Chapter 20: A Teasing Predicament

In the profound stillness of the night, my surreptitious gaze was sharply caught.

A sudden, overwhelming urge to flee surged within me, and just as I was about to turn tail and bolt…

“You still want to run? Imprison!”

Ye Xuehui’s furious roar erupted like a clap of thunder.

In an instant, jet-black chains surged forth from the void, binding Ouyang Xiyue tightly with breathtaking speed.

His center of gravity lost, Ouyang Xiyue crashed heavily to the ground, like a kite whose string had snapped.

Ouyang Xiyue did not succumb to despair despite the confinement.

He covertly gathered his magical energy, attempting to shatter the shackles.

However, the instant he tried to command his magic, he was astonished to find it vanished as if swallowed by the deepest sea, refusing to coalesce even a fraction.

‘These chains were no ordinary restraint,’ a silent lament escaped his lips.

‘He was truly doomed this day.’

Ye Xuehui advanced with unhurried steps, slowly approaching.

She loomed over Ouyang Xiyue, who was tightly enmeshed in chains, a glint of mockery dancing in her eyes.

“Oh, if it isn’t Student Ouyang.

Did you find the spectacle entertaining?

Tell me precisely how much you witnessed, or else…” her voice dropped to a chilling whisper, as she gently caressed the hilt of the sword she held, a peculiar, unsettling smile playing upon her lips.

“Wait, Ye Xuehui, please, hear me out!

I was merely taking a solitary stroll on the academy’s rooftop when I sensed a disturbance in the magical currents nearby, prompting me to rush here.

I genuinely just arrived, I swear I saw nothing!

Please, have mercy and release me…” Ouyang Xiyue’s face a mask of pitiful innocence, his large eyes blinking rapidly as he pleaded desperately.

“Oh? So you’ve just arrived, have you?

Very well, then you may remain here.

There’s no telling when these chains will release; should you find yourself bound for several days and encounter some unsavory individuals, it would indeed be rather unfortunate.

Still, that is hardly my concern.

I shall take my leave now.” Ye Xuehui paid no heed to Ouyang Xiyue’s desperate pleas, turning as if to depart.

“Wait, wait, I’ll confess, alright?!

I only arrived a few minutes ago, and all I saw was you… killing two people.

I swear, by all that is sacred, I will never breathe a word of this to anyone!

May boils sprout upon my head and pus fester from my feet if I break this oath!

Please, I beg you, spare me!” Ouyang Xiyue, his voice thick with tears, hastily swore a most dire and gruesome oath.

Ye Xuehui halted, turning her gaze back to Ouyang Xiyue.

She tossed the sword high into the air, and the blade instantly dissolved into a swirling mass of black mist, vanishing without a trace.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, the sword materialized once more in her grasp, as if conjured from the very air itself.

“Hmph, how can you possibly guarantee that you won’t divulge the events of today?

To avert any future complications, eliminating you would be the most straightforward solution.” Her voice was glacial, her expression utterly devoid of emotion, as if taking a life were no more significant than a mundane chore.

A cold dread seized Ouyang Xiyue’s heart, and he inwardly groaned: ‘It’s over!

Was Ye Xuehui truly intent on ending his life?

Was he destined for such a tragically premature demise?

No, Master, Ling’er, Man’er, if fate allows, may we meet again in the next life.

I have failed you all…’ As the thoughts consumed him, tears welled up in his eyes, cascading down his cheeks of their own accord.

Ye Xuehui watched the scene unfold before her, a faint sense of helplessness stirring within her.

She had always found it difficult to witness a woman’s tears; it was unexpected that this usually fiercely competitive girl possessed such a tender heart beneath her tough exterior.

Ye Xuehui, still clutching her sword, slowly advanced towards Ouyang Xiyue.

His vision obscured by tears, Ouyang Xiyue, upon seeing Ye Xuehui draw near, hastily squeezed his eyes shut.

A minute stretched into two, yet the anticipated agony never arrived.

Slowly, Ouyang Xiyue’s eyes fluttered open, only to find the sword in Ye Xuehui’s hand had vanished.

However, the sight of Ye Xuehui’s mischievous smirk instantly ignited a furious indignation within Ouyang Xiyue: ‘This scoundrel!

She had deliberately tried to frighten him, and that killing intent had been so disturbingly realistic!

Give him back his tears!’

Ye Xuehui crouched down, then, with surprising ease, rolled Ouyang Xiyue from his side onto his back, leaving him facing the sky.

To his utter shock, she then straddled him, settling herself entirely upon his body.

Ouyang Xiyue’s heart jolted with alarm.

‘What in the world is Ye Xuehui trying to do?

No, absolutely not!

I am a boy; if she lays a hand on me, won’t my true identity be irrevocably exposed?’

“You… what do you think you’re doing?

Get off me, you brute!” Ouyang Xiyue’s voice was laced with indignation and a touch of fear.

“Doing? Nothing at all.

Merely administering a small punishment to those who fancy lurking in corners and peeking.” A wicked grin spread across her face as she extended a hand towards Ouyang Xiyue’s cheek.

Ouyang Xiyue, his nerves taut, squeezed his eyes shut, his mind a whirlwind of panicked conjectures.

Yet, to his utter astonishment, Ye Xuehui merely used her hand to gently wipe away the tears streaking his face.

Slowly, Ouyang Xiyue opened his eyes, his face burning crimson as he gazed up at the towering figure of Ye Xuehui.

“You… what precisely do you intend to do…”

No sooner had Ouyang Xiyue’s words left his lips than a sudden chill spread across his thigh, causing him to shiver uncontrollably.

Under the shroud of the tranquil night, Ouyang Xiyue’s almond-shaped eyes widened, blazing with fury and malice, as he shrilly berated Ye Xuehui: “Ye Xuehui, you utterly shameless scoundrel!”

“You brute!

Get your 咸猪手 (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘xián zhū shǒu,’ referring to an unwanted or inappropriate touch, often by a man on a woman.) off me, don’t you dare touch my thigh, hmph!” This Ye Xuehui actually placed her hand on his thigh, then began to slowly trail it along his skin… Since he was wearing stockings, the sensation was incredibly ticklish.

A sudden wave of indignation washed over Ouyang Xiyue, the profound sense of a boy being violated!

His stomach churned with unvented fury, yet he dared not let it show…

“I was wrong, please, don’t… quickly let me go.” Ouyang Xiyue’s entire face was flushed a deep, almost smoky crimson, and his words came out in slight, breathless gasps.

Utterly helpless, he could only plead for release.

“Aren’t you uninterested in my 平板身材 (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘píng bǎn shēn cái,’ referring to a person with a flat chest.)?

Then please, let me go!

I promise, I won’t breathe a word of today’s events to anyone, I beg of you!” Ouyang Xiyue pleaded, his voice thick with mortification.

Yet Ye Xuehui, still perched atop Ouyang Xiyue, seemed utterly oblivious to his words.

One hand continued its slow, teasing exploration of his leg, while the other remained equally busy, gently stroking Ouyang Xiyue’s burning, crimson cheek.

Gazing down at the person beneath her, Ye Xuehui mused, ‘This girl is truly amusing.

So sensitive, is she?

Her face is utterly scarlet.

How utterly fascinating.’

Ouyang Xiyue continued his desperate pleas for mercy, but the figure atop him remained utterly unmoving, growing even more audacious.

He could feel Ye Xuehui’s left hand slowly, inexorably, inching towards his skirt…

‘It was over!

If this continued, disaster was imminent!’

“No!

Not there, absolutely not there!” A choked sob escaped Ouyang Xiyue, followed by a torrent of shameful tears.

He knew, with terrifying certainty, that if Ye Xuehui were to discover his true gender, it would spell a catastrophe of monumental proportions.

Ye Xuehui, seeing Ouyang Xiyue dissolve into tears once more beneath her, finally snapped back to reality.

It seemed she had, perhaps, pushed things a little too far—though, she mused, it was also the first time she had ever acted this way towards a girl…

“Cough, cough.” Ye Xuehui cleared her throat twice, then retracted her hands.

With one finger, she gently wiped the lingering tears from the corners of Ouyang Xiyue’s eyes before finally rising from his body.

“Alright, alright, stop crying.

I was merely playing a jest.” As Ye Xuehui spoke, she waved a hand, and the chains that had so tightly bound Ouyang Xiyue vanished into thin air.

Feeling the oppressive restraints dissipate, Ouyang Xiyue scrambled to his feet, a tempest of shame and fury raging within him.

However, the moment he stood, a sudden weakness assailed him, his legs feeling like jelly beneath him.

Ye Xuehui observed Ouyang Xiyue’s unsteady stance, a mischievous smirk playing upon her lips.

“My, my, Student Ouyang Xiyue, you appear rather unsteady on your feet.

Shall I offer my assistance?” Ye Xuehui teased, her voice laced with amusement.

Ouyang Xiyue, hearing Ye Xuehui’s playful words, responded with a voice brimming with annoyance.

“Whose fault do you think this is, you brute?!

I certainly don’t require your assistance; I am perfectly capable of handling myself!” With that, Ouyang Xiyue, seething with a mixture of shame and indignation, slowly made his way towards the dormitory.

Ye Xuehui watched Ouyang Xiyue’s retreating figure, a helpless smile gracing her features… yet, this smile was undeniably heartfelt.

Suddenly, Ye Xuehui sensed an anomaly.

She instinctively raised a hand to her own face, a thought echoing in her mind: ‘I actually smiled… and it was a genuine smile… all because of what just transpired…’

As the memory of the recent scene flooded her mind, Ye Xuehui felt her heart quicken its pace, and a blush slowly crept up her cheeks.

After all, no matter how hardened Ye Xuehui’s heart might be, she was still a girl.

Recalling her recent actions, anyone would surely feel a pang of shame.