Rue Yim did not argue further.
That, more than anything, unsettled Wang Si.
He expected defiance. He expected sharp words and colder silence. Instead, she lowered her gaze, her fingers resting lightly on the edge of the table as though she were measuring something invisible.
A distance.
A calculation.
And that frightened him more than anger ever could.
"You're thinking of going anyway," he said quietly.
Rue Yim did not deny it.
Wang Si exhaled through his nose. "Then at least tell me your plan."
That made her look up.
For a brief moment, something flickered across her face. Surprise. Suspicion. Perhaps even the faintest trace of consideration.
But it passed quickly.
"I don't have one," she said. "Not yet."
"That's not like you."
"I'm not the same person you think I am."
His jaw tightened. "You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
Silence stretched between them, heavy and unresolved.
Then Wang Si stepped back.
