Chapter 45 — The Little Fox Trying to Get Close
After finally coaxing the little girl and escorting her to the residence Bibi Dong had arranged, Lin Beiya quietly let out a sigh of relief.
"Junior Sister, you'll stay here for now. If you need anything, just tell the maids. If you run into trouble during cultivation, you can come find me in the courtyard up front."
"Take your time and get used to your new surroundings."
Hu Liena curiously looked around her personal courtyard. Then she turned and gave Lin Beiya a sweet, grateful smile.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. I'll come find you later—let's go eat together, okay?"
Please don't come… please don't come…
Lin Beiya screamed internally. What is wrong with this little girl? Shouldn't someone who has just arrived in a new place spend time getting familiar with it? Why attach yourself to me like a ringing alarm bell shaking my eardrums?
"Haha… Senior Brother still has training to finish. If you're hungry, you can ask the maids. This isn't the orphanage—there's no cafeteria. The chefs here will prepare anything you want."
Hearing this, a faint look of disappointment flashed across Hu Liena's face. Lin Beiya's rejection was just a bit too obvious, and it made the girl feel slightly hurt.
But she only thought he was uncomfortable getting too close to someone he had just met. It was their first day knowing each other, after all, so his behavior wasn't unreasonable. Collecting her thoughts, she offered another bright smile.
"I understand, Senior Brother. If I have cultivation questions, I'll come find you."
"Good."
With that, Lin Beiya turned around and left, leaving Hu Liena to stamp her foot in frustration on the spot.
Back then, she and Xie Yue had a complete and happy family—both their parents were officials within the Spirit Hall. But during a pursuit mission against fallen soul masters, both parents were killed, leaving the siblings at the orphanage.
Even so, with her cute appearance, her older brother's protection, and countless admirers fawning over her, she had never suffered hardship—let alone been treated like this, as if she were some contagious disease Lin Beiya had to avoid at all costs.
If Lin Beiya knew what she was thinking, he would definitely tell her:
"You're overthinking. It's not a plague. You're just noisy."
Noisy, plus a little ungrateful—that alone made him look at Hu Liena with a natural negative filter. Keeping his distance was perfectly reasonable.
But what he didn't realize was that Hu Liena eventually fell in love with Tang San, not only because they went through hardships together, but also because Tang San, disguised as Tang Yin, constantly acted cold and indifferent toward her.
A devoted admirer is invisible, but act cold and distant, and the little fox's attention goes straight to you.
The next day, when the Golden Generation trio met, Xie Yue immediately noticed his sister was in a bad mood.
"Nana, what's wrong? Are you still not used to the new place?"
Hearing Xie Yue's question, even Yan became anxious. He rushed up, worriedly asking what had happened.
Hu Liena shook her head and forced a smile.
"I'm fine. The teacher and my Senior Brother treat me well."
"Really? Then…"
Since everything seemed fine, Yan and Xie Yue still couldn't figure out why she looked unhappy. They could only silently stay by her side.
During the meal, Hu Liena absentmindedly poked at the dishes, completely lacking appetite. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
If you want to know what a man is thinking… ask a man, right? Maybe she should prepare a small gift to improve her relationship with her Senior Brother…
"Brother, Yan, what kind of gifts do you like receiving from girls?"
Xie Yue fell into deep thought, while Yan—the warm-hearted fool—instantly exploded with excitement inside.
'It's happening! It's happening! After all these years, Nana finally understands my heart! She wants to give me a gift? Is this… her confession?!'
While he spiraled into fantasy, Xie Yue gave his answer.
"You don't need anything fancy. If she cares about you, something handmade is best. Food, pastries—anything she prepared herself, even if it's not as good as a professional chef, it's filled with sincerity. I'd really like that."
Hearing this, the warm-hearted fool beside him instantly abandoned his earlier fantasy of receiving some sentimental keepsake from Hu Liena. He quickly nodded and supported his brother-in-law's wisdom.
"That's right, Nana. As long as it's something you made yourself, there's no way anyone wouldn't like it."
As Yan spoke, he even winked at Hu Liena, the meaning obvious—"Hurry up and make some love-filled desserts for me!"
But Hu Liena didn't notice Yan's eager expression. Instead, she looked at Xie Yue suspiciously.
"Will this really work?"
"It will."
"It will!"
The two men replied in perfect unison, their certainty immediately clearing the doubts in her heart. She quickly stood up and hurried toward the Pope's Palace.
Yan, still confused, hadn't even opened his mouth to ask when her voice drifted back toward them—
"Thanks, Brother and Yan. I'm going to prepare some desserts for my Senior Brother now!"
"Uh…"
Xie Yue stared speechlessly at his departing sister. Then he turned—and saw his childhood brother looking utterly defeated, his expression as gray as ashes, his eyes were dull and lifeless
For some reason, Xie Yue could almost hear a tragic melody echoing around them:
"Snow falls drifting, north wind howling… the world… so vast… and desolate…"
...
After finishing a day of body training, Lin Beiya wiped the sweat from his face and headed toward his courtyard. He planned to take a shower before beginning his Five Senses training.
But the moment he turned around, he spotted the little junior sister who had just accepted the day before, walking toward him from a distance, holding a basket in her arms.
Even from hundreds of meters away, he could smell the scent of freshly baked pastries. Clearly, Hu Liena had brought snacks for him.
"Senior Brother!"
The moment she saw him, Hu Liena's eyes curved into crescents, and she bounced over like a lively little fox.
She brushed aside the hair stuck to her forehead, unhooked the basket from her tender arm, and offered it to him with both hands.
"Senior Brother, I made some pastries for you. I hope you like them."
A row of question marks instantly popped up in Lin Beiya's mind.
'Did my cold attitude yesterday not make things clear enough? What is this little girl doing now?'
He didn't really want to accept them, but the girl had clearly worked hard on these treats. If he rejected her, wouldn't that be too cruel?
Besides… Whatever drama Hu Liena has in the future has nothing to do with him. She'll be Bibi Dong's headache—not his. He didn't want to be close to her, but maintaining normal senior–junior courtesy shouldn't be a problem.
"Then… Thank you, Junior Sister. I just finished training, so I'm actually hungry."
Hearing him accept the basket, Hu Liena's smile brightened noticeably. Brother and Yan were right! Their suggestion actually works! She made a note to thank them properly tomorrow.
Taking the basket of pastries, Lin Beiya led her into his courtyard. They sat together in the pavilion as he began tasting the desserts.
They weren't particularly delicious—but Lin Beiya wasn't picky. Anything that filled his stomach was fine.
Watching him eat the pastries—each shaped like some small, cute animal—filled Hu Liena with satisfaction.
But as she observed his sweat-soaked training clothes, she grew puzzled.
"Senior Brother… are you a strength-type soul master? Do you really need to train this intensely?"
—
End of Chapter