Shen Yan: "Junior Sister, time is running out, and you won't be able to go back."
“...” Mu Anxiao hadn't expected her awakening to begin like this. Looking at Shen Yan's smiling face, and realizing her hope of returning now rested solely on him, she no longer objected. She smiled, "Senior Brother, I'm here." As she spoke, she glanced down at the maid, suddenly recalling she… didn't have this memory.
Her body stiffened, and she slowly turned her head to look at the little Mu Anxiao staring at her, thinking, Strange, could it be… this isn't my own memory?
"What are you thinking about?"
Hearing his voice, Mu Anxiao snapped back to reality and looked at Shen Yan, "I'm not thinking about anything." She decided to ponder this question later, as thinking more about it now would be useless.
"If you're not thinking about anything, then hurry and—" Shen Yan's gaze fixed mid-sentence, "Not good."
Mu Anxiao, hearing him, lowered the hand she was about to use for a spell and asked, "What is it now?"
"Turn her into you."
"Huh?"
"Listen to me, quickly." Shen Yan looked at the little Mu Anxiao with an anxious expression. "Come here."
The little Mu Anxiao froze at Shen Yan's words, then quickly walked in front of him. "Shen Yan Brother, what's wrong?" She hadn't realized the danger yet, looking up at Shen Yan.
Shen Yan reached out and cupped the little Mu Anxiao's head. "It's nothing." As he spoke, he cast a spell to make himself and the little Mu Anxiao invisible.
Seeing this, Mu Anxiao exclaimed, "Shen Yan, you're abandoning me."
"I'm not abandoning you. Turn her into you, quickly." Shen Yan pointed at the maid.
Indeed, in front of Shen Yan, Mu Anxiao still dared not show too much personality. Left with no choice, she accepted this command and, raising a single finger, casually pointed at the maid. The maid transformed into the likeness of the little Mu Anxiao.
The little Mu Anxiao: "She looks like me now." She pointed at the maid excitedly.
Mu Anxiao lowered her finger. Listening to the little Mu Anxiao's voice, she thought about her own timid appearance when she first met Shen Yan, and she truly wondered… were the little Mu Anxiao before her and herself truly the same person?
"In the future, you will too." Shen Yan gently placed a hand on the little Mu Anxiao's shoulder.
"Really?" The little Mu Anxiao didn't resist. On the contrary, she was accepting of all this.
"Mhm."
The little Mu Anxiao smiled, "I'm really looking forward to being as powerful as her."
Mu Anxiao, hearing the little Mu Anxiao's innocent words from behind, thought about her own process of accepting Shen Yan. She sighed softly and was about to bend down to pull the maid's arm when Mu Xi arrived.
Seeing Mu Xi enter, the little Mu Anxiao quickly hid behind Shen Yan.
Shen Yan turned and looked at the little Mu Anxiao, saying, "Don't be afraid."
"Brother, he… will kill me." The little Mu Anxiao clutched Shen Yan's arm.
Shen Yan clearly felt the little Mu Anxiao's strength and said calmly, "He can't see you." As he spoke, he glanced at Xi'er standing outside the door.
"Really?" The little Mu Anxiao trembled with fear.
Shen Yan nodded, "Mhm." He turned to look at Mu Anxiao, who had transformed into the maid's appearance, and said, "Just follow me."
The little Mu Anxiao: "..." Her body still trembled, her mind replaying everything the maid had done to her the previous night, tears beginning to well in her eyes.
Over there.
Mu Anxiao turned to face Mu Xi, "Why are you here?" She didn't know how the maid usually addressed Mu Xi, so she spoke casually, to avoid suspicion.
"You're not dead yet." Mu Xi narrowed his eyes and looked down at the maid, who had transformed into the little Mu Anxiao. "You killed her."
“...” Mu Anxiao glanced at the maid, then thought, That's not right. She turned back to Mu Xi.
Mu Xi: "What's not right?"
"Clearly…" Mu Anxiao looked down at the black bottle on the ground, then continued, "You told me to do it."
"Nonsense." Mu Xi's eyes widened. "It was you who killed her."
"You told me to do it." Mu Anxiao feigned excitement.
“...” Mu Xi's eyes darkened. "As expected, being good to you… was all for nothing."
“...” Mu Anxiao deeply felt that Mu Xi was about to disown her. So, to avoid provoking him too much, she chose to remain silent.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's silence, Mu Xi became angry. "Speak!"
"What do you want me to say?" Mu Anxiao frowned.
Mu Xi: "Say why you betrayed me, you…"
"Betray you," Mu Anxiao, using the words the maid had spoken to the little Mu Anxiao yesterday, began to stage her own act. "You were the one who said you'd send me to that… place. How dare you talk to me about this now."
"I explained everything to you. I said I would marry you, and you…"
"I don't believe you. You're a liar. You've always lied to me, lied to me." Mu Anxiao switched perspectives, putting herself in the maid's shoes. "Do you think I would believe you?"
"You…"
"I don't want to talk to you anymore. I've done what you asked me to do. Now," Mu Anxiao said, "I need to do the last thing."
"What are you going to do?" Mu Xi felt confused by Mu Anxiao's words.
Mu Anxiao: "Help you eliminate your evidence." Saying this, she bent down, grabbed the little Mu Anxiao maid's arm, and with surprising ease, hoisted the maid onto her shoulder.
Shen Yan looked at this display of Mu Anxiao's strength and was rendered speechless.
The little Mu Anxiao exclaimed, "That woman doesn't have that much strength."
“...” Shen Yan looked down at the little Mu Anxiao, then at Mu Anxiao, feeling helpless.
The little Mu Anxiao: "Will she be exposed?" She had become more cautious.
Shen Yan: "Don't worry, she won't be." He then surmised that Mu Xi wouldn't suspect anything.
"That's good then." The little Mu Anxiao breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Anxiao felt nothing was amiss. Continuing to carry the maid, she stepped forward and said, "Move aside."
"You can't even hold a bowl steady normally, you…" Mu Xi looked at Mu Anxiao's actions with astonishment, narrowing his eyes. "You lied to me."
Mu Anxiao: "I have the strength to kill your sister. Do you think…" A smirk played on her lips, "I can't carry her."
“...” Mu Xi was startled by Mu Anxiao.
Seeing Mu Xi frozen, Mu Anxiao simply carried the maid and walked around him. Just as she thought she was safe, Xi'er stepped over the threshold and entered.
"You girl, you're quite strong." she said, stopping in front of Mu Anxiao.
Mu Anxiao stopped, looking at Xi'er with impatience. "Who are you? Move aside." She had no intention of imitating the maid's way of dealing with things; she just wanted to leave quickly.
Xi'er: "Who am I? You just saw me yesterday, and today you've forgotten me." She smiled. "Your memory really isn't very good." She deliberately glanced at the little Mu Anxiao, the maid Mu Anxiao was carrying on her shoulder.