At first, Cadi had intended to get in contact with Theodore's lovers right after he had retreated into semi-secluded cultivation. However, her managerial duties kept her busy. Having pretty much run away and into his arms the moment that he had called for her, she naturally hadn't ensured that she would actually have time to devote to this matter.
Only half a week later did she finally manage to arrive at a point where she could take the rest of the day off. But instead of being overjoyed at this development, her heartbeat grew erratic and panicked. Her job had suppressed her nervousness up until now, yet with the confrontation of her lifetime right around the corner, she couldn't help but break out into a cold sweat.
'Calm down, Cadi! You've rehearsed what you're going to say many, many times, so it'll all go well!'
Psyching herself up, she slapped her cheeks and took a few deep breaths, becoming steady again. The three women definitely had a horrid first impression of her, and that was solely on her. To deal with the consequences of her own actions and transform her image in their eyes was her own responsibility, and nobody else's.
'Here goes nothing!'
Sending a message in a group chat that she had opened with Cheong Suhyeon, Xie Mei and Han Junqiao, she anxiously but also eagerly stared at the tablet in her hands.
The seconds passed painfully slowly. Then, finally, their responses arrived.
Ten minutes later, Cadi found herself in front of Xie Mei's room, gulping apprehensively. Shaking slightly, she raised her hand and knocked.
"You're here. Come, take a seat!"
Before she could even lower her hand again, the same divinely gorgeous girl who she had clashed with not long ago opened the door and invited her inside with a small smirk on her lips.
Following her with a nod, Cadi glanced at the other two women who were already waiting for her. Cheong Suhyeon seemed calm and a bit amused, whereas Han Junqiao's expression was hard to read. She didn't know if it was merely her imagination, but she felt like there was a hint of resentment flickering in the silent lady's gaze.
"T-Thanks for having me."
With the brightest smile that she could muster, Cadi plopped down on a sofa on the opposite side of the trio. Clutching the hem of her clothes, she eyed them cautiously. Not only was she feeling guilty about how she had behaved before, but the air in this room seemed heavy enough to cut with a knife.
"Theo already told us to expect you, so I've been wondering when you would reach out."
Shooting her a confident grin, Xie Mei pulled out a tea set from her Storage Ring, pouring all four of them a refreshing drink. Then, clearly not nervous at all, she took a sip and reclined relaxedly. All the while, she was unabashedly staring at Cadi, putting her on the spot. Despite how welcoming she outwardly presented herself, she evidently wasn't all too pleased with her just yet.
"Oh, thank you! My apologies for making you wait for so long, I've simply been too busy."
Trying her best to appear as calm as possible, Cadi's smile widened as she brought her cup to her lips. She almost choked on the tea because she was gulping it down too fast, though, and hastily set it down with tears at the corners of her eyes. Clearing her throat, she decided to rip the biggest band-aid off first.
"Ahem! I came here today to formally apologize to you all for my combative actions back when we first met. I don't really have any good explanations as to why I did what I did, but I want you to know that I'm sorry. I genuinely am!"
'Nicely done! I didn't stumble over my words this time!'
A hint of relief flickering in her gaze as she got that burden off her chest, she silently awaited the trio's reaction. Thinking back on that day, she hadn't truly gone too far, therefore they shouldn't make things too difficult for her... probably.
"I'll only speak for myself here, but I never felt bothered by you to begin with. Mei'er and Qiao'er here, though... they're another story."
The amusement in her eyes on full display, Cheong Suhyeon glanced back and forth between the other three women, treating all of this as mere entertainment. She had temporarily interrupted her own cultivation retreat for this matter, so a part of her hoped that everything would go swimmingly. However, she was also eager to enjoy some pointless drama.
"Hmph, I can't say that I originally wasn't quite pissed at you. But... after seeing how far you've gone to rectify your mistake, and witnessing that physical transformation of yours... it's really hard to stay angry at you."
Sighing to herself, Xie Mei had a somewhat helpless look on her face. Glancing at her tea as she was absent-mindedly swirling it back and forth, she was momentarily lost in thought.
'What?! They actually saw what happened back then!?'
Her eyes widening despite trying to suppress her shock, Cadi didn't make a peep as she waited for her to continue. Up until now, she hadn't been aware that she had been under surveillance back then, but on second thought, it made a lot of sense. Considering their relationship at the time, it instead would have been strange to not keep an eye on her.
"I honestly can't say I'm a fan of you. And I genuinely don't think highly of what you've been up to in the past. To be frank, it disgusts me. Still, you didn't really hurt me, or any of us. So... I forgive you for your blunder. Let's start over, alright? I'm Xie Mei, and it's nice to meet you, Cadi!"
As if having made some monumental decision, Xie Mei raised her head and locked gazes with her, her voice solemn and serious. Only towards the end did her expression grow more kind and gentle, and her smile ever so radiant.
"L-Likewise! Let's get along from now on!"
Sitting up a little more straight and feeling a tad more hopeful about all of this now that the one who she had judged to be the biggest roadblock had officially buried the hatchet with her, Cadi responded in kind.
"... you know, you interrupted my date with Theo back then. That was our precious alone time."
Right as she had begun to ease up a little, a cold voice interjected and poured a bucket of icy water over her optimistic thoughts. Turning to face the one who had spoken up, Cadi was met with Han Junqiao's frigid glare.
Up until now, she had been completely silent, merely following Cadi with her eyes ever since she had arrived. Initially, the Succubus had assumed that she was simply more of the quiet sort and hadn't paid her too much mind. After all, not everybody was chatty and social in nature, therefore it wasn't strange for somebody to behave like this.
Now, however, she realized that she had made a huge mistake! Back then, this golden dragon-horned lady had been the one at Theo's side, so she was very likely telling the truth. To get between a couple while they had their quality time was even more of an affront than her little quarrel with Xie Mei!
"I... I really didn't know! I'm sorry!"
Hastily putting on the most apologetic expression possible, she lowered her head in a gesture of respect and guilt. Yet, Han Junqiao's gaze didn't warm up in the slightest.
"So if you had known, then you wouldn't have intruded on us?"
Feeling her breath catch in her throat, Cadi took a moment or two to gather herself before figuring out how to proceed from here. In the end, she chose to simply be honest and straightforward. That way, in the event that she failed, she could at least confidently say that she had tried her best.
"Truthfully, I wouldn't have cared. At the time, I was fully obsessed with wanting to get in T-Theo's pants. I didn't spare any of you any thought at all. B-But now it's different! I really feel bad about it, I swear!"
Narrowing her eyes a little, Han Junqiao tilted her head, a hint of doubt creeping into her gaze.
"Oh, really now? What has changed? Don't you want him even more now than before? You're just trying to make amends with us so that we won't stand in your way. If there is anything that you genuinely feel bad about, it's that you put yourself into this position to begin with. Am I right?"
Not having prepared herself for such a slew of accusations in the slightest, Cadi momentarily blanked out. In truth, Han Junqiao's words weren't entirely inaccurate, she had merely put it all in the most unfavourable, unkind way that she could come up with.
"I... uh."
Seeing her tongue-tied and flabbergasted like this, Xie Mei felt a bit bad for her, so she whispered a few words to her sister as the pitiful Succubus was trying to wrap her mind around what had just happened.
"Hey, Qiao'er. Don't you think that you're being a bit harsh on the poor thing? She's really trying here... I think."
She was met with a wordless stare that eventually caused her to fall silent and sit back, choosing not to involve herself in this dispute any further. As she was pouting to herself, she felt Cheong Suhyeon pat her shoulder in an encouraging manner.
'Screw this! You're on your own, Cadi.'
Finally finding the words that she had been struggling to put together for a while, the auburn-haired young woman showed a conflicted smile.
"You're not exactly wrong–at least not completely. I'm even more desperate to be with Theo now, and I do want things between us to be okay to avoid any potential issues cropping up. But I also feel bad about what I did. I had some time to think about all of this, and I put myself in your shoes and realized that I wouldn't be all too pleased with somebody if they did what I did. It's... really that simple. Again: I'm sorry!"
Outright bowing towards the end, Cadi closed her eyes and awaited her sentence. She was aware that she had probably messed up somewhere, however this was all that she could possibly say. If it didn't work out... well, then she would worry about that when the time came.
Silence enveloped the entire room for a minute, and then another. Finally, after leaving them all hanging for far too long, Han Junqiao heaved a sigh.
"It's alright. I was simply testing you a bit. To me, it looks like you really meant what you just said. So... let it all be water under the bridge."
Looking up, Cadi was met with a much more cordial gaze. The ice had thawed, and what replaced it was not affection, but politeness.
"Y-Yes!"
Nodding at her with a relieved smile, she took another sip from her cup. Only now did she realize that the tea within had already gone cold. Warming it up with a bit of her own Energy, she drank some more, then took a deep breath before focusing on the trio again.
"As you already know, I really want to be with Theo. And I'd wager that you're not too enthused about that. So, in an effort to make you feel like you're not losing out... I would like to propose a deal."
Eager to chime in again now that the awkward atmosphere from before was gone, Xie Mei had an intrigued look on her face. She didn't really fancy sharing Theodore with Cadi, or even becoming sisters with her, but she wanted to know what the girl had in mind.
"What is it? We're all ears!"
Sensing the three pairs of eyes scrutinizing her, the Succubus' lips curved into a confident smile for the first time today.
"It's simple: You won't prevent me from getting with Theo, and in exchange, I'll teach you all that I know. Believe me, when it comes to making men feel good–or us ladies, for that matter–I'm a Heavenly Dao-certified master!"
Initially dismissive, yet still curious, the trio ultimately accepted. There was no real bad blood between them, therefore being on good terms with each other was preferable.
Only Cheong Suhyeon had a vague inkling of what she was getting herself into, yet even she had vastly overestimated herself when it came to this topic. What she had learned in this regard from those illusory lives and her experiences hitherto were not even a drop in the ocean compared to what this devoted specialist had in store.
For many months, years and centuries to come, whenever they all found the time, Cadi would dutifully teach Theodore's lovers to the best of her ability–to everyone's benefit.