Chapter 40: An Unexpected Encounter and a Web of Lies

“I was just passing by while handling a commission and happened to see you here, so I thought I’d come say hello.”

Hearing Eve’s words, Xiluo’er nodded. Though her expression remained neutral, a subtle panic began to stir within her.

She had never expected to run into Eve here. Had she known, she would have insisted that Irene meet her in the black market instead.

Normally, a chance encounter wouldn’t be an issue. However, Xiluo’er was certainly not out doing anything good today!

“Xiluo’er, what are you out doing today?”

Just as she expected, Xiluo’er knew this question was coming.

“Uh, well…”

She could have easily concocted some excuse to brush her off, but when Xiluo’er looked up, she found Eve staring intently at her. That gaze sent a shiver down Xiluo’er’s spine.

“I’m just… out with a friend, grabbing a bite to eat and such… right.”

“Cough, cough, Sister Eve, you don’t need to worry about me. Go on with your business, I’ll just…”

Xiluo’er had intended to quickly send Eve on her way, but before she could finish, Eve interrupted her.

“Out with a friend? Is it the same friend as last time?”

Ah, this…

Xiluo’er gazed at the expressionless Eve before her. Despite the lack of emotion on Eve’s face, Xiluo’er sensed an air of ‘ill intent’ radiating from her.

‘Seriously, why are you so interested in my friends? You’re not my mom…’

‘Wait, no!’

Xiluo’er suddenly understood something. The Eve who had been staring intently at her now seemed terrifying.

Eve’s unusual interest in Xiluo’er’s friends was indeed strange, but when Xiluo’er considered that this ‘friend’ was Irene, Eve’s behavior suddenly made perfect sense.

No wonder Eve had been suspicious of her but hadn’t acted yet. Xiluo’er had been quite puzzled, knowing that if Eve truly believed she was problematic and decided to act, Xiluo’er would be utterly defenseless.

Now, it seemed Eve might have discovered her secret long ago, and her hesitation was merely a tactic to ‘cast a long line to catch a big fish.’

It was the same last time, after she had met Irene. While Eve was braiding her hair and questioning her, she had been very interested in the identity of the ‘friend’ Xiluo’er had met.

This explained why Eve insisted on keeping Xiluo’er by her side and paid such close attention to her social interactions!

‘As expected of the heroic protagonist from a dark and twisted game! Truly terrifying!’

Xiluo’er felt cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.

‘What should I do now? Should I just confess and hope for leniency? Generally, ratting out accomplices leads to a reduced sentence, right?’

Xiluo’er’s mind involuntarily conjured a scene: she was leading Eve to the dessert shop to apprehend Irene, opening the door while saying something like, ‘Please, Your Excellency, come in.’

No, no, no, things probably weren’t that serious. She would try to bluff her way through first.

“Yes, it’s indeed the same friend as last time. We actually get along quite well, so we often go out together… Haha, what is it, Sister Eve?”

Xiluo’er’s words only deepened the vortex in Eve’s eyes.

“Oh, I see.”

“Then, Xiluo’er, could you introduce me to this friend of yours? Since we’ve met by chance, I’m quite curious about what kind of person your friend is.”

Eve’s words successfully shattered Xiluo’er’s last shred of hope.

‘Just as I thought! Eve is definitely here for Irene!’

Although she felt like she was about to collapse, Xiluo’er steeled her resolve. She knew she absolutely could not let Eve and Irene meet today.

Firstly, Irene had been incredibly helpful recently, and Xiluo’er felt too guilty to betray her ‘accomplice’ like this… even though the word ‘accomplice’ made them sound like an actual criminal gang.

But that wasn’t the main point. The critical issue was that Eve and Irene absolutely could not meet at this moment!

Are you kidding? Eve and Irene were biological sisters!

While the plot dictated that the two would eventually meet, the story hadn’t progressed to that point yet. Xiluo’er was terrified that if the sisters met now, it would cause a severe butterfly effect on the storyline.

Noticing that Eve seemed to be looking past her, through the window, at Irene sitting in the dessert shop, Xiluo’er gritted her teeth and moved to block Eve’s path.

“No!”

Xiluo’er’s intense reaction caused Eve to frown involuntarily.

“Why?”

“Uh, uh…”

Despite having been a ‘double agent’ for so long, Xiluo’er’s ability to fabricate lies had significantly improved. However, in this particular situation, she genuinely couldn’t think of a good excuse.

“Isn’t Sister Eve quite busy? Let’s not waste your time… okay?”

“Uh, those two over there must be your colleagues? Let’s not keep them waiting too long.”

Eve gently shook her head and replied, “It’s fine. Today’s commission isn’t urgent. Besides, just meeting someone and getting acquainted won’t take much time, will it?”

“After all—I’m also very interested in a friend who can get along so well with Xiluo’er.”

“Then, then…”

Xiluo’er stammered, brainstorming for excuses.

“That’s it! My friend is a bit shy around strangers. If Sister Eve really wants to meet her, could we arrange it for next time, after I’ve given her a heads-up?”

Eve tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

“But, Xiluo’er, you told me last time that your friend is a very lively and playful girl.”

Ah, this…

Realizing her fabricated story had contradicted itself, Xiluo’er’s mind went blank, unsure how to salvage the situation.

Observing Xiluo’er’s demeanor, Eve’s frown deepened significantly.

She admitted that she hadn’t ‘happened to pass by’ and ‘chanced upon’ Xiluo’er today. After all, the child had been going out quite often recently and had even made friends outside. She was a little… worried, yes, just worried.

She had initially wanted to see what kind of girl could compete with her… ahem, could get along so well with Xiluo’er. But Xiluo’er’s reaction today had made her genuinely concerned.

‘Could this child be getting bullied outside and is afraid to tell anyone?’

After all, Eve herself had once been taken in by the Adventurer’s Guild. While her personality generally prevented her from being bullied, she had seen many bullied children who acted just like this—threatened and afraid to let adults know.

“It’s alright, I’m just going to meet your friend. It won’t take much time.”

With that thought, Eve became even more convinced of her suspicion, and she took a step toward the dessert shop.

‘No, no, no, no, no!’

Seeing her negotiations utterly fail, Xiluo’er completely panicked.