As the crack spider-webbed across the surface of the emerald-green jade, a silent, invisible shockwave seemed to ripple through the air around the spring. Wang Bai let out a stifled shriek, clutching her chest and stumbling backward as the artifact backfired, sending a jolt of resentful energy directly into her own nervous system.
But Chen Ying was in significantly worse condition.
The "Neutralizing Energy" she had channeled was not a natural part of her current body; it was a precious, finite remnant of her soul-power gathered from decades in the higher-dimensional Worlds. Expending it all in a single burst to damage a cursed object in this low-energy, modern world was the spiritual equivalent of a human being trying to lift a semi-truck with their bare hands.
As soon as her fingers lost contact with the jade, the world began to spin. The roar of the waterfall behind her became a deafening hum, and her knees, already weakened by twenty-four hours of brutal physical labor, finally buckled.
"Yingying!"
The shout came from Chen Shao, and for the first time in years, the voice didn't contain a trace of irritation or feigned patience. He moved with a sudden speed that bypassed his conscious thought. His body, no longer fully suppressed by the suffocating "fog" of the artifact, acted on twenty years of deep-seated brotherly instinct.
He caught her just inches before her head would have struck the rocks at the edge of the spring. He pulled her small, trembling form into his arms, not giving any thought to the soot and blood.
She felt frighteningly cold—her skin was clammy and pale, a stark contrast to the heat of the sun. And she was so light. *When did she get this thin?* Chen Shao wondered, a sudden, agonizing pang of guilt clenching his heart. *How long has she been this fragile while I was busy calling her a monster?*
"Get... away from me..." Chen Ying whispered, her voice so faint it was nearly lost to the wind. She feebly tried to push against his chest, her fingers curling into the fabric, but her arms had no strength left. The spiritual exhaustion was absolute, dragging her down into a dark, heavy void.
[Warning: Host's Soul-Energy Depleted. Physical Body entering 'Conservation Mode' to prevent permanent damage. Fainting imminent.]
"Brother Shao, don't let her fool you! She's just acting!" Wang Bai hissed, her face ashen as she scrambled to adjust her dress and hide the cracked jade pendant. She saw the production drones circling back to capture the drama and immediately morphed her expression into one of tearful concern. "She just attacked me out of nowhere! She's probably pretending to faint so you won't scold her for her violent behavior! You know how she is, she'll do anything for attention!"
In the past—even as recently as yesterday—Chen Shao would have believed those words without a second thought. He would have looked at Chen Ying's collapse with a sneer of disgust, assuming it was yet another "performance".
But Chen Shao was not an ordinary man. He was the scion of the Chen family, a man with a verified IQ of 160 who had run a multi-billion dollar global empire since his early twenties. Now that the magical "interference" of the jade was dampened, his brain began to analyze the scene before him with cold precision.
He could clearly see that Chen Ying's physical condition was bad.
He turned his head to look at Wang Bai, and for the first time in years, the "filter" was gone. He saw the flaw in her performance. Her eyes were not filled with the "worry" she was projecting with her voice; they were darting around, calculating the position of the cameras and the reactions of the crew.
"Xiao Bai," Chen Shao said. His voice was steady, but it was a terrifying, quiet calm that made the nearby Director shiver. "I have eyes. She is not breathing correctly. Stop talking and go find the medic. Now."
Wang Bai froze, her breath hitching. *He's never spoken to me like that.* The icy authority in his voice wasn't directed at the "troublesome" Chen Ying—it was directed straight at *her*.
---
Ten minutes later, Chen Ying's camp was in a state of controlled panic. Director Zhao was pacing back and forth, terrified that the sponsor's sister would die on his watch, effectively ending his career.
Chen Ying had been laid out on the thermal blanket. As the medic frantically checked her vitals and administered oxygen, Chen Shao stood less than three feet away, his arms crossed over his chest, watching the scene with a brooding intensity.
[System: Ding! Host is unconscious. Auto-purchasing 'Vitality Nutrient' (30 Points) from the System Shop to prevent organ failure and stabilize the soul. Account Balance: 82 Points.]
Yang Zixuan walked up to stand beside Chen Shao, his face grim as he looked at the unconscious girl. The Film Emperor had been watching the siblings with a keen eye all morning. "She's been pushing herself since the second she stepped off that plane, President Chen. While the others were crying about sand-flies and humidity, she was building a fortress and taming wild animals. You might want to ask yourself why your sister felt she had to work herself to the brink of death just to prove she was capable of surviving."
Chen Shao didn't answer. He couldn't. His mind was currently a battlefield. One half of him—the side still clinging to the remnants of the brainwashing—kept trying to whisper that Chen Ying was "tricky" and "malicious." But the other half, the brilliant CEO who prided himself on hard data and objective reality, was looking at the deep scratches on her arms, the soot under her fingernails, and the raw blisters on her heels.
He looked at the cracked jade around Wang Bai's neck as she hovered nearby. *Why did the air feel lighter the moment Yingying touched that stone? Why does the constant pressure in my temples finally feel like it's lifting?*
The questions were starting to pile up, forming a mountain of evidence that contradicted everything he thought he knew. And for a Chen, once a question was asked, the search for the truth would never stop until every lie was burned away.
[System: Ding! Chen Shao's IQ-Logic is successfully fighting the remnants of the Artifact. Brainwashing Level: 45%.]
[Points Earned: 10. Account Balance: 92 Points.]