The Villain I Loved Has Broken Free and Transmigrated Out of the Story - Chapter 54

“Why are you blushing again?” Cang Lanyan asked, looking down in confusion.

“Because you… said ‘hand’? Wash it,” Yin Ya reminded her quietly.

“Is that really worth being shy about?” Cang Lanyan asked, puzzled.

“Those… things are yours!” Yin Ya nearly lost her composure, hissing through gritted teeth.

After speaking, she glanced at Cang Lanyan, finally catching a flicker of realization in the merfolk’s eyes.

“In that case, we’ll wash separately from now on,” Cang Lanyan suggested. “What do you think?”

Yin Ya considered this carefully, unable to find any flaws. She reluctantly nodded but still pressed down on Cang Lanyan’s arm. “I still need to check where you hung them.”

Though she had great confidence in Cang Lanyan’s spells, she still wasn’t entirely sure the merfolk could handle such mundane tasks properly.

After all, that old spirit had nearly burned her pot to a crisp earlier that day.

The bathroom had a small balcony with large windows. Above the windows hung a clothesline, and on the floor stood a double-layered drying rack that Yin Ya had assembled herself. Unfortunately, the balcony was shaded, so small clothes usually needed to be dried for two or three days before being blown dry with a hairdryer to remove the damp smell before being put away.

Yin Ya opened the balcony door and saw her pajamas hanging on the clothesline, while Cang Lanyan’s bedsheets were neatly spread out on the drying rack, with even the bottom edges aligned perfectly. It seemed that her Major Antagonist had a bit of a perfectionist streak.

As she checked, she carefully examined the “damaged areas” on her clothes and the bedsheets, confirming no traces remained. Only then did she step out onto the balcony, lock the door, and draw the curtains. She then changed into a night sanitary pad to avoid having to wash her bedsheets during the day.

Despite her thorough preparations, Yin Ya still felt somewhat uneasy as she headed back to the bedroom.

That Old Spirit didn’t seem like someone to let things slide, especially when it came to rules, prohibitions, and physical conditions. Any perceived slight would undoubtedly give her an opportunity to settle the score.

With a sense of unease, Yin Ya pushed open the bedroom door.

Her eyes immediately fell on the empty lower bunk, and a bad feeling welled up inside her. Looking up, she saw Cang Lanyan sitting on the upper bunk, head lowered as she played with her phone.

Yin Ya opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn’t utter the self-deceptive words, “You can still sleep on a stripped bed.” Resigned, she climbed the bed ladder.

The severe punishment for “defying authority” awaited her.

After moving into this rental apartment, Yin Ya had simply thought that both the upper and lower bunks were quite spacious, with plenty of room for pillows or even a laptop desk without feeling cramped.

But when she saw Cang Lanyan sitting on the upper bunk, realizing there was still enough space for another person to lie down, she suddenly felt that a single-person bed was safer being a little smaller.

However, if the person sharing the space with her was Cang Lanyan, no matter the size, she feared Cang Lanyan would find all sorts of ways to make it work.

With this thought, Yin Ya decided to just relax and settle in, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt.

She only had two sets of flannel pajamas, and the one she was wearing was quite thin. If a cold draft got in, she might catch a cold.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Yin Ya couldn’t help but recall the day Cang Lanyan had cured her cold.

It’s like, ever since Cang Lanyan came along, these minor illnesses and aches hardly matter anymore.

Seeing her settled, Cang Lanyan turned off her phone and put it in the storage basket, then reached up to turn off the overhead light before lying down herself.

Before the Curse on the back of her neck began to heat up, Yin Ya quickly asked, “Master, I have a question! Can you suppress the Merfolk’s Delight so it doesn’t flare up?”

This time, she wasn’t asking for a complete removal, but rather a restriction.

Since the caster controls this heaven-defying binding curse, shouldn’t it be possible to suppress its effects? But would Cang Lanyan be willing to tell her how?

“There’s no need to think about it right now,” Cang Lanyan said without hesitation.

“Why not?” Yin Ya asked instinctively.

“It’s not much different from the method of release. I’d have to touch you willingly,” Cang Lanyan replied. “Unless you’ve figured out how to nullify the prohibitions.”

Yin Ya frowned deeply, clenching her teeth.

That old spirit! Always bringing up the one thing I can’t handle!

“Fine, then,” she said through gritted teeth as she turned over. “Come here.”

Before she could fully turn, a hand had already pulled her into that icy embrace.

This time, Cang Lanyan didn’t stroke her back like last night. Instead, she rested her chin on Yin Ya’s head and held her motionless.

“W-what are you doing?” Yin Ya’s unease grew, but she didn’t dare move, afraid Cang Lanyan would tighten her grip.

“I’m experimenting,” Cang Lanyan murmured. “So far, all your prohibitions prohibit direct contact. But if I touch you through clothing or hair, since hair wasn’t explicitly mentioned, I can still make contact.”

“So?” Yin Ya asked, only realizing after speaking how badly her voice trembled.

Even though she knew her body craved this Old Spirit, why was she still so afraid?

“I’m thinking of how to satisfy you even when we’re not dreaming,” Cang Lanyan said earnestly.

Sometimes Yin Ya wondered if the Old Spirit could create illusions just through her voice. Otherwise, why would images pop into her mind every time Cang Lanyan spoke? She didn’t know much about such things.

“No need to worry about me,” Yin Ya said, her face impassive as she deliberately used formal language. “Humans have invented all sorts of gadgets now. Even a single person can have plenty of fun.”

“Is that so?” Cang Lanyan asked.

“Yes. Actually, fingers are the hardest to control. Everyone’s different; nail length, bone thickness, and so on. Even custom finger guards can’t solve those problems.”

She paused. “Especially… nails. Your nails are too long and could easily scratch someone.”

“Show me pictures of those gadgets,” Cang Lanyan said.

When Yin Ya agreed to take the phone, she didn’t realize anything was wrong. She patiently searched for each item online, showing Cang Lanyan the pictures and explaining them one by one.

When she finally closed the page, Cang Lanyan asked, “Which one do you like?”

Only then did Yin Ya realize what she’d done, breaking out in a cold sweat. She quickly turned off the screen and stuffed the phone under her pillow.

“Choose one.”

A demonic voice whispered in her ear as a tendril of spiritual power curled around the phone under her pillow and presented it to her.

Cang Lanyan pressed the lock button, waited for Yin Ya’s face to be recognized, and then opened the shopping app.

“W-aren’t the dreams enough?” Yin Ya stammered.

“Everything in dreams is an illusion,” Cang Lanyan murmured. “Besides, if you want to wake up normally and go to school, you’ll have to erase the memories. Otherwise, the sensations will linger.”

Only then did Yin Ya realize she had lost all choice.

This old spirit was determined to make her pay back with interest!

She steeled herself and picked up the phone, meticulously reviewing the specifications, diagrams, and operating instructions for each model. In the end, she chose a slightly more expensive one and placed the order with her eyes closed.

She felt like she’d lost all her dignity tonight.

“The manufacturer is in the neighboring city,” the salesperson said. “It’ll take at least two days to deliver.”

After putting the phone back in its cradle, Yin Ya weakly bargained with Cang Lanyan, “Let’s agree on this: during my period, please go easy on me!”

“Of course.”

She heard Cang Lanyan’s soft chuckle, followed by a familiar hand gently resting on her back, stroking downward with the same tender care as last night.

In just a few minutes, Yin Ya felt her entire body relax, as if she’d been stroked into submission. She curled into Cang Lanyan’s embrace, murmuring softly, “Cang Lanyan.”

“Hmm?”

“Actually, I want to know… were you really happy back then?” Yin Ya asked vaguely. “I-I’ve never tried it before. If you hadn’t taught me, I probably wouldn’t have known what to do at all…”

Though she didn’t voice it, Yin Ya was inwardly itching to criticize Cang Lanyan’s teaching methods.

It was practically torture. The technique was less than one-tenth as gentle as when Cang Lanyan was “stroking her fur” for her, and it even damaged her scales. There had to be something wrong with it, unless Cang Lanyan simply preferred it that way.

To be honest, if Yin Ya hadn’t been afraid of making her angry, she would have insisted on doing it herself.

Though her lack of experience meant she couldn’t perform any advanced techniques, she was certain she could at least avoid causing Cang Lanyan the same level of discomfort she had today.

“What will you do if I say I’m happy?” Cang Lanyan suddenly asked, interrupting Yin Ya’s scattered thoughts.

“Then I’ll grant you any request,” Yin Ya replied firmly. “From now on, if you need anything, I’ll take full responsibility. But I hope next time we can use the bathroom. Drying these sheets here is taking too long.”

“Drying fabric with magic isn’t difficult,” Cang Lanyan said.

“But washing still requires a washing machine,” Yin Ya reminded her. “It wastes water and electricity, and makes noise. Here in the Human Race, water and electricity cost money. Besides, you wouldn’t want to sleep on smelly sheets, would you?”

Cang Lanyan fell silent for a few seconds before finally nodding in agreement.

Yin Ya breathed a sigh of relief and was about to shift positions and drift off to sleep when Cang Lanyan suddenly asked, “Now it’s my turn to ask you. Were you happy just now?”

This question caught Yin Ya off guard.

Truthfully, ever since she had inadvertently discovered her sexual orientation and moved out of the dormitory, she had been forced to listen to countless discussions about “10 relationships.”

It was said that the “1” party was mostly satisfied with emotional connection alone, but in reality, they still needed affection from the other party. At the time, she had never understood what this meant. But now, having personally experienced being the “1” for once, she finally had a glimmer of understanding.

This was just like how she had previously wanted to punish Cang Lanyan with a bowl of ginger soup. It was a way to derive pleasure from having her dominance temporarily satisfied, what they called “spiritual satisfaction.”

Although this satisfaction had caught her somewhat off guard and caused some trouble, she had to admit that during the process, she had still been quite happy.

Yin Ya hummed in acknowledgment and replied earnestly, “I’m very happy.”

“Good then.”

Cang Lanyan seemed to have asked out of curiosity. After receiving this mild response, she continued stroking Yin Ya’s hair.

Unbeknownst to Yin Ya, Cang Lanyan was still pondering the question she had asked during dinner:

“Why did you choose me?”

More than anything, Cang Lanyan wanted to understand why the God favored her.

Through her recent interactions with the God and her growing understanding of the “novel,” she realized that her creation required specific “characterization.”

This characterization encompassed her experiences, abilities, race, and appearance.

The God’s favor made her unique among all characters. Even the protagonists, who were never depicted in illustrations, let alone having their images set as the God’s desktop wallpaper.

Yin Ya believed her appearance wasn’t significantly different from her kin, nor was she notably superior to the two protagonists. So why, in a book teeming with characters, had the God chosen an unremarkable girl like her as the object of her affection?

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