I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

The howling wind swept across the land, carrying with it the crisp sound of breaking branches, the groaning of the wooden roof that could no longer bear the weight, and the loud crash of windowpanes slamming against the frame.

Faintly, one could hear ghostly howls intertwined with human cries of pain, adding to the ominous atmosphere of the storm.

The boundaries between heaven and earth blurred in the raging wind and rain, and even the most majestic mountains were hidden in the darkness that seemed to swallow the world.

The air inside was so heavy it felt like you could wring water out of it, and every breath felt exceptionally heavy.

Koleta sat upright on the living room sofa with her arms crossed.

The girl maintained her usual elegance, but upon closer observation, one would notice a slight difference from her usual demeanor—her fingers were stirring the coffee with more force than usual, and her knuckles were slightly white.

She picked up the glass and slowly drew circles in the dark brown liquid with her silver spoon until the trace of the last sugar cube completely dissolved.

Duanmu Yan stood before her with his head bowed, silent as a mountain.

Abu, with his head bowed, knelt motionless on the coffee table like a small statue awaiting judgment.

"Cat's eye stone." The girl's voice was very soft, like a feather falling, without the slightest ripple. But it was precisely this excessive calmness that made the anger permeating the air even more chilling.

"Didn't you say yesterday that you and Abu were watching TV at home?" The silver spoon lightly touched the rim of the cup, making a crisp sound. "Then why have I waited here all night and not seen a trace of you?"

Duanmu Yan looked embarrassed.

Why would the Second Miss suddenly come to my place?

Didn't I say I was going to rest before the call ended yesterday?

Why did you suddenly come to check up on me without saying a word?

"...So why should I kneel too?"

Abu muttered under his breath, twisting his body in a wronged manner.

Although it didn't know what had happened, judging from the strange atmosphere, it must be because of Duanmu Yan that it had been implicated for no reason.

"Yes, why is that?"

Although the muttering was as soft as breathing, every word reached Colletta's ears.

She turned her head and looked at Abu with a smile.

But that smile sent chills down your spine.

"Why don't you guess why you have to kneel too?" Her voice was as sweet as honey, but it made Abu's hair stand on end. "Do you remember what I said when I bought you so many snacks?"

"I……"

Abu scratched his head nervously with his little paws. The memory suddenly became clear—the mountains of cakes and puddings, the exchange being that he keep an eye on Duanmu Yan to prevent him from flirting with other women.

"Um... I forgot." It shrank its neck, quickly disclaiming any responsibility. "But what happened yesterday really wasn't my fault! I didn't even want to watch TV!"

"Oh?" Koleta gracefully crossed her legs, the sound of rain outside the window becoming the accompaniment to her question. "So where did you all go yesterday? Why do you all... carry the same unfamiliar fragrance?"

Koleta took a small sip of coffee, letting the bitterness spread on her tongue. Her gaze finally settled on Duanmu Yan, her eyes deep and intense.

“Especially you, Cat's Eye. You didn't take a bath in the perfume pool last night, did you?”

"—Gurgle."

Duanmu Yan subconsciously swallowed.

Cantrellis smells so good!

I mean, her room and bedroom, and those incense sticks, after spending the night there, the scent had already seeped onto him.

"Um, Second Miss?"

"Yes, go ahead, I'm listening."

"Actually, yesterday..."

At this point, Duanmu Yan's voice suddenly stopped.

As the saying goes, a person with a straight body has nothing to fear from a crooked shadow.

Nothing actually happened between him and Cantrella yesterday, and he even indirectly saved Laguna.

I have a clear conscience and should not act so humbly in front of Colette.

Well, it's not entirely fair to say that.

After all, he and Cantrela...

We should have slept in the same bed last night.

Duanmu Yan, adhering to the principle of "better to avoid trouble than to cause trouble," originally did not intend to let Koleta know that he had gone to the Fesari family to meet Cantrela.

After all, Mortari and Fesari had a long-standing feud, and Coreta was unaware of the responsibilities Cantrela bore, as well as the abyss and torment she faced.

But given the current situation, it can no longer be concealed.

He took a deep breath and finally made up his mind.

"The thing is like this..."

Clenching his teeth, he laid out everything that had happened the previous night to Coleta.

Koleta's initially gloomy expression gradually turned serious as Duanmu Yan narrated. She gently stroked her fair chin with her hand, nodding slightly from time to time.

Of course, Duanmu Yan didn't reveal everything.

He concealed the fact that he had shared a bed with Cantrell yesterday.

"So, you went to resolve the crisis of the Fesari family at her invitation to repay Cantrellella for her previous help?" Koleta pursed her lips, lost in thought.

“The true face of the Lord of the Year, the legacy of Fesalie, the invasion of the Ming Shi…” she repeated these keywords in a low voice, “I never thought that the secret that the Motari family had been pursuing for so many years was actually in the hands of Fesalie.”

"But……"

As she finished speaking, Koleta looked up at Duanmu Yan again, but this time her gaze was filled with more complex emotions.

"This level of secrecy is something that perhaps not many people even within the Fesari family know. So why would Cantrela specifically tell you all of this?"

Duanmu Yan shook his head: "I don't know either. In short, Second Miss, these secrets... are too shocking. The power of the cultivation association is still enormous, so you should not tell anyone else for the time being."

“Of course I know.” Koleta’s gaze drifted to the rain-soaked streets outside the window, her voice becoming ethereal. “With the traitor within the family still alive, I won’t act rashly. The current Laguna is not ready to accept such a truth.”

"But... even knowing all this, we can't change the situation for now. Fine, let's leave it at that that you went to the Fesari family without telling me."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Yan's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little.

"but--"

A few muffled claps of thunder rolled across the horizon, and the sudden rain was torn into wispy dust by the wind, spreading outwards from the window.

A cool smile curved Koleta's lips as she gently pushed the terminal in front of him.

"Shouldn't you explain this?" She tapped the screen lightly with her fingertip. "What does this sentence mean?"

Duanmu Yan stared blankly down at the screen—it was the communication interface between him and Koleta.

Late last night, a message from the second young lady was accompanied by the following reply.

Shh, he's already asleep.

Upon seeing those words, Duanmu Yan felt as if struck by lightning. (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the initial statement.)

Volume 1: Chapter 132 The Pinnacle of Intellectual Struggle

Holy crap, Cantrela!

she……

When did she send this message using my device?

How come I have absolutely no recollection of this?

Could it be that it happened after I fell asleep?

The "Saintess" feigns sleep, engaging in a battle of wits at the pinnacle...

Duanmu Yan was already drenched in sweat.

No, why would Cantrell use my terminal to send such a message to the Second Miss?

Isn't this pushing me completely into the abyss?

Was Cantrell did it on purpose?

It was definitely intentional!

Duanmu Yan could even imagine how interesting the expression on Cantrell's face must have been when she typed those words.

did not expect……

Cantrella has this kind of wicked sense of humor.

"Hmm? Why aren't you saying anything?" Koleta was clearly smiling, but the chill in her eyes was almost tangible. "Cat's Eye Stone, aren't you going to explain? Who sent me this message...?"

She leaned forward slightly, her voice as soft as a whisper: "It can't be you, can it? But if it really is you, why use the term 'he'?"

Duanmu Yan's lips trembled uncontrollably twice.

He was currently racking his brains, trying to figure out how to overcome the current predicament with some clever ideas.

"I……"

He stammered for a long time, his throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton, unable to string together a single complete sentence.

In the midst of his flustered gaze, he suddenly caught sight of Abu kneeling on the coffee table, and a flash of inspiration struck him.

"Actually, this was Abu's reply for me!"

He regretted it as soon as he finished speaking—the excuse was so lame that even he didn't believe it.

His voice was weak and his hair was disheveled; his eyes darted around aimlessly, and anyone could tell that he was feeling guilty.

Abu, who was standing to the side, suddenly raised his head, his round eyes wide open, and looked at Duanmu Yan with disbelief.

After receiving the frantic signals from the other party, its little brain finally caught on.

Abu took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and turned to Koleta, nodding solemnly.

"Well, I did it."

"Oh?" Koleta sized up the two flustered accomplices, not immediately exposing their flawed lie, but instead gently pushed the terminal in front of Abu. "Then Abu, try sending another message right now in front of me?"

"for this I……"

Abu stared at the terminal suddenly handed to him, then glanced frantically at Duanmu Yan for help.

Seeing that the other party had no other choice, it had no choice but to bite the bullet and stretch out its little paws to swipe randomly on the virtual screen.

But the blinking cursor and characters were like gibberish to it; after working for a long time, it couldn't even type a single complete word.

"What's wrong, Abu?" Koleta's voice was so gentle it was unsettling. "Can't you even type such a simple sentence?"

Abu's ears turned bright red, and finally, he hung his head in shame and confessed in a voice barely audible.

"...I'm sorry, I can't actually read."

Duanmu Yan: "?"

His expression at that moment seemed to say: We've been together day and night for so long, and you're only telling me this now?

Before he finished speaking, Abu had already transformed into a golden light and "whooshed" back into Duanmu Yan's voice trail.

"Um... there's nothing else for me to do now, so I'll go back to sleep!"

Only its guilty echo remained in the air.

Suddenly, only the two of them were left in the living room.

A subtle silence spread through the sound of rain, making every second seem exceptionally long.

"Oh dear..." Koleta gently swung her long legs, her gaze fixed firmly on Duanmu Yan. "It's just a simple question, is it really that hard to say? You even have to make Abu take the blame for you—"

"Cat's Eye Stone, when did you become so dishonest?"

"Second Miss, please let me explain! Actually, I..."

Duanmu Yan's brain was working frantically.

How to do?

Now how to do?

Is it really impossible to keep it a secret any longer?