Chapter Sixty-Three: A Strange Occurrence

Here is the second update!

Chapter Sixty-three

So they really have that kind of relationship? Nightscape Pavilion & An Ziyou

Little Mei’er is interested in me? Mo Chen

No matter what the three men were thinking, they all stared at Mei in astonishment.

“Why are you all looking at me like that? Is something wrong?” Mei gazed at the three men in the room, her expression innocent and puzzled.

Had she done something strange just now?

Hearing her question and seeing her innocent expression, the three men wondered if they were overthinking it. Did this girl even understand the meaning of that gesture just now?

“Little Mei’er, do you know what that gesture means?” Mo Chen cleared his throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he asked.

“Isn’t it a way to say thank you?” Mei replied in confusion.

That was what Savitran told her, after all. Did it have a different meaning in this world?

It turned out to be a misunderstanding!

Though their thoughts differed, all three breathed a sigh of relief.

“Little Mei’er, it is indeed a way to say thank you, but you shouldn’t do that gesture to just anyone,” Mo Chen explained, feeling awkward but believing it was important to clarify. He didn’t want her expressing gratitude in such a manner to everyone she met.

“I know that. Little Sa told me this gesture should only be used with people you’re really close to,” Mei relaxed, glad she hadn’t made a mistake, and casually mentioned her nickname for Savitran. She realized too late that she could no longer take it back.

Hearing the name, the three men were stunned. That person could have a nickname like “Little You,” so he must be very close to her. But why had they never heard her mention him before?

“Who is Little Sa?” An Ziyou asked curiously.

“He’s a friend I knew before,” Mei replied, keeping it vague since she’d already let the name slip.

“Are you two close? How did you meet? Have you ever met in person? Did he ever do anything strange to you?” Knowing Mei’s innocence and lack of common sense, Mo Chen immediately grew serious, worried she might have been taken advantage of without realizing it.

Nightscape Pavilion and An Ziyou had similar concerns. If “Little Sa” had twisted the meaning of a kiss into an expression of gratitude, who knew what else he might have done, exploiting Mei’s naivety? Both looked at her with tense, serious expressions.

Mei didn’t understand their worries. Seeing Mo Chen’s stern face and Nightscape Pavilion and An Ziyou’s equally serious looks, she obediently answered, “We were very close, and used to spend a lot of time together. But now we can’t meet anymore. As for strange things, what counts as strange?”

How were they supposed to explain that?

Should they tell her directly that it meant romantic relations between men and women?

Mo Chen found himself unable to put it into words, so he glanced at Nightscape Pavilion and An Ziyou, hoping they might know how to explain “strange things.”

Seeing Mo Chen’s uncertainty, Mei followed his gaze and turned her attention to Nightscape Pavilion and An Ziyou, eager to hear their explanation.

But neither Nightscape Pavilion nor An Ziyou had ever explained such matters to anyone, especially not to a girl. Both turned away from Mo Chen and Mei, their ears reddening.

Mei watched their silent reactions, growing even more bewildered. Was this question so difficult to explain?

“If you all don’t speak, how am I supposed to know what counts as strange?” Mei said helplessly.

The three men realized that some things she needed to know. Although it felt like corrupting a child, if ignorance caused her harm, that would be worse.

Nightscape Pavilion glanced at Mo Chen, intending to leave. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have hesitated, but with Mei, just talking about it made him feel uneasy, even disgusted.

Strange—he’d never felt this way before with other women, though he hadn’t especially enjoyed it, he’d never felt revulsion.

But whether he could leave depended on the others. Mo Chen absolutely refused to be the only one teaching Mei about sex, so he glared at Nightscape Pavilion, warning him with his eyes: if he dared leave, he’d never get so much as a finger near Mei again!

Nightscape Pavilion saw the threat. He didn’t believe Mo Chen could keep him away from Mei, but worried Mo Chen might fill her head with ideas unfavorable to him, so he halted his retreat and sat down at the bedside.

An Ziyou, though embarrassed, stayed as well, determined to help educate her so she wouldn’t be harmed out of ignorance.

None of them thought to find a woman to explain these things. Each racked his brain for the best way to phrase it—how to make her understand without sounding lewd.

“Little Mei’er, by strange things, I mean, has he ever seen your body—uh, I mean, when you weren’t wearing clothes?”

“No!” Mei replied decisively.

“Has he ever touched your body?” Nightscape Pavilion pressed.

“Yes!” Mei answered naturally. They’d spent so much time together, how could there not have been physical contact?

“Where did he touch?” Nightscape Pavilion asked nervously.

That was hard to answer. Mei thought for a moment, then said, “He hugged me, just like you all hug me! That’s not strange, is it?”

Nightscape Pavilion fell silent.

If he said it was strange, it would mean they’d done strange things to her too.

If he said it wasn’t, how would he explain that even hugging could be innocent or not so innocent?

“Has he ever exposed his body in front of you?” An Ziyou asked tactfully.

Expose his body? Savitran never did such a thing in human form, but in his true form, it was quite the opposite. After all, who had ever seen a dragon wear clothes?

Mei didn’t know how to explain, and looked at An Ziyou in distress. “Exposing the body counts as strange? But I’ve often seen others without clothes! And…”

She didn’t finish, but she had seen Nightscape Pavilion and An Ziyou without clothes as well.

Though she trailed off, Nightscape Pavilion immediately recalled the time she cleaned his wounds, and his expression turned awkward.

An Ziyou remembered the incident at Huang Shiqi’s house, when she’d not only seen him naked, but all the other men as well. He too was at a loss for words.

The three moved on to the next question.

They stumbled through a series of awkward inquiries, often rendered speechless by Mei’s innocent retorts, but finally managed to convey their meaning.

At least, Mei understood what they were trying to say.

“Oh, you meant intercourse! If you'd said so from the start, I would have known!” Mei exclaimed, suddenly enlightened, uttering words that made the three men feel even more uncomfortable.

That word was accurate, but could she use something else?

“Little Mei’er, you know about, uh, intercourse?” Mo Chen asked awkwardly, wanting to use a different term but unable to find one. Should he say sex? Mating?

“Yes, Cyril told me before. He said I wasn’t yet an adult, and if any male tried to mate with me, I shouldn’t be polite about it.” Since Little Sa and the others already knew, she didn’t mind letting them know about Cyril as well.

Hearing this, the three men were speechless. What was with this Cyril, using animal terms to explain everything?

But they couldn’t think of better words themselves, so they didn’t correct her and instead asked, “Did he tell you how not to be polite?”

“He did! He said if the other person was unintentional or forced to react to me, I should just make him drink a bottle of medicine as a small punishment. But if it was intentional, I should teach him a proper lesson. He said anyone who desires an underage girl is worse than a beast, and such people must be punished from the root and never be shown mercy!” Mei repeated what Cyril had told her.

The three men finally relaxed.

Excellent. They absolutely didn’t have to worry about her being deceived or taken advantage of!

With Cyril’s guidance, even if she met someone with ill intentions, she would never be the one to suffer.

“That Cyril, is he another friend from before?” Glad to leave behind the awkward topic, An Ziyou quickly changed the subject.

“Yes, that’s right!” Mei nodded vigorously.

“He treats you well, doesn’t he?”

To have instilled such ideas in her before they even thought to do so, he must truly care about her.

“Yes, very well! Cyril is extremely good to me!” Mei admitted without hesitation.

Cyril was the first person who cared for her. Back when they were both weak, they fled together, grew together, and before meeting anyone else, they depended entirely on each other.

Though his words were sharp, he always considered everything for her. Since meeting him, she had never worried about food or shelter.

Seeing the fleeting longing in her eyes, the three men realized Cyril held a very important place in Mei’s heart—even more so than “Little Sa.” When she mentioned him, her expression wasn’t nearly so lonely!

Mo Chen realized at last that the Mei he thought had only ever had him for company had, without his knowledge, met many important people. He felt as if something that belonged solely to him had been taken away.

Nightscape Pavilion, watching her lonely expression, was jealous of Cyril, envious that he occupied such an important place in her heart—a place he was now striving for, uncertain if he could ever attain.

An Ziyou felt a pang in his heart, realizing that the more he got to know her, the more secrets she seemed to have, and the less he truly understood her.

When would she ever trust him just a little more?