The elderly butler quickly walked over and connected the communicator. A moment later, she turned around with a respectful expression and said to Mu Xi, “Miss Xi, the Sovereign wishes to speak with you.”
Mu Xi raised an eyebrow slightly, a meaningful smile curving at the corners of her lips. She knew it. Ye Lan was bound to have noticed her performance. She turned and walked toward the communicator, taking the earpiece the butler offered and slowly putting it on.
“Little Xi, your dance… was beautiful.” Ye Lan’s deep, magnetic voice came through the communicator, carrying a barely perceptible rasp, like some beast whispering—seductive and dangerous.
Mu Xi’s heart rate quickened slightly, but her face maintained its calm smile. Speaking into the communicator, she said softly, “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it?” Ye Lan let out a low chuckle, his voice growing even deeper, “Like it isn’t the word. It’s… driving me mad.”
A brief silence came through the communicator, and the atmosphere instantly turned somewhat intimate. The servants exchanged quiet glances, each seeing an inexpressible emotion in the other’s eyes.
In the Silent Language Building’s living room, even breathing sounded conspicuously loud. The two young servants kept their heads lowered, eyes fixed on their noses, noses fixed on their hearts, but couldn’t help stealing glances at each other from the corners of their eyes. The Sovereign’s voice carried an emotion they had never heard before—something almost desperate.
The calm smile on Mu Xi’s face didn’t waver in the slightest, as if those words thick with possessiveness were merely a breeze brushing past her. She held the communicator, her fingertips slightly cool, but her heartbeat no longer raced the way it had moments ago. There seemed to be something deliberately restrained beneath that low magnetism—perhaps composure regained after a moment of lost control, perhaps… something else.
After nine seconds of silence, Ye Lan’s voice sounded again. This time, “Little Xi, things are going to be busy here in Stone City recently. I might not be able to come back and see you as often for a while.”
Ye Lan paused, his voice softening further, carrying a cautious tentativeness, “You’ll be alone in the Silent Language Building. Don’t let yourself get lonely.”
The words sounded like considerate concern, but Mu Xi sharply caught the hidden possessiveness and a hint of uncertainty beneath them. Ye Lan was worried she might be upset, or that she might do something while he was away.
The curve of Mu Xi’s lips deepened subtly. She gave her wrist a light twist, gazing at the sleek metal casing of the communicator, and replied in a casual, offhand tone, “That’s fine.”
Her voice was soft, carrying a natural sweetness, but her words were like a thin needle, precisely striking a vital point. “Just make sure you send enough people to protect me properly.”
Mu Xi tilted her head slightly, her gaze landing on a carefully tended, nameless green plant in the corner of the living room, her tone relaxed, “Whether you come back yourself doesn’t matter. Even without you by my side, I can live perfectly well on my own.”
The moment those words left her mouth, the air seemed to freeze solid. The two servants nearly held their breath at the same time, their eyes widening slightly in disbelief. They exchanged a frantic glance, pure shock written across their faces.
Good heavens! How dare Miss Xi speak to the Sovereign like that? Who was the Sovereign? That was Ye Lan! The one who brooked no dissent, whose moods shifted like the wind, who could snap a person’s neck while smiling! In all the wasteland, who would dare speak to her in that tone—almost commanding, almost using her? It was practically saying: “Your existence doesn’t matter to me. I only need your resources and your protection.” It was bare-faced exploitation!
A deathly silence. Even the faint crackle of the electrical current faded away. On the other end of the communicator, Ye Lan’s voice vanished. A deathly silence.
A full five or six seconds passed—long enough that the two servants almost expected to hear the Sovereign’s thunderous rage erupt, or the communicator violently smashed to pieces—before finally, an extremely faint, short… intake of breath came through. It sounded like a gasp, or perhaps the sound of someone suppressing fury. Then, the busy tone of a call abruptly cut off.
“Beep—beep—beep—”
The monotonous sound echoed through the silent living room, jarringly harsh.
That was it? Just like that? No furious shouting, no punishment, not even a single rebuttal?
The elderly butler instinctively swallowed, feeling a chill crawl up the back of her neck. She looked at Mu Xi, only to see this petite, delicate princess still wearing that faint, nearly emotionless smile on her face.
Mu Xi leisurely removed the earpiece and casually handed it to the servant beside her, who was completely frozen in place. She let out a soft, relaxed breath, as if she had just accomplished something utterly trivial.
The servants stared at her, their expressions complex beyond words. Shock, confusion, fear, and an awe that was difficult to articulate. In their entire lives, they had never seen anyone dare defy Ye Lan like this—and with such an almost dismissive attitude. What baffled them even more was that the Sovereign had actually tolerated it? Was this still the same decisive, all-controlling Sovereign?
Mu Xi paid no attention to the servants’ gazes. She walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the rigid, stern architectural silhouettes unique to Stone City. She squinted slightly, a thoughtful expression appearing on her fair, delicate face.
Ye Lan’s reaction… was even better than she had anticipated. Furious, yet helpless. This feeling was truly wonderful.
Mu Xi’s fingertips unconsciously traced across her own flat lower abdomen. A thought quietly surfaced in her mind and quickly took root. Ye Lan was currently granting her every wish, but that wasn’t enough. What if… what if she could bear Ye Lan’s child?
Given Ye Lan’s nearly pathological infatuation and possessiveness toward her, what would happen if she carried their child?
Mu Xi’s heart began pounding uncontrollably. That meant absolute safety. It meant supreme authority. It meant Ye Lan would grovel at her feet like the most devoted follower, fulfilling her every demand—even the most unreasonable ones. By then, never mind using Stone City’s power to help her reclaim Wu City—even if she asked for a star from the sky, Ye Lan would find a way to pluck it down for her, wouldn’t she?
This thought was like a tempting poisoned apple, radiating deadly allure. The corners of Mu Xi’s lips curled upward uncontrollably, forming an utterly captivating smile—one laced with calculation, anticipation, and a sense of control over the future that she herself hadn’t even fully realized.
She needed everything Ye Lan had—power, resources, protection. What she didn’t need was Ye Lan herself constantly by her side. The way things were now was perfect. Ye Lan was out there bustling about for their “future,” while she remained securely in the rear, enjoying everything, and could begin planning her own affairs.
“I’d like to go check out the hot spring on the top floor.” Mu Xi turned and said softly to the two servants who were still in shock, her voice sweet and gentle, carrying an undeniable authority.
“Ah… yes, Miss Xi!” The elderly butler snapped out of it with a start, hastily lowering her head in respect. “I’ll prepare everything right away.”
The other servant quickly followed suit, and the two of them bustled into motion. They didn’t dare show the slightest negligence. The look they gave Mu Xi had gained a new layer of deep wariness on top of their previous reverence.
This Miss Xi—she looked frail and harmless, like a fragile porcelain doll, but her mind was probably more unfathomable than the endless desert beyond Stone City’s walls.
Mu Xi didn’t look at them again. She walked slowly toward the metal staircase leading upstairs, her steps light. With Ye Lan gone, she could finally have some peace and quiet, do the things she enjoyed. Like soaking in a nice, comfortable hot spring.