Chapter 84: That Her Disgust Could Make Him So Uncomfortable
When Yun Sheng saw who it was, her brow furrowed, and a tense chord was struck within her.
It was Bai Ye.
He came in alone.
The metal door closed silently behind him, once again sealing the small room off from the outside world.
Bai Ye walked to the other side of the metal table and stopped, looking at Yun Sheng expressionlessly.
Yun Sheng met his gaze, making no effort to hide her displeasure. "General Bai, what is the meaning of this?" she demanded. "Deputy Luo said an interrogator would be coming, but you just left me here alone to wait for nearly half an hour.
Even if I’m a suspect, I’m still a citizen entitled to basic human rights. Is this how the Tower treats those who cooperate with an investigation?"
Her questions were tinged with obvious anger. Her clear eyes now reflected her wariness, distrust, and... a faint loathing for Bai Ye.
Bai Ye did not immediately answer Yun Sheng’s question.
He had personally led the team to take her from the Lin Family today for two reasons. First, he had caught wind that the Chen Family might bypass the Tower and take extreme private measures against her.
Second, he had once again dreamed of that audacious woman last night.
Even though Yun Sheng’s personality was completely different from the woman in his dreams, the faint sense of familiarity about her was like an invisible hook, sparking an urgent need to confirm if she was, in fact, the same person.
"Getting impatient?"
Bai Ye asked lightly, showing no intention of explaining himself.
Yun Sheng was momentarily speechless at his flippant question. The stifled frustration and humiliation from being left to wait for half an hour instantly erupted into a more potent rage.
"Ha! And I suppose I should feel honored?"
Bai Ye ignored the sarcasm in her words.
He took a step forward.
With just one step, the distance between them shrank to a dangerous degree. The cold metal table separating them suddenly seemed like a useless obstruction.
"Yun Sheng, if you’ve truly done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide... then what difference does waiting half an hour—or even longer—make to you?"
"I..."
Yun Sheng’s breath caught in her throat at his sudden advance and piercing stare. She wanted to argue but was at a loss for words.
"Or is it that you’re actually... afraid? Afraid of waiting? Or afraid... of being questioned by me alone?"
Bai Ye spoke the last few words very slowly, each syllable landing with a palpable weight on Yun Sheng’s frayed nerves.
"What do I have to be afraid of!"
Yun Sheng blurted, her voice rising with agitation as she tried to mask her panic with anger.
"General Bai, watch your words and your distance! I am here to cooperate with the investigation, not your prisoner!"
Bai Ye stared into her eyes, which shone with a particular brightness from her anger. The stifling feeling in his chest, born from her revulsion toward him, seemed to be replaced by a different emotion—one that was stranger and more turbulent.
At such close quarters, her resistance and panic had a strange... vitality.
It was a stark contrast to the bold, proactive, and even provocative figure from his dreams, yet it was just as... captivating, holding his gaze and commanding his senses.
He did not pull back. Instead, he leaned forward slightly, placing his hands firmly on the edge of the cold metal table.
The action brought his tall frame even further forward, almost completely enveloping Yun Sheng in his shadow and trapping her in the small space between him and her chair.
Trapped by his aggressive and oppressive posture, Yun Sheng could clearly feel the intangible pressure radiating from him—the aura of an SSS-level Sentinel.
Just as she felt she could no longer bear the silent pressure, Bai Ye spoke again.
"The next phase of the Tower’s Preparatory Guide training is practical field exercises."
The sudden change of topic left Yun Sheng stunned, utter astonishment written all over her face.
’At a time like this, he isn’t asking about Chen Hao’s disappearance? Or testing me about that dream again? Why would he suddenly bring up field training?!’
"It’s practical field exercises. So what?"
"Based on the assessment of your current spiritual power and physical condition, your probability of passing the practical field evaluation is virtually zero."
Yun Sheng’s heart sank.
Of course, she was aware of her own shortcomings. It was why she was so desperate to increase her strength, even risking a partnership with Si Jin.
But to have Bai Ye point it out so bluntly still made her feel a pang of humiliation and powerlessness.
"So what?" she replied, forcing a calm she didn’t feel, her tone laced with defiance. "Did you come here just to tell me I’m unfit for the training and should give up now, General Bai?"
"No."
Bai Ye’s answer was short and firm.
He straightened up slightly but maintained his towering posture, his deep eyes locked on her.
"If you want to pass the evaluation and stay at the Tower, I can help you."
Yun Sheng was completely stunned.
’Help me?’
’Bai Ye? In a place like this? At a time like this? In this manner?’
She wondered if the overwhelming stress was making her hear things.
’Bai Ye—the man who had just forced her here with a callous ultimatum, who had unnerved her with a silent wait and an oppressive interrogation—was now saying... he could help her pass the field evaluation?’
"You... what do you mean?" Yun Sheng watched Bai Ye warily, her eyes filled with distrust and confusion. "General Bai, didn’t you bring me back to the Tower specifically to ask about Chen Hao’s disappearance? Why suddenly bring up the field training?"
She couldn’t follow his train of thought.
The leap in logic was too great, too irrational.
’One moment he’s grilling me about those ten minutes, and the next he’s casually concerned about my training evaluation?’
It made her instinctively feel that Bai Ye must be plotting something.
Bai Ye met her wary and doubtful gaze, his expression unchanged. "The investigation team will handle Chen Hao’s case according to procedure. Besides, regarding those crucial ten minutes, you were unwilling to talk, weren’t you? Do you think you’d answer me if I asked right now?"
Yun Sheng was rendered speechless. She could only purse her lips, her silence a form of defiance.
Bai Ye didn’t seem to expect an answer.
He slowly straightened up, finally putting some distance between them. But the intangible aura of command he projected did not fade.
"If you truly have nothing to do with Chen Hao’s disappearance, the investigation team will eventually clear your name. But that process takes time and evidence. Your Preparatory Guide training, however, won’t be suspended for the investigation.
Practical field exercises are not the same as simulated training within the Tower. They involve real danger. Uncontrolled pollutants, hazardous contamination zones, potential outlaws, and even... encounters with enemy Sentinels or exiled Dark Sentinels."
With every word Bai Ye spoke, Yun Sheng’s heart sank a little more.
She wasn’t entirely unaware of these dangers, but hearing them laid out by a man like Bai Ye in such a calm tone gave them an entirely different weight.
"Yun Sheng, I’m giving you a choice. I can provide you with special training, with an intensive regimen designed by me personally. I will also, within the scope of my authority, request higher-level protective gear and an allocation of necessary resources for you."
The offer was incredibly tempting—a lifeline in a desperate situation.
But Yun Sheng knew that help from Bai Ye would not come without a price.
"What’s the price?" She lifted her head and looked him straight in the eye. "General Bai, I don’t believe in getting something for nothing."