Chapter 41: The Art of Evasion and Unexpected Revelations

“It’s fine. It won’t take long, just a quick meeting with your friend.”

As Eve spoke, she began to step towards the dessert shop, causing Xiluo’er to panic instantly.

Without another thought for excuses, Xiluo’er lunged forward and hugged Eve’s waist.

“No, Sister Eve!”

“Why not?”

‘Uh… uh…’

Xiluo’er experienced the sensation of her mind going utterly blank for the first time. After failing to conjure any suitable reason, she gritted her teeth and gave up.

“It just can’t be, Sister Eve.”

Having abandoned all attempts at logical thought, Xiluo’er resignedly clung to Eve’s waist, burying her head into Eve’s stomach and rubbing against her, indulging in a fit of childlike pleading.

When Eve’s voice didn’t immediately follow, Xiluo’er’s heart tightened with anxiety.

‘Was this approach truly useless?’

She lifted her head slightly, peeking at Eve, only to find Eve staring at her without blinking.

Eve: “…”

The tactic was incredibly effective!

Eve admitted that she couldn’t resist Xiluo’er’s coquettishness. Or rather, she had never seen Xiluo’er act so spoiled before.

This child’s charm, when unleashed, was simply too devastating.

“So, can you tell me why, Xiluo’er?”

Noticing the softening in Eve’s tone, Xiluo’er, though still unsure of what had transpired, keenly seized the opportunity to press her advantage.

“Hmm… there are some reasons, but I can’t tell you right now, Sister Eve.”

“Next time, when I have time, I’ll bring her to see you, Sister Eve. Can I?”

Xiluo’er’s plan was to find a suitable stand-in for Eve to meet next time. For now, she just needed to get past this immediate hurdle.

‘It’s like failing an exam and paying someone to pretend to be your parent for a parent-teacher conference.’

Watching Xiluo’er blink her wide eyes at her, Eve fell silent for a moment.

‘This child truly is quite adorable.’

“Xiluo’er, you haven’t been bullied by this friend of yours, have you?”

“No, absolutely not!”

“That’s good. If anyone ever bullies you, you must tell me.”

“Mhm, okay, Sister Eve.”

Xiluo’er hugged Eve’s waist, her small head nodding enthusiastically.

Hearing Xiluo’er’s unequivocal answer, Eve felt considerably relieved.

It seemed as long as the child wasn’t being bullied, everything was fine.

‘Let’s just drop it for today.’

Eve had called Xiluo’er out instead of directly entering the shop, precisely because she intended to try gentle persuasion first.

She worried that going in without telling Xiluo’er beforehand might upset the child.

Now, it seemed, since Xiluo’er was so resistant, it was best to defer.

After all, while she was curious to meet this so-called friend, Eve cared more about not being disliked by Xiluo’er.

If Xiluo’er didn’t want to explain why, then she wouldn’t. Eve understood that Xiluo’er probably had some little secrets of her own.

After a final glance through the window at the person sitting inside, Eve withdrew her gaze.

“Alright then, I’ll be busy now, Xiluo’er.”

“Mhm, bye-bye, Sister Eve!”

Waving her hand and watching Eve walk away, Xiluo’er finally breathed a sigh of relief.

‘That was close. I can’t believe I managed to bluff my way through it.’

When Eve had started walking directly into the shop earlier, Xiluo’er had truly thought it was the end for her today.

However… perhaps it wasn’t as simple as she thought. Eve’s inaction today might be her way of trying to reel in a bigger fish.

A sudden thought popped into Xiluo’er’s mind: ‘What if I just sold the contact person to Eve next time?’

****

Inside the dessert shop, Irene propped her chin on one hand, eating cake while observing the scene outside through the window.

Although the distance was a bit far, and she didn’t know what exactly had happened, it seemed that person was quite familiar with the little Cat Tail.

However, with the window and the little Cat Tail blocking her view, Irene couldn’t clearly see what the person looked like.

While she didn’t know what had happened, Irene, for some reason… sensed a ‘caught in the act’ vibe from their body language.

‘Cough, cough, it might sound strange, but Irene really felt that the scene just now resembled a family drama: the mistress being caught by the legal wife, while the other party explained and blocked the wife from entering to confront the mistress.’

Irene was completely unaware that, to some extent, her guess was quite accurate, and she was playing the role of the ‘mistress’ in that scenario.

‘Oh, so I’m the green tea b*tch myself.’

If Xiluo’er knew Irene’s thoughts, she might even add a thoughtful clarification:

‘Cheating on your sister with your younger sister after being with your sister and getting caught by your sister—that’s also a classic, explosive plot in certain genres.’

‘Usually, the subsequent development involves sisters sharing a meal… *cough, cough*.’

However, judging by the current situation, if there were to be a ‘meal,’ Xiluo’er would likely be the one getting ‘eaten.’

Watching Xiluo’er return to her seat with a ‘I’m so tired’ expression, Irene curiously poked her arm.

“Little Cat Tail, Little Cat Tail, who was that person just now?”

Seeing Irene’s gossipy expression, Xiluo’er wanted to retort, “Thanks, that’s your sister. Surprised, aren’t you?”

“That… that was my sister. She just happened to be passing by. Nothing to worry about.”

“Eh—”

Irene narrowed her eyes.

“So that was your sister just now? No wonder your actions were so intimate.”

Although she hadn’t seen it very clearly, Irene had certainly caught a glimpse of Xiluo’er hugging Eve’s body.

‘It feels like I’ve discovered a new side of the little Cat Tail.’

‘Us? Intimate actions?’

Thinking back to her actions, Xiluo’er gave a bitter smile internally.

‘Was that intimacy? I was worried Eve would come in, find you, and then chop me up!’

“Oh, right, Little Cat Tail.”

“These materials you asked for are quite interesting.”

Irene smiled, ticking off points on her fingers as she spoke.

“The sap of the Firefang Tree attracts demonic beasts, and the powder of the Corrupted Glowgrass makes carrion wolves more rabid and aggressive…”

“Then, in the war-torn regions of the Southern Kingdoms, there are many carrion wolf gathering spots. Influenced by the conflict, they will undoubtedly migrate north en masse.”

“Finally, as luck would have it, the City Lord’s Mansion is likely planning the autumn demonic beast encirclement recently. This is an annual custom in Kana City.”

Although Irene stopped there, Xiluo’er’s heart had already skipped a beat.

‘Indeed, Irene is much more cunning than I thought.’

“I’m already under Rona’s suspicion. Instead of slowly investigating, it’s better to use some extreme methods to force her issues out into the open.”

Since Irene had already guessed what she intended to do, Xiluo’er saw no reason to hide it, stating it directly.

“Hmm… I never expected Little Cat Tail’s way of doing things to be like this. You’re so cute, after all~”