Mu Xi closed her eyes, a look of pain and pleasure intermingling on her face.
She needed Little An to believe she had completely surrendered, letting her drown in a brief sense of triumph.
Meanwhile, her fingers surreptitiously stroked the bedsheets, calculating distance and time.
“No,” Mu Xi gasped, her voice as light as a feather, yet enough to stir a sense of twisted satisfaction in Little An’s heart.
“You… you can make me feel much more pleasure than she can.”
That lie shone brighter than real gold, and Little An nearly drowned in that false sense of victory.
Her guard crumbled entirely, her whole being immersed in an unprecedented thrill of conquest.
Mu Xi’s fingers wandered gently over Little An’s back, her fingertips feeling the tightening and relaxing of the other woman’s muscles.
She needed to wait — wait for that perfect moment, wait for the instant when Little An was at her most vulnerable.
“You’re so beautiful…” Little An leaned down to kiss Mu Xi’s neck, her breathing becoming increasingly hurried, “Much more beautiful than I imagined.”
Mu Xi felt Little An’s body begin to tremble, knowing the moment was near.
Her fingers brushed over the back of Little An’s neck, as if in a caress, but in reality, she was searching for the optimal point to strike.
“Close your eyes,” Mu Xi whispered into Little An’s ear, her voice full of temptation, “Let me give you everything you want.”
Little An obediently closed her eyes, completely blinded by desire.
In that very instant, Mu Xi’s hands suddenly exerted force.
One hand gripped Little An’s throat while the other grabbed her shoulder, flipping her onto the bed with all her might.
Caught off guard, Little An’s breath was abruptly cut off, and her eyes flew open in terror.
Her hands flailed in vain, trying to reach the Gun on the nightstand, but she only grasped thin air.
“You thought I would submit to you?”
Mu Xi’s voice was as cold as a knife, her grip never loosening, “You thought I would open my legs for a Butler?”
Little An’s struggles grew weaker, but a fire of resentment and anger still burned in her eyes.
Her body writhed on the bed, attempting to break free from Mu Xi’s clamp-like hold, but she was pinned down firmly.
“You’re shrewd… but not smart enough.” Mu Xi’s fingers tightened, feeling Little An’s pulse thrumming frantically against her palm.
“You thought I was the prey, not knowing that you were the true lamb.”
Little An’s face slowly turned blue, and her gaze began to lose focus.
Her fingers clawed convulsively at Mu Xi’s arms, leaving several bloody scratches, but eventually, her arms fell powerlessly to her sides and her eyes slowly closed.
After confirming Little An was completely unconscious, Mu Xi quickly jumped off the bed and grabbed the Gun from the nightstand.
Her hands trembled slightly from the exertion, her breathing was ragged, and her heart pounded frantically in her chest.
She scanned the room, found a rope in the cabinet, and swiftly tied Little An’s hands and feet to the bedposts, making every knot firm and complex.
Once finished, Mu Xi hurriedly dressed herself and tucked the Gun into her waistband.
She slowly sat down on the concrete floor of the Underground Safehouse, her back against the wall and her legs curled against her chest like a helpless child.
The image of Little An being choked into unconsciousness still lingered in her mind — the transition from desire to fear in those eyes, the moment her breath was pinched away bit by bit.
Mu Xi’s fingers unconsciously tightened and then relaxed.
No light filtered in; only the faint glow from the Emergency Light enveloped the Safe House.
Everything here was so quiet, so quiet that she could clearly hear the sound of her own heartbeat.
“Ye Lan…” Mu Xi murmured softly, her fingers tracing the barrel of the Gun as her thoughts drifted back to that moment at the Gold Mine.
Ye Lan had been covered in wounds, leaning against the wall of the Gold Mine, those bandaged injuries seeping a piercing red.
She had said things she had never said before; the always-aloof Queen had knelt down to propose to her.
In that moment, what had Mu Xi seen?
Was it sincerity or a scheme?
She closed her eyes, and Ye Lan’s face surfaced in her mind again.
Was it love or calculation flickering in those phoenix eyes?
Her fingers brushed over the bright red heart tattoo on her lower abdomen — the mark Ye Lan had forced upon her, a witness to their twisted relationship.
Mu Xi placed the Gun on the floor and covered her face with her hands.
Thinking from an emotional perspective, it should have been the honesty of someone on the brink of death.
Ye Lan thought she was going to die, so those words, usually locked away by her strength and pride, finally found The Exit.
That proud Queen had finally let go of everything, wanting to speak the words in her heart at the final moment of her life.
‘Deeply regretful…’ Mu Xi’s nails dug into her palms, bringing a sting of pain.
‘Is that so? Did you really ever regret it?’
Or perhaps, all of it was just another elaborate performance by Ye Lan.
Mu Xi straightened her legs and looked up at the Emergency Light on the ceiling.
Analyzing from a rational perspective, Ye Lan’s proposal was very likely just a way to preserve herself.
Just as Little An had harbored ill intentions toward her just now, Ye Lan had confessed at her most vulnerable moment, expressing a willingness to give up everything for love.
That soulful appearance was nothing more than a way to distract her, to prove she still had a bit of value, and to fight for her own survival.
The weapon and ammunition racks cast long shadows in the corner.
Mu Xi stared at those dark silhouettes, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
These weapons were just like the freedom Ye Lan had given her.
It seemed to give her the strength to resist, but in reality, it was just another form of control.
‘Neither possibility is perfect,’ Mu Xi said to herself, her voice echoing in the empty Safe House.
‘Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between.’
She stood up from the floor, walked to the medical area, and took out some bandages.
The marks Little An had left on the bed needed to be cleaned up, and the scratches on her own arms were beginning to throb with pain.
The work allowed her thoughts to become temporarily clear.
The conclusion was obvious: Ye Lan felt both hate and love for her, possessed both sincerity and deceit.
When Ye Lan was powerful, she didn’t need to show sincere love, because that would become a weakness that Mu Xi could use against her.
But when Ye Lan lost everything, with no power or armed protection, those hidden emotions and vulnerabilities became her final weapons.
She used the proposal and her deep affection to numb Mu Xi, ensuring she wouldn’t leave her side.
As for how much of what Ye Lan had displayed before her not long ago was a performance and how much was honesty, only she herself knew.
Mu Xi returned to the bedside and looked at the bound Little An, her fingers lightly brushing the woman’s cheek.
Little An hadn’t woken up, but her pulse was steady.
This Butler, who had survived by competing against over 100 other children, this girl trained by Ye Lan to be physically strong, also had her own story and desires.
“We are all pawns on her chessboard,” Mu Xi whispered to the unconscious Little An.
“I am just luckier than you.”
Mu Xi walked over to the Communicator and tried to contact the outside world, but she only received a wall of static.
She went back to the storage cabinet, took out a set of clean clothes to change into, and then returned to sit by the bed.
Her heart beat like a drum.
She remembered her original plan: stay by Ye Lan’s side and find an opportunity to take revenge.
Now the opportunity seemed to have arrived.
Ye Lan was missing, possibly dead, and she was finally free.
But why was there no joy of victory in her heart?
Why was it instead filled with unease?
‘A good plan, a good mind, and good skills…’ Mu Xi muttered to herself, her fingertips gliding over Little An’s wrists tied to the bedpost, confirming the firmness of the knots.
For some reason, she suddenly remembered the first time Ye Lan had shoved that small handgun into her hand.
What had been in Ye Lan’s eyes then?
Was it trust or a test?
Mu Xi grabbed the water bottle on the nightstand and took a heavy gulp.
The cold liquid slid down her throat, but it couldn’t extinguish the emotions churning within her.
She let out a burst of bitter laughter toward the empty air, but the sound shattered at the very end.