Early the next morning, Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan woke up at almost the same time. The two girls instinctively glanced at each other, then quickly turned their heads away, their pretty faces tinged with a fresh blush.
With their level of spiritual cultivation, it was impossible for them to not remember what they had said while drunk the night before.
Especially Ye Xinglan—she had confessed to Xia Yi right in front of both Xia Yi and Yuanen Yehui.
"What am I afraid of? Ye Xinglan was already asleep when I started rambling," Yuanen Yehui suddenly realized. Since Ye Xinglan had no idea what she had said, why should she be embarrassed?
Understanding this, Yuanen Yehui's red lips curled into a faint smile as she turned to look at Ye Xinglan with a sly, amused expression.
Sensing Yuanen Yehui's blatant gaze, Ye Xinglan wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and disappear. "W-why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing much," Yuanen replied casually. "Just wondering… do you want to know what Xia Yi did after you passed out from drunkenly confessing your love?" Her eyes glinted with warmth.
Yesterday, Yuanen had known the answer but lacked the courage to listen—so she let herself get completely drunk at the last moment.
Ye Xinglan's situation was similar, except that she truly didn't know what had happened. She had simply been too afraid that Xia Yi would reject her—so she fainted instead.
In her heart, as long as Xia Yi hadn't rejected her outright, there was still room to hope.
"What confession? I was just drunk-talking nonsense," Ye Xinglan mumbled in a voice so soft it was nearly inaudible, her face flushed red.
Yuanen didn't call her out on it. She simply grabbed Ye Xinglan's hand and started walking outside. "So it was drunken nonsense, huh? In that case, it doesn't matter what Xia Yi said or did after. Since it was meaningless, I won't tell you. Come on, let's go explore the Elven Tribe a bit."
"Yuanen-jie, I…" Ye Xinglan grew flustered and didn't know what to do. She had already regretted not having the courage to face Xia Yi the previous day. If Yuanen really believed it had all been nonsense, she'd regret it even more.
What if Xia Yi had accepted her feelings—but she never found out? Wouldn't that be a missed opportunity?
"Alright, alright, I'm just teasing," Yuanen Yehui chuckled and looked at Ye Xinglan's flowing golden hair. "But I am curious… when did you start liking Xia Yi?"
"I…" Ye Xinglan paused, her memories beginning to flood back.
In an instant, she lowered her head again.
"You won't even tell me?" Yuanen asked curiously.
"It's not that. I just don't know how to put it into words," Ye Xinglan said with a bitter smile in her beautiful eyes. "You probably already know about what happened between me and Xia Yi in Tianhai City, right?"
"A bit." Yuanen blinked, then widened her eyes in surprise. "Don't tell me… you started liking him back then? I thought you hated him?"
"I don't even know how to explain it," Ye Xinglan smiled bitterly, her ocean-blue eyes full of tenderness. "I've always been a prodigy. Before I met Xia Yi, the only person who ever truly impressed me was Na'er. Even then, as a fellow Soul Master, it wasn't easy for her to beat me. But then I met Xia Yi in Tianhai City."
"Yuanen-jie, you didn't see him back then. He was really good-looking, just a little arrogant. He actually looked down on Shrek City," Ye Xinglan said, her lips curling into a soft smile. "At the time, I was a bit headstrong, but I wouldn't normally go as far as snatching someone's things. I don't even know why, but I just couldn't stand him. Maybe I wanted to understand him, so I impulsively stole his fish. I was trying to provoke him to see his talent and strength."
"But he didn't react. Yuanen-jie, I was so disappointed. In my mind, even if you're not strong, if someone bullies you, you should fight back. That's what it means to be a man. If you're cowardly and submissive, then no matter how handsome you are, you're just a decorative shell."
"Later, he didn't even pay the bill and snuck away. That made me look down on him even more. A grown man, unwilling to confront someone head-on and instead resorting to tricks? That kind of person, I couldn't even be bothered with."
"Then why did you go looking for trouble with him later?" Yuanen asked curiously.
"I didn't want to! A coward like that wasn't even worth my time," Ye Xinglan snorted. "But the media got involved and the incident blew up. You know Shrek Academy's reputation started going downhill around then. I suspected Xia Yi was manipulating the media behind the scenes—but I had no proof. So I approached him to test him, hoping I could turn the situation around for Shrek."
"I spent an entire night planning my words, practicing over and over. But when I finally confronted him, just a few sentences from him completely threw me off. All my preparation was useless. I was so angry, I wanted to prove myself by defeating him. I thought, 'As a Shrek inner court student, I might not match him in other ways, but surely I could beat him in a match.' And then…"
Ye Xinglan ground her teeth in frustration. "Fine, I couldn't beat him on the stage either. But he—he actually treated me that way during the match! Yuanen-jie, you don't know, I seriously wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood!"
"Keep going," Yuanen Yehui said, now holding a handful of sunflower seeds and munching with interest.
"Yuanen Yehui!" Ye Xinglan snapped. She had poured her heart out, only to find Yuanen snacking on seeds beside her. Enraged, she pounced on her friend.
How could you eat seeds while I'm baring my soul?! Are you just here for the drama?
"Alright, alright, I'll stop!" Yuanen laughed, dodging while stuffing the seeds away. "So what happened after that?"
"Hmph!" Ye Xinglan snorted and looked down again, her voice turning quieter. "You know my personality. I don't like losing. I threw myself into training so I could one day wash away my shame. But when Xia Yi came to Shrek City, I realized the gap between us was already too great."
"From then on, every time he appeared, he shone like a star, and we were all just background. Seeing him so confident and radiant always brought back memories of our… 'unpleasant' past. Gradually, I realized—I didn't hate him anymore. In fact, I'd often think about our interactions when I was alone. That's when I realized—I might have fallen for him."
"Back then, he was dazzling—handsome, wild, and carefree. But Shrek Academy still existed then. There was a huge gap between us. No matter how I looked at it, we didn't stand a chance. So I avoided him, thinking I could forget. But the longer I stayed away, the more I missed him."
"I knew we weren't right for each other, so I kept it hidden. I thought that was just how my life would be." Ye Xinglan's blue eyes sparkled with a soft smile. "But now… I'm already satisfied. At least… he knows how I feel."
Ye Xinglan had opened up so much just to have someone to talk to.
Yuanen had seen everything yesterday anyway, so there was nothing left to hide. Saying it aloud made her feel lighter.
"You don't need to be so pessimistic," Yuanen Yehui shook her head. "After you passed out from your confession, Xia Yi held you in his arms and, like a gentle lover, said he had actually liked you ever since Tianhai City. But because of the way he treated you on stage and the way you always glared at him afterward, he thought you hated him. He thought you saw him as a flirt, so he never dared tell you his feelings."
"R-really?!" Ye Xinglan trembled and lifted her head to stare at Yuanen Yehui. Her blue eyes, though dazed, were shining with hope.
"Really," Yuanen said firmly. "He was the one who carried you back to your room, and even held you while you slept. Maybe he was afraid you'd misunderstand, so he left quietly before you woke up." She hugged Ye Xinglan and patted her back gently. "Xinglan, I know you love him, and he loves you too. It's just that you two had some rough history. Xia Yi is prideful—he won't be the one to say it first. So you have to be the one to make a move. Otherwise, it'll all end in regret."
"Mm!" Ye Xinglan nodded with all her strength. Even with her usually cold personality, her eyes had grown moist.
In her emotional state, she never once considered that Yuanen Yehui might be lying to her.
"Xinglan, this is all I can do to help you. Only if you give it your all will you have no regrets," Yuanen whispered as she hugged her.
As her sister, Yuanen knew her too well. After what happened yesterday, if Xia Yi didn't act soon, Ye Xinglan would probably start avoiding him entirely.
So… she'd just have to be the one to take the first step.