Seduced Me into a Deep Fall (GL , ABO) - Chapter 11
The Song family had been calling relentlessly today.
Mu Xie gripped her phone, her suppressed temper on the verge of exploding.
In the past, she wouldn’t receive a single call for months. Even if it was concern, this was too much.
She hadn’t seen any of the Song family members seek her out before.
Biting back her curses, Mu Xie ended the call only for another to ring immediately.
She checked the number, frowned, and answered.
The phone blocked her peripheral vision just then.
Ling Xi’s figure slipped through the darkness, crossing to the opposite side of the street.
Mu Xie sensed something and looked up, gazing into the distance but the figure she had longed for across two lifetimes was already gone.
A trick of the eye? Mu Xie narrowed her gaze, about to step forward, when the voice on the phone informed her that her studio had been breached and was under attack.
Why now, of all times…
Mu Xie didn’t have time to dwell on it. She hailed a cab and rushed back to her secret base.
She used to have bodyguards and servants she could openly rely on.
But Song Yi was truly despicable, she had even taken those away from her.
To be precise, Song Yi hadn’t done much.
It was those opportunistic subordinates of hers who, upon hearing she’d been cast out by the Song family, had voluntarily resigned.
They assumed she could no longer afford their previous salaries and that her status would plummet.
Self-preservation was human nature.
But it was laughable. She carried the Song family’s bl00d in her veins her alpha mother was the Song family’s eldest daughter of the previous generation, though she had gone missing.
How could she not count as the Song family’s young miss?
Besides, she had years of foresight. Who would ultimately inherit the Song family? They’d see.
Mu Xie had no more words left to curse.
Leaning back in the car seat, her eyes darkened, shadowed with bitterness.
Between her secret base and Ling Xi, Mu Xie ultimately chose the base.
Ling Xi… she couldn’t escape this planet, could she?
Hell, she probably couldn’t even leave the country. She had no money, and her identity was under Mu Xie’s surveillance.
If she applied for a visa, Mu Xie would be notified immediately.
She’d catch up with her then.
Ling Xi hadn’t seen Mu Xie, not even a glimpse.
Sandwiched between her two best friends, listening to their playful bickering, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
She had truly crossed life and death to see them again.
How many years had it really been since they were last together?
Mu Xie’s tiny, dark room made every day feel like a year.
What might have been a fleeting moment, half a year to an ordinary person felt like an eternity to Ling Xi.
“Alright, seriously. Why are you still crying?” Jiang Yuyang pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Ling Xi.
Ling Xi shook her head. “I brought tissues.” Still sniffling, she reached for her bag.
“Tch. Whatever’s bothering you, you’ve got to tell us, right? Tan Tan couldn’t come, so I’ll relay it to her.” He Qingmo gave Ling Xi’s back a firm pat.
“That strength… feels nostalgic.” Ling Xi wiped her nose, then suddenly looked up and spotted a claw machine in the distance. Her excitement flared.
Forgetting her tears, she dragged both friends toward it.
“She hasn’t changed a bit.” Jiang Yuyang shot He Qingmo a look.
“…I think she’s even dumber than before?” He Qingmo studied Ling Xi from all angles, sensing something off.
Six months ago, even if Ling Xi was a bit slow, she wouldn’t have acted like some country bumpkin elementary student who’d never seen the world, constantly craning her neck to look around like a surveillance camera, making people dizzy.
Her expression, demeanor, and reactions were all off.
“I can hear you.” Ling Xi flipped open her wallet, took out a coin tucked at the bottom, and tossed it in.
She succeeded in one try.
As they waited for the blue long-eared plush dog to drop from the claw machine, Jiang Yuyang whispered again.
“At least this part hasn’t changed.” They called this Ling Xi’s little lucky koi trait.
Opening a drink bottle would always win “another one,” scratch cards never failed to hit, and raffles at minimum landed third prize…
“Tch. Xi, you’d better explain right now why you’re acting like a freshly graduated high school senior. Or don’t blame me for resorting to torture.” He Qingmo’s impatience was as consistent as ever.
“It’s nothing serious.” Since it was already resolved, Ling Xi didn’t want to worry her friends and spoke lightly.
Her friends weren’t having it. “Nothing serious and you dumped us? Friends since middle school, and you could be this heartless?”
He Qingmo was practically about to grab Ling Xi and tickle her.
“Think we’re idiots?” He Qingmo had already pinned Ling Xi to a bench on the street corner.
“Xi, just tell us. We’ve been really worried.” Jiang Yuyang sat beside Ling Xi.
“And that Mu Xie, I just saw her. Is she still pursuing you?”
“What did you say?” Ling Xi reacted like a robot triggered by a keyword, jerking her head up. “Yuyu, who did you see?”
“Mu Xie. That school beauty omega in our grade. I remember she was chasing you at the end of last year. Right?”
“She didn’t follow, did she? Where did you see her?” Ling Xi grabbed Jiang Yuyang’s sleeve, her whole body trembling.
In an instant, it felt like eyes were watching her from all directions. The fear of being observed in every move crept up from her feet, a chill spreading across her chest.
“Calm down, Xi. She was probably just passing by. I saw her answer a call, not head this way.”
Ling Xi swallowed but still couldn’t relax, her fingers clutching Jiang Yuyang’s sleeve trembling uncontrollably.
“Did she bully you? Is it because of her that you cut ties with us, worried we’d get dragged in?”
They were all sharp. Connecting Mu Xie’s identity, He Qingmo instantly grasped the key point.
“Did she start bullying you after you rejected her? Tch, don’t stop me, I’m going to give her trouble today!”
“Don’t!” Seeing her friend about to charge off, Ling Xi erupted with surprising strength, catching He Qingmo’s wrist.
“Don’t go, really… Thank you, but I’m safe now. Don’t provoke her.” If only Mu Xie had just bullied her.
Ling Xi took deep breaths. Thanks to the interruption, she managed to break free from that near-traumatic fear.
“You’re this scared just hearing her name. If I don’t avenge you, what kind of friend am I?” Though furious, He Qingmo at least sat back down.
“It’s enough that you forgave me for yelling at you back then.” Ling Xi shook her head.
Her friends were all from ordinary families, how could they handle Mu Xie?
Besides, Ling Xi had always felt Mu Xie wasn’t simple.
Otherwise, how could she have so many ways to catch her when she ran?
Time and time again, until high-tech measures were finally employed to “confine” her.
“Then… want to join us in venting about her?” Jiang Yuyang squeezed He Qingmo’s shoulder.
Everyone could tell Ling Xi had distanced herself from them in front of Mu Xie solely for their sake.
But good intentions could backfire, she might end up trapped herself, wasting all her previous efforts.
Ling Xi finally broke into a teary smile. “Sure.”
With that, she really did start muttering curses under her breath.
“By the way, where’s Sister Tan?” she whispered, only to be met with exasperated looks from her two friends. Then she remembered the third mutual friend they’d met in college.
“Busy. You’re lucky if she even replies to a single message. You know she joined the military after graduation, right? After two years, she didn’t slow down, went straight into law enforcement. Recently, they’ve been swamped with some major case,” He Qingmo replied.
The three of them finally returned to their old dynamic, arms slung over each other’s shoulders as they went to watch movies, shop, and grab bubble tea.
“Oh… then once she’s free and I’ve settled down, I’ll treat you all to a meal.”
Ling Xi hugged the plush dog she’d won, completely relaxed, her expression softening.
“How’s your family doing lately?” Jiang Yuyang suddenly asked as they settled into their cinema seats.
If Ling Xi had to cut ties with friends, Jiang Yuyang doubted Mu Xie would leave her family untouched.
“You mean Yue-jie, don’t you? Tsk tsk.” He Qingmo teased from the side.
“Don’t twist my words. I’m asking about their safety,” Jiang Yuyang retorted seriously, shooting He Qingmo a glare.
“Them?…” Ling Xi didn’t want her friends to worry too much. “They’re fine. Everything’s good.”
She even managed a smile.
Her two friends exchanged skeptical glances but didn’t press further.
After a full day out, Ling Xi bought fresh clothes, daily necessities, groceries, and even got a new SIM card.
Returning home, she found Song Yi in the living room while someone clattered pots and pans in the kitchen likely waiting for dinner.
“You’re back,” Ling Xi said casually, as if speaking to an older sister, a family member, rather than the icy, intimidating Song Yi.
Only then did she realize how odd that sounded, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
What if Song Yi ignored her?
Maybe she should just quietly slip into her room and be the ideal, ghost-like roommate.
“Mn.” But Song Yi responded, even glancing back at her. “Eating?”
Her tone was just as natural, dissolving Ling Xi’s sudden awkwardness.
“I already ate with my friends.”
“Then, I’ll head to my room?” Ling Xi studied Song Yi’s inscrutable expression, trying to gauge her mood.
“Wait.” Song Yi stood and walked toward her, adjusting the position of her prayer beads on her wrist.
Dressed in a formal suit and black overcoat, she must have just returned from a meeting, her sharp aura hadn’t yet faded.
Ling Xi swallowed, unsure what Song Yi intended.
Yet her gaze was instinctively drawn to the movement, fixating on the lotus tassels swaying from the prayer beads.
“You don’t know the way. I’ll take you up.” Song Yi stopped in front of her.
She even reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Ling Xi’s ear.
Only then did Ling Xi realize, she’d been carrying heavy bags, rushing the whole way, and was still catching her breath after stepping inside.
Her face was glistening with sweat.
Her hair was surely disheveled, and her clothes were probably untidy.
Being seen by Song Yi in such a state made Ling Xi so embarrassed she wished she could vanish into the ground.
With her head lowered, she followed behind Song Yi, barely noticing how they went upstairs or turned the corner to reach the door.
“Get yourself cleaned up and come downstairs to wait for me,” Song Yi leaned against the doorframe, watching as Ling Xi pushed open the door to her room.
Ling Xi had just set the shopping bags down when she turned back in surprise at those words.