She couldn’t tell whether that sentence held more love or more possessiveness.
Mu Xi looked at her contentedly, momentarily unable to distinguish Ye Lan’s words but she no longer had a choice.
She had reached the end of her rope.
“I won’t leave you… never.”
She hugged Ye Lan again, burying her head in the crook of her neck, greedily drawing in the warm scent of her body.
Mu Xi nodded slightly, her voice weak yet firm, “I know.”
Deep within her body, that hollow emptiness seemed to be filled by a faint glimmer of hope.
Perhaps falling in love with Ye Lan really was the only way for her to escape her pain.
Perhaps between them, they could really achieve a positive outcome.
The night was long, and also quiet.
Mu Xi fell into a deep sleep in Ye Lan’s arms.
In her dream, she seemed to see the long-lost sunlight, warm and bright, illuminating the path ahead of her but that sunlight carried a hint of piercing brightness, making her faintly uneasy.
The faint morning light filtered through the gap in the curtains, casting a faint trace on the floor.
Mu Xi opened her eyes.
The bed beside her was empty, leaving only a faint residual warmth and the familiar yet unfamiliar scent of Ye Lan, lingering faintly at the tip of her nose.
She moved slightly, the bedding softly wrapping around her body.
The warmth of Ye Lan’s embrace from the night before seemed to still linger on her skin.
But in the place of her heart, it was as if a hole had been torn open, hollow and empty, with cold wind constantly pouring in.
Last night… what had she done?
What had she said?
Those fragmented, tearful pleas came flooding back to her mind like a tide.
“Please… let me fall in love with you…”
She had actually said those words to Ye Lan.
It wasn’t regret; it was more like numbness after absurdity.
An indescribable feeling rose in her heart, not shame, nor hatred.
Hatred was too painful, like a raging fire burning day and night.
She just didn’t want to hurt anymore, that was all.
She felt like a joke, a pitiful wretch desperately grasping at straws in despair.
She also slowly sat up in bed, stepping barefoot onto the cold floor.
Her body couldn’t help but shiver.
The Silent Language Building was very quiet, only her own breathing could be heard.
Washing up, changing clothes, her movements mechanical and sluggish.
The girl in the mirror had a pale face, with faint dark circles under her eyes.
Her once clear and lively eyes were now covered by a lingering haze.
She quickly looked away, not daring to look any longer.
Walking down the metal staircase, she reached the first floor.
Simple breakfast was set out in the dining hall, still steaming, but Ye Lan’s figure did not appear.
She must have left very early.
Was it for the Stone City matter?
Or because of what she had said last night?
Mu Xi had no appetite.
She took a few bites casually, then put down her utensils.
The taste of the food was like chewing wax; it couldn’t arouse any appetite.
She walked to the living room and curled up in a corner of the sofa.
The sofa was very wide and soft, but she felt no comfort at all.
Her gaze roamed aimlessly around her surroundings: the new but starkly styled furniture, the reinforced tables and chairs, the cold metal walls.
Everything here reminded her of where she was and what her identity was.
No matter how many tender promises Ye Lan gave her, it couldn’t change this fact—a prisoner.
Before long, a commotion came from outside.
The heavy metal door opened, and a group of workers in work clothes carried in various materials and tools.
Steel pipes, cement, waterproof paint, and some equipment she couldn’t name.
Mu Xi was momentarily stunned, then remembered.
Ye Lan had said she would build a man-made hot spring on the top floor of the Silent Language Building.
So it wasn’t just a casual remark.
She actually started implementing it.
The workers saw Mu Xi curled up on the sofa and visibly paused in their movements.
The leader was a middle-aged man who looked capable.
He quickly stepped forward, respectfully bowed to Mu Xi from a distance, and said cautiously: “Miss Mu Xi, we’re here for the construction. Lady Ye Lan ordered that we keep the noise as low as possible and not disturb your rest.”
His tone carried obvious awe, even fear.
Mu Xi nodded silently, saying nothing.
She watched the workers stop briefly in the living room, tally the materials, then carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible, carry things upstairs.
There was a certain tension in their movements.
When their eyes met, they would occasionally sneak a glance at her, but as soon as their gazes met hers, they would immediately lower their heads like frightened rabbits and speed up their work.
They were afraid of her.
Mu Xi understood clearly.
Was it because she was the princess of Wu City or because she was Ye Lan’s caged pet?
Perhaps both.
Ye Lan’s will was everything.
Clanking sounds, the screech of cutting metal, occasionally mixed with the workers’ low voices in conversation, came intermittently from upstairs.
These sounds broke the original deathly silence of the Silent Language Building, bringing a bit of worldly vitality and she, as the person publicly brought by Ye Lan, was naturally endowed with a certain forbidding aura.
She didn’t go upstairs.
She just sat on the sofa, watching them quietly.
Ye Lan was adding new toys to her cage—a hot spring.
Was it to make her more comfortable or to make her more docile?
Mu Xi buried her face in her knees, she didn’t know what Ye Lan really wanted to do.
That woman, whose thoughts were as deep as the sea, acted domineeringly and crazily.
She promised she would make her fall in love, in a tone that was almost a declaration.
Could she really do it?
And could she really successfully replace hatred with love and thus gain release?
She felt a wave of confusion.
Last night’s decision, under the light of day, seemed so impulsive, even ridiculous.
But aside from this path, it seemed she had no other choice.
Resistance?
Struggle?
She had tried, and the price was Li Xin and Little An’s lives, and her own completely crushed dignity.
She was tired, truly tired.
The workers’ busyness continued until noon.
The noise gradually subsided.
They packed up their tools and passed through the living room again, still looking cautious and cowed.
The leading man once again approached her, reporting even more respectfully: “Miss Mu Xi, the morning work is finished. We’ll come back this afternoon. Is there… anything you need?”
Mu Xi lifted her head and looked at his nervously pale face.
She shook her head slightly.
What instructions could she have?
She was just a little bird.
The workers left the Silent Language Building as if pardoned.
The metal door closed behind them with a dull thud.
The living room fell silent again, leaving only her alone.
The traces of construction from upstairs remained, and a faint smell of dust lingered in the air.
Mu Xi leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes.
The sunlight shone on her through the window, bringing a trace of warmth, but it couldn’t dispel the chill in her heart.
When lunch was delivered, the Silent Language Building had regained its previous calm.
After the workers left, that oppressive, almost suffocating silence once again descended.
The food was placed on the cold metal table, looking exquisite.
Ye Lan seemed to have put some effort into this aspect.
Mu Xi picked up the utensils and ate mechanically.
She couldn’t taste much of the food; her taste buds seemed to have gone numb along with her heart.
She was just performing a necessary procedure for survival—putting food in her mouth, chewing, swallowing.
Occasionally, faint sounds came from upstairs, probably tools not properly cleaned up being moved by the wind, or construction materials settling into new positions.
She ate very little.
She put down the utensils and sat alone in the empty living room, her gaze unfocused.