Chapter 32: Sigh! Hostage Situation & Capitalism

Lin Zhiyan’s lips felt a little dry. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

Le Mans said nothing more. His burning chest was still pressed against her back, his hand gripping her wrist.

The silence between them made the air feel even heavier.

Le Mans stared at her with stubborn seriousness. Red tinged the shadows beneath his deep-set eyes. His brows were lowered, and his body, together with the shadows around him, seemed determined to envelop her completely.

Lin Zhiyan returned his gaze.

At a moment that should have felt tense and confrontational, her first thought was that he looked surprisingly imposing when he was angry.

Power was like a brain.

You might not use it all the time, but when the moment came, it certainly wouldn’t be vague about making itself known.

Le Mans turned his head. His breathing was uneven with anger.

“Why won’t you explain? Why won’t you let me see it? Are you feeling guilty?”

At that moment, he carried himself as though he held the upper hand.

Yet his eyes were wet, and the tiny freckles across his nose looked as though they might melt together with his tears.

Lin Zhiyan continued staring at him.

Inside, she had already died several times over.

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

If I don’t show him, I’m finished.

If I do show him, I’m finished too.

Most importantly—

She was running out of time.

…Forget it.

She’d gamble.

Maybe he was just speaking in anger.

Lin Zhiyan moved her lips.

“That’s right.”

Instantly, Le Mans’s pupils dilated before shrinking to pinpoints.

His grip on her wrist loosened.

He took half a step back.

A sharp ringing filled his ears.

The next second, his voice trembled.

“What did you say?”

Lin Zhiyan easily slipped out of his embrace.

Turning around, she hid the terminal behind her back and looked at him.

Closing her eyes, brows furrowed, she continued,

“Everything is exactly as you guessed.”

“How do you like that answer?”

Looking directly at him, she said seriously,

“I really do have some other relationship with Li Siheng.”

“That’s why I deliberately chose tonight. I wanted to do all this with you first, and then go see him.”

“I’ve been thinking about him the whole time.”

“Everything I’ve told you was a lie.”

“Everything I’ve done with you was—”

“Stop talking!”

Le Mans grabbed her arm.

His pupils shook violently as tears fell freely.

His voice trembled as he interrupted her.

“I’m sorry.”

“I went too far.”

Lin Zhiyan took a deep breath.

“I’m just a little tired.”

She raised a hand and brushed aside his damp hair.

“I know our separation will hurt you.”

“That’s why I decided to spend tonight with you.”

“I wanted you to truly feel that we’re connected.”

The second half of the sentence came out softly.

But Le Mans heard it clearly.

His body trembled.

His lips shook, as though he wanted to smile, yet also as though he was about to cry.

He bent down and pulled her tightly into his arms.

Pressing her against himself, he kissed her urgently.

“I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have suspected you like that.”

“I just couldn’t stand the fact that you kept getting distracted.”

“Isn’t today important?”

“Why were you always thinking about something else?”

“Was I not doing enough?”

“Did I make you angry?”

He had fallen completely into anxiety.

His damp cheek pressed against hers as he sought forgiveness and attention.

He rubbed against her again and again like a cautious yet utterly boundaryless puppy.

Lin Zhiyan said,

“The reason I kept getting distracted is because I had to make plans.”

“W-what do you mean?”

Le Mans lifted his head.

Tears clung to his lashes.

“What plans?”

Lin Zhiyan kissed his eyelashes.

Looking at him, she said,

“I made a deal with Zefi.”

Le Mans froze.

“What?”

“You know that Li Siheng and I used to be friends.”

“So I’ve heard quite a bit about how he built up his excellent résumé.”

She smiled tiredly.

“I… kept some evidence.”

She continued,

“The evidence isn’t fatal.”

“But it’s enough to cause Li Siheng some trouble.”

“So I exchanged it for something.”

“I wanted Li Siheng to accompany you when you transfer schools.”

Le Mans’s eyes widened slowly.

“You… you’re the reason Li Siheng…”

One lie required countless others to support it.

Fortunately, she was a bubble machine.

All her bubbles came out perfectly round.

Tears gradually filled Lin Zhiyan’s eyes.

“If I wanted to make it sound nice, I’d say I was afraid you’d be all alone.”

“I hoped he’d stay by your side.”

“If I wanted to be honest, I’d say I wanted to hear news about you through him.”

“For example…”

“Whether you’d fall in love with someone else.”

She turned her head away.

“I’m sorry.”

“I have selfish motives too.”

“I’m scared.”

“I’m afraid you might…”

“No, I won’t!”

Before Le Mans could even finish smiling, he had already denied every possible future.

He carefully brushed away her tears with a kiss.

Holding her face in both hands, he spoke softly, almost coaxingly.

“I won’t change my mind.”

“We can sign something if you want.”

“I can guarantee it.”

“You don’t need to feel insecure.”

He spoke quickly, kissing her cheeks over and over.

Growing more emotional, he said,

“I misunderstood you.”

“I never thought about any of this.”

“I was awful.”

“I shouldn’t have gotten angry…”

“It’s just…”

Lin Zhiyan looked guilty.

“This isn’t fair to Li Siheng.”

“He doesn’t know anything.”

“If he found out, he’d definitely be disappointed in me as his former friend.”

“And because of that, he’d probably…”

“That’s why I’ve felt guilty all night.”

“I’ll have to keep lying to him and convincing him…”

“It’s okay.”

Le Mans interrupted her earnestly.

Kissing her lips, his eyes sparkled.

“If he really considers both you and me friends, he’ll understand.”

“And besides, you’re not a god.”

“You can’t take care of everyone.”

“You only did this for me.”

Lin Zhiyan nodded tearfully.

She felt secretly relieved.

She had expected Le Mans to ask more questions, but instead this line of reasoning—that someone else had been turned into a supporting role in their romance—seemed to hit him right in the heart.

Or perhaps all Celestial Dragons enjoyed feeling “special” in this way?

She didn’t understand.

But regardless, she immediately kissed him deeply.

He let out several muffled sounds and pressed himself against her like an eager puppy.

At first she still had some patience.

Soon, however, her thoughts returned to the flood of messages waiting for her.

Lin Zhiyan kissed Le Mans while holding the terminal behind his shoulder.

While kissing him, she quickly unlocked the device by touch and began typing.

By the time she finished, she was sweating.

Seriously—

She was in a hurry.

But Le Mans only wanted to pull her back into his embrace.

His body stiffened.

She increased her strength.

Sweat hung from his eyelashes like tears.

Several messages appeared.

[yzy: Almost done… g-going… getting in the car soon.]

[yzy: W-we can talk after I get in the car.]

[Aiwen: Okay.]

[Aiwen: The driver is already waiting. Please hurry.]

Le Mans almost seemed unable to control himself.

His body drew back, head tilted upward as though trying to escape.

A string of strained sounds escaped him.

Lin Zhiyan didn’t let go.

Instead, she held him firmly.

His pale skin flushed red.

His hair was completely soaked.

Sweat and tears were all mixed together.

Eventually, he seemed unable to endure any longer.

Silent tears slid down his face.

The lively intelligence usually present in his green eyes disappeared completely.

Lin Zhiyan waited a while before finally releasing him.

The next second, Le Mans collapsed onto the floor.

His chest rose and fell heavily.

His body remained tense, though his lean waist trembled weakly.

“Le Mans?”

For a long time, the only response was ragged breathing that sounded somewhere between sobbing and groaning.

Lin Zhiyan let out a breath of relief.

She rushed off, took a three-minute shower, then came running back to change clothes.

The moment she finished dressing, a hand grabbed her ankle.

“…”

Come on, don’t do this to me.

Startled, she turned around.

Le Mans was still sprawled on the floor.

His eyes looked unfocused.

His words came out in fragments.

“You… later… remember… okay…?”

Lin Zhiyan bent down and gave him a quick kiss.

“Okay, okay, okay. Everything’s okay. Let go now. Mm-hmm. Yes. Fine.”

Whether he heard her or not was unclear.

His eyes finally closed.

His grip loosened.

At last, she was free.

This had been a huge mistake.

It had been far too long since she’d dealt with someone this clingy.

Sweating profusely, Lin Zhiyan hurried through the corridors, crossed building after building, and finally got into the car.

Holding a hand against her chest, she caught her breath and wiped away the sweat on her forehead.

This was ridiculous.

There had been enough time.

Why had everyone kept rushing her nonstop?

Her mental state was already falling apart.

She took out her terminal, intending to ask what exactly was happening.

The moment she did, she discovered the battery had died during the earlier message war.

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

Wonderful.

Could today possibly get any worse?

Anxious and frustrated, she sat in the car wishing she could somehow make it move faster through sheer willpower.

Fortunately, Le Mans’s home wasn’t far from Li Siheng’s.

They arrived soon enough.

The moment she stepped out, several servants hurriedly led the way.

A high-speed elevator carried her upward.

Finally, she was brought before a door.

When it opened, she first saw a large group of security personnel and doctors in uniform.

Then she saw Aiwen, being kept outside the main area.

Finally, she saw two beautiful sisters who looked almost identical.

One was crying.

The other was comforting her.

Like a marble sculpture carved from a single block.

Their eyes met briefly before Lin Zhiyan was brought directly to the sisters.

Big Solent placed a hand on her shoulder.

Though sorrow filled her expression, her voice remained calm.

“Please do everything you can to get close to Siheng.”

“I heard you’re very close to him.”

“Please save him.”

“And save Zefi.”

Lin Zhiyan blinked.

“…Huh?”

Big Solent handed her an injection.

“Use this to save Zefi.”

Huh?

What does any of that even mean?

Why are they acting like I’m some kind of savior?

Her brain was already functioning poorly tonight.

Now she found herself holding a syringe while being escorted to another room.

The door was opened a crack.

Everyone retreated.

Only she remained.

And what exactly is this supposed to mean?

Confused, Lin Zhiyan peered through the gap.

The instant she did, a hoarse, furious shout rang out.

“No one comes closer!”

She jumped.

Then she noticed something winding toward her like a crimson snake.

After staring for several seconds, realization struck.

It wasn’t a snake.

It was blood.

The moment she understood that, the metallic smell hit her nose.

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

Did Li Siheng start hurting himself?

Low growls continued to come from inside.

He muttered incoherent things and threatened her not to move.

At first she hesitated.

But after listening for two minutes, she realized something.

Li Siheng wasn’t making sense.

High fever?

Hallucinations?

Some kind of psychiatric medication?

Several possibilities flashed through her mind.

Taking hold of the doorknob, she pushed the door open.

The instant it opened, a fierce gust swept through the room.

A miniature storm seemed to erupt inside.

Books on the floor flipped open.

Broken fragments scattered across the ground.

The smell of blood filled the air.

Near the window, backed into the gap between a sofa and a bookshelf, sat Li Siheng.

His gray-black hair was disheveled.

His gaze lacked focus.

His face was pale as paper, yet his lips were curved into a strange smile.

Bright red blood stained his face and clothes.

And in his arms—

Was Zefi.

Zefi sat slumped in front of him, head tilted back like a dying swan.

One of Li Siheng’s hands gripped his shoulder tightly.

The other held a shard of glass against his throat.

The glass had already pierced the skin.

Blood flowed steadily from the wound.

His pale hair had been dyed red.

His white lashes trembled.

His lips had lost all color.

Blood pooled beneath them and spread outward.

Their beautiful, similar faces and the way they were locked together created the illusion of a single ancient Greek sculpture.

Except the theme was violence.

Lin Zhiyan’s eyes widened.

Her gaze followed the stream of blood winding toward her like a crimson serpent.

Then a thought struck her like lightning.

Damn it.

I should’ve brought that negotiation book with me.

Seriously.

After substitute teaching for Lu Weixi, then acting as Le Mans’s devoted girlfriend, now she was apparently supposed to become a hostage negotiator for these two brothers reenacting a palace coup?

Had the Celestial Dragons hired her as the all-purpose caretaker in a CEO romance novel?

Suppressing her despair, Lin Zhiyan stepped inside.

“Li Siheng?”

The moment she spoke, his back tensed.

The glass pressed harder against Zefi’s throat.

His unfocused eyes locked onto her.

“Don’t come closer!”

“No one comes closer!”

“I won’t let you take me away again!”

Zefi let out a strained sound as the glass dug into his neck.

Breathing heavily, he looked at Lin Zhiyan with exhausted eyes.

He could barely speak.

Seeing this, Lin Zhiyan immediately tried to calm the situation.

“Li Shimin—I mean, Li Siheng. Calm down!”

“Get out! Get out! All of you, get out!”

Li Siheng became increasingly frantic.

As though trapped inside a nightmare, he roared,

“Why me?”

“Why me?!”

“Let me out!”

“Let me out!”

“You can all die!”

“Let me go!”

“I don’t want to—”

The movement pulled at Zefi’s wound.

A faint sound escaped his lips.

His voice was light as a feather.

“D-don’t provoke him…”

“Awaken…”

“His memories are confused…”

“Hormones…”

The words came out broken and fragmented.

His lashes fluttered like butterfly wings.

Blood trickled from his nose and mouth.

What provoking?

What awakening?

What confusion?

Could someone at least give her a game glossary?

Her terminal was dead.

She hadn’t even gotten the tutorial!

Lin Zhiyan felt utterly hopeless.

But at a time like this, she couldn’t exactly ask a dying Zefi for the missing backstory.

What do I do?

Should I just give up?

No.

This was too good an opportunity.

If she succeeded, the benefits would be enormous.

Besides, Zefi still owed her emergency fees.

And if he died here, she might end up taking the blame.

Calculating all of this, Lin Zhiyan unconsciously took a step forward.

Immediately, Li Siheng grew even more agitated.

The shard pressed harder.

She quickly stepped back.

The pressure on Zefi’s neck eased slightly.

Suddenly, a terrible thought crossed her mind.

Theoretically, if she adjusted her movements carefully enough, she could probably make Li Siheng carve Morse code into Zefi’s neck.

This is not the time for dark humor!

Lin Zhiyan forced herself to focus.

Drawing upon every ounce of her exam-crammer spirit, she took a deep breath.

After a long silence, she said,

“Zefi, you actually look much better than Li Siheng right now.”

The next second, the glass dug deeper into Zefi’s throat.

More blood flowed.

His white hair became soaked with blood and sweat.

Hatred filled his ice-gray eyes.

His lips parted, but the pain prevented any words from emerging.

Li Siheng seemed equally affected.

His breathing accelerated.

His expression twisted.

“Who are you?!”

“Shut up!”

“Shut up!”

“Let me go—”

“Zefi, does it hurt?”

Lin Zhiyan ignored Li Siheng entirely.

Instead, she looked only at Zefi and slowly walked closer.

Concern filled her eyes.

“Don’t talk.”

“Don’t fall asleep.”

“Hang in there.”

The moment she finished speaking, Li Siheng roared,

“Listen to me!”

“If you want him to live, then—”

“You let me—you—”

Lin Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

“Why should I talk to you?”

Li Siheng’s pupils trembled.

“What?”

“You want to leave.”

“Then why don’t you leave?”

“Why are you holding Zefi hostage?”

She smiled.

“Why not take him with you?”

“Why stay here instead?”

Step by step, she moved closer.

Her eyes never left his.

Her voice was very soft.

“You just want everyone to look at you, don’t you?”