Luoyuan’s face was terrifyingly gloomy as she stood by the campfire, her hands clenched into fists.
In front of Mu Xi, she had always been the high-and-mighty High Official who controlled everything and did as she pleased.
Whether through hypnosis or The Order, Mu Xi would always obey submissively.
But in front of Ye Lan, this woman who called herself a High Official seemed stripped of all her majesty.
Ye Lan walked slowly toward Mu Xi, her movements calm and unhurried.
Her slender fingers brushed through Mu Xi’s long silver hair, her eyes full of doting affection.
Luoyuan could only watch helplessly as Ye Lan gently picked Mu Xi up, as if she were holding the most precious treasure in the world.
“Little Xi, are you cold?” Ye Lan’s voice was impossibly gentle.
Mu Xi shook her head slightly, a hint of confusion and attachment flickering in her eyes.
She did not remember who Ye Lan was, yet she felt an instinctive closeness to this woman.
Ye Lan lowered her head and placed a soft kiss on Mu Xi’s fair cheek, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Luoyuan’s brow furrowed even tighter.
The night wind of The Desert blew past, her long blonde hair fluttering in the breeze while fury burned in her azure eyes.
“Don’t get too ahead of yourself,” Luoyuan said coldly.
Ye Lan looked up at Luoyuan, the tenderness in her eyes instantly turning into a sharp, cold light.
“Luoyuan, you had better be careful,” Ye Lan’s voice was low and dangerous.
“Don’t let anything happen to the two of us, or you won’t even know how you died.”
She paused, a sneer appearing on her lips, “Sleep with one eye open every night, you hear me?”
The implication was unmistakable: the Escort Team had already locked onto Ye Lan’s location.
Even if Luoyuan tried to flee with her people now, there was nowhere left to run.
Their Destiny was already firmly held in someone else’s hands.
The soldiers at the temporary base exchanged uneasy glances.
They felt the tension between the two women, but they did not dare to intervene.
Mu Xi shrank into Ye Lan’s embrace, her slender fingers unconsciously clutching the front of Ye Lan’s clothes.
Though her memory was blurred, her instincts told her the current situation was very dangerous.
“I thought you would behave for a while,” Luoyuan said through gritted teeth, “After all, you have already been captured and controlled by me.”
Ye Lan let out a disdainful chuckle, “Do you really think you can control me?”
She stroked Mu Xi’s silver hair, but her gaze remained locked on Luoyuan, “I was merely waiting for the perfect moment.”
Luoyuan snorted in anger, “You only dare to be so arrogant because of your special blood.”
“And what about you?” Ye Lan retorted.
“You only have everything you have today because of Mu Xi’s bloodline and status. Without her, what would you even be?”
These words were like a sharp blade, stabbing directly into Luoyuan’s sore spot.
Her face turned pale instantly.
Mu Xi looked at the two of them in confusion.
She did not understand why her bloodline and status were so important, nor why Ye Lan’s blood was special but she could sense that these two points were the reason Luoyuan could not move against them.
“You two are nothing but a pair of ancestors,” Luoyuan muttered through clenched teeth, her voice filled with helplessness and anger.
Hearing this, a flash of triumph crossed Ye Lan’s eyes.
She had already won this confrontation.
“Little Xi, are you hungry?” Ye Lan asked, her tone as gentle as if she were speaking to a precious gem.
Mu Xi nodded softly.
“I’ll go get you something to eat,” Ye Lan said, gently placing Mu Xi down on a blanket by the fire.
Luoyuan watched the scene coldly, a complex light flickering in her eyes.
She hated Ye Lan’s arrogance, yet she had to admit that Ye Lan’s concern for Mu Xi was genuine.
“Do you think you can win her heart this way?” Luoyuan mocked.
Ye Lan stood up and looked down at Luoyuan.
“I don’t need to win anything. She was already mine.” She spoke with absolute certainty, leaving no room for doubt.
Luoyuan’s fingers trembled slightly, she knew Ye Lan was telling the truth.
There was a connection between Mu Xi and Ye Lan that she could not understand.
Even though she had used every means possible to wipe Mu Xi’s memory, that connection remained.
“You won’t get your way,” Luoyuan whispered, “I’ll find a way.”
Ye Lan smiled contemptuously and replied, “Feel free to try. But remember, if you hurt Mu Xi, you will pay the price.”
Having said that, she turned to check the roasting meat over the campfire, her back straight and proud.
Luoyuan stood there, watching the way Mu Xi looked at the direction Ye Lan had gone.
In that gaze, there was confusion, attachment, and an emotion Luoyuan could not erase.
This was Luoyuan’s greatest failure — she could control Mu Xi’s body and memory, but she could not control Mu Xi’s heart.
The night wind of The Desert blew by, carrying the scent of metal and sulfur.
In the distance, broken buildings half-buried in the sand stood like silent witnesses, watching this struggle of power and emotion.
Luoyuan took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions.
She could not lose her composure in front of the soldiers.
As a High Official, she had to remain calm but she knew in her heart that once Ye Lan’s Escort Team arrived, the situation would spiral completely out of control.
She had to come up with a plan before then.
Mu Xi sat quietly by the campfire, her silver hair shimmering softly in the firelight.
Her slender figure looked so fragile, yet she was the core of the struggle between two powerful women.
Luoyuan and Ye Lan — one was her savior, and the other was an important existence from her blurred memories.
She was caught in the middle, a pawn with no agency.
But tonight, Mu Xi vaguely felt that something was changing.
Ye Lan’s appearance had shattered Luoyuan’s absolute control over her.
Perhaps she could find her true self again.
***
Some time passed after that.
The night grew thicker over The Desert, and the wind and sand gradually turned violent.
The sound of sand grains scraping against the metal shell was like tiny raindrops hitting the armor plating of the RV.
“The wind is getting stronger.” Ye Lan stood by the RV window, looking out into the nearly invisible darkness.
The wind caught her black hair, revealing the sharp contours of her profile.
Mu Xi stood not far behind her, her long silver hair glowing softly under the RV’s gentle interior lights.
Her slender body looked so fragile, as if a single gust of wind could blow her away.
“We should head back.” Ye Lan turned around and held out her hand.
Mu Xi hesitated for a moment but eventually placed her small hand in Ye Lan’s palm.
Despite her blurred memories, she still had an instinctive trust in this tall woman.
The two of them returned to the interior of the RV.
The climate control system maintained a comfortable temperature inside the vehicle, contrasting with the raging sandstorm outside.
Mu Xi sat on the sofa, her hands folded over her knees, looking uneasy.
“Can’t sleep?” Ye Lan asked, her voice low and gentle.
Mu Xi shook her head slightly and said, “I don’t know why, but I feel very nervous.”
“That’s fine. I can’t sleep either.” Ye Lan pressed a few buttons on the control panel, and the lights inside the RV grew even softer.
Mu Xi watched her every move, her eyes filled with confusion and attachment.
“Little Xi, can I help you shave?” Ye Lan suddenly asked, her tone calm and natural, as if she were asking something perfectly ordinary.
“Shave?” Mu Xi blinked in confusion.
“Yes, just helping you clean up the hair on your body,” Ye Lan explained, her voice gentle, “We used to do this often.”
Mu Xi’s cheeks flushed slightly, she lowered her head, her long silver hair hiding her expression.
“I… I don’t remember.”
“It’s all right. You don’t need to remember.” Ye Lan walked over to her side and knelt on one knee to meet her gaze.
“You just need to tell me if you’re willing.”
Mu Xi looked up, meeting Ye Lan’s deep, phoenix-shaped eyes.