Gu Junshi's psychological fortitude was always strong, a fundamental quality expected of a CEO capable of managing and expanding a vast business empire.
However, at this moment, she felt a pang of pity due to Liu Jiangfusheng's self-reproach and dejection, which made him seem like a cowering young beast. She had indulged Jiuwei's mischief, a behavior she could have stopped earlier, but she let it run its course, wanting to see his true intentions.
Most importantly, he had witnessed this scene.
She gently patted his back, comforting him, "Focus on healing your injuries first. Don't overthink, just sleep."
Sensing the softening in her tone, Liu Jiangfusheng knew that his feigned weakness and magnanimity in letting bygones be bygones had earned her approval and sympathy.
Some matters are not suited for aggressive questioning when one knows the other party is hiding something; perhaps the opposite approach would yield better results. He would not let Gu Yi know how twisted and dark his true self was.
After Liu Jiangfusheng lay down and fell asleep, Gu Junshi prepared to rise, only to find him tightly clutching one of her fingers.
In his semi-conscious state, he pulled her into his embrace and held her close.
He nuzzled his face against her neck, which exuded a faint, cool fragrance. Normally a man of proper conduct and aloofness, he now seemed to have shed his hard shell, using his clear and pleasant voice to affectionately plead, "Ah Yi, please stay with me, okay? When you leave, I feel uneasy and can't sleep..."
During the days of the "Little Competition," although he had been focused on the matches, whenever his mind wandered, he inevitably yearned for her with an almost desperate intensity.
He wondered what she was doing, if her health had improved, if she was thinking of him as he was of her, if she would come to watch his matches...
When he learned from Elder Jiu Li that she had visited the Nine Peaks to watch his "Little Competition," he was overjoyed and rushed back to West Cliff with impatience. However, the more fervent his excitement, the more he felt like he was doused with a basin of ice water after witnessing that scene, feeling utterly cold.
"Even though you are by my side, why do I still miss you..."
His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice trailing off, barely audible, with a slight tremor.
Is it because your heart has never been with me?
—
Gu Junshi discovered that from that day on, her little husband had become a clingy one, unwilling to let her out of his sight for even a moment.
This possessiveness, so strong it bordered on pathological, would inevitably reveal itself in his gaze and actions, no matter how well he concealed it.
Gu Junshi knew he had been stimulated, but she hadn't expected the after-effects of this "stimulation" to last so long.
She wondered if he would ever recover. kanδん
Regardless, there were no major matters within the Dayuan Sect for the time being, so she split her attention, once again manipulating the Demon Race, as the secret chamber of the Void Gate had been opened again.
Gu Junshi's consciousness awoke within the demon puppet. She opened a pair of lustrous, amethyst eyes and saw Xiao Chenmu, who appeared after a two-day absence.
"You've come?"
Her eyes sparkled, and she smiled at him.
It wasn't a very pronounced smile, but it seemed to convey genuine anticipation and fulfillment.
Seeing her weak yet serene smile and hearing her words, Xiao Chenmu knew that she had been waiting for him in this dark, airless interrogation chamber since the day he left.
Before he left, she had asked him if he would come again.
Had she begun to hope for him from that moment?
As Xiao Chenmu stared at her with complex and deep-set eyes, the demon girl suddenly asked, "May I know your name?"
Xiao Chenmu suddenly recalled a female disciple from an immortal sect. She had been abducted by a demonic cultivator with enmity towards their sect and imprisoned and tortured for nearly a year. Surprisingly, she fell in love with the demonic cultivator who had caused her so much suffering, even betraying her sect for him and leading to the massacre of her entire clan.
Such a twisted and abnormal affection might be a person's innate instinct to seek safety; after the extreme malice displayed by the perpetrator, a sliver of kindness bestowed upon them could gradually lead to an abnormally psychological infatuation.
If Gu Junshi knew what Xiao Chenmu was thinking, she would probably tell him that the typical case he was recalling was called Stockholm Syndrome.
Evidently, Xiao Chenmu felt that the demon at this moment exhibited some symptoms of this condition, as the torture and abuse inflicted upon her were carried out by people from the Void Gate... and he was also a disciple of the Void Gate. He did not genuinely care for her, and she only perceived him as good because he did not resort to torture to extract information.
In reality, he was no different from those who had imprisoned her here, attempting to extract all her demonic secrets through various means.
Humans and demons were irreconcilable.
His deep voice echoed in the empty chamber, "Xiao Chenmu."
The demon girl seemed to smile again, perhaps because she received a response. She said, "I'll remember. If I die, can you help collect my body, Xiao Chenmu?"
Hearing her self-deprecating tone, he squatted before her. "Do not resist futilely. Although you are of the demon race, if you are willing to answer my questions truthfully, your death is not inevitable."
"Can your words be trusted?" the demon girl asked, looking at him with a hopeful expression.
At this moment, she was like a clam that had refused to open, finally reaching a safe place and tentatively parting its shell to reveal its soft flesh beneath.
No one could resist such exclusivity.
In her eyes, he was unique.
She trusted him; she would not utter a single word to anyone else, even if they beat her to death, but she chose to open up to him.
Xiao Chenmu stared into her mysterious amethyst pupils. There was no despair or resignation in them, but a vibrant and moving vitality.
On impulse, he blurted out, "Yes."
She lowered her long lashes, considering for a long moment. Finally, her shoulders drooped, as if she was no longer struggling. "Then ask."
Xiao Chenmu asked, "What is your name?"
The demon girl raised her eyes in surprise, not expecting this to be his first question.
But for some reason, she felt very happy.
"My name is A Xue."
Gu Junshi, too lazy to create another alias, directly used a character from the name "Mu Nanxue."
For the second question, Xiao Chenmu continued, "What is your purpose for coming to the Void Gate?"
Unexpectedly, the demon girl, who had been answering all his questions previously, paused for a moment, then gave him a sly smile. "Xiao Chenmu, one question at a time. You visit me once, and I will truthfully answer one question for you."
Xiao Chenmu hadn't expected her to make such a request.
But this merely prolonged the interrogation, it would not affect the outcome, so there was no reason for Xiao Chenmu to refuse.
"Alright."
He stood up. The demon girl also moved, as if instinctively reaching out to grab him, but her slender, perfectly sculpted arm remained in place due to the shackles. She said urgently, "Are you leaving?"
Seeing her strong reaction, the usually rigid and impassive man felt a sudden urge to tease. "Since you have already answered one of my questions, what reason is there for me to stay?"
"But, I, I..." Her long lashes fluttered like the wings of a startled butterfly, her lips a vibrant hue, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
"I'm not leaving."
"Ah?"
Xiao Chenmu looked steadily into her starry eyes. That sharp, piercing gaze was now filled with a calm demeanor. "My master has instructed me to interrogate demons. Currently, besides your matter, I have no other pressing business."
So...
The demon girl suddenly broke into a radiant smile. "So, you can stay and accompany me for a while longer?"