Chapter 33: The Willing Take the Bait
Under Lianbing’s threats and enticements, I finally succumbed to the allure of the maid outfit… No, no, I’m only doing this to achieve the goal…
Besides, I didn’t even propose any additional conditions. It was Lianbing who thought her bargaining chip wasn’t enough, which is why I didn’t agree. She added the benefit of wearing a maid outfit to serve me herself (a typical case of getting the better of someone and then complaining).
Moreover, the task this time is to find the main reason Lianbing has started to dislike me. Once this matter is resolved, Lianbing will no longer dislike me, and that’s a good thing for me too.
It’s simply hitting three birds with one stone, a huge profit!
Thinking this, I suddenly felt full of energy! Ooooh! eon!
“Alright! So where do we start? Bring it on!”
“Hehehe, Juncheng, are you an idiot? I’ve offered such humiliating terms to negotiate with you. Until I complete this, you are essentially my labor, understand? You’re the one who needs to find out about this matter, not me.”
I’ll endure.
If I have to do it myself, then I’ll do it myself.
Anyway, whenever something happens, I always strive to handle it on my own.
First, I need to narrow down the scope. Let’s consider the timing.
“In my memory, Lianbing, you suddenly started disliking me after Ji Zhi… that transfer student, transferred to our class.
That’s right, it should have started that day. Ji Zhibai smilingly asked me to show him around the campus, and then Lianbing stopped me.
But in the end, to gather information, I still followed Ji Zhibai.
It was from that day onwards that Lianbing started to distance herself from me.
This means it’s very likely that she encountered someone that day, which caused a change in Lianbing.
“Lianbing, do you remember if you saw anyone strange that day or the night before?”
“Call me Lianbing…”
“Uh uh?”
While I was diligently analyzing the situation, Lianbing was staring at me blankly, muttering her own name.
I immediately understood. She was bothered that I called her by her name directly. I’d forgotten about the addressing issue again.
After cursing myself as an idiot three times in my mind, I explained.
“Ah, well, I just felt it was a bit too formal to keep calling you classmate. I’m sorry for calling you by your name without your permission.”
“Hehehe, it’s fine. I’m just annoyed by your seemingly very understanding and familiar attitude towards me, while I know almost nothing about you.”
“You know nothing about me? That can’t be right. Given your personality, shouldn’t you have investigated me inside and out from the very beginning?”
“That’s just superficial information, it doesn’t represent the whole you.”
Lianbing paused, supported her face with her hand, and looked at me with a half-smile. “That means my previous information is outdated and needs to be updated.”
“Is that so? Then let’s start with me calling you by your name. From my perspective, adding ‘classmate’ after calling you feels a bit…
“Hehehe, what a thick-faced man… Alright, I’ll call you Juncheng. Hmm, that doesn’t feel right. How about Cheng Jun?”
Here we go again?
Never mind, never mind. Young Miss, call me whatever you like.
“Evening Study Session is about to start. Let’s leave first, Cheng Jun~”
The music signaling the start of the evening study session played from the broadcast. Students were walking into the classroom one after another. Lianbing and I were not among them, so we picked up our backpacks and left through the back door.
Hmm. I let out a breath, and white mist formed in front of my eyes. It was already mid-October, and winter had quietly arrived.
“It’s very late today. Even if we wanted to investigate, there aren’t many clues. Let’s go home separately for now.”
I didn’t suggest walking her home because Lianbing had a dedicated car to pick her up and drop her off for school, so she didn’t need me at all… Huh?
As I walked out of the teaching building, I realized the black car usually used to pick up Lianbing wasn’t parked at the school gate as usual.
I had a vague premonition, but it wasn’t confirmed yet, so I asked cautiously.
“I say, Lianbing, you’re not…
“I’ll be staying at your place today.”
It sounded like an excuse. The Young Miss obviously knew her excuse was unconvincing, so she averted her eyes, looking rather tsundere.
Although I only suspected it, I never expected it to turn out this way!
Ah, but Lianbing staying at my place, this seems to be the first time… Don’t confirm it so quickly, you idiot! If I bring Lianbing back, how am I going to explain it to my younger sisters!
Huh? Do I need to explain it to my younger sisters?
No, Lianbing is already… But revealing it to the younger sisters now is probably not a good idea. After all, for Li Nai’s side quest, I still need to confess to Xinran.
This novel website…
Wait, she only said confess, but she didn’t say we needed to date Xinran.
However, bringing Lianbing home… it’s like adding another volatile compound in a chemical experiment. Who knows what the outcome will be.
I was hesitating here and there again, which displeased Young Miss Lianbing.
She’s not someone who stays passive. Therefore, she spoke to me in a forceful tone.
“What? You don’t want to? Or… Cheng Jun, do you have any shameful secrets you don’t want me to see?”
“No, no, no. Generally, when a female classmate says she wants to stay at your house, they’d have this attitude, right?”
“Oh? With our relationship, do we still need to bother with these things? Anyway, for a playboy like you, Juncheng, isn’t it common to invite girls to your room to keep you warm?”
“I don’t recall doing anything so perverted and enviable.”
“Is that so? Then for a virgin like you, the fact that someone as beautiful and noble as I am is deigning to stay at your house should be an immense honor. How dare you hesitate?”
“As you say, Young Miss.”
At this point, I could only take Lianbing home.
Looking at her, it seemed she had nowhere else to go if she had to say something like that.
Did Miss Shirley kick Lianbing out? Even if it was to help me, that’s too extreme.
“I understand, you can stay at my place, but may I ask the specific reason?”
When asked this question, Lianbing clearly showed an unhappy expression. The only one who could make this Young Miss so unhappy and still be safe was Miss Shirley.
“I made a bet with Shirley. I have to resolve this matter myself, without using the Ji Family’s influence.”
“Yes, you mentioned that.”
“The mansion is also part of the Ji Family. Do you understand now?”
No wonder no one came to pick her up. So, all assistance was cut off.
Miss Shirley really set such harsh conditions. I initially thought Miss Shirley just wouldn’t help.
“So, until the matter is resolved, Lianbing, you’ll be staying at my place?”
“That’s right. Hehehe, isn’t this a perfect opportunity for you, Cheng Jun? A frail and pitiful beautiful girl like me is staying in a mansion with a big bad wolf like you. You can treat me however you want, like a blow-up doll, do as you please~”
…Frail…
Who would believe that!
Lianbing’s body contains superhuman strength.
I even think she could win an arm wrestling match against me with just a pinky finger. Ding You
Like Xueqing, she’s a monster-level human with naturally extraordinary strength.
“But I am curious about the stake of your bet with Miss Shirley. You’d risk such a bet, surely there was something you hoped to gain?”
“No. This is the price for obtaining the information from Shirley that to get rid of this feeling, I should come find you, Cheng Jun.”
“Huh? Really? Just for this piece of information that’s basically useless…”
What surprised me the most was that Lianbing actually agreed.
A shrewd Young Miss wouldn’t make a losing deal, but Lianbing still agreed to such an unfavorable condition.
This makes it a bit hard for me to understand.
“What? You find it unbelievable?”
“—I didn’t expect you to go this far, Lianbing.”
Lianbing also fell silent. She looked at the moon hanging high in the sky and said.
“I don’t know why either. Maybe I’ve gone mad. Whenever I dream, another me keeps telling me, ‘Completely get rid of this inexplicable disgusting feeling,’ ‘Don’t let anyone defile this feeling,’ ‘Must find the reason’… Ugh, it’s sickening. So, I just want to get a good night’s sleep.”
Still existing… No, it no longer exists, but there’s still a ‘trace’ left.
“So, the person who tampered with me had better not be found by me too quickly, otherwise… heh heh heh.”
Hiss. Good…
To the person who dared to provoke Lianbing, I salute you… Hmm, but I probably won’t be able to collect your corpse.
What’s more, this person is quite capable. Lianbing is usually accompanied by capable maids, yet they managed to find an opportunity to act. This is as difficult as beheading an enemy general in the midst of an army.
“By the way, Lianbing, do you remember who you saw that day?”
“If you’re talking about the day that transgender transfer student arrived, I didn’t see anyone strange.”
…Ji Zhibai, the super handsome guy, has been slandered as a transgender freak…
It seems the Young Miss isn’t keen on handsome guys.
“Though, the night before, I attended a banquet, so I met many people.”
“A banquet?”
“Ah, a boring event hosted by a group of incorrigible clowns for their own benefit.”
The Young Miss scoffed at it, but to me, this banquet would become an important breakthrough.
“The person who tampered with you must have been someone you met at the banquet!
“I’ve already thought of that, but can you, Cheng Jun, investigate who attended that day? Or can you find the culprit based on this?”
“How useless.”
“So, I plan to host another banquet and gather all those people from last time.”
“Oh! Then maybe we can find that person!”
“Therefore, you must attend with me this time as well.”
“As your male escort?”
I felt a slight anticipation, recalling the time I danced hand-in-hand with Ruanruan in the mirror world, that romantic feeling.
However, the Young Miss’s cold and contemptuous gaze pulled me back to reality.
“What do you think?”
“Okay… Class… I get it, I get it.”
“Wrong. You are my fiancé. The reason for hosting this banquet this time is our Engagement Ceremony.”
“What?!”
Fiancé?!
This development is too fast, Young Miss Lianbing! Even in the original world, we were just boyfriend and girlfriend!
And we just completed the journey of lovers step by step. Now we’re jumping straight to engagement and meeting the parents?
Cough, cough, calm down, don’t get agitated. This is just to lure out that person…
If I think about it carefully, I’ll understand. That person deliberately made Lianbing dislike me, which means they have intentions towards Lianbing. Hosting the banquet under the guise of an engagement ceremony is bound to draw that person out!
As expected of Lianbing, this is indeed a brilliant plan.
“So, please prepare the money needed for the banquet~ Hehehehe~”
“Where am I supposed to get so much money!”
An Engagement Ceremony for a Young Miss of the Ji Family must be grand.
But how could I, a mere high school student, possibly have that much money?
Lianbing embraced my shoulder with a charming smile, pressing her soft chest against my arm, leaning into my ear and breathing warmly, she pleaded.
“Please?” Mu Gu
Damn it, I’ll risk it!
