Ziyue stepped forward, her delicate face almost touching Tao Yi's. Her lips, red and sensual, moved slightly. Her eyes shimmered with affection, as if she could not be more in love.
*Thud!*
The sound of Tao Yi's back hitting the wall echoed in the room. He had retreated as far as he could, his face a mixture of terror and nervousness.
"Wh-what are you doing, Sister Yue?" Tao Yi's face turned crimson. Ziyue was far too close. Her fragrance was intoxicating, and her gaze, along with her alluring figure, would make any sane person crumble. If Tao Yi were an ordinary man, no amount of rational defense could have stopped the walls of reason from shattering!
"Shhh..." Ziyue raised a slender finger and placed it on Tao Yi's lips. She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. Looking up again, her eyes filled with even more emotion, her long eyelashes lightly brushing against Tao Yi's cheek. "Do you trust me?"
"Uh... ummm?" Tao Yi shook his head frantically.
"..." Ziyue's eyes narrowed, her frustration clear. She glared at Tao Yi with intense annoyance. "I asked, do you trust me?!"
"Mm-hmm! Mm-hmm!" Startled by her sudden change in tone, Tao Yi nodded like a chicken pecking at grain.
Seeing his response, Ziyue's expression softened once again. She removed the finger from his lips and cast a sad, melancholic glance at him. "I know you won't believe me, but I still need to say it. I don't want everything I've done to be seen as madness."
Her chest heaved with emotion, her breath visibly labored. Tao Yi stood there, wide-eyed and shocked, thinking to himself, *What's going on with her? Why does this feel like a confession? What game is she playing now?*
"I know... I know you're probably thinking, 'Has this girl gone crazy? What's she up to now?' But please, believe me when I say, the words I'm about to speak come from my heart."
"..." Tao Yi was speechless. *Can she read minds?*
"Whether you believe me or not, I believe it. We are from two different worlds. Once, I lived a life spanning thousands of years. I chased after many things—was it power, or ultimate authority? I had it all, but throughout those long years, I was never truly happy. Confusion and sorrow were my constant companions. I always felt something was missing. I didn't know what it was. I searched everywhere, covering every inch of my world, but eventually, exhausted and disillusioned, I stopped."
"I thought I would never find what I was searching for in my endless, boundless life, but fate had other plans."
"Er..." Tao Yi wanted to interrupt, but Ziyue took another step forward and once again placed her finger over his lips.
"Don't speak, okay? Just let me finish," she said, her eyes misting with unshed tears. "That day, I lay in my crystal coffin, ready to give up. I wanted to sleep forever, until the day I could finally die. Perhaps my sincerity moved the heavens, for a powerful force overwhelmed me, and I lost consciousness. For the first time in my life, I blacked out. When I woke, you were there. That morning, I could've killed you—you angered me, lying in the sacred coffin of my noble bloodline, an unforgivable offense. But... for the first time, I hesitated. I couldn't bring myself to kill you. I don't know why. I felt something... strange. My heart felt warm, a feeling I've never experienced. I don't understand it."
She paused, and the room fell silent. Ziyue slowly withdrew her hand from Tao Yi's lips, as if summoning the courage to look him in the eye once more, her gaze still clouded with tears.
But...
Inside, Ziyue was laughing hysterically, *Mwahahaha!*
Though her memories were fragmented, Ziyue could still recall most of her past. Throughout her thousand years, she had become an expert in deception, and she felt this lie was her best yet. The acting, the storytelling, the emotional build-up—everything was perfect. She was certain that if Tao Yi wasn't a complete fool, he would fall for this lie and, within three minutes, fall madly in love with her.
"Sister Yue, I'll buy the phone, I promise. You don't have to do all this... My heart can't take it." Tao Yi still wore a crestfallen expression.
If Tao Yi were an ordinary man, Ziyue's deception would have succeeded. Her performance had been impeccable—convincing enough for anyone who didn't know her well to believe her. But Tao Yi... well, maybe he was just a bit too naive.
Ziyue was utterly defeated. *Is this guy even normal?*
Her eyes turned into straight lines, and with a face full of frustration, she weakly muttered, "Are you even a normal man?"
"Sister Yue, I understand. You feel guilty for what you've done, and you don't know how to handle it, right? It's fine. You can run away, don't worry about me. In fact, I just got word today that even if you hadn't killed Ling Qing, our local crime boss, Liao Hong, is out to kill me. I don't know what got into that guy, but yeah, someone warned me earlier. So, you run, and I'll prepare to run, too, okay?"
Pushing Ziyue's hand away, Tao Yi turned to head to the bedroom.
In truth, Tao Yi had believed her for a moment—just a fleeting moment. But Tao Yi's life had been full of misfortune; nothing good had ever fallen into his lap. Despite Ziyue's heartfelt words and flawless performance, Tao Yi couldn't let himself get carried away. Deep down, he was convinced that her real issue wasn't about the phone—it was probably about killing Ling Qing, or maybe something else entirely.
Ziyue felt like a cold dish—left out and abandoned by Tao Yi's indifference. With black lines forming on her forehead, she was about to ask him about the death threat when she heard him shout:
"Oh my god! What the heck happened here?!"
Tao Yi's eyes widened, staring at a massive dent in the wall near the door.
"Oh, that? I kicked you to wake you up earlier. You were unconscious, so I thought it'd help," Ziyue said casually.
"You...!" Tao Yi rolled his eyes, feeling his heart bleed.
In a fit of rage, he yelled, "Are you insane?! That's your idea of waking someone up? You might as well have killed me! And don't think your little confession act excuses you either! That's 'love' at its finest, huh?"
Surprisingly, Ziyue didn't get angry this time. She simply snorted, "You really want to die, huh? Who saved you just now?"
"That's beside the point! Do you know how much it's going to cost to repair that wall? Mine and the neighbors'! What if the landlord comes by? That'd be even worse!"
Ziyue shrugged indifferently. "What's that got to do with me?"
Tao Yi: "Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean? You don't plan on taking responsibility for this?"
Ziyue: "What do you want me to do? I don't have any money."
Tao Yi: "Exactly, you don't have money! It's easy for you to say!"
"Oh my god, you're so annoying! Have I been too kind to you?" Ziyue's eyes flashed with a hint of malice.
Tao Yi panicked and immediately stepped back. "Hey! What are you doing?!"
"Ah!"
...
Tao Yi clung to the window frame, his nails digging in deeply.
"Sister Yue, it's all a misunderstanding, okay? I'll figure something out... I'll figure it out!" he stammered.
Ziyue let go and dropped him back onto the floor, shooting him a glare before returning to her spot on the floor and continuing to watch her TV show.
As Tao Yi slid down from the window frame, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He glanced at Ziyue, who was lying back on the floor, looking completely unbothered. He thought to himself, *Why does she act like nothing happened after tormenting me every time?*
His legs still trembling, Tao Yi slowly dragged himself to the couch.
"Be good from now on, and remember who's in charge here!" Ziyue didn't even turn around, her eyes still fixed on the TV as she lazily waved a small fist behind her at Tao Yi.
Tao Yi rolled his eyes but weakly responded, "Yeah, Sister Yue, you're the most badass in all three realms!"
Leaning heavily against the couch, Tao Yi muttered under his breath, "Revenge is a dish best served cold... ten years isn't too late. In ten years, I'll still be standing tall!"
"Hmph! Ten years? Just don't tell me you've lost your memory by then!" Ziyue's cold voice cut through the air.
Tao Yi's heart raced, and he gasped in shock. He had completely forgotten about Ziyue's superhuman hearing...
After a while, seeing no further reaction from Ziyue, Tao Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Sneaking a glance at her, he thought, *I wonder if she's afraid of Liao Hong and his people. Hopefully, she gets scared and leaves, because I can't handle this anymore.* As for Liao Hong's threat to kill him, Tao Yi figured he could fake his death—his mother could help with that.
Fake his death?
No, Tao Yi hadn't lost his mind. In fact, he wasn't just an ordinary person. This needed a bit of an explanation, starting with his mother's profession.
Tao Yi's mother was what you'd call a "half-immortal," someone supposedly followed by fox spirits or other mystical beings, according to folklore. People in this profession usually helped heal others, but some possessed extraordinary powers, capable of things beyond normal human abilities.
Of course, much of it was myth, and the true extent of these abilities was hard to determine. However, Tao Yi's mother was quite formidable. Tao Yi himself had a strange constitution, often attracting unwanted supernatural attention. Thanks to his mother's unique profession, his life had been relatively peaceful.
Thinking of this, Tao Yi felt more at ease. Faking his death seemed like a viable solution to his current problems.
Too bad he had lived in Xuanwei for so long.
Still, it was strange—why did Liao Hong want him dead? How had he offended this powerful underground boss?
Those were problems for later, though. Right now, there was a more pressing matter... Ziyue had damaged the wall! Dealing with the neighbors was one thing, but what would happen if the landlord came by?!
*Knock, knock, knock!*
At that moment, a series of urgent knocks rang out.
Tao Yi's eyes shot open. *No way... they're here already?*
Reluctantly, Tao Yi got up to answer the door. If his guess was right, it was probably the neighbor he had disturbed.
Taking a deep breath, Tao Yi slowly opened the door.
The moment the door swung open, Tao Yi's mind went blank. It seemed the heavens were deliberately toying with him.
Standing at the door wasn't the neighbor he had expected, but someone far worse—his terrifying landlady!
"Why are you here so late? Couldn't... couldn't this wait until tomorrow?" Tao Yi stammered, already preparing to close the door.
"Hey! What are you doing? I've got something important to discuss with you, so let me in!"