Chapter 328: With Me Here, You Are Not Needed
Chapter 328: Chapter 328: With Me Here, You Are Not Needed
A cold glint flashed in Si Jin’s eyes as he pivoted to the side, easily dodging the attack. At the same time, he raised his arm to block. With a twist of his wrist, he delivered a heavy, powerful counterattack in an instant.
Both men moved with swift, ruthless precision. They exchanged several rapid, clean blows, their strength evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand. The narrow corridor echoed with the sudden rush of wind as they traded sharp, decisive strikes without a single wasted movement.
After a few exchanges, they simultaneously pulled back, ceasing their fight with a tacit understanding.
Standing tall, Si Jin stared expressionlessly at the completely unfamiliar face before him. Coldness surged in his eyes, and his voice was low, icy, and devoid of any warmth.
"Xing Che, you’ve been following Yun Sheng all the way here. What do you want?"
"Heh, you’ve got a sharp eye."
Xing Che had seen this disguised face of Si Jin’s before, but his own current disguise bore no resemblance whatsoever to his true appearance. He had even deliberately suppressed the fluctuations of his spiritual power. He truly hadn’t expected Si Jin to recognize him so quickly.
Si Jin did not reply. He merely cast a sidelong glance at him, his gaze chilling and sharp, exuding a silent, oppressive aura as he waited quietly for an explanation.
Annoyed by the intense stare, Xing Che said bluntly, "I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just worried about Shengsheng, so I’m quietly following her to protect her."
"Protect her?" Si Jin raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with cold disdain. "Yun Sheng has me by her side. It’s not the place of an outsider to worry about protecting her. Furthermore, do you really think your sneaky, skulking behavior counts as protection?"
He stepped half a pace forward, fully unleashing his oppressive aura, his words cutting like knives.
"Besides, Xing Che, you’re neck-deep in trouble yourself, and you haven’t even cleaned up the tails following you. By trailing her, are you trying to protect her, or are you trying to drag her down with the hidden dangers of the Dark Nest and all the messes you carry?"
Xing Che’s expression instantly froze. The temperature around him plummeted as a sharp glint filled his eyes. A chilling, dangerous hostility swirled about him, making him look highly aggressive.
Seeing his sudden change in demeanor, Si Jin remained entirely unfazed, continuing in an unhurried tone.
"The people of the Dark Nest are ruthless and relentless, and right now, you can’t even guarantee your own safety. If you don’t want to bring trouble to Yun Sheng or put her in danger because of you, you’d better not come looking for her during this time, much less follow her around so sneakily."
Xing Che stared deeply at him, hostility churning in his eyes, his tone tinged with reluctance.
"I would never hurt her. If I stay by her side, there will at least be one more person to protect her."
"With me here, you aren’t needed." Si Jin’s tone was assertive and forceful, leaving no room for compromise. "You’re following her while the Dark Nest has its eyes on you. If they resort to extreme measures and hurt Yun Sheng just to threaten you, can you bear the consequences?"
Xing Che’s Adam’s apple bobbed. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
He knew very well that everything Si Jin said was the truth. He was entangled in too many old grudges and conflicts with the Dark Nest. Plagued by hidden dangers, he simply lacked the absolute certainty to guarantee that his presence wouldn’t bring Yun Sheng any danger.
Yet he just couldn’t let it go!
After a long silence, Xing Che suppressed the hostility and reluctance in his eyes, his voice dropping a fraction.
"I can avoid the Dark Nest’s gaze and make sure I don’t implicate her. I just... want to see that she’s doing well."
Seeing his stubbornness, Si Jin’s gaze grew so cold it bordered on ferocious.
"You can’t guarantee anything. Rather than causing trouble with your self-indulgent affection, completely disappearing from her world would be the best protection for her."
Xing Che clenched his fists tightly, a heavy, stifling wave of frustration blocking his chest.
"I understand." After a long while, he reined in all of his hostility, largely conceding. "I won’t get close or follow her for the time being. But if she ever encounters a danger she can’t resolve, I won’t just stand by and do nothing."
"Fine. Remember what you just said."
With that, Si Jin turned and walked away without sparing Xing Che another glance.
Only Xing Che was left in the corridor, standing quietly in the shadows, his gaze exceptionally obscure.
Meanwhile, Yun Sheng and her two friends took their time strolling around the mall, chatting and laughing, feeling exceptionally relaxed.
When they wandered into an affordable luxury women’s boutique, Cheng Nian immediately laid eyes on a dress hanging in the center display. It was sweet yet elegant, and the color scheme was exactly to her liking. She fell in love with it in an instant.
She walked over and checked the tag. It was a size S—a bit too small for her. After glancing at the racks on either side and failing to find any other sizes, Cheng Nian turned to a nearby saleswoman and spoke politely.
"Hello, could you please bring me a size M to try on?"
The saleswoman slowly raised her eyes and scanned Cheng Nian from head to toe. Cheng Nian was dressed in simple, casual clothes. Her clean, plain outfit didn’t make her look like a wealthy person who frequently bought luxury brands.
A flash of contempt instantly crossed the saleswoman’s eyes, and her attitude immediately turned perfunctory. Crossing her arms, she said breezily, "This is our new limited edition. It’s in high demand and it’s not cheap. We might not even have your size in stock, and you probably wouldn’t want to spend the money on it anyway, so let’s not waste each other’s time."
These words were incredibly unpleasant to hear.
Cheng Nian came from a decent family background, and ever since she entered the Tower to become a Preparatory Guide, she had been receiving a special monthly allowance. She wasn’t strapped for cash by any means and could completely afford the dress. She just didn’t like wearing luxury goods on a daily basis, which made her look plain.
Being openly looked down upon like this, Cheng Nian’s face instantly darkened, filled with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
Beside her, Li Wen also frowned. Just as she was about to speak up in her defense, a cold, indifferent voice beat her to it.
"Bring a size M."
Yun Sheng took a step forward, pulled a black VIP card with gold foil embossing from her small purse, and casually held it out.
This was the Supreme VIP card of this top-tier shopping mall. The threshold was extremely high; one had to make a single deposit of over ten million Star Coins and maintain a set amount of annual spending just to qualify for it. Only a handful of people in the entire Capital Star possessed this card. It was a level completely beyond the reach of ordinary customers.
The moment the saleswoman got a clear look at the card, she froze in place. The contempt and arrogance on her face vanished without a trace. How could she dare to show even a sliver of neglect now? She hurriedly bowed, apologizing profusely with a panicked and respectful tone.
"I-I’m so sorry, Miss! It was my lack of judgment and ignorance. Please forgive my offensive words. I’ll go get a size M right away!"
After saying this, she didn’t dare delay for even a second. She turned and sprinted into the stockroom, swiftly retrieving a brand-new size M dress. Holding it with both hands, she presented it to Cheng Nian with the utmost respect.
Cheng Nian was dumbfounded by this entire sequence of events. She stared at the black-and-gold card in Yun Sheng’s hand, her eyes wide with absolute shock. Accepting the dress, she said in disbelief, "Yun Sheng, you actually have this mall’s Supreme VIP card? This card is super hard to get. Even regular rich people can’t get their hands on it!"
Hearing this, Yun Sheng suddenly thought of her past life.
Once, while shopping with a colleague, she had unwittingly walked into a luxury store and had been similarly looked down upon by a snobbish saleswoman, who sarcastically mocked them for not being able to afford anything. Back then, she had nothing and lacked confidence. When mocked, she could only swallow her anger and quietly leave the store in embarrassment, pulling her colleague along without daring to utter a single word of rebuttal.
She never expected that after transmigrating into a book, she would actually get the chance to deliver such a satisfying, public slap to the face.