What an incredibly foolish question.
Like a love-struck teenage girl whose head was filled with all kinds of fantasies, too clumsy to express them, condensing a thousand words into a single question: “Do you love me?”
Hearing this, Bai Xiaodu froze.
Did he love her?
Director-General Shen was a woman of high status and position, someone who practically ruled the Pingshan District with an iron fist.
Would she actually say something like this?
Bai Xiaodu said without the slightest hesitation, “I love you, Director-General Shen. Of course I love you.”
This question was utterly meaningless.
The two of them were head-to-head now, their eyes meeting.
Bai Xiaodu could easily catch the faint fragrance wafting from her.
She let out a sigh.
“Why lie?”
Bai Xiaodu's expression shifted as his mind raced, but before he could speak, Director-General Shen turned her head away.
She quietly stared at the ornate, intricate silk draping above.
“You do not revere my background and status, you do not respect my level and cultivation, and you do not cherish my looks and figure.”
“So, what is it that you love...?”
Director-General Shen's voice grew increasingly dazed, her words whispering in his ear.
Bai Xiaodu took a deep breath.
Because this control freak was about to try and manipulate him again!
He silently edged closer to Director-General Shen, pressing almost flat against her.
Though she looked surprised, she didn't dodge in the slightest.
Bai Xiaodu only felt a soft, warm sensation pressing against him.
Of course, he wasn't doing this out of lust.
On the blanket close to him lay a piece of clothing, inside of which was wrapped 【Kalugar's Remnant Sword】.
Having detected the leaking aura of 【Autocracy】, the sword immediately reacted, greatly steadying Bai Xiaodu's mind.
Director-General Shen's tone grew gentler, and a look of dazed confusion naturally appeared on his face.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Director-General Shen began to question him.
Her tone carried a trace of anxiety, as if she wanted to ask every single doubt lingering in the depths of her heart.
Director-General Shen was a transcendent of the 【Autocracy】 Pathway.
An apprentice-level cultivator, no matter how well they hid it, would occasionally reveal their true thoughts in minor details.
But Bai Xiaodu's performance had been too perfect.
So perfect that even Director-General Shen couldn't read him.
It felt almost uncanny, like an android—looking human in every way, yet somehow off in every movement.
Thus, Director-General Shen had reached a conclusion.
He was acting. He had been acting this entire time.
Everything he did was because acting had already become a physiological response and a subconscious instinct for him.
To bypass his flawless disguise, Director-General Shen decided to give him a heavy dose, just like last time.
A game of truth or dare.
“Last time, I controlled you into speaking from your heart, and you earnestly answered how much you loved me.”
“But now that we have actually spent time together, I have given you as much tenderness as possible, short of taking that final step. Why is it that you seem to love me even less than before?”
Bai Xiaodu's expression was blank, his mouth opening and closing.
“Because... you want to control me too much.”
“I... want to control you too much?”
Director-General Shen showed a look of disbelief.
“Is that so?”
Bai Xiaodu nodded blankly, his eyes hollow.
“I like you a lot, but what I like most is the calm, elegant, and composed version of you.”
“Not someone who wants to control me at every moment and treats me like a pet dog.”
“...”
Director-General Shen fell silent for a moment.
Even someone of her stature found her mind thrown into utter disarray.
Her breathing slowed slightly as she whispered, “Then... what if, starting from now, what must I do to make you truly love me like before?”
Drool trickled from the corner of Bai Xiaodu's mouth as he spoke blankly, “Then tonight, relax your mind and get a good night's rest. Stop trying to control my every move. For instance, when I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, stop silently watching me from behind.”
Director-General Shen bit her lip, her blue-green eyes darting away as if she had no intention of admitting to this.
Bai Xiaodu continued, “Instead, treat me like real family. Try to trust me, to trust my every action.”
“Your behavior makes no sense to me, leaving me anxious and afraid, but I firmly believe you have your reasons. That is why I am still trying my best to like you and trust you.”
His voice grew softer and fainter.
“Even if... it leaves me covered in scars.”
As his voice faded, a complex look flickered in Director-General Shen's blue-green eyes.
After a long moment, she softly murmured a few words: “Family? Trusting you like family, just for tonight? ...I'll try.”
...
A few hours later.
In the early hours of the morning, a waning moon hung high in the sky.
Bai Xiaodu suddenly woke up.
He got out of bed as quietly as possible.
For days, the chain attached to his collar had been gripped tightly in Director-General Shen's palm.
But tonight, she had let go. Bai Xiaodu gently gathered it up himself.
Director-General Shen was fast asleep, her long hair draped over the pillow.
Her profile was exquisite and beautiful, peaceful and sweet, completely unguarded.
It was hard to imagine that this was an expression this psycho control freak could ever make.
Without making a sound, Bai Xiaodu left the room and stepped into the courtyard.
Holding a shovel, he silently dug up the soil beneath a tree.
Before long, a blood-red bead was clasped in Bai Xiaodu's hand.
Kiru manifested, his expression complex as he looked at the room not far away, then back at Bai Xiaodu.
It was a long while before he spoke.
“You're fucking amazing. Do you even know how high her level is? You actually dared to lie to her?”
“I'm warning you, don't think too highly of yourself. If she wakes up and finds out her dog has run away, if she flies into a rage, beating you to death would be considered a mercy.”
Bai Xiaodu didn't care.
“Use that High-Level Concealment Art you learned before to get me out of here.”
Kiru buried his face in his hands.
“You really only know how to torment me, you animal. She was tricked into sleeping soundly only because she knows you don't have the ability to leave on your own.”
“If I help you, she'll immediately know someone else is involved. Once you die, I'll die too. Dammit, I'm from the Dragon Clan! Having my soul thrown directly into a refinement furnace for reincarnation would be considered a blessing.”
He sighed.
“Didn't she say she would let you go after seven days? You've already survived six days. Why can't you hold out for the last one?”
“Why not just behave and find another opportunity to run later? Stealing the chain right under her nose and running—how is that any different from seeking death?”
Bai Xiaodu shook his head firmly.
“No. Someone very important to me is in danger. I'm not afraid of death.”
Kiru gnashes his teeth.
“But I am!”
Bai Xiaodu shrugged.
“You talk too much fucking nonsense. No wonder your silver dragon wife is already pregnant with her third clutch and you haven't gone back to see her even once.”
“Just tell me if you're going or not. If I haven't left before sunrise, I'll blow this whole thing wide open. I'll activate the blood orb right now, take the remnant sword, and smack Director-General Shen right on the head. We can all die together. What's there to lose with a worthless life anyway?!”
Helpless, Kiru's hands began to glow with subtle, hidden runes.
Seeing this, Bai Xiaodu stopped his verbal assault and got up to head outside.
Today was April 26th.
There was still one day left until April 27th, the day of Director-General Shen's prediction.
Barring any accidents, she would take him out tomorrow.
“But the Mage Emperor's ascension ceremony requires deep-seated, unforgettable hatred.”
“If I am to feel such unforgettable hatred, I can't think of anyone other than Grandma.”
“Director-General Shen calculated so well. With her help, I would definitely be able to complete the transcendent ceremony.”
“But humans are always a mix of reason and emotion. I can never accept her death.”
“Back then, she was the only one who could save me. Now, I am the only one who can save her.”
A faint, dark-red light shimmered over him—the secret technique cast by Kiru.
Bai Xiaodu wrapped the chain around his waist and quietly slipped out of the courtyard.
Kiru could fly high to scout the path, allowing him to navigate his way back to the orphanage.
Before leaving, he took one last look at the tall, gray bluestone walls.
There was no lingering attachment in Bai Xiaodu's wine-red eyes.
Just before his figure was completely swallowed by the boundless night, he suddenly recalled Director-General Shen's words.
“Do you love me?”
If he were to answer honestly, what would his response be?
Bai Xiaodu thought for a moment.
He softly murmured under his breath, “Just as you never loved me, I have never loved you.”
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