Chapter 54
The idea of launching a devastating revenge against Shen Haoyu was actually given to her by a phantom, a non-existent "Xu Chen." That phantom kept whispering in her ear, telling her that Shen Haoyu was cunning, suspicious, and protected by layers of wealth. A head-on confrontation would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. She needed a key, a key that could easily unlock the door to Shen Haoyu's defenses. And she happened to possess that key—it was herself, or rather, the "Li Muxue" that Shen Haoyu had once longed to conquer and whose possessiveness might still not have been completely extinguished.
Finally, on a somber evening, as if the sky had been splashed with pale ink, Li Muxue picked up her almost forgotten cell phone. Her fingers were cold and trembling slightly, but as she dialed the number she knew by heart, a strange, almost cruel calm enveloped her. She walked to the dressing table and looked at the pale, thin woman in the mirror, her eyes as deep and unfathomable as two ancient wells. Beside her was Xu Chen's admiring yet encouraging gaze. She forced a smile, practicing a gentle one tinged with timidity and dependence. This smile, in stark contrast to the icy hatred surging deep within her eyes, sent a chill down her spine.
The waiting tone before the call connected struck her nerves with every tick. She took a deep breath, as if trying to temporarily lock all her hatred into the deepest corner of her chest.
"Hello?" Shen Haoyu's voice came from the other end of the phone. It carried a hint of laziness, a subtle vigilance, and that same sense of superiority that had once disgusted Li Muxue—a sense of complete control.
Li Muxue closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her gaze had instantly changed. All the coldness and hatred were forcibly suppressed, replaced by a soft, alluring, and slightly fragile glint in her eyes. She spoke, her voice carefully crafted, like it was soaked in honey, with a perfectly placed, endearing tremor, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
"Brother Yu...it's me, Mu Xue." Her voice was very soft, like a feather brushing against the ear.
There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the phone, clearly indicating great surprise. Shen Haoyu might have imagined Li Muxue's frantic cries and hysterical curses, but he never expected such a soft and helpless voice.
"Mu Xue?" Shen Haoyu's tone was inquisitive. "Are you... alright?" Perhaps there was also a hint of subtle, playful teasing, like a cat playing with a mouse.
“I…” Li Muxue choked up at the right moment, her voice filled with exhaustion and a kind of bewilderment as if she had just woken up from a dream, “Brother Yu, I… I don’t know how to say it. In the past year or so, there are many things that I can’t remember, or rather, I don’t want to remember them…”
Li Muxue's words were fragmented and suggestive, portraying herself as a fragile soul who had just struggled out of a terrible nightmare.
“A few days ago, I think…” She continued in that soft, alluring voice that could melt even the hardest heart, “I’ve figured out a lot… about the past. Maybe…maybe we were both too young, too impulsive…”
She cleverly blurred the line between "that incident" and attributed it to "youthful impulsiveness," which was the explanation Shen Haoyu was most willing to accept.
Her voice suddenly took on a hint of dependence and timid expectation: "Brother Yu, I know it might sound ridiculous for me to say this now... I also know I might not be worthy... But, if I tell you... if I'm willing to try... to let go of the past, to try... to start over... would you... still be willing to look at me?"
She spoke these words extremely slowly, each word as if carefully considered a thousand times, filled with shyness, hesitation, and a posture of placing herself in a humble position. This was precisely the trap that Shen Haoyu, with his intense desire to conquer, could not resist: a beautiful wreckage that he had once destroyed, now seemed to have succumbed to his charm, and awaited his redemption.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, broken only by slightly heavier breathing. Li Muxue could imagine the surprise on Shen Haoyu's face gradually turning into smugness and greed. He might be judging whether it was real or not, but this bait was just too much like the script in his mind—Li Muxue finally "figured it out" and realized his "value" and "power".
Shen Haoyu's voice softened, taking on his self-righteous gentleness and magnetism: "Muxue. I'm glad you think that way. Really. Let bygones be bygones. You... have suffered."
Li Muxue sneered inwardly. The past? Let it go? How could that be? But she responded with an even softer, more seductive voice, almost dripping with tenderness: "Thank you, Brother Yu... You can still say that... I... Can I... see you? Just the two of us... have a proper talk..."
She made a key request, hinting at a "quiet" location, "with only two people," which paved the way for her next step.
"Of course, where would you like to meet? I'll drive to pick you up."
Shen Haoyu agreed almost without thinking; the temptation of the prey willingly walking into the trap was too great.
“No…you don’t need to pick me up.” Li Muxue immediately refused; she couldn’t let him know her current state. “I think we should go to the restaurant where we used to eat French food…we can talk quietly there. Okay?”
She even subtly mentioned "we've been there before," giving the date an ambiguous, seemingly nostalgic feel.
Shen Haoyu took the bait as expected. Perhaps it was his blind confidence in his own strength, or perhaps he was overwhelmed by Li Muxue's sudden "compliance," but he readily agreed: "Okay, there. See you in an hour."
"Okay, see you in an hour... Brother Yu, I... will wait for you." Li Muxue used the last bit of her acting strength to make the words "I will wait for you" sound full of infinite anticipation and longing.
The moment the call ended, all the tenderness, vulnerability, and expectation on Li Muxue's face crumbled like a cheap mask. In the mirror, her eyes returned to their lifeless, cold gaze, burning with a dark, eerie flame. A twisted, emotionless smile slowly curved her lips.
The sweet invitation has been sent, but it's wrapped in carefully crafted poison. The trap's entrance is open, waiting for that arrogant prey to step into what he perceives as a "gentle haven," which is in reality a carefully prepared end for him.
She put down her phone and saw Xu Chen in the phantom nod at her, saying softly, "Mu Xue, you acted so well, I'm almost jealous!"
Outside the window, the dark clouds pressed lower, threatening an impending downpour. The air was thick with the oppressive stillness of an impending storm, mirroring Li Muxue's own heart—a calm surface masking a molten lava of vengeance about to erupt, capable of destroying everything. The stage was set, the actors were about to take their places, and a drama directed by hatred was about to unfold its tragic prelude in that aristocratic Western restaurant…
(To be continued)
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