The moment I stepped out onto the balcony, the evening breeze brushed against my skin.
Finally.
A moment of peace.
Or so I thought.
"You really have changed."
Ting Ting's voice came from behind me.
I didn't bother turning around.
"I knew you'd follow me."
Her heels clicked against the marble floor until she stopped beside me.
Gone were the tears.
Gone was the trembling voice.
Her eyes were cold.
"So," she said with a small laugh, "this is your new game?"
I folded my arms.
"If you came here to argue, save your breath."
She smiled mockingly.
"You think marrying Shen Gu means you've won?"
"I never said I wanted to win."
"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "You've loved Shen Yu for years. You cried whenever he ignored you. You planned your whole future around him."
Every word would have hurt...
If I hadn't already lived through my first life.
I looked at the garden below.
"That was the old me."
She frowned.
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care."
Her smile disappeared.
"You think I'll let you take him back whenever you feel like it?"
I finally turned to face her.
The sweet, innocent Ting Ting everyone adored was gone.
Standing before me was the woman I remembered.
Calculating.
Jealous.
Possessive.
"I love Shen Yu," she said quietly.
"More than anyone."
"I've loved him for years."
"I'm not letting him go."
"If you think you can use Shen Gu to make him jealous and crawl back into his arms later..."
She stepped closer until only inches separated us.
"...I'll destroy you before I let that happen."
I looked into her eyes.
There it was.
The obsession.
The greed.
The desperation.
Exactly the same as my previous life.
Except this time...
I wasn't afraid.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"You've misunderstood something."
"What?"
"I don't want Shen Yu."
She stared at me.
I continued calmly.
"I have nothing to do with him anymore."
Her brows knitted together.
"I don't believe you."
"Whether you believe me or not changes nothing."
"I don't love him."
"I don't miss him."
"And I certainly don't intend to fight you for him."
She searched my face for any trace of a lie.
She found none.
"Then why break the engagement?" she demanded.
"Why marry Shen Gu?"
I smiled faintly.
"Because I wanted to."
She scoffed.
"That's impossible."
"Believe whatever helps you sleep at night."
Her expression darkened.
"You'll regret underestimating me."
I took one step closer, until we were almost face to face.
"No."
I met her eyes without blinking.
"You should worry about whether you're underestimating me."
For the first time...
Confidence flickered in her eyes.
Then doubt replaced it.
Because the Xie Mei standing before her wasn't the timid girl she had manipulated for years.
She was someone Ting Ting no longer understood.
Someone she could no longer predict.
And that frightened her.
Good.
I hoped she stayed afraid.