Chapter 170: Split Personality
Nightwing's cold gaze pierced through the room as a sardonic smile played at the corners of his lips. "You, a man with amnesia, think you have the right to command me?"
Ye Tianlin's dark eyes flickered with a hint of amusement. "Only because this is my house."
With deliberate precision, Ye Tianlin drew a compact pistol from his jacket—a weapon that had become a near-permanent fixture since he regained consciousness.
Nightwing glanced briefly at the firearm, his expression dripping with contempt. "Do you think your trigger finger is faster than mine?" His grip on Liang Xiaoluo's neck tightened just enough to convey his deadly intent. "You make a move, and she dies with me."
"Try me." Ye Tianlin's voice was devoid of emotion, steady as the barrel of his pistol.
Liang Xiaoluo, barely clinging to consciousness in Nightwing's grip, managed to rasp out a plea. "Don't... hurt him. If you must... kill me instead."
Her words froze the room in an eerie stillness. Nightwing's fingers faltered, his icy demeanor cracking ever so slightly as her voice echoed through the tense air.
"Is that what you want?" Ye Tianlin's tone remained flat, his gaze unreadable.
Before either man could react further, Xiaoluo gathered what strength she had left and shoved herself away from Nightwing's grasp. She collapsed onto the bed but found her voice. "Nightwing," she gasped, staring at him with a mixture of defiance and desperation. "No matter how much you hate me, I need you to know—she loved you. My sister loved you more than anything in this world. She wished for your happiness, even if it wasn't with her."
Nightwing's body went rigid. He stood there, his back to her, his entire being suspended in that moment. The words hung heavy in the air, heavier than any weapon he could wield.
Finally, he turned his head slightly, his profile etched with an unspoken agony. Without another word, he vaulted out the window, disappearing into the night.
The silence that followed was suffocating. Xiaoluo slumped against the bedframe, her breaths shallow and ragged. Her mind swirled with a storm of memories and emotions, her sister's face flashing vividly in her mind.
But the calm didn't last long.
"You're not going anywhere," Ye Tianlin's voice sliced through the air. He loomed over her like a shadow, his gaze dark and unyielding.
Xiaoluo looked up, her exhaustion no match for the wave of anger and sorrow that swept over her. "Kill me, then. Or let me go."
Ye Tianlin's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Kill you? That's too easy. Letting you go? That's laughable." He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. "You want freedom? Earn it. If you can escape this house by the end of the day, I'll let you walk out. Fail, and you'll spend the rest of your life as a servant here. Consider it your penance."
Her heart sank. She knew better than to believe him entirely, but the glimmer of hope was enough to ignite her determination. "Fine," she said, her voice trembling but resolute. "I'll escape."
Ye Tianlin straightened, his expression unreadable. "We'll see," he murmured before exiting the room, leaving her alone with her racing thoughts.
The hours that followed were a blur of desperate attempts and crushing failures. Every exit was guarded, every window locked. The house, vast as it was, felt like a labyrinth designed to ensnare her. Her heart raced as she pushed through the halls, each step heavy with the weight of her dwindling time.
At one point, she made her way to the second-floor balcony. Below her, the manicured gardens stretched out like a distant dream of freedom. She eyed the drop, calculating her chances.
"Jumping won't get you far."
The voice stopped her cold. Xiaoluo turned to see Hua Lin, her once-ally-turned-adversary, standing in the doorway. Hua Lin's gaze was sharp, her posture relaxed, yet there was a tension in the air that hinted at her true intentions.
"What do you want?" Xiaoluo demanded, trying to mask her fear with defiance.
Hua Lin stepped closer, her heels clicking softly against the floor. "To remind you of your place," she said coolly. "Tianlin may have given you this little game, but we both know how it will end. You can't escape him, Xiaoluo. You never could."
Xiaoluo's hands clenched into fists. "I'll find a way."
Hua Lin's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Good luck," she said, stepping aside to let Xiaoluo pass. "You'll need it."
By the time night fell, Xiaoluo found herself back where she started—trapped in the same room, her hopes dashed against the unyielding walls of Ye Tianlin's control. She sank to the floor, her back against the locked door, her mind racing.
Tears stung her eyes as she whispered to herself, "I'll find a way. I have to."
But even as she vowed to fight, the weight of Ye Tianlin's words bore down on her, the lines between captor and tormentor blurring with every passing moment.