You Ling stared at her own brother's face for a full second.
Did this kid even know what he was saying, just running his mouth like that?
"I suppose I've been too generous." You Ling sighed, shaking her head.
She really had been too generous. She'd resolved to play the ultimate villain, and yet here she was, being all pleasant to the manga protagonist.
But what else could she do? He was her own brother — she couldn't exactly go at him for real. She might not even win the fight. An A-rank ability user wasn't exactly a dime a dozen, and the people capable of captaining a Nightwatch regional action squad were few and far between. You Shuo genuinely had the skill. And even if she did somehow beat him, the one who'd ache over his injuries would be herself.
All she could do was apply pressure and intimidation.
As she thought this, she studied You Shuo for another second. Speaking of which, he still didn't know he'd been stabbed in the back by a teammate.
With mischief brewing, she said: "Someone as powerful as me can have whatever I want. It's not often I treat a person this well, and yet that person not only doesn't appreciate it, he guards against me at every turn. Won't even introduce me to his friends. He should be utterly devoted to me, his master — after all, I've been so good to him."
The ultimate villain could afford to be magnanimous, but she couldn't afford to lose her edge.
She had to eat. She had to survive. Fun and games aside — don't joke around with her goal of being the ultimate villain.
"Don't you think I should," You Ling looked at You Shuo, delivering the threat through a smile, "find a replacement?"
...
The record had worn down over the long years, and the old record player chose this moment to emit a jarring screech of static.
After tossing out that casual remark, Bi Xi withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened. His fingertip traced along the rim of the glass, and beneath the bar's golden lights, it looked as though he were plucking a golden string.
He hummed along to the music from the record player, his emerald eyes deep and unfathomable in the lamplight.
You Shuo's heartbeat mirrored the broken record — heavy, accelerating, slamming against his ribs alongside the static.
What did Bi Xi actually want? Did he want to extend his reach to others?
Wariness engulfed his mind in an instant. The natural ease created moments ago by the music and the bar's dim lighting evaporated. Every time You Shuo let his guard down because Bi Xi seemed relaxed, it wouldn't be long before the devil bared his fangs again.
This was absolutely a warning. Subtle yet forceful.
Moody. Unreadable.
Just like the person himself — like a phantom.
But You Shuo was no rookie Nightwatch either. He'd been at this post for three years, and his ability to think on his feet was among the best.
In moments like these, the priority was to soothe — to talk Bi Xi out of whatever new idea he'd gotten. As he'd just said, he would never feel comfortable letting his teammates come into contact with Bi Xi.
He alone was enough to sink alongside this devil. There didn't need to be more.
"You just said yesterday that I was the most outstanding one, that hanging out with me was fun — and today you've already had a change of heart?" You Shuo leveled his tone, rebuilding the casual atmosphere from before. "Having me as your one and only exclusive companion — isn't that good enough?"
But when those emerald eyes looked over at him, he had the feeling the devil had once again seen through his little trick.
"That's how you feel. Others might not agree." Bi Xi gazed into the still surface of the liquid in his glass, his fingertip tracing circles on the rim — one lap, then another. "Your closest friends — one named Sui Xiao, one named Yiluoqi." He turned to You Shuo and raised a finger to tap his own temple. "Thinking about them?"
You Shuo's heart slowly sank into his stomach.
The Nightwatch action teams only recruited combat elites. Captain You Shuo was an A-rank ability user; the other two were both B-rank. Ordinary people couldn't afford to cross them.
But Bi Xi wasn't ordinary people.
"Aiya, aiya, what's the rush?" Bi Xi relented at this point. He withdrew his hand, propped his chin on it, and said, "I'm a good person, you know. You keep making me look like the bad guy when I've been nothing but good to you."
"Bi Xi," You Shuo steadied himself and said slowly, "what you consider good isn't necessarily the kind of good I need."
Bi Xi seemed to freeze for a moment, and then his smile grew even stranger.
"You Shuo." Bi Xi said his name in return — the first time the devil had ever addressed him directly. The devil smiled beneath the golden lights, dreamlike and ephemeral: "But I think you need it very much."
No — he doesn't understand at all!
You Shuo knew he was talking nonsense. You Shuo had never wanted anyone to die for his sake, but Bi Xi—
Those eyes, curved into crescent moons, gazed at him as if to say: even if he'd gotten it all wrong, so what?
DING—
At that moment, the bar door swung open, and the wind chime at the entrance rang.
His rigid body could finally breathe again. You Shuo glanced in that direction, and in that momentary pause, when he looked back, Bi Xi was no longer watching him. Bi Xi was holding his glass of sweet milk, sitting perfectly upright, and took a prim sip.
In moments like these, he seemed utterly harmless.
Truly unreadable. Truly moody. You Shuo thought.
He genuinely couldn't fathom what Bi Xi was thinking. Probably only Bi Xi himself knew.
"Whoa, this decor! This name! This bartender! These three people!" Among the three young university students who'd just pushed through the door, one let out a gasp. "Is this a City's Edge themed bar?!"
"When did Jinli City get a themed bar? How has no one ever mentioned this? What a hidden gem!"
At the mention of "Edge," You Shuo instinctively focused on the three students.
The Bi Xi who'd just been sipping sweet milk turned his head. "What's the matter?"
Two of the three erupted in enormous screams. Mr. Lan, who'd been polishing a glass, furrowed his brow sharply — whether because of the noise, or because of the noise.
Adhering to the central principle that the devil was definitely scheming something and every person saved was a victory, You Shuo walked over and blocked the three students' line of sight to Bi Xi. He stood in front of him. "My apologies — this establishment is temporarily not open for business..."
"Why not?" Bi Xi poked him in the waist from behind. It had to be said — the spikes on the tips of Bi Xi's fingers were particularly sharp. Being jabbed like that suddenly really hurt.
He leaned out from behind You Shuo, bobbed his head, narrowed his eyes into a crescent-moon smile, red tassels swaying through the air like a goldfish's tail as it swam.
"— So cute!" one of the three shrieked. "Green-eyed Kitty!"
You Shuo's mood genuinely exploded at this point. Wasn't a devil supposed to tempt humans into damnation through desire? Didn't Bi Xi enjoy playing his creepy games? Why was he suddenly—
If he wasn't mistaken, this counted as seduction, right?
He glanced at the three young people again. They were like fish in a pond, completely hooked — their eyes held nothing but infatuation, their brains melting like butter, drool practically sliding from the corners of their mouths.
Amid his mental collapse, he was jabbed in the waist three more times. Stinging. Agonizing.
After poking several times without getting You Shuo to budge, Bi Xi's arm went upward, hooking around You Shuo's neck, and slid out from behind him.
"Am I not more lovable than this guy?" Bi Xi asked. Sometimes You Shuo suspected Bi Xi suffered from some kind of skin-hunger syndrome — why else would he always be groping everything with those claws of his?
Bi Xi draped his arms around You Shuo's neck, his voice coming from very close: "Mm, not as handsome as me. Not as classy as me either."
The three young people cheered: "Cute!"
Mr. Lan's expression had become unbearable to look at, his brow creased into a deep furrow. He was a man with standards for ambiance, and at this point, his bar had to some degree been turned into a celebrity meet-and-greet.
One more step and it would devolve into a marketplace. It hadn't happened yet, but given time, the opportunity might well present itself.
You Shuo lowered his voice to a strained whisper: "What are you thinking? What are you trying to do?"
Bi Xi ignored him. Before these three people arrived, You Shuo had been the very center of his gaze, the center of his world.
But the moment they walked in, You Shuo went from "very important" to "some random nobody."
Whether or not You Shuo felt the drop in status could wait. He kept firmly in mind that this was a devil, he was a righteous Nightwatch, and he could not stand by and watch three young people be bewitched by a demon into doing something they'd regret.
He composed himself. "I'm terribly sorry, we really aren't open for—"
"My tasteful young friends — tonight's tab is on me." Bi Xi clapped a hand over his mouth, cutting off the rest of his sentence.
With his mouth covered, You Shuo could only produce muffled sounds. Bi Xi added with a beaming grin: "Just remember to vote for me next time, OK?"
"We'll definitely vote for you! Thanks, Green-eyed Kitty!" the young people cheered.
You Shuo really wanted to glare at Bi Xi, but the moment he tried to forcefully wrench free, Bi Xi had already let go.
The young people cheered and started ordering. You Shuo did in fact glare at Bi Xi, attempting to convey his fury through his gaze alone, but Bi Xi picked up his sweet milk, took a sip, and said something completely inexplicable: "I'm the most popular one here."
You Shuo's eyes went wide. Three sentences were plainly written in them.
What? Is he insane?
Is his brain broken?
Is there any need to fight over "most" in this context?
"Bi Xi, let's talk..." You Shuo began, but Bi Xi set down his now-empty glass, waved his hand, and said: "I'm leaving. Don't feel like playing with you anymore, turtle."
So he WAS calling me a coward!
And just like that, Bi Xi departed with a flick of his sleeves, taking nothing with him. Mr. Lan walked up to the counter, his husky voice carrying restrained anger: "He didn't pay."
"I'll pay." You Shuo took a deep breath. He still couldn't help pressing his palm to his forehead.
When he thought about how he'd rushed over in a panic, been terrorized by Bi Xi, spent the whole time on edge, and in the end his only purpose had been to foot the bill — everything hurt.
Bi Xi — what the hell did he actually want?
You Shuo truly didn't understand. Ever since he'd met Bi Xi, his life had spiraled into chaos.
His sister had moved into the dorms and stopped coming home — he didn't even know how she was doing. She'd started casually hanging up on him for her roommate's sake.
You Ling used to not be like this. She used to... be very considerate of You Shuo's feelings.
Lingling has been acting strange lately. He thought.
"If Bi Xi comes looking for you, don't talk to him. Come find me." After paying, You Shuo ignored the three young people still in the bar and sent a warning to his two teammates.
No matter what, he would do everything in his power to keep his teammates out of Bi Xi's hands.
...
Some people had already been the reigning champion of the Popularity Vote and didn't need to worry about ballots, but You Ling wasn't one of them.
She needed hype. She needed popularity. Damn You Shuo — he'd been number one every time and of course he didn't need to worry. But she did!
If survival was at stake, everything else could be sacrificed!
Today's check-in was complete. You Shuo's iron guard meant she hadn't managed to meet his teammates, so a direct reconnaissance was off the table.
Then she'd try a different approach.
You Ling shed Bi Xi's form and started down the road back to the dorm. Just then — DING — the priority alert notification sounded.
【The manga you follow, City's Edge, has been updated!】
She pulled out her phone, humming a tune: "Let's see what You Shuo was up to during the day..."
When she next saw You Shuo in the manga, he seemed much more relaxed — as if—
He thought the 【Jiao Tu】 affair was over and done with, and had no idea 【Jiao Tu】 was still trying to kill You Ling.