Chapter 144: She Panicked

Mu Xi stared at Li Xin’s figure, a swirl of complicated emotions surging in her chest.

She turned to Ye Lan and asked, “So, what do I need to do to see her?”

Ye Lan’s slender fingers brushed lightly over the pocket of her elegant gown, slowly withdrawing a delicate crystal vial.

The colorless, transparent liquid inside emitted an eerie blue glow under the dim light, gently swaying with her movement.

“It’s very simple, my dear.”

Ye Lan handed the vial to Mu Xi, her red lips curling into a cruel smile and said, “Drop a single tear of Tears of Oblivion into her mouth—one drop a day. That way, you’ll be able to visit her every day.”

Mu Xi’s fingers trembled noticeably as she took the crystal vial.

An unnamed heat rose within her, mingling with fear and shock, making it hard to breathe.

She understood Ye Lan’s intention.

She wanted Mu Xi to personally poison Li Xin, offering her life as the price for their meetings.

Mu Xi’s heart raced, her body trembling slightly.

Ye Lan keenly caught the hesitation in her eyes, and her dangerous phoenix-like gaze gleamed with satisfaction.

This was exactly the reaction she wanted to see.

She had long sensed that Mu Xi’s feelings for Li Xin were more than just gratitude—they contained a hint of affection.

And in her territory, her pets could only love her alone.

“Don’t want to let go, huh?” Ye Lan’s voice slid over Mu Xi’s nerves like silk.

“I’ll give you three seconds to decide. Three, two—”

“I agree.” Mu Xi almost blurted out, gripping the crystal vial tightly.

Behind that decision was cold calculation.

From her understanding of Ye Lan, whether she agreed or not, Li Xin’s fate was already sealed.

If she refused, Li Xin would still die in agony; if she agreed, at least she could accompany her in those final moments.

The two outcomes held no essential difference; the only variable was whether she could see Li Xin one last time.

Ye Lan narrowed her dangerous eyes, somewhat surprised by Mu Xi’s swift decision.

She nodded slightly, signaling the guards to open the observation room’s door.

“Go. Remember, I’ll be watching you.”

Mu Xi took a deep breath and stepped into the room.

When Li Xin saw her, her tired eyes lit up instantly, a mixture of surprise and concern mingling on her resolute face.

“Miss Mu Xi!” Li Xin tried to sit up but was held back by her injured leg.

Mu Xi approached the bedside and took Li Xin’s hand.

A thousand words rushed to her mind but all she could do was sigh.

She gazed into Li Xin’s eyes and spoke the cruel truth directly.

“This is Tears of Oblivion,” Mu Xi said softly but clearly.

“One drop swallowed, and within thirty days, your bodily systems will gradually collapse. First, blood vessels rupture, then nerves atrophy, and finally, internal organs fail.”

She paused briefly.

“This is Ye Lan’s demand. I must make you take it as the price for our meetings. Are you… willing?”

Behind the one-way glass, Ye Lan watched the scene, a satisfied smile curling on her red lips.

She admired Mu Xi’s forced agony of choice, and the impending life-and-death farewell about to unfold.

Li Xin looked at Mu Xi, as if time froze in that moment.

She hadn’t expected their reunion’s first words to be such a brutal announcement.

The color drained from her already pale face but returned quickly as calm.

She had long known her fate was sealed, the mark of a traitor impossible to erase.

“I’m willing.” Li Xin’s voice was surprisingly steady, her gaze never leaving Mu Xi’s delicate face.

In those vibrant eyes lay a scene she wished to remember forever.

As a traitor, being able to see the one she loved every day in her final days was already a blessing from heaven.

Mu Xi’s slender fingers trembled slightly upon hearing the answer.

She pressed her lips together, the red hue vivid against her fair skin.

The decision was already made in her heart.

Slowly, she raised the crystal vial—but did not bring it toward Li Xin.

Under Li Xin’s stunned gaze, Mu Xi tilted her head back, parted her cherry lips, and dropped the eerie blue liquid into her own mouth.

“No—!” Li Xin’s scream tore through the silence of the room.

Piercing pain spread instantly from Mu Xi’s throat throughout her body, her silver-white hair fanning out like blooming flowers as she collapsed.

The taste was far more terrifying than she had imagined, as if fire had been injected directly into her veins.

Li Xin, dragging her injured leg, lunged forward desperately but was one step too late.

She watched helplessly as Mu Xi fell to the cold floor, her hair scattered across the tiles.

The observation room’s door was flung open violently.

Ye Lan stormed in with two Doctors clad in white coats, her dangerous phoenix eyes flashing unprecedented panic.

“Are you crazy?!” Ye Lan’s voice trembled—a rare crack in her composure—as she knelt beside Mu Xi, fingers brushing her exquisite face.

In the final moments before losing consciousness, Mu Xi saw tears rolling down Li Xin’s cheeks and smiled faintly.

Then, darkness surged like a tide, carrying her away with a sense of peaceful release.

Outside the one-way glass, the guards exchanged glances, never having seen their cold-blooded mistress so flustered.

She picked up Mu Xi’s body, eyes shining with fear and rage as she strode swiftly toward the emergency room.

Mu Xi drifted in a boundless sea of darkness, her consciousness shattered like fragments.

There was no direction, no sound, no warmth.

Only endless void.

Until a blinding light pierced the darkness, like a lifeline pulling her back to reality.

Her consciousness began to coalesce, senses gradually awakening.

Eyelids fluttering, Mu Xi slowly opened her eyes as blurred vision sharpened.

The pristine white ceiling, the smell of disinfectant, and those dangerous yet familiar phoenix eyes.

Ye Lan sat beside the hospital bed, slender fingers lightly tapping the metal frame.

The usually dangerously alluring face wore a deliberately cold mask now, but the faint upward curve of her lips betrayed her inner joy.

The room was fully equipped; precision monitors displayed Mu Xi’s vital signs, a bouquet of fresh white roses rested on the bedside table, and a LCD screen on the wall showed real-time fluctuations of her body’s data.

“It’s… you…” Mu Xi tried to speak, her voice trembling like broken wind chimes.

Ye Lan’s eyes flickered, those dangerous eyes glistening with a subtle, almost imperceptible moisture.

She quickly regained her usual composure, raising a finger gently to Mu Xi’s lips, signaling silence.

“Foolish.” Ye Lan’s voice was low and restrained.

“Do you realize how close you came to dying?”

Mu Xi recalled the scene before fainting.

Li Xin’s tears, the blue liquid in the crystal vial, and the choice she made.

She nodded faintly, noticing a rare vulnerability flash in Ye Lan’s eyes.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Mu Xi thought she saw Ye Lan’s eyes redden slightly.

The woman who was always high and mighty, controlling everything—now revealed a trace of panic.

“I knelt by your bedside for seven days and seven nights.”

Ye Lan’s voice was soft, tinged with self-mockery, “I even prayed to gods I never believed in.”

Mu Xi stared at Ye Lan in surprise, never imagining this cold-blooded woman would go that far for her.

A warm sensation bloomed in her chest—whether it was the medicine or something else, she couldn’t say.

Ye Lan seemed to realize what she had said, quickly reclaiming her usual authoritative posture, but the emotion in her eyes remained partly unveiled.

“This will not happen again.”

Ye Lan rose, looking down at Mu Xi with her usual cold sharpness, “You belong to me, and only I decide your fate.”

Mu Xi nodded gently, her gaze soft as moonlight.