Feng Wenling was suddenly knocked forward as Song Qingge ran into her from behind. Song Qingge, seeing her about to fall, attempted to catch her, however her remaining momentum caused her to fall as well.
In the end, Song Qingge ended up on top of Feng Wenling.
"S-s-shijie! I'm so sorry!!!" Song Qingge stuttered, her face turning as red as a bride on her wedding day. She jumped up like a cricket and quickly offered a hand to help Feng Wenling up.
Feng Wenling slowly stood up, ignoring Song Qingge's extended hand, and with a smile, said:
"It's no problem, Shimei. I won't tell Shixiong."
It seems like Shimei hasn't changed after all she thought to herself.
While Feng Wenling always did her best to care for her juniors, she had never been very fond of Song Qingge. The girl was arrogant, whiny, and enjoyed tormenting her to no end. She had used petty schemes like this countless times in an attempt to gain their Shixiong's attention.
Feng Wenling no longer bothered arguing with her, it would only lead to a bigger outburst. She and Jie Luo had no romantic feelings for each other, anyway. If he ended up liking someone, Feng Wenling would be happy for him.
But today, for the first time, her spoiled Shimei apologized to her. When Feng Wenling saw her teary eyes, she actually felt moved.
It must have been another scheme to get Shixiong's attention. Feng Wenling smiled ruefully at the thought, and decided to help her Shimei out this once.
"Are you looking for Shixiong? He left to tell Shizun that you've woken up, they're probably in his office now."
"Ah - no. I'm actually looking for Wei Shidi, do you know where he is?"
Feng Wenling was quite surprised, in the past Song Qingge would never have passed up a chance to cling to Jie Luo's side, and her two juniors had never been close. Despite her surprise, she still answered:
"Wei Shidi should be cultivating in his chambers right now."
Song Qingge gave Feng Wenling a radiant smile and said:
"Thank you, Shijie! You're the best!" before running off to find Wei Laozu.
Feng Wenling was left standing there, dumbfounded, with a strange feeling of warmth in her heart.
_____
Song Qingge nervously adjusted her robes and took a deep breath.
Apologizing is all I can do for now, even if he doesn't accept it right away. I can show him my sincerity later. If that doesn't work… well, let's not think about that.
After steadying her resolve, she knocked lightly on Wei Yaozu's door. Song Qingge waited for what felt like an eternity before the muffled voice of a young man said:
"You may enter."
Song Qingge immediately felt as though something was off. Why did she feel like a peasant who was about to pay respects to the king? Wasn't Wei Yaozu younger than her right now? Did the villain of the novel just naturally have this much aura at a young age? Despite her misgivings, Song Qingge was determined to complete her mission and entered the room.
But the scene inside the room nearly made her lose her nerve.
Wei Yaozu sat on the bed, one leg crossed over the other and was leisurely reading a book, giving off the calm, cool, and collected vibes of a true villain!
If it wasn't for the fact that he clearly had the features of a teenage boy, Song Qingge might have kneeled and cried for forgiveness right then and there.
As Song Qingge stood there looking for the right words to say, Wei Yaozu leisurely looked up to see who was wasting his time. His eyes narrowed dangerously at Song Qingge.
"Ah, it's you," he said, not bothering to hide his contempt. "Get out." In this life, Wei Yaozu had no intention of being bullied again by this foolish girl, but killing her right now might make Shixiong hate him again. He decided to release a bit more of his demonic aura to scare her away.
I'll kill both her and Feng Wenling in the Secret Realm this time, he thought happily.
An immense feeling of dread seeped into Song Qingge's body like spilled wine on paper, and every nerve in her body was screaming at her to run away. Just as she was about to follow her instincts, a thought stopped her in her tracks.
If I leave now, he'll kill me… and not just me, he'll kill Shijie too…
I have to apologize… I have to figure out a way to change this story!
"W-wei Shidi!" she said, summoning all her courage.
"I'm sorry!"
Wei Yaozu raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Song Qingge in his memories had never once apologized, even when she was about to die.
A terrible thought crossed Wei Yaozu's mind, and he let out a cold, merciless laugh that rang throughout the room. Before she could even blink, Song Qingge felt a sharp blade at her throat.
"Hahaha! I knew the Heavens would never grant me a favor like this without a catch! Song Qingge, have you been reborn as well? It's unfortunate that I'll have to kill you so soon after getting back, but I can't allow you to tell Shixiong about the past."
These words were like a slap to Song Qingge's face. The villain had been reborn?! And he was going to kill her before she even had the chance to do anything?!
"No!" Song Qingge shouted hurriedly and with her life under threat, she just began to ramble.
"I'm not the real Song Qingge! Well, I am, but I'm not the same one you knew! The truth is, I'm from another world, and you're actually a character in a book I read, and I just woke up here! I won't tell anyone about you so please don't kill me!!"
Wei Yaozu's expression became extremely complicated as he listened to her words, and tears streamed down Song Qingge's face as she waited for a response.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Song Qingge was sure that he was about to kill her, just as she closed her eyes to brace for the end, Wei Yaozu finally spoke:
"You… tell me everything you know! If you dare to leave anything out, I'll definitely kill you!"