Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess-Chapter 30 : This Is a Friend Willing to Sacrifice for You~

"How can that be?!"
As soon as Mu Qinglan's words fell, the little girl became excited, eagerly opening her mouth to shout:
"We can't leave you alone to die! If we die, we die together! We're not afraid of him!"
Jiang He also coldly uttered the words "not acceptable."
"I'll stay with you."
She was concise.
It had to be said that although Jiang He was not good with words—even to the point of having low emotional intelligence—from her outward appearance, she still had quite the aura of a cold goddess.
Somewhat similar to Shen Yao.
But she was mainly socially anxious, different from Shen Yao's iciness which stemmed from harboring great resentment.
Regardless, being told by such a beautiful girl that she would stay behind to live and die together was still quite pleasing.
It had a beauty of rapidly advancing relationships.
Unfortunately, the bad woman's true strength couldn't be witnessed by anyone; this was her foundation in this world. So she had to painfully refuse.
"I'm not going to die."
Mu Qinglan's eyes were calm, her voice without a trace of fluctuation:
"This is just the optimal solution for passing the test. The three of us together might make the pursuer hesitant, but no one knows whether the demon sent only one person in pursuit. If he has helpers, the consequences would be unimaginable."
As she spoke, her gaze turned to Bai Yuyu:
"Although your injuries have mostly healed, your previous all-out effort has still left you weak. You can't fully recover your strength in such a short time."
Bai Yuyu bit her lower lip, saying somewhat reluctantly: "I can still use it at least once more..."
"Once is not enough."
Mu Qinglan interrupted coldly.
"To pass the Human Gate, you can't have this kind of lucky mentality, because with that person in black, this Human Gate can no longer be judged by common sense!"
She unhesitatingly pushed the blame onto the dead person; after all, it couldn't be her fault.
Then her expression softened a bit:
"Besides, this is just the Human Gate after all, and you won't really die. Being eliminated here at most would only mean being weak for two or three days in reality, which is no big deal.
And this mission just asks us to deliver a letter requesting aid. As long as you carry my letter, even if I die, I'll still be able to pass in the end."
Hearing this, Jiang He couldn't help but say:
"Then I'll also hand the letter to Miss Bai and stay behind with you."
"That's not necessary."
Mu Qinglan wouldn't let this princess stay behind to disrupt her plans.
"Miss Bai's strength hasn't fully recovered, and it might not be appropriate for her to deliver the letter alone. It's more stable for you two to go together and look after each other. Besides, I can't bear to let you die."
She said softly, with a faint smile on her face.
Jiang He was stunned.
Her eyes blinked rapidly, unable to say a word.
"Then I'll stay behind to cover the retreat, and you two go ahead!" Bai Yuyu wasn't to be outdone.
"No."
Mu Qinglan felt a bit of a headache. Why were they so disobedient?
Although they were considering her welfare, she didn't need them to stay behind and slow her down right now!
"I can only sit in a carriage, which is much slower than riding a horse. If I can't stay behind, we might as well all die together. It takes only half an hour to ride at full speed from here to the neighboring city. I'm confident I can stall him for a while."
Finally, she said gravely:
"Don't disappoint me."
With words to this extent, the two young women in the carriage finally had no intention of objecting.
Bai Yuyu closed her mouth, her fingers gradually applying force, thinking that when she got out, she must get to know this Miss Qing. Even in the Human Gate test, someone willing to actively sacrifice themselves must be an extraordinary person.
She must thank her properly.
Jiang He's feelings were even more complex.
Before starting the ritual, Ning Shuyu had warned her not to trust others too easily, that until the final moment, no one knew the true face behind another's mask.
But now...
Jiang He couldn't help but secretly glance toward Mu Qinglan. This was the final moment, wasn't it?
Listen, she was willing to cover the retreat for me.
When she first heard Mu Qinglan say she would stay behind to cover the retreat, she thought: "Isn't staying behind alone just sending herself to death? I can't let my friend do this."
But listening to her explanation, Jiang He also understood that this might truly be the optimal solution for passing the test.
Just for this point alone, Jiang He could only admire Mu Qinglan's choice.
But the words that stirred her emotions the most were still—
"I can't bear to let you die."
Can't bear to... huh?
Is this what friendship is? Actually such a thing that can make people feel happy. Jiang He felt as if something in her heart was poking and prodding, spreading an emotion she couldn't quite describe.
This was something she had never experienced before.
Sweet, soft, something you wouldn't want to throw away once you had it.
"Friend..."
She looked at Mu Qinglan's delicate profile, her gaze drifting, her lips silently moving.
○
After all this analysis, the decision for later was finally made.
Mu Qinglan felt tired.
She hadn't expected these two young women, who looked so easy to deceive, to be so stubborn. Logically, when hearing that someone is willing to actively sacrifice themselves to cover your retreat, shouldn't you happily nod and say thank you? Why wouldn't they agree?
The bad woman was numb. This was just a Human Gate ritual, please don't be so filled with deep hatred and resentment.
Making it seem as if she was really going to die.
Fortunately, at least her two objectives had now been perfectly achieved.
Leaving a deep impression in Jiang He's heart, and using an appropriate reason to leave the team to obtain a perfect rating.
She might have even unintentionally achieved a third.
Leaving a deep impression on that little Miss Bai.
To be honest, Mu Qinglan felt that her explanation of staying behind to cover the retreat was perfect, especially that phrase "can't bear to," which was godly among godly, absolutely killing it.
Don't mishear; I said I can't bear to let "you" die.
It's "you."
Not others.
I just can't bear to let you, my friend, die! Even though we just met in the Human Gate, no different from Miss Bai beside you, I just have this level of unrestrained preference for you.
Yes, preference.
Love, you see, comes in many forms, but the most unbearable, the most obvious love, is only of one kind.
That is preference.
Especially the kind that's shamelessly displayed under others' gazes.
Many young girls can't withstand this type! Especially when the person who prefers you is inherently very attractive to you.
They practically can't help but fall for it immediately.
Jiang He couldn't resist either, especially since she hadn't made a single friend in all these years. After being wrapped up in such rhetoric, the little deer in her heart was now jumping and leaping, throwing a party, unable to distinguish between a good friend and someone she liked.
She was knocked senseless, as it were.
Hehehe, everything was the bad woman's conspiracy!
"Then I'll stay here!"
Mu Qinglan watched the two young women who had mounted their respective horses, smiling and nodding, her expression so calm that it didn't show at all that she was about to stay behind to cover the retreat.
Under Jiang He's reluctant gaze, the horses gradually moved further away.
The white-haired girl waved slightly, her smile bright and charming, saying her final farewell:
"See you in reality! I hope you two won't forget me then. Have a safe journey!"
—Jiang Jiang will definitely come looking for me when she gets out.
The bad woman was certain of this.
Mu Qinglan's lips slowly curled up. Against the light, a faint smile seemed to emanate from her expression.
And now, I'm going to start farming points.