Quick Transmigration: The Control Group in Sweet Novels

The next day.

As daylight streamed through the window, the person on the bed slowly turned over. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and Qi Yang opened her eyes. She had slept exceptionally soundly, but her head was throbbing and aching, making her consciousness somewhat hazy for a moment.

The unfamiliar tent ceiling came into view, with a plain blue gauze curtain hanging down, and a familiar scent of pine wafted faintly to my nose.

This is not her room.

The thought flashed through her mind, and the girl suddenly sat up, her long hair falling down her ears and behind her head.

She looked down at herself. Although her clothes were disheveled and wrinkled, she was still wearing them. She felt a strange sensation on the side of her neck. She raised her hand and touched it, feeling a slight tingling sensation.

Qi Yang was stunned for a moment, and yesterday's events seemed to be pieced together piece by piece.

She went to the back mountain and met Jin Zihua. The two of them fell into the miasma together. She was bewitched by the love mist, and then... the scene suddenly changed to Senior Brother Pei.

In her memory, Senior Brother Pei suddenly appeared, and she clung to his neck. Then, the two of them kissed again, countless times.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

...What terrifying memory is this?

After being under the influence of the love potion, she almost forced herself on Senior Brother Pei. Not only that, she also groped him and forcibly kissed him...

Qi Yang froze on the couch as if struck by lightning, her fingertips unconsciously resting on the slightly numb mark on the side of her neck, her mind a complete mess.

She recalled how the marks came about. The two of them were nestled on the snow, kissing passionately. She lost her senses and began to grope Pei Shixiong's body, while the young man held her wrist and kissed her neck uncontrollably.

Qi Yang: "..."

The girl buried her face in her hands. She was finished; she would never be able to face Pei Qingyun again.

Although she believed that she and Senior Brother Pei had an exceptionally close relationship and that they had feelings for each other, the story didn't start off so dramatically.

For a moment, Qi Yang huddled on the couch, feeling very annoyed.

Just then, footsteps approached from outside the door.

The girl immediately sat up straight and looked towards the door. The young man pushed open the door and met the eyes of the person on the bed. He paused slightly and placed the food he was carrying on the small table beside the bed.

The young man then looked at her, his face expressionless, and asked in a low voice, "Awake?"

Qi Yang bit her lip; both of them knew perfectly well what had happened yesterday.

But now, in the quiet room, they looked at each other, the young man's expression was indifferent, while the girl pursed her lips, looking shy and embarrassed, neither of them knowing how to bring it up.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

"Senior brother, I..." She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to continue.

Pei Qingyun's dark eyes were fixed on her, waiting for her to continue.

Qi Yang couldn't say anything. She lowered her head, twisting the corner of the blanket with her fingers, her ears burning hot.

What is she going to say?

Should I say, "Senior brother, I'll take responsibility for you?" Or should I say, "I'm sorry, I was under the influence of the love potion last night, I didn't mean to force you?"

Although the two of them didn't go all the way last night, they did do some very intimate things.

Shouldn't we break through this barrier?

As Qi Yang pondered, silence fell between the two of them.

In the end, Pei Qingyun spoke first.

"You were under the influence of the love potion." His voice was flat, revealing no emotion. "The effects have worn off now. If you still feel unwell anywhere, please let me know."

Qi Yang raised her head and shook her head repeatedly: "No, no... I'm not feeling unwell."

Apart from a slight numbness in her neck and lips, and the faint cut on Pei Shixiong's thin lips and the red mark on his neck that she had scratched, everything was fine.

The young man sat in the morning light, his eyebrows and eyes calm and his expression as composed and indifferent as ever, as if nothing had happened.

He seemed to have no lingering resentment about what happened yesterday.

Qi Yang's little bit of courage was extinguished by his nonchalant demeanor.

She lowered her head, staring at her fingers twisting the corner of the blanket, her voice muffled: "Senior brother, about last night... I don't really remember everything, but I know I might have been abrupt with you. I'm sorry, it was my fault."

Pei Qingyun stood by the bed, looking down at the top of her head; the hair ribbon on her head had been removed.

Last night, after she had completely fallen into a deep sleep, he sat on the bed and slowly untied the long hair ribbon that was tied to the round hairpin, afraid that it would be uncomfortable for her while she slept.

At this moment, the girl's soft, long hair cascaded over her shoulders, her face as white as snow. Without the influence of the intoxicating mist, the look in her eyes was no longer filled with dependence and passion. He was silent for a moment before asking in a hoarse voice, "Is that all you wanted to say?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Yang raised her eyes, somewhat bewildered, thinking, "What else could it be?"

She did something wrong to Senior Brother Pei, so she should apologize and say sorry.

Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Pei Qingyun immediately looked away, suppressing the numb and painful emotions in his heart, and turned to leave: "Go wash up first, eat something, there's a new outer robe on the table, change into it later, I'll wait for you outside."

"Senior brother," Qi Yang called out to him again.

Pei Qingyun stopped abruptly, turned to look at her, and waited for her to continue.

The girl pursed her lips and said, "Senior Brother Pei, thank you again. We were so grateful to have you yesterday..."

Her voice trailed off towards the end. Was she going to say something like, "Thanks to you yesterday, you let me kiss you and touch you all over, which helped relieve the effects of the infatuation fog?"

How can I possibly say that?

The young man stood quietly, watching her anxious expression. His heart ached as if it had been crushed. He twitched his jaw slightly and, after a long pause, finally spoke: "No need to thank me."

Qi Yang didn't see his clenched knuckles as he turned around. The door closed very gently. She sat on the couch and glanced at the neatly folded outer robe beside her. The material was plain blue, very similar to the outer robes of the disciples in the sect.

Beside her was a bowl of congee and side dishes that the young man had brought, still steaming hot, and her heart suddenly softened.

Even though she did something inappropriate to him yesterday, Senior Brother Pei was as considerate as ever.

After Qi Yang finished eating, she changed into the clothes prepared by Pei Qingyun. The size was just right. She wondered how her senior brother Pei had managed to conjure up a set of clothes that fit her figure so perfectly overnight.

After changing her clothes, Qi Yang pushed open the door and went out. As expected, the young man was waiting outside. The morning light fell on his shoulders, as if gilding them.

Hearing the girl's footsteps, Pei Qingyun didn't turn around. He waited until she got closer before saying, "If you're not feeling well, go inside and rest for a while."

Qi Yang thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Never mind, Senior Brother Pei. I haven't returned all night, and Brother Chu Yi will probably be very worried. I need to go back and let him know I'm safe."

For some reason, as soon as she said those words, an eerie silence fell over the surroundings.

Qi Yang felt a chill run down her spine from the silence and couldn't help but look at his profile. She saw that the young man seemed to twitch the corners of his mouth, but he didn't look very happy.

Pei Qingyun said with a self-deprecating laugh, "Is this your attitude?"

Qi Yang was confused: "What attitude?"

The young man suddenly looked directly at her, his tone heavy, "Junior sister."

"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"

Qi Yang's heart skipped a beat when he looked at her like that.

The young man's usually composed demeanor seemed to crack open, finally revealing what was weighing down beneath.

Qi Yang opened her mouth: "Senior brother, didn't I just say that I was wrong last night? I'm very sorry. If you really mind, then I can make it up to you..."

A tall figure stood before her, looking down at her with a dark and somber gaze.

"Compensation? How will you compensate me?" His voice was deep. "You were drugged and disoriented. We hugged, we kissed, you even said you couldn't live without me, and then this morning you apologized and tried to distance yourself from me. And then this morning you woke up and told me you were going to find your 'first-year brother' to let him know you're safe?"

Qi Yang was stunned. A barrage of information bombarded her, leaving her head buzzing.

She opened her mouth, puzzled. "I just thought Brother Chu would be worried, so... Oh, Senior Brother Pei, Brother Chu's matter isn't important right now, but don't worry, what I said just now wasn't to distance myself. On the contrary, Senior Brother Pei, what I said yesterday wasn't just made up."

They all knew what she was saying.

Last night, the young man held the girl tightly in his arms and asked her if she knew who he was. She replied, "I know it's you, and it can only be you."

Qi Yang felt that her words had clearly expressed her feelings.

She cared about and liked Senior Brother Pei; otherwise, she wouldn't have touched him inappropriately after being affected by the Love Fog yesterday—it was a subconscious reaction.

However, Pei Qingyun completely misunderstood her meaning. His expression hardened slightly, and the pain he had just suppressed surged up again. He almost blurted out, "You want me to be your mistress."

But when he touched the girl's bewildered face, he stopped.

Some words, once spoken, cannot be taken back.

He pursed his lips, his expression seemingly forlorn. "Junior sister, let me think about it."

His voice held a hint of pleading, "I'm tired today, let me take you home first."

Qi Yang didn't know what was bothering him. Was he really frightened by her behavior yesterday, or did he just need some time to calm down?

The girl racked her brains but couldn't figure it out. She could only nod and whisper, "Alright, then you should get some rest, senior brother."

Pei Qingyun: "Mm."

His expression was somber, but he still responded to every word she said.

After escorting the person to their lodgings, the sun had already risen fully, and disciples might pass by. Perhaps Qi Yang knew that he had indeed done something wrong the night before.

When she was standing next to Pei Qingyun, she would glance around every now and then, afraid that someone would see her and her senior brother Pei not returning home all night.

Pei Qingyun took in her careful actions, and the melancholy in his eyes deepened.

As Qi Yang reached the door and was about to push it open, the person behind her suddenly spoke up: "Wait."

Qi Yang turned around, and the young man took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to her. "There are a few antidote pills left. Keep them just in case."

Qi Yang took the bottle, her fingertips touching the young man's palm, which was exceptionally warm, just as hot as the hand that had been pressed against her waist in her memory last night.

"Thank you, senior brother." She accepted the bottle, then looked up at him. "By the way, what about Jin Zihua..."

"He has been sent to the punishment hall." Pei Qingyun said, his eyes extremely indifferent as he mentioned Jin Zihua: "He will not stay in Cangshan anymore, I assure you."

Qi Yang nodded in surprise, not expecting Senior Brother Pei to be so fast.

Qi Yang, as the victim, could accept this outcome. As a disciple of a prominent family, she had been nurtured with great effort since childhood and had finally entered Cangshan, only to be expelled from the sect. Such a disgrace would likely tarnish the reputation of her entire family.

To protect his family, Jin Zihua's life back in the clan will likely not be easy.

As Qi Yang was thinking, she suddenly felt a gentle pat on the top of her head. She looked up and saw that the young man couldn't help but soften his expression towards her. "Go inside and get some rest. As for our matter... let your senior brother sort it out, okay?"

Qi Yang nodded without thinking much, "Okay."

She naively thought that Pei Qingyun was still troubled by what happened yesterday, after all, Senior Brother Pei was a gentleman.

Otherwise, given her actions yesterday, the fact that he still managed to bring her back safely suggests that he would need to calm down for a long time to understand the situation of a gentleman like Senior Brother Pei.