Yuan Yan looked at Feng Qishi's determined expression and, considering their current predicament, found it difficult. "I think... it's more realistic to try and appease her."
"If you don't cooperate with me, don't blame me for exposing you."
"You..."
"I'm capable of anything, I'm telling you. If you're going to do something, be a real man, otherwise, I'd rather not do it at all."
"What exactly do you want to do?" Yuan Yan couldn't understand Feng Qishi anymore.
"I just want," Feng Qishi sat up and smirked, "to make her retreat."
"..." Yuan Yan knew Feng Qishi's idea was utterly unrealistic and remained silent.
Feng Qishi looked at Yuan Yan indifferently and said, "Alright, go keep watch. She's here. Notify me." After speaking, he lay down.
Feng Qishi didn't care what Yuan Yan thought. Right now, he was eager to meet Zhao Mei'er.
Yuan Yan, knowing he couldn't win against Feng Qishi, compromised. "Fine, I'll listen to you." He then cautiously glanced at Feng Qishi's face and turned to leave.
Immediately after, Feng Qishi turned over and said, "Later, when she asks you questions, don't say anything."
Hearing this, Yuan Yan stopped in his tracks, turned to look at Feng Qishi who had his back to him, and asked, "If I don't answer, won't she become suspicious of me?"
"I'm here," Feng Qishi said with his eyes closed.
Yuan Yan responded with an "Okay."
Subsequently, Feng Qishi decided to take this opportunity to rest well and drifted into a light sleep.
Yuan Yan looked at Feng Qishi's sleeping back, worried about his own safety. However, he thought that since Feng Qishi had said that, he must have a plan. Thus, he placed all his hopes on Feng Qishi.
Over by the woods.
Mu Anxiao couldn't stand Ouyang Ye's gaze any longer and said, "Can you stop looking at me like that? I'm asking you, is this game I made for you fun?"
"You're clearly suspecting me, and now you're calling it a game," Ouyang Ye said with a faint smile. "Mu Anxiao, you're truly laughable."
"My game is a game of forgetting. I..."
Mu Anxiao was halfway through her sentence when a gust of wind blew past Ouyang Ye. He quickly shushed her.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao swallowed the rest of her words, glanced to her sides, and dared not speak.
After the wind passed, Ouyang Ye quietly said, "Take my hand." He reached out.
Mu Anxiao looked down and shook her head.
Ouyang Ye clicked his tongue. "This is not the time for you to feign shyness. Take it."
Feign shyness?
Mu Anxiao disliked what Ouyang Ye had said. What did he mean by feigning shyness? She had always been very reserved!
As if hearing this, she put on a disdainful expression and casually swatted away Ouyang Ye's outstretched hand, shaking her head as if to say, I won't hold your hand.
Ouyang Ye was taken aback by Mu Anxiao's action. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked, looking at his hand that had been pushed away.
"Do you think what you said was right?" Mu Anxiao retorted.
Ouyang Ye chuckled. "Alright, I won't say you're feigning shyness. You're genuinely shy."
"I am indeed genuinely shy," Mu Anxiao reacted strongly, deliberately stepping back half a pace. "To be honest, for this reason alone, I dislike you."
"Disliking me won't do you any good," Ouyang Ye said, glancing around.
As Ouyang Ye had said, Mu Anxiao knew that offending him now would only bring trouble. Therefore, the moment he spoke, she stepped forward half a pace again and said, "I said I dislike what you say, not that I dislike you personally."
"Then you like me personally." Ouyang Ye couldn't resist teasing Mu Anxiao.
If it weren't for this mission, Mu Anxiao would have been someone easily teased.
However, in order to successfully find the ghostly benefactor and rescue Feng Qishi, she had to go all out. "You yourself are not bad," she said, managing a wry smile.
"..." Ouyang Ye nodded slightly.
Mu Anxiao's eyes flickered. "Alright, let's keep moving forward."
"..." Ouyang Ye extended his hand.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao hesitated and said, "Do we need to hold hands? I can just grab your sleeve like I did just now."
"What if you pinch my flesh again?" Ouyang Ye was afraid.
Mu Anxiao smiled. "No, I'll be careful this time." She showed a sincere smile.
Ouyang Ye looked down at Mu Anxiao's sincere smile, shook his head slightly, and swayed his hand up and down in front of her.
Immediately, Mu Anxiao looked down, her expression troubled. "This... it's not very appropriate."
"Are you afraid Feng Qishi will find out?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Anxiao became defiant. "Who's afraid of him?" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes for good measure.
Ouyang Ye smiled. "It seems you don't like him anymore."
"Liking him is one thing, but I can still dislike him."
"Dislike..." Ouyang Ye repeated, looking down at his hand. "It seems you dislike me."
"No," Mu Anxiao replied firmly.
Ouyang Ye laughed upon hearing this.
Mu Anxiao looked at Ouyang Ye's smiling face, feeling a wave of awkwardness. She then rubbed her nose with her hand, looked up, and just as she was about to speak, she unconsciously looked at a dark shadow on the tree behind Ouyang Ye and whispered, "It's the ghoul." As she spoke, she instinctively grabbed Ouyang Ye's hand.
Ouyang Ye, being a clean-freak even as an evil spirit, had changed his mind the moment Mu Anxiao touched her nose. However, just as he was about to retract his hand, she grabbed it.
Given the situation, he felt extremely resistant towards Mu Anxiao.
Conversely, Mu Anxiao tightened her grip on his hand, watched the black shadow disappear with a whoosh, let out a sigh of relief, and then turned to look at the stiff-faced Ouyang Ye, startled. "What's with that expression?" She had no intention of letting go.
Ouyang Ye swallowed and slowly looked down at the hand Mu Anxiao was tightly holding. "You touched your nose and then grabbed me. Do you think... that's hygienic?"
"You..." Mu Anxiao frowned. "You're disgusted by me."
"It's not about being disgusted by you. Can you please let go of my hand?" Ouyang Ye refused Mu Anxiao.
Seeing Ouyang Ye's completely different reaction from before, Mu Anxiao pouted. "Your face changes so quickly. Fine, I won't hold you, I won't hold you. It's not like I'm desperate to hold you." Saying this, she let go.
The next second, Ouyang Ye hurriedly took a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping his hand.
Mu Anxiao raised her hand and scratched her hair. "If I liked you, you would be the most pathetic person in the world, you know."
"It doesn't matter, it's still bad luck," Ouyang Ye said, while wiping his hand.
Mu Anxiao curled her lips. "Don't worry, I won't like you, and I certainly won't let your schemes succeed." Saying this, she stepped back half a pace and just watched him, wondering how long he would continue to wipe his hand.