"What are you talking about?" Hu Jiao'er's face changed abruptly. She forced a smile. "I don't understand."
Had he figured out that she wasn't his little sister? Impossible! He was only at Body Tempering Stage Nine. How could a mere Body Tempering realm cultivator see through the tricks of a Zhenyuan Realm powerhouse like herself? Besides, she and her little sister looked exactly alike—no difference in voice or appearance. Even the old-timers in the gang sometimes mixed up their identities. How could he possibly have that ability?
Yang Kai regarded her calmly and chuckled softly. "If you say so, I take it you'd rather not admit it?"
"Admit what? I really don't know what you're saying." Hu Jiao'er made one last effort.
Yang Kai rubbed his forehead helplessly. "Then let me put it more clearly. Miss, you are not Hu Meier. I believe… you must be her twin sister."
Hu Jiao'er froze for a moment, then broke into a tinkling laugh. "Why would you say that?"
This time she didn't flatly deny it. Instead, she looked at Yang Kai with keen interest, wanting to know exactly where she had given herself away. If Yang Kai couldn't back up his claim with solid reasoning, then he was clearly just trying to bluff her.
Maybe he was only suspicious right now, unable to confirm anything, and that was why he wanted her to confess on her own, Hu Jiao'er guessed.
"You're testing my eye for detail, miss," Yang Kai said, unbothered. He chuckled, walked over to the table, picked up the teacup he had just been drinking from, took a sip, and said, "Actually, I was never sure whether you were Hu Meier or not. But now I can confirm—you're not her!"
Hu Jiao'er's expression stiffened, and she gritted her teeth in fury. So his earlier words really had been a test! This is infuriating! Here I am, a Zhenyuan Realm cultivator, and I let myself get tricked by a brat at the Body Tempering stage. I've completely lost face.
There was no point in continuing to deny it. Hu Jiao'er let out a delicate laugh and settled sideways on the fragrant bed, her seductive figure half-concealed and half-revealed. Her beautiful eyes studied Yang Kai as she asked in a soft voice, "When did you start getting suspicious?"
"While drinking tea." Yang Kai tapped the teacup in his hand. "Though the fragrance of the tea was pleasant, it couldn't mask the scent of a woman on the cup. Besides, there's a faint lipstick mark on the rim. I'd say this teacup was only recently used by someone—and that someone was the real Hu Meier."
"That alone was enough for you to conclude I'm not Meier?" Hu Jiao'er was stunned.
"Of course not, that's not all," Yang Kai said slowly, shaking his head. "The second thing that aroused my suspicion was your demeanor. I don't believe a woman's bearing can change so drastically in just over ten days. To pay you a compliment—Meier's charm has a slightly girlish quality, while yours is entirely natural and effortless."
"I like hearing that." Hu Jiao'er covered her mouth and laughed softly. "Go on—is there more?"
"Third, the body fragrance on you and on Meier are very similar, but if you pay close attention, they're different. Hers is sweet; yours is a touch more refined."
"Brat!" Hu Jiao'er's cheeks flushed pink. Yang Kai's brazen words made her somewhat flustered. Recalling the sacrifice she had made earlier just to test him, she wished she could slap this smooth-talking man flat as a pancake.
"Fourth…" Yang Kai ignored the murderous look in Hu Jiao'er's eyes and kept talking.
"There's more?" Hu Jiao'er was genuinely shocked. She had never expected this Body Tempering brat to spot so many flaws. She had thought her disguise was airtight.
"Heh, the fourth point is the injury on your foot. It looks like a sprain, but actually you damaged it yourself from the inside using your own energy. That was the biggest giveaway. Meier might be a young girl, but she's a martial artist—how could she possibly sprain her foot so easily?"
"That… was indeed my oversight." Hu Jiao'er nodded slightly. At the time, she had been focused entirely on luring Yang Kai into her trap and hadn't thought that far ahead.
She looked up and saw that Yang Kai was still deep in thought. Hu Jiao'er couldn't help but say, "Don't tell me you've spotted even more flaws."
She was quite indignant. How could something she considered flawless have so many holes when it came to this brat? And what was worse, his analysis was so thorough and logical that she had no way to argue back.
This brat is really annoying!
If he dared say there were yet more flaws, she would teach him a lesson—he had absolutely no sense of how to read the room.