V2: Chapter 28: The Most Abstract Episode

A beautiful morning.

Liang Lin stretched. Carol was still sleeping. Liang Lin thought for a moment, then decided to wake the child. Letting her sleep well now would recharge her, making her more energetic in the afternoon.

"Hey, wake up! The sun's shining on your bottom!"

Liang Lin reached out her little hands and tickled Carol.

Carol woke up, giggling incessantly, waving her little arms wildly, feeling itchy all over.

Having woken the little one, Liang Lin felt relieved. She changed her clothes and prepared to wash up.

Open the door.

Dead fish eyes.

Bang!

She slammed the door shut.

Am I still asleep?

Or am I still dreaming?

Am I hallucinating?

Why is there such a big brown thing outside the door?

Hmm.....

 "I must be mistaken."

Let's reopen the door one more time.

Click~

The door reopened.

The air froze for a few seconds, then Liang Lin's face paled.

Bang!

It slammed shut again.

"Holy crap! What is that thing?!"

It's real!

Such a huge lump!!

"Sister Liang Lin, what's wrong?"

It was Liang Di knocking on the door.

It wasn't a hallucination! It wasn't a dream! And I wasn't sleepy! It was real!

Liang Lin reopened the door, pointing to the iron cage, even bigger than Liang Di, her voice filled with disbelief, "How did you bring this bear in with the cage? This is the third floor!"

Liang Di tilted her head, pointing to the panting servants outside the window, "They carried it, I don't know."

"....."

What a villain! 

"You, you suddenly put a bear at my doorstep, is that okay?"

Liang Lin took a few steps back warily. On the bed, Carol was crawling around, her bottom sticking up, wearing a cute bear pajama and a little round tail. She curiously peeked out, sucking her thumb, watching the noisy doorway.

"Sister Liang Lin, don't you like bears? You said before you wanted a bear~"

Liang Di spread her hands, looking proud, her eyes sparkling. 

"I got up at five in the morning to catch this. What do you think? Look at its fur, so shiny and glossy, it's definitely a good bear."

Liang Di even reached into the cage to stroke the brown bear's head. Liang Lin was startled and instinctively tried to stop her, but the brown bear actually lowered its head, letting Liang Di stroke its fluffy head.

Liang Di patted the brown bear's head with satisfaction, like rewarding a little, clever dog.

Then, she cast an expectant glance at Liang Lin.

"This is a gift for Sister Liang Lin~ From now on, it'll be your pet, okay? Do you like it?"

Liang Lin: "?"

Happy?

This is too damn horrifying.

What kind of kind person would keep a brown bear as a pet?!

"...Liang Di, tell me, are you serious?" Liang Lin's forehead was covered in black lines, she covered her face, unable to bear watching any longer.

"Yes~"

Liang Di was still smugly pleased with herself, inwardly applauding her brilliant idea,

"Today is the anniversary of our recognizing each other (she recognized each other unilaterally)~ So, I caught a little animal you like to be your pet~"

A little animal? 

This girl, does she have some kind of misunderstanding about small animals?

This bear is obviously taller than her, and she calls this bear a small animal, while this bear calls her a little food?

"When... when... did I say I liked this thing?" Liang Lin scratched her head in confusion, her mind blank, unable to remember at all.

"It was back then, when you carved a wooden bear for me, you said you liked this kind of real bear."

Liang Di's eyes were very clear, revealing a kind of stupidity within the clarity.

Liang Di: "....."

Why does the other person's eyes have a familiar feeling? She feels like she's seen it in a mirror before (self-deprecating.jpg).

"I don't want this thing, bring it with you, don't scare the child." Liang Lin glanced worriedly behind her.

What she saw was Carol looking excitedly towards the door, her little hands waving wildly in the air, giving the impression that she wanted to ride on a bear's neck.

Liang Lin: "....."

Why are they all so troublesome?

"Hurry up and get this bear away! Where are we going to keep it? Can we even keep it at home? It smells awful! And it takes up so much space! Quick, quick, let it go back to the forest and give it its freedom!"

Liang Lin finished speaking and tried to close the door.

Liang Di looked at her and thought, "Oh wow, isn't this just like a scene from the novel?"

Bang!

Liang Di suddenly placed one hand on the doorframe and the other hand, stopping the door from closing. Liang Lin was stronger than her; if she wanted to, she could definitely close the door. However, if she did, she would crush Liang Di's hand. Plus, Liang Di's sudden movement startled Liang Lin, who took several steps back, hugging her chest, her face full of vigilance.

"What are you doing? You're doing this 'sudden face-snatching' thing again?" Liang Lin looked her up and down.

Liang Di pushed open the door and barged into Liang Lin's room.

"What's going on? What's gotten into you again? How did you become...?"

Liang Lin retreated in terror, backing away against the wall.

This was exactly what Liang Di wanted.

Slam!

Liang Lin: "?"

A complete kabedon.

Liang Di mimicked lines from a novel she'd read, "Miss, are you really going to waste my good intentions? Heh, or are you just shy about not accepting the gift?"

Liang Lin: "???"

From initial terror, her eyes turned to concern. She even considered reaching out to touch Liang Lin's forehead to see if she had a fever.

"What's wrong? Did you not sleep well last night, causing your brain to malfunction?"

To be honest, this wasn't sarcastic at all; it was a genuine inquiry and concern.

Hmm?

This isn't quite like the plot in the novel.  

Liang Di was filled with questions.

In the novel, the young lady, blushing shyly, pressed her small hand against the young master's chest, playfully scolding him, her face flushed red, looking like a ripe apple. Liang Lin, in front of her, looked at her with an expression of utter disbelief.

Did I miss something, or was my tone off? Why wasn't the reaction what I expected? 

Liang Di forced herself to remain calm, cleared her throat, and prepared to speak again.

"Heh, young lady, please don't be ungrateful. This is all my heartfelt sentiment; please don't waste my overflowing love for you."

"....."

Liang Lin: Worried about the other's mental state.jpg

Crazy, I should stay away from this guy; I don't want to catch her illness. 

Liang Lin decided to retreat from the side. Since Liang Di's arm was pinning her against the wall on one side, she decided to retreat from the other side.

Slam!

Liang Lin looked at the extra arm on the other side and fell silent again.  

What state was Liang Di in right now?

She was practically holding Liang Lin tightly in her arms. Liang Di was already half a head taller than Liang Lin, and now, with Liang Lin pressed beneath her, the latter looked petite and dependent.

"You... are you never going to stop acting like this?"

Liang Lin gritted her teeth, her competitive spirit rising.

You won't let me leave, huh? Fine, I won't leave like this. I can crouch down and slip under your arm. There's always a way.

Thinking this, Liang Lin decided to pull a surprise attack. She raised her hand and pointed behind Liang Di, "Hey! Look! Carol's about to fall!"

Liang Di was startled and whirled around, only to find Carol perched on the bed, curiously looking in their direction.

Just then, Liang Lin suddenly crouched down, trying to slip under Liang Di's arm.

Slam!

"?"

"No."

"No? Seriously, you..."

Liang Lin stared at the leg that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, completely losing her composure.

This posture... it's really hard to describe, you can only imagine it yourself, it's probably... if there were a soul painter, it would probably be...

Yes, that's the posture.

"Are you really crazy?" Liang Lin had a headache.

Even if the King of Heaven himself came, even if God came, Liang Lin would still slip out from under this octopus's arm! She refused to believe it! With her reaction speed so fast, she refused to believe she'd be intercepted again by surprise!

Slam!

"..."

Okay, okay, she overestimated her reaction speed.

Now, the two of them were in a position that became—

"I'm really impressed..." Liang Lin frowned in pain, "I said, Sister, what exactly are you trying to do?!"

Liang Lin thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out how this guy managed to stick to the wall with both hands and feet like she had suction cups on them, and she didn't fall off.

Behind her, Carol clapped her hands and laughed. This amusement had thoroughly entertained the little girl, who was just over a year old.

Why was this so different from what she had imagined?

Liang Di was deeply confused. It seemed she had strayed further and further off course from her pursuit of her wife, and not just in a normal way, but rather, she had gone directly from the main route to a tree-lined path.

"Carol's constant fussing is bad enough, but now you're getting involved too! How old are you? What are you doing? Look at your posture, do you even have the demeanor of a young lady?" Liang Lin complained irritably.

Then, she raised her hand and shoved Liang Di hard.

She really used force; Liang Di couldn't withstand it and jumped off the wall, staggering back a few steps.

Hmm…

How to put it? It seems somewhat similar to a scene from the novel. For example, both involved placing their hands on each other's chests, though one was a gentle touch and the other a hard punch. But it's probably similar, right?

Liang Di was trying to comfort herself, attempting to romanticize the whole situation in her mind.

Liang Lin looked at Liang Di as if she were a ghost, immediately running to the bedside and picking up Carol. "Carol, don't be like her. Never be like her when you grow up."

She was such an elegant young lady before, how did she become such a comedic character?

Liang Lin couldn't accept it.

"Then, Sister Liang Lin, what about that bear…?"

Liang Di was still thinking about the brown bear outside the door.

"Take it! Take it away right now! Put it back in the forest!"

Liang Lin was on the verge of tears. She tightly hugged Carol with one arm, and pointed at the brown bear outside the door with the other. "Take it away quickly! I really don't like that thing. Although I enjoy hunting, this is different! I don't have the habit of keeping them as pets!"

And so, the morning passed in a noisy commotion.

On the way back to her room, Liang Di was still muttering to herself.

"Wait a minute, what I did was almost exactly like in the novel, so why didn't Liang Lin's reaction resemble that of the heroine in the novel?"

But she had never considered that while the male protagonist in the novel gave the female protagonist a priceless pen she had longed for, she gave Liang Lin a large, powerful brown bear.

"Hmm...maybe Liang Lin just doesn't fall for that? Well, next time, I'll try a different approach."

Inside the room, Liang Lin, who was helping Carol change her clothes, suddenly shivered. She rubbed her nose, trying hard to suppress the urge to sneeze.

"No, no, no, it's okay, it's okay, it definitely won't happen again."

Please, Liang Di, be normal from now on.

That afternoon, Hilary and Octaville finally finished their business at the Seaside Magic Tower and arrived at the Langwendi mansion.

"Sister!"

Liang Lin ran over and hugged Hilary tightly. She hadn't seen her for over a year and missed her terribly. Hilary gently rubbed her sister's head, her face full of affection.

"How are you, Liang Lin? Have you rested well these past two days?"

"Oh, my body is fantastic, absolutely fantastic!" Liang Lin rolled up her sleeves, clenched her fist, and showed off her well-developed muscles. "I've been resting for ages! Look!"

When she's not straining, you can't really see much muscle. But when she strains, her muscles taut, the lines incredibly smooth and perfect. If there were any muscular men around, they'd definitely feel inferior.

Liang Lin is the epitome of looking slim in clothes but muscular underneath.

Liang Di stood silently behind them, holding Carol in her arms. How did Carol suddenly appear in her arms? The answer is simple: the moment Liang Lin saw her sister, she immediately shoved Carol into her arms.

"Oh, so this is your little baby?" Hilary's gaze fell on Carol. She smiled, walked over, and pinched Carol's cheek. "She does look a bit like you, doesn't she? Looks just like you, a little silly."

When Liang Lin heard "looks a bit like you," she was initially quite pleased, even puffing out her chest. However, when Hilary added "silly," Liang Lin immediately snapped, loudly expressing her dissatisfaction.

"Where am I silly?! Where am I silly?! I've never seen a silly person, like me, who became a marquis at such a young age!"

Although, that marquisate was earned through her martial prowess, having absolutely nothing to do with intelligence or emotional intelligence.

"Octaville, what happened to your arm?"

Liang Di's gaze suddenly fell on Octaville's arm. Octaville had been standing beside Hilary, smiling, looking at her wife with obvious happiness.

"Huh?"

Octaville instinctively clutched her arm.

Hilary was startled and looked at Octaville's arm. "Fu, what happened to your arm?"

"No, it's nothing." Octaville forced a smile, then winked at Liang Di, signaling her to stop talking.

Liang Di silently shut her mouth, pursing her lips. She hadn't known Hilary was unaware of this; those words had just slipped out. Now it seemed she'd stirred up trouble.

"Fu, do you think I didn't see you winking at Liang Di?" Hilary frowned, reaching for Octaville's arm, but the latter dodged.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury, nothing serious."

Hilary didn't believe her.

If nothing was wrong, Octaville wouldn't be avoiding her. So, she turned her gaze to Liang Di. "Liang Di, you can tell, right? What happened to her?"

"Liang Di!"

Octaville shouted.

Liang Lin stared blankly at the scene before her. She hadn't figured out what was going on, why the atmosphere had suddenly become tense? Just a moment ago, they were all happily family.

Liang Di glanced at Hillary, then at Octaville, and sighed. "Octaville, do you think you can still hide it? Even if I don't tell, Hillary will pester you until you tell her the truth."

“…”

Octaville sighed, slumping weakly onto the sofa.

“Tell her, Liang Di. I just didn’t want her to worry.”

Hilary was extremely anxious. “Liang Di…”

“I could see it. The scent on her arm was very familiar. Actually, I didn’t know she was injured. I was just saying it casually, but it turned out to be true.”

Octaville: “…”

Okay, okay, so she was the one who couldn’t sit still and was directly exposed.

“Octaville, where did you go? You seemed to have come back from the Seaside Magic Tower, right? Octaville, did you go to some dangerous place?” Liang Di asked.

Hearing this, Hilary suddenly remembered that Octaville had disappeared for a while that night. Hilary had just woken up then and found the bed beside her cold. Hilary had a suspicion then, but Octaville quickly returned, looking normal.

"Where did you go?" Hilary asked.

Octaville replied, "I had an upset stomach at lunch, honey. You shouldn't cook anymore, I'll do it. My legs are almost numb from squatting."

At that moment, Hilary blushed slightly, but didn't think much of it.

Sometimes, Octaville would get an upset stomach after eating the food Hilary had cooked. And that day, Hilary had enthusiastically cooked, so she genuinely assumed Octaville had gotten an upset stomach from her food and felt guilty for two days.

Back to the present, Octaville sat on the sofa, head down, like a child who had done something wrong. She didn't answer Liang Di's question.

"Fu, where did you go?"

This time it was Hilary who asked.