"Yan-yan, Yan-yan..." Seeing Dugu Yan smiling so broadly she couldn't even see her eyes, and ignoring her best friend, Ye Lingling grabbed her by the shoulder and called her name several times to wake her up. "Look at you, grinning like you've eaten honey. It's just two consecutive realm advancements, isn't it? Can't you be a little calmer? You look like you've never seen the world."
Ye Lingling grumbled in dissatisfaction. The happier her best friend looked, the dumber she felt she had appeared at the time. Why did I say those insincere words back then? If I had also gone up and expressed my admiration for the Demon Suppressing Doulou at that moment, perhaps he would have given me one too, out of consideration for Yan-yan?Sigh, it's too late to say anything now. Maybe the Demon Suppressing Doulou dislikes me a lot now? How could he possibly give me such a precious pill? Ye Lingling felt a pang of heartache, so intense it made it hard to breathe.
"Hehe, Lingling, are you very envious and jealous? If you want one too, you can totally get it, but... Lingling, you'll need to sell a little bit of your charm. Big Brother Ling is very benevolent. Purely in terms of looks, you're a tiny bit more beautiful than me. There's no reason why Big Brother Ling wouldn't be tempted by you." Dugu Yan saw Ye Lingling's gloomy expression and poked her best friend with her elbow, teasing.
"Oh, please. I'm not the kind of woman who would sell her charm for two realms. Even if your Big Brother Ling is handsome, he has to be deeply devoted to me for me to possibly like him, otherwise..." Ye Lingling became arrogant again upon hearing Dugu Yan's words. She didn't want to go and make a fool of herself after being disliked by the Demon Suppressing Doulou. She didn't want the Demon Suppressing Doulou to dislike her even more.
"Oh, look at you... Lingling, I really didn't expect you to be someone who wouldn't bend for five pecks of rice. As your sister, I was planning to ask Big Brother Ling for a pill for you, but now... forget it." Dugu Yan raised her delicate brows slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with exaggerated disappointment.
"Oh, come on. Maybe if I agreed, you'd bring up selling my charm again. I don't want to do something like selling my charm to gain two or three minor realms." Ye Lingling huffed in dissatisfaction, reaffirming her stance.
Dugu Yan's slender brows furrowed this time, and she retorted unhappily, "Fine, fine, fine... You're amazing, you're noble, you're not that kind of woman who would sell her charm for two minor realms. I, Dugu Yan, am that kind of person, anyway. I'm just that shallow." With that, Dugu Yan didn't want to bother with her best friend anymore, turning to her side as if to sleep.
Ye Lingling panicked this time. She hadn't realized there was such a huge loophole in her previous statement. She had said she wasn't the kind of person who would sell her charm for two or three minor realms. And Dugu Yan had already gained two minor realms of improvement. Wasn't this indirectly implying that Dugu Yan gained her improvements by selling her charm? No wonder her best friend was angry.
"Yan-yan, I didn't mean to mock you. I just purely wanted to say..." Ye Lingling still tried to explain, but Dugu Yan acted as if she didn't want to listen to her at all, making it impossible for her to explain. She could only purse her red lips, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "Yan-yan... please don't be angry with me. I, I'll agree to whatever you want, alright? I'm that kind of woman too. I also want to advance two minor realms..."
"Really? I don't believe you. You're just trying to coax me. Don't talk to me now; I don't want to bother with you." Dugu Yan's voice was cold, as if saying, Don't talk to me, this young lady doesn't care about you.
Ye Lingling panicked even more. She had no friends at Blue Tyrant Academy; Dugu Yan was her only one. If Dugu Yan were to have a conflict with her now and never speak to her again, she truly didn't know who she could become an intimate best friend with during her time studying at Blue Tyrant Academy.
"Yan-yan, I really know I was wrong. I'll agree to anything you say, okay?" Ye Lingling's voice was already tinged with a whimper, as if she would burst into tears if Dugu Yan didn't respond to her.
Dugu Yan finally turned her head, gently stroked her head, and said triumphantly, "Lingling, you said it, I didn't force you. Actually, Lingling, you won't lose out by marrying Big Brother Ling in the future. Big Brother Ling is so handsome; any normal woman would like him, right? If you don't like him, you're definitely not normal. Could it be that you like women? Lingling, could it be that you like me? You..."
Dugu Yan's face showed a surprised expression this time, even with a hint of vigilance. "I'm telling you, I only like Big Brother Ling. I won't accept being in love with you..."
"Cough, cough..." Ye Lingling choked instantly. She hadn't expected her best friend to be so brazen. When did she ever say she liked women? Besides, even if she did like women, it wouldn't necessarily be her.
"Yan-yan... Are you done or not? If you keep this up, I won't talk to you anymore." Ye Lingling's brows furrowed tightly, her voice full of indignation, as if Dugu Yan continued to joke, she would break ties with her.
"Alright, alright, alright, I won't say anymore. Tomorrow, I'll take you to Big Brother Ling's mansion to get that pill." Dugu Yan's beautiful eyes twinkled with a smile as she winked at Ye Lingling.
"But what if... he's not interested in me? If he's not interested in me, wouldn't we be just wasting our time?" Ye Lingling was a little worried now. After all, earlier in the day, everything she and Yan-yan had said against their will had been clearly heard by the Demon Suppressing Doulou. What if he still remembered those things tomorrow and made things difficult for her and Yan-yan, refusing to give them the pill? Wouldn't that make both her and Yan-yan lose a lot of face? What if he thought she was lowly and disliked her even more?
"Don't worry, Big Brother Ling won't be that petty. Big Brother Ling has no resistance to beautiful women. Especially since our Lingling is so pretty, why wouldn't Big Brother Ling like her?" Dugu Yan spent some time coaxing, dispelling Ye Lingling's concerns. She nodded and replied, "Alright, Yan-yan, I'll go with you to find him tomorrow. If he doesn't mind me, then I..."
At this point, Ye Lingling couldn't continue. After all, she was a young girl and somewhat thin-skinned.
"Don't worry... Big Brother Ling definitely won't mind you. Not to mention how incredibly beautiful our Lingling is, just your Nine Hearts Begonia Spirit alone... Which sect or power wouldn't treat you like a treasure and worship you if they got your allegiance? Don't underestimate yourself too much."
"Mm..." Ye Lingling nodded upon hearing this. Right, I have the Nine Hearts Begonia Spirit.Which family or power wouldn't want my allegiance? Even if the Demon Suppressing Doulou's strength was as great as a living deity, her Nine Hearts Begonia Spirit wouldn't be of much use to him. But he had so many confidantes; her spirit would surely be useful to them, right? Thinking of this, Ye Lingling slowly gained confidence. She mentally prepared herself for what to say tomorrow when she met the Demon Suppressing Doulou to dispel the awkwardness caused by her insincere words from earlier today.