Snuggling for Survival: A Quick Transmigration Tale - Chapter 6

“Eldest Miss, this little girl truly depends on you with all her heart!” The housekeeper could not help but nod in approval. “She is nothing like those scoundrels who were sent here before!”

The little ghosts nearby secretly thought to themselves that none of the previous guests had ever received such treatment from the Eldest Miss.

In the past, whoever married in had to cook their own meals using leftovers from hundreds of years ago. During those seven days, they lived in constant terror, unable to eat or sleep well. Some could not even last the full seven days before being forced into the game. There was no other choice; they were so stiff with fear that if the game was not arranged quickly, they would have started to rot.

This girl was different. The Eldest Miss had ordered them to serve her as if she were the second master of the courtyard. The two of them were stuck together day and night, a sight that left the servants utterly shocked. She was living like a little matriarch.

Yet, the Eldest Miss seemed completely unaware that whenever she was with the girl, her own expression was full of yearning. They did not dare say a word.

Inside the room, Yu Yu felt a lingering sense of unease. Without Li Yuan, she was extremely nervous. She did not want to look anywhere else, so she kept her head down and stared at her hands. She felt very insecure. Even knowing she was destined to die tomorrow, she wanted to spend her final moments with Li Yuan.

That woman’s face was always cold, but Yu Yu could feel her underlying tenderness. Yesterday, when she kicked the blankets off, Li Yuan had tucked her back in. Though their time together was short, she felt Li Yuan was not a bad person. Moreover, she had gained so many “benefits” from her.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Yu Yu asked, “Lai Fu, I want to find my Lady. I want to be with her. Can you take me to her, please?”

A flush of warmth crept onto Li Yuan’s cheeks as she listened from outside. The smile on her face was impossible to suppress. She almost wanted to push the door open and stick to the little liar again. Her reason was failing; she only wanted to be relied upon.

“Eldest Miss, aren’t you going to send her out of the mansion? If you don’t send her away now, there will be trouble.”

Li Yuan’s footsteps paused. She gave a soft “Mhm.” Listening to Yu Yu’s soft, pleading voice as she spoke to Lai Fu, Li Yuan’s heart turned cold.

She and the little liar did not belong to the same world. It was only by a stroke of luck that she had experienced a brief period of happiness. Originally, the one meant to play the game was that man. Because she found the girl interesting, she kept her, but the one who ended up falling deeper was herself.

Someone who has lived in the dark for so long is not worthy of possessing the light.

“Send her out. Tomorrow, she won’t be able to leave.” Without further hesitation, Li Yuan turned and walked away.

Even as she moved further off, her superhuman hearing allowed her to hear Yu Yu’s words to Lai Fu clearly. The girl was whispering about her hopes, about how she wanted to stay with her and find her.

Looking at the fragile human before him, Lai Fu did not feel particularly softhearted. At first, he had wanted a wife, but since this person was being let go, his wish would not come true.

“Don’t you think the Eldest Miss is strange? You want to stick to her every day, aren’t you afraid of being in danger?” Lai Fu scratched his head, unable to understand Yu Yu’s mindset. But the Eldest Miss had given him a task: he had to help this foolish girl discover the secrets of the mansion.

Yu Yu remained silent. Of course, she knew the mansion hidden many secrets, and she knew Li Yuan had even more. But as someone who was about to die, she did not care for secrets. She only wanted to spend every second clinging to Li Yuan. Nothing else mattered.

There was no trace of fear on Yu Yu’s face. Instead, she looked heartbroken. “Do you enjoy trying to drive a wedge between my Lady and me that much? Since I have married in, I am her person. Even in death, I will be her ghost. I like being with her, I like it to death. Don’t tell me bad things about her; I won’t listen.”

As she spoke, tears began to well in her eyes. She placed the heavy accusation of “sowing discord” squarely on Lai Fu’s head.

Lai Fu: “…”

“If you won’t take me to my Lady, fine. I will find her myself. I hope you don’t speak ill of her behind her back. I’ll let it slide this time and won’t tell her, but I hope there won’t be a next time.” Yu Yu stood up, wanting to leave the room. Without Li Yuan, she felt no sense of security.

Lai Fu was clearly angered. He let out a cold laugh and floated into the air, his toes leaving the ground. His pale face slowly turned ghastly. “What a fool. Haven’t you realized that in this entire mansion, there isn’t a single living person besides you?”

His terrifyingly white face suddenly lunged forward. Yu Yu was startled. Coming face to face with a ghost in broad daylight made her jump, and her back struck the corner of a table.

However, the expected pain did not come. Something soft seemed to cushion her from behind. Her legs felt weak, and she should have had no strength at all, but some unknown force lifted her body. Her steps were light as she ran, and the force even controlled her speed.

Lai Fu chased after her with a fierce expression, yet there was little killing intent in his eyes. He simply floated along, letting out a shout every now and then. Before long, Lai Fu forced her to the main entrance. “Go back to your home, foolish human! Never show your face here again!”

Lai Fu shouted a few more times at Yu Yu, appearing quite desperate to get it over with. The Eldest Miss intended to let her go; the other ghosts in the courtyard were staying in their rooms, and no one was guarding the exit.

When the heavy gates slammed shut behind her, Yu Yu had not quite processed what had happened. It was only when she slumped down at the entrance of the mansion, turning to look at the somewhat dilapidated gates with the two red lanterns, that it hit her.

[Liu Liu was I just kicked out?]

[Mhm, it seems so.]

Her round eyes stared blankly at the gate. Yu Yu tilted her head, not quite understanding what kind of move this was. She was kicked out just like that? Wasn’t she supposed to “expire” at the gates on the seventh morning? It was only the sixth day!

Feeling deeply wronged, tears swirled in her eyes. She sat back down on the steps of the entrance, propping up her chin as a sense of loss washed over her.

Inside the gates, the little ghosts gathered together. They peered through the cracks in the door at the small, desolate figure.

“Eldest Miss, she hasn’t left yet. Lai Fu scared her out, but she is still unwilling to go.”

“Isn’t she supposed to run down the mountain like she lost her soul? Why is she sitting at our doorstep looking so piteous?” Lai Fu was even more confused. He looked up at the housekeeper and stuck out his tongue. “Uncle, am I not scary?”

“That’s enough, put your tongue back before it snaps off.” The housekeeper pushed Lai Fu away with a look of disgust and looked at Li Yuan. “Eldest Miss, the game is about to start. The mountain has been sealed; we cannot send her down now.”

Li Yuan’s chest felt heavy. Her heart did not beat, yet she felt a pang of distress. The development seemed to be within her expectations, yet also outside of them.

“Let her stay outside. When the game ends, send her out.” She hardened her heart and turned to leave. After a few steps, she added, “Hurry and make some buns to throw out. Don’t let her starve.”

“I’ll go, I’ll go!” Lai Fu immediately raised his hand, volunteering.

Looking at the hand that had just touched his tongue with disgust, Li Yuan said, “Housekeeper, you go.”

Lai Fu: “…”

Yu Yu sat at the entrance until she felt dazed. As the sky darkened and the sun set completely, the door creaked open a tiny bit. Immediately, a large basin of buns was pushed out.

Yu Yu paused, then reacted instantly, pressing herself against the door. “Let me in! I want to find Li Yuan!”

“Go back. The Eldest Miss will not see you. Follow the path down the mountain. You can rest for the night at the hotel at the foot of the hill.” The housekeeper’s voice came from behind the door. Following the basin of buns, a wallet was tossed out. It was a dark red pouch that looked quite old, filled with heavy pieces of gold and some modern pocket change.

“The Eldest Miss gave this to you. Go back.”

As soon as the housekeeper finished speaking, the sound of Yu Yu pounding on the door echoed from outside. The game was about to begin, and the door had long been under a restriction. Except for those inside and those about to enter the game, no one could open it.

The housekeeper dared not say more. He checked his watch and left the area. He had to welcome the guests. As people already part of the game, they could not overly restrict her actions; she had to find her own way out. Even if the Eldest Miss wanted to, she could not break the rules.

[Host, he has left. What should we do now?]

[We wait right here. I can’t get in, but someone can.] Yu Yu sat huffily at the entrance, feeling wronged for the first time. Everything had been fine a few days ago. She had already accepted the fact that she would leave this beautiful world tomorrow, and being suddenly kicked out was hard to take.

Since Li Yuan did not follow the script, she couldn’t be blamed for what happened next.

In a place Yu Yu could not see, four young people were laughing and talking as they got into the housekeeper’s car.

“This is my first time playing a real-life script kill. A-Yuan, why did you bring a compass?”

The man called A-Yuan pushed up his glasses. “Nothing. I just feel a compass might be useful in a place like this, right, Uncle?”

“Hahaha… as long as you find it useful.” The housekeeper smiled, driving steadily. “The place is a bit remote. We’ll stay at an inn for the night and set out tomorrow morning.”

“Is there really treasure in this ghostly place?” A red-haired girl frowned, looking at the increasing number of trees outside. “It’s all Fatso’s fault for wanting to go treasure hunting here.”

“Didn’t A-Yuan come too? Just leave it to us.” Another girl with glasses smiled, leaning on A-Yuan. “Trust me and A-Yuan. We both know a little bit about Feng Shui.”