"I can't..."
Zhu Zhan suddenly opened his eyes.
His gaze became cold and stern once more, but beneath that coldness lay exhaustion and helplessness so deep it seemed bottomless.
The responsibilities of a patriarch and the survival of the family were like two immovable mountains pressing down upon him, leaving him barely able to breathe.
He could not sacrifice the entire family for the fate of his daughter.
Nor could he betray the Star Luo Empire.
However...
Lin Xia.
This variable.
Zhu Zhan's thoughts once again focused on the young boy.
Anyone with eyes could see Lin Xia's attitude toward Zhu Zhuqing.
The protection.
The guidance.
It had long since surpassed ordinary friendship. if Lin Xia truly could grow to the height he spoke of, high enough to "overturn the chessboard"
What if he really became a Title Douluo?
Or perhaps something even greater?
A thought began to take root in Zhu Zhan's heart, growing rapidly beyond his control.
Perhaps...
The Zhu Family did not need to be the one to break the rules.
Perhaps the rules themselves would one day be forcibly changed by an outside force far stronger than anything they could resist.
And Zhu Zhuqing perhaps, under Lin Xia's protection, she could finally break free from this cursed cage of fate.
"Perhaps this is the only way out?"
Zhu Zhan murmured to himself.
He could not personally destroy the rules.
But if someone else broke them, If Zhu Zhuqing was "taken away" by someone else.
Then the Zhu Family would at least avoid becoming traitors.
Perhaps..
Because of their connection with Lin Xia, the family might even secure a sliver of hope amid whatever upheaval the future held.
The thought was undeniably pragmatic.
Yet mixed within it was also the instinctive hope of a father who had glimpsed a faint light in the depths of despair.
He needed confirmation.
He needed to lay at least a small path for that fragile possibility.
At the very least within the limits permitted by the rules, he wanted to give Zhu Zhuqing a little room to breathe.
At the same time, there was another person who needed to know.
"Someone."
Zhu Zhan's voice regained its usual steadiness, though a trace of hoarseness remained.
A servant silently appeared at the doorway and bowed respectfully.
"Go invite Miss Zhuyun."
After a brief pause, Zhu Zhan added,
"Immediately."
Not long afterward, the study door was gently pushed open.
Zhu Zhuyun entered.
Her figure was graceful and slender, already displaying the elegance of a young woman.
A fitted black training outfit outlined her tall, well-proportioned frame.
Her long hair was tied back, revealing a smooth forehead and a beautifully defined jawline.
Her expression carried its usual calm composure, along with the restraint and dignity expected of the family's young mistress.
Those black eyes inherited from the Zhu bloodline were as deep as an ancient well, revealing little emotion.
"Father, you wished to see me?"
Zhu Zhuyun's voice was clear and respectful.
Zhu Zhan turned and looked at his eldest daughter.
He immediately noticed that beneath the calm surface of her gaze lurked an edge of extreme vigilance and sharpness, suppressed to the limit, like a bowstring permanently drawn taut.
This was the mark left by destiny.
It prevented her from enjoying the carefree innocence of an ordinary girl.
"Sit."
Zhu Zhan gestured toward a nearby chair before taking his own seat behind the desk.
He did not waste time with pleasantries.
Instead, he went straight to the point.
He recounted everything that had been discussed in the lakeside pavilion that evening.
Lin Xia's special concern for Zhu Zhuqing.
Lin Xia's astonishing words about how "the stars are not eternal" and "overturning the chessboard."
Even Zhu Zhan's own subtle speculations regarding the possibilities of the future.
He did not exaggerate.
Nor did he attempt to stir emotions.
He simply stated everything in the calmest and most objective manner possible, as though he were analyzing a strategic report concerning the future of the family.
The study fell into complete silence.
The glow of the soul tool lamp cast shifting patterns of light and shadow across Zhu Zhuyun's face.
She listened quietly.
From beginning to end, she maintained a perfectly straight posture, and her hands resting upon her knees never trembled even slightly, displaying remarkable self-control.
However, when Zhu Zhan spoke of Lin Xia's attitude toward Zhu Zhuqing, and hinted that Lin Xia's future strength might one day provide Zhu Zhuqing with protection or even the possibility of breaking free from her fate, the depths of Zhu Zhuyun's seemingly tranquil eyes were struck as though by a massive meteor.
What exploded within them was not anger.
Nor was it jealousy.
It was something else entirely.
A vast, overwhelming flood called envy.
The envy was so intense.
So bitter.
So sharp.
It nearly drowned her completely.
For the first time, a crack appeared in the flawless mask she had maintained for years.
Her pupils contracted uncontrollably.
Her long eyelashes trembled violently, like the wings of a butterfly on the verge of shattering in a storm.
Even her tightly pressed, beautifully shaped lips curved downward slightly, betraying the turmoil raging within her heart.
What was she envious of?
Was it that Zhu Zhuqing had a Lin Xia by her side?
Was it the undisguised concern and protection in the way he looked at Zhu Zhuqing?
Was it his courage to stand before her father and speak such rebellious yet stirring words as "overturning the chessboard"?
Was it his miraculous Soul Beast, Larvitar, capable of creating miracles?
Or was she envious that Zhu Zhuqing, despite carrying the same Hell Civet destiny, seemed to possess a glimmer of hope,.a chance to be saved by an external force and escape the endless cycle of darkness?
These thoughts pierced her heart like poisoned needles.
Zhu Zhuyun was older than Zhu Zhuqing.
She had experienced the coldness and cruelty of this fate earlier, and far more deeply.
Long ago, she had forged herself into a cold weapon.
She had buried all softness and all fantasies deep within her heart.
She forced herself to grow stronger.
Forced herself to scheme.
Forced herself to accept the destiny of one day fighting her own younger sister to the death.
She had believed herself strong enough.
Hard enough.
Numb enough.
But when her father spoke of that single possibility, she suddenly realized with perfect clarity that deep within her heart still lingered a longing so profound and painful that she had never dared acknowledge it.
A longing to be saved.
A longing to be protected.
A longing to not have to kill her sister.
And not be killed by her sister.
The envy surged so fiercely that it nearly shattered the emotional defenses she had spent years building.
She could even taste bitterness spreading across the tip of her tongue.
Zhu Zhan saw every trace of that overwhelming emotion in his daughter's eyes.
His heart ached.
He knew his daughter too well.
This silent envy spoke more clearly than any tears or complaints ever could.
He remained silent.
He neither urged her to speak nor offered comfort.
He simply waited.
A long time passed.
So long that the air in the study seemed almost frozen.
At last, Zhu Zhuyun drew a deep, silent breath.
She forcibly suppressed every ripple of emotion in her eyes.
When she raised her head again, her face had miraculously regained its usual calmness.
There was even the faintest trace of a smile at the corner of her lips.
So faint that it was nearly impossible to see.
There was no joy in that smile.
Only a profound acceptance of fate.
And a deeply buried exhaustion.
Slowly, she spoke.
Her voice remained cool and composed, yet Zhu Zhan could hear a hint of hoarseness hidden within it.
"Is that so..."
She paused, as though searching for the right words.
In the end, she softly uttered three words, each carrying a weight heavy enough to break one's heart.
"I'm truly envious."
---
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