USWHC -Chapter 478 In Disarray (Part 8)

The weak candle flame flickered—snuffed out for a moment before flaring back to life. A gust of wind and rain swept in, making Zhu Jie shiver. She turned instinctively toward the draft and saw a shadow sway briefly.

Frowning, she reached out on reflex, but before she could grab anything, the figure suddenly leapt in front of her, grinning shamelessly. “Kept you waiting? Miss me?”

Hearing that cheeky, thick-skinned laugh, Zhu Jie couldn’t help but smile inwardly. She punched him hard and scolded, “Where the hell did you go? You had me worried sick!”

But then she suddenly wrinkled her nose, covering her mouth. “What is that smell? It’s awful!”

Ji Yi sniffed himself and immediately frowned. “Isn’t it because of your sister? She kept throwing herself at me—got me completely filthy!”

“What did you just say?” Zhu Jie’s eyes widened as she grabbed his ear. “Say that again! What exactly were you doing?”

“Ow, ow! Why are you so into pulling ears lately?” Ji Yi yelped. “What else could I be doing? Cleaning up your mess, obviously!”

Hearing that, Zhu Jie twisted his ear even harder, making him bare his teeth in pain. “No, seriously, I didn’t do anything! Didn’t you say thieves don’t return empty-handed? I just followed your instructions!”

“So?” Zhu Jie said through gritted teeth.

“So I dumped her outside the city!” Ji Yi hurriedly replied.

“And then?” Zhu Jie’s voice turned cold.

“And then…” Ji Yi sighed. “You have no idea—your sister is nothing like you. She’s completely hopeless at surviving! The moment she woke up, she started shouting at everyone: ‘I’m a princess!’”

Zhu Jie burst out laughing. That was exactly Princess Lanyi’s style. “And then?” she asked, loosening her grip on his ear.

“Then people just thought she was crazy!” Ji Yi said, rubbing his ear and laughing. “You should’ve seen how miserable she looked!”

“I can imagine,” Zhu Jie said, unable to hold back her laughter. Covered in cow dung—how could she not look miserable?

“But she was wearing such luxurious clothes. Even if people hesitated, they wouldn’t immediately think she was insane, right?” Zhu Jie asked doubtfully.

Ji Yi shrugged. “Blame Old Liao. He said your sister was too pretty to be lying there alone—it might be dangerous—so he ‘helped’ her with a bit of makeup.”

“Makeup?” Zhu Jie blinked. “Didn’t look like it.”

“She washed it off?” Ji Yi paused, confused. “Well, with all that mud on her, she couldn’t exactly show her face. Maybe she cleaned up before coming back to you.”

“Mud? You were the ones who smeared mud on her face?” Zhu Jie imagined Princess Lanyi’s proud dimples turned into muddy pits and burst into giggles.

Ji Yi grinned wickedly. “Not just her face—we thoroughly ‘decorated’ her clothes too! You should’ve seen how pathetic she looked. A princess? Anyone who saw her would think she was a lunatic!”

“You guys are really something,” Zhu Jie said, clearly enjoying the story. “So what happened later? How did she get found?”

Ji Yi suddenly sighed, turning serious. “She’s still just a kid. Honestly, it was pitiful—she nearly got humiliated. If I hadn’t been worried and secretly followed her, you’d probably be crying by now.”

“Crying? Please.” Zhu Jie sneered. “Don’t be fooled by her age—she’s vicious. Ever since we were little, she’s loved competing with me. Always trying to outdo me. Even the title of ‘number one beauty’—she wants that too. Ridiculous, isn’t it? She even thinks if she’d been born two years earlier and grown up sooner, there’d be no place for me!”

Ji Yi replied seriously, “Then she’s bound to be disappointed. Even if she’d been born seven or eight years earlier, she’d still have no chance. My wife is the true number one beauty. If she wanted to beat you, she’d have to go back a few more decades!”

Seeing his earnest expression paired with such blatant flattery, Zhu Jie burst out laughing. “You really know how to sweet-talk me.”

Despite her words, her whole demeanor softened. She carefully helped him remove his dirty clothes and said gently, “These clothes are probably ruined.”

“Yeah, my back’s probably covered in cow dung,” Ji Yi said with a grin.

Zhu Jie lifted the garment to take a closer look, but the moment she did, she cried out in alarm, “Why are your clothes torn?”

“Huh? Maybe your sister ripped them,” Ji Yi said casually.

“But there’s a huge hole!” Zhu Jie exclaimed. “It’s like a whole piece of fabric is missing!”