Chapter 199 The Game She was about to move forward.
After Nanmen Jue finished speaking, Ying Yao hesitated for several seconds before asking, "What do you mean?"
Too many thoughts were churning in his mind, and the complex emotions forced him to give a response in such a short time. His expression was blank, and his tone was blank as well.
Nanmen Jue glanced at him with a smile, and his soul almost flew out of his body following the corner of her eye.
Doesn't she know that she is captivating enough simply by standing there?
Not to mention, he was wearing... that kind of smile.
It wasn't a forced, charming smile, nor was it a weak and alluring one. Instead, it carried a hint of provocation and probing, and the glance it gave was clearly an invitation to a game of strategy.
But in Ying Yao's eyes, that smile was more seductive than any seduction.
His throat moved slightly.
As a reincarnator who has stood at the top of the reincarnation space for many years, no matter how gentle he is, how could he really be as indifferent as a chrysanthemum after so many years of bloody violence?
Another powerful figure extended a challenge and an invitation to him to provoke him, stirring up his deep-seated competitive spirit and subtle rage, and he couldn't help but smile.
“Xiao Jue, this is cunning.” His voice remained gentle, but a sharp fire ignited in his eyes. “You put me on a pedestal with your words, while placing yourself in a vulnerable position. In reality, you are hiding yourself and forcing me to show you more of what you want… Who taught you this strategy of retreating to advance?”
His voice rose at the end, and Nanmen Jue felt a strange shiver run through him.
Even though she never publicly acknowledged it, Ying Yao was still her elder, her teacher, and her instructor. What he taught her was one of the assets that allowed her to roam freely in the cycle of reincarnation, and she recognized this kindness.
But Ying Yao never mentioned this to her, and he never acted like an elder or teacher. In their interactions, Nanmen Jue always took the initiative.
Now, Ying Yao is asking her, "Who taught you this?"
Nanmen Jue cunningly avoided the question, and said with self-righteousness, "Are you scared?"
Ying Yao stared at her quietly for a moment, with the kind of gaze one would use to stare at prey in the apocalypse.
He quickly withdrew that look, then lowered his eyes, appearing even more vulnerable than before. "Are you testing me, or trying to force me to give up?"
Nanmen Jue raised an eyebrow and watched his performance quietly.
“If it’s the former, then tell me what you want me to do,” Ying Yao said. “You know I’ve never been proactive with you.”
“What if I want the latter?” Nanmenjue said.
Ying Yao glanced at her quickly.
“Then you wouldn’t be here talking to me like this,” he said in a low voice.
Nanmen Jue blinked. "Ying Yao, if you need me to explain this kind of thing to you, then you're not worth me talking to you about. You're quite cunning; you just want me to admit it myself."
"Admit what?" Ying Yao pressed his advantage.
Nanmen Jue remained silent.
Ying Yao waited a moment, then smiled helplessly, "Is this really necessary?"
A battle of endurance and a mental contest; both of them displayed the considerations and skills they had developed in combat.
I never imagined that the two people who should be the closest in the world would be so unwilling to compromise on this issue.
Nanmen Jue was so stubborn that he wouldn't even admit that he was willing to give him a chance.
In the end, Ying Yao raised the white flag.
"What about Mo Gui?" His tone was somewhat forlorn and pitiful. "You see it all so clearly, you know he likes you terribly too, right?"
Seeing that he had voluntarily admitted defeat, Nanmen Jue stopped being stubborn. When Mo Gui was mentioned, she scratched her head in distress.
“I’ve always thought of him as just a child.” She said with a pained expression. “I’ll handle this. I’ll talk to him.”
Before, her thoughts were too chaotic, and the red threads hanging on her body were tangled and she couldn't figure out what was going on. Now that she's awake, it's time to resolve these issues.
Since she had decided to provoke Ying Yao, she couldn't let herself get into trouble.
Looking at her expression, Ying Yao sighed softly and became serious.
“My name is Ying Yao. I was twenty-six years old when I entered the space.” He said clearly, “My family is from Dongtian City. My parents are ordinary workers. I was specially recruited into the army. I joined the army at the age of fifteen and was a major general before I left.”
Nanmen Jue was taken aback. "You're a general?!"
“I can’t say much about the specifics, even with family members, this needs to be kept confidential.” Ying Yao winked at her. “But I can tell you that I have accumulated five first-class merits, and in the real world, things have never been peaceful.”
"Five First-Class Merits!" Nanmen Jue's expression changed. This was no joke. A person who could be awarded five First-Class Merits and still be alive was practically a living medal of honor.
"I won all of these battles on the battlefield." Ying Yao's reaction was calm. "My situation is a bit special. There is no official record of me. I am currently retired, but I still receive my salary. In reality, I am quite wealthy."
After a moment's thought, Nanmen Jue asked, "Are you a spy?"
Ying Yao gave her an appreciative look.
"While you're strong in combat, you're even more adept at stealth and tracking," Nanmen Jue muttered. "Look at the tools you're using... If I'm not mistaken, the Crimson Church's practice of hiding themselves so thoroughly is something you brought along, isn't it?"
"It was me." Ying Yao was a little embarrassed about this. "At first, I wasn't the president. I just made a suggestion, and it was adopted."
Nanmen Jue knew why he was embarrassed. Although the Crimson Church had become the most mysterious guild in the Reincarnation Space because of its style of doing things, it was also because of this style that many people complained that it was chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone who is delusional or immature).
In fact, Nanmen Jue initially thought it was a bit childish, but she considerately didn't say it, which only made Ying Yao's fragile self-esteem even worse.
In the end, Nanmen Jue still didn't give any definite promises, and Ying Yao didn't pressure her anymore. The atmosphere between the two was good afterward, but it didn't go beyond the close teammate relationship they had before.
Nanmen Jue breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had decided to take the first step, she hadn't planned to make progress so quickly.
She still has a hurdle in her heart that she hasn't overcome, making it impossible for her to feel at ease in romantic relationships.
Fortunately, Ying Yao was a very considerate person. Apart from the initial confrontation, he kept going along with Nanmen Jue's topics and took meticulous care of her feelings.
Nanmen Jue told Ying Yao to go back to her space first, and Ying Yao didn't ask her why she wanted to stay.
After Ying Yao left, Nanmen Jue stood back in the empty house and suddenly realized that when she first came back today, because of Ying Yao, she didn't even feel that the house was cold.
Now that Ying Yao was gone, the cold air enveloped her again, and she shrank her neck.
Nanmen Jue sniffed as he arrived at Nanmen Yu's door.
Unlike the carefree Nanmen Yu, she is a typical J person who does everything meticulously and has a strong sense of order. Her room is also tidy and organized, like a well-organized operating room.
Nanmen Jue stood at the door for a while before walking in with somewhat stiff legs.
With each step she took, it seemed as if Nanmen Yu's scent grew stronger, and her legs grew heavier. When she reached the bedside, her vision seemed to blur.
It took her a very long time to finally muster the courage to walk in.
She kept avoiding thinking about Nanmen Yu's death, rushing into one cycle of reincarnation after another, just to fill her life with busyness.
But her longing for Nanmen Yu was like a cold, drizzling rain. No matter how strong her defenses were, they could still find a crack, sneak into her heart, and make her shiver with cold.
Nanmen Jue sat on the edge of the bed, stared blankly for a while, and only when he felt that his hands should no longer be shaking did he open the bedside drawer.
Inside was an old-fashioned cell phone that was out of touch with the times.
Nanmen Jue pressed the button twice and realized that the battery was out of power. She didn't even need to look for it; the spare battery was neatly placed next to her.
There aren't any phones anymore that can have their batteries replaced by themselves. Nanmen Jue uses it because it's her first phone.
Her mother bought it for her.
Once, she had an argument with Nanmen Yu, and she accidentally dropped her phone, which fell down the stairs.
Without thinking, she jumped off the second floor as well.
It almost drove Nanmen Yu crazy.
The phone was broken when it was dropped and was taken by Nanmen Yu, who bought her a new one. She always thought the phone was in the trash or recycling center, but she never expected to see it again at Nanmen Yu's place.
Nanmen Jue didn't think Nanmen Yu was after her broken phone. She realized that it was bought by her mother and contained family photos. Nanmen Yu missed her parents.
Guilt was tearing her heart apart, and she never mentioned the phone to Nanmen Yu again.
Nanmenjue replaced the battery and successfully turned on the phone, only to be greeted by the screensaver she had set herself.
Under a clear sky, Mom and Dad sat on the lush green grass, with six-year-old Nanmen Jue and eighteen-year-old Nanmen Yu in front of them. Everyone was laughing, Nanmen Jue was laughing especially freely, and Nanmen Yu's lips curled up into five pixels.
Nanmen Jue thought she was prepared, but the moment she saw this scene, she could no longer suppress the bitterness in her heart, and two large tears fell onto the phone screen.
"Dad, Mom, Sister," she whispered, "It feels like I've had a very, very long nightmare, and I'm only just waking up now."
It's as if her life hasn't woken up since her parents passed away.
It wasn't until Nanmen Yu died that she was forcibly pulled out of that weakness. She seemed normal, but in reality, she had already shed a layer of skin.
She had two choices: either leave with Nanmen Yu to reunite with her family, or wake up and face reality. She chose the latter.
“Our Nanmen family has always only saved people, never killed them, not even ourselves,” Nanmen Jue said. “I will do what I should do, and then continue or live on. Although it’s a bit difficult to become a doctor in this life, how can saving people not count as saving them? Right?”
Nanmen Jue tried to smile, but her lips turned down. She lowered her head to hide it and took out a box of cookies from her system space.
This was left behind by Nanmen Yu, who even wrote a note for Nanmen Jue to take away.
Nanmen Jue looked at the cookie box with great care, then forcefully tore it open.
Now that she has decided to move forward, there is no point in dwelling on the past. She always does things decisively and doesn't give herself a chance to back out.
With tears streaming down her face, Nanmen Jue stuffed the biscuit into her mouth. After chewing it a couple of times, she suddenly froze.
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