The next day.
It wasn't until the sun was high that Ivy Shen finally crawled out of bed, and Adrian Night was already gone.
Ivy glanced at the spot beside her, her mind still foggy. Last night's events felt like a dream—she wasn't even sure if Adrian had really been here.
Downstairs, Clara Night was eating breakfast and shouting, "Bro, I heard there was a flower thief last night! I was so scared, I went looking for you, but you weren't in your room! I wanted to go out and find you, but Ah Tian wouldn't let me." She finished with a pout.
"Don't go out at night if there's nothing important." Adrian Night replied, head down, eating his breakfast.
Ivy, munching on breakfast nearby, couldn't help but sigh—so last night's chaos was real. She looked up at Adrian Night, who was drinking his porridge. Just then, he accidentally glanced her way and immediately started coughing in surprise.
"Bro, are you okay? Slow down!" Clara quickly reached out to pat him on the back.
Suddenly, Lucian Vane—who'd looked grumpy all morning—stood up, grabbed Ivy's hand, and dragged her outside.
"Hey, I haven't finished eating yet!" Ivy protested, glancing back longingly at the breakfast table as she was pulled away.
"If you want food, there's plenty outside. See you on stage later." Lucian shot Adrian a look and whisked Ivy away.
"Master, do you want me to follow right away?" Ah Tian hurried over to ask.
"No need. Until he gets the Peach Immortal Elixir, he won't pull any tricks." With that, Adrian went back to eating his porridge.
"Bro, today’s the elimination round! Are we going later?" Clara was clearly excited.
"Mm."
"Yay, finally! I get to see my Summer, Brooke, Wynter, and May shine on stage. I just know they’ll be the best this year!" Clara declared confidently.
****
"Hey, Venom Snake, you actually want to go shopping with me? Spill it—are you plotting something?" Ivy asked, nibbling on her bun and eyeing him suspiciously.
"Plotting? With your looks, what could I possibly plot? I’m just being nice, worried that brat might piss you to death."
"Me, pissed to death by her? If anyone’s dying of rage, it should be her." Ivy replied, totally unconcerned. Clearly, Clara didn’t even register on her radar.
"Did he sleep in your room last night?" Lucian suddenly blurted out, unable to hold back.
Ivy froze, shot him a weird look, and asked, "Huh? How’d you know?"
"I saw it." Lucian quickly looked away, avoiding her searching gaze.
Hearing that, Ivy just said, "Oh. A flower thief snuck into my room last night, so the Iceberg helped chase him off. Maybe he was worried the guy would come back, so he stayed with me." As she finished, she noticed Lucian giving her a weird look.
"Hey, what’s with that look? Nothing happened between us!" Ivy hurried to explain, catching his expression. "With this face of mine, even if I threw myself at him, he’d probably just toss me aside. He only stayed because he was afraid I’d get killed before anyone could use me!" She shrugged dramatically.
"Mm." Lucian turned his head away, making a noncommittal sound. For some reason, hearing that nothing happened actually made him feel... a little weird inside.
"I’m definitely winning today!"
"Yeah, right! The victory’s mine!"
"Please, with voices like two crows, you two think you’ll get first place? Obviously, I’m the one who’ll win!"
The bustling marketplace was filled with chatter—men and women alike were all discussing today’s contest. The annual competition was about to kick off, and everyone’s hoping to make a name for themselves!
******
PS: Three chapters today—pretty awesome, right? Leave your comments! There’ll be three more tomorrow. Just a reminder, the heroine is a slow-burn powerhouse, so don’t rush it. She’ll get stronger and stronger, but it takes time, so stay egg-cited! (Honestly, only setbacks make you grow!)