Title: After the Villainess Awakens
Translator: Fuyu
Chapter 4 - Thank you Brother Xiao (2)
Leng Mushi clasped her hand on top of Xiao Mian's hand to prevent him from pulling his hand back. In front of the nearby Leng Tianyin, who looked upset after hearing her words, she deliberately said, "Brother Xiao, let's go fetch water. I'm feeling a bit peckish. I wonder if there's any fruit in the forest that I can eat… Could you go find me some?"
Leng Tianyin was standing far behind Xiao Miao. She could only see that their hands were together. It was impossible for her to see Xiao Mian's disgusted expression. It was even less likely that she would rush forward to explain that she mended the belt. And so, she returned back to the carriage with the water bag.
The inside of the storage bag got hot; the scene was completed.
Leng Mushi immediately let go of Xiao Mian's hand. Xiao Mian had been trying to pull his hand back. Her sudden release caught him off guard, and he staggered backwards. He looked up and glared at Leng Mushi.
Leng Mushi raised her hands in a gesture of innocence and surrender. She apologetically smiled and folded the belt several times. He could only watch on as she twisted his belt until it resembled a small square scarf.
Leng Mushi respectfully handed the belt to Xiao Mian and said, "Little Immortal, don't be angry, put it on."
Xiao Mian warily looked at her. He had noticed last night that her personality changed as fast as someone flipping through a book. He used his consciousness again to check that she wasn't possessed before pressing his lips together and accepting the belt.
This time, Leng Mushi didn't do anything crazy. Outside of the plot, she had no desire to get involved in the affairs of the two protagonists. If she had free time, she would rather think about her future plans.
Xiao Mian didn't actually want the belt anymore. He didn't know why, but he kept thinking about how the belt had been folded and twisted by Leng Mushi. After he tied the belt around his waist, he inexplicably felt hot. He irritably tapped his feet and went up the mountain without looking back.
Leng Mushi went back to the carriage, got her water bag, and was about to go up the mountain to get water.
By the carriage, Leng Tianyin blocked Leng Mushi's path.
"Don't treat the little immortal like one of your scoundrel friends. He's been kind to us. When we go to Mount Tiachu, he might become our shixiong. How could you…"
"What did I do wrong?" Leng Mushi hadn't wanted to talk to Leng Tianyin at first, but when she heard her refer to them as scoundrels, she felt like her heart had been stabbed.
"Scoundrels? Why don't you go find scoundrel friends that are willing to risk death for you?!"
"Dad is already dead. Are you taking his place to lecture me?" Leng Mushi took a deep breath and said to Leng Tianyin, "Don't try to control me. Not even Dad can control me. What right do you have to discipline me?!"
"Is it because your mother forced my mother to death? Or is it because Dad likes to compare me with you when he scolds me?!" Leng Mushi didn't want to expose these humiliating things, but she was fed up with Leng Tianyin's preaching appearance. Seeing Leng Tianyin's face turning pale, she harrumphed and ran away with the water bag.
She ran all the way to the mountain stream, drank a lot of water, filled up the water bag, and held the icy water bag to her chest. It was only then that she felt her depression was somewhat extinguished by the refreshing, cool stream. She leaned on a nearby tree and hugged her knees.
Her family had been exterminated two months ago, but she wasn't sad at all. A while ago, her father had brought back a mistress and a child that was only one year younger than her. Her family had already died when they drove her weak mother to death.
However, her life was even more miserable than her mother's. On the day a powerful demon came to wipe out everyone in the residence, she had escaped by chance and found out that she was a villainess in a novel.
Using the stone that claimed it was the novel's law, she had confirmed that the past two months followed the plot in the novel. In the end, she could only accept her fate. She was born to serve as a foil for Leng Tianyin.
So irritating! She didn't want to accept this.
And yet, if she carefully thought about it, she had always been shrouded in Leng Tianyin's shadow. Her gentle and kind mother had died of depression after Leng Tianyin's mother entered their home. Her father's heart was like a stone, and he only cared about Leng Tianyin. Even her "scoundrel" friends of many years only took them in and hid them because they had crushes on Leng Tianyin. How could this world get better?!
Leng Mushi kicked the nearby pebbles and sniffled. She suddenly saw a fruit being handed to her.
She turned sideways to look. The sunlight was too bright, and her eyes were blurry. She wiped her eyes hard and saw that it was Xiao Mian.
He solemnly looked at her and offered her a red fruit.
"For you." Don't cry anymore. He naturally didn't say that second part. Doing this was just an impulse. He happened to see that she was silently crying and had found edible fruit. He remembered that she had recently lost her relatives.
Leng Mushi instinctively touched her storage bag. The stone inside the bag wasn't hot. This wasn't a scene from the novel either, so she asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
Since she was sitting down and Xiao Mian was standing, she had to squint with her teary eyes to look up at Xiao Mian. She hadn't noticed that she was crying. Crying was useless, so she never cried. After her mom died, even if her father beat her as punishment, she didn't cry. She just felt, somewhat, a very tiny bit, a miniscule amount, that the gods were unfair.
However, when the storage bag got hot, she moved without thinking and grabbed the fruit along with Xiao Mian's hand.
She even stroked the back of his hand and sweetly said in a teary voice, "Thank you Brother Xiao…"
She was up to no good again!
Xiao Mian's neck felt tight. He shook off her hand and ran away.
Xiao Mian had left. Leng Mushi looked around, but she didn't see Leng Tianyin.
Leng Mushi touched the storage bag hanging on her waist and took out the stone to poke at it. Why had the stone gotten hot?
She doubtfully muttered, "Are you broken? My sister isn't around to see that, and this isn't a scene in the novel…"
The stone didn't respond and seemed like an ordinary stone. She put the stone back into the bag. After that interruption, her momentary sadness was gone.