Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love-Chapter 132: It’s just a way to please you.

Raindrops still sprinkled outside the window in the late autumn air.

Her arms, curled within the warm cocoon of her bedding, felt the chill wind’s blast. Xu Si’s porcelain-white, delicate skin prickled with a dense array of tiny bumps from the cold. Her custom-made, cold-proof leather jacket hung on the entryway cabinet. Underneath, her clothes were somewhat thin, so she unhesitatingly pulled the quilt higher, wrapping herself tightly.

It was as if by doing so, she could fend off that probing, almost imperceptible question.

Xu Si blinked her long, curling lashes. Her gaze drifted downward, catching his reflection on the glass surface where his fingertips lightly tapped the Scepter.

His eyes were weary and languid as he asked, "What did I say in my sleep?"

He leaned quietly against the back of the chair, lifting his gaze to meet hers. Even his breathing seemed to still. After two seconds, he said thoughtfully, "You said someone murdered you. You looked terrified. I’ve never seen you afraid before; today was the first time. It didn’t seem fake, so I’m curious. Were you dreaming about something from the past?"

Xu Si tilted her head up, silently observing him. Her pale toes twitched, and her gaze rested on his defined collarbones, the alluring red mole on the bridge of his nose, and his pale lips.

The scene seemed to freeze, an invisible game of wits playing out between them.

In the next moment, Xu Si raised her hand to gently press her temples again, assessing the situation. A faint smile touched her lips as she lowered her gaze and said, "How could it be about the past? I’m alive and well, aren’t I? It was just a nightmare. Dreams are usually false, like ghost stories—you know they’re fake, but you still get scared. It’s much better once you wake up."

She deftly changed the subject, turning her concern to the poison afflicting him. "What about you? Has the poison in your body been neutralized?"

Pei Zhen tilted his head, a slight smile playing on his lips as he met her downcast eyes through the glass. "Not yet. It’s a bit troublesome and requires time to prepare an antidote."

"Besides vomiting blood, are there any other specific symptoms?"

"There are," he replied readily, "I could faint at any moment. Just like a little while ago—I was watching over you, but I couldn’t help falling asleep."

That was certainly dangerous.

This was the Underground City.

Xu Si said, "Then, for the next few days, try not to go out. If you do, find someone you trust to accompany you."

After she finished speaking, the sound of a heavy object being placed on the marble tabletop echoed in the air. It was the exquisitely crafted Scepter.

Pei Zhen stood up. Holding a black leather case, he walked towards her at an unhurried pace. His features relaxed, his alluring, deep eyes gazing intently at her, and an inexplicable, profound affection bloomed within him.

He opened the brand-new black leather case. Inside, a strange, circular object with a pull-ring was visible. Beneath it lay a black rifle that looked very heavy—the kind capable of automatic fire. He placed them all on the table.

He tapped the body of the rifle with his pale fingertips, his tone somewhat amused.

"But, in the entire world, I only trust you."

He spoke with such finality.

Xu Si blinked slowly. Her bright, cool face registered a moment of astonishment, and her fingers trembled slightly. Her lips parted, and she eventually couldn’t help saying, "You also said before that you didn’t trust me."

The raindrops outside the window were light, scattering like peach fuzz and making the air thick with moisture.

"Logically, I don’t trust you." He bent slightly, his gaze on her calm, radiant face. Her faintly red lips were reflected in his grey eyes. His voice was tinged with resignation as he added, "But I can’t help but trust you blindly."

At that moment, Xu Si was surprised.

The idea of ’blind trust,’ coming from someone whose senses were as sharp as his, was truly contradictory and bizarre.

She met his gaze, her heart clenching for an instant. Her lips moved, and her voice was laced with compromise. "Then, for the next few days, if you want to go out, let me know. I’ll accompany you."

"Alright."

He smiled again, his eyes wild and brilliant.

"Since you’re going to protect me, I’ve prepared bombs and rifles for Sister. If anyone has malicious intentions, kill them."

Xu Si’s lips twitched. "These are weapons where one wrong move means certain death. I haven’t really handled things like this before. What if I end up getting killed instead?"

His gaze swept over her hands, a teasing, enigmatic expression on his face. "That won’t happen. If that day truly comes, I’ll die with that person to atone to you."

Xu Si picked up the pitch-black bomb. The pull-ring was attached by only a thin thread; pull the safety, and it would detonate.

She still had reservations. "I’m an outsider. If I kill someone, how will the Underground City deal with it?"

The man’s deep, somber grey eyes gazed down at her. A flicker of disdain bloomed on his face, carrying a unique arrogance befitting a Dictator. His aura was ice-cold and filled with malevolence, yet it was also tinged with a hint of pity and indulgence.

"This is the Underground City. Whoever you kill, I will pardon your sins."

The vast bedroom seemed to echo with an ambiguous tension.

Xu Si tilted her head up slightly, placed the bomb on the table between them, and smiled. Her cool voice was languid, tinged with a playful challenge. "And what if I were bought off by someone and decided to take this chance to kill you?"

The tenderness in her smile was disarming.

His expression didn’t change. His eyes remained fixed on her luminous eyes, which seemed to hold the secret of the White Magnolia. The lines of her face and neck were also beautiful; her neck was so slender, it looked as if a single hand could encircle it.

He laughed, unconcerned, his voice affectionate. "Sister, you can do anything to me, except leave me."

He called her ’Sister.’

Yet in his actions, his thoughts, his desires, there wasn’t the slightest hint of a subordinate’s demeanor. This was a fearlessness that even death couldn’t touch.

Xu Si took a deep breath, her heart trembling.

His eyes were sincere, his affection shockingly raw and unconcealed—unhesitating, unwavering. It was the kind of profound devotion one would sacrifice their life for.

He hadn’t even given her time to prepare.

Her gaze shifted abruptly, avoiding his by focusing on his white hair. Lower down, he wore loose loungewear of the highest quality, perfectly tailored. It hinted at the contours of muscle beneath, against his fair skin. The very fact that it was only a hint made the sight all the more captivating.

For a moment, she couldn’t escape the allure and found herself staring, transfixed for a couple of seconds.

Only then did she meet his amused gaze, her expression serious as she said calmly, "The clothes from the Underground City are certainly something. I remember you didn’t like wearing this kind of clothing before."

"Is that so?" He leaned in slightly, his eyes on her momentarily bewildered ones, and then his smile became utterly seductive. "Just another means to please Sister."

"..."

Xu Si swallowed. She had always been somewhat infatuated with his face and had struggled for a long time, yet never quite overcame the sheer awe he inspired. His deliberate seduction now made her heart feel as if a feather were tickling it, a persistent, teasing itch.

She wasn’t some innocent, pure maiden; she wanted to reach out her sinful right hand and touch his Adam’s apple.

Yet, before she could act, the man, as if to tantalize her, abruptly straightened up. His gaze remained on Xu Si, a smile playing on his lips. "Sister, sleep a bit more. Tonight, there’s a place I’ll need you to accompany me to."

Xu Si took another deep breath, nodded seriously, lay back down on the bed, and closed her eyes.

After the distant door closed, those upturned, almond-shaped eyes suddenly snapped open again.

She hadn’t been asleep. Instead, she looked at her own arm, her eyes narrowing.

After a long pause, she finally murmured in a cool, light voice, "Damn it. I’ve been tricked again."