"if you came here to mock me, you've done your part. Now leave."
But the man merely smiled, the faintest glimmer of something unreadable passing behind his eyes.
"Oh, I'll leave," he said softly. "After I see what you plan to do with the sorrow you woke up."
Her breath hitched, only slightly, but enough for him to catch it.
And as he turned away, his voice drifted back, low and lazy, but carrying an edge that sliced right through her composure.
"Try not to disappoint me again, Ling Yu."
The words lingered in the night air long after he was gone.
And Ling Yu, despite her calm mask, could only stare after him, heart pounding with equal parts fury and dread.
Because deep down, she knew, Ji Xiulan never said anything without meaning it.
And if he was here now… it meant the true disaster had only just begun.
*
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