Entangled Psychology

The thrilling bath concluded, Shen Wuxiao wiped himself dry, and the two left the bathroom.

Without many words, they lay down on the bed.

Shen Wuxiao leaned against the headboard, extending a hand as a signal.

Liu Ruyan pursed her lips and, at his gesture, unfastened her house dress.

Her fair skin was fully revealed, smooth and lustrous like congealed jade.

She lifted a corner of the quilt and lay down beside Shen Wuxiao, resting her head in the crook of his arm.

Their skin touched, and heat flared.

But she was not in a convenient state today, so Shen Wuxiao had no intention of acting rashly.

With that, the lights were turned off, and Liu Ruyan lay quietly in Shen Wuxiao's embrace.

Feeling his warmth and inhaling his fresh scent, her eyelids grew heavy.

At this moment, Shen Wuxiao seemed to be at his most gentle.

Without a word, he simply held her.

One hand gently patted her back, as if lulling a child to sleep.

In the darkness, Liu Ruyan felt immense pain within.

Because she actually found herself enjoying Shen Wuxiao's gentleness at this moment.

But the thought of her destroyed family and Shen Wuxiao's ruthlessness tormented her intensely.

Her heart was pushing her towards this man.

Yet her instincts and consciousness were rejecting him.

How could she simply move past the blood feud?

For a fleeting moment, she was almost certain she had Stockholm Syndrome.

The crueler Shen Wuxiao was to her, the more he tormented her psychologically, the stronger her urge to depend on him became.

This painful, conflicted feeling almost suffocated her.

Unbidden tears welled up in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

Shen Wuxiao felt the coldness on his arm.

In the darkness, his voice sounded, "Crying?"

Liu Ruyan sobbed softly, her voice choked with emotion. "No...no..."

"Keep being stubborn. It's fine to cry, what's the big deal?"

With that, Shen Wuxiao tightened his arm, pulling her completely into his embrace.

But he said no more!

Liu Ruyan bit her lip, her smooth, fair arms trembling.

In the end, her emotions won.

She reached out, wrapped her arms around Shen Wuxiao's waist, and held him tightly.

The night deepened.

Under this conflicted emotional state, Liu Ruyan seemed exhausted and fell asleep in Shen Wuxiao's arms.

As for Shen Wuxiao, he fell asleep without a care in the world.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, warm sunlight already streamed across the floor.

It was another fine day!

When Liu Ruyan opened her eyes, the space beside her was already empty.

Shen Wuxiao had already gotten up.

Liu Ruyan blinked, her lingering sleepiness instantly vanishing.

A slight ache bloomed in her heart, a strong sense of loss washing over her.

But she quickly regained her composure.

To Shen Wuxiao, she was merely a plaything.

And a plaything who could be killed at any moment.

Liu Ruyan truly hated her own pathetic heart.

He was the enemy who had killed her entire family, so why did she feel a stir of affection for him?

She sat up, put on her nightgown, and slowly walked to the window.

Looking at the weather outside, Liu Ruyan made up her mind: she would go to the hospital for a check-up.

There had to be a way to treat Stockholm Syndrome.

Otherwise, if this continues, she truly feared that before her great revenge was achieved, her heart would already belong to Shen Wuxiao.

As for Shen Wuxiao, he had indeed left the Liu family villa.

He harbored no feelings whatsoever for Liu Ruyan.

It was even less likely for him to develop any feelings.

Those who wanted to kill him usually met only one fate: death.

It was just that Liu Ruyan was still somewhat useful, so it wasn't time for her to die yet.

For now, Shen Wuxiao still planned to deal with Jiang Huaiyue first.

He had to get Jiang Huaiyue before Lin Fan arrived.

Once that happened, it would disrupt the romantic storyline of the male and female leads.

Not only would he gain a lot of points, but he would also get a great beauty.

Of course, if she behaved herself, she would become his woman, and Shen Wuxiao usually doted on such women a bit.

If she didn't behave and instead helped Lin Fan, then she would be a deceased wife.

Shen Wuxiao wasn't a cold-blooded person; if things really developed that way, he would often post heartfelt tributes to his late wife.

This was also for popularity, no, this was an expression of love.

The sports car sped along, and Shen Wuxiao couldn't be bothered to prepare an elaborate breakfast.

He simply bought some steamed buns, soy milk, and fried dough sticks along the way, telling her to eat them or not!

Upon arriving at the bay villa and stopping the car, Shen Wuxiao saw Jiang Huaiyue meditating and cultivating in the yard.

Around her, several leaves were floating.

This was her awakened ability, Weapon Manipulation, using True Force to control implements.

This ability was quite formidable; as her realm increased, the size and weight of the weapons she could control would also increase.

Currently, Jiang Huaiyue's ability was at most to control lighter objects, such as leaves, stones, and so on.

But this did not mean these objects lacked destructive power.

They could easily cut through skin.

Sensing someone's arrival, the leaves around Jiang Huaiyue all fell, and she opened her eyes.

"Miss Jiang, how did you sleep last night? Was anything inconvenient?"

Shen Wuxiao asked with a smile, holding the breakfast in his hand.

Although Jiang Huaiyue had a cool demeanor, she wasn't so rude as to scowl at everyone.

"Thank you for your concern, Young Master Sikong. You've gone to a lot of trouble. I slept very well yesterday!"

Jiang Huaiyue offered a perfunctory smile.

The other party had been quietly helping them all along; this was a friend worth befriending.

"That's good, that's good. Otherwise, when Brother Lin Fan returns, if he blames me for neglecting his comrade, I'd be wrongly accused!"

Shen Wuxiao spoke casually, laughing heartily, the typical sunny and cheerful young man.

He lifted the breakfast in his hand: "Miss Jiang, please have something to eat. It's nothing fancy, just ordinary breakfast."

"I don't know your preferences, Miss Jiang, so consider this to fill your stomach!"

Jiang Huaiyue didn't refuse. She wasn't picky about food.

After all, in places like the border, sometimes missions would last ten days to half a month.

What they ate outside was cold and dry; if she were a picky eater, she wouldn't have been in that line of work.

The two entered the villa together and sat opposite each other.

After taking out the breakfast, Shen Wuxiao picked one up and started eating.

However, he didn't say much, waiting for Jiang Huaiyue to ask questions herself.

As expected, it wasn't long before Jiang Huaiyue asked.

"Young Master Sikong, about how long will Lin Fan be back?"

Jiang Huaiyue couldn't quite grasp the current situation; she was truly new to this place.

Shen Wuxiao shook his head: "That's really hard to say. Miss Jiang might not know, but things are quite chaotic outside right now."

"Those people from the Sea Brake Society are all looking for Brother Lin Fan. There are even rumors that the Sea Brake Society has issued a Kill Bounty Order. Do you know what that is?"

Hearing this, Jiang Huaiyue's eating paused, and her delicate brows furrowed.

She was certainly aware of Kill Bounty Orders.

That was a platform created by a major foreign power, commonly known as the Hell Net!

As long as a required task was posted on the Hell Net, and a portion of the deposit was paid to the Hell Net, the task would be listed for anyone to accept.

There was no limit to the number of people who could accept a task, as they only looked at the result, not the process.

Even if a thousand people were dispatched, but another person completed the task, the bounty would still go to the one who completed it.