The moment Xue Ji opened her eyes, what greeted her was Sha Ya’s face, about to kiss her—still in her maiden form.
Seeing her awake, Sha Ya’s expression shifted slightly.
The two locked eyes for a moment, frozen in place.
“Why did you stop?” Xue Ji asked, holding back a laugh.
Sha Ya’s cheeks flushed red, but she still didn’t look away.
“I’m tired of kissing,” Sha Ya said, her words not matching her true feelings. She buried her face in Xue Ji’s chest and nuzzled against her. “I love the way you smell.”
The two lingered in each other’s warmth for a while before finally getting out of bed.
That rascal Sha Ya had transformed back into a little girl again, returning to her usual lively self as she dashed to the dining table to wait for breakfast.
Xue Ji couldn’t help but wonder—how could Sha Ya just switch forms so casually like that?
Now that she thought about it, the reason she usually stayed in her loli form seemed all too obvious.
Who knew she had such a cunning side?
Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Xue Ji pursed her slightly swollen lips. The spot where Sha Ya had bitten her last night still bore faint traces of blood.
Their kisses had carried a hint of metallic sweetness.
Now that she was alone and had calmed down, Xue Ji’s rationality came flooding back.
“What on earth did I just do?”
Xue Ji’s head was spinning. Did this make her a player? No wait—more like a female player.
“If you had to choose, who would you pick?” The voice of the girl in the ruqun dress suddenly chimed in.
“Is this really the time to be talking about something like that!” Xue Ji blurted out, her emotions getting the better of her.
“Isn’t it? I’m genuinely curious—do you like Xiao Xiao more, or that little wolf girl?” The ruqun girl continued unbothered. “Xiao Xiao is great in every way, except her personality is a bit dangerous.”
Xue Ji said bluntly, “And whose fault is that? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in such a mess right now.”
“Even if Xiao Xiao had a better personality, do you think you could stay faithful?” The ruqun girl said in a teasing, sly voice. “Or are you thinking about having your cake and eating it too?”
Hearing that, Xue Ji’s face turned bright red, and she quickly defended herself, “That’s not what I meant! I meant she—”
“Can you really bring yourself to abandon any one of them right now? I see more and more people staying by your side in the future. Can you honestly say you don’t have those kinds of thoughts?”
Not giving Xue Ji a chance to finish, she cut straight to the issue that Xue Ji had either been avoiding or refusing to think about.
“Each of these kids is so endearing and depends on you so much. Can you bear to break their hearts?”
“Wait—aren’t you, my master, supposed to be helping me, not sabotaging me?! I don’t know about any of this!” Xue Ji covered her ears in denial, refusing to think about it.
“I just want you to make a choice sooner rather than later. Whatever you decide, it’s better than staying stuck in place.”
Inside the consciousness space, the ruqun girl tucked a blanket over the sleeping Lilith.
A spiritual entity needing a blanket in the consciousness space was baffling, but she had noticed Lilith’s changes as well.
“This little one is getting closer and closer to being truly human.”
“Xiao Ji, what are you going to do?”
Xue Ji quickly washed up and casually tied her hair into a ponytail.
A new look, a new mood.
Besides, she needed to check out the environment at her new job—she couldn’t afford to slack off.
“What should I wear out?” Xue Ji opened her wardrobe and immediately spotted the expensive clothes Ling Xiaoxiao had sent over.
JK was definitely out of the question. I’m going to be a teacher—wearing that would leave me with zero authority.
She didn’t seem to realize that with her face and her 155 cm height, no outfit would change the outcome.
Hanfu was also way too out there. I’m from the magic department, after all.
As she hesitated, Xue Ji noticed a package that had arrived just two days ago.
She opened it to find a black robe, specially made to mimic the sage robe she used to wear.
It was clear a lot of thought had gone into it—the fabric’s texture and weave were strikingly similar.
It could even absorb a small amount of spiritual energy. Xue Ji had only seen this material at a seminar before—it was a newly developed fabric meant for the next generation of special ability unit uniforms.
And it wasn’t just a simple replica. Ling Xiaoxiao had redesigned this one, removing the flashy gold trim and replacing it with silver ancient runes for decoration. She’d also paired it with a white shirt and black skirt as innerwear, even including black stockings and leather shoes.
“This inner outfit is a bit too revealing of her preferences, don’t you think, Ling Xiaoxiao?” Xue Ji muttered to herself.
Still, this set perfectly met her current needs—there was no reason not to wear it.
Once she put it on, she looked every bit like a mage, radiating authority (in Xue Ji’s peculiar logic).
“Just finished messing around, and now you’re going to work wearing clothes from your disciple?” The teasing voice echoed in Xue Ji’s head again.
Xue Ji had no comeback. As much as she refused to admit it out loud, her actions seemed to say otherwise.
Suddenly, the door was pounded on, and Xue’s mom’s voice rang out.
“Xue Ji, are you eating breakfast or not?! Hurry up! What’s taking you so long to wash up?”
“Ah, coming, coming!” Xue Ji grabbed the robe and opened the door.
Her mom glanced at her outfit, paused for a moment after she walked away, and then let out a long, relieved sigh with a smile. “Finally got some sense. Those shorts and T-shirts you always wore were an eyesore.”
It was as if last night had never happened. After breakfast, Xue Ji and Sha Ya each went their separate ways.
Xue Ji took off, flying straight toward the Magic Capital.
Meanwhile, Sha Ya had barely reached the bottom of the stairs when she ran into Xia Jin, who had been waiting for her.
“My young lady needs to see you,” Xia Jin said, striking a pose as she spoke, looking like a bit of a hoodlum.
“Not interested!” Sha Ya brushed past her without looking back.
“According to the records, you still owe six million nine hundred ninety thousand. If you keep stalling and the maid contract gets canceled, you’ll have to pay the penalty fee.”
Xia Jin’s words stopped Sha Ya in her tracks. She had completely forgotten about that!
She still owed that silly bird seven million!
But turning back now would be way too awkward. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
True to her skills as a butler, Xia Jin had already pulled the car up beside Sha Ya just as she was hesitating.
She gave a light honk, rolled down the window, and said, “Miss Sha Ya, please get in.”
“Ugh, humans are so cunning.”
“And you’re not so simple yourself, little Sha Ya—right back at you~” Xia Jin wanted to ruffle the little cutie’s hair like before, but now wasn’t the time for games.
In the car, Sha Ya couldn’t help but interrupt Xia Jin, who was humming a tune.
“So, what does Ling Xiaoxiao want with me? A duel?” Sha Ya stood her ground this time, unwilling to lose face even if she couldn’t win.
“No, she just wants you to come to work and pay off your debt.”
Sha Ya breathed a sigh of relief. The last time she went to work off her debt, it was just a joke—she’d spent the whole time on her phone and came and went as she pleased, and Ling Xiaoxiao never said a word.
Guess she’s pretty magnanimous after all~
At the entrance of the mountain villa, Ling Xiaoxiao gazed down the winding mountain road, where various medicinal herbs grew along the sides.
She turned to Sha Ya and said, “Go pull the weeds. Be careful not to damage my herbs—one damaged plant costs you four thousand, and one missed weed costs you two thousand.”
Sha Ya nearly staggered and collapsed at the words.
Meanwhile, Xue Ji had just arrived in the Magic Capital when she felt a sudden pang in her stomach.
“I have a feeling something’s about to happen.”
“Xue Ji, go check out the plot of land we’ve set aside for you.”
“Oh, okay!”
With that, Xue Ji pushed her unease to the back of her mind.
