knew she must have inadvertently done something that hurt Cai Ya's heart. Otherwise, she wouldn't have changed so suddenly at that moment.
"I knew it. As long as Big Sis takes action, how could those girls possibly refuse? After all, Big Sis' charm conquers both men and women. Who could ever reject you?" Chu Chu placed her hands on her hips, speaking proudly. Clearly, she was very proud to have such an elder sister.
Chu Chu's words were exaggerated, but they reminded Chu Lian of the truth. Suddenly, she understood why Cai Ya had reacted so strongly just now. So it was because of this…
With a bitter smile on her lips, Chu Lian didn't know what to say. She numbly walked to the sofa, sat down, and closed her eyes to rest.
After a short while, Inori leaned gently against her side, whispering softly by her ear: "Don't blame yourself. Don't overthink it. None of this is your fault. Lian, you must understand your own heart, but also understand others'. Sometimes mistakes happen, and that's normal. So don't hold yourself accountable."
"You just need to know that everything will be resolved. The only difference is how long it takes."
Resting her cheek lightly against her fair skin, Chu Lian nodded. Yet her mind still lingered on that scene. "Perhaps, back then, they felt the same way?"
"Now, I've only come to understand… far too late."