It’s over—Lia has already found them, and the chance to slip away unnoticed is gone.
Lin Shu was caught between Sephina and Lia, her heart in turmoil.
“I’m just here to pick up my little cutie. Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to show up?”
Sephina rested her hand on Lin Shu’s shoulder and looked at Lia, her tone as a matter of course.
Lia clenched her teeth in secret, her anger rising.
She rushed forward and grabbed Lin Shu’s arm.
“Lin Shu! Did you hear what I just said?”
She was desperate to hear Lin Shu’s answer.
Because of her agitation, Lia used too much strength, yanking Lin Shu and making her stagger several steps.
“…Let go of me.”
Lin Shu frowned and spoke in a low voice.
Actually, she had heard what Lia said. Even though her mind went blank for a moment when Sephina kissed her just now, it was only for an instant.
Those words were the first time Lia had ever spoken so sincerely to her, and it was also Lin Shu’s first time seeing Lia lay her heart bare.
At last, she saw her own efforts acknowledged, saw her feelings returned.
But it was all too late.
If it had been the old Lin Shu, she would have been overjoyed.
But after wandering for so long in disappointment and cold indifference, she had already decided to crawl out from the shadow of broken hopes.
Lin Shu’s arm throbbed with pain, but Lia’s forcefulness and unwillingness only made her grip even tighter, binding Lin Shu in place.
Hiss… it hurts!
A sharper pain shot up her arm, contorting Lin Shu’s expression—a sight not missed by Sephina.
Just as Lin Shu was about to break free, Sephina spoke first: “Miss Lia, didn’t you hear her? She told you to let go!”
“Little cutie is a human. Have you ever thought about how, as a bloodkin, your strength could really hurt her?”
Lia was briefly stunned and only then, belatedly, let go.
On the arm Lia had just grabbed, red marks and faint bruises had already appeared.
Lin Shu quickly withdrew her arm and retreated several steps.
“You really only ever think about yourself. You don’t understand her at all,” Sephina mocked mercilessly.
Lia instantly bristled, turning all her negative emotions straight at Sephina.
“Understand?! What right do you have to talk about understanding?”
“Lin Shu has always been by my side. If it’s about time spent together, I’ve been with her far longer than you!”
“And you? You only get to see her once in a while!”
Sephina didn’t back down. She reached out and drew Lin Shu into her embrace.
“But I’m sure there’s something I understand better than you do.”
“She only stayed with you for a few days. What makes you think—”
“I know her body better than you do.”
Sephina interrupted Lia, bending down and leaning close to Lin Shu.
“Did you know…” Her eyes gleamed with pride as she continued with a smile, “there’s a mole on the inside of little cutie’s thigh?”
“?!” Lin Shu whipped around to stare at her, startled.
The inside of her thigh… That spot on her own body—she really did have a mole there. How did Sephina know?
Ah, that time!
Lin Shu suddenly recalled the battle in the bunker.
It must have been when Sephina helped stop the bleeding on her thigh—she must have seen it then.
Sephina seized the advantage, her tone turning teasing: “And, that spot is very sensitive, you know. Little cutie could hardly bear it at the time~”
Not knowing the full story, Lia froze on the spot.
Her pupils shrank and trembled violently, her emotions clearly shaken to the core.
What—how could she know even such private details?
What exactly had they done?!
Indecent images flashed through her mind, and Lia recoiled by instinct.
A torrent of jealousy, mixed with the darkest of shadows, surged inside her. Lia shouted angrily, “Disgusting, disgusting!”
She turned her gaze to Lin Shu. “Lin Shu! Are you really going to follow someone like her? She treats you like a toy, doing those kinds of things to you!”
“No matter how much you slander and insult me,” Sephina straightened up, “little cutie is with me now. That won’t change.”
“No!” Lia suddenly regained her confidence. “I know the rules for changing a familiar contract.”
Before coming to the underground jungle, Lia had specifically researched familiars.
Because she simply couldn’t understand: Why, in the absence of the master’s intervention, could a familiar dissolve a contract and choose a new master on their own?
“As long as you’re willing, Lin Shu, you can come back and be my familiar again!”
When Lia revealed the truth, Sephina’s smile faded.
She was right—if the familiar harbored a strong enough will, the new master’s contract could override the old one.
Lia’s intense emotions finally calmed a little. She sensed that now was the best moment to win Lin Shu back.
Lia took a deep breath, suppressing her anger as she said, “I can give up the Crimson Flower.”
“Really?”
“Since you need it, Lin Shu, I can let you have it.”
She had decided to give up the Crimson Flower and go all in. She was betting that Lin Shu would trust her, and choose her.
“But,” Lia’s tone grew heavier, emphasizing what she was about to say:
“Lin Shu, if you come back to me, not only can I fulfill my family’s demands, but after that, I’ll also have more chances to stay by your side.”
“Isn’t that what you want? Didn’t you say I was neglecting you?”
“I know now. If you come back, I promise I’ll give you what you want—whether it’s time or companionship.”
Lia’s crimson eyes were full of resolve.
Even though her heartfelt confession had come too late, she could still offer promises for the future.
She was determined to take Lin Shu back from Sephina right in front of her!
In this enclosed space, Lia’s powerful words echoed all around.
Sephina stared unblinkingly at Lin Shu, clenching her fists with unease.
It was true that the situation was now unfavorable for her. The main reason Lin Shu was with her was her disappointment in Lia. But if Lin Shu still cared about Lia…
Both pairs of eyes fixed on Lin Shu, waiting for her answer.
Lin Shu lowered her gaze, then calmly met Lia’s hopeful eyes.
“Miss Lia, thank you.”
“I made up my mind a long time ago. I think… things are fine as they are now. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself trying to change anything.”
When the Drago family was in trouble, Sephina still cared for her. But when the Tepes family was at its peak, Lia ignored her.
If both of them painted her a future, Lin Shu would rather have true feelings in adversity.
Even if the memories of the past still lingered, they weren’t enough to make her look back.
“So, I’ll be taking this flower stamen with me.” Lin Shu finished lightly and walked to Sephina’s side.
Sephina’s eyes shone, and soon, a bright, gentle smile spread across her face.
She led Lin Shu out of the barrier of the Crimson Flower.
Lia stood there, dazed, watching them vanish from sight.
She couldn’t accept it.
She’d finally said everything she had to say, promised to give Lin Shu what she needed—so why did Lin Shu still choose Sephina?!
Lia’s strength drained from her, and she collapsed to the ground.
The always-proud Lia had finally bowed her head, but it still didn’t bring Lin Shu back.
Why was it like this?
Was it because Sephina would rather see her own family suffer than treat Lin Shu poorly?
Was it just because she treated Lin Shu better?!
“I can too… I can do it too!!” Lia muttered, trembling all over, her hands clutching her skirt tightly.
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