Chapter 183

"Here, Mu Shijie, have an apple." Bai Lian smiled as she cut a piece of apple and handed it to Mu Xinghe with her fingers. In the end, she even indulgently said, "Ah~" This appearance was exactly like that of a girlfriend taking care of her partner. Of course, Mu Xinghe couldn't have anticipated this. She felt like she was taking advantage of Mu Xinghe and her eyes curved into a crescent shape. After all, in the game, Mu Xinghe had always been quite decisive and had always tried to outdo her in every way possible. It wasn't often that she saw Mu Xinghe in such a weak position, so she naturally wanted to fully enjoy the moment. Even though doing such a thing would surely lead to Mu Xinghe teasing her in return, the sacrifices were worth it for such a rare opportunity! However, to her surprise, Mu Xinghe first looked at her fingers flicking the apple, then turned slightly disappointed. "I only have depleted my spiritual energy, I'm not incapable of handling it. There's no reason for you, Bai Shimei, to personally feed me. I'll do it myself." His tone was plain, as if stating the most normal thing in the world. Bai Lian was somewhat taken aback by his words and the unexpected change in Mu Xinghe's behavior. What was going on with Mu Xinghe? For she knew, Mu Xinghe, whether in the past or present, was the kind of person who would never let himself be at a disadvantage. Given Mu Xinghe's personality, in response to her actions, he should have unequivocally accepted her goodwill, eaten the apple, and even playfully licked her fingers afterward. After all, during their time together, Mu Xinghe had not hesitated to take advantage of her, even being more audacious than when they first met in the game. But the current behavior felt somewhat distant, as if deliberately drawing a line between them, treating her as a true 'Bai shimei', rather than the White Lian from her previous life. Her actions hesitated for a moment, and she suddenly understood Mu Xinghe's intentions. Obviously, after the events at the Sword Forging Tower, Mu Xinghe felt guilty for what he had done to her and realized that constantly associating her with the shadow of the previous White Lian would only cause her harm. So, Mu Xinghe intentionally separated her from White Lian, attempting to treat her purely as 'Bai shimei'. This behavior clearly aligned with Bai Lian's intentions, given that her initial plan was to proactively draw a line between herself and the female protagonists in order to not bear the burdens of the past love and resentment and prejudices imposed on her. She could then focus on her cultivation, live a peaceful life, or even ascend, without constantly worrying about being stabbed to death or turned into a rag doll. However, at this moment, she felt a heaviness in her heart, wanting to say something but unable to form the words. She sighed faintly in her heart without showing her inner frustration. After all, she had chosen the current situation herself, so she would naturally bear the consequences. "Alright." She didn't say much, just gently responded. Just then, a maid's voice came from outside the door. "Miss Bai, Princess Weiyan has arrived and wishes to see you. Please come to the main hall." Bai Lian was slightly taken aback, but it was not surprising that Xiao Weiyan would come; after all, when they had dispersed in the woods, she had instructed Dulin and the others to inform Princess Weiyan immediately about the whereabouts of the lost demon in Xiao Cheng Yin's place. After following Xiao Cheng Yin to Changning Palace and spending some time at the Sword Forging Tower to help Mu Xinghe suppress his inner demons, it was about time for Princess Weiyan to arrive. She turned to Mu Xinghe and said, "Mu Shijie, I'll go to Princess Weiyan first. You should rest." "Okay, go ahead," Mu Xinghe nodded. In the past, she would never have let Bai Lian and Princess Weiyan be alone together, especially knowing Princess Weiyan's intention towards Bai Lian. But now she just leaned quietly against the head of the bed, watching Bai Lian's figure disappear behind the door. Even if her heart was full of grievances, even if the hand clutching the quilt had unconsciously bulging veins, she absolutely... could not get closer to Bai Lian again... Accompanied by the maid, Bai Lian walked on the way to the main hall of Changning Palace. In the main hall at this time, Princess Weiyan was sitting on a large, sturdy wooden chair, swinging her feet idly in the air, while Ming Zhao and Bao Qin stood behind her. Xiao Cheng Yin sat helplessly in the main seat. After all, this spoiled and overbearing princess, deeply favored by the emperor, was well known for her ways. Despite being Xiao Cheng Yin's sister, if she offended Princess Weiyan, it wouldn't go well for him. However, this girl urgently wanted to find Miss Bai as soon as she arrived. Was their relationship that close? He suddenly remembered the scene in the small woods. Indeed, the captain of the guards from Weiyan Palace had shown unusual respect towards Miss Bai. Even though Dulin held a relatively low official position, there was no need for the leader of the princess's guards to be so respectful to an ordinary disciple of a sect. It seemed that only Weiyan's friend could have such an effect. Thinking of this, a look of joy appeared on Xiao Cheng Yin's face. Yes, why hadn't he thought of this before? They say if you want to win the favor of a girl, you must first win over her best friend. And Princess Weiyan was likely Bai Lian's best friend! If that was the case, if Weiyan was willing to help him pursue Bai Lian, then he would be set! Thinking of this, Xiao Cheng Yin seemed to see himself winning over the beauty and was ecstatic, almost wanting to laugh out loud. Princess Weiyan looked at Xiao Cheng Yin's distorted smile and didn’t know what he was up to. She didn’t have much negative feelings towards her elder brother who sold her out in her past life. After all, if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have found it so easy to break through Mu Xinghe's blockade and get close to Bai Lian in her past life. In some sense, Xiao Cheng Yin did more good than harm. Of course, Xiao Cheng Yin's motive for pushing her towards Bai Lian was not pure, so she didn't need to put on a good face for him either. Consider him just an ordinary brother; for the royal family, this kind of relationship was already quite precious. Moreover, he didn't participate in the struggle for the throne in her past life and ended up living leisurely as a prince, carefree. At this moment, Xiao Cheng Yin's voice interrupted Princess Weiyan's thoughts. "Weiyan, I've never asked for anything in my life, but there's something I need your help with." Princess Weiyan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Since she wasn't the grand Princess Weiyan from her past life, she didn't even have her own place in the palace guards anymore. Meanwhile, Xiao Cheng Yin had begun to get involved in court affairs and had some influence in the court. "Elder brother, tell me," she asked with interest, curious about what Xiao Cheng Yin wanted from her. Considering his help in helping her approach Bai Lian in her past life, she might consider granting him help that didn’t cross her bottom line. After all, for her upcoming plans, she needed to quickly gather strength within the court.