Bab 79: Chapter 79
Zhen Ai stood silently with her back to the window, showing no signs of emotion.
Did Yan Su know about this conspiracy? He probably did.
When he heard that gunshot, he should have guessed that such a blatant announcement was meant to lure him out, to let the writer see him walking outside the room while everyone else was dead, leaving him as the only suspect.
But even so, he pressed on without hesitation.
Zhen Ai understood that he didn't want anyone to become a sacrificial pawn in Arthur's plot to frame him.
This man, thinking back on him now, made her want to both laugh and cry.
But this was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. If she could deal with Siella, the entire plan could change.
Zhen Ai seemingly nonchalantly drew the thick blackout curtains, leaving only a dim yellow lamp and a candle on. She walked over, saying cautiously, "What are you planning to do now? First subdue me, or kill the real actor?"
Siella laughed indifferently. "You've delivered yourself right to me, so of course, I'll deal with you first."
Zhen Ai had a good grasp of the situation. Excellent, the real actor was still alive. It made sense; if they killed her too soon, it would be easy to spot flaws, making it difficult to pin the blame on Yan Su.
Zhen Ai glanced at her, scoffed derisively, and without looking back, walked toward the door. "T, I think you don't have the ability to handle me."
"Don't you dare leave!" Siella, seeing this, stepped forward and grabbed her shoulder, speaking coldly, "Miss C, you've offended me."
This was exactly what Zhen Ai had been waiting for.
She turned her back to Siella, the corner of her lips curling up, saying nothing, as she wrapped her hands around Siella's arms from behind, bending her knee and shifting her weight forward, using the momentum to throw her forward.
Siella was no pushover; she quickly reacted, twisting her hand to evade.
Zhen Ai had anticipated her high level of caution and was prepared for her to escape. She released her grip and transformed her pulling force into a push, shoving Siella away. Then, she seized Siella's gun, twisting and turning until the weapon was disassembled with a clatter, scattering pieces across the floor.
Siella stepped back, and just as she bent down to retrieve the gun at her ankle, she paused. She knew that in the process of bending, her opponent would kick her in the stomach.
She stopped, raised an eyebrow at Zhen Ai, wearing a look of newfound respect. Then, tilting her head to stretch, she smiled, "Miss C, I underestimated you. I almost forgot; growing up in the organization, fighting is a required skill!"
Zhen Ai looked at her coldly, not responding.
When she was thirteen, she had learned a bit of combat but hadn't had time to master it before it became obsolete. During a practice session, the coach lost control of his strength and kicked Zhen Ai down. She fell off the mat, hitting her head on the ground, and fainted on the spot.
When she woke up, the coach was gone, and her classmates had abandoned their studies. Arthur had also banned her from all vigorous activities, including fishing, claiming he was afraid the fishing hook would snag a stone in the current and drag her underwater. She was unhappy, and he had someone dig a safe river near her house, stocking it with fish from around the world for her to catch.
Because of this, Bert had followed her around, laughing at her for a whole year.
After leaving the organization, Zhen Ai had intermittently studied combat for self-defense, but unfortunately, her right hand was weak, and she never excelled. She didn't know how far she could push herself today, but she had to give it a shot.
Zhen Ai instinctively clenched her right fist. Under the influence of hormones, her strength returned.
Siella opposite her cracked her knuckles, a look of challenge on her face. "Miss C, I'm looking forward to a clear match with you." If she could defeat her, it would be a great pride.
Without hesitation, she launched a kick aimed at Zhen Ai's neck. Zhen Ai barely dodged it, feeling the rush of air brush past her ear, disheveling her bangs.
Her speed was incredibly fast; having missed with her first kick, she immediately followed up with another. Zhen Ai initially could only dodge repeatedly, but as she grasped the frequency of Siella's kicks, she seized the opportunity and kicked toward her bending knee.
Siella was caught off guard and took the hit solidly, her knee feeling as though it had been pricked by a needle, a sharp pain shooting through her. Siella was slightly surprised, thinking that she was indeed quite clever.
If she couldn't kick from a distance, she would fight close up. Siella chose to attack directly, throwing a hook punch toward Zhen Ai's cheek. The speed was so great that Zhen Ai couldn't evade it in time, and her jaw took a hard hit, turning half her face red.
Zhen Ai staggered back a few steps, wiping the blood from her lip with the back of her hand. Siella's strength was much greater than she had imagined.
Siella charged at her again, chopping her hand toward Zhen Ai's neck. Zhen Ai bent over to evade, twisting her hand to catch Siella's, and the two engaged in close combat. They exchanged blows for several rounds, each causing injury and refusing to back down.
But Zhen Ai knew that Siella had initially held back, considering her identity. As the fight continued, instinct took over, and Siella stopped holding back, becoming more aggressive. After Zhen Ai kicked her in the abdomen, Siella's anger boiled over. She unleashed all her strength, kicking Zhen Ai in the stomach.
"Ah!" Zhen Ai screamed, kicked back and slammed into the sofa, the pain causing her muscles to cramp.
She struggled to get up, but her vision turned red, her insides churning, the taste of blood filling her mouth. She fought to hold herself up, but collapsed onto the ground, unmoving.
Siella had lost her mind for a moment, but seconds later, she calmed down and saw Zhen Ai lying on the ground, her long hair splayed out, her face pale. A chill ran down her spine. This body looked fragile; if she really got hurt, it would be a death sentence for her.
Siella rushed over to help her, but unexpectedly, Zhen Ai suddenly grabbed the candle holder from the coffee table and raised it in front of her, while her other hand fumbled under the table, retrieving a small can of men's hairspray and spraying it toward the flame.
The hairspray ignited in the candlelight, creating a wave of flames that rushed toward Siella's face, engulfing her completely.
Wearing the actor's mask, Siella's hair and skin caught fire, and she screamed in agony as she covered her face.
Zhen Ai seized the opportunity, pulled the tablecloth off the coffee table, and threw it over Siella's head, gripping her neck and executing an over-the-shoulder throw, slamming her onto the table like a sack of flour. Siella felt like her bones were breaking, unable to see due to the cloth covering her head. She was soon met with punches and kicks to her chest and abdomen.
She collapsed to the ground, defenseless, but quickly extinguished the fire on her head, tearing the tablecloth off to reveal her fierce face.
Zhen Ai had returned the internal injuries she'd suffered, but Siella was the infamous T, who could survive three bullet wounds and still kill a man. Her endurance was extraordinary, and she would not lose her fighting spirit even in serious condition.
She stripped off her outer coat, clenched her fists, her muscles bulging, and glared at Zhen Ai with a burning intensity in her eyes. "You dare to play dirty with me?"
Zhen Ai sneered, "Who agreed to play fair with you?"
Siella, enraged, lunged at her like a frenzied lioness. Zhen Ai, however, grabbed the can of hairspray and hurled it at Siella, shattering a lightbulb with a sharp ping.
The room was suddenly plunged into darkness.
The door and curtains blocked out all light, leaving the interior barely lit. Siella couldn't see anything and suddenly halted. "Do you think you can hide for long?" She fumbled out her gun from her pant leg, feeling around to pull back the curtains.
This level of darkness posed no challenge for Zhen Ai. She used all her strength to lift the heavy wooden coffee table, creeping up behind Siella and slamming it down forcefully.
The table shattered into pieces, and Siella was knocked to the ground, still struggling to retrieve the fallen gun.
Zhen Ai immediately pressed down on her, pulling out the essential dagger from the members' gear at her ankle, and without hesitation, stabbed it into her back, deliberately avoiding the heart and lungs.
When the dagger pierced her right side, Zhen Ai was stunned for a second. It was either you die or I die; she gritted her teeth and, fearing she might still have the strength to fight back, stabbed her several times in the legs. As she pulled the knife out, blood sprayed onto her face and body.
Siella screamed in pain, and Zhen Ai hesitated again. In that moment, Siella suddenly grabbed her wrist, forcefully flipped her over, and kicked Zhen Ai off her.
Zhen Ai thought she would fight back, but instead, Siella staggered to the window, pulled aside the curtains, and leaped out, disappearing into the night.
Zhen Ai rushed to the window and saw Siella's splash as she fell into the sea.
The cold sea breeze blew in.
Zhen Ai looked down at herself, covered in blood, every inch of her in pain. Without a moment's pause, she hurried back to Yan Su's room.
She burst into the bathroom and saw herself in the mirror: hair disheveled, body covered in blood, eyes filled with a fierce glow. She turned away from the mirror and quickly took off her jacket, washing the blood off her body.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her right wrist. The side effects of the hormones meant that while she couldn't feel pain during the hormonal anesthesia, injuries would accumulate.
Once the effect wore off, it was unbearable.
Zhen Ai gripped her right wrist tightly, cold sweat streaming down her face, feeling as if countless sharp tweezers were piercing her hand, tearing apart her flesh inch by inch. The pain was a thousand times worse than when she fought Siella. She sank to the floor, her face pale, features twisted in agony, feeling like she was on the brink of death.
Outside, she heard the sound of a key in the door.
Yan Su was back.
Zhen Ai was startled, quickly getting up and, despite the dizziness and excruciating pain, grabbed a towel to wipe away the cold sweat on her face.
He walked in, and she had her back to him, wearing a thin t-shirt and tight jeans that hugged her figure. The white towel she was holding slipped down, barely covering her upper body.
Zhen Ai wrapped the towel around herself, her right hand still twitching like it was cramping, but she gritted her teeth and pressed it down with her left hand.
Damn, stop hurting! She didn't want Yan Su to be upset.
He approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. Lowering his head, his chin brushed against her temple, rubbing gently back and forth, softly, slowly, with a hint of affection.
Zhen Ai, in pain, her vision blurred, instinctively turned her head to rest against him in response. But sensing his sadness and relief, she guessed he had encountered some trouble, so she relaxed her grip and took his hand at her waist.
Just as she was about to say something, a chill ran through her. This hand—long and with distinct knuckles—was not Yan Su's.
Her hand froze.
He leaned closer to her ear, his tongue grazing her delicate earlobe, murmuring in a dreamlike tone, "Cheryl, Ma Cherie!" My Cheryl, my darling.
His low, sultry French was something only one person in the world called her.
Zhen Ai's heart froze in an instant.
She felt a wave of cold wash over her, stunned, her body stiffening from head to toe, unable to react.
In the next moment, the man behind her leaned down further, greedily inhaling the scent from her neck. This awakened Zhen Ai; she pushed him away with all her might, but he had anticipated her reaction, grabbing her shoulders and twisting her around, pulling her fiercely into his embrace.
Like a mighty eagle catching a frail chick, it was unstoppable and unyielding.
After five years, Zhen Ai once again clearly saw Arthur's face. His features were well-defined, with pitch-black eyes; a fair and handsome face with thin, red lips. He had shed the innocence and silence of five years ago, becoming cold yet extraordinarily domineering.
Perhaps sensing Zhen Ai's shocked expression, he lowered his gaze slightly, his face changing, and retracted the cold aura around him, his lips moving as he softly asked, "After 1925 days apart, do you miss me?"
Zhen Ai stared at him in disbelief for several seconds, her words coming out through clenched teeth: "Let me go!"
Arthur's eyes darkened but didn't show anger. He leaned closer to her face, softly asking, "Are you still mad at me? You've run away for so long, isn't it time to come home?"
Zhen Ai's face turned pale as she gritted her teeth: "A, that is not my home. My home has long been destroyed by you!"
Hearing this, he smiled joyfully: "You still call me by my nickname, unchanged since childhood." Saying this, he couldn't help but touch her cheek.
"Don't touch me!" Zhen Ai pushed his hand away.
This action elicited a strong backlash. He suddenly tightened his grip around her waist, lifting her effortlessly, while his other hand pressed firmly on the back of her neck, blocking her mouth with his.
He was like a hungry beast that had not eaten for years, biting down and refusing to let go, violently and arrogantly gnawing at her lips, instinctively tightening his arms around her, his strength like that of a drowning person clinging to a lifebuoy.
Zhen Ai struggled to push him away, but his hold was too tight, lifting her off the ground, leaving her unable to use her limbs; kicking him was utterly ineffective.
He held her too tightly, her chest feeling like all the air was being savagely sucked away, her ears filled with his rapid breathing, the scent of his wildness enveloping her. She was so angry that she wished she could bite off his tongue.
Yet he merely lingered on her lips, not crossing the line. Just when she prepared to bite him, she suddenly realized she had no strength left in her body. Not only was she weak, but the pain in her wrist had also vanished.
He had applied something on his lips! He had planned this all along!
Zhen Ai's limbs went limp, lacking strength, unable to speak, she could only helplessly soften in his embrace, allowing him to plunder and take.
It wasn't until he had finally had enough that he reluctantly let her go, as if in a trance, taking a deep breath: "Heaven, you're still so wonderful," he murmured, his nose brushing against her neck, slowly inhaling, pausing at her ear, "still so enchanting."
Just by turning his head, he saw her lips swollen, her pitch-black eyes filled with sorrow and resentment, glaring at him.
He remained unfazed, continuing to hold her, rubbing his face against her cheek. It seemed he enjoyed this intimacy, like some animal that only knew how to express affection through the most primitive licking and direct rubbing.
"Cheryl, long time no see. You've grown up, becoming more beautiful, more adorable, and increasingly enchanting to me," he whispered, leaning down to her collarbone, gently licking it. Her scalp tingled, and her heart rejected it intensely, yet she could not move or speak.
He followed her neck up, sighing lightly, "But as you grew up, you became less obedient."
"I don't like it when you grow up. The older you get, the less you listen, just wanting to run away." At this point, he frowned in sadness, leaning in to nibble on her delicate earlobe.
"What's so good outside that makes you not want to come home, not want me? Come back with me, okay?"
"Cheryl, my darling. This world is all yours, everything I have is yours. Whatever you want, I will give you."
Zhen Ai quietly stared at the white wall, not wanting anything; she just wanted freedom.
"I'll bring you whatever you like from the outside world."
Arthur's hand gripped her slender waist, unable to resist lifting her shirt to get inside, her waist was so slim, and her skin so soft that it was unbelievable.
Suddenly, he picked her up and gently placed her into the circular large bathtub, lifting her top to reveal her delicate skin around her waist and her soft belly button.
He bent down, gripping her slim waist, his tongue repeatedly licking at her waist, his teeth gently grazing back and forth, occasionally delving into her belly button. But no matter how he experienced that intoxicating feeling, he seemed to never have enough.
He really wanted to take her back to their castle immediately, to lock themselves away together for seven days and nights, savoring every inch of her skin, including... there.
He truly liked her, so much that he wished he could always have her in his mouth.
He was infatuated, and his long fingers were not content to linger at her lower back, slipping into her pants to touch the smooth skin behind her. This intimacy made a satisfied sigh escape his throat uncontrollably.
But when he looked up, he saw her frowning, her eyes filled with sorrow.
His handsome face gradually cooled: "You don't like it?"
In a fit of frustration, he twisted her waist, suddenly lifting her with one hand and bringing her to his lips. His dark eyes fixed on her equally dark ones, hiding any anger, yet there was an oppressive feeling, as if a storm was about to break.
Arthur stared at her face, so close that he could feel her breath, his voice soft: "Cheryl, good girl, tell me, what did he do to you in the bathroom of Annex 7, hmm?"
Zhen Ai lay in his palm, her whole body weak, yet this did not stop her from clearly feeling the cold jealousy and anger beneath his calm tone.
After all these years, she was far too familiar with this.
This bloodthirsty calmness was something only he could display, something only she understood.
Just like the suddenly vanished combat coach, the maid who accidentally spilled boiling water on her hand, the drug expert who mocked her inability to ride a bike, and the mathematician who complimented her beauty and helped her tie the bow on her evening dress...
She forced herself not to show any expression.
"Oh, I forgot, you can't speak right now." Arthur raised an eyebrow, concealing the sharpness in his eyes.
"But does your body please him?" He asked with a strange smile, "It's fine; I'll ask him myself later."
Zhen Ai's heart sank, but she dared not show any emotion.
Arthur leaned close to her ear, whispering, "Cheryl, you know I have only one request of you. Even if you like to run away, I would gladly chase after you. But, C, in this world, you are only allowed to like me and no one else, or I will make him disappear from this world."
She was speechless, looking at him in shock.
He couldn't bear to frighten her anymore, caught between love and hatred, and he embraced her tightly, pressing her against the bottom of the bathtub, softly coaxing, "C, be good, listen to me, okay? You just got lost, like a child who enjoys playing with toys. Be good, alright? If you do, I won't mind letting you keep the toys you like a little longer."
"Let me take you home! C, do you like everything I've done for you?" He lowered his head and kissed her lips deeply again, his large hand slipping under her clothes, tightly grasping her smooth back.
Zhen Ai's mind went blank.
Do you like everything I've done for you?
...
Zhen Ai, 1 year old; Arthur, 4 years old.
He leaned over the cradle, staring blankly at the pink, chubby baby girl inside. Her eyes were dark and shiny, her eyelashes long and curled, and her little face was so tender it seemed it could drip water. The soft little body rolled around in the cradle, babbling words he didn't understand. Arthur leaned over to kiss her lips, but in doing so, lost his balance. With a push from Bert, the cradle flipped over, and the little girl was covered underneath.
Zhen Ai, 2 years old; Arthur, 5 years old.
He tied a beautiful bow in her hair, but Bert tangled her bow in a tree branch. She spun around in place, unable to break free, and the tighter she got, the more tangled she became. Eventually, they cut off a section of her little braid, and he shaved his head to keep her company.
She was 3, he was 6.
He brought her a newborn puppy, which licked the little rabbit she was holding. The bunny got scared and ran away, causing Zhen Ai to cry. Arthur threw away the puppy and ran off to chase the rabbit; he had named the puppy Love, hoping others would see Zhen Ai holding it and say, "puppy love."
She was 5, he was 8.
He made a Christmas wreath from holly and mistletoe to give her, and she wore a fluffy white sweater, holding the large wreath, looking confused. He put the wreath around her neck like a chubby green scarf.
But he forgot the traditional Christmas custom: the girl standing under the mistletoe had to be kissed by everyone. Bert led the mischievous boys around to each peck Zhen Ai's little face.
He beat them all up, except for Bert, and was punished to stand in the snow all day.
She was 10, he was 13.
He gave her a beautiful red dress, and when her mother wasn't around, she secretly wore it and spun in front of the mirror. But later, her mother found out, cut the dress to shreds, and locked her in a dark room.
She was 13, he was 16.
She begged him to take her outside the base, pleading with her fingers up, her voice soft and sweet: "A, please, just once!" He and Bert took camping gear and accompanied her into the mountains, catching fish in the creek and chasing fireflies, playing wildly for a day and night.
When they returned, Zhen Ai's mother found out they had come home early and locked them in a dark room, forcing them to kneel in a corner for a week.
She was 15, he was 18.
Zhen Ai's mother wanted to lock her up again, and by then, he had grown taller than most adults. He stood protectively behind Zhen Ai and confronted her mother, gritting his teeth, "Once I take over the organization, the first to die will be you!"
Because of that statement, he was punished by his father and received a month of whipping.
She was 16, he was 19.
He was now the newly appointed top boss.
She woke up to see him sitting by her bedside, looking weary from days and nights of travel, stroking her long hair, saying, "When you grow up a bit, we'll get married and be together forever."
She rubbed her eyes, not understanding, "But aren't we all together?"
He replied, "Not everyone, only the two of us."
It didn't seem much different from now; she sank into her pillow, drowsily saying, "Okay," and rolled over to sleep again.
By the time she was 17, he was 20.
She began to think of leaving and resisting. He and Bert tried every possible method—obeying her, coaxing her, forcing her, harassing her, torturing her...
But still, they could not keep her...
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone