Damn, so she was still in the underground prison after all!
Leaving the room with the metal cell entrance, Xia Mengxi immediately recognized the familiar corridor layout before her, realizing that Lin Xue’er hadn’t moved her to another location.
However, Lin Xue’er had hinted at this indirectly before, so confirming the fact didn’t surprise her much.
What truly caught her off guard was that Lin Xue’er didn’t take her to another bathroom for a wash.
Instead, they spent quite some time walking to a restroom with its door smashed in.
Needless to say, this was definitely the same restroom she had used during her previous escape attempt.
It was clear Lin Xue’er had brought her here deliberately-another warning in disguise.
“Does this place look familiar, Xiao Xi? Hehe.”
“Xue’er, I—”
Before Xia Mengxi could finish, a cold, jade-like finger pressed against her slightly chapped lips.
At the same time, the owner of that finger leaned in close, her warm breath brushing against Xia Mengxi’s ear.
“Xiao Xi, I believe you’ll be a good girl. So… don’t disappoint me. If something like that happens again… I won’t forgive you.”
Xia Mengxi nodded instinctively, but when her eyes met Lin Xue’er’s, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind about her three-step escape plan— even a fleeting thought of giving up.
Yet, she dismissed the idea almost immediately.
She wasn’t the type to back down just because Lin Xue’er had scared her a little.
“I’ll be a good girl, Xue’er. Please believe me.”
“Don’t worry. As long as you never entertain such thoughts again, I’ll trust you. Now, enough of that. Come on, Xiao Xi, put all your clothes here.”
Glancing at the basket Lin Xue’er pointed to, Xia Mengxi understood she was supposed to place her dirty clothes inside.
But halfway through undressing, she sensed a pair of eyes fixed on her from behind, making her hesitate.
“Xue’er… you you’re not going to…”
Lin Xue’er merely smiled without answering, standing perfectly still—a clear confirmation of Xia Mengxi’s suspicion.
Knowing full well that the darkened Lin Xue’er wouldn’t listen to reason, Xia Mengxi didn’t dare resist.
Pressing her lips together, her grimy cheeks flushed slightly as she endured the humiliation until she stood completely exposed before the other girl.
“Xue’er… I-I’m ready…”
“Then step inside. I’ll wash your hair first. After so many days without a proper bath, it’s gotten rough.”
And whose fault is that?
Following Lin Xue’er’s instructions, Xia Mengxi sat on the chair already placed under the showerhead, silently grumbling to herself.
During her imprisonment in the metal cell, Lin Xue’er had barely attended to any of her needs beyond food and water-bathing being one of the many things neglected.
Hmm… mentally, she was still a boy, so she wasn’t particularly bothered in this situation.
Even so, on the surface, she had to act excited about taking a bath—after all, she was now a girl. If she didn’t care about cleanliness, it would seem far too out of place.
“I’m going to start now, Xiao Xi. Close your eyes.”
“Okay…”
There was no denying that having someone take care of her was quite comfortable.
The only downside was that the person caring for her wasn’t exactly ordinary-otherwise, she could have laughed herself to sleep.
Xia Mengxi sighed inwardly while growing even more determined to resolve Lin Xue’er’s darkening personality.
After all, Lin Xue’er’s considerate and caring nature was rare and suited her tastes. If she could get along with a normal Lin Xue’er, it would surely be a wonderful thing.
So, what exactly had happened to Lin Xue’er in the past?
How could she become so insecure just from her childhood friend getting close to someone else, to the point of developing intense anxiety and even descending into darkness?
No one was born like this.
Xia Mengxi firmly believed that Lin Xue’er must have gone through something deeply traumatic to develop such a defensive personality.
Maybe… she could ask now?
She was certain this was a taboo topic for Lin Xue’er. If she asked so bluntly, it would definitely lead to trouble.
But right now, she really wanted to understand more about the other girl. After some thought, she decided to approach the subject indirectly.
The topic she chose next was family-after all, since she had been missing for so long, her parents must be worried.
“Xue’er, how are my parents doing…?”
“You don’t need to worry about Uncle and Auntie. I used the school’s name to inform them that you were lucky enough to be selected as an exchange student for a prestigious overseas school. So right now, you’re not in the country-you’re abroad.”
Holy crap, she couldn’t believe it!
Xia Mengxi truly hadn’t expected Lin Xue’er to have this kind of ability-using the school’s name to deceive her parallel-world parents.
Whether her parents would believe it or not, she didn’t know, but she felt that the girl behind her could actually pull it off.
Otherwise, there’d be no reason for her to go through the trouble.
Still, this was for the best—at least her parents wouldn’t worry about her.
“What about you? Did you use the same excuse to hide it from your parents… Ouch!”
At the end of her sentence, Xia Mengxi suddenly felt a sharp pain on her scalp.
Just as she was about to turn around to see what was happening, the hand on her head resumed its movements, and Lin Xue’er’s voice reached her ears.
“Yeah, I told them the same thing.”
Though this little incident seemed insignificant, Xia Mengxi keenly picked up on the crucial detail—Lin Xue’er had reacted strongly when she brought up family matters.
She could tell there was definitely something wrong here.
Unfortunately, even if she knew, she didn’t dare press further right now.
Her instincts told her that if she asked about Lin Xue’er’s family, the girl would only darken further.
The reason? She suspected Lin Xue’er’s lack of security stemmed from something related to her family.
So Xia Mengxi didn’t continue down that path. Instead, she changed the subject.
“Xue’er, how did you find a place like this? It doesn’t seem like somewhere you can just come and go as you please.”
“Back when we were in junior high, the school held an open campus festival here once. It was during that visit when I got lost and accidentally discovered this mysterious basement.”
Hearing Lin Xue’er’s words, Xia Mengxi couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth.
She had so many things she wanted to say at that moment, but didn’t know where to begin.
Seriously? Coming to a campus festival and just happening to find a mysterious basement?
Was this some predetermined dark backstory setting? Good grief!