Chapter 78: The Choice Part 2

Sure enough, the jab worked. Yinian’s eyes flew up like a startled deer.

Two people were already eyeing her with predatory ambiguity, and now a third had arrived to muddy the waters…

It was only then that Yinian remembered Lu Zhou liked Shen Ruoshuang. No wonder she was suddenly so suspicious and probing.

Yinian didn’t dare admit it, but since Shen Ruoshuang was still listening, she didn’t dare take it back either. Her innate instinct to avoid conflict and keep everyone happy took over. Her eyes brimmed with a soft, flushed plea as she looked at Lu Zhou and shook her head, biting her lip.

She was pleading with Lu Zhou to stop talking, while simultaneously trying to hide a tiny, silent denial.

She didn’t realize that this attempt to please and the shake of her head touched the untouchable lines of both women at once.

Suddenly, the mechanical static of the walkie-talkie in her hand overlapped with a calm voice coming from nearby:

“Xu Yinian.”

“Come here.”

The tone was as natural as could be. As if the girl belonged to her by right.

Gazing through the crowd, Yinian saw a slender figure leaning coldly against the wall in the dim shadows.

Shen Ruoshuang had arrived on the fifth floor at some unknown point. It seemed she had been watching from the sidelines for quite a while. Like a wolf in the tall grass, she had endured the overstepping provocations and hidden her roiling emotions. Her deceptions and shameful threats had all been leading to this moment.

She was forcing Yinian to choose her—to return to her side of her own accord, and then properly endure the consequences of the repressed anger caused by Yinian’s flirtations with others.

Yinian’s head, which had been mid-shake, froze in terror. From the moment that woman appeared, she felt completely suppressed and handled.

Only one stupid question remained in her mind: Why is Shen Ruoshuang here?!

W-wasn’t she supposed to go down and find her? She thought Shen Ruoshuang wouldn’t be able to make it up here for a while. After all, Yinian had used a secret passage behind a door, while the normal paths between floors required solving puzzles to unlock.

But now…

The realization that her little plan to play both sides had been as flimsy as wet paper in front of Shen Ruoshuang hit her hard.

On the other side, Ji Yan’s expression was hideous, her long lashes casting a deep shadow over her eyes. She, too, had assumed Shen Ruoshuang couldn’t get here yet and was planning to take Yinian away.

Seeing that composed, certain figure, she quickly realized this was all a show—a demonstration of sovereignty staged by Shen Ruoshuang. This “bold escape” had been the loudest slap to Ji Yan’s face.

Xu Yinian had chosen Shen Ruoshuang.

…Infuriating.

So that was why Shen Ruoshuang had been so unnaturally patient today, remaining indifferent even when Ji Yan provoked her like that. She had been waiting right here to lure Yinian into her trap.

At that thought, Ji Yan narrowed her eyes and let out an ambiguous, cold sneer.

Come here? Can she even make it over?

With her “backer” right in front of her, Yinian’s mind was a mess. Unlike her usual self—an ostrich content to be handled by others—her body actually moved first. Her feet, hidden inside her canvas shoes, subconsciously began to pivot in the heat of the moment.

But the discomfort of the tight shoelaces Ji Yan had just tied acted like a physical anchor. Yinian snapped back to reality, the veins on the back of her feet twitching slightly.

Before she could think further, a body pressed against her back, completely enveloping Yinian’s small frame. To an outsider, it looked like an accidental lean. Only Yinian knew that the hands touching her skin in the shadows could tighten into shackles at any moment.

There were too many eyes on Ji Yan right now. The commotion caused by trying to break free would be far more severe than this ambiguous lean.

But compared to the others, Yinian’s current turmoil stemmed entirely from one fact…

Shen Ruoshuang was watching.

An unprovoked sense of guilt washed over her. Yinian gave a tiny, subtle push against Ji Yan’s wrist.

Even though the strength was negligible, Ji Yan felt the subtle shift. Earlier, Yinian hadn’t even struggled when pressed into her arms, but now, before she’d even done anything, the reaction was this intense.

Do you really care about Shen Ruoshuang that much?

A few stray hairs brushed against the crook of her neck, making Yinian itch. She tilted her head to avoid it, only for her ear to accidentally brush against something warm and soft.

After a brief moment of shock, she realized what it was—Ji Yan’s lips had pressed against her ear, grinding against the shell of it as she spoke:

“You can’t go.”

“…Okay?”

The sudden softening of her tone made Yinian’s struggling movements falter. That deep, habitually mocking and superior voice was now lowered in a plea.

How did she sound… almost pitiful?

Just then, the walkie-talkie in her hand emitted a sharp beep.

It was like a taut string snapping. The communication had been cut.

Shen Ruoshuang straightened up and began walking toward her. Her steps were cold and precise, each one echoing like a rhythmic beat against Yinian’s heart—the countdown to an inevitable explosion.

In the gloom, Yinian couldn’t see the signs of the obsession lurking behind that unnaturally calm restraint.

The Unreachable Beauty had descended from her altar. She was here to seize her prize.

Simply because Shen Ruoshuang was approaching, Yinian’s skin and fingertips began to feel hot and numb. Her entire body was a mess of tension and… longing.

Shen Ruoshuang was now within arm’s reach. However, the expected physical contact didn’t happen; she stopped a single pace away.

Yinian opened her eyes, which she had subconsciously narrowed. Her pale pupils shimmered with a faint, surprised light in the darkness.

How much time had passed? She had already become so accustomed to Shen Ruoshuang’s touch. She was even… a little addicted?

Only now did Yinian see her expression. All emotion had drained from her face, leaving only a rigid persistence. Only her eyes, nearly swallowed by the darkness, burned as she stared at Yinian.

“You were going to come over just now. I saw it.”

“Xu Yinian, you’ll still choose me, won’t you?”