Chapter 192: The Pretence of Intimacy

‘A barrier to repel people? Is this actually real?’ I pondered, realizing that with such a barrier, we wouldn’t have to worry about being disturbed.

While I didn’t particularly care about Xia Yubing’s reputation, the subsequent events proved to be rather awkward.

Ermmm…

He had been cautiously probing several suspicious locations, yet he still hadn’t managed to locate the source of the supernatural tale.

“This…” I began, my voice barely a whisper.

“What is it?” Yi Zhiqiu asked, looking at me with a puzzled expression. He seemed to find Xia Yubing’s sudden shyness quite unexpected, as she hadn’t behaved like this before.

“It seems it requires a couple. Every version of this supernatural tale targets couples,” I said, gritting my teeth as I revealed the condition Mo Qingyan had told me.

“A couple, huh? I suspected as much, but I don’t have a girlfriend, so I couldn’t verify it,” Yi Zhiqiu mused, a troubled look on his face. “Xia Yubing, do you have a boyfriend?”

“No! How could I possibly have one?!” I retorted, a surge of indignation in my voice. What kind of insensitive question was that? Even if I truly were Xia Yubing and had a boyfriend, would I really let the person I liked accompany me to test a supernatural tale?

“Then what can we do? I can’t just go find another couple to test it, can I? That would put them in danger too,” Yi Zhiqiu pondered aloud, lost in thought.

“I… I have a way,” I whispered, my voice so soft it was almost inaudible. Only when Yi Zhiqiu looked my way did I speak even more quietly: “We could pretend to be…”

“Huh? I’m sorry, what did you say?” My voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, so quiet that even Yi Zhiqiu couldn’t make it out. Of course, I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence either.

“I said, we could pretend to be a couple! You and I, the two of us!” I blurted out, throwing caution to the wind. Internally, I cursed Mo Qingyan for her terrible ideas.

“This… wouldn’t that be inappropriate for you? And would pretending to be a couple even work? If there’s no genuine affection, the supernatural tale might not react, right?” Yi Zhiqiu questioned.

“How will we know if we don’t try?” I said, forcing myself to push through. Now that I had made up my mind, there was no turning back.

Mo Qingyan had told me: “Although it might be a bit of a sacrifice for you, Yi Zhiqiu definitely won’t let you suffer for helping him. He’ll surely compensate you. Wouldn’t that be like earning something extra?”

With that thought, I looked at Yi Zhiqiu with unwavering determination. Perhaps seeing the resolve in my eyes, Yi Zhiqiu nodded. “Alright, we can try it. But specifically, what does pretending to be a couple entail?”

‘How would I know? Not only have I never had a girlfriend before, I haven’t even played a dating simulation game! You’re asking me, but I want to ask you!’

Of course, I couldn’t voice those thoughts. Instead, I quietly said, “How can a girl be expected to explain such things?”

“That’s true,” Yi Zhiqiu conceded, nodding. He then stepped closer and gently took my arm.

‘Hiss!’ My body instantly tensed. His movement was so sudden, so natural, that it caught me completely off guard.

“What’s wrong? Are you too nervous? Take a deep breath and relax a little,” Yi Zhiqiu advised.

“Mm, I know what to do,” I replied, allowing my body to relax. After all, I had already had more intimate contact with Yi Zhiqiu before. When he helped me dispel evil, he had touched almost every part of my body, with no clothes separating us.

However, back then, there was the legitimate reason of exorcism, and my conscience was clear. Now, I had to pretend to be a couple, and I had ulterior motives. This was what made me instinctively nervous when Yi Zhiqiu approached, though he probably assumed I was just nervous about physical contact between a man and a woman.

Relaxing wasn’t difficult, but then Yi Zhiqiu continued, “Mm, next, Xia Yubing, you should also link your arm with mine, and ideally, rest your head on my shoulder.”

“Huh?!” I was stunned again. Did we really need to go that far?

“If we’re pretending to be a couple, this level of intimacy is perfectly normal, isn’t it? We at least need to convey a sense of closeness,” Yi Zhiqiu stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

‘It seems so,’ I thought. I had seen many couples act even more intimately than this. I could only keep repeating to myself that this was just a task from Senior Sister Mo. With that, I reached out, linked my arm with Yi Zhiqiu’s, and rested my head on his shoulder.

“Walking like this feels strange,” Yi Zhiqiu chuckled. “Your movements are a bit stiff, as if you’re not used to it at all. Xia Yubing, you haven’t dated other boys before, have you? Well, you are the dream campus belle, after all.”

“None of your business!” I retorted, a blush of annoyance rising to my cheeks. Of course, I had no experience dating boys, and this was my first time walking so intimately with someone as a girl. It was impossible to act natural.

“Mm, this way, it should be more comfortable,” Yi Zhiqiu said. He subtly adjusted my posture with his right hand, then gently scraped his finger across my chin. He then touched several acupoints on my body, and a surge of energy flowed in, instantly relaxing my body significantly.

Now, as we walked, we truly resembled an inseparable couple, our bodies almost pressed together. “How are you so skilled at this?” I asked, a hint of exasperation in my voice. “You haven’t dated girls before, have you?”

“Uh, ‘dated’ isn’t quite the word,” Yi Zhiqiu replied, a wry smile on his face. “I have a junior sister who studied with me since childhood. Yes, we’re quite close. She often leans on me intimately and frequently sticks close to me in the sect to declare her ‘territory’ to other senior and junior sisters. Even Master finds it a bit troublesome.”

‘Go to hell, normies!’ I immediately saw through Yi Zhiqiu’s wry smile. While it showed helplessness, it was definitely not a reaction of disliking his junior sister. Rather, he clearly knew his junior sister had a crush on him; he just hadn’t accepted it yet.

“Cough, cough! Xia Yubing, don’t be displeased. We’re just pretending to be a couple. I will maintain proper etiquette and won’t do anything too out of line,” Yi Zhiqiu promised.

Whether he would do anything too out of line wasn’t up to him. Mo Qingyan had told me about the characteristics of this supernatural tale; it wasn’t something that could be activated so simply.

“Let’s go,” Yi Zhiqiu said, leading me into the woods with his arm linked through mine. Although our movements had become a bit more natural, we still resembled dance partners entering a banquet hall more than a truly intimate couple.

Even so, I noticed a subtle, unusual aura emerging from the woods. The supernatural tale had already reacted to our arrival.

I could see it, and Yi Zhiqiu naturally noticed it too. “It seems to be reacting,” he said, a hint of excitement in his voice. “But it’s not enough to fully manifest. Strange, are we missing a step?”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

The Villain Everyone Once Hated Now Has Everyone’s Heart

BLComedySupernatural

Read Now →
Not interested