Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 48.1

As the absorbed spiritual energy grew increasingly dense, the branches and leaves of the Luanwei flower trembled slightly, and a small flower bud emerged beside the lowest branch.

A flicker of delight appeared in Huo Yuwan’s eyes when she saw it. She furrowed her brows slightly and circulated the cultivation technique within her body, carefully guiding the faint fragrance drifting from the tip of the flower bud.

As she inhaled the fragrance, Li Xuzhi’s breathing gradually steadied, and Huo Yuwan felt a wave of relief in her heart. Her hands continued to channel spiritual energy into the Luanwei flower without pause.

However, the spiritual energy she channeled afterward was no longer absorbed by the flower. The intervention of spiritual energy could only achieve this much. Fortunately, Li Xuzhi’s complexion had turned rosy, and the temperature of her palms was no longer as icy cold.

“The flower bud in its current state can already emit fragrance. From now on, keeping the flower in the room will allow its scent to replace medicine, nourishing her body.”

The fox spirit trotted over to the flowerpot and sniffed. The gentle fragrance made it unconsciously stretch its limbs in relaxation.

Huo Yuwan nodded and withdrew her slightly stiff and cold palms. The Cold Wood Spring Blossom cultivation technique originally involved the mutual suppression and fusion of two opposing spiritual energies. However, the energy she had been channeling into the Luanwei flower relied solely on one type, while the other had been suppressed and sealed for a long time. This imbalance in her spiritual energy manifested most directly as a slight drop in her body temperature.

As she flexed her slightly stiff palms, Huo Yuwan glanced at Li Xuzhi’s calm, sleeping face. When she reached out to touch her cheek, she noticed the exposed fair skin of her shoulders.

Not only that, parts of her collarbone and waist were also visible. In her earlier haste, she had merely draped the clothes haphazardly over Li Xuzhi. Now, upon closer inspection, she saw that the hems and sleeves were tangled, the shirt and jacket indistinguishable, creating a disheveled mess.

“Sleeping with clothes tangled all over must be terribly uncomfortable. How could she rest well like this?”

“Either take them off or redress her properly. What do you think?”

The fox spirit, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle, offered its suggestion with a serious expression before wiggling its rear and happily scampering out of the room. It simply couldn’t bear to watch the Young Fate Master’s sluggish progress in pursuing her beloved any longer, it had to stir things up and lend a helping paw!

Hearing the fox spirit’s words, Huo Yuwan instinctively nodded. Her fingertips rested on the fabric at Li Xuzhi’s neck, then paused. She averted her gaze slightly, took a deep breath, and carefully began to remove the clothes from her body.

When her fingertips brushed against the delicate skin, Huo Yuwan’s heart trembled. Her ears flushed red as she quickly pulled the nearby quilt over to cover Li Xuzhi.

Just as she straightened up to leave, Li Xuzhi on the bed let out a soft groan. Her body curled slightly, and her cheek, turned to the side, came to rest against the back of Huo Yuwan’s hand.

Warm breaths brushed between her fingers. Huo Yuwan, bent over and frozen in place, couldn’t help but soften her gaze even more. Her fingers twitched gently, then slowly lifted to stroke Li Xuzhi’s cheek lightly.

Fair, soft, and smooth to the touch.

She was still asleep. Huo Yuwan’s lips curved into a faint smile as she carefully leaned over to adjust the quilt corner that had slipped on the other side.

But the hand resting against Li Xuzhi didn’t dare move, and her bent posture made the task of fixing the quilt corner rather challenging.

Just as she cautiously managed to grasp the inner corner of the quilt, her chest was suddenly tugged by Li Xuzhi’s grasp. Caught off guard, Huo Yuwan was pulled forward by the force and tumbled directly onto her.

Her lips pressed against the corner of Li Xuzhi’s mouth, and in that brief collision, she caught a faint metallic taste of blood on her tongue.

The hand that had been clutching the edge of the quilt, caught off guard, ended up pulling most of it aside. Her upper body, separated only by a thin layer of fabric, was now pressed tightly against Li Xuzhi’s.

Outside the window, the fox spirit was excitedly chasing butterflies, its cheerful cries filling the air. Yet, in the room just a wall away, only the sound of two breaths remained in the quiet. The faint, almost imperceptible fragrance of the Luanwei flowers on the windowsill drifted through the air. Li Xuzhi, pinned beneath her, grew increasingly flushed.

“Aren’t you going to get up?”

Her fingers gripping the bedsheets had turned white from the strain, and the corners of Li Xuzhi’s eyes were tinged with red. She lowered her gaze, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she spoke, her voice as cool and composed as ever.

With every breath, the familiar, deeply ingrained scent of Li Xuzhi washed over Huo Yuwan, making her unconsciously press her lips together. The slight dampness of her lips made direct contact once more.

In that instant, she felt Li Xuzhi’s body stiffen.

Pressing her palm against the bed, Huo Yuwan slowly rose. The earlier collision had left her lips stained with a hint of crimson, and her eyes, reacting involuntarily, were veiled with a thin layer of moisture. Through this hazy vision, she caught the hidden mix of embarrassment and anger in Li Xuzhi’s gaze.

Her heart raced uncontrollably, and Huo Yuwan felt a pang of guilt.

“It wasn’t on purpose… I was just trying to cover you with the quilt, really, I’m not lying…” Under Li Xuzhi’s gaze, she offered a feeble explanation.

In their current positions, one above, the other below, the pale buttons of her shirt brushed lightly against her skin, the cool metal sending a shiver through her. Li Xuzhi’s eyes grew misty.

She snatched the quilt back from Huo Yuwan, pulling it tightly over herself before turning to face the wall.

Her voice, when she spoke again, carried a chill of utter embarrassment and irritation.

“Got it. Get out.”

Afraid she had truly angered her, Huo Yuwan hurriedly scrambled off the bed and dashed out of the room, making sure to close the door behind her.

On the bed, Li Xuzhi clutched the quilt tightly, her eyes shut, her chest heaving with a mix of frustration and shame.

Only after the sound of the door closing faded did she slowly calm down and begin to recall everything.

Huo Yuwan had saved her again…

As the memory of what had just happened surfaced, she instinctively raised a hand to her chest. The steady, powerful heartbeat she had felt pressed against her moments earlier lingered in her mind. Li Xuzhi furrowed her brow, her expression weary as she lowered her gaze.

The lingering warmth and dampness at the corner of her mouth remained, and she dared not touch it. Nor did she dare to guess what had motivated Huo Yuwan to act that way.

But for Li Xuzhi herself, all the swirling thoughts in her mind ultimately condensed into a single sentence:

She was the one corrupting Huo Yuwan…

…

When Huo Yuwan ran out of the room, her cheeks were still flushed, and her heart was beating far too fast.

She hurried to the kitchen, her face burning as she sat in front of the stove, staring blankly at the steaming iron pot. Her dazed expression resembled that of a girl newly fallen in love.

“Ouch!”

Distractedly feeding firewood into the stove, she nearly singed her hand on the flames.

“That hurts.”

Clutching her slightly scorched fingertips, her muddled mind finally began to clear.

Carrying a stool to sit at the kitchen door, Huo Yuwan leaned against the doorframe, gazing at the clouds on the horizon as she recalled the soft sensation against her chest. Unable to help herself, she lowered her head and chuckled foolishly.

It was no wonder she was so excited. She hadn’t even won her beloved’s heart yet, and even the slightest intimate contact was enough to leave her craving more.

“My lady, could you please have a little more dignity?”

The fox spirit, having given up on chasing butterflies, couldn’t stand seeing her like this. It wondered if the soul in this world was too fragile, as Huo Yuwan seemed deeply influenced by her current personality.

Of course, her innocence in the face of Li Xuzhi remained unchanged.

“Have you considered whether, in this era, any woman would be able to accept this kind of relationship?”

Doused with cold water, Huo Yuwan froze. She blinked, then her expression turned dejected and worried.

“You’re right. She must have been frightened by me. Will she start to avoid me now?”

Rubbing her head in frustration, Huo Yuwan realized she had been utterly bewitched by momentary allure. The thought that Li Xuzhi might ignore her because of this made her heart ache.

“If only I had been quicker and gentler when taking off my clothes earlier, covered her with the blanket, and run away immediately. Then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

Now, with just one kiss, she might lose her beloved.

What a loss.

“Your words sound like a post-mortem analysis of a flower thief caught in the act…”

The fox spirit awkwardly scratched its head with a paw.

Huo Yuwan fell silent. In truth, ever since arriving in this world, she had considered that if Li Xuzhi truly couldn’t accept her feelings, she would silently remain by her side as a friend. After all, it was only a few decades, she could wait.

Yet, for some reason, the mere thought of that scenario filled her with sorrow.

At lunchtime, Li Xuzhi never emerged. Huo Yuwan paced outside her room for a long time but ultimately didn’t dare disturb her. She set aside lunch, covering it with a cloth, then returned to her own room to study.

Winning her beloved’s heart was important, but ensuring her survival through studying and earning money couldn’t be neglected either.

About an hour later, Huo Yuwan took her teacup outside to pour some tea, deliberately passing by Li Xuzhi’s room. But she found neither Li Xuzhi nor the fox spirit there.

The dog leash that had been in the corner was gone. Clearly, the two had quietly slipped out to school without making a sound. Huo Yuwan smiled wryly.

The vast courtyard was empty and silent. Though Huo Yuwan had grown accustomed to solitude before, she suddenly felt unsettled.

“Enough overthinking. Focusing on studies is the happiest thing.”

She comforted herself half-heartedly, then poured a cup of tea and headed to the neighbouring laboratory. The missile simulator she had been working on at school yesterday was only half-finished. Her first attempt had its flaws, and she wanted to improve it.

Jotting down experimental steps and precautions in her notebook, Huo Yuwan retrieved new materials from a bamboo basket in the corner, ready to start over.

But just as she put on her gloves, she heard movement outside, followed by a light knock as the half-open door was pushed wider.

“Who are you?”

Looking at the unfamiliar girl standing at the door, Huo Yuwan scratched her head in confusion.

“My name is Qian Wanwan. It’s nice to meet you.”

The girl with a high ponytail and a floral dress walked in with a sunny smile, extending her hand toward Huo Yuwan in greeting.

“Hello, Huo.”

“Classmate?”

Huo Yuwan shook her hand lightly, looking a bit puzzled.

“Well, I also graduated from City Middle School and am now studying at Nanyu University. I heard you have a great talent for physics and even developed your own simulator. I’m very interested in the simulator you made, so I wanted to come and get to know you.”

As she spoke, she wore a smile and her tone was sincere, giving off a friendly and approachable vibe.

“By the way, I’m also quite good at physics and have some insights into aerospace engineering. If you don’t mind, we could discuss it together.”

Huo Yuwan felt a stir of interest. She had always worked in isolation and rarely exchanged ideas with peers her age—except for Sun Chuanlu, whom she’d met at school yesterday. Thinking it was just a casual student exchange, she ended up being tricked into a heap of trouble.

Since they both shared an interest in physics and the other had gone out of her way to visit her at home with such sincerity…

With that thought, she nodded. “Sure, I’m currently calculating the experimental deviations from yesterday’s simulator and planning to build a new one. If you’re interested, you can take a look and offer some guidance.”

Experiments were all about learning from repeated failures, and she was curious to see if she could gain some different perspectives.

“Great, I’ll just observe then.” Qian Wanwan smiled and stepped closer to her.

Huo Yuwan let her watch while she focused intently on her experiment.

“I don’t think you should do it this way here.”

Qian Wanwan pointed at a step she had just completed. Interrupted, Huo Yuwan paused and glanced at her notebook—she was sure she hadn’t made a mistake.

“We have different opinions, but you can use other materials to try it yourself and see whose conclusion is correct.”

Gesturing toward the bamboo basket in the corner filled with materials, Huo Yuwan continued with her work.

“Alright.”

Shrugging in acceptance, Qian Wanwan gathered some materials, put on gloves, and started her own experiment.

The two worked quietly without disturbing each other, the only sounds in the lab being the faint clinks of instruments.

Outside, the sky had unknowingly darkened. Huo Yuwan was the first to take off her protective goggles, fiddling with the small, intricate simulator with a satisfied smile.

“I’ve finished.”

A few minutes later, Qian Wanwan also stopped what she was doing, shaking her head helplessly.

“You were right. With my approach, it was impossible to proceed further.”

Looking at the model in her hand that could only spin in place on the table, she openly admitted her mistake.

Huo Yuwan picked up the notebook she used for recording, filled with dense but clearly organized formulas and theories.

“Your approach is quite unique. If you adjust this part, the simulator will use much less material.”

Huo Yuwan mused thoughtfully.

Hearing this, Qian Wanwan laughed without reservation. “So, my ideas do have some merit after all.”

“You’re very skilled and have taught me a lot too.” Rubbing her eyes, strained from overuse throughout the afternoon, she wore a bright, cheerful smile.

“You know that students with good grades have the chance to be recommended for university, right? I hope to see you at Nanyu University in the future.” She patted Huo Yuwan’s shoulder.

“Okay.” Huo Yuwan paused for a moment, then nodded seriously.

Nanyu University, located in the capital, was the country’s most prestigious institution of higher education.

After seeing Qian Wanwan off, Huo Yuwan returned to the lab and carefully studied the experimental notes she had left behind. Based on the data, she revised the simulator that had previously failed to take off.

After a while, watching the model soar straight toward the ceiling, Huo Yuwan couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for Qian Wanwan.

Her initial approach had been entirely correct. With just a few adjustments, the simulator not only gained more power but also used a third less material.

…

By the time Huo Yuwan left the lab, she noticed the sky outside had darkened, with the moon bright and stars sparse. Li Xuzhi had already returned, and the fox spirit was quietly crouching by the kitchen door. When it spotted Huo Yuwan, it let out an excited cry.

Anxiety and guilt once again crept into Huo Yuwan’s heart. Thinking that whether she faced it head-on or avoided it, the outcome would be the same, she steeled herself. After quickly washing her hands, she hurried to the kitchen and sidled up to Li Xuzhi.

Taking the potato Li Xuzhi had just picked up, she spoke cautiously, “Let me do it…”

As she crouched on the ground peeling the potato, Huo Yuwan glanced guiltily at Li Xuzhi. “About what happened at noon…”

“Thank you for saving me again at noon,” Li Xuzhi interrupted, her expression calm as she bent over to stir the porridge in the pot.

Relieved that Li Xuzhi was still willing to speak to her, Huo Yuwan felt a surge of joy.

But then it occurred to her that Li Xuzhi hadn’t mentioned the incident—perhaps she hadn’t given that accidental kiss a second thought. After all, in Li Xuzhi’s eyes, she was just a kid, a student, a little sister. Or maybe Li Xuzhi didn’t even realize that something could happen between two women.

At that thought, Huo Yuwan’s joy faded, leaving only disappointment and bitterness.

They had dinner in the courtyard, sitting opposite each other at a small wooden round table placed in the center. Under the moonlight and starlight, the atmosphere remained warm and bright.

After cleaning up the dishes, Li Xuzhi went back to her room for a moment and returned with a black porcelain bottle, sitting down again on a stool in the courtyard.

Huo Yuwan tried to examine the bottle in the dim light but couldn’t make out the inscription before Li Xuzhi unscrewed the cap, releasing a rich aroma of liquor.

“You’re going to drink?” Huo Yuwan asked, surprised and hesitant.

Glancing at her, Li Xuzhi nodded. “Do you want some?”

Quickly stopping her from pouring the liquor, Huo Yuwan shook her head. “I won’t drink, and you shouldn’t either.”

What was an asthma patient doing drinking?

Looking at Huo Yuwan’s hand covering hers, Li Xuzhi gave a vague nod. “You’re right, you can’t drink. You’re still too young.”

Then she picked up the bottle and stood to go back to her room.

Huo Yuwan, feeling slightly offended, could tell Li Xuzhi intended to sneak off and drink alone. She quickly grabbed Li Xuzhi’s sleeve and conceded, “Fine, drink here. Just a little. If you get dizzy, I can take care of you.”

After a pause, she added stubbornly, “I’m not that young. I’ll be sixteen after the New Year. In the village, some girls my age already have children.”

Upon hearing this, Li Xuzhi frowned slightly, her tone carrying a hint of cold sharpness.

“You can’t get married this early.”

Meeting Huo Yuwan’s startled expression, she pressed her lips together and explained further, “The legal minimum age for a woman to marry is eighteen.”

“I know,” Huo Yuwan replied, “I just wanted to tell you that I’m not that young anymore. I know what I should know, and even what I shouldn’t.”

After saying this with a meaningful tone, Huo Yuwan turned around and snickered as she headed to the kitchen to fetch two small bowls.

Watching her retreating figure, Li Xuzhi lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable under the night sky.

Huo Yuwan carefully poured a small amount of liquor into each bowl, just enough to cover the bottom. She handed one to Li Xuzhi and then picked up the other, cautiously bringing it to her nose to sniff.

The liquor was a genuine grain brew, rich and aromatic, with a moderate alcohol content.

She didn’t intend to drink much, only wanting to keep an eye on Li Xuzhi to make sure she didn’t overindulge and feel unwell.

Seeing the meager amount in the bowl, Li Xuzhi said nothing but glanced at Huo Yuwan, who was only smelling the liquor without drinking. Then, she picked up the enamel bowl and downed the contents in one go.

After each sip, Huo Yuwan would refill it, always with just a mouthful, strictly controlling the amount.

Li Xuzhi drank one mouthful after another, her gaze still clear. Meanwhile, Huo Yuwan, sitting beside her, found herself increasingly tempted by the growing intensity of the liquor’s aroma.

Picking up her own bowl, she pursed her lips and then, mimicking Li Xuzhi, threw her head back and drank it all in one go.

“Cough, cough… so spicy…”

She clutched her throat, her face contorted in discomfort.

Seeing this, Li Xuzhi calmly poured her a cup of warm water and shook her head softly.

“And you still claim you’re not a child.”

Huo Yuwan was momentarily at a loss for a retort. It was her first time drinking baijiu. Although she had learned to drink in her previous life, it was mostly wine and champagne, nothing as fiery as this liquor.

Determined to change Li Xuzhi’s perception of her, Huo Yuwan poured herself another bowl.

“That was my first time, I had no experience. This time, it’ll be fine.”

Unaware that she was already feeling the effects, Huo Yuwan took a deep breath and downed the bowl in one go again.

Suppressing the burning sensation in her throat, she casually placed the enamel bowl on the table and, with a slurred speech, proudly boasted to Li Xuzhi.

“S-see? I told you I can drink.”

Li Xuzhi looked at her flushed, drunken face and responded with a noncommittal smile.

“You’re already drunk.”

She poured herself half a bowl of liquor and took a small sip.

“But I’m not drunk yet,” she murmured softly after swallowing.

“Sister, don’t overthink it. Trust me,” Huo Yuwan mumbled drowsily, leaning lazily against Li Xuzhi’s shoulder. “Everything will be fine, your illness, and everything else. It’ll all be okay.”

Under the moonlight and starlight, her fair, intoxicated cheeks still bore a radiant smile.

“I told you, you can’t handle it.”

Li Xuzhi shook her head helplessly but made no move to shift Huo Yuwan’s head from her shoulder.

In response, Huo Yuwan, nestled against her, shook her head with her eyes closed.

“I can drink. I’ll accompany you in anything you do… Huo Yuwan will never, ever give up on… Li Xuzhi.”

Unfortunately, the last three words were too slurred for Li Xuzhi to make out. Hearing her speak, he simply lowered his gaze and shook his head.

“Asthma can’t be cured, and…” Her eyes grew distant as she looked up at the starry night sky, “I can’t go back anymore.”

After hanging up the call with her father that day, she received a phone call from Li Qizhi’s mother.