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Join the ServerSu Mian’s fingers curled inward, a knot of apprehension tightening in her chest.
‘Should I answer?’
What could she possibly say?
How would she explain her voice, which might waver at any moment?
How could she face her dearest friend, who might have already become a stranger on the other end of the line?
‘Or should I not?’
Would Shen Zhixia worry even more?
Would she run into trouble because of it?
A myriad of thoughts swirled in her mind, each one a torment. Ultimately, her apprehension for Shen Zhixia’s predicament overshadowed the awkwardness and helplessness she felt in that moment.
“……Answer,” she decided, taking a deep breath as if steeling herself. She reached for her phone.
Her fingertips felt cold.
Just as her fingers were about to brush the edge of the phone, Xiao Moyuan reached for it first.
He didn’t immediately hand it over. Instead, he looked into her eyes, his voice low and imbued with a strange, calming power:
“Remember, she is Xia’s blood servant now.”
“Her call might be monitored. Her emotions could be influenced, even controlled, by Xia. Pay close attention to what you say and your tone.”
“Moreover, Xia’s true target is you.”
Su Mian’s heart jolted, and she nodded emphatically.
This crucial detail, she had almost forgotten.
Her conversation with Shen Zhixia was no longer just a casual chat between childhood friends; it was now a perilous game of information, fraught with potential traps.
Only then did Xiao Moyuan hand her the phone. He leaned back into the sofa, stretching his arms along the backrest, his posture seemingly relaxed. Yet, his sharp eyes narrowed slightly, and his hearing sharpened to an extreme, clearly ready to catch any unusual sound from the other end of the line.
Su Mian took another deep breath, pressed the answer button, and brought the phone to her ear.
Her other hand unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes.
“Hello? Zhixia?”
She tried to make her voice sound normal, even adding a subtle, sleepy rasp, as if she had just been woken up.
From the other end of the line, Shen Zhixia’s voice rang out.
It was still clear and pleasant, the familiar tone Su Mian had listened to for over a decade.
Yet, upon closer distinction, it seemed to lack the carefree romance of earlier days, replaced by a subtle, suppressed weariness and a hint of tension.
“A’Mian! You finally answered!”
Shen Zhixia’s words came out quickly, laced with concern.
“I heard things haven’t been peaceful around the university lately, especially at night?”
“I called you several times, and no one answered. You didn’t reply to my messages either. You scared me to death!”
“Are you alright?”
“Are you home?”
A barrage of questions, an outpouring of concern, almost identical to any other time she had worried about Su Mian in the past.
The familiar feeling made Su Mian’s nose prickle, almost causing her to drop her guard.
“I… I’m fine.”
Su Mian steadied herself, deliberately infusing her voice with a touch of weariness and helplessness.
“It’s nothing. Just Vice Principal Liu Wendong stepping down. I haven’t noticed anything else unusual.”
“That’s good,” Shen Zhixia said, her tone still puzzled. “A’Mian, why do I feel like your voice has changed?”
“It sounds a bit like a girl’s…”
Su Mian’s heart instantly stopped. Her gaze involuntarily drifted towards Xiao Moyuan.
Xiao Moyuan listened silently, whispering, “Don’t be nervous. Find an excuse.”
Su Mian’s heart slowly calmed. “It’s just, I might have caught a cold recently… so my voice has changed a bit.”
She had only learned how to mimic a female voice as a male, not the other way around.
“Is that so?”
Shen Zhixia’s tone was skeptical, yet she didn’t seem to probe further. “Well, as long as you’re okay… Are you in your dorm?”
Su Mian quickly said, “I moved out a while ago…”
“Do you… do you want me to come over and stay with you?”
She offered, but Su Mian keenly caught a faint hesitation in the trailing end of her sentence, as if Shen Zhixia herself was bound by some invisible constraint or consideration while making the suggestion.
“No, no!”
Su Mian hastily refused, her voice unconsciously rising before she quickly lowered it again.
“I’m about to wash up and go to sleep.”
“You… you should also get some rest early.”
If Shen Zhixia came over, what then? She was currently living with Xiao Moyuan. Wouldn’t everything be exposed soon after?
The other end of the line fell silent for two seconds.
To Su Mian, those two seconds felt exceptionally long.
She could clearly hear the faint sound of breathing from the other side, confirming Shen Zhixia was still there.
‘Alright…’
Shen Zhixia’s voice resumed, the forced cheerfulness sounding strained. “Then rest well.”
“Oh, right, A’Mian…”
Her voice suddenly dropped, and her words slowed, carrying a sense of something left unsaid. “Recently, try not to go out at night, especially to secluded places. I heard… I heard it’s not very safe.”
This sounded like ordinary concern, a simple warning. But combined with Shen Zhixia’s current identity and her unnatural tone, it landed in Su Mian’s and the intently listening Xiao Moyuan’s ears with a distinctly different, more urgent meaning.
Su Mian’s heart leaped into her throat:
“Zhixia, did you hear something?”
“You need to be careful too!”
“I’m fine.”
Shen Zhixia’s reply was almost a reflex, quick and immediate, before she slowed down again. “It’s just some rumors. In any case, take good care of yourself. I… I might be a bit busy lately, so I might not be able to contact you promptly. Don’t worry.”
“Zhixia…” Su Mian still wanted to say something, but another sound came from the other end of the line—extremely faint, like a door being pushed open. The sound abruptly cut off, as if someone had quickly muffled a mouth or severed the connection.
Shen Zhixia’s tone immediately underwent a subtle shift. The forced ease was instantly replaced by a deeper calm:
“Alright, Mianmian, I really need to rest now. Goodnight. Remember what I said.”
Before Su Mian could respond, a ‘beep—’ sounded, and the call was disconnected.
Su Mian held the phone, listening to the busy signal, unmoving for a long time.
Her fingertips were icy.
Xiao Moyuan sat up, took her phone, and placed it aside, then pulled her somewhat stiff body back into his embrace.
‘Her last words were a warning, and also a plea.’
Xiao Moyuan’s voice resonated above her head, calmly analyzing, “‘Don’t go out at night, secluded places are unsafe’—this likely points to Xia or his minions’ recent activity areas or preferred targets.”
“She said she would be busy and couldn’t contact you promptly… That implies she’s being monitored. The sound that cut off was her monitor.”
‘It’s a clear hint that her actions are restricted. The interrupted sound confirms she is not alone, and her situation is far from free.’
Su Mian leaned into his embrace, her body trembling slightly, whether from lingering fear or from anger and heartache over Shen Zhixia’s plight.
“What… what is she going through?”
“What does Xia want?!!”
“When… when can we act?” Her voice was thick with suppressed sobs.
“Soon.”
Xiao Moyuan’s chin gently brushed the top of her head. His gaze, in the warm glow of the living room, appeared profound and sharp, as if it could pierce through walls and peer into some cold, dark corner of the city.
“Xia has been unusually active lately. The appearance of Soul Refiners might also be related to him. He’s accumulating power, or perhaps preparing for some ritual.”
“Shen Zhixia’s call might be a signal that her patience and situation have reached a critical point.”
He cupped Su Mian’s face, making her look at him:
“We need to be more cautious, and we need to be faster.”
“Over the next few days, I will intensify my preparations.”
“And you, Su Mian, what you need to do is quickly master what I teach you and stabilize your demonic energy.”
“To draw out Xia from behind Shen Zhixia, you must remain calm and clear-headed.”
“Do you understand?”
Su Mian gazed into his deep, resolute eyes, which reflected her own pale face.
She recalled Shen Zhixia’s radiant, unclouded smile in the sunlight, remembered the years she had silently protected her as ‘him,’ and now acknowledged the vastly different, yet equally heavy, fates they both carried.
She was no longer the ‘him’ who could only look up to and follow.
For that unbreakable past affection, and to save Shen Zhixia…
She took a deep breath, raised a hand to wipe away the unshed moisture from her eyes, and her gaze gradually hardened.
“I understand.”
Her voice was soft but exceptionally clear.
“I will get ready as quickly as possible.”
She had always believed that Shen Zhixia was still that kind and gentle girl.
Her transformation into a blood kin must have been forced upon her.
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