Chapter 148 Identity Exposed

That evening, Huo Ye and Shangguan Yudie did not go home for dinner, leaving Alice behind to dine alone as a small lesson for her.

Instead, the two of them went to a restaurant. They didn't bother with any romantic candlelit dinners or anything of the sort; it was simply a straightforward, ordinary meal.

At the dining table, Huo Ye was hesitant about one particular matter. Before they officially got together, he had always had one lingering concern: his identity as the Midnight Rain Raven. Shangguan Yudie was a fan of the Midnight Rain Raven, and Huo Ye felt that now that they were engaged, he had to come clean about this.

However... he felt he should wait for the right moment to bring it up. Otherwise, how was he supposed to explain all the times he had previously played dumb while acting as the Midnight Rain Raven? Should he... take off his mask in his persona as the Midnight Rain Raven and give her a surprise?

Huo Ye thought this was a viable idea, preferably executed in the nick of time as a hero saving the damsel in distress, followed by removing his mask. Yes, that could work—it would be very dashing.

Consequently, that very night, after bidding Shangguan Yudie goodnight, Huo Ye immediately logged into the system as the Midnight Rain Raven. Sure enough, Shangguan Yudie hadn't fallen asleep either; the Ice Dancing Fairy logged on at almost the exact same moment.

The two found each other, and Huo Ye slipped naturally into his usual act of playing the fool. "Yo, our login times are matching up again. Come to us, little fan, how come you haven't been online these past two days?"

Of course it was impossible for Shangguan Yudie to be online, just as it was impossible for Huo Ye to have been online, but precisely phrasing it this way created the false impression that the Midnight Rain Raven had been active over the past couple of days and simply missed crossing paths with Huo Ye's schedule.

To his surprise, upon hearing this line, Shangguan Yudie nearly burst out laughing. She hurriedly covered her mouth, yet she could not muffle the silver-bell-like sound of her laughter.

Huo Ye was utterly bewildered. "You... what is this?"

Still laughing, Shangguan Yudie managed to say, "I'm sorry... but I honestly can't help it!" Her laughter was entirely unstoppable, as if she might run out of breath at any second, but fortunately she managed to keep her volume down so that those around them would not draw attention to their corner.

Huo Ye had no clue what was going on. Why was she laughing like this when he hadn't even told a joke? If they got married in the future, would telling a bedtime joke mean neither of them would have to sleep all night? One of them laughing hysterically while the other listened to her laugh hysterically.

Well, Huo Ye's imagination was drifting too far.

Finally, Huo Ye began to vaguely sense that something was amiss, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what. All of this stemmed from his absolute confidence—or rather, conceit—regarding the secrecy of his identity.

Shangguan Yudie laughed to the highest realm of silent mirth, laughing until tears streamed down her face. Finally, her hand rested limply on Huo Ye's shoulder, her face flushed red from the intense fit of laughter. Stabilizing her breathing at last, she said, "Little Ye... you... you really shouldn't keep pretending... Haha... Right now... haha, I honestly... can't laugh anymore."

Huo Ye felt as though he had been struck by lightning. What was going on? Had his cover been blown for this long? When had it been exposed? Did she accidentally read his mind during dinner? That was entirely possible! The only sign of Shangguan Yudie activating her supernatural ability was her eyes glowing with a golden light, a detail she could easily conceal simply by lowering her head.

Since the two of them were still in the public hall, Huo Ye couldn't very well tear off his mask right then and there. However, now that Shangguan Yudie had laid her cards on the table, if Huo Ye continued to play dumb, he would truly be lacking in tact.

Therefore, he spread his hands in a helpless gesture and asked, "Hey, when did you figure it out?"

Shangguan Yudie replied, "About a month ago. The very night you won the racing tournament. I just wanted to see if you were worrying about something, and as soon as I used my mind-reading, I found out."

Huo Ye felt black lines forming across his forehead. She had figured it out that early?! No wonder Shangguan Yudie had been laughing so outrageously! Since the two of them were already engaged, there was no need to keep secrets anymore, yet he had gone right ahead and played dumb. It was no wonder Shangguan Yudie had remembered all his prior acts of feigning ignorance—she would have had to be dead not to laugh! This was open mockery!

At this moment, Huo Ye felt like an absolute, peerless fool. He had actually been dreaming of playing the hero saving the beauty, stunning Shangguan Yudie by taking off his mask—the speed at which this daydream had been shattered by reality was nothing short of the speed of light! Stunning her? Shangguan Yudie would have definitely broken character and cracked up laughing on the spot!

No, he had to find a way to save face from this dark chapter of history, otherwise his future standing in the domestic hierarchy would be in grave peril!

"Is it really that funny to you? Am I that laughable?" Huo Ye asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shangguan Yudie waved a hand, still struggling to contain her lingering giggles. "It's not just funny, it's hilarious! It's so rare to see Little Ye acting so self-righteous!"

Huo Ye instantly felt an impulse to log off right then and there. When he thought about how, for the past entire month, he had believed himself to be acting with such unflappable composure, acting as though he were an entirely different person, while Shangguan Yudie had simply watched him quietly put on his performance... Huo Ye was now filled with intense agitation. His mind was so restless that the profanities he wanted to hurl at this cruel world could practically form a grammatically coherent language.

However, Huo Ye could not log off; there was still serious business to attend to tonight.

Huo Ye grabbed Shangguan Yudie by the shoulders, forcing her to look directly into his eyes.

Feeling the strength in Huo Ye's hands, Shangguan Yudie abruptly calmed down. As she looked into Huo Ye's clear eyes, a blush spontaneously crept up her cheeks, overriding the flush that had originally been formed by simple blood circulation.

Huo Ye said solemnly, "Alright, let's talk business. Whether you want to mock me or blame me for keeping this a secret from you, we can revisit all of that later. Tonight, I need to find someone. Normally it's inconvenient to look for her, so I can only do it on VRF as the Midnight Rain Raven. I happened to hear earlier today that she has a sparring appointment with someone tonight, so I'm going to take this opportunity to seek some pointers from her."

Shangguan Yudie did not pull away from Huo Ye's hands, because his hands were so warm that she simply couldn't bear to break away. Even so, she asked, "Who?"

Huo Ye released her and drew out his unique weapon—the Dragon-Nail Rope, capable of executing a distinctive martial art.

"The person who gave me this weapon and taught me her family's exclusive martial arts—Huo Xialan. There are some matters I wish to consult her about."

Shangguan Yudie was visibly displeased. The last time Huo Xialan had been in her presence, she had rudely flicked Huo Ye's head. What was the meaning of that? Was she trying to take advantage of her boyfriend?

Shangguan Yudie only refrained from being jealous of the deceased Qingxue; it wasn't as though she didn't get jealous at all. On the contrary, she felt her capacity for jealousy was quite formidable! Especially that Lin Jiayin—if she ever saw her again, that woman wouldn't even be allowed within a two-meter radius of her Little Ye!

Nevertheless, since Huo Ye had legitimate business, Shangguan Yudie naturally wouldn't try to stop him, though she resolved to keep a very close eye on Huo Xialan.

Suddenly, Huo Ye reached out and flicked the tip of Shangguan Yudie's nose, snapping her out of her deep thoughts about how to fiercely protect her Little Ye.

"Let's go. For all we know, they might be finished with their fight by now," Huo Ye said, then turned and began to walk away.

Shangguan Yudie stepped forward, hooked her arm through Huo Ye's, and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

As if suddenly recalling something, Huo Ye spoke up, "Actually, maybe you should keep a bit of distance from me while I'm wearing the mask. The news of Huo Ye and Shangguan Yudie being together will inevitably be leaked by Jiajia sooner or later. If they see you together with the Midnight Rain Raven, my cover will be blown."

Shangguan Yudie looked at him in confusion. "Then what was with you flicking my nose just now? Wasn't that crossing the line too?"

Huo Ye replied, "I only just thought of it now. Be a good girl and pretend to be an ordinary friend for now, or you can play the part of a fan looking up to her idol."

Shangguan Yudie shot him a sideways glance, then let go of Huo Ye's arm, letting out a soft huff. "Narcissist."

Though she said that, Shangguan Yudie didn't actually think Huo Ye was being narcissistic; rather, it was a personality trait of his—one that blended meticulousness with a lighthearted, mischievous streak. Behind Huo Ye's smile could lie a weeping visage, or it could be a razor-sharp blade.

If anyone ever underestimated Little Ye, there was no telling when they might fall into his trap and end up utterly and completely outwitted by him.