Chapter 65
Zuo Bian caught Little Frog in her hand, its soft and round body filling her palm.
The little frog, who had been in a deep sleep for so long, finally woke up, easing Zuo Bian’s worries.
“That’s great, Little Frog, you’re finally awake.” She squeezed Little Frog’s bouncy body, making sure this was real and not a dream.
Little Frog hopped twice in her palm, its eyes filled with tears. “Xiao Bianbian, I was so scared, ribbit. I was controlled, ribbit. If I hadn’t been separated from my master for so long and woken up at the last moment, ribbit, you would have been taken away by my master, ribbit.”
Zuo Bian also felt the strangeness of what had happened. That state of being completely unaware and defenseless was terrifying.
She thought that maybe it was because the medium used for the spell was Little Frog, and she trusted Little Frog completely, so she was unguarded in her sleep and easily lured away.
“Little Frog, why did your master want to capture me?”
“Because Xiao Bianbian, you’re the hundredth sacrifice, ribbit! The perfect sacrifice, ribbit!”
Zuo Bian had heard the word “sacrifice” from Little Frog many times, but she still didn’t understand what it meant.
“Little Frog, can you tell me what this sacrifice is about?”
Little Frog tried to explain, hopping around anxiously, but no matter how hard it tried to open its tiny mouth, it couldn’t utter a single word.
Seeing its distress, Zuo Bian knew that Little Frog wasn’t unwilling to speak, but simply couldn’t.
“It seems like you’ve been placed under a restriction, unable to speak about certain things.”
Little Frog nodded vigorously, its round body trembling. “Mm-hmm, ribbit, I can’t say it, ribbit. But don’t be afraid, Xiao Bianbian, ribbit. I’ll do my best to protect you, ribbit.”
“Thank you, Little Frog.” Zuo Bian carried Little Frog back to bed and sat down, leaning against the headboard, gazing at the open window.
Silver moonlight streamed in, casting a frosty glow on the floor. The night wind was chilly, carrying a faint, cold fragrance.
Zuo Bian sniffed the air. The scent disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, as if it had never been there.
But she was certain she had smelled it, and she had smelled it somewhere before, but she couldn’t remember where.
“Don’t be afraid, Xiao Bianbian, ribbit. My master is very cautious, ribbit. After this failure, she won’t come for you again for a while, ribbit.”
“Mm-hmm, I know.” Zuo Bian placed Little Frog back on her pillow and covered it with a handkerchief.
Little Frog adjusted its sleeping position and said, “Good night, Xiao Bianbian, ribbit.”
“Good night, Little Frog.”
Although she had said goodnight, Zuo Bian didn’t fall asleep immediately.
She closed her eyes, sensing the energy around the window, waiting for any changes. After a long while, she finally drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up, the sun was already shining brightly.
555 greeted her. 【Good morning, Host! Did you sleep well last night?】555 had gone into sleep mode with Zuo Bian, so it didn’t know anything about what had happened last night. It thought it was just an ordinary night.
Zuo Bian said, “Something happened last night.”
“Yes, ribbit, something happened, ribbit.”
【Little Frog, you’re awake? When did you wake up?】555 was shocked and delighted.
“Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, I’m awake, ribbit.” Little Frog bounced on the soft pillow.
【But what happened? Why didn’t you wake me up?】
“I forgot. I’m going to brush my teeth and wash my face first.” Zuo Bian got out of bed and walked towards the bathroom.
555 inhabited Zuo Bian’s pig plushie and poked Little Frog with its stubby, fingerless hand.
Little Frog, still weak from its long sleep, rolled over from the poke.
555 quickly held it down with its round, clumsy hands.
Little Frog, feeling dizzy, croaked, “My master suddenly appeared last night, ribbit. She controlled me to take Xiao Bianbian away, ribbit. But it didn’t work, ribbit.”
While Zuo Bian was washing up in the bathroom, Little Frog explained what had happened last night to 555.
555 shivered after hearing the story, even though it didn’t have a spine.
“That’s terrifying. Little Frog, you’re not from this world, so your master must not be from this world either, right?”
“I can’t say, ribbit.” Little Frog was anxious. It wanted to tell them everything it could.
“Okay, how about this, I’ll ask you questions. If the answer is yes, hop once. If the answer is no, stay still.”
“Okay, ribbit.”
“Your master isn’t from this world?”
Little Frog hopped once.
“Your master is dangerous.”
Little Frog hopped again.
“Is your master targeting our host?”
Little Frog hopped a third time.
After asking these questions, 555 had a general idea of the situation.
“Nascent worlds are vulnerable to attacks, and as the protagonist of this world, our poor host is a prime target. No, I need to contact the higher-ups and request special privileges to protect the host.”
When Zuo Bian came out of the bathroom, she saw her two little cuties with serious expressions. Both 555 and Little Frog looked like they were about to head into a dangerous battle.
“What’s wrong?” Zuo Bian asked.
“Host, you’re in danger. I’m going to ask for support from the higher-ups.”
“Mm-hmm, ribbit!” Little Frog nodded vigorously.
Zuo Bian couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you, I’m really happy. I’ll be careful.”
She already had a guess about the mysterious person who wanted to capture her, but she couldn’t confirm it yet.
Zuo Bian called Qin Ai and then headed to her house.
It was already late when she arrived. Qin Ai had finished breakfast. Ever since Zuo Bian had entered her life, Qin Ai, who used to skip breakfast often, now ate it regularly.
Tian Yumeng was very pleased with this. She already liked Zuo Bian, and now she liked her even more.
This morning, Du Yundong had called to discuss Zuo Bian and Qin Ai’s engagement, and Tian Yumeng was fully supportive.
The two girls complemented each other perfectly and were in love. As parents, they should respect their children’s wishes. It wasn’t like decades ago, same-sex marriage was legal now, and it was common for people of the same gender to get married.
“Have fun on your date. You don’t have to come back for dinner or sleep,” Tian Yumeng said with a gentle smile.
Zuo Bian was stunned by Tian Yumeng’s words. She didn’t expect her to be so open-minded.
Seeing Zuo Bian’s surprise, Qin Ai put her arm around her shoulders. “Alright, let’s go. Didn’t you say you wanted to watch a movie?”
“Mm. Bye, Auntie.” Zuo Bian waved goodbye to Tian Yumeng.
Zuo Bian and Qin Ai left together. Zuo Bian had already done her research days ago.
What kind of movie to watch with the person you like, what kind of unconscious gestures to make to subtly flirt with them, she had it all planned out, ready for action.
They arrived at the movie theater. Zuo Bian still wasn’t fully aware of her celebrity status. She had only worn a mask last time because Chang Wensi had reminded her. Today, she wasn’t wearing a mask, and she was recognized by a few fans.
While Qin Ai was buying drinks, two female fans approached Zuo Bian.
“Are you Zuo Bian? You’re so beautiful! I can’t believe I’m actually meeting a celebrity up close. Ah, I’m so excited!” The fan’s face was flushed, she wanted to scream but was afraid of scaring Zuo Bian.
The other fan was also excited, hurriedly taking out a notebook from her bag.
“Zuo Bian, can you give us your autograph?” She looked at Zuo Bian with anticipation and nervousness.
Zuo Bian smiled at them. “Sure, but I haven’t practiced my signature, so it might not look good.”
The fan shook her head. “It’s okay, just sign it.”
“Mm-hmm.” Zuo Bian took the pen and signed her name in the notebook.
“Thank you so much!” The two fans were satisfied with their autographs and didn’t bother Zuo Bian any further.
However, after they left, they started to regret not asking for a photo.
But by then, Zuo Bian and Qin Ai had already entered the theater. It wasn’t crowded yet.
Their seats had a great view, perfect for watching a movie. Unlike other couples who preferred the back row in the corner, they looked like they were there to seriously watch the movie.
The movie started playing. Zuo Bian stared at the big screen, but her peripheral vision was focused on Qin Ai.
The best way to flirt while watching a movie was to make subtle physical contact. Zuo Bian pretended to reach for popcorn, leaning closer to Qin Ai, their shoulders brushing against each other.
Qin Ai stared straight ahead, seemingly unaware of Zuo Bian’s closeness.
Seeing no reaction from Qin Ai, Zuo Bian leaned even closer, whispering in her ear, “Qin Ai, don’t you think the photo album that person gave the protagonist is foreshadowing?”
“Mm, maybe.” Qin Ai felt like her heart was being tickled by a feather, but the person holding the feather was completely oblivious.
Or maybe Zuo Bian was following the advice of her clueless strategist, clumsily trying to “seduce” her.
Either way, Qin Ai decided not to expose her and continued to observe Zuo Bian’s actions.
Zuo Bian felt strange. She asked 555, ‘555, I’m following the guide, why isn’t Qin Ai reacting?’
【Well… maybe you haven’t tried hard enough. Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. Keep at it, Host, Qin Ai will definitely react.】
At this moment, Qin Ai took a sip of her coffee and placed the cup between her and Zuo Bian.
Zuo Bian pretended to be focused on the movie, but she kept glancing at the coffee cup.
Seeing that Qin Ai seemed to be engrossed in the movie, Zuo Bian casually picked up the cup and took a sip.
Indirect kiss achieved! Zuo Bian smiled.
Then there was the bucket of popcorn that had barely been touched. Zuo Bian waited for the right moment and reached in, her hand brushing against Qin Ai’s.
Direct physical contact achieved!
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