Chapter 311: Ridiculous

Her heart tightened sharply.

In her palm, the outline of the black gun was cold and hard, offering a sliver of insignificant comfort.

She didn’t get up. She remained curled on her side, facing the wall, pressing her ear against the cool pillow, listening for any sound outside the door.

Her breathing slowed deliberately, almost stopping.

‘How is the coup in Stone City going? Did she succeed? Or did she run into trouble?’

Countless thoughts churned in her mind, finally coalescing into one icy question: ‘Why did she come back?’

A key was inserted into the lock and turned.

Click.

The faint metallic friction was magnified infinitely in the silent night.

Mu Xi’s fingertips tightened; the texture of the gun grip bit into her palm.

Her body was like a drawn bowstring, ready to spring at any moment.

The bedroom door pushed open.

There was no imagined roughness; the movement even carried a deliberate gentleness.

Footsteps entered the room. More than one pair.

Mu Xi didn’t turn around immediately.

She could sense the presence behind her—familiar yet complicated.

There was Ye Lan’s cold, fragrant scent, mixed with gunpowder and a faint trace of blood, along with the uniform smell of leather and metal that belonged to the Imperial Guard members.

She forced herself to relax her tense muscles and slowly turned around.

In the dim light, Ye Lan stood there, wearing a crisp black combat uniform that accentuated her tall, powerful figure. Her face was slightly tired, but her deep, phoenix-like eyes remained sharp, now holding an indescribable smile as she gazed at Mu Xi on the bed. A trace of barely noticeable fatigue lingered on her face.

Behind her stood two Imperial Guard members in purple military uniforms, expressionless.

One of them held an exquisitely wrapped gift box, square and tied with a deep purple ribbon.

Seeing Ye Lan, Mu Xi’s suspended heart half-relaxed, but the other half rose even higher.

At least it wasn’t an enemy.

But Ye Lan herself was the most unpredictable danger.

She quietly loosened her grip on the gun, letting it slide deeper into the pillow.

“You’re awake?” Ye Lan’s voice was a little hoarse but still pleasant, like the low hum of a cello.

Mu Xi didn’t answer. She just stared at her silently, using silence to express her vigilance.

Ye Lan didn’t seem to mind her attitude. She stepped forward to the bedside.

She didn’t sit down, just looked down at Mu Xi’s curled-up form, the smile on her lips deepening.

“It seems my little Xi’er hasn’t been resting well while I was away.”

Her fingers gently brushed through the silver hair scattered on the pillow, the gesture carrying a natural intimacy.

Mu Xi slightly tilted her head, avoiding her touch.

Ye Lan’s fingers paused in midair, then she withdrew them as if nothing had happened.

“I brought you a gift.” She turned sideways, indicating the gift box in the guard’s hands. “Guess what it is?”

Her tone was teasing, as if coaxing an uneasy little cat.

A gift?

Last time, Ye Lan’s “gift” had been an equally exquisite box. Opening it revealed Li Xin’s other arm. That was Ye Lan’s punishment for Li Xin’s betrayal, and also a warning to Mu Xi.

Mu Xi’s heart tightened again. The impact of that image still haunted her nightmares.

She looked at the gift box with its pretty ribbon, and her stomach churned. Ye Lan’s smile, in her eyes, was filled with malicious implication.

She swallowed, her dry throat constricting.

She wanted to act indifferent, even sneer, but her body’s memory made her tremble uncontrollably.

“Li Xin’s… other arm, right?” Her voice was soft, with a tremor she didn’t notice. “It couldn’t be…”

As the words left her mouth, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

The Imperial Guard members remained expressionless, but their arms seemed to tense.

For the first time, Ye Lan’s smile genuinely froze.

She was clearly stunned, a flicker of shock in her phoenix eyes, as if she had never expected Mu Xi to say such a thing.

She stared at Mu Xi’s pale face, at the hidden fear and disgust deep in her eyes.

In that moment, Ye Lan seemed to truly realize how deep and indelible a wound her past actions had left on this girl.

Those scars she thought could be covered by time and new “training” were still there, never healed, only temporarily buried by deeper despair and numbness.

A complex emotion flickered across Ye Lan’s eyes, too fast to catch.

Was it guilt? Or something else?

She was silent for a few seconds, the room filled only with the suppressed sound of their breathing.

Then she waved her hand, signaling the guards behind her.

“You may leave,” her voice returned to its usual calm.

“Yes.”

The Imperial Guard members bowed without question, carried the gift box out of the room silently, and gently closed the door behind them.

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Ye Lan didn’t immediately look at the box. Instead, she walked to the window, her back to Mu Xi, gazing at Stone City’s unchanging sky, yellowed by the lights.

Her silhouette was straight, yet carried an indescribable loneliness.

Under the fabric of her combat uniform, the scar left by an energy beam seemed to ache faintly.

Mu Xi watched her back and clenched her fists.

She didn’t understand what Ye Lan was thinking at that moment.

Was she savoring the fear in her own words, or reflecting on her own cruelty?

Maybe both. Maybe neither.

She had never been able to guess Ye Lan’s thoughts.

After a long while, Ye Lan turned around.

Her expression had returned to normal, showing no trace of any turmoil. She walked to the bedside table and picked up the gift box.

“Open it,” she handed it to Mu Xi, her tone calm.

Mu Xi hesitated, looking at her, then at the box.

The ribbon was tied beautifully, the box itself exquisite, emitting a faint fragrance.

It was completely different from the blood-stained box last time.

She reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as she untied the ribbon and slowly lifted the lid.

There was no blood or horror inside.

Nestled on a soft silk cushion lay a doll. It had golden curly hair, a beautiful lace princess dress, lifelike sapphire eyes, and a sweet, innocent smile.

Mu Xi stared at the doll, momentarily unable to react. The craftsmanship was extremely fine, clearly expensive. She had imagined many possibilities, even prepared herself to face severed limbs again, but she never expected something like this.

A doll?

Ye Lan gave her a doll?

An absurd feeling surged in her chest, and she almost rolled her eyes.

Did Ye Lan really think she was some kind of… little girl who could be placated with a toy?

Or did she believe that after all the torment and scheming, a pretty doll would make her forget everything and nestle obediently in her arms?

How ridiculous.

Of course, the even more ridiculous thing was that inside this body was the soul of a man.

Only she knew that.

Even if she told Ye Lan, told anyone, they would probably just think she was talking nonsense.

How could a man possibly live inside the delicate, pitiful body of a princess?