C7 You Scared Yourself

Leh Jiu's strength hadn't yet returned, leaving her unable to break free from her constraints.

No sooner had she stopped speaking than her tears began to cascade freely, as if they cost nothing.

Aren't you just stating the obvious?

You're after my life. Should I not cry and instead laugh?

Her once beautiful face was now streaked with tears, transforming her into a tear-stained mess, complete with a runny nose. Leh Jiu sobbed while trying to sniff back her tears.

"Why are you crying?" Si Nanzhi pressed.

He extended his hand to wipe away her tears, but Leh Jiu recoiled in fear, her whole body radiating resistance.

Si Nanzhi's hand hung awkwardly in mid-air.

He had never comforted anyone before, much less a woman.

Leh Jiu's crying irritated him, but it was the sudden emergence of fear and despair in her eyes that truly aggravated Si Nanzhi.

Was she actually afraid of him?

His expression darkened, and his voice turned icy as he commanded, "Stop crying!"

Startled, Leh Jiu shuddered, her eyes misting over with tears that dropped onto the back of Si Nanzhi's hand, scalding hot.

Si Nanzhi felt a tremor in his heart.

Leh Jiu fought to hold back her tears, biting her lip. Her mouth was shut, but her emotions were uncontrollable, her body shaking with each sob.

Her damp lashes clung to her eyes, which, cleansed by tears, shone clear and bright. The emotions within them were starkly evident.

"You're afraid of me?" he stated, more than asked, his annoyance growing at the sight of her fear.

Leh Jiu's eyes were as red as a rabbit's. Resigned to her fate and realizing escape was impossible, she decided to savor what she believed to be the last moments of her life.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch," she lamented through her tears. "If you're set on taking my life, could you at least let me enjoy a few more good meals before I go?"

Even if she couldn't sample everything, she wished to savor just a few more delicacies.

Last month, the pharmacist had administered a new drug to her. They thought she had passed out, but she hadn't. She was fully conscious and had overheard every word the pharmacists had said, without missing a single detail.

They said if she could withstand the drugs this time, her human blood bank experiment would be a success.

Leh Jiu had no desire to be a human blood bank, drained of her blood until death.

That's precisely why she had taken the risk to escape.

Unexpectedly, she found herself back in the lion's den.

Si Nanzhi snapped, "Did you let the water go to your head?"

Otherwise, she couldn't possibly shed so many tears or speak such nonsense.

"…"

Before Leh Jiu could respond, a man's voice echoed from outside the door.

It was Tang Chi, with Lu Xing trailing behind him.

"What's going on? Did you come out just to greet me?"

At the sound, Leh Jiu turned, her eyes still red and brimming with unshed tears.

Though these men were more attractive than the previous pharmacists, they were no less villainous.

Their eyes met, and Tang Chi, noticing her tear-streaked face, quipped, "Oh, what's this? A little spat?"

They had just been flirting downstairs, and now they'd made the poor girl cry.

Clearly, they were clueless on how to comfort someone.

Si Nanzhi shot a warning glare, his eyes as cold as if he were staring down a dog, ready to flay her alive. He commanded in a stern tone, "Give her a check-up."

"Come with me, little sister. Your man's got issues; best ignore him."

"He's not my man, and I'm not your little sister," Leh Jiu retorted, her voice muffled from crying.

Tang Chi cast a taunting glance at Si Nanzhi.

Tsk tsk, you've been with her, and yet she's still not won over. Seems like you're not up to par.

Finally, he cast a suggestive look towards Si Nanzhi's lower body.

Before Si Nanzhi could lose his temper, Tang Chi ushered Leh Jiu inside.

Si Nanzhi didn't leave; instead, he followed them into the room and sat on the sofa across from the equipment, assuming the role of Leh Jiu's attendant.

Leh Jiu, pale-faced, submitted to Tang Chi's examination, all too familiar with the routine.

In the lab, disobedience meant a beating, and the sting of the whip was all too painful.

She rolled up her sleeves with purpose, revealing her slender, emaciated arms.

Tang Chi held the blood collection device in his hand, his gaze landing on her arm. Upon seeing the marks, his actions hesitated, and his eyes grew heavy with concern.

"Do you use drugs?"

Leh Jiu's arm was a patchwork of needle marks, some scabbed over, others fresh. They were numerous, clearly indicating frequent injections.

"I don't use drugs," she asserted.

Leh Jiu's eyes were a startling shade of clear innocence.

The mention of drugs also caught Si Nanzhi's attention.

He rose and stepped over to Leh Jiu.

Both Si Nanzhi and Tang Chi had the same suspicion upon seeing the needle marks on her arm.

"What's the story with these needle marks?"

Si Nanzhi asked, his face stern, his voice tinged with a chill.

Leh Jiu looked at them, her expression one of puzzled innocence. "Aren't these from the injections you give me every month?"

She paused, a sense of wrongness dawning on her.

If they were from the lab, why would they be surprised by the needle marks on her arm?

Si Nanzhi also showed a hint of dissent upon hearing her words.

What did she mean by 'you leave them behind'?

Leh Jiu was both cautious and hopeful, her eyes flickering with a mix of expectation and anxiety. "Aren't you here to draw my blood for the medication?"

Tang Chi thought to himself that drawing her blood was indeed necessary.

How else would they determine her ability to suppress the insect poison in Si Nanzhi's system?

But as for making medicine, why would they need her blood for that?