The elevator doors slid shut with a soft chime, sealing the two of them inside.
Li Sijue's words still reverberated in the air, heavy and inescapable.
The child… is very cute.
The phrase detonated in Bai Chenxi's ears like a thunderclap, freezing the blood in her veins.
He knew about Nian Nian. Not only knew—but described him as cute. That wasn't the kind of detail that came from cold reports or dossiers.
No—this was personal. Intimate.
A surge of terror and fury crashed over her, drowning the composure she had fought to maintain. She whipped her head up, eyes sharp as blades, her voice trembling with feral rage.
"You investigated me? Li Sijue, what are you trying to do? Stay away from my son!"
She looked every inch the cornered mother wolf, fangs bared, ready to tear apart anyone who dared threaten her cub.
But Li Sijue didn't flinch. He seemed almost… prepared for this.
His gaze, fathomless and cold, held her in place. Yet beneath the still surface, emotions churned—too deep, too layered for her to read. Scrutiny. Curiosity. And faintly, barely there—was it guilt?
"I mean you no harm." His voice was low, resonant, carrying a quiet authority that could steady anyone's nerves. Anyone but her. "I only wanted to confirm something."
"Confirm what?" Chenxi snapped, her words laced with venom. "Confirm how a woman with a ruined reputation like me could possibly give birth to your child?"
Her accusation was vicious, a shot fired straight at the darkest possibility in her mind. Her eyes bored into his face, hungry for the slightest crack in his mask.
For the first time, Li Sijue's brows knit, the reaction almost imperceptible. Displeasure flickered across his features—quiet but undeniable.
"He is not my child." The denial was firm, his tone like steel. He met her glare without hesitation. "At least—not in my knowledge. Not in my memory."
Chenxi's breath caught.
Not his child?
Then why those words? Why that knowing look in his eyes?
What was he hiding?
"You—then what did you—"
"Ding—"
The elevator chimed, interrupting her demand. The doors slid open to the first floor.
Li Sijue stepped forward, his long stride steady, unhurried. But just as he passed her, he paused, his profile sharp as a blade.
Without looking back, he spoke, his voice deep and deliberate:
"Protect him. And—Phoenix Crying Above the Nine Heavens. The second female lead is yours."
And then he was gone, walking straight toward the sleek black car waiting outside, his tall figure framed in the sterile light of the lobby.
Resolute. Unyielding. Untouchable.
Chenxi remained frozen, the vast hall echoing with her unsteady breaths.
He had denied it. But his actions, his words—they bristled with contradictions. Telling her to protect Nian Nian… it hadn't been a warning.
It had felt like… a reminder.
Her phone buzzed sharply in her hand, yanking her back. It was Hong Jie, her voice quivering with excitement, almost shrill.
"Chenxi! It's confirmed! Xingyao just sent the notice—Princess Huayang is officially yours! The contract will be delivered tomorrow!"
Joy and triumph should have filled her chest.
But instead, the taste of victory was clouded by something heavier.
Li Sijue's shadow loomed larger than ever.
Who was he, truly?
And in this whirlpool of fate that had suddenly engulfed her, was he her savior—
…or her greatest threat?