That night, after Xi Xiaoyan fell asleep, Meng Chuwu lay awake, unable to find rest.
The thought that someone had deliberately tried to harm Xi Xiaoyan weighed heavily on her mind. Although the police had promised to continue investigating, her childhood friend Ji Yi had also reassured her he would follow up, and even Commander Xi had said he would send people if necessary, she still felt it might not be easy to get to the bottom of it.
She wanted a drink of water, but there was none left in the bedroom. She went downstairs. The housekeepers were all off-duty by then, so she had to do it herself.
She poured some hot water and waited for it to cool. As she stood there, she found herself softly calling out in her mind, “Axi, Axi.”
“Meow!” Athena leapt down from the open windowsill.
Though only a few hours had passed since they last saw each other, the pink ribbon around Athena’s neck had already been replaced by a sleek black bowtie.
She really is something. Meng Chuwu thought to herself that Axi seemed to live a more refined life than she ever did.
“Axi, do you know who did it?”
Under Meng Chuwu’s gaze, Athena elegantly jumped onto the sofa. “You can’t just summon me whenever you like.”
“What, is this outside your working hours? It’s spring after all. Maybe you’re busy visiting one of your tomcat lovers?”
Seeing the grumpy look in her eyes, Meng Chuwu couldn’t help teasing her.
“Hmph. I don’t need your pity.”
“Axi, answer my question.”
“The book didn’t say anything about this. I know as much as you do.” Athena’s tail flicked back and forth. She looked a little distracted.
“Aren’t you from the Book-Piercing Bureau?” Meng Chuwu gently ran her hand along Athena’s back. “I thought your kind had full control over this world.”
“The Bureau can only access what’s written in the text. But once you’re living inside the novel, where life runs twenty-four hours a day, lots of things happen that the story never describes. Plus, your life has been reset. From now on, every day is unknown.”
“So you’re basically useless.” Meng Chuwu had hoped Axi would be her golden cheat code.
“I’m not allowed to interfere. I’m only here to sign the contract with you.”
“In the contract, under the principal’s rights and duties, clause three says: ‘The principal appoints Contract Ambassador Athena to enter the world of the novel Queen of the Screen: Meng Chuwu to assist the secondary party, Meng Chuwu, in purifying the novel’s tone.'”
“In simple terms, it means you just need to sign the contract with me.”
Meng Chuwu sighed. She realized she had been expecting too much from Axi.
“Is there anything else? If not, I’m leaving.”
“Axi, why don’t you stay here? Yanyan and the others seem to really like you.”
“And what about you?” Athena raised her head slightly and narrowed her eyes, asking the question softly but seriously.
“I’ve never had a pet before. I’m not really sure how to like you.”
“Ha. I knew it. Every time you call me, you don’t even offer me anything.”
Athena turned her head away, acting as if she had been deeply hurt.
“I thought you weren’t a real cat and didn’t need food.” Meng Chuwu smiled apologetically.
“The restaurant last night served some great food for cats.” Athena was clearly unimpressed by her indifference.
“If you stay here, I’ll make sure they prepare your meals.” Meng Chuwu brushed her hair back, then tested the temperature of the water. It was just right for drinking.
“This time, there’s no real danger. In fact, your relationship with Xi Xiaoyan is back on the right track.”
Athena curled up beside her. Meng Chuwu’s warmth made her feel sleepy.
“How can there be no danger? What if something had happened to Yanyan?”
“Yanyan?”
Athena suddenly sat up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You just sound very close when you call her that. It rolls off your tongue naturally.”
“What happened to her was clearly an attack. If anything had gone wrong, it would’ve been bad for both of us.”
“Look at your palm.”
Athena lay back down again as she spoke.
Meng Chuwu raised her right hand. The pale green light dot from earlier had darkened.
“How did you know?”
Athena, looking a little impatient, sat up and lifted her right front paw.
There, glowing in the center of her soft pink pad, was the same green dot of light.
“You mean, if she’s in danger, this changes color?”
“It’s not just about her. Anything that threatens the harmony of your marriage will make it change.”
“So this is basically our marriage health indicator.” Meng Chuwu frowned slightly. The range was too broad. It didn’t really work as a warning.
“It still helps. For now, you can relax. Your focus should be on building your marriage. As for the villains, someone else will handle them. You don’t need to do everything yourself.”
“Axi, goodnight.” Meng Chuwu felt she shouldn’t stay away from Xi Xiaoyan for too long. It was time to return to their room.
“Meng Chuwu, you’re adjusting faster than I expected.”
Athena teased her lightly.
Meng Chuwu blushed, thinking that Athena had seen through her feelings for Xi Xiaoyan. “I’m just following the contract.”
“Meow.” Athena meowed knowingly, clearly aware that someone was pretending not to care.
Remembering the promise she had made to Xi Xiaoyan before bed, Meng Chuwu stood up and quietly left the living room.
The Next Morning
When Meng Chuwu opened her eyes, she saw Xi Xiaoyan staring at her from very close up.
“What are you doing?” she mumbled. Xi Xiaoyan was so close she had to lean back a little.
“Looking at Sister Wu,” Xi Xiaoyan answered with a bright, gentle smile.
She was half-reclining, resting on her left elbow, her palm supporting her chin. Her thick, dark hair cascaded over the pillow like a waterfall.
“What’s so interesting to look at?” Meng Chuwu rubbed her eyes.
Even though yesterday had been unsettling, she had slept peacefully. It had been three nights in a row now. The insomnia that had haunted her for years seemed to have completely disappeared. She hadn’t even noticed Xi Xiaoyan watching her.
“Sister Wu is the most beautiful. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
Xi Xiaoyan’s eyes were clear and shining. Her tone was full of sincerity.
Even though Meng Chuwu was well aware of her looks, hearing such heartfelt praise right after waking up still made her feel happy.
“You’ve got such a sweet mouth.” Meng Chuwu reached out and gently brushed Xi Xiaoyan’s soft cheek with her fingers.
“But Sister Wu hasn’t had a taste. How would you know?”
“Oh? So, you’re saying I can have a taste now?”
“Mmm, no.” Xi Xiaoyan, looking tired from propping herself up, lay down and rested her face on her folded hands. Her bright, clear eyes continued to gaze at Meng Chuwu.
She looked especially sweet and adorable like this.
“It’s time to get up. Why are you lying back down?”
“Just a little longer,” Xi Xiaoyan blinked slowly. Her long lashes fluttered like tiny fans stirring a gentle breeze.
“What is it?”
“I just want to stay like this, doing nothing, and look at Sister Wu.”
The smile on Xi Xiaoyan’s face was the kind that comes from deep joy when gazing at someone you love.
“Alright then. I’ll stay like this and let Yanyan look at me too.” Meng Chuwu realized for the first time how addictive it was to dote on such a beautiful younger girl. It felt like a shame she had never dated before.
And to think, it was only the third day since she entered the novel. Yet this kind of moment had already happened more than once.
She didn’t feel tired of it at all.
In fact, seeing Xi Xiaoyan smile so happily made her heart feel warm too.
“Sister Wu, if you keep spoiling me like this, what if I start asking for more and more?”
“Like what?”
“Oh, just this and that. You know how people are. Once they get something good, they always want more.”
Meng Chuwu thought back to those cheesy lines she used to read in novels, like “I’ll give you my life.” She used to find them dramatic and unrealistic. But right now, she genuinely understood the feeling. When you truly like someone, that impulse is real.
“Did you forget what I told you before? I said I’d give you everything without holding back.”
It was one of those sweet promises the original scummy alpha had said to Xi Xiaoyan. Meng Chuwu was just repeating it.
“Giggle giggle…” Xi Xiaoyan laughed in a soft, joyful voice, as if everything from yesterday had completely vanished. “Sister Wu is so good to me.”
“You don’t have to say that every day, you know.”
“No, I want to say it several times every day. That way, I’ll never get mad at Sister Wu again.”
“If I do something wrong, you should be mad. That way I can fix it and become better.”
“Sister Wu doesn’t need to change at all. Because you’re already the very, very best woman in the world.”
Ah, what a flattering compliment.
While Meng Chuwu enjoyed it, she also felt a bit uneasy. If she was the very best, did that mean she couldn’t make even a single mistake?
“You’re praising me so much, I…” She couldn’t even find the right words to describe how she felt. People had praised her before, but she had never been this happy. “If you keep this up, I might get a little too proud.”
“That’s okay. Sister, go ahead and be proud.” Xi Xiaoyan blinked again, her eyes full of mischief and fondness.
And so, the two of them stayed like that, cuddling, doing nothing at all.
It wasn’t until Chi Qing came upstairs and told them that Ji Yi had arrived that they finally got out of bed.