Chapter 66: Her Boyfriend Could Slay a Spoiled Brat with a Single Blow (End)

At some point, without anyone noticing, darkness had fallen.

The town of Arctic Circle was a place of the bizarre—a world that defied scientific logic, where even the most absurd happenings seemed natural and inevitable.

Since Bai Yao became pregnant, she was easily hungry. Xue Yan took her into the supermarket. The owner was not present, so he carefully counted out a handful of coins from his own pocket, placed them neatly on the counter, and then, carrying a bag of snacks, sat with Bai Yao on a bench by the shop window to rest.

Xue Yan opened a package of bread and handed it to Bai Yao, then set a box of yogurt with a straw in front of her on the table. Afterward, he propped his face in his hands and gazed at her with a bright, amused smile.

Bai Yao took a bite of bread and asked indistinctly, “Why are you staring at me?”

He replied, “Yao Yao is beautiful.”

She glanced at him, “Isn’t that obvious? When am I not beautiful?”

Xue Yan played along, “Yao Yao is beautiful every day!”

Satisfied, Bai Yao noticed figures moving outside on the street. She nudged him under the table, gossiping, “Look over there.”

Xue Yan turned his gaze—he saw Shopkeeper Shu and that human girl.

On the street, only Shopkeeper Shu and Yin Huanmian walked together; no other souls wandered the night, making the avenue seem even more silent and eerie.

Though they walked together, Yin Huanmian kept her distance from Shu. It was clear from her rigid posture and hurried steps that she was eager to escape the dangerous scrutiny of this town.

Shopkeeper Shu remained suave as ever, “Miss Yin, congratulations on becoming the lucky one.”

Yin Huanmian replied, “Thank you.”

She added, “I can go by myself. No need to trouble you to escort me.”

“Miss Yin, you don’t know the way and may easily get lost. I happen to be free now—no harm in accompanying you a little farther.”

Yin Huanmian fell silent.

The scenes from earlier still flashed before her eyes. Jiang Xun was the instigator of this town’s existence, and it was only natural for its inhabitants to seek vengeance. What troubled her most was the revelation: only those with evil desires could obtain a ticket to Arctic Circle.

Did she harbor such desires?

Of course, she did.

At her own engagement party, she had witnessed her fiancé and her friend embracing. In that moment, a terrifying thought had seized her: if only those two would die.

Though the thought had faded with time, she could not deny the darkness had once existed within her.

Perhaps that was why she ended up here with Tian Sushu and the others.

Inside the store, Bai Yao asked Xue Yan, “Where are they going?”

He answered casually, “The last survivor gets a ticket to Rose Manor. Shopkeeper Shu must be escorting her there.”

Bai Yao sipped her yogurt, intrigued, “I wonder if Shopkeeper Shu will be sad.”

Xue Yan tilted his head, blinking in confusion.

Miss Yin, slender and fragile, seemed impatient to leave—naturally so. For any ordinary person, the events in Arctic Circle were a nightmare. She wanted nothing but to escape, with no sentiment holding her back.

They followed a path through the woods, and soon a white manor surrounded by roses emerged in the moonless night.

Shopkeeper Shu said, “Push open the door and step inside. You’ll be able to leave.”

Yin Huanmian walked forward.

But Shopkeeper Shu blocked her path, smiling, “Miss Yin, once you step inside, there’s no turning back. Even if you wish to return and look once more, that chance may never come. So—”

Yin Huanmian replied, “No turning back is even better.”

She skirted around him and entered the manor without hesitation.

Shopkeeper Shu didn’t even finish his sentence—“Would you care to say goodbye properly?”—before she was gone. Watching her unwavering back, a rare sense of frustration and unfamiliar melancholy stirred in his chest.

He called after her, “Miss Yin, after all we’ve shared, how about a farewell hug?”

Yin Huanmian shouted, “Go away!”

She pushed open the white door and strode inside. A burst of white light flashed, and when she opened her eyes again, it was daylight in the mountain forest.

A group of backpackers spotted the solitary girl and approached with concern, “Miss, are you alright?”

Yin Huanmian was dazed for a long while. The ticket in her hand crumbled to dust. Only then did she dare to believe she had left that uncanny town and returned to the real world. The aftershock struck her, and she squatted down, covering her face, sobbing loudly.

She no longer had to face mortal danger, no longer needed to live in constant fear, no longer had to feign innocence with men… Finally, she could return to a normal life!

Back in Arctic Circle, night lingered.

Xue Yan carried Bai Yao home on his back and once again encountered Shopkeeper Shu.

Shu sat on the steps outside the inn, lost in thought, as if wandering another world.

Bai Yao, slung on Xue Yan’s back, asked, “What’s Shopkeeper Shu doing sitting here?”

At the sound of their voices, Shopkeeper Shu returned to himself, resuming his usual gentle, smiling demeanor. “Admiring the moon.”

Xue Yan and Bai Yao glanced up at the night sky in unison—there was neither moon nor star. Xue Yan remarked bluntly, “Are you crazy?”

Bai Yao pinched Xue Yan’s cheek, “What do you know? Shopkeeper Shu has the moon in his heart, so he can see it anywhere. He has elevated consciousness and a romantic spirit—far beyond your reach.”

Xue Yan pursed his lips in protest. To him, Shopkeeper Shu was just a pitiful, unwanted soul—not nearly as remarkable as Bai Yao claimed.

Bai Yao actually defended Shopkeeper Shu—he must be truly guilty.

Xue Yan flashed a bright, sunny smile at Shu, “Since Yao Yao’s pregnant, she gets tired easily. I’m taking her home for a nap. We’ll be off now, goodbye.”

Bai Yao’s cheeks flushed. She whispered in Xue Yan’s ear, “What are you saying?”

He replied indifferently, “I’m only speaking the truth. Yao Yao can’t sleep at night unless she’s holding me.”

Bai Yao tugged his ear, urging him to hurry along and not embarrass her further.

Shopkeeper Shu watched the young couple leave, laughing and chatting. He rested his chin in his hand and sighed softly, but before long, a smile curled his lips.

Gazing at the night sky, darkness seemed to slowly invade his eyes. He murmured, “Miss Yin, may you have sweet dreams every night.”

Jiang Xun was right—they were all monsters.

And being monsters meant possessing no sense of morality. All they understood was what they wanted and what they did not want. Whatever they desired, they would seize by any means necessary.

No matter how late or tired she was, Bai Yao always bathed before bed.

She sat in the tub, listening to Xue Yan squatting outside the door, chattering endlessly. He recounted every detail of his day, even describing how he’d seen ants moving their colony.

Bai Yao occasionally responded with a faint “Oh.” At that moment, a translucent panel appeared before her eyes.

[Congratulations, Host. Strategy complete. Would you like to leave this world?]

She glanced at it, made her choice without a hint of hesitation—“No”—then touched the top of her head, feeling a bit puzzled.

From what Jiang Xun had revealed, that girl Tian Sushu seemed to have some kind of system that could communicate and guide her.

Bai Yao, however, had only received the word “strategy,” and the voice in her mind had never returned. It was as if it had never existed. Truly strange.

Someone outside began knocking, “Yao Yao, Yao Yao, did you fall asleep? It’s dangerous to sleep while soaking in the bath!”

She watched as he rushed in. Her brow jumped, “What are you doing in here!”

Xue Yan: “I’m worried about you!”

Bai Yao: “Did you have to come in naked because you’re worried about me?”

Xue Yan felt no shame—in fact, he deliberately flaunted himself in front of Bai Yao. He squeezed into the tub, hugging her and rubbing against her, “You haven’t touched my tail in so long.”

Bai Yao kept her wits, “No, I’m still pregnant.”

Xue Yan clung to her, head bowed, whimpering softly in grievance. She hadn’t touched him for more than a month now. His nature was such that, once he’d tasted passion, it was difficult to endure abstinence. The fact he’d held out this long was nothing short of remarkable.

Bai Yao cleared her throat, “There are other ways.”

Xue Yan’s eyes sparkled.

Bai Yao glanced away, uneasy, “Do you want to?”

He wrapped her in his arms, nodding furiously, “Yes!”

A little coaxing, and she softened—if this wasn’t love, what was?

He squinted in contentment, thinking she truly adored him.