Nán Zhī stood outside the door, wearing a black jumpsuit with a matching backpack slung over her shoulder, looking like a female cat burglar from a movie.
She grabbed Huā Xián’s hand and tried to pull her out, but paused when she clearly saw the clothes Huā Xián was wearing.
“Big Sister, why don’t you change your clothes first?”
Huā Xián looked down and slowly pulled at her collar. She had been too preoccupied with figuring out who was ringing the doorbell that she had forgotten she was wearing a nightgown.
Chǐ Mèng had specifically chosen this gown for her. It was made of ice silk, had a deep V-neckline, and clung tightly to her body, making every inch of her skin faintly visible.
Nán Zhī felt a little embarrassed, turning her face away, the tips of her ears slightly red.
Huā Xián shielded her vital areas and spoke calmly: “You should go back. I won’t leave with you.”
Nán Zhī looked at her in disbelief and said urgently: “Why?! Are you going to continue living a hellish life here? I finally found a chance to rescue you. Come with me first, and we can discuss the rest after we leave this place.”
As she finished speaking, she reached for Huā Xián’s arm again, but Huā Xián gently avoided her.
Nán Zhī: …I don’t understand, I really don’t understand.
Could she have Stockholm Syndrome?
“Zhī Zhī, thank you for coming to save me, but I cannot leave,” Huā Xián said with a smile, stepping slightly aside and adding, “Do you want to come in and sit down? This is your first time here, right?”
Nán Zhī quickly waved her hands: “No, no. I mainly came to take you away. I don’t intend to stay as a guest.”
If that jealous tyrant Chǐ Mèng found out she had entered her house, she would definitely be mocked to death.
Nán Zhī imagined the scene, and goosebumps rose on her back.
Huā Xián knew her reservations and shrugged: “Then go back. I’m doing quite well here; you don’t need to worry about me.”
Nán Zhī: “…Are you really not coming with me? Chǐ Mèng looked terrifying when she took you away. You…” She lowered her head and saw the bells and red marks on Huā Xián’s ankle.
Huā Xián took a step back, hiding her foot beneath the skirt, her smile unchanged: “There’s nothing to worry about. I can handle myself.”
In truth, she wanted to persuade Nán Zhī to leave because a bad premonition suddenly arose in her heart as she spoke.
Nán Zhī’s face was full of disappointment. She shoved the backpack from her shoulder into Huā Xián’s arms and sighed softly: “Since you insist on staying, I have nothing more to say. The things inside were left with me by you. I also added some new things. You might need them.”
The backpack was quite heavy, and Huā Xián nearly dropped it. Just as she was about to thank Nán Zhī, the other woman leaned in and embraced her.
“My reason tells me that I should take you away. Chǐ Mèng is a possessive and extreme person. I’m afraid she will hurt you. But…” Nán Zhī didn’t finish her sentence, only whispering, “Big Sister, please take care of yourself.”
Huā Xián was still holding the backpack, so the two of them didn’t actually touch much, but outsiders wouldn’t think that way.
For example, Chǐ Mèng.
She stood not far away, watching the two people hugging, tightly clutching the car key in her hand. Her expression was inscrutable, and her half-lowered eyelashes completely masked her emotions.
At this moment, she slightly hated her overly accurate sixth sense.
If I hadn’t turned back, I wouldn’t have seen this heartbreaking scene. Then I could still deceive myself that Huā Xián was slowly changing.
It turns out everything was just a facade to make me drop my guard. Huā Xián, you lied to me again!
Chǐ Mèng was furious and wanted to rush forward to question them loudly, but her legs felt like they were filled with lead, making it incredibly difficult to move.
A sudden wave of exhaustion arose, relentlessly pulling her whole being toward a deep abyss. The light before her was steadily fading.
Chǐ Mèng walked forward step by step, her eyes locked onto Huā Xián. Even if she were to fall into the abyss, she would drag Huā Xián along with her!
Huā Xián’s view was blocked by Nán Zhī, and she didn’t notice anyone approaching, but the ominous feeling in her heart made her a little flustered.
“Big Sister, I’ll ask you one last time: are you really not coming with me?” Nán Zhī looked at Huā Xián, and hope reignited in her clear, black eyes.
Huā Xián was helpless but said solemnly: “No matter how many times you ask, my answer will be the same. I won’t go with you. Mèng Mèng needs me, and I can’t leave her alone. I’ve hurt her once already, and I cannot hurt her a second time. Also, please stop calling me ‘Big Sister’ from now on. I’m afraid she’ll be unhappy if she hears it.”
Nán Zhī opened her mouth, and after several seconds, she said, “You really do have Stockholm Syndrome!”
Huā Xián was amused by her words. Just as she was about to speak, an extra person entered her line of sight.
“!!!” When did Chǐ Mèng come back?! How long has she been standing there?!
Chǐ Mèng was clearly also in shock. She looked at Huā Xián with complex eyes, clutching the car key tightly. The veins on the back of her hand bulged, and her fingertips were slightly white.
She said she wouldn’t leave me.
Huā Xián refused to leave with Nán Zhī for her sake.
But… why?
Didn’t she desperately want to cut ties with me? This is the best chance to leave. Why is she staying?
Chǐ Mèng’s mouth hung open, but that was all. She didn’t know what to say. Nán Zhī saw Huā Xián’s gaze, immediately sensed trouble, and stiffly turned her neck to look back. Sure enough, Chǐ Mèng was standing not far away from her.
Instantly, Nán Zhī felt terrible all over.
“Well, if there’s nothing else, I should get going.”
Nán Zhī said and started to walk away, trying to keep as much distance from Chǐ Mèng as possible, but she still wasn’t able to leave safely.
“Since you’ve come all this way, why not have a cup of coffee before you go? Otherwise, Big Sister will blame me for not entertaining her friend.”
Chǐ Mèng’s tone was as arrogant as ever, and she emphasized the words “Big Sister” particularly hard, as if showing off.
Nán Zhī had just been asked by Huā Xián not to call her Big Sister, and Chǐ Mèng was deliberately provoking her.
Nán Zhī: Damn it, this woman is showing off!
“No, thank you, no,” Nán Zhī quickly refused. “I’m busy with schoolwork. We can have coffee next time.”
“Didn’t you already get accepted as a graduate student at Tsinghua University? You shouldn’t be so busy that you don’t even have time for a cup of coffee, right?”
Nán Zhī: …You certainly know a lot about me.
Nán Zhī stopped walking, unsure whether to leave or stay. Huā Xián opportunely spoke up: “If you don’t have other plans, stay for lunch. I’ll cook a few of your favorite dishes.”
Chǐ Mèng’s gaze instantly turned cold. Nán Zhī didn’t dare to lift her head.
Thank you, but please stop making me a target of hate. You don’t know what your wife is like!
In the end, Nán Zhī stayed. Sitting on the sofa in Chǐ Mèng’s house, she felt uncomfortable everywhere, completely tense. Chǐ Mèng sat opposite her, composed and expressionless, staring at her, intensifying the pressure she felt.
“So, you had Lí Jǐn Chéng pressure my father, and then you ran here to abduct Huā Xián while I was gone?”
If it hadn’t been for her father’s phone call, she wouldn’t have gone out, and Nán Zhī wouldn’t have had a chance to approach Huā Xián. Everything was too coincidental. All the coincidences added up meant it wasn’t a coincidence but a deliberate act by someone.
The temperature around Chǐ Mèng dropped. Her eyes narrowed, and her aura was intimidating.
Nán Zhī didn’t dare to look up, nervously picking at the sofa cushion, silently pleading for help from Huā Xián.
Huā Xián had ducked into the kitchen as soon as she entered the house, slowly brewing coffee, attempting to avoid the situation. But now, it seemed inevitable.
She brought out two cups of coffee and showed a gentle smile: “Zhī Zhī is our first guest here, so don’t make things difficult for her. Here, Zhī Zhī, taste the coffee I made.”
A dangerous look appeared in Chǐ Mèng’s eyes, and her voice was deep and gloomy: “Difficult?”
Huā Xián bit her tongue, realizing her word choice was poor. Before she could explain, Chǐ Mèng stood up, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into the adjacent guest bedroom.
The door closed. Huā Xián was pressed against the door. Chǐ Mèng narrowed her eyes to look at her, her long eyelashes fluttering as if suppressing something.
“Mèng Mèng, you…!”
The moment Huā Xián opened her mouth, Chǐ Mèng seized her lips, giving her a passionate and dominant kiss.