The room didn't breathe.
It suffocated.
Cheng Mo didn't move again—but he didn't need to.
His presence alone pressed down like a storm about to break.
Li Zhen, on the other hand—
looked almost amused.
Like this was a game.
Like he had already won.
Still the same," Li Zhen murmured, tilting his head slightly, eyes flicking over Cheng Mo with quiet assessment. "You hide it better now… but not enough."
Cheng Mo's jaw tightened.
Barely noticeable.
Unless you knew where to look.
I did.
And that scared me.
"Say what you came to say," Cheng Mo replied, voice low, even.
But something underneath it—
cracked.
Li Zhen's smile faded just a fraction.
Not gone.
Just… sharper.
"I came for him," he said simply.
The words landed like a slap.
My brother blinked. "For—me?"
"No," Li Zhen corrected softly.
His eyes shifted.
Locked onto mine.
For you."
My pulse stuttered.
"No," I said immediately.
Too fast.
Too defensive.
Too revealing.
Li Zhen took a step closer.
And this time—
Cheng Mo didn't let it slide.
His hand caught Li Zhen's wrist mid-motion.
Firm.
Unyielding.
The contact snapped through the room like lightning.
"Don't," Cheng Mo said.
One word.
Cold.
Final.
For a second—
no one moved.
Then Li Zhen looked down at the hand on his wrist… and laughed.
Quiet.
Dangerous.
"You think you can stop me?" he asked, voice dropping.
Cheng Mo didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Because his grip tightened—
just enough.
A warning.
A promise.
And suddenly—
I understood.
This wasn't just about the past.
Or jealousy.
Or even me.
This was about control.
About who gets to stay—
and who gets erased.
And standing between them—
I realized something terrifying.
No matter who won…
I was the one who would lose.