"What?" Jun Haoxuan stared at Ningyan, genuinely stunned like he couldn't quite believe the question he had just been asked.
Then he looked closer and the realization hit.
Ningyan wasn't joking.
"…You aren't...." Haoxuan said slowly, his brows pulling together. "What do you mean by that?"
Ningyan let out a long, tired exhale. He released Haoxuan's face and turned away, already intending to end the conversation but Haoxuan caught his arm.
"Make me understand you," he said, his voice quieter now. "I want to understand you."
Ningyan blinked and glanced back at him. "I am making you understand me."
Haoxuan's grip tightened.
"You asked me if you were Lan Yunlai.... if I would still…" He stopped himself, his expression tightening. "That's not a simple question."
Ningyan smiled softly. But there was something sharp beneath it.
"Then let's make it simple," he said. "Just admit you'd kill me if I practiced demonic qi."
Haoxuan's expression shifted immediately.
There it was.
