Time lost all meaning in the suffocating darkness. Lan Yucheng lay sprawled on the unfamiliar bed, a mere husk from which her soul had been ripped.
The muscle relaxant rendered her utterly powerless, unable even to lift a finger. Only her consciousness thrashed wildly in an unending abyss of fear and darkness. Su Yiyi’s final words, “I’m very angry,” and her chilling kiss, coiled around Lan Yucheng’s heart like a venomous serpent.
‘Where was Xiao Xue? Why had the system vanished? What exactly did this madwoman intend to do to her?’
After an indeterminate stretch of time, the door creaked open once more.
The unhurried click of high heels approached steadily.
Every nerve in Lan Yucheng’s body instantly coiled taut, though she remained utterly immobile. She felt Su Yiyi settle onto the edge of the bed, and then, the blindfold obstructing her vision was gently removed.
The sudden influx of light forced her to squint, her eyes watering. As her blurry vision slowly focused, the first thing she saw was Su Yiyi’s face, twisted into a strangely serene smile.
But in the very next second, Lan Yucheng’s pupils contracted violently, shrinking to pinpricks! Her breath hitched, and her blood seemed to freeze instantly!
Behind Su Yiyi, in the shadows of the room’s corner, sat a chair. Upon it, a figure she knew to her very bones was bound in the same manner, head bowed, long hair obscuring their face, utterly motionless—it was Qing Xinxue!
“Xiao… Xue…?” Lan Yucheng rasped, a broken whisper torn from the depths of her throat, laced with an unbelievable surge of wild joy and an even deeper, more profound unease. ‘Xiao Xue hadn’t left? She was here? But… why wasn’t she moving? Why was she tied up?’
Su Yiyi seemed immensely pleased by Lan Yucheng’s instantaneous, drastic reaction. She smiled faintly, reaching out to caress Lan Yucheng’s icy cheek, her voice as soft as a lover’s murmur. “See, I’ve… invited your ‘Xiao Xue’ back. Are you happy?”
Lan Yucheng’s heart hammered frantically, an ominous premonition washing over her like a deluge of ice water. She wanted to scream, to struggle, yet could only emit muffled whines as tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
Su Yiyi no longer looked at her. She turned and walked toward Qing Xinxue in the corner. From a small vial, she produced something akin to smelling salts and waved it beneath Qing Xinxue’s nose.
Qing Xinxue’s body gave a slight twitch, a faint groan escaping her lips, as she slowly lifted her head. Her gaze was initially hazy, but upon seeing Lan Yucheng, immobilized on the bed, it instantly transformed into a look of terror and furious rage! “Sister Cheng! What’s wrong with you?! Su Yiyi! You wretched b*tch! Let her go! If you have the guts, come for me instead!” She began to struggle violently, the restraints digging deeply into her wrists, leaving angry red marks.
“Xiao Xue! Run!” Lan Yucheng shrieked with all her might, her voice pitifully weak.
Su Yiyi ignored Qing Xinxue’s curses. She returned to the bedside and retrieved a dagger from her small suitcase. The blade was not long, yet it was exceptionally sharp, reflecting a chilling gleam under the light.
Lan Yucheng’s pupils dilated with extreme terror as she watched Su Yiyi approach with the knife, shaking her head in desperate denial.
But Su Yiyi’s target was not her. She moved to Lan Yucheng’s hand, which lay limp and unresponsive at her side, still under the drug’s influence. Then… she committed an act that utterly shattered Lan Yucheng’s soul!
With her own cold, strong hand, Su Yiyi forcibly pried open Lan Yucheng’s powerless fingers, one by one, and shoved the dagger’s hilt firmly into her palm! Then, Su Yiyi’s hand, like the most unyielding manacle, tightly enveloped and secured Lan Yucheng’s knife-wielding hand from above!
“No… don’t…” Lan Yucheng understood what she intended to do. The immense terror nearly made her faint, tears gushing forth as she shook her head frantically, her body convulsing slightly in extreme protest. Yet, under the drug’s effect, her struggles were pitifully feeble.
“Chengcheng, look,” Su Yiyi’s voice whispered in her ear, imbued with a bone-chillingly guiding tone. “As long as she lives, she’ll always try to take you away from me. That’s simply unacceptable. So, we must… eliminate future troubles forever.”
Having said this, she manipulated Lan Yucheng’s hand, stepping closer, little by little, towards Qing Xinxue, who was tied to the chair, eyes wide with fury, struggling wildly, and cursing!
“No—! Su Yiyi! How dare you! I’ll kill you!” Qing Xinxue’s scream nearly tore her throat.
“Let go! Let go of my hand! Please! Su Yiyi! Don’t!” Lan Yucheng’s pleas were utterly broken.
But Su Yiyi’s strength was astonishing, her expression terrifyingly calm, as if performing some sacred ritual. She ignored all cries and curses, precisely controlling Lan Yucheng’s hand, guiding the sharp tip of the blade toward Qing Xinxue’s left chest, which was heaving violently from her struggles—
Then, she plunged it in!
****
A dull, clear sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh and ribs. Warm liquid instantly gushed out, splattering all over Lan Yucheng’s face and body.
Time seemed to stand still in that moment.
All of Qing Xinxue’s struggles and curses abruptly ceased. Her eyes wide, she looked down in disbelief at the dagger embedded in her chest, then slowly raised her head, gazing at Lan Yucheng’s controlled hand, which held the hilt, so close to her. Finally, her gaze fixed on Lan Yucheng’s face, contorted by extreme horror and despair.
Her lips parted, as if to speak, but only frothy red blood emerged. The light in those eyes, which had always been filled with a possessive love for Lan Yucheng, rapidly dimmed, eventually losing all vibrancy, becoming utterly vacant. Her head slumped lifelessly.
“No—!!!!” Lan Yucheng let out a bloodcurdling shriek, a sound not quite human, as if her entire soul had been pierced by that single stab! She watched, helpless, as Xiao Xue’s life drained away by her own hand, and she, she was the one holding the knife! Even if manipulated! The agony and guilt brought by this realization instantly utterly destroyed her!
“Not deep enough,” Su Yiyi remarked calmly, as if admiring a work of art. She gripped Lan Yucheng’s hand, forcefully pulled out the dagger, drawing forth more blood, and then, ruthlessly, again and again, one stab, two stabs, three stabs… continuously plunged it into the already lifeless body!
With every stab, Lan Yucheng felt the blade tear through flesh, heard the sickening, grinding sound. She struggled wildly, screaming, tears and blood smearing her face, her sanity utterly collapsing in an instant! Her Xiao Xue… her beloved Xiao Xue… killed by her own hands!
When Su Yiyi finally stopped, Qing Xinxue’s body was a gruesome sight. Su Yiyi released her grip. Lan Yucheng’s hand fell limply, the blood-soaked dagger clattering to the floor. She collapsed like a broken doll, sprawling on the ground, her gaze vacant as she stared at the lifeless corpse on the chair. The entire world fragmented before her eyes.
Su Yiyi crouched down, disregarding the bloodstains on Lan Yucheng, and gently cupped her pale face, pressing a tender yet utterly terrifying kiss on her forehead.
“Now, you are clean,” Su Yiyi’s voice held a twisted satisfaction. “No one can ever take you away from me again.”
She looked at Lan Yucheng’s hollow, seemingly dead eyes, as if remembering something, and took out a new syringe from her suitcase.
“Don’t even think about joining her, darling,” Su Yiyi’s tone carried a hint of doting affection as she injected the needle into Lan Yucheng’s arm. “That would break my heart. Get some good rest, tonight… I’ll make you something delicious.”
Chilling liquid once again flowed into her veins. Lan Yucheng couldn’t even muster the thought of struggling. Before her consciousness sank into boundless darkness, the last thing she saw was Su Yiyi’s retreating back as she dragged Qing Xinxue’s corpse out of the room, and the shocking, glaring pool of blood on the floor.
Despair, like the deepest ocean’s silt, completely submerged and consumed her. She had even lost the ability to cry or scream.