The surroundings fell silent, as if the slow-motion button had been pressed.
After speaking, Lin Huanhuan also froze. Looking at Ye Jinxiu’s stiff expression, she couldn’t help but feel a hint of regret.
‘Is it too much… No, that’s how it has to be. If I don’t do this, this girl will definitely keep pushing. I must make her understand that this is something she cannot touch.’
Just as Lin Huanhuan made up her mind, she heard Ye Jinxiu’s calm voice. “None of your business? What a ‘none of my business’ that is.”
“It was never your business in the first place. Isn’t that an obvious fact?”
Seeing that Ye Jinxiu didn’t seem angry, Lin Huanhuan perked up again and spoke aggressively.
“Heh, hahaha!”
Ye Jinxiu’s laughter rang out. She laughed happily, clutching her stomach and bowing slightly, with tears even forming in the corners of her eyes.
“What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?”
Ye Jinxiu’s laughter gradually subsided. She didn’t answer, but her gaze suddenly turned icy. She grabbed Lin Huanhuan’s collar and said angrily, “Lin Huanhuan, you person with a memory no longer than three seconds, have you already forgotten? You were the one who took the initiative to provoke me. You were the one who made a mess of my heart, making me think of you almost every second of every day. And now you’re saying it has nothing to do with you? Isn’t that laughable?”
“It’s because I like you that I didn’t want you to be restrained, and I wanted you to be free. I didn’t expect you to say such a thing.”
Ye Jinxiu took a deep breath and let her hands drop powerlessly. The shocked Lin Huanhuan stumbled and nearly fell, saved only by her quick reflexes.
She blinked her eyes. Then she heard Ye Jinxiu speak with disappointment, “Fine, fine. If that’s the case, then I won’t get involved in this matter anymore. Let’s not have any more contact in the future. Let’s leave it at that.”
Lin Huanhuan stood there in a daze, her small face looking lost. She felt as though a piece of her heart was missing, her soul seemingly departed.
She had only just learned that Ye Jinxiu’s feelings for her were so complex, and she had just hurt her with her own hands. Naturally, she felt an indescribable, murky discomfort.
She had a change of heart and comforted herself, ‘This is for the best. Anyway, she can’t be involved in this matter. It’s good for her to leave like this. It’s just a little disappointment, nothing more. I’ll be fine after a while.’
Even as she thought this, she didn’t feel her mood improve at all.
Lin Huanhuan felt quite downcast. She completely failed to notice that while Ye Jinxiu had walked away, she hadn’t actually left. Instead, she had walked over to a stone bench and sat down, watching her all the while.
Lin Huanhuan looked up and happened to meet her gaze. Her curved eyebrows twitched as she heard Ye Jinxiu smile and say, “So, you wanted to hear me say those words, right?”
“What?” Lin Huanhuan was confused at first, but then she realized. “You actually used that method to trick me! You’re so despicable.”
“So what?”
Ye Jinxiu didn’t feel she had done anything wrong at all. Instead, she said proudly, “If I hadn’t done that, how could I have tested your true reaction? You were feeling regret just now, right? Which means you have feelings for me too.”
“Since that’s the case, you should just tell me the truth. It’ll be better for both of us. Besides, you should understand by now that making me leave is absolutely impossible. If you have that idea, you’d better give it up as soon as possible.”
“How hateful, so despicable,” Lin Huanhuan said through gritted teeth, yet she felt strangely relieved.
The two of them stared at each other for a few more seconds. Lin Huanhuan was the first to give in and look away. That sincere gaze was more fierce to her than swords or spears — she couldn’t withstand it.
She sighed helplessly to herself, ‘It’s precisely because of this that I can’t say anything even more. If I do, how is it any different from harming you?’
‘If I reveal the truth, there’s a very high probability the Heavenly Dao will kill me instantly. Your memory would probably be wiped directly, and even if it weren’t, there would surely be a terrible price to pay…’
‘To the Heavenly Dao, I should be just a tool. The last time a tool had its own thoughts and changed a bit of the plot, it was almost killed. If I dare to speak such secrets, being replaced would probably be the smallest price.’
‘Oh, Heavenly Dao… until one forms a Golden Core, they are forever restricted. Only a nearly immortal Nascent Soul True Monarch can ignore the Heavenly Dao.’
At this moment, Lin Huanhuan finally felt the pressure Dong Yun’er had faced when she questioned her. It was like Mount Tai collapsing, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Once again, Lin Huanhuan felt the pain of her own weakness and an extreme thirst for power. ‘If I were a Nascent Soul right now, why would I care about that Heavenly Dao?’
After a short while, Ye Jinxiu grabbed her shoulders and whispered, “I can feel the pain in your heart, and I can see the confusion in your eyes. Are you afraid? Afraid that speaking about this will bring us trouble? You’re afraid it can’t be solved, and that speaking out will only make things more troublesome.”
“But have you ever thought about it?” Ye Jinxiu’s voice suddenly grew loud. “If you don’t say it, how do you know we don’t have a solution? What’s the use of suppressing everything and keeping it all inside?”
“Wouldn’t it be faster for us to find a way together than for you to do it alone? You probably haven’t told anyone about this, have you? Even your little maid doesn’t know. What’s the point of this?”
Ye Jinxiu began to analyze, “In those storybooks and novels I usually read, the heroines are threatened and keep everything inside, thinking they can solve it themselves. As a result, the other side keeps pushing until it reaches an irreparable state. You shouldn’t be that stupid, so why can’t you understand this logic?”
Lin Huanhuan’s gaze was complex, her eyes filled with pain. ‘Is it the same? The threat isn’t even on the same level.’
‘No, I can’t let this go on. If it continues, I’m really going to lose control and say it.’
Thinking of this, Lin Huanhuan hurriedly stood up straight, pushed Ye Jinxiu away, and then used a movement technique to quickly flee the area.
Ye Jinxiu stood up straight. Watching her departing figure, she didn’t give chase, only letting out a long, helpless sigh.
“I’ll let it go for now. Even after saying all this, she still won’t confess. It seems she really can’t speak of it. Could it be some kind of restriction or curse? I should go back and check.”
—
Seeing that Ye Jinxiu hadn’t chased her, Lin Huanhuan felt slightly more at ease, but she didn’t dare slow down.
She ran all the way back to her little courtyard and closed the gate. Only then did she relax, her body falling limply into a chair as she gasped for breath.
“A weak-willed escape, but there was no other way.”