Chapter 21: A Father’s Demands and a Daughter’s Secret

Within that ink-dark room, silence reigned supreme, broken only by a faint rustling, like the ghostly whisper of a specter.

A sliver of weak light, escaping through the door’s crevice, struggled against the oppressive gloom, resembling a solitary, ethereal moonbeam.

A soft click echoed.

With that crisp sound, the faintly glowing door slowly swung inward, revealing a blue-haired girl draped in a bathrobe, her long hair cascading like a waterfall.

Her beauty was striking, a vision of cold allure, like a star fallen from the night sky, both serene and captivating.

With light, graceful steps, the blue-haired girl moved towards the bed and quietly lay down.

Her eyes, dull and devoid of light, seemed veiled by a thin mist, as if she were lost in the distant echoes of past memories.

****

“Ye Xuehui, I’ve arranged a marriage for you.

Your betrothed is the third young lady of the Yin family.

She is deeply cherished by the Yin Family Head and her two elder brothers.

With our Ye family allied with the Yin family, even the imperial family, who have always shown us deference, wouldn’t dare to move against us so easily.

Don’t disappoint me.”

A middle-aged man, with short black hair and a face bearing a striking resemblance to Ye Xuehui’s, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression stern and authoritative.

His eyes, sharp as blades, held the same chilling frost as Ye Xuehui’s, utterly devoid of warmth or emotion.

“But Father!

You know I am a girl.

How can I marry another woman?

Father, please reconsider!” Ye Xuehui stood opposite her father, her brows tightly furrowed, her face etched with distress.

“Hmph, what does that matter?

You are merely a tool for me to achieve my ambitions.

As long as you obey my commands, you can continue to enjoy your current life of luxury and prestige.

Otherwise, you will meet the same fate as your useless younger brother.

Remember, in the Ye family, I am the master.

You need only carry out my every instruction.”

“What if I know you are a girl?

As long as you don’t expose yourself, no one else will know.

Ye Xuehui, I am aware of your ability to conceal your true gender, and I have placed great hopes in you.

Don’t be like your useless younger brother.

If you can make the Yin family’s third young lady utterly devoted to you, my plans can be implemented even sooner.” The middle-aged man’s face was a mask of cunning and ruthlessness, his words as cold as frost.

Ye Xuehui, meanwhile, simply clenched her hands, her expression grim, uttering not a single word.

Indeed, this was her father, Ye Tian.

From a young age, Ye Xuehui had been exceptionally gifted, her cultivation and intellect far surpassing ordinary people.

To safeguard her true gender, Ye Tian had not hesitated to secretly eliminate every doctor involved in her birth.

Anyone who discovered her true identity would inevitably fall victim to his cruel grasp.

“As long as you agree to this, I will grant you more cultivation resources.

You should also consider the family’s interests, and I can relax some of my demands on you.

However, you absolutely must make the Yin family’s third young lady fall deeply for you.

You may ask for anything you wish.

Just remember, you must protect your secret at all costs.

If it is discovered, you understand the consequences.

Hahahaha.” Ye Tian’s laughter screeched like a night owl, laced with boundless malevolence.

Ye Xuehui naturally understood her father’s intentions.

He had once declared that if her true gender were ever exposed, he would cast her aside without a second thought.

Perhaps influenced by her father’s demeanor, Ye Xuehui often worried that she, too, would become as cold and heartless as him.

From childhood, Ye Xuehui had lived beneath the oppressive shadow of her father; if he commanded her west, she dared not venture east.

Had her current strength been sufficient to defy him, why would she have endured until now?

She vowed silently in her heart that one day, she would utterly overthrow her father.

“Father, I understand.

If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave.” Ye Xuehui spoke, preparing to depart, but Ye Tian called out, stopping her.

“Wait.

I hear someone challenged you to a duel recently, and you actually lost?

To a girl, no less—it’s an utter disgrace to the Ye family’s reputation.

Has that girl’s identity been confirmed?” Ye Tian’s gaze was as frigid as an ice cavern.

“Forgive me, Father.

I have mobilized all my resources, yet I still haven’t uncovered that girl’s identity.” Ye Xuehui mused inwardly, ‘I absolutely cannot reveal anything about that girl’s connection to the Saint Spirit Continent’s princess to my ruthless father.’

“Oh?

Interesting.

Not only did you lose to him, but you also failed to uncover his identity—truly useless.

I heard he’s a transfer student, quite radiant in appearance, yet unexpectedly mysterious.

I will investigate him myself, to determine if he is friend or foe.

By the way, the Yin family’s third young lady will arrive in a few days; you are to host her.

You may leave now.”

Leaving Ye Tian’s room, a strange sense of unease welled up in Ye Xuehui’s heart, as if a dark cloud had silently descended upon her.

She had a faint premonition that a storm was brewing, though she hoped it was merely her imagination.

As for the Yin family’s third young lady, she could only take things one step at a time.

Her recollections abruptly ceased at this point.

With empty eyes, the blue-haired girl retrieved a photograph from beneath her pillow.

The figure in the photograph was none other than Ouyang Xiyue.

His shy demeanor when bound, his indignant expression during resistance—it was all utterly endearing.

‘Perhaps I will implicate you… It seems I can no longer continue with the upcoming competitions.

If this continues, it will bring danger to you.

My father, he…’ The blue-haired girl’s voice, like the melodious song of a nightingale, was exquisitely beautiful, yet imbued with boundless desolation.

Indeed, she was Ye Xuehui.

With her hair tied back and her voice modulated to a masculine tone, it was difficult for anyone to discern her true female identity, despite her striking handsomeness.

Only the jade garment she wore subtly hinted at her feminine form.

Her chest, flat as a mirror, stood in stark contrast to Ouyang Xiyue’s alluring fullness.

Ye Xuehui had cleverly concealed her true gender, relying on the methods her father had provided.

‘Thank you… for appearing in my life.

To be honest, these past few days of sparring words with you have brought me a happiness I’ve never known.

Before, I always felt an inexplicable distance from others, but meeting you, that distance vanished completely.

The joy of these two days surpasses many years of my past.

It seems, for your safety, I must keep my distance from you.

Perhaps I am simply unworthy of friends, destined only for a life of solitude.’ Ye Xuehui’s voice echoed through the silent night, tinged with a delicate sorrow.

Within Ye Xuehui’s heart, anger towards her father burned like a raging inferno.

She considered herself sufficiently cold, yet compared to her father, she was merely a novice beside a grand master (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘xiǎo wū jiàn dà wū,’ meaning an insignificant person in the presence of a truly great one, or a small witch meeting a great witch, implying one’s own insignificance compared to someone else’s greater skill or, in this context, ruthlessness).

Her father had disregarded her female identity entirely, arranging an engagement between her and another girl, resorting to any means for profit.

If not for his decision all those years ago, how could her mother have…

The more Ye Xuehui pondered, the more her anger intensified, and she clenched her fists.

Yet, moments later, she regained her composure, shaking her head with a helpless sigh.

She extinguished the bedside lamp, closed her eyes, and drifted into sleep amidst the darkness.