“I won’t leave with you.”
Ning Yu suddenly shook her head, indicating her refusal.
Ning Xuan froze for a moment, then smiled with a sense of relief.
“Is it because of that girl?”
Ning Yu silently nodded in response.
For her, only the reality of the present moment mattered. Perhaps there had been a deep bond between them when they were children, but for Ning Yu, whose soul had come from another world, that bond didn’t carry a strong sense of reality.
“I’m starting to feel a little jealous of her.”
Ning Xuan pouted slightly, her expression tinged with a hint of bitterness as she looked at Ning Yu, feeling a pang of jealousy in her heart.
“But even if you stay here, Sister, you’ll still be followed by these dangers. Aren’t you worried about dragging them into trouble?”
She posed a very practical question, as if she had already anticipated Ning Yu’s unwillingness to leave with her.
“I’ll figure something out myself.”
Ning Yu was also thinking about this problem.
“Sister, you only have at most a week, no, maybe only 3 to 5 days. After that, others will definitely find you.”
Seeing Ning Yu’s resolute expression, Ning Xuan didn’t try to persuade her further.
“I understand.”
Ning Yu had a rough estimate in her mind.
“I can help Sister buy some time.”
Ning Xuan seemed to have made a decision and stood up, addressing Ning Yu.
“I need Sister to inflict some injuries on me.”
Ning Yu was taken aback by this request, then realized:
“You want to create the illusion that you were forced back by me?”
She almost thought Ning Xuan was going to ask her to help with some PDD "Kan Yi Dao" (a popular Chinese e-commerce group-buying tactic) nonsense.
Without hesitation, Ning Yu suddenly conjured Blood Kite in her right hand.
“What do you want me to do?”
Ning Xuan pointed to her chest, right over her heart.
“Stab me here.”
Ning Yu hesitated at this:
“Are you okay with this? Because of your cybernetic body?”
“Yes, Sister. I won’t die, and I’m already feeling a bit heartbroken anyway, so you can help me ‘relieve’ it.”
Ning Xuan said with a smile, then clutched her chest as if in pain.
“Could it be that Sister is worried about me? How touching...”
Ning Yu watched her act and felt a bit helpless.
“Alright, I won’t joke with Sister anymore. Come on.”
She suddenly spread her arms wide, exposing her chest to Ning Yu.
She and Ning Yu were indeed cut from the same mold, including their similarly modest bust sizes.
Ning Yu glanced at her impolitely, took a deep breath, and as instructed, drove Blood Kite into Ning Xuan’s chest, right over her heart.
“Hiss...”
There was no sound of the blade cutting through flesh, and Ning Yu didn’t feel the resistance of the blade passing through skin and muscle, but Ning Xuan still winced in pain.
The wound didn’t bleed, of course. Ning Yu didn’t need to pull the blade out to know that inside, just like what she had seen in Zhuang Wugou and Lacy, there were only circuits and machinery.
“You didn’t block the pain sensors?”
Ning Yu raised an eyebrow, as she remembered that during her fights with Zhuang Wugou and Lacy, she had never seen them affected by injuries.
“Hehe, I left them on on purpose.”
Ning Xuan’s face was pale, and beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, which made Ning Yu realize that she hadn’t completely transcended her biological nature.
Seeing her stubbornly putting on a brave face, Ning Yu felt a pang of guilt, as the beautiful girl before her was, after all, her nominal younger sister.
And she had just given her a brutal stab.
“Why would you do something like this?”
Ning Yu couldn’t help but ask.
“Because... I’m a little sad, but it’s okay!”
Ning Xuan gave a smile, leaning closer to Ning Yu as she spoke.
“Because Sister will always be Sister, and one day, Sister will understand.”
Ning Yu looked into her lake-blue eyes, which always reminded her of the lake in her dreams.
If you looked closely, you could see emotions hidden within, but unfortunately, Ning Yu couldn’t understand them at this moment.
Ning Yu remained silent, unsure of how to respond.
Ning Xuan, still holding her chest wound, said to Ning Yu:
“I’ll buy some time for Sister. The rest is up to you.”
“Okay.”
After some thought, Ning Yu finally spoke just one word.
“Thank you.”
She thanked this sister, who had only appeared in fragments of her memories, as if she were a stranger.
“Take care, Sister.”
Ning Xuan had already reached the window, turning back one last time to look at Ning Yu with lingering reluctance, as if they would never see each other again.
Then she leaped out the window and disappeared.
At this moment, Ning Yu’s mind was filled with thoughts.
Apart from the information she had gained from finally meeting Ning Xuan, there was a very real problem at hand.
There were multiple factions trying to harm her, and she had Shen Yiyue and Shen Qianqian by her side.
If she stayed with them, would she be able to ensure their safety when those who wanted to cause her trouble finally caught up?
Could she always protect them?
If someone like Lacy were to target them, the answer was doubtful.
Ning Yu let out a long sigh.
If her relationship with Shen Yiyue had remained purely one of mutual exploitation, things might have been simpler.
But now, thinking of Shen Yiyue, Ning Yu could only recall her mischievous attempts to tease her, her greedy munching on snacks by her side, her teary-eyed look when she cried, and her bright smile as she called her “Xiaoyu.”
Their relationship was no longer just a simple “exploitation.”
If she wanted to keep Shen Yiyue safe, then Ning Yu might only have one choice, the only optimal solution.
But if that were the case, Ning Yu would feel reluctant.
Because if she couldn’t see Shen Yiyue, she would definitely feel sad, so sad that she might not be able to sleep.
From the moment they confessed their feelings for each other, Ning Yu had formed a bond.
She was no longer the emotionless assassin she once was; she was now the unique Ning Yu.
She finally understood what it meant to want to care for someone, to want them to live safely and happily.
Ning Yu suddenly thought of Ning Xuan’s gaze earlier. Could the aching feeling in her heart right now be what Ning Xuan had felt earlier?
She suddenly stood up, taking a deep breath.
This was no time for indecision.
If she had to temporarily leave Shen Yiyue for a while, it couldn’t be helped. As long as she could resolve the trouble, she could return to her side.
In fact, Ning Yu already knew that she didn’t want to be away from Shen Yiyue even for a single day, but she had to do this.
Otherwise, it would only put Shen Yiyue in danger, and that was something Ning Yu couldn’t bear to see.
Another problem was: she couldn’t tell Shen Yiyue the truth.
Because once she did, Ning Yu knew this stubborn fool would refuse to let her go under any circumstances.
As she thought about it, Ning Yu had already walked back to the door of her small apartment.
She seemed to have made a firm decision, took out her key, and inserted it into the lock.