Chapter 236: Don’t Brood Alone, I’m Here
Chapter 236: Chapter 236: Don’t Brood Alone, I’m Here
"I’m a suspect?"
Xing Che repeated the question. He glanced sideways at Yun Sheng, then turned back to face Bai Ye, the corner of his lip curling into a wry smile.
"I’ve had plenty of chances to whisk Shengsheng away without anyone knowing. Why would I wait until now?"
Bai Ye’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t reply.
He hadn’t been clear on the situation here after returning to the Capital Star. It was only after Qi Yao was sent back and he read Su Yuanzhou’s report that he learned Xing Che had been by Yun Sheng’s side all along.
When Xing Che saw he remained silent, the mockery in his eyes intensified.
"What, you don’t have time to guard Shengsheng yourself, White War God, so you won’t let me protect her in your stead?"
Bai Ye’s expression soured at the jab, but he couldn’t find the words to refute it.
Standing to the side, Yun Sheng looked from Xing Che to Bai Ye. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed her words.
Si Jin watched the scene expressionlessly, holding Yun Sheng’s hand, treating the whole thing as a show.
’He couldn’t stand either Bai Ye or Xing Che. He’d be jealous no matter which one of them stayed to protect Yun Sheng so closely!’
Bai Ye met Xing Che’s provocative gaze and said coldly, "I will get to the bottom of this. Until then, you’d best not do anything foolish."
Xing Che shrugged and smiled nonchalantly. "Fine by me. Go ahead and investigate. I have nothing to hide."
Yun Sheng watched them, exasperated. She suddenly turned to Si Jin and asked in a low voice, "That disguise you used before, can you do it again?"
Si Jin froze for a second, then nodded. "I can."
Hearing this, Yun Sheng instinctively squeezed his hand and gave it a little shake, her voice taking on a wheedling tone. "Then put on your disguise and come with me to find Cheng Nian and the others. The White War God’s people can rescue the other cadets, anyway."
’If she had to choose between Xing Che and Bai Ye, she’d rather not choose at all!’
At her words, the iciness in Si Jin’s eyes instantly melted away, and the sour feeling in his heart vanished.
Without another word, he pulled a palm-sized silver device from his pocket and pressed it gently.
A soft curtain of light unfolded from the device, enveloping his face.
The curtain of light shimmered, as if an invisible hand were re-sculpting his features.
His features became harder, plainer—the kind of face you’d immediately lose in a crowd.
Even the color of his eyes changed, from their iconic sapphire blue to an ordinary black.
A moment later, the light curtain dissipated, and a strange yet familiar face appeared before Yun Sheng.
Seeing the face she remembered, she felt a brief sense of disorientation.
Back on the Capital Star, Si Jin had worn this very face while at her side.
Yun Sheng’s heart softened, and she couldn’t resist reaching out to gently pinch his face.
The disguised face felt strange to the touch. It wasn’t as soft as real skin, having a thin, almost silicone-like texture.
She pinched it once, then again, rubbing the pad of her finger against his cheek as if confirming something.
He turned his head slightly at her touch but didn’t pull away. He simply took hold of her mischievous hand, his thumb gently caressing its back. "Had your fill of pinching?" he asked in a low voice.
His voice, at least, wasn’t disguised. It was the same deep, magnetic tone that sounded so familiar and reassuring in her ears.
The corners of Yun Sheng’s mouth lifted. She slipped her fingers from Si Jin’s palm and reached up to touch his eyes, which were now a plain black instead of their usual sapphire.
"I’m not used to this," she said softly. "Your real eyes are prettier."
Si Jin looked down at her, his voice dropping another notch. "I’ll let you see them when we get back."
As the two of them spoke with casual intimacy, Bai Ye watched from the side. His gaze darkened and his jaw clenched tight as he stared at Si Jin’s unfamiliar face.
He’d seen that face on the Capital Star. He’d been suspicious at the time but had no proof.
Back then, a disguised Si Jin had been by Yun Sheng’s side. Now that their relationship and his identity were out in the open, Si Jin was no longer afraid of being seen, even putting on the disguise right in front of him.
Thinking back to what had happened on the Capital Star, Bai Ye felt a heavy, unpleasant weight in his chest.
Xing Che watched as well, the smile on his lips fading slightly. A hint of an unnamable, sour feeling flickered in his eyes.
’He and Bai Ye had been arguing this whole time, and neither of them had won. In the end, Yun Sheng had chosen Si Jin!’
’Now that Si Jin was disguised, he could openly stay by Yun Sheng’s side. Didn’t that mean his own opportunities to get close to her would be drastically reduced?’
The thought made Xing Che’s chest tighten with frustration.
After a moment, Yun Sheng pulled her hand back, took the initiative to grab Si Jin’s hand, and interlaced their fingers. Her voice was light and cheerful.
"Come on, let’s go find Cheng Nian and the others."
Si Jin glanced down at their intertwined hands, the corners of his mouth twitching up slightly. Then, he deliberately raised his head and shot a look at Xing Che and Bai Ye.
The look was casual, yet it held an undisguised air of showing off, as if to say, ’See? She chose me.’
Yun Sheng saw his gloating expression and a flicker of amusement appeared in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything, simply pulling him away.
Xing Che stared at their clasped hands, then at Si Jin’s smug expression, and was instantly infuriated.
But he quickly gritted his teeth and hurried after Yun Sheng and Si Jin.
’He was thick-skinned, anyway. He’d just have to stick to Yun Sheng like glue. He’d find his chance eventually!’
Bai Ye stood frozen, watching their retreating figures. He had just taken a single step to follow when Luo Cheng emerged from the woods, walking quickly toward him.
The bodies of the men in gray had been dealt with, and Luo Cheng had hurried over after sensing Bai Ye’s presence.
He came to a stop before Bai Ye and reported in a hushed voice, "General, the man in gray you knocked out earlier was taken back to the ship for interrogation. At first, he was tight-lipped and refused to say a word. We ended up using spiritual power to forcibly probe his memories and discovered something highly unusual."
He paused, his brow furrowed. "This matter... is extremely serious. It requires your personal attention."
Bai Ye’s gaze hardened. He took one last look in the direction Yun Sheng and the others had gone, then turned and followed Luo Cheng toward the ship.
The shadows of the trees flew past on either side. His steps were quick and steady, but he couldn’t shake the heavy feeling in his chest.
’Yun Sheng didn’t need him. She already had someone by her side, and he... he had too many other things to handle...’
’All he could do was find the mastermind and eliminate the dangers lurking in the shadows, one by one.’
’At least that way, she would be safer!’
...
Si Jin noticed that Bai Ye hadn’t followed them and glanced at Yun Sheng beside him.
Her head was down and her pace was quick, as if she were oblivious to the fact that Bai Ye wasn’t behind them.
He hesitated for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Yun Sheng... are you deliberately avoiding Bai Ye?"
Yun Sheng’s steps faltered for a fraction of a second. She then continued walking, her lips pressed together in a silent line.
Looking at her tense profile, Si Jin’s heart softened.
’He might get jealous and possessive, but what he cared about most was her happiness.’
’He could tell that Yun Sheng was deliberately avoiding Bai Ye this time. Even when their gazes chanced to meet, she would immediately look away.’
’But he could also tell that she still cared about Bai Ye. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have reacted like that to his question.’
At this thought, Si Jin squeezed her hand, gently stroking the back of it with his thumb. His voice softened as well.
"You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. Just don’t keep it all bottled up. I’m here."