13

Recalling the taste of the food from the main kitchen, Su Luowei felt her conscience nagging at her again.

After all, Meng Shuying was now under her care, and there was no reason to let her go hungry.

Besides, if she really made her eat the awful food from the big kitchen, it would go against her true intentions.

She tapped the table with the end of her chopsticks and motioned with her chin for Meng Shuying to sit across from her. Then, she used her spiritual energy to connect with the surrounding forces and manipulated the long spoon in the kitchen.

A moment later, a white porcelain bowl flew steadily out of the kitchen, landing precisely in front of Meng Shuying.

"The main kitchen is too far. It would waste too much time going back and forth. From now on, just eat with me."

"This…" Meng Shuying hesitated.

Su Luowei gave her a once-over, "With that small frame of yours, I think I can afford to feed you. Are you afraid you'll eat me out of house and home?"

Meng Shuying wanted to explain that she didn't eat much, but when she saw the amused look in Su Luowei's eyes, she fell silent.

It seemed like Senior Sister didn't care whether she ate a lot or not.

She was just teasing her.

Not accustomed to responding to kindness, Meng Shuying pressed her lips together, then picked up the bowl in front of her and took a large sip.

It was hot!

Not expecting the porridge to be so hot, Meng Shuying involuntarily flinched from the heat.

Even though the fire had been extinguished, the residual heat in the stove had kept the porridge warm.

With her mouth full of hot porridge, Meng Shuying didn't know whether to swallow or spit it out, and her eyes began to water.

Seeing her reaction, Su Luowei immediately knew she had burned herself.

A mortal's body is still fragile, she thought to herself as she stood up, leaning over towards Meng Shuying and gently grasping her chin, urging her to open her mouth.

Meng Shuying had already forced herself to swallow the porridge. She couldn't even taste the flavor, only the painful burn on her tongue and the inside of her mouth.

Su Luowei held her chin with one hand and made a hand sign with the other, summoning waves of spiritual energy that coalesced into a drop of spiritual liquid.

She directed the drop of spiritual liquid into Meng Shuying's mouth.

As soon as the liquid touched her tongue, Meng Shuying felt it burst within her mouth, bringing a cooling sensation, sweet and infused with the familiar scent of lilies.

It quickly soothed the burns in her mouth.

Su Luowei released her chin and sighed, "You managed to burn yourself on porridge. You really are…"

She caught herself midway through the sentence, remembering the role she was supposed to play. She changed her expression to one of mockery, "Really stupid."

When will I be rid of this annoying system? If I keep up this act of being a villainous side character, I'm afraid I might develop a split personality.

Meng Shuying covered her mouth, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at Su Luowei.

Seeing her looking so pitiful, Su Luowei couldn't help but call out to Xiao Ba in her mind, "Xiao Ba, are you sure there wasn't a mistake? Meng Shuying doesn't seem like a sinister villain at all."

She even found Meng Shuying a bit soft and cute, like a considerate little sister.

"People change, and circumstances can be unpredictable," Xiao Ba said in a faux-philosophical tone.

"Speak plainly…"

"Meng Shuying went through a lot before she became who she was. But I don't know the details, so don't ask me."

As a task support system, Xiao Ba knew no more about the plot than Su Luowei did.

Su Luowei tried to recall the original plot but was frustrated to find that all the events centered around the female lead, Wen Miaomiao. Even when Meng Shuying was mentioned, it was only in passing.

And back when she read the novel, her attention had been entirely on Wen Miaomiao, so she hadn't paid much attention to Meng Shuying, the antagonist.

The spiritual liquid quickly dissipated, leaving only a faint fragrance. Meng Shuying reluctantly licked her lips, surprised to find that the burns in her mouth had completely healed.

Seeing her focus solely on eating the porridge, Su Luowei pushed the two plates of side dishes closer to her.

As she moved, her sleeve slid up, revealing the wound on her wrist.

The injury had already been treated and no longer looked as severe as before. It was a deep red line, stark against her pale, jade-like skin.

Noticing Meng Shuying staring at her wrist, Su Luowei raised her hand to inspect the wound more closely.

"I wonder if it will leave a scar," she mused, thinking she should ask Uncle Yun Fei for some scar-removing ointment.

When she first arrived in this world, she had noticed that this body was flawless, almost perfect. A scar would be a shame.

Though it wasn't her original body, she was the one using it now, so it was worth taking care of.

Seeing Meng Shuying lost in thought as she stared at her wound, Su Luowei tapped the table to snap her out of it.

"Finish eating first. I have other tasks to assign you."

After the meal, Su Luowei led Meng Shuying to the study.

The study wasn't large, with several bookshelves lining the walls, each filled with books.

In front of the bookshelves was a pearwood desk and a chair. The desk held ink, paper, and brushes, along with two open books.

By the window, there was a small couch for resting. Through the window, a few peach trees in full bloom could be seen outside.

The peach blossoms were a delicate pink, with a few white ones mixed in, swaying in the breeze, occasionally dropping a petal or two, full of life and vibrancy.

It was a sight unique to the Inkstone Peak.

"These books haven't been sorted in a while and are quite disorganized. From now on, in your spare time, you'll be in charge of organizing them."

The books had all been sent by Zhan Xuehan and included everything from mundane storybooks to cultivation journals.

The collection was extensive and diverse.

Who knew where Zhan Xuehan had gathered them from.

Standing before the bookshelves, Meng Shuying looked up at the fully stocked shelves and hesitated for a long time before she quietly spoke up, "Senior Sister, I… I'm not very literate."

She felt embarrassed as she said this, but she gathered the courage to admit it.

Meng Shuying had never attended school, nor had anyone taught her to read.

She had only learned a few characters by secretly listening in when her father taught her older sister.

She couldn't recognize most of the characters on the book spines and wouldn't be able to organize them for Su Luowei.

Feeling a deep sense of inadequacy, she lowered her head, clutching her sleeves tightly, the pale blue veins on her hands standing out.

She felt useless—barely able to read, only able to cook a decent meal.

Outside, a gentle breeze rustled the wind chimes hanging under the eaves, creating a soft, tinkling sound.

The incense burner in the corner of the desk had been lit, and tendrils of smoke wafted up, carrying the familiar scent of lilies.

Su Luowei sat down at the desk, picking up a sheet of paper and examining the writing on it.

Upon hearing Meng Shuying's admission, she didn't even look up, as if she had expected it.

"If you can't read, then learn. It's not a difficult skill."