Oh no! My online romance partner is actually a Miao holy maiden!

Bai Ling'er replied firmly, "The truth."

"I want to hear what Brother Yi truly thinks."

She leaned forward, like a prisoner awaiting judgment.

Xu Yi looked into her eyes.

He took a deep breath and, instead of running away, spoke directly.

The truth is, I can't go back with you to get married.

"Ling'er, you must understand that marriage is not just a matter between two people, but a matter between two families."

Bai Ling'er's body stiffened slightly.

"If I make a promise to you now just to make you happy, but then can't keep it because of real-world reasons, that would be the biggest hurt I could do to you. I don't want that."

Xu Yi's tone was more serious than ever before.

"So, I can't promise you anything right now, and I can't go back and get married with you. There are too many things separating us now."

As Xu Yi finished speaking, the light in Bai Ling'er's eyes dimmed at a visible speed.

She murmured absentmindedly, "So... Brother Yi still doesn't like Ling'er?"

"like."

Xu Yi answered without hesitation.

But then he sighed and said the rest of his sentence.

"But my liking for you now is just that—liking."

"It's nowhere near the level of feelings we'd have for marriage or entrusting our lives to. How long have we even known each other?"

The living room fell into a deathly silence.

Bai Ling'er gave a somewhat bitter smile.

But soon, that bitterness was forcibly diluted by her unique pure love-centric thought process.

Yi Gege said he liked her.

Brother Yi did not lie to her.

This place is full of tricks and schemes.

In an era where empty promises are made all the time, Brother Yi didn't try to appease her with sweet words; instead, he laid out the most brutal truth for her to see.

What does this tell us?

This shows that Brother Yi is a responsible and upright gentleman!

This shows that he is seriously considering their future together, and not just wanting to cheat on her!

Thinking of this, Bai Ling'er's mood instantly improved visibly.

She raised an eyebrow, then leaned closer and asked, "And what about the lies?"

Xu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she did not lose her temper on the spot.

He rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly.

The lie is: "Okay, once our relationship is stable, I'll pack my bags and go back to the village with you this year. We'll get married right here and then have two children in three years, and we'll have a college entrance exam in five years and a mock exam in three years."

After all, when it comes to relationships, who can predict how things will turn out?

Upon hearing this, Bai Ling'er immediately realized what was going on.

She abruptly turned around, crossed her arms, and faced away from Xu Yi, huffing angrily, "So, all those promises you made to me when we first met were lies?!"

Xu Yi coughed lightly, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Well... the situation was special back then. You brought so many little darlings with you the moment you met me, and that giant centipede was longer than my shoehorn. I was weak, pitiful, and helpless at the time. Survival was the priority, so it was an emergency evasion."

Bai Ling'er snorted coldly and turned her head away.

She deliberately put on a stern face and glared at him fiercely.

"So you're not afraid now? Believe me, this holy maiden will show you what I'm capable of right now?"

Seemingly to cooperate with its master's performance, Xiao Qing, which was wrapped around Bai Ling'er's wrist, slowly poked its head out.

It glanced at Xu Yi sideways, then seemed to have seen through the illusions of the world.

She rolled her eyes in an extremely human-like manner, then quickly shrunk back into bed.

Xu Yi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Looking at Bai Ling'er's deliberately puffed-out cheeks, he could only think that this girl was cute because she was stubborn but soft-hearted.

He reached out and pinched Bai Ling'er's cheek very naturally.

She looks thin and small, but her face is so soft and plump, it feels amazing to the touch.

"So, you're in a bad mood today because you're dwelling on this?"

Xu Yi withdrew his hand and continued to ask.

He felt that Bai Ling'er was acting strangely today.

Bai Ling'er blinked somewhat guiltily and nodded gently.

She ultimately kept her elder brother's plans to storm Jiangcheng the next day a secret.

She subconsciously didn't want Xu Yi to bear this heavy pressure, and she was even more afraid that Xu Yi would back down or be hurt by his older brother if he found out.

"Brother Yi, I want to stay tonight and not go back to the dormitory."

Bai Ling'er tugged at Xu Yi's sleeve, her voice soft and weak.

Xu Yi looked at her eyes, which still showed a hint of fatigue, and chuckled softly.

"Okay, stay."

Staring at Xu Yi with a hint of doting in his eyes, Bai Ling'er's cheeks instantly flushed.

Originally, she followed the dirty tricks that her third brother, Bai Ye, had given her.

They say that dating requires techniques like playing hard to get and using retreat as a strategy for advancement.

That's why she deliberately moved back to the dormitory a couple of days ago, wanting to create some drama.

As it turned out, before Xu Yi could even do anything, she broke down and eagerly offered herself up.

..........

Considering that Bai Ling'er was not feeling well, Xu Yi did not let her touch the water.

He went into the kitchen alone, skillfully put on an apron, and started fiddling around with things.

In less than half an hour, two steaming hot dishes were served.

A simple plate of scrambled eggs, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, plus two bowls of white rice.

Although it wasn't anything fancy, the dimly lit living room had a warm and inviting atmosphere.

"Try it." Xu Yi handed over the chopsticks.

Bai Ling'er picked up a piece of egg with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

"Delicious! Everything Brother Yi makes is delicious!"

After dinner, Xu Yi urged Bai Ling'er to take a hot bath.

There were still a few clothes left to put away, so she casually picked out a pale yellow long dress and put it on.

He looked a little better overall.

It's the same as before.

Xu Yi offered to give up his bedroom, while he took a thin blanket and lay down on the living room sofa.

Night deepened.

Xu Yi lay down on the sofa and fell asleep.

Xu Yi was awakened by a noise after an unknown amount of time.

A suppressed sob suddenly came from the bedroom.

"No...Brother Yi...Don't go..."

The voice was filled with immense helplessness.

Xu Yi suddenly opened his eyes, and almost instinctively threw off the covers, rushing barefoot to the bedroom door in a few steps.

He pushed the door open and, by the dim light streaming in from the window, saw the scene on the bed.

Bai Ling'er was tightly wrapped in the quilt, curled up into a small ball, her forehead covered in cold sweat, and a few strands of wet hair stuck to her cheeks.

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

"Ling'er!"

Xu Yi's heart tightened, and he quickly walked over and sat down by the bed.

He reached out and took her hand.

Holding Xu Yi's hand, Bai Ling'er's long eyelashes trembled violently a few times, finally waking up from her nightmare.

When she realized that the person sitting in front of her was indeed Xu Yi, all her psychological defenses collapsed completely in that instant.

Bai Ling'er suddenly sat up in bed, grabbed Xu Yi's neck, pressed herself tightly against his chest, and burst into tears.

"Waaaaah... Brother Yi, I don't want to leave you, I really don't want to go back..."

Xu Yi can't stand seeing girls cry.

Moreover, the person in front of me is Bai Ling'er.

He was momentarily flustered and could only awkwardly pat her back, comforting her, "It's alright, it's alright, don't cry, it was just a dream, it's all fake."

"Sweetie, we won't leave. We won't leave. You can live in an apartment or a dormitory if you want. There will always be a place for you here."

Bai Ling'er sobbed, burying her head in Xu Yi's neck, her voice broken and intermittent.

"It's not a dream...it's real...Big brother, big brother is arriving in Jiangcheng tomorrow...waaaaah..."

Xu Yi paused slightly in his comforting gesture: "Big brother? Bai Que?"

"Um."

"My third brother told me today that my eldest brother is coming to Jiangcheng tomorrow. He's coming to take me back to the village and lock me up."

"Brother Yi... Ling'er isn't afraid of you, Brother. I'm willing to kneel in the ancestral hall, I'm willing to be whipped, but I don't want to leave you..."