If Anya Insists on Me Cooperating...

A familiar warmth and softness returned as Angelina's movements came to a halt.

Her chaotic thoughts cleared, and many memories she had buried deep within, unwilling to recall, began to surface.

The pack huddling together for warmth in the freezing winter, wrapped in thick, warm fur; her mother gently stroking her head. The snow-field wolves were wary of everything in the outside world. No one knew when the hunters' guns would fire, or when a companion beside them would fall and leave forever.

Only when someone very close stroked her head would she let down her guard completely and immerse herself in those brief, warm moments. In her memory, besides her mother, there seemed to be only one other person who had ever done that, yet she could never recall that person's face.

The girl's hand gently smoothed her disheveled long hair, as if tenderly soothing all the scars on her soul, leading her toward a harbor of eternal peace where pain and worry did not exist.

The image of the blonde girl before her grew clearer. Just as Angelina was on the verge of remembering everything, the corners of Xu Xiaoyou's lips curved into a subtle arc. A brilliant display of colors erupted from her hand, sinking deep into Angelina's head.

Success.

Dye Thief resonance: color mixing. She had been waiting for this exact moment—the instant Angelina was dragged into long-forgotten memories and her mental defenses were lowered. Now, she only needed to delete the centuries of painful memories and modify them.

She would regain control of this out-of-control character card, and everything would be simple again.

The next moment, Angelina stared at her expressionlessly, grabbed her hand, and slowly pulled it out of her own head.

"You're still the same as before," Angelina said. "Truly despicable."

Xu Xiaoyou's pupils shrank. How could this be?

Every time she activated her color mixing ability, the target was supposed to lose consciousness. Why did Anya... Before she could finish the thought, Angelina reached out and pinched her cheek, forcing her to maintain eye contact.

Xu Xiaoyou knew that the other woman had escaped the chaotic state and regained her sanity, remembering everything from the past.

The atmosphere fell into a brief silence. The strangulation marks on Xu Xiaoyou's neck healed in a soft green light imbued with the aura of life, and the bloodstains quickly dried up.

"From now on, you will change my memories exactly how I tell you to. Otherwise, I promise I will make you wish you were dead," Angelina said, breaking the silence.

"I won't be fooled by you a second time."

Xu Xiaoyou said bluntly, "Then kill me."

Angelina narrowed her eyes.

"No one can force me to do anything," Xu Xiaoyou said. "Only I can suppress your pain."

Angelina's eyes flashed with a murderous glint. "Fine, then I'll kill you right now. I told you I'd make you regret it. I won't let you off."

"You're the one who brought me all that pain. Everything is because of you."

As she spoke, blue veins bulged on Angelina's pale hand.

After a brief moment, Angelina released her grip again.

Xu Xiaoyou knew she had gambled correctly. The other woman truly had no reason to kill her yet; she held the initiative.

"What do you want to do?" Angelina asked.

"I can lessen your pain by burying those centuries of memories beneath the memory sea. However, this suppression only lasts for a month. You'll need to come back to me every month."

"You bastard!"

Guessing Xu Xiaoyou's intent, Angelina's eyes practically spat fire. She gritted her teeth, wanting to strangle the girl right then and there. The girl simply looked at her with total composure, a faint, lingering smile on her face.

"You can't suppress those memories on your own. If you could, you wouldn't have been on the brink of going out-of-control so many times."

"Anya."

"Don't call me by that name!!" Angelina growled. Xu Xiaoyou saw boundless tyranny in her eyes, a vicious desire to tear her into a thousand pieces. She looked ready to kill at any second.

"Anya," Xu Xiaoyou repeated.

Angelina: "..."

"Anya."

Angelina laughed. "Are you playing the emotional card with me?"

"What exactly am I to you?"

"A dog you raised, or just a convenient weapon?"

"Do you want me to cooperate and bark twice like I used to?"

"I'm sorry," Xu Xiaoyou said softly. "I didn't have a choice."

"I don't need your charity-like apology. To someone as high and mighty as you, everyone else is insignificant anyway."

As she spoke, Angelina placed Xu Xiaoyou's hand against her own chest. The heart within was the organ that carried all her memories and emotions. She stared fixedly at Xu Xiaoyou, her fingertips resting against the girl's carotid artery like a sharp blade.

Xu Xiaoyou manipulated her ability. The centuries of Angelina's memories flashed through her mind. The memory dyes were a murky, filthy black, radiating a heavy aura of death like a massive pile of sludge.

"Strictly speaking, I didn't lie to you." Processing this chaotic, massive bundle of memories was no small task for Xu Xiaoyou, so she chatted casually with the other woman.

Angelina said coldly, "Yes, you didn't lie to me. You came back, and then you were smashed to pieces by a truck right in front of me, your eyeballs rolling to my feet."

Xu Xiaoyou coughed dryly and said, "That was the gentlest way I could think of."

"What about Lin Ran? Did she leave the Corrupt Hive City?" Xu Xiaoyou changed the subject.

"How should I know?" Angelina snapped. "And don't you dare mention the past in front of me again."

Xu Xiaoyou blinked. "Anya, do you really hate me that much?"

Angelina stopped talking. After a long silence, she said, "Just do what you're supposed to do."

Xu Xiaoyou helplessly sped up the memory processing. Before long, she heard Angelina ask nonchalantly:

"Who is she?"

Xu Xiaoyou was confused.

"The one who was with you last night." Angelina looked entirely indifferent. "Forget it, I don't need an answer."

"I don't care."

Xu Xiaoyou observed Angelina's expression. She suspected the other woman might know something about the character cards, but she didn't point it out. Instead, she raised an eyebrow and said, "What, are you jealous?"

Angelina felt a wave of disgust. She rolled her eyes at the girl beneath her. "Seeing that you're still as hopelessly narcissistic as ever, I'm relieved."

"The obedient little wolf pup has grown up all of a sudden," Xu Xiaoyou sighed. "You've become so fierce. It was better before, when you'd cling to my waist and cry, saying you didn't want to be abandoned."

"Don't look at me with that gratified mother-watching-her-child-grow-up expression! Say one more word like that and see if I don't kill you!"

Just as Angelina was about to lose her temper, Xu Xiaoyou slowly withdrew her hand from her chest and raised both hands innocently.

"It's finished. Can you stop pinning me down now?"

"This posture is quite uncomfortable."

"Of course, if Anya insists on me cooperating..." Xu Xiaoyou turned her head away, a seductive blush appearing on her face.

Angelina ignored Xu Xiaoyou's clumsy acting. Seeing the girl's look of absolute confidence, she leaned down and whispered into her ear:

"I promise you, once I find another way to suppress these memories, I won't kill you. I'll use every means I can imagine to torture you and make you wish you were dead."

Long after Angelina had left, those final words continued to echo in her ears.

Xu Xiaoyou stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes. She looked at her bloodstained, disheveled reflection in the full-length mirror. The playfulness was gone, and her gaze held only calm.