Chapter 33: Deliberate Approach
The scene that had left her blushing and heart racing refused to leave Shao Leyan’s mind. She didn’t know how to face Fu Xingyan, so she hurriedly ended the day’s experiment and even refused his offer to escort her back to the underground city.
Panicked, she ran out of the lab, still flushed and heartbeat quickening, until she rounded a corner.
Bang!
“Ah!”
Shao Leyan collided head-on with someone and instinctively braced herself against the wall, avoiding a fall. Her mind, already hazy, was completely thrown off.
The girl she had bumped into clutched her reddened forehead, cursing harshly under her breath.
“Damn it! Who’s the blind idiot that ran into me! I’ll—Hey?”
Lin Ying froze as she looked at the frowning, bent-over Shao Leyan. The anger that had flared in her instantly disappeared, replaced by a surge of excited delight.
Shao Leyan’s body ached in too many places, and she didn’t know where to rub first, though the pain soon eased.
She looked up and met the eyes of the girl she had accidentally collided with—and realized she knew her.
“Y-You… hello, Miss Shao. Do you remember me?”
Shao Leyan straightened up and replied with a gentle smile, “I remember you, Miss Lin Ying.”
Lin Ying paused, her heart swelling with sweetness, and her smile widened. “Your experiment’s finished?”
Thinking of Fu Xingyan’s sweaty, labored, and strikingly attractive appearance, Shao Leyan felt her recently calmed emotions flare up again, her face warming slightly.
“Yes. I’m heading back to the city lord’s palace now.”
Lin Ying raised an eyebrow. Seeing Shao Leyan’s pure, sweet smile, a pang of envy stirred in her heart.
If she returned to the palace, she’d likely be inseparable from the city lord again, and the intimate moments playing like a slideshow in Lin Ying’s mind would both distract the city lord from work and leave Shao Leyan unable to rest.
Lin Ying was still single and couldn’t bear to see others paired up, happy and blissful.
As Shao Leyan silently prepared to leave, Lin Ying quickly hooked her arm around hers, slightly leaning in and resting her small head on Shao Leyan’s shoulder, smiling in a flattering manner.
“It’s only this early. The city lord hasn’t finished his meeting yet, so there’s no rush to go back. I heard your brother works in the lab too, on the same floor as me. Want to go see him?”
Shao Leyan glanced at the slender arm holding hers tightly. Lin Ying was gripping her firmly; she couldn’t pull her arm free, so she let her be.
It had been several days since she last saw Le An, so now was a good time to check on him and update him on the progress of her work.
Zombie Experiment Area
Le An operated the lab equipment with an expressionless face. At his precise movements, the zombies in the operation room were reduced to a mass of torn flesh, yet they roared toward the wall separating them from Le An as if they felt no pain.
Upon entering, Shao Leyan witnessed this cold, bloody scene. Le An didn’t even frown, as if he were slicing steak instead of zombies.
Seeing that Shao Leyan didn’t approach to greet him, and that Le An was completely absorbed in his work with no end in sight, Lin Ying gently patted Shao Leyan’s hand and led her inside the lab.
The sound of the door opening was crisp, yet it was as soft as a pin dropping amidst the room’s agonized roars. Le An didn’t even look up, clearly oblivious.
Lin Ying excitedly tapped Le An on the shoulder. He furrowed his brow, glanced sideways, and was startled to see Shao Leyan suddenly appear, nearly falling off his chair.
Neither Shao Leyan nor Lin Ying had expected such a reaction, and they exchanged a glance before laughing.
After realizing his outburst, Le An quickly regained composure. Rarely did Shao Leyan come to see him, so he felt genuinely pleased, his eyes sparkling.
“What brings you here to see me? And with Lin Ying, no less?”
Shao Leyan looked at the curious Lin Ying and smiled gently, putting on the guise of a sweet younger sister, her tone deliberately carrying a hint of playful affection.
“I happened to run into Miss Lin Ying. She said you work on the same floor as her. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. Today’s mission wasn’t heavy, so I let her guide me here to check on you.”
Le An nodded and moved chairs for the two of them. The three of them sat around the operation table.
Shao Leyan wanted to say a lot to Le An, but with Lin Ying present, she kept it to herself for another time. Lin Ying, unaware of the slightly tense atmosphere between the siblings, busied herself with a playful Q&A game with them.
“Oh, by the way, Le An, do you know you’re now the city lord’s elder brother-in-law?”
Le An’s brow furrowed slightly in surprise but soon brightened into a cheerful smile, clearly pleased with this new status.
“I’d heard, but I initially thought it was a rumor. After all, Yan Yan told me the city lord treated her well. Seems like it was meant to be from early on.”
Seeing Le An’s genuine happiness, Lin Ying’s heart sank.
Le Yan was his younger sister. Even if Fu Xingyan had wealth, power, and was a one-in-a-million handsome man, he couldn’t just have a sudden marriage with someone he’d known less than two months.
She had thought Le An was upright and sincere, but now he seemed like a man climbing the social ladder, using his sister as a stepping stone.
Lin Ying’s gaze turned sharp and resentful, regretting that she had brought Shao Leyan to see this ill-intentioned brother. It had been completely unnecessary!
Shao Leyan noticed Lin Ying’s bright, excited demeanor had shifted, and she too grew unexpectedly stern, looking at Le An with disdain as if he had stolen something from her.
“You get back to work. Yan Yan and I won’t disturb you.”
Lin Ying tugged at Shao Leyan’s wrist, trying to pull her up. “Yan Yan, I’ll take you back.”
Shao Leyan was puzzled by Lin Ying’s sudden change in mood, having been lively just moments ago. She glanced at Le An, who silently smiled, slightly embarrassed.
“Well, Miss Lin Ying…”
“Oh! Calling me ‘Miss Lin Ying’ is too formal. We’ve met twice and will see each other often. Just like I call you Yan Yan, call me Ying Ying!”
Shao Leyan nodded, smiling, and patted Lin Ying’s hand to signal her to let go.
“Ying Ying, my brother and I still have things to discuss. You go take care of your own matters; I’ll get back on my own.”
Hearing the intimate nickname, Lin Ying’s excitement surged like a desert traveler discovering an oasis. Her disdain for Le An vanished, and she felt she couldn’t refuse anything Shao Leyan asked at that moment.
“All right… then I’ll go.”
