"nom"
"Nom"
"Nom"
"You want another slice?" Xiao Ning'er's spoon paused mid-bite, her cheeks reddening as she remembered that Xue Hui was sitting at her side, staring at her with a fond look on his face.
After Xue Hui treated the Arctic disease, her body became extremely well.
So well, in fact, that once Xiao Ning'er felt the sensation of chronic pain completely banished, she ended up feeling hungry and took Xue Hui's invitation to have a small tea break with him.
Surprised by how great the food was, Xiao Ning'er ended up splurging on all the sweets.
And momentarily forgot about Xue Hui's existence.
Embarrassed, Xiao Ning'er shyly shook her head as she placed her spoon back on her plate.
Straightening herself, Xiao Ning'er's eyes drifted to Xue Hui, and she thanked him."U-um, I already had enough. Thanks for the food, Xue Hui, it was great."
"Alright then." Xue Hui grinned as he stored all the dishes back into his interspatial ring, leaving only the chair, table, and the tea they were drinking.
An awkward silence permeated the atmosphere.
Xiao Ning'er fidgeted in her chair. She wanted to say something, anything, to break the silence, but found herself unable to form any words.
Another minute passed, and the two finished their tea. They stood up and stored the remaining items.
Xiao Ning'er found herself watching the back of the boy who helped her.
Running her thumb over the scroll in her grasp, its smooth texture somehow felt reassuring, Xiao Ning'er bit her lower lip, her mind flooded with so many questions.
Xiao Ning'er's eyes widened as panic rose in her heart when she saw Xue Hui preparing to leave.
Reaching out to him, Xiao Ning'er's fingers tugged on Xue Hui's clothes, making him turn and look at her.
Now that she had his attention, Xiao Ning'er felt flustered, trying and failing to come up with the proper words to say.
But before she could say anything, she felt her hand being held by Xue Hui as he gave her an understanding smile. "Don't overthink it, Lady Xiao Ning'er. I went out of my way to help you because I found your determination admirable."
Xiao Ning'er's face reddened, both from the physical contact and the words she was hearing.
"Since I already helped you, in the future, if anyone tries to bully you, come find me and I deal with them."
Xiao Ning'er's heart fluttered. The first thing that came to her mind was her marriage arrangement. Xiao Ning'er asked herself if Xue Hui could actually help her in that matter.
"Even if it's against the Sacred Family?" It was faint, almost inaudible, when Xiao Ning'er whispered those words.
"Especially if it's the Sacred Family." Xiao Ning'er's head snapped up, she had a shocked expression on her face.
Xue Hui on the other hand was giving her a confident grin.
"I hate that scummy family anyway. Might as well go and mess with them." Xue Hui let out a chuckle. Now that his strength had reached a significant level, a family like the Sacred Family was hardly a threat to him.
The only reason Xue Hui wasn't taking any action against them was the lack of proper evidence that could expose the Sacred Family's traitorous intentions.
Xiao Ning'er felt her eyes water once again. Ever since the marriage arrangement, she had felt that everyone had abandoned her, that she had no one to turn to for help.
That was why Xue Hui's words immediately melted the grievance in her heart.
"I-I don't know how to repay your kindness, Xue Hui," Xiao Ning'er muttered. With everything he had done to help her, treating her disease, giving her a powerful cultivation technique, and now being willing to go against the Sacred Family for her sake, Xiao Ning'er was at a loss for how to return the favor.
"Good. That means you'll be stuck with me for a long time." Xue Hui moved the hand holding Xiao Ning'er's, repositioning it so they could shake hands. "Friends?" he asked with a bright smile.
Looking at him, his confident smile is giving her hope. Xiao Ning'er sniffled as she nodded. "Mm, friends."
The night gradually deepened. After they finished talking, Xiao Ning'er returned to her residence. Adorned in a silky yellow nightgown that hugged her figure, she lay on her side in bed.
Her fingers brushed over the hand Xue Hui had held earlier. A strange longing lingered in her heart, and the sensation of his touch remained vividly in her mind.
Turning in her bed, Xiao Ning'er lay on her back, her eyes staring into nothingness. All she felt now was a blissful comfort, especially with her Arctic disease finally gone.
She still couldn't believe how easily Xue Hui had expelled it from her body.
Xiao Ning'er's face flushed yet again as the image of Xue Hui surfaced in her mind.
"Xue Hui," she whispered. Just saying his name brought her comfort, enough to lull her into a peaceful sleep.
The next day.
Divine Family Mansion.
Patriarch Residence, family dining hall.
A noticeably annoyed Chen Linlin had been boring a hole into Xue Hui's head since they met for breakfast.
This was quickly noticed by everyone at the table, except for Xue Hui himself, who was too engrossed in eating while reading the latest news.
Intrigued, Chen Zhenlong sent a questioning look to Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou, silently asking if they knew what was going on with their daughter.
The two mothers simply shook their heads, equally clueless.
Meanwhile, Xue Hui continued flipping through the newspaper, oblivious to the tense atmosphere.
Seeing this, Chen Linlin huffed in annoyance and slammed her hands onto the table, causing the cutlery to clatter loudly. This finally drew Xue Hui's attention, and he looked at her in confusion.
"What's up?" Xue Hui asked, finally noticing her sour mood.
"D-Did you do it?" Chen Linlin asked in return, her face slowly turning red with embarrassment, something everyone at the table noticed.
"What exactly?" Seeing her flushed cheeks only made Xue Hui more confused. Her vague question didn't make any sense to him.
Chen Linlin's entire body trembled as her glare turned accusatory.
Feeling everyone's eyes on her, she grew more agitated. She abruptly stood from her chair and pointed at Xue Hui with a shaky finger.
"YOU DID IT, RIGHT!? YOU MESSED WITH MY FRIENDS LAST NIGHT!" Chen Linlin's face turned bright red as her pointing finger shook. "You pervert!"
Not only Xue Hui, but even Chen Zhenlong, Chen Yinying, and Chen Wenrou all choked on their food when Chen Linlin loudly accused Xue Hui of being lecherous and doing something with her friends.
Coughing, Xue Hui grabbed a napkin from beside him and covered his mouth, his mind reeling from the sudden accusation.
"I DID WHAT!?" Xue Hui asked in shock. He wondered if he had heard wrong, but no, everyone was giving him scandalized looks.
Feeling wronged, Xue Hui shot Chen Linlin a disbelieving glance.
His reaction only made Chen Linlin huff in annoyance. She folded her arms across her chest, refusing to back down.
"You didn't visit my room even once last night, and I searched everywhere but couldn't find you at all." She squinted, leaning forward to make sure he heard her clearly.
"And you smell like this, I can detect a faint scent of a woman's perfume on you, Hui-hui."
Xue Hui pinched the collar of his clothes and brought it closer to his nose to sniff.
His eyebrow rose the moment he caught the lingering scent.
It carried traces of sweets, tea, and Xiao Ning'er's lavender perfume.
Realizing what she meant, Xue Hui immediately tried to explain himself.
"Okay, I didn't do anything to your friends. This has nothing to do with them."
Xue Hui told Chen Linlin and her parents about his brief outing the previous night, how he had gone out and met Xiao Ning'er at the Holy Orchid Institute's hunting grounds, alone and unwell.
He went on to explain how that encounter led to him helping her.
Overall, the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up, as none of them believed he was lying.
Once Xue Hui had cleared his name, he turned to Chen Linlin and questioned her. "But first, I want to know why the first thing that came to your mind was that I was messing around with your friends like that!?"
At his question, all eyes shifted from Xue Hui to Chen Linlin. She panicked, trying to explain herself but failing miserably as she stammered, "W-well! Jing Ya and the others are really pretty, and you were gone last night, so don't blame me for imagining things!"
Xue Hui let out an amused chuckle. "So you imagined it, huh?" he teased.
This made Chen Zhenlong let out a tired groan, he didn't need to hear about his daughter's more personal thoughts.
Chen Yinying and Chen Wenrou, on the other hand, burst into laughter as they watched their daughter dig herself deeper into embarrassment.
"S-shut up! I didn't mean it that way!" she yelled defensively.
Chen Linlin's face turned green the moment she realized she had just blurted out her private thoughts in front of her parents.
Embarrassed, Chen Linlin quickly bolted out of the dining hall, excusing herself with the pretense of preparing for school.
Not wanting to be left behind with Chen Zhenlong and his wives, Xue Hui also excused himself and followed after her.
Overall, breakfast was quite eventful and chaotic.
Hours later.
Holy Orchid Institute, Fighter Apprentice Class.
Xiao Ning'er fidgeted in her seat as she waited for someone.
Earlier, after having the most comfortable sleep she had experienced in a long time, Xiao Ning'er immediately began practicing the Heavenly Tempest, World Dominator cultivation technique. To her astonishment, she broke through to One-Star Bronze Rank, surpassing her expectations by leaps and bounds.
Xiao Ning'er was extremely grateful to Xue Hui. She couldn't believe that he had simply handed her such a powerful cultivation technique.
Her heart fluttered as she recalled the events of last night, and how that fateful encounter had transformed so many aspects of her life.
The classroom door slid open one after another as students began to fill the room. Xiao Ning'er turned her head to see who had arrived, only to find Nie Li and his friends entering the class. They looked tired and worn out for some reason.
Xiao Ning'er bit her lip as disappointment crept into her heart, the person she wanted to see most hadn't arrived yet.
At the same time, she found herself unsure of how to approach Xue Hui once he did arrive. Despite calling each other friends, she wasn't certain if it was appropriate to simply walk up to him and spend time together.
The last time Xiao Ning'er had a friend was when she was still a small child, and even that connection had been brief. Once her family began to decline, she stopped associating with that friend.
Another person entered, and this time it was Ye Ziyun. Xiao Ning'er quickly averted her gaze, not wanting to meet the eyes of the City Lord's daughter.
Nervous, Xiao Ning'er's fingers tapped against her thighs. She hated how fidgety she was, the last thing she wanted was to look weird in front of Xue Hui.
Wanting to distract herself, Xiao Ning'er took out a hand mirror and checked her reflection. Seeing nothing amiss, she let out a relieved sigh. One thing to note was that she had put extra effort into her appearance today, a bright accent dress paired with light makeup, making her more stunning to look at.
That was when a group of people entered the room.
Leading them was Chen Linlin. Her usual cheerful demeanor easily brightened the atmosphere inside the classroom, making the boys pause whatever they were doing and turn their admiring gazes toward her.
Behind Chen Linlin were the trio of commoner girls, Jing Ya, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling, all looking vibrant and confident.
The four lovely girls ignored the attention they were receiving as they continued chatting happily, making a beeline for their seats.
Another person who felt excited upon seeing them was Xiao Ning'er. Their arrival could only mean one thing for her.
Xiao Ning'er straightened in her seat, waiting with bated breath as she fixed her gaze on the doorway, anticipating Xue Hui's appearance.
When he finally appeared, Xiao Ning'er's face lit up. Her usual icy demeanor melted instantly, replaced by blissful excitement.
The surrounding boys who had been eyeing Xiao Ning'er held their breath, their jaws dropping at the unexpected sight.
Ignoring the bewildered looks directed at her, Xiao Ning'er kept her gaze fixed on Xue Hui as he walked in.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Xue Hui entered the classroom with a graceful stride. Despite being the same age as everyone, his elegant demeanor made the others feel inadequate, he was simply far too refined for his age.
The moment Xiao Ning'er met Xue Hui's gaze, she immediately grew excited and waved her hand to greet him.
"Xue Hui!"
However, it seemed Xiao Ning'er wasn't the only one excited to see him, because at the same moment she called out, another voice echoed.
"Xue Hui!"
The classroom fell silent as everyone's eyes shifted between Xiao Ning'er and Ye Ziyun, the two goddesses of their class, both calling out to the same person.
Xiao Ning'er and Ye Ziyun stared at each other, complicated emotions flickering in their eyes.
While the two beautiful girls locked in a silent standoff, a group of girls watched the scene with raised eyebrows.
Whistle...
"Girls, boss is, like... super popular with the ladies. Jeez, it's only the second day of class and they're already fighting over him," Mei Lin said, whistling in astonishment.
"W-Well, Master is really an a-awesome guy, so I get why," Yue Ling added. She looked around to observe the students' reactions and noticed some hostility from the boys watching the scene unfold, which made her uneasy.
"Hmm." Jing Ya nodded, her usual stoic expression hiding her thoughts on the matter.
Shaking her head, Chen Linlin sighed in resignation. She hadn't believed her mothers at first when they told her that Xue Hui was dangerous to women.
But seeing how Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er were glaring at each other in a tense and complicated manner, Chen Linlin finally understood what her mothers had meant.
Her eyes narrowed as she shot a look at Xue Hui. His confused expression did nothing to lessen the irritation in her heart.
With a huff, Chen Linlin sat down, ignoring the standoff between Ye Ziyun and Xiao Ning'er.
'Just don't forget who the first wife title belongs to,' Chen Linlin declared, sending the message through their Divine Family communication soul technique to Xue Hui.
Receiving the soul transmission, Xue Hui let out a tired sigh. A troubled smile appeared on his face as he shook his head.
'Women,' he thought to himself.
End of Chapter 43