Chapter 290: Yun Sheng, I Want to Be Your Sentinel
Chapter 290: Chapter 290: Yun Sheng, I Want to Be Your Sentinel
Bai Ye tightened his grip slightly without asking any questions. Supporting Yun Sheng more steadily, he led her toward the lounge. He slowed his pace, afraid that rushing would make her uncomfortable.
The lounge wasn’t far from the lab—just a few steps away. Pushing the door open, they entered a simply furnished room. A cozy gray sofa rested against the wall, covered in plush velvet cushions that made a person want to shed all their exhaustion at a single glance.
Bai Ye helped Yun Sheng sit on the sofa, then poured a glass of warm water and handed it to her. "Drink some water and catch your breath."
Yun Sheng leaned against the soft backrest of the sofa, her strength not yet fully recovered. She took the glass and drank several mouthfuls of the warm water. Her parched throat was finally soothed, and a fraction of her strength gradually returned.
Yet, her cheeks were still fiercely flushed, the redness spreading from the base of her ears down to her jaw. Even the tips of her ears were tinted a translucent pink. Faint red teeth marks remained on her lips from where she had bitten down earlier. Coupled with her weak frame and languid gaze, she looked exactly as if she had been ruthlessly bullied—fragile and captivating.
Bai Ye stood by the sofa, his unblinking gaze fixed on her. His Adam’s apple bobbed heavily. He had so many questions—he wanted to ask what exactly had happened in the lab, and what kind of examination she had undergone to end up like this! But the words reached his lips and were swallowed back down.
Afraid his probing would upset her, and even more afraid of hearing an answer he didn’t want to hear, Bai Ye could only stare at her in silence. The worry and complex emotions in his eyes grew ever more intense.
Yun Sheng rested against the sofa for about ten minutes. The entire time, she could feel Bai Ye’s burning gaze locked onto her, never wavering. She looked up, meeting his deep black eyes, and spoke softly.
"Mo Chen said the lab data hasn’t finished running yet. He’ll notify us once everything is integrated. Also... he wants to test the spiritual power compatibility between Lin Mo and me. I don’t know why he wants to test this, nor do I know if he... has studied Lin Mo’s spiritual power before."
Even though it was just her and Bai Ye in the lounge, she still used the alias "Lin Mo" when referring to Si Jin. She didn’t dare be careless. No one knew if the lounge was bugged, and she feared the walls might have ears. If Si Jin’s true identity were exposed, not only would he be in fatal danger, but she would also be implicated.
"Spiritual power compatibility..." Hearing those words, Bai Ye’s gaze instantly sharpened. "He tested your compatibility with him, didn’t he?"
Yun Sheng was taken aback. She wondered why everyone was so sharp.
She didn’t avoid the question. Nodding slightly, she calmly revealed the staggering number. "He did—99.8%."
Bai Ye’s brows suddenly furrowed, his expression turning grave. He fell silent for a moment, his fingers curling subconsciously before he spoke in a hoarse voice. "Mo Chen has studied the spiritual power data of every SSS-level and above Sentinel in the Star Alliance. There are no exceptions... I’ll go ask him exactly what his intentions are later. You don’t need to worry too much."
Yun Sheng instantly understood the underlying meaning of his words.
Since Si Jin was an SSS-level Sentinel, his spiritual power data naturally fell within the scope of Mo Chen’s research. If Si Jin actually came to the lab for a compatibility test, Mo Chen would definitely be able to discern his true identity the moment he released even a shred of spiritual power. At this thought, her worry intensified, and her fingertips subconsciously tightened around the sofa cushion.
"You..." Bai Ye began hesitantly. He stepped closer, his gaze locked tightly onto Yun Sheng’s eyes, unable to hide the care and inner turmoil swirling within them.
Seeing him look so cautious and at a loss, a sudden, indescribable pang of tenderness welled up in Yun Sheng’s heart. She didn’t have to think hard to guess the question hidden in his heart. Rather than letting him suffer in this conflicted state, it was better to tell him directly.
"Mo Chen scanned my spiritual landscape. He saw that it contained more than just my own spiritual power, which led him to guess that I must have absorbed yours while guiding you. He asked me to guide him as well, which is why the spiritual power compatibility tested so high. Afterward... he asked me to open my spiritual landscape..."
Before Yun Sheng could finish, Bai Ye’s pupils contracted sharply. As if he had been struck by lightning, his aura instantly became fierce and tense. He leaned down, pressing both hands onto her shoulders. "You opened your spiritual landscape to him?"
For a guide to open their spiritual landscape to a Sentinel was practically a signal of acceptance and a surrender of their heart. He had entered her dreams so many times before, engaging in countless spiritual blends with her, and even... yet he had never earned the right to enter her spiritual landscape. Moreover, if he guessed correctly, Si Jin had never been inside either. But Mo Chen—even if it was for the sake of research, this was just too much...
A suffocating jealousy instantly swept over Bai Ye, and his grip on Yun Sheng’s shoulders tightened unconsciously. Yun Sheng’s shoulders ached slightly under his grip, but she didn’t push him away. She guessed the reason for his intense reaction. She didn’t blame him at all; instead, she felt an indescribable pang of distress for him.
Meeting Bai Ye’s anxious eyes, her voice turned even gentler. "Mo Chen wanted to gather more accurate data. You know my spiritual power is strange, and I don’t have a spiritual body. I want to understand why I’m like this too... so I opened my spiritual landscape to Mo Chen."
Yun Sheng hid nothing. Her total honesty caused the anxiety and jealousy in Bai Ye’s heart to fade slightly, and his grip on her shoulders subconsciously loosened.
"I’m sorry, Yun Sheng. I was too hasty just now. Did I hurt you?" Bai Ye’s tone was full of self-reproach; his previous impulsive loss of control had now transformed entirely into guilt. His usual cold and rigid aura completely vanished, leaving only a clumsy apology and his unhidden care.
Seeing this, Yun Sheng sighed softly. "I’m fine; it doesn’t hurt. General, you really don’t need to act so cautiously around me. Even though I haven’t accepted you, you’ve saved me several times, cleaned up the aftermath, and kept me safe. I remember all of that. I’m not an ungrateful or unreasonable person."
Bai Ye stared at her intently, his voice deep and muffled. "But you know I want more than just that."
With those words, he leaned in once more, his tall figure enveloping Yun Sheng in a gentle shadow. He gently grasped her hand and pressed it to his chest so she could clearly feel his beating heart—a heart that burned only for her.
"Yun Sheng, I want to be your Sentinel. I want you to hold me in your heart. I want to be with you, to protect you for the rest of your life. That is what I truly want!"
His heartbeat was rapid and powerful, thumping clearly against Yun Sheng’s palm through the thin fabric of his shirt. Yun Sheng’s own heartbeat quickened in response. She subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but Bai Ye held onto it tightly. His grip wasn’t forceful, but it carried a stubbornness that brooked no escape.