Bai Zhen and Hua Mu’s life on the island officially entered its fifth month, and the two had even managed to build a simple shower room. The main structure was still a bamboo frame, with the roof fashioned into a concave basin and lined with a black plastic sheet. A full day of sun was all it took to have hot water for a shower. Although there was no showerhead, having a hot shower at all was more than enough to be thankful for. Hua Mu’s standards had been thoroughly lowered.

“Miss, what are you doing?”

Bai Zhen returned after cleaning the dinner cookware to find Hua Mu, wearing a jacket, holding a military knife as if she were about to take apart her own dress. She was both surprised and confused.

Without looking up, Hua Mu spoke casually.

“It’s not cold on the island at all. Instead of wearing such a troublesome dress, I might as well take it apart and make it into underwear and a tank top.”

She had already dismantled more than half of the dress’s lining. If she took it apart any further, it would probably be nothing more than a slip.

“I see you only have one set of clothes. You can’t always go around without.”

Hua Mu said this against her true feelings; she wished Bai Zhen would go around naked. But the other woman would wear a jacket even without underwear. Hua Mu didn’t get to feast her eyes, and Bai Zhen was surely uncomfortable. After some thought, she still decided to sacrifice her own dress.

Who could she blame but her own dress for having such good fabric?

“You… you’re going to make them for me?”

“Who else? Haven’t I already made two sets for myself?”

Hua Mu might not have been any good at weaving straw sandals, but her needlework was not bad. She had attended plenty of the young ladies’ doll tea parties and never fell behind in their little competitions.

“It’s just that with your height, there’s probably only enough left to make one set for you.”

“Miss, I-I’m fine. You should keep it for yourself.”

Bai Zhen was a little flustered and knelt down to try and stop Hua Mu.

Hua Mu looked up and shot her a glare. “What do you mean, you’re fine? You’re a girl, putting on long pants without any underwear. What if you get sick? Just remember to weave me a… no, weave me a few more grass skirts, and we’ll be even.”

“But you liked this dress so much. Back then, the Queen had to put in a word with that designer for you to even get it.”

Hua Mu really didn’t know how this idiot’s brain worked.

“Please, how long have we been here? Right now, that designer is less important to me than a piece of chocolate, let alone his dress. Besides, it’s been in bad shape for a long time. Might as well just take it apart.”

“Then make them for yourself. I’m fine. You should make a few more sets.”

Bai Zhen looked completely at a loss, constantly refusing.

Hua Mu looked at her, very displeased. “Didn’t I say I already have enough? Why won’t you accept my things?”

“I didn’t… that’s not what I meant…”

No, Hua Mu felt that was exactly what Bai Zhen meant. Bai Zhen treated her well as a matter of course, protected her as a matter of course, and placed her in a position of importance as a matter of course. But as soon as it was the other way around, as soon as she wanted to reciprocate, the other party would adopt this flustered, helpless, and anxiously refusing posture.

“Bai Zhen,” Hua Mu put down the dress and stared at the Sentinel, asking, “why do you still call me ‘Miss’?”

Bai Zhen froze for a moment, then answered as if without thinking, “Because you are the Young Lady of the Grand Duke’s residence, the Grand Duke’s only daughter, and also…”

“That’s not what I’m asking,” Hua Mu interrupted her, her brows knitting together. “I’m asking you, do you really think it’s okay to just call me ‘Miss’?”

Bai Zhen was tongue-tied, seemingly not knowing how to answer. Hua Mu waited a while before hearing her whisper, “If… if I don’t call you ‘Miss’… what… what should I call you?”

Hua Mu finally understood what it meant to be so angry you could just fall over backward! Right now, she wished she could just lie on the ground and die immediately!

“Then go ahead and call me that! Call me ‘Miss’ for the rest of your life!”

She threw the dress in her hand at Bai Zhen’s face and got up to walk toward the bamboo shelter. Bai Zhen hurriedly caught it, anxiously calling out, “Miss!”

Hua Mu stopped, then suddenly turned and stomped back.

“Miss!” A flash of joy appeared on Bai Zhen’s face, but Hua Mu’s expression remained grim.

“I’ve thought about it. That thing I mentioned to you before—it’s necessary to start implementing it now.”

Bai Zhen couldn’t immediately grasp her meaning, but just looking at her face gave her a bad premonition. She had been a little too happy recently, and Hua Mu’s attitude now made her even more uneasy.

“What… what did you say?”

“You are no longer my guard. From now on, we’re splitting up. You live your life, and I’ll live mine. Except for the shelter, the shower, and the toilet, food, fresh water, and daily necessities must all be self-sufficient. Of course, we can trade items, but we can’t provide them for free.”

Bai Zhen was stunned. “How can that be!”

“Why can’t it? Do you not believe I can manage, or do you not believe you can manage?”

If they couldn’t get over this hurdle, the two of them could forget about having any kind of se… happy future!

“I’m not saying you can’t manage, it’s just… it’s just… it would be very hard on you. You shouldn’t have to do those things.”

Hua Mu snorted. “What I shouldn’t do is hold out hope for you. If you don’t want to understand, then don’t talk to me. Starting today—no, starting right now—we’re separating everything. Tomorrow, I’ll make a list. We’re drawing a clear line!”

Bai Zhen held her dress, remaining in a kneeling position as if she had been turned to stone.

The Young Lady said she wanted to draw a clear line with her… Why?

Was it just because she didn’t know what to call the Young Lady?

Bai Zhen vaguely felt that this wasn’t the root of the problem, but she no longer had the energy to think about it more deeply. The fact that the Young Lady wanted to “split up” with her made her almost lose her ability to think.

So what the Young Lady said that time wasn’t a joke? Did she really not want her as a guard anymore?

But didn’t the Young Lady value her highly, and also li-like her? Or was it that she had been too intimate and overstepped her bounds recently, and had been discovered when she couldn’t resist stealing a kiss while the Young Lady was asleep?

No, no, no, the Young Lady was angry because she didn’t know what to call her, so… so she probably wasn’t discovered, right? But what to call her… If not ‘Miss’, should she call her ‘Mumu’ like when they were children?

But she was ignorant back then. How could she possibly address the Young Lady like that now?

Bai Zhen was a little lost, sitting dazedly by the fire for who knows how long.

After lying down on the bamboo bed, Hua Mu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She climbed out to look and saw Bai Zhen still sitting there dazedly, thinking about who knows what. She didn’t even have the energy to be angry anymore.

“Aren’t you coming to bed?!”

I already said the shelter was an exception. Can’t this idiot understand plain language?

Bai Zhen’s spirits lifted, and she scurried over in a flash.

“Miss!”

In the blink of an eye, the other woman was already in front of her.

What’s with this? Like a big dog that’s just been shown favor. This was definitely an attempt to confuse her, to break down her psychological defenses.

This time, she wouldn’t back down no matter what. She was going to make this idiot understand… if you don’t take the initiative, then you’re on your own!

“There’s only this one bed. We made it together, so it’s half for each of us. You did more of the work, and you’re taller, so I’ll let you have a little more.” Hua Mu said, drawing an imaginary line on the bamboo bed. “We’ll divide it here. You’re not allowed to cross over, and I won’t cross over either.”

Bai Zhen’s happy expression immediately vanished, replaced by a miserable, teary-eyed look as she gazed at Hua Mu. Hua Mu felt that if she really had ears on her head, they would definitely be drooping right now.

“Miss…”

Hua Mu didn’t look at her. She lay down on her side and said with a hardened heart, “What I said last time is still valid. You should think it over carefully.”

A hug where nothing happens is worse than no hug at all!

No, she really wasn’t that thirsty. And she definitely wasn’t just concerned about why Bai Zhen wasn’t proactive in that department… okay, that was one of the reasons.

The important thing! The most important thing was that she had finally, completely realized something: their respective statuses might no longer be a restraint for her, but they still restrained Bai Zhen.

Perhaps the Tower’s education was too successful, perhaps the Sentinel herself was too rigid, or perhaps Bai Zhen’s loyalty to her truly outweighed her affection. That was why the two of them were still not on the same wavelength.

Bai Zhen’s protection, cherishing, and care for her were certainly touching, and were even one of the reasons her heart was moved. But how could lovers always be so cautious and fearful with each other?

This was definitely not a normal romantic relationship, and it was definitely not the relationship she wanted.

What I said last time… which “last time” was that?

Bai Zhen stood for a while, unable to figure it out, and finally retreated silently into her corner.

Each lost in their own thoughts, they passed the night without a word.

Hua Mu got up early the next day, built a separate stove, and started a fire to cook. Bai Zhen followed beside her, looking like she didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet, enduring it with great difficulty.

“If you want to eat, go make it yourself. Why do you keep following me?”

“Miss, I can help you cook.”

Hua Mu couldn’t bear it any longer and harshly shooed her away.

“I don’t need it. Besides, your cooking isn’t as good as mine. I don’t want to eat what you make, and you can forget about eating what I make. Go away, don’t bother me.”

Bai Zhen’s eyes widened as she stared at her, looking as if she had been dealt a heavy blow. Her cooking wasn’t as good as the Young Lady’s, but… but she could start fires, chop wood, and prepare ingredients. She wasn’t completely useless, was she?

“Miss…”

“Don’t call me ‘Miss’. If you call me that again, I’ll ignore you.”

Bai Zhen silently shut her mouth and walked to the side, dejected. She sat there without moving until Hua Mu had finished making breakfast. For her, skipping a meal was no big deal. It was the Young Lady’s attitude that troubled her more.

Hua Mu had told Bai Zhen not to covet her food, but in reality, she still made her portion. The big dummy would be fine skipping a few meals, but if the flesh she’d worked so hard to put back on her wasted away, wouldn’t Hua Mu be the one to lose out in the end?

“Bai Zhen.”

She called over the person who was spacing out.

“Mi—” Bai Zhen was basically in a state of waiting to be summoned by Hua Mu; otherwise, she had no mind to do anything. The moment she heard Hua Mu call her, her heart leaped with joy, and she almost called out again, but was silenced by a glare from Hua Mu. “What… what are your orders?”

“You’re not allowed to speak so formally either… ahem, I mean, you don’t have to. Anyway, just stop using honorifics. You’re not my guard anymore.”

Bai Zhen bit her lip and looked at her, seeming very reluctant to admit this fact.

What’s with that pitiful expression? What’s so great about being a guard anyway? Can a guard sleep with the Young Lady?!!!