Chapter 30: A Cold Calculation

The game of Ludo finally concluded abruptly amidst the still-damp water stain and Xia Yue’s forcibly maintained, yet increasingly strained, composure.

Lin Wan, feigning nonchalance, led the still somewhat bewildered Yu Niannian away first.

Before departing, she cast a knowing glance at Jin, her eyes seemingly conveying a silent ‘good luck’.

The moment the door closed, only Xia Yue and Jin remained in the apartment once more.

The air felt even heavier than before.

Xia Yue did not leave immediately; instead, she stood in the center of the living room, her back to Jin, her figure casting a long, stark shadow under the lights.

She remained silent, simply standing there, as if striving to compose herself or perhaps awaiting something.

Jin huddled in the corner of the sofa, her breathing barely audible, fearing that even the slightest sound might shatter the delicate equilibrium and reignite the invisible fuse.

Her gaze fixed on Xia Yue’s back, her mind involuntarily replayed the scene on the sofa moments ago: the surge of almost alien fury in Xia Yue’s ice-blue eyes, the kiss imbued with punishment and possessiveness, and the lingering, phantom ache on her wrist and waist.

Fear.

This emotion clearly dominated her heart.

She feared Xia Yue’s uncontrolled, icy rage, the overwhelming dominance that brooked no resistance, and the suffocating sensation of being consumed, as if to be torn apart and swallowed whole.

After an indeterminate period, Xia Yue finally turned around slowly.

No emotion was discernible on her face; it had reverted to its usual calm, as if veiled by a layer of permafrost.

Yet, when her gaze fell upon Jin’s body, which instinctively recoiled, it paused for a fleeting, almost imperceptible moment.

“…I’m leaving.”

Her voice was flat and devoid of inflection, betraying neither joy nor anger.

She walked towards the door, her steps steady, without the slightest hesitation.

Just as her hand brushed the doorknob, Jin, who had remained silent, found a faint surge of courage from somewhere, and spoke softly, her voice imbued with an almost imperceptible tremor:

“Xia Yue…”

Xia Yue’s movement halted, though she did not turn back.

Jin gazed at her rigid back, then, gathering her courage, voiced the confusion that had long swirled in her mind, along with a hint of an unnoticeable hope: “You… what exactly… do you want me to do?”

She simply did not understand.

Xia Yue sometimes protected her, yet at other times “punished” her with such coldness.

She tacitly permitted, even participated in, the intimate gestures between Lin Wan and Yu Niannian, only to display such intense, almost uncontrollable emotion when Jin and Yu Niannian showed even a slight closeness.

She felt like a blind person navigating a dense fog, cautiously groping her way forward, yet utterly unaware of what her next step might land her on—solid ground or a bottomless abyss.

Xia Yue’s back stiffened for a moment.

‘What did she want her to do?’

The question pierced her chaotic thoughts like an unexpected needle.

‘Did she want her to only look at her? Did she want her to stay away from Lin Wan and Yu Niannian? Did she want her… to belong entirely to her?’

The moment this thought surfaced, she forcibly suppressed it.

‘Absurd! How could she entertain such an idea? She simply… she simply wasn’t accustomed to their established, stable dynamic being disrupted.

She merely disliked seeing something that belonged to “them” being so easily shared, especially with Yu Niannian, who appeared utterly harmless yet effortlessly captured everyone’s attention…’

‘Yes, that must be it.

Yu Niannian’s interference had upset the balance.

It was because of Jin’s “imprudence,” so readily accepting others’ intimacy.’

A wave of irritation surged uncontrollably within her once more, accompanied by a hint of frustration, born from her inability to clearly define her own emotions—a frustration she herself hadn’t even recognized.

She whirled around abruptly, her ice-blue eyes piercing Jin with a gaze as sharp as a blade, as if intending to dissect her and see through her very soul.

“I expect you to remember your place,” her voice was icy, carrying a condescending warning, almost as if she were trying to convince herself.

“Remember who ‘took you in’, who is ‘protecting’ you.

Stay in your lane, do not harbor any unrealistic delusions, and certainly do not… attempt to test my patience.”

Having said her piece, she gave Jin no further opportunity to speak, abruptly pulled open the door, and vanished swiftly outside, as if making an escape.

‘Click.’

The sound of the lock clicking shut resonated like a final verdict, utterly extinguishing the faint flicker of hope in Jin’s heart.

‘So… it was merely “taking her in” and “protecting” her? Was it simply because her “ownership” had been challenged?’

Jin slumped weakly against the sofa, burying her face deep into her knees.

She sensed Xia Yue’s loss of control, and also perceived that Xia Yue herself seemed unable, or perhaps unwilling, to comprehend the true reason behind that loss of control—the scorching and twisted emotion known as ‘jealousy’.

This emotion, unacknowledged by its owner, had transformed into icy rage and punishment, now inflicted upon her.

She had no idea what to do.

Should she tell Lin Wan?

Though Lin Wan appeared cynical and carefree, her mind was sharp, and she might discern something.

However, her tendency to view things as a spectacle made Jin unsure if she would take it seriously, or if it would only complicate matters further.

What about Yu Niannian?

That child, as pure as a blank sheet of paper, would likely be utterly incapable of understanding such complex and subtle emotions.

Worse, she might act impulsively out of worry, thereby escalating the conflict.

She had no one to confide in.

She was merely a weak and powerless witch, accidentally caught in a vortex, forced to navigate between three magical girls, each with distinct personalities and formidable powers.

She strove to survive, to find a semblance of stability, only to discover she had seemingly fallen into an even more perilous snare woven from emotions.

Xia Yue’s loss of control, fueled by jealousy, felt like a thorn deeply embedded in her heart, bringing with it stark fear and helplessness.

She wondered when and how this thorn would wound her again.

****

Meanwhile, Xia Yue walked alone on her way back to the base, the night wind chilling her cheeks but unable to dispel the irritation and confusion in her heart.

She recalled Jin’s eyes, filled with fear and bewilderment, and her own actions just moments ago, which verged on a hurried retreat.

An inexplicable sense of vexation clogged her chest.

She did not understand why she was behaving this way.

‘Just seeing Jin close to others felt jarring.’

‘Just hearing Jin softly call someone “older sister” felt displeasing.’

‘Just sensing that Jin might be drifting further away, she couldn’t help but want to grasp her tightly, to confirm her presence and assert her dominion in the most direct, even brutal, way.’

This unfamiliar, intense emotion, entirely uncharacteristic of her usual calm and rational demeanor, made her feel an unprecedented loss of control and… a faint, secret panic.

She detested this feeling.

Yet, she was powerless to escape it.

She could only attribute it all to Jin’s “restlessness” and to the interference of external factors.

It was as if only by doing so could she barely maintain the tottering fortress of “calmness” within her heart.

Beneath the fortress, however, the magma of “jealousy” silently surged in unseen depths, awaiting its next eruption.

And next time, would it still be suppressed by this fragile layer of ice?

****

Days later, the awkwardness and tension from that Ludo night seemed to have subtly faded with time on the surface, yet the undercurrents lurking beneath the calm waters were known only to those involved.

To break the delicate stalemate, Lin Wan volunteered to organize a small “snack and movie night,” which again took place at Jin’s modest apartment.

She arrived laden with a mountain of potato chips, chocolates, and fizzy drinks, attempting to dilute the faint, chilling atmosphere with noise and sugar.

The movie was a lighthearted comedy, and Yu Niannian was doubled over with laughter, occasionally grabbing Jin’s arm and shaking it to share a funny moment.

Jin also tried her best to cooperate, a faint smile gracing her lips, though her eyes would occasionally, almost involuntarily, flick towards Xia Yue, who sat on the single sofa, as quiet as a statue.

Xia Yue maintained her upright posture, her gaze fixed on the screen, but everyone knew her attention was not entirely there.

Midway through the movie, as it entered a somewhat dull transitional plot, Lin Wan’s eyes darted, seemingly finding the atmosphere not “lively” enough.

Recalling something, she flashed her usual mischievous, cunning smile.

She nudged Jin with her elbow and, in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, asked teasingly:

“Hey, Jin~ Speaking of which, didn’t Niannian sis ‘generously’ transfer a ‘small fortune’ to you last time?”

She winked, her tone exaggerated.

“How does it feel to ‘sell yourself’ to a rich girl? What do you plan to do with the ‘commission’ you earned? Are you going to share some dividends with us, or perhaps offer some hush money?”

Her intention had merely been to use this joking manner to tease Jin and Yu Niannian about their overly “direct” financial arrangement, and to lighten the mood.

However, to Jin’s ears, these words were like igniting a powder keg!

“Lin Wan!”

Jin’s face instantly flushed crimson, a mix of anger and vexation, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Her voice rose several pitches.

“What nonsense are you spouting! What ‘selling myself’! That… that was Niannian… she insisted on giving it to me! And I didn’t… didn’t…”

She desperately wanted to defend herself, to deny the utterly degrading terms, but shame and anger tied her tongue in knots, making her protests sound even more like a confession.

She instinctively glanced at Yu Niannian, hoping for her help in explaining, only to see Yu Niannian blush, shyly lower her head, and mumble softly, “Sister Wanwan, don’t talk nonsense…”

Her demeanor only seemed to confirm some kind of “sugar baby” relationship.

Meanwhile, Xia Yue, seated on the single sofa, subtly tightened her grip on her water glass upon hearing Lin Wan’s words “sell herself” and “commission.”

Condensation on the glass slid down due to the sudden pressure.

Her face remained expressionless, her gaze not even shifting an inch from the screen.

But only she knew that something had sharply stung her chest, and an extremely uncomfortable sensation, a mix of disdain and a deeper emotion, quietly spread within her.

‘With money?’

These two words, like a stone dropped into a stagnant pool, stirred ripples of chill and… a hidden calculation in her cold heart.

She recalled Yu Niannian’s effortlessly produced exorbitant allowance, Jin’s strained living expenses due to her own and Lin Wan’s frequent “visits,” and Jin’s occasional, unconcealable embarrassment and envy when confronted with money…

‘So… this way could work?’

A cold and clear thought, like a creeping vine, began to take root and sprout in the soil of her rationality.

‘If… even Yu Niannian’s straightforward and naive “sugar baby” approach could sway her, could make her accept those intimate gestures… then what if it were replaced with a more… “fair,” more “dignified” method?’

‘Not a gift imbued with charity, nor the vulgar “selling herself” that Lin Wan spoke of, but rather a… transaction? A contract?

To exchange the vast, stable resources she, Xia Yue, could provide—far surpassing Yu Niannian’s paltry allowance—for a more… complete sense of “belonging” and “control”?’

This thought, imbued with a chilling allure, quietly took hold in her mind.

She didn’t need to jest like Lin Wan, nor did she need to act cute and spoiled like Yu Niannian.

What she possessed was tangible, quantifiable power and resources.

If even Yu Niannian could use money, such a crude method, to create a rift between her and Jin, then why couldn’t she use a more sophisticated, irresistible approach to weld that rift shut entirely, or even… transform it into a channel belonging solely to her?

The laughter from the movie continued, Lin Wan relentlessly teasing the flushed Jin, while Yu Niannian softly chimed in from the side.

Xia Yue, meanwhile, simply sat there silently, but in the depths of her ice-blue eyes, it was as if frost was congealing, taking shape.

A cold and effective plan, predicated on “money” and “transaction,” was quietly forming.

She didn’t even realize that the genesis of this thought was, in itself, the “jealousy” she refused to acknowledge, finding an apparently rational, yet profoundly possessive, outlet along its most extreme and twisted path.

‘With money?’

‘Yes, perhaps… this truly would be a good method.’

‘A good method to forever imprison that butterfly, always eager to flutter towards others, within the magnificent yet chilling amber she herself would craft.’