Chapter 44: Yoga Part 1

Xu Yinian subconsciously looked at Bai Ran’s injured hand. The wound remained unbandaged, stained only by the dark, circular smear of iodine.

Bai Ran stepped in front of Xu Yinian, shielding her behind her back.

Her voice, compared to the cold, domineering tone she had used with the outsider just a moment ago, softened instantly. The double standard was as clear as day.

“From the infirmary window, I saw Niannian being cornered. I was worried, so I came out early.”

Under that familiar, gentle tone, Xu Yinian finally found the courage to speak, though her words were hesitant. “Sister Ran, he said you did something to those people…”

“Niannian, I’ll explain everything to you once I’ve finished dealing with this little nuisance.”

Bai Ran smiled at Xu Yinian, her amber eyes clear and warm.

An inexplicable sense of security enveloped Xu Yinian, smoothing over the agitation in her heart. She couldn’t help but find herself leaning wholeheartedly into the reliance of this gentle, dependable older sister.

“What? You’re brave enough to harass Xu Yinian, but you don’t dare bring it up in front of me?”

It was hard to imagine that such a melodious, refined voice could carry such natural authority. With just one seemingly calm question, the man was left speechless under the sheer weight of her presence.

“If you enjoy pleading for others so much, perhaps you should worry about yourself first.”

Bai Ran’s gaze finally sharpened. This was the first time she had looked directly at the man, her expression hovering somewhere between a smile and a threat.

She walked up to him and spoke in a steady, measured pace. “For example… just how much funding have you embezzled from the Public Relations Department?”

The moment those words left her lips, the man’s face turned a ghostly ash-white. He was a hundred times more panicked now than when he was pleading for his girlfriend.

This was his true weakness, his breaking point.

He knew that if Bai Ran was this confident, she definitely had the evidence.

“You… you knew all along?”

In a voice only he could hear, Bai Ran let her hidden malice bleed into every syllable. “So… why aren’t you getting lost yet?”

Xu Yinian watched from a distance as the man fled in a panicked, pathetic state. Then, Bai Ran’s voice reached her.

“The Bai Family’s sponsorship was finalized from the start, and I am the person in charge. The reason I had them expelled was partly due to their past conflicts with you, but mostly because she was defaming you on the anonymous forums. They did violate their contracts, so I was simply handling official business while getting justice for Niannian. I wanted to clean this up quietly without letting you know, but it seems I couldn’t keep it a secret.”

Having never heard anything about anonymous defamation, Xu Yinian looked up, her face filled with belated shock.

How many times had Bai Ran protected her from the shadows without her ever knowing?

“Niannian, are you afraid of me like this?”

Bai Ran turned around, looking down at Xu Yinian with a slightly bitter smile. “Calculating, using leverage to threaten others to get what I want.”

Xu Yinian was caught off guard by the sudden wave of emotion coming from her, and she shook her head instinctively.

What she didn’t know was that this, too, was a piece of Bai Ran’s “calculation.”

The entire trap Bai Ran had set was indeed protective, but it served a deeper purpose. This was Bai Ran’s attempt to quietly begin her gentle takeover of Xu Yinian’s life.

It was a sanctuary, but it was also a declaration of sovereignty.

Under the perfect excuse of not wanting her to see the darkness, Xu Yinian wouldn’t perceive this as coercion. She would simply become desensitized to Bai Ran’s tightening grip, bit by bit, until she was used to her invading every part of her life.

Just as it had always been—using the guise of a gentle friend and sister to easily claim a spot by Xu Yinian’s side.

But one day, Xu Yinian would have to learn that beyond the gentleness lay a domineering, possessive desire for total control. Bai Ran wanted more than just to be “Sister Ran.”

Bai Ran would be gentle and careful enough. With every step the circle tightened, she would make Niannian understand just how much she was loved.

“I know Niannian likes my gentleness. But if that was all I had, I probably would have died in the Bai Family’s power struggles long ago.”

“I have two older brothers. One died in a car accident, and the other is in prison. When I had heart disease, someone even swapped my medication. At any moment, it could have been my turn.”

Bai Ran’s words weren’t lies, but she conveniently omitted the fact that she had a hand in both her brothers’ fates and was the ultimate victor.

Never having heard Bai Ran talk about herself before, Xu Yinian froze in place.

She had assumed that someone like Bai Ran, who embodied everything beautiful in the world, must have grown up surrounded by love to produce such a gentle flower.

“Niannian, you aren’t like the wretched person I am. You don’t need to know about this dark side. That’s why I kept it all from you.”

“If you feel offended or uncomfortable, I will never take it upon myself to bring you such pressure or trouble again. But… if you have even a little bit of reliance on me or need me, I will always be your blade.”

By now, the gentleness in Bai Ran’s voice had become almost eldritch in its seduction. What kind of desire was hidden beneath those affectionate eyes?

“Do you hate it? Or do you like it?”

As she softly posed the question, the answer was already predetermined. There were no other options.

But for Bai Ran, this was a contract, a bond, a permission for her to indulge in her possessive control.

Desires suppressed for too long swelled in this moment.

The palpitations of her deformed, fragile heart felt less like pleasure and more like being squeezed so hard it was difficult to breathe. It was as if the person being quietly ensnared wasn’t Xu Yinian, but herself.

Given the long lead-up, Xu Yinian had long since reached her limit. Hearing this, she immediately grabbed Bai Ran’s sleeve and hurriedly protested.

“Sister Ran, you’re so attentive and caring toward everyone. You’re not ‘wretched’ at all. I’ve never thought you were scary for even a second. I already knew your gentleness had its limits, but every time you cross them, it’s to stand up for me. I’m more touched than anything.”