Su Sheng watched as Catwoman's half-smiling expression gradually emerged. He quickly pieced together what was happening: besides wanting him dead, Talia al Ghul likely wanted to reclaim what he had taken. But this raised a question—how did Catwoman, who he barely had any contact with, get involved? Their only encounter was briefly in Blackgate Prison, and now, here she was, seeking him out across great distances. Clearly, Talia had enlisted two agents: Bai Ci from the Triad to kill him and Catwoman to steal from him. A dual strategy—one overt and one covert. If either succeeded, Talia would be free from his threat.
Selina Kyle's smile widened as she saw Su Sheng's realization, and she raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to invite me in? I've been standing outside for a while, and I'd hate for your little girlfriend to get the wrong idea."
"Come in," Su Sheng said, stepping aside. Selina Kyle entered and casually glanced around the room.
Bang!
The sound of the door closing behind her made Selina chuckle. "Who would've thought someone who killed Bane would live in such a small place with an ordinary girl—cough, what are you doing? Let go of me!" Before she could finish, Su Sheng had suddenly lunged forward, grabbing her neck with his hands. The suffocation was immediate, and she was effortlessly lifted off the ground.
Selina Kyle's eyes widened in terror as she gripped Su Sheng's wrist, feeling the pressure on her neck tighten. Her legs kicked weakly in the air. "Let go... let me go..." Her pale neck turned red, and her breath became increasingly labored.
"Is this fun for you?" Su Sheng asked, his voice calm but with a chilling edge.
"W-what? I don't know what you're talking about... let me go, I... I can't breathe..." Selina Kyle gasped, her voice filled with pain.
"Do you think just because you're beautiful, men will forgive anything? That as long as you're attractive, you can get away with anything? That I'll just let you go?" Su Sheng's questions were direct, and Selina Kyle realized with dread that he might actually kill her. He's crazy, she thought. I haven't even done anything yet, and he's going to kill me.
Panicked, Selina tried to kick him, but Su Sheng pulled her closer, preventing her from extending her legs. Their eyes locked, and Su Sheng suddenly smiled.
"Let me tell you something... you're absolutely right."
"What?" Selina Kyle was stunned as she felt herself being dropped. She collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.
"Cough, cough..." She clutched her neck, her breath coming in ragged gasps, and glared at Su Sheng. "You're insane... you almost strangled me!"
Su Sheng shrugged. "Just kidding."
"Joking? You almost killed me!" Selina Kyle was livid.
Su Sheng laughed. "And you came here to steal from me. What's wrong with me joking about strangling you?"
Selina Kyle, who had been full of anger and arrogance, suddenly felt as if her throat was being squeezed again, this time by the realization that he knew. He knew why she was there.
Su Sheng handed her a glass of water. "Can't take a joke?"
"Joke? Who jokes like that? You're a lunatic—how am I supposed to know when you're joking and when you're not?" Selina Kyle fumed silently, but she didn't respond to his offer of water.
"Boring." Su Sheng tossed the water from the glass into Selina Kyle's face.
For a moment, Selina Kyle was too stunned to react, but then her anger and humiliation boiled over.
"You..."
"Guess if I'm joking?" Su Sheng asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Joking?!" Selina Kyle snapped, finally losing her temper. "Su Sheng, you're a maniac! If you knew I was here to steal from you, why did you let me in? And why mess with me like this?"
Su Sheng's smile was bright, almost cheerful. "Because I wanted to see how you'd react. I wanted to mess with you on purpose."
"I'll kill you!" Selina Kyle, completely losing her composure, lunged at him in a blind rage.
But Su Sheng sidestepped her effortlessly.
Selina stumbled, turning to attack again, but before she could, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Su Sheng had stepped on her, pinning her down. He bent slightly, looking into her eyes with a grin. "You want to flip the table because you can't handle a joke? You seem to have forgotten something important—you can't beat me."
Selina Kyle's anger evaporated instantly.
Seeing her calm down, Su Sheng seemed to lose interest in teasing her further. He lifted his foot and walked to the sofa, where he sat down casually.
"So, tell me... what did she offer you?" Su Sheng asked, his tone lazy and indifferent.
...