The car glided in unnervingly silent stillness. The modified chassis absorbed all vibration into smooth, near-silent motion. The spacious rear compartment had been expanded to accommodate their uneasy silence—Ning Yunhuan and Lan Linying seated apart yet inseparable in the quiet.

Recalling the woman's gaze moments before, Ning Yunhuan wasn't naive to her friend's temperament. This was a girl who wore fragility like armor, whose stubbornness burned beneath delicate features. That very combination had made countless noble-born youths fall under her spell after being sated by more overtly brazen beauties.

A strange unease prickled in her chest at the thought of something precious being coveted. But Lan Linying wasn't an object to be claimed, nor was she his property. The absurdity of the feeling left her lips pressing together in a thin line before she could stop it. Her discomfort bloomed across her face despite mental protests for composure.

Lan Linying tilted his head downward, studying the flickering expressions on her face until his patience finally broke. A finger tapped against her cheekbone, cold as marble.

"Scared?"

His voice carried that usual chill even when laced with amusement, a warning wrapped in velvet. Ning Yunhuan blinked at his smirk before comprehension dawned like slow-moving fog—then nodded silently to dispel the awkwardness.

"You should be," he murmured lazily against the window glass, "the Lǐ family's been rotting in Kyoto too long."

Ning Yunhuan shivered and winced. Though she knew better than to argue with him, old habits surfaced unbidden: "But you promised not to kill them!"

The original bargain had been to spare one life per minute counted. But Li YuKuan fled faster than a startled hare—gone before the tenth second even passed. And Lan Linying? He never struck empty bargains.

Lan Linying arched an eyebrow, his slanted gaze suddenly predatory in its allure. "Yunhuan," he purred, lips curling into something wickedly sweet, "when did I ever say to spare him once?" His voice dropped lower still, honeyed yet venomous: "And don't you remember how much I enjoy settling scores after the harvest? Don't you know me best of all?"

Ning Yunhuan's face flushed crimson as she turned away. When clarity finally pierced her mortification, she realized his words carried double meaning—the same calculating deceit that had ensnared Li YuKuan and herself years ago, like monkeys trapped in the Buddha's palm.

Despite two lifetimes' worth of experience fending off dangerous men, some people simply possessed more guile than others. When willpower proved no match for cunning, surrender was inevitable. She spent another sleepless night with Lan Linying instead of returning home as planned. Her mother would undoubtedly have fainted had she known her daughter was currently in the arms of a monster rather than studying at university.

The next morning, Ning Yunhuang expected an onslaught from her friend about Lan Linying's identity. But when Lan delivered her to campus, Gu Yingxi vanished like a phantom, leaving no trace in classrooms or corridors.

During her elective class, Fu Yuan finally cornered her between lectures. The girl had been watching Ning for days and wasted no time seizing the opportunity.

"Where have you been hiding all week?" Fu Yuan's voice sharpened into accusation, "You haven't returned home for nights! What were you doing out so late? Do your parents even know?"

Women often sensed these things instinctively. That Lan Linying's shadow clung to Ning Yunhuan was obvious—Fu Yuan's molars ached at the thought. Not that she harbored malicious intent; competition had simply made her jealous of friends who might surpass her in any way.

Ning Yunhuang stiffened under the interrogation. "Where I go is none of your business," she snapped, turning sharply to leave. But Fu Yuan lunged forward, blocking her path with frantic desperation.

"Don't say that!" she blurted out while forcing a strained smile, "We're friends! Friends should care about each other's safety." Her voice wavered as she added, "That handsome guy we saw last time—isn't he your boyfriend? You never introduced him to me. If you're not seeing him..." Fu Yuan's laugh sounded brittle as she bumped Ning Yunhuan's shoulder, her face betraying all the nervousness she tried to mask.