To Love the Gentle Moon - Lan Xichen X Reader

Journey to Gusu - Part 5

A/N - Hello all how is everyone doing ?? Hope the weekend went well. Here's your happiness bundle in the form of two chapters. My brain shouldn't stop and I couldn't stop myself from writing. I had initially wanted to get them to cloud Recesses in this chapter itself, but couldn't. So I ended up writing two whole chapters...
Go ahead and enjoy the double update!!!

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After her talk with Wuxian, Yuemei finally allowed herself to relax. It was a relief to have some time alone, not that she didn't like talking to him, but she needed to gather her thoughts and refine her plans, again. Last night she had fallen asleep without planning much, after the sudden mental breakdown she had in her room. Now she needed to think clearly and strategize if she wanted to succeed in shaping a better world.

Who was she kidding?

She wasn't just planning for a better world-she was planning a full-scale takeover of the cultivation world. A world where people would finally be happy, even if it meant a few casualties along the way. She wasn't a saint, and she had never pretended to be one. Which she thought was going to be a problem as she now lives in the body of another female. While she still didn't know what the real Yuemei had been like, no one had questioned her so far. No one had looked at her with suspicion, as if she had suddenly become a different person overnight. It was good news in her eyes, except it wasn't. There was one whom she often saw look at her with a puzzled expression.

Li Jianhong.

Even now that blasted handsome faces guy was looking her like she had drowned his beloved pet.

What is wrong with that guy? Ugh... stupid handsome people staring at her..

She wasn't the only one who noticed. Wuxian, ever perceptive, had caught on to the lingering stares as well and simply waved her off before turning his attention to one of her shidi.

Yuemei huffed, pushing herself to her feet. Carefully balancing herself against the gentle sway of the boat, she made her way toward Li Jianhong, who stood alone at the bow. Without hesitation, she adjusted herself beside him, leaving only a small gap between them.

A few people glanced their way, but she ignored them.

She had more important things to focus on.

Yuemei had been aware of Li Jianhong's gaze on her for a while now. At first, she ignored it, assuming it was nothing more than idle observation. But when it continued-subtle, searching, almost wary-she began to wonder if he had realized something.

Did he suspect she wasn't the real Yuemei?

She had been careful. She didn't know how the original Yuemei behaved, but until now, no one had questioned her actions. And yet, if there was one person who might have noticed a change, it would be someone like Li Jianhong-observant, steady, and apparently, not one to let things go easily.

So, when she caught him looking at her for the umpteenth time, she decided to face the issue head-on.

Yuemei looked at him, her tone light but probing. "You've been staring a lot, Shixiong. Do I have something on my face?"

Li Jianhong stiffened, his gaze flickering away, as if caught in the act. "No," he said shortly.

She raised an eyebrow. That was suspicious. "Then what is it?"

"It's nothing." His voice was tight, reluctant.

Yuemei narrowed her eyes. If he was refusing to talk, that meant there was something. And that, more than anything, made her uneasy. What had she done? What had he noticed? Did she slip up ? Or was she different from the original Yuemei and he noticed it ? It can't be. Because that would mean Minghao would have noticed it far earlier. Maybe she forgot something else about her relationship with Shixiong.