Chapter 29: Soothing

Night Palace, Dining Hall.

Lin Xihe and Tang Xin’er were having a meal. Halfway through, Tang Xin’er suddenly said to Lin Xihe, "Sister-in-law, Shuangyu cried again today. Although he didn’t do it in front of me, I noticed his eyes were red. He had clearly been crying."

"You are very concerned about Shuangyu, aren't you, Xin'er?"

"Am I?" Tang Xin’er only just realized this point and hurriedly explained, "He is my guard, one of my people. Naturally, I should care about him a little more."

"What you say is true, Xin'er." Lin Xihe smiled and continued eating her meal.

Tang Xin’er looked at the rice in her bowl and then at Lin Xihe. "Sister-in-law, are you secretly laughing at me?"

Lin Xihe smiled again. "How could I? Shuangyu is so cute; who wouldn't like him?"

"Do you like Shuangyu too, sister-in-law?"

Lin Xihe replied casually, "Yes, I do."

Tang Xin’er: "But don't you like my brother?"

Lin Xihe choked momentarily. Tang Xin’er seemed to be getting more and more naive. Could Yu Tingye have tampered with her memories to the point of altering her very thoughts? Thinking about it, the fact that she could successfully infiltrate the side of the Demon Lord Wanwan suggested she was no simple character. Yet, the behavior she displayed was indeed quite innocent and childish. Or perhaps she had another side—one meant for show, while the other was her true self?

Lin Xihe suddenly knocked herself on the head. How could she think of someone so complexly? She was currently Yu Xin'er, Yu Tingye's younger sister.

"Sister-in-law, why are you hitting yourself?" Tang Xin’er still had the tip of her chopstick in her mouth.

"Because... because I suddenly remembered that your brother hasn't had lunch yet."

Just as she spoke, Yu Tingye walked in from outside, his long legs particularly striking. The moment he entered, he sensed that the aura around Lin Xihe was off. "Come with me to the Qingxin Hall."

His voice was cold to the point of freezing. Lin Xihe dared not delay; she set down her bowl and chopsticks and followed him.

Tang Xin’er: "..." She continued to gnaw on the tip of her chopstick.

-

Qingxin Hall.

Lin Xihe stood there, feeling uneasy, as Yu Tingye before her seemed on the verge of exploding. Though she didn't know the cause, she knew it had to be related to her.

"Give it to me."

Yu Tingye suddenly reached out his hand toward her. Lin Xihe looked at him, bewildered. "Give... give what?"

"Are you going to keep acting?"

Lin Xihe: "..."

Yu Tingye paced back and forth across the hall twice. "Wanwan, what am I supposed to do with you?!"

Lin Xihe felt as though Yu Tingye was about to go mad with rage. Had she done something unforgivable lately?

"Hand it over voluntarily," Yu Tingye said.

Fearing he might harm his health in his anger, Lin Xihe grabbed his hand. "Ye, what is wrong? Whatever you want, if I have it, I will certainly give it to you."

Pacified by this, Yu Tingye seemed to calm down slightly. "Give me the inner core."

Lin Xihe opened her mouth to speak. She could give him anything else, but the inner core—she was truly reluctant to part with it.

Seeing her hesitation, Yu Tingye moved to take it himself, but Lin Xihe quickly pushed him back. "Ye, this inner core was a gift from Shuangyi. Can’t I keep it as a memento? Besides, the Demon Realm is so dangerous. If I don't have some demon power to protect myself, I could drop dead at any moment. Just look at last time; I was nearly done in by that Dream Demon."

Yu Tingye did not want to hear any of her explanations. "I will count to three. If you don't hand it over, I will cripple your powers right now."

"One."

"Two."

When Yu Tingye reached three, Lin Xihe threw herself into his arms, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed his lips.