Chapter Seventy-Eight: Lu Liangting’s Chaos Zone
“Ahhhhh!”
Once they were out of the countryside and on the highway, Zhao Mingyue was starting to lose it. She grabbed Bai Yu by the shoulders and shook her like a maraca.
“How could I have said such embarrassing things earlier?!”
On the way back, the more she thought about it, the more out of sorts she felt. She replayed those cheesy lines in her head—like, “And I, have you” and “I’m an excellent little thief, capable of stealing time.” Seriously, how mortifying!
When she said those lines, her emotions were all over the place.
Memories from her childhood had come flooding back, coupled with the somber mood of visiting the grave, and all those feelings stacked up until she spilled the beans. She had meant to play dumb and pretend she didn’t know anything, even though the actual knowledge she had was scant.
But as she rambled on and caught wind of Bai Yu’s intent to stir up trouble, she felt both urgent and a bit like giving up, so she just blurted everything out.
Revealing information wasn’t the real issue; it was the sheer embarrassment of what she had said that had her in a tizzy, so much so that she didn’t even know how to respond.
“Yuyue, let’s just forget about that whole cringey episode, okay? I can give you some money!”
Zhao Mingyue’s face was a picture of sincerity.
Bai Yu’s response was straightforward.
“Nope, can’t forget it.”
“Ahhh, you MUST forget it!”
“Mingyue, let me tell you, sometimes expressing those kinds of emotions is perfectly normal.” Bai Yu readjusted her sunglasses, speaking nonchalantly.
“Instead of this, why don’t you talk about that thing you’re scared of?”
“That thing?” Zhao Mingyue stopped her wild flailing. She located the bike she rode over and resumed her composure, “Honestly, I don’t know what that is, which is why I called it ‘unknown.’ But I do know that it’s terrifying and is always out to get me.”
“That’s why I said before it finds me, my life is stolen time.”
“That’s enough,” Bai Yu hopped onto the back with the grace of a seasoned pro. “Since that thing hasn’t found you all this time, it means its abilities are pretty limited. To put it bluntly, it’s nothing to worry about.”
“That thing isn’t like ghosts; they’re incredibly powerful under certain conditions, but if you avoid their rules, you’ll find out they’re really quite weak.”
“I think your dreams are just hinting at something and don’t necessarily mean it’s found you.”
“If we get the chance, we can go to your village and eliminate this hidden danger.”
Bai Yu’s mind was already brewing plans. It was her first time seeing Zhao Mingyue like this—she remembered her as typically sunny and cheerful, not someone who would let fear run rampant.
Not knowing the strength of the opponent needed some investigation, alongside the need to bolster their own powers.
It’s all nonsense to talk about how strong she used to be; the current her is the real deal.
No matter how much she talked, she couldn’t just drag her past self back into this.
Understanding the adversary and enhancing her own strength, it’s that simple.
“Are we really going?”
“Absolutely.”
“Fine, but I really don’t want to go back; it’s a bit scary there.” Although Zhao Mingyue claimed to be scared, she had grown quite a bit since childhood and was way less fearful now.
The key factor was that she wasn’t alone anymore.
“That’s even more reason to face it.”
“Okay, okay, I know. But it’s not time to go back right now—let’s first buy some clothes! I’ll get you some pretty outfits!”
They cruised on the little electric scooter into the city and stopped at the bus station, waiting for a ride. The trip wasn’t too bumpy, but thankfully, not every bus ride had to be filled with obnoxious people.
Once on the bus, Zhao Mingyue and Bai Yu easily secured seats at the back, arriving smoothly at the shopping district.
“Yuyue, do you think Lu Liangting and the others have shown up yet?”
“No idea.”
“Are we causing trouble? But we didn’t do or say anything!” Zhao Mingyue felt a twinge of guilt, though she couldn’t quite grasp why.
She had just sat there while Lu Liangting initiated the chaos after a single glance from her; she hadn’t given him any signals or said a word. It wasn’t her fault he started fighting!
Blaming Lu Liangting wasn’t fair; rather, the culprits were those group of obnoxious people.
“Lu Liangting has a strong sense of justice, but he often suffers for it.”
“A strong sense of justice can indeed be a double-edged sword, but it’s commendable.” Bai Yu offered rare praise for Lu Liangting.
She wasn’t so keen on getting rid of him now; having him around had its pros and cons.
The advantage is he can attract the attention of most game participants, but the con is he could potentially get Zhao Mingyue into trouble. That, she wasn’t too worried about for the moment, but his mere existence posed a risk to her.
“Wait a minute, that outfit looks cute.”
While they were talking, Zhao Mingyue suddenly yanked Bai Yu into a shop. She had spotted a gorgeous black dress that really caught her eye.
Unfortunately, trying it on wasn’t an option, so she just held it up in front of Bai Yu to compare.
As Zhao Mingyue put it, “Thank goodness I know your figure; otherwise, shopping for clothes would be impossible.” The dress was priced at 288 yuan, but Zhao Mingyue bargained it down to 111.
Given her fierce bargaining spirit, Bai Yu thought, if she could be like that when facing an Evil God, they’d be set.
After snagging that dress, they zipping through several stores, accumulating a whopping eight pieces for Bai Yu—tops and bottoms galore, and spending just over a thousand, nearly a third of her paycheck.
She didn’t show even a hint of remorse; the stinginess from before was nowhere in sight. After finishing with clothes, they ended up buying shoes, sandals, and hair accessories, totaling to 1500 yuan by the end.
Bai Yu wanted to caution her against overspending, but her words went in one ear and out the other.
“Mingyue, do you really need all this? It’s excessive,” Bai Yu whispered, on their way to the snack street.
“Don’t worry about it.” Zhao Mingyue gave Bai Yu’s hand a reassuring pat.
Though she genuinely felt a twinge of regret, she knew her true purpose made it all worthwhile.
The clothes she bought weren’t just summer wear; she even snagged two outfits for autumn.
That’s right—Zhao Mingyue wanted Bai Yu to live like a real person at home.
She had already confirmed the difference between staying in the shadows and being out in the open; the answer was no different.
Instead of staying in her shadow, living as a real person outside would be much better.
Once they finished shopping and were on their way to the snack street, Zhao Mingyue caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye.
“Hey, is that Lu Liangting?”
Bai Yu turned to look too, and sure enough, they spotted Shen Shuyun dragging Lu Liangting around like a lost puppy.
“Let’s go say hi.”
But just as Zhao Mingyue said that, Bai Yu tugged on her shirt. Confused, she turned back and noticed Bai Yu shaking her head slightly, “Let’s not.”
“Huh?”
Zhao Mingyue spun around and immediately sensed the issue.
Lu Liangting had stopped, standing alongside Shen Shuyun.
Across from them were two nearly identical sisters, whose dressing styles were vastly different, but who seemed to share an ominous vibe.
Zhao Mingyue immediately recognized them as the sisters from that day at the classroom door—one had made a fuss about wearing black stockings for Lu Liangting. Turns out these maids are twins! Lu Liangting sure knows how to play; they both had stunning looks.
Today, both maid sisters were dressed in black stockings.
One was wearing a dress and was probably the older sister, while the other was dolled up in a maid outfit, looking like she was cosplaying.
“Hold on, it seems like there’s someone else too.”
The crowd had also noticed an unusual atmosphere and were parting ways, creating a bubble around Lu Liangting and the sister maids.
In that space, on the left stood a girl in a long coat and a baseball cap, while on the right stood a girl in a V-neck casual outfit.
Well, they were all girls, that’s for sure.
“Yikes, this scene is kind of terrifying.”
Zhao Mingyue couldn’t shake the feeling that the eyes of the five girls were intensely intimidating.
“That girl in the baseball cap looks like she’s from our school. Wait, that blonde girl too! I think she’s the one who gave Lu Liangting that love letter!”
Zhao Mingyue grabbed Bai Yu and updated her on the battlefield situation.
“Did you also see those two maid sisters? They were the ones who could say stuff like that in front of the whole class.”
Zhao Mingyue lowered her voice, intensely dramatizing, “Cough cough, Young Master, today I’m wearing your favorite black stockings.”
After saying that, she appraised Bai Yu, stroking her chin thoughtfully, “With you being so eye-catching during our shopping spree, how come Lu Liangting didn’t notice back then? Now I think I understand why.”
Looking down, she saw Bai Yu donned in white stockings.
“Mingyue!” Bai Yu frowned and tugged at Zhao Mingyue to leave.
“Not going to take another look?”
“Nope, let’s go.”
There was no need to guess; all five of those girls, including Shen Shuyun, were undoubtedly participants in the game. If Zhao Mingyue lingered here, it could spell trouble.
At that moment, the conflict on the scene finally erupted.
First, the maid sister dressed in maid attire stepped up, saying, “Young Master, if I remember correctly, didn’t the Master explicitly tell you to stay away from women of unknown origins? If the Master finds out you’re out shopping with a strange woman, he’ll be furious.”
“So, I kindly request you return home with me, Young Master. If you haven’t had enough fun, I could stay with you a bit longer.”
As she stepped forward, her long, black stocking-clad legs made several male onlookers gulp and wish Lu Liangting had a better appreciation for beauty.
Beside them, Shen Shuyun was just as pristine, but purity doesn’t hold a candle to sensuality; real men have a brain fog for black stockings!
“I thought we were dealing with someone? Turns out it’s merely a dog kept by Liangting. As a maid, you should understand the decorum in addressing your master, right?” Shen Shuyun didn’t back down either, stepping up in all her tall, leggy glory.
Deep down, she might have been mocking Bai Yu for her makeup and outfit, yet she herself wasn’t that far off the mark.
Her makeup was even thicker than Bai Yu’s, and her outfit was one major “look-at-me” moment, as her little dress barely grazed her knees, leaving her legs joyfully exposed beneath high-heeled sandals.
To Lu Liangting’s left, the girl in the trench coat and cap piped up too, stepping forward. She sported black stockings, with leg lines even more impressive than the maid sister’s. They exuded elegance without looking emaciated.
The last girl, fairly casual, was naturally the “ball queen” of the group; however, her allure was unrivaled in the room. Wearing a low-cut shirt that made “assets” very noticeable stunned everyone, even Zhao Mingyue herself.
You didn’t need to say it—Lu Liangting was about to face a serious crisis.
Good grief, how was he supposed to choose?
This was a tough call!
The pure and lovely Shen Shuyun, the elegant maid sisters, the icy black stockings girl, and the alluring “ball queen.”
Aside from a choice paralysis, all Lu Liangting felt bombarded with was envy and jealousy.
What had this guy done to deserve such an array of attention from these ladies? Did he save the universe or something?!
Meanwhile, at the center of the chaos, Lu Liangting wished he could bolt out of there in record time.
To his right stood the casual girl, Yang Lan, who once sent him a bl**d-written love letter plastered with, “Be my lover.”
On his left was the cold girl, who once had abducted him but released him later with an indelible quote: “If you can’t fall for me, I’ll k*ll all the women near you.”
As for Shen Shuyun, no need to elaborate—have you ever seen a love letter with an杀猪 kn*fe concealed inside? This was real-life drama at its finest.
The only somewhat “normal” presence in the fray was his maid, but she was peculiar in her own right—slipping drugs into his drinks and showing up in seductive outfits waiting for him to come home, leaving him no choice but to stay at a hotel!
The sisters were becoming increasingly agitated, almost ready to throw down.
Unbelievably, they were just out shopping, yet each of these ladies had “gear” that was no joke—spring knives, giant scissors, brass knuckles, slaughtering knives, and even a wrench!
Lu Liangting seriously couldn’t fathom how a maid costume could hide a wrench inside!
“Ahem, how about I say a word?” Lu Liangting meekly suggested, but as soon as his words slipped out, all five pairs of eyes shot over to him.
In near perfect unison, they yelled, “Shut up!”
·
·
“Yuyue, why are we rushing out so fast?” Zhao Mingyue protested as she was pulled away from the snack street.
“Because they’re about to fight, and it’s armed. If you stay close, they’ll team up against you first.”
“Why?”
“Because of Lu Liangting.”
“Huh?”
Bai Yu shrugged, unwilling to elaborate. It’s not like she could say, “Oh, by the way, these seemingly sweet girls used to be killers and psychopaths!”
With this bunch of women gathering around, just letting Lu Liangting sweat was enough; no need to jump into the fray.
All the more so since Zhao Mingyue was the female protagonist in this story.
·
·
Thanks to the two great sponsors, Yan Di!
Sobbing over here.
Also, here’s the group number!
