Or rather, something I've always cherished has been destroyed and shattered once again.

"Why...why did this have to happen?"

She was momentarily at a loss, her body went limp, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

"Why?"

Xu Shi smiled and got up, then went over to help the dazed woman up.

"Because...that's just how things are."

He and Lin Xing said in unison, "It's not that I forcibly changed anything, but that you never changed anything."

"?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue looked up in surprise, staring at the two people on her left and right, feeling momentarily stunned.

"Don't you understand yet, Miss Lin Yue?"

Xu Shi gently wiped away her tears, saying, "Your good sister was originally sent by me to help you."

"It has always been this way from beginning to end."

Lin Xing smiled and continued the conversation, straightening her clothes for her.

"this……"

Lin Yue felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in her mind.

Although she was taken aback, she wasn't so much incapable of thinking. Seeing this scene, she suddenly understood everything.

This is no ordinary case of planting spies; it's obvious they are the same person—more specifically, Xu Shi has been manipulating Lin Xing, accompanying her from the beginning, step by step, to where she is today.

This isn't a particularly rare technique, so there's nothing surprising about it.

What truly confirmed this for her was her sudden recollection of her sister's behavior when they first met, a behavior that seemed strangely familiar.

She did have some doubts at the time, but they gradually faded away...

But pushing back further, she suddenly realized that if that were the case, then when she was imprisoned and played with by Xu Shi, the sight of Lin Xing being reformed and tortured was also something he had arranged long ago.

It turns out that everything was already destined from that time on.

She had always been under Xu Shi's control and had never escaped even a little bit.

"...So you understand everything now?"

Xu Shi smiled with satisfaction.

"You...you broke your promise! You said you'd wait for the day I could get my revenge on you..."

Lin Yue stammered unconsciously, her voice growing weaker and weaker.

"This doesn't conflict with me sending someone to your side, does it?"

Xu Shi said seriously, "Our agreement didn't say I couldn't do this... Besides, to put it bluntly, if I hadn't helped you, what do you think you would be like now?"

The assassin girl remained silent.

This is a fact she really doesn't want to admit—the rise of "Spark" that she leads only began after Lin Xing came. Before that, let's not even mention it. There were only a dozen or so people and seven or eight guns, and it was difficult to even make a living.

That's why she has special feelings for Lin Xing, and the origin of these feelings is her reliance on her, which later gradually evolved into a feeling similar to kinship.

But if Lin Xing is being manipulated by Xu Shi, then to whom should this affection be directed? To her sister? Or to the devil before her?

In a daze, she suddenly felt that this guy wasn't so hateful anymore... The truth is, hatred for him always disappears without her realizing it, no matter how strong it is. That's his ability, but the problem is that she has already gotten used to it.

"So, what are you trying to do by telling me all this now?"

Lin Yue crossed her arms, her voice trembling slightly.

"It's not what I want to do, but what you want to do."

Xu Shi shook his finger. "The decision is still yours. You can leave now, taking Lin Xing with you is fine, or whatever you want to do is also up to you, no problem."

What... do I want to do?

This seemed to be a question Lin Yue had never considered before, and only after Xu Shi brought it up did she belatedly realize it.

But after reflecting on her inner thoughts and sorting through her emotions one by one, she discovered that her strongest emotion deep inside was...

■Desire, and obedience.

This seems a bit strange, but upon closer inspection, it's not strange at all—she had a morbid longing to be bullied by Xu Shi, and had spent countless days and nights like that before.

Forget whether Xu Shi intentionally guided her through Lin Xing, just tell me whether she did it or not.

With these emotions building up inside all this time, plus that seductive move Su Lin just made... it would be strange if it weren't for these feelings.

Or perhaps it's a form of escapism, because from this perspective, it seems like I gave up the chance to sink in the river for Xu Shi's sake, right? Even if I don't want to admit it, that's still the case.

In other words, you've already been subtly eroded by it all along, haven't you?

so.

Realizing this, Lin Yue knelt down.

At the same time, the shackles in her heart were also broken.

"……Owner."

She felt no shame at uttering those words; instead, she felt a sense of relief and comfort.

"Evil thoughts increase entropy," and the closed loop is complete.

(End of this chapter)

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