Tower. Upstairs Lounge.

  Sitting at the round dinner table, Bubai’s chopsticks brought a bite of rice to his mouth.

  Chewing on it, he sneaked a peek to the right, where the violet-haired waifu in white sat like a block of ice, nibbling rice quietly.

  She wore no emotions on that utterly indifferent face, but the air was unmistakably a bit cold on this side.

  His eyes can’t help but run away and peeked to the left, only to meet the glare coming from the thorny rose in black who was chewing on rice as if chewing on him instead.

  There was resentment, certainly. Anger, undoubtedly.

  But more than those, she gave off the smug atmosphere of a peacock feeling proud that her scheme worked.

  Who to placate in this situation? Naturally the winner.

  Carrying his bowl, Bubai scooted his chair over to the iceberg waifu’s side.

  His chopsticks plucked up some glassy seaweed-like veggie and added it to his waifu’s bowl. “Eat more, eat more. Don’t be angry. My Lan’er is the most virtuous and understanding.”

  Miss Hong scoffed loudly from across the table.

  The ridicule was real, yet Xiao Lan didn’t even bother sparing them a glance, simply stating, “Not angry.”

  That’s what she said, but her chopsticks went for another bite of rice, leaving the poor veggie out to dry.

  Bubai barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Not angry? Sure. And the sky isn't blue.

  Heck, even if that wasn’t a lie, he could still feel her sulking cold front from a mile away!

  Hardly surprising though.

  Since the twin maids already set a precedent, taking in a side chick might seem like a small incident.

  But relationships weren’t governed by logic alone. When the heart changes, so do the circumstances.

  If their bond wasn’t close, she wouldn’t even bat an eye even if he waters flowers in front of her.

  On the flip side, the closer the bond, the more a woman cared about the sand getting in her eyes.

  How much does she care?

  That last tower invasion ordeal told Bubai a cold truth.

  This hardcore survivor, who once willingly spread her legs and said “I am your toilet” to a total stranger she met for the first time, was even willing to go the extent of suicide after getting a little tarnished!

  The more they care... the more it hurts.

  Alas, he can’t read minds.

  There’s no way to tell how much she hurts, especially since this waifu of his was the strong, independent type...

  The type who would rather bite her tongue than confess even the smallest of vulnerabilities… well, most of the time.

  Truth be told, the times he’d seen her lose control of her emotions could be counted on one hand.

  Other times, she looked like a fairy unaffected by the seven emotions and six desires.

  Stolen story; please report.

  But just because an iceberg looks solid on the surface doesn’t mean it isn’t fracturing underneath.

  Who knows how much she has bottled up inside?

  Whatever was brewing in that frozen heart of hers, he couldn’t afford to let it fester.

  Since he wanted their relationship to stay steady, then it was best to make things clear before unseen cracks became irreparable.

  Bubai sidled up to the ice block.

  “Xiao Lan, don’t mind her. She’s just the rent collector the old geezer sent over. Just think of her as a moocher. In return, she will handle all the external affairs like running errands and receiving guests—”

  A hard kick to his leg came from the other side and he got a glare from the thorny rose.

  Bubai shot a glare right back at the culprit.

  This made the thorny rose bristle, but except for a huff, she didn’t refute.

  Tsk. Troublesome women.

  Bubai rolled his eyes back to his waifu and scooted even closer, shamelessly rubbing her thigh in reassurance.

  “Xiao Lan, don’t worry too much. You know no one can take your spot in my heart. We’ve already reached the point where what’s mine is yours. If you want it, I can give it!”

  “But she’s different. We can’t let her stay here for nothing, can we? She has to earn her keep. Isn’t that right?”

  Xiao Lan’s chopsticks paused for the briefest moment, then she finally spared him a glance and softly murmured, “En.”

  The frost in the air thawed a little at that simple sound.

  Seeing her finally pick up the neglected veggie and eat it, Bubai smiled and was ready to whisper some more sweet nothings...

  But the sound of a chair screeching closer came from his other side.

  Bubai glanced over just in time to catch the thorny rose smoothing away her anger and plastering on a pleasing face.

  “What’s all this talk about difference? Aren’t we all sisters serving the same master? Besides...”

  Like honey seeking warmth, she glued herself to his arm, trapping him in between. “You like what I can give more, isn’t that right?”

  Bubai glared at the scarlet witch trying to make trouble, but before he could refute, a chilling breath brushed his other ear.

  “He likes my cooking more.”

  Eh? Bubai looked back over. There was his facial paralysis waifu. Same as always.

  But… this, this… was it just his imagination or did his Bubai tingle just... malfunctioned?

  There was no answer to that question, just chopsticks delivering a veggie to his bowl. “Try.”

  His stomach dropped, but he still squeezed out a smile and his chopsticks picked up the peace offering.

  “Of course, of course, the cooking of my Lan’er is the most delicious!”

  But just when he was about to eat the “happy meal”, a discordant voice butted in from the other side.

  “Tsk, so what if you can cook?”

  A second pair of chopsticks intercepted his chopsticks’ path, carrying a bite of rice toward his mouth.

  The scarlet witch rubbed her powerful yet soft charm spell against his arm. “Here. My lord, let Hong’er feed you?”

  Bubai’s lips twitched. Does he dare to eat this soft rice? Does he?!

  Not giving him a chance to decide, chopsticks added another piece of veggie to his bowl and a cold, delicate hand grasped his lifeline, declaring her unshakable authority.

  “Eat.”

  Wow! Bubai’s soul almost left his body!

  Merlin’s beard! That single word has never sounded so terrifying! Scary! Kowai!

  This is it, isn’t it?! His slice-of-life wish came true, but...

  He almost forgot there was a nine-deaths, one-life legend in slice-of-life stories that is even scarier than trying to survive the slaughter of a Shura on a battlefield!

  He should’ve known! He should’ve known!!!

  Now what? What to do? A man must be able to stand up at critical moments, but...

  Bah! A gentleman knows his priorities!

  Without hesitation, Bubai dipped away from the incoming rice delivery and quickly stuffed the rest of his own bowl into his mouth like a starving ghost!

  A breath later, he slammed the bowl down on table and shot to his feet. “Yush! I’m full! I still have something to do, so I’ll get going first!”

  Watching the man hopping away and booking it out of there like his butt was on fire, Miss Hong scoffed disdainfully, “Tsk. Coward.”

  But when her gaze flicked back and met the indifferent, soul-piercing eyes of the female Shura seated a mere chair away, the shadow of death seemed to return to haunt her.

  A shiver ran down her spine. “I—I’m full.”

  Just when her butt half-left the seat—

  “Eat.”

  That cold command glued her butt back down to the seat.

  The sun was gone, and the chilling cold reigned supreme.

  Feeling the freezing atmosphere, she was forced to bow her head, eating silently.

  A smart woman knew when not to provoke the queen.

  But beneath her lowered lashes, the embers of defiance still burned bright.

  Tsk. Think she has won? This... is only the beginning!

  Men, they were all the same. Sooner or later, they’ll get tired of the old.

  Once the day comes, that was her chance.

  There’s plenty of outfits in her wardrobe, plenty of tricks learned from the vixens in the palace.

  Even if all else fails, it doesn’t matter, as long as she can eat the benefits she came to get.

  Once her cultivation gets restored to the mid-stage, this ice block won’t stand a chance! Just wait!

  None of Xiao Hong’s thoughts showed on her face, but what she didn’t notice was the pair of emotionless eyes quietly observing and... calculating.

  A jealous woman was dangerous, but what’s scarier was when the virtuous empress cared enough to start managing.

  This battle… it had only just begun.