Lin Xiaojun's pupils contracted, shrinking smaller and smaller, as if trapped in a nightmare. She bit her tongue fiercely, refusing to admit anything, and insisted, "I didn't kill her. This has nothing to do with me."
She didn't know who she was deceiving.
Shen Yue simply smiled and said to her, "Murderers pay with their lives. Don't you like Tang Zhe? Then I'll snatch him away. I'll make him personally send you to the fate you deserve. We'll see."
Leaving these words behind, Shen Yue went to the front desk to settle the bill and left gracefully.
Lin Xiaojun, sitting alone, grew paler and paler, fine cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. Her clouded eyes were no longer clear, but filled with an ingrained malice, turning her naturally delicate face into a sinister viper's visage.
—
Shen Yue moved to a different apartment. She didn't have much time to decorate her new home. There wasn't much in any of the rooms, making it look as if she could move out at any moment.
After living outside for a few days, Shen Yue often sensed a gaze upon her, but when she looked back, there was only the whistling cold wind.
Once, when she got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, she inadvertently saw a car parked downstairs. At first, she paid it no mind, but as it happened more frequently, she became suspicious.
However, by daylight, the car would disappear.
Shen Yue knew who was in the car without much guessing.
She didn't have the mood to care, perhaps intending to watch the spectacle and see how long Wei Jingzhou could endure.
Shen Yue wasn't surprised that Wei Jingzhou could find someone else. She knew Wei Jingzhou was proud and extremely self-centered, a selfish capitalist.
She could tell from him drugging the milk.
Wei Jingzhou's greatest love was always himself, and he would always prioritize his own desires.
Shen Yue initially thought Wei Jingzhou might not last a few days, but she never expected that, regardless of wind or snow, the car would always be there.
It persisted for a long time.
As Shen Yue finished washing up and leaned against the bed reading, her phone, placed on the bedside table, rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
Shen Yue didn't think much of it and answered directly.
"Hello?"
The other side remained silent, and Shen Yue only heard his rapid breathing. She instantly realized who it was. Her fair, slender fingers paused. Shen Yue switched hands holding the phone, holding her breath in a silent standoff. In the end, Wei Jingzhou broke.
"Yueyue... I know you're still angry with me, and I know I've done many wrong things. Can you give me another chance? I promise! I'll change! I'll get rid of all my bad habits... Don't leave me..."
The soft pads of her fingers gently stroked the pages of the book. Her long, thick eyelashes, like butterfly wings, drooped. Her snow-white face was delicate and pale.
She appeared unperturbed, showing no emotion towards the man's pleas.
"Wei Jingzhou, I've already made myself clear. I don't want to repeat myself."
Silence fell on the other end of the line, followed by the man's violent coughing, like a patient in the last stages of illness, as if he wanted to cough up his internal organs.
The coughing soon subsided, likely because the man had covered the phone with his hand.
It was muffled, very distant.
Shen Yue listened quietly. She thought Wei Jingzhou must have caught a cold, after all, it was several degrees below zero outside, and it had snowed heavily yesterday.
Wei Jingzhou's health had always been good. When they were together, he never caught a cold, unlike her, who always had a blocked nose or a fever, with plenty of minor ailments.
Now, even someone built like steel couldn't withstand it.
Shen Yue didn't know if Wei Jingzhou's display was an act of pity; she thought it likely was, as that was just how Wei Jingzhou was.
"You don't need to do this. Don't make things too ugly."
The muffled coughing on the other end stopped, leaving only the man's uneven, rapid breathing.
Shen Yue hung up the phone without hesitation. She lifted a corner of the curtain and looked down.
A car was still parked downstairs, black and almost blending into the night, with some snow accumulated on it. Shen Yue realized then that it had started snowing again.
She saw that the car window wasn't rolled up, and a long, strong arm rested on it, with a glowing red ember of fire at the fingertips.
He was still smoking even after coughing so hard he could barely breathe.
Shen Yue watched for only a minute before silently drawing the curtain closed.
—
Shen Yue went to the supermarket to buy snacks. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw a message from Lin Xiaojun with an address.
The address led to an abandoned building.
Shen Yue smiled, put her phone back in her pocket, and continued to carefully pick out snacks while humming an unknown tune.
Halfway through her selection, Shen Yue realized, what was the point of buying these? She might not even get to eat them.
Thinking this, Shen Yue felt disheartened, a sense of inexplicable sadness washing over her. She was truly reluctant to part with these snacks; she hadn't eaten enough of them before she had to leave.
Sigh...
The system was speechless: [Can you be a little more focused? Are these junk foods all that can keep you tied down?]
Shen Yue couldn't stand anyone disparaging her little darlings and immediately retorted softly: [Sugar is so delicious, how can you call sugar trash?]
The system couldn't stand her affected, cooing voice: [...Don't use such a saccharine tone with me. I'm not the main villain.]
Shen Yue ignored it and continued in her sweet tone: [System, can you pack these snacks and take them with me?]
The system's data even got goosebumps: [No! Dream on!]
It immediately went offline after that, leaving its data garbled by her saccharine complaints.
—
During the day, Wei Jingzhou didn't monitor her personally but sent others to do so.
With the system's help, she quickly shook off the tail following her.
Shen Yue arrived at the location as agreed. The abandoned building had three floors, and none of the staircases had handrails, giving one a feeling of unease while walking on them.
Lin Xiaojun had been waiting for a long time.
The whistling cold wind blew her hair, and she turned to look at the girl walking towards her, revealing a somewhat eerie smile.
"You're really bold. I didn't expect you to dare to come alone."
The girl's hair was messy from the wind, but it couldn't conceal her extraordinarily beautiful, otherworldly face. "What's there for me to not dare? I haven't done anything I regret."
As she said this, Shen Yue subtly activated the recording function on her phone.
"On the other hand, you, who have done wrong things, dare to come alone. Aren't you afraid of vengeful spirits coming to claim your life?"
Lin Xiaojun burst into uncontrollable laughter, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, tears streaming from her eyes. She paused, her voice still laced with hearty laughter.