Chapter 73: Confusion, Fear, and Anger

An Early Departure

At dawn, as the sky barely brightened, Yu Li opened her eyes. She slowly turned her head, seeing the blanket separating her from Lan Yi.

Yesterday, for various reasons, Yu Li had stayed over at Lan Yi’s house.

With no spare room available, Yu Li had offered to sleep on the floor, but Lan Yi insisted they share the bed. The blanket between them was Lan Yi’s arrangement. Yu Li didn’t care, but Lan Yi seemed embarrassed.

To Yu Li, Lan Yi’s behavior practically screamed guilt—as if she had something to hide. Why else would she be so nervous?

To avoid waking Lan Yi, Yu Li got up quietly, dressing carefully to minimize any noise. But Lan Yi stirred anyway.

“Mmm…”

Lan Yi rubbed her sleepy eyes, her voice soft and different from her usual self.

“Yu Li…?”

Seeing Yu Li’s face, Lan Yi snapped awake, remembering that Yu Li had stayed over.

“Um… Yu Li, are you leaving already?”

Seeing Lan Yi’s flustered look, Yu Li nodded and replied softly, “Yeah.”

“Oh…” For some reason, Lan Yi sounded disappointed. She glanced out the window, noticing it was barely dawn.

“So early…?” she murmured instinctively.

Seeing Lan Yi’s disappointed expression, Yu Li’s eyelids lowered, her face showing a hint of helplessness. She explained softly, “It’s easier for me to leave before everyone else wakes up.”

A Reluctant Promise

Hearing Yu Li’s explanation, Lan Yi blinked, recalling yesterday’s events, and gave an awkward smile. “Hehe… my family’s just like that. They mean no harm, Yu Li.”

Yesterday had been like an embarrassing ordeal for Yu Li. To avoid suspicion, she had acted like a refined young lady, as she did with classmates, when dealing with Lan Yi’s family.

But this backfired. Instead of creating distance, it made them even more enthusiastic. From staring at her initially, to one person asking questions, to all three surrounding her.

Lan Yi, meanwhile, was sidelined, watching with a smile, unbothered.

This left Yu dressed in discomfort. Already worried about her acting slipping, she could only nod or shake her head, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

“Well, see you next time, Senior Lan Yi.”

Yu Li nodded to Lan Yi and turned to leave before her family woke up, but Lan Yi grabbed her arm.

Yu Li turned back, puzzled, looking at Lan Yi.

“Ah… sorry…” Lan Yi’s face showed a hint of apology for her sudden action, but she didn’t let go. She pursed her lips, as if wanting to say something.

Finally, Lan Yi mustered her courage, looking into Yu Li’s eyes with determination, her voice tinged with emotion. “Yu Li… will you accept my invitation next time?”

Her blue eyes, filled with expectation, reflected only Yu Li, waiting earnestly for her response.

“…”

Yu Li froze, staring blankly at Lan Yi, unable to comprehend why this girl was so hopeful. She fell silent, unsure how to respond.

But Lan Yi kept waiting.

“Okay…”

Unable to refuse, Yu Li agreed after a long pause.

“Really? That’s great!” Lan Yi’s face lit up with joy.

“Don’t be loud… you’ll wake them,” Yu Li reminded her expressionlessly.

“Ah, sorry, sorry… I’ll walk you out, Yu Li,” Lan Yi said with an embarrassed smile.

But Yu Li waved her off. “No need. Stay here. If you wake them, I won’t come next time.”

At that, Lan Yi froze, not daring to move. She stood watching as Yu Li quietly opened the front door, closing it carefully to avoid any sound.

A Heavy Heart

“Sigh…”

Once outside, Yu Li let out a soft sigh. It wasn’t that she disliked Lan Yi’s lively family—on the contrary, she didn’t mind them at all.

If her emotions weren’t so unstable, she wouldn’t have left without a word.

Her sigh came from something else… another thing she couldn’t understand. Why did Lan Yi look forward to her response so much?

It was unlike any emotion Yu Li knew. How could someone, knowing they’d been deceived and used, still dive headfirst into a trap?

In Yu Li’s database, such a thing didn’t exist. If it were her, she wouldn’t act that way.

Unable to make sense of it, Yu Li wandered aimlessly. She suddenly realized… she might have messed up this time.

Even after a night, she still couldn’t digest Fu Qingyue’s emotions. They, along with her ability level, felt blocked by something.

Even Liuli remained asleep, unable to wake.

These foreign emotions constantly affected Yu Li. If she couldn’t process them, she didn’t dare return home.

‘If… my acting fails… will Little Ai hate me?’

A strange emotion rose in Yu Li’s heart—one she couldn’t identify. Fear. Genuine fear, born from Yu Li herself. She was afraid that revealing her true self would make Ai Xinglan hate her.

A Shift in Reality

Unconsciously, Yu Li wandered into a park. Feeling directionless, she sat on a bench, her mind filled with confusion.

She was still the same as always—or she should be.

But now, Yu Li felt utterly lost. Having lived two lives, she knew exactly when to use each human emotion.

That’s how she’d always operated. Yet, she couldn’t name the strange feeling in her heart now.

What… went wrong?

“I really… want to see Little Ai…” Yu Li murmured unconsciously.

She closed her eyes, knowing that with Ai Xinglan, her heart felt at ease.

The morning park should have been filled with a cool breeze, but the moment Yu Li closed her eyes, the wind stopped.

When she opened them again, the scenery had changed entirely. She was no longer in a park but… a shattered palace.

Before her stood a chained girl, seemingly a deity.

“What the hell are you?! What are you trying to do?!”

Yu Li shot to her feet, her frustrations transforming into rage. Despite knowing she was outmatched, she summoned a mass of flames to her arm.

“Tell me, are you behind all of this?!”

In that moment, the furious Yu Li confronted the deity-like girl with her burning question.