Silence still lingered between them—
Not empty,
But filled with everything left unsaid.
Wang Xinyi stood there for a moment, watching Yu Shayue closely.
Her frustration had not completely faded—
But neither had her nature.
Then suddenly—
Her expression shifted.
A spark returned to her eyes.
"…Wait."
She stepped forward, as if a new thought had just taken hold of her.
"What if…"
She tilted her head slightly, studying Shayue's face with unusual seriousness—
Yet there was still a trace of mischief hidden beneath it.
Shayue looked at her.
""…what if this does not turn out the way you think it will?"
A pause.
Shayue looked at her seriously and said, "What are you trying to say?" she asked curiously.
"What if Lin Yechen does not treat you like an enemy… but like a wife?"
Shayue's gaze flickered slightly.
Xinyi continued—
Her words flowing now, one after another, gaining momentum.
"What if you enter that palace prepared for a battlefield…"
"…and instead, you find yourself living beside him, day after day—sharing the same space, the same court, the same life?"
She took another step closer.
"What if, in the middle of all your plans and calculations… something changes?"
A faint pause.
"What if you actually begin understand him?"
Her voice softened slightly—
But her eyes remained sharp.
"…and he begins to understand you?"
Silence.
Then—
Almost casually, yet deliberately—
"What if you end up living peacefully there… not as a strategist, not as an enemy…"
A faint smile appeared.
"…but as his wife?"
A single breath passed.
"And what if…"
She leaned in just slightly, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret—her eyes glinting with mischief as she studied Yu Shayue's calm expression.
"You and Lin Yechen become a real husband and wife?"
"Not as strangers bound by politics," but truly—living together, peacefully… like ordinary people."
"What if…
A pause.
"…you start to like him?"
Silence.
Complete.
For the first time—
Yu Shayue looked… truly caught off guard.
Her brows drew together slightly.
"…What did you just say?!"
Xinyi did not retreat.
"I am asking you seriously."
A pause.
"You have not met him."
"You do not know what kind of person he truly is."
Her gaze did not waver.
"So how can you be so certain… that this will remain only a game?"
Shayue stared at her. Her eyes trembled. Just slightly, a flicker.
So subtle it could have been missed—
But not by Xinyi.
A faint confusion passed through her gaze…
Followed by something almost curious.
Then—
As if realizing her own reaction—
Her lashes lowered, and the calm returned.
But a fraction too late.
Xinyi saw it.
And her smile deepened instantly.
Shayue's brows knit faintly.
Then—
Without hesitation—
"No."
Flat
Firm
Immediate.
A breath
"…That will not happen, and no way that's going to happen."
"Don't say nonsense."
Her voice was calm—yet just a touch faster than before.
"No such thing will happen."
Xinyi blinked once… then leaned closer, clearly delighted.
"Oh."
Xinyi then out a small laugh.
"That was quick."
Shayue's expression remained composed, but her voice carried a rare trace of disbelief.
"You are speaking of something that has no place here."
A pause
"I have never met him."
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"And I do not intend to build a life based on something as uncertain as 'what if.'"
Xinyi circled slightly, folding her arms around Shayue.
"Life rarely follows intention."
A faint smile returned to her lips.
"And feelings are even less obedient."
Shayue turned slightly, her sleeves shifting softly with the movement.
"This is not about feelings."
Her voice lowered.
"It is about purpose."
A pause
"I am not entering the Lin Empire to live peacefully."
Her gaze darkened—just slightly.
"I am entering it because I have something to finish."
The words settled heavily.
But Xinyi did not step back.
"And why are you so certain?"
Shayue did not look at her.
"And you were the one speaking of rumors just now." A small pause followed, "and none of them described him favorably."
Xinyi waved her hand dismissively.
"Rumors are just rumors."
A faint gin appeared on her lips.
"How can someone like you believe something so shallow?"
Shayue slowly turned her head—
And gave her a quiet side glance.
Not sharp
Not angry.
But this time—
There was a faint warning in it.
Which only made Xinyi more amused.
"…Alright, that look says everything,' she muttered, barely holding back a laugh.
Then suddenly—
"Still…"
She leaned closer…
"What if something along the way changes?"
Her voice softened again—
Not teasing this time.
"…you no longer want to finish it?"
Silence.
To te continued...