Chapter 80: Jealousy Flares, a Covert Male Competition
"But if we anger Bai Ye like this, won’t he just come after us even harder?"
Yun Sheng tried to object, but her voice trembled under Si Jin’s advance and his scorching, focused gaze.
She instinctively shrank back, wanting to escape the suffocating pressure, but her back was against a single armchair, leaving her no room to retreat.
"Even if you don’t provoke him... given his personality, once he suspects us, he’ll never let it go."
Seeing her flinch, Si Jin didn’t back away. Instead, he closed the distance between them even more.
The tip of his nose nearly brushed Yun Sheng’s forehead. His powerful male presence and the cold, dangerous aura completely enveloped her.
"My current identity is your suitor. A normal man ardently pursuing the girl he fancies. Isn’t it perfectly normal for him to show a little displeasure, a little hesitation, when his rare private time with her is interrupted?"
As he spoke, Si Jin suddenly raised his hand. His fingers ghosted over a loose strand of hair by her cheek, teasingly brushing the sensitive shell of her ear as if by accident.
This overly intimate atmosphere and his actions were like an invisible net, trapping Yun Sheng completely.
Her cheeks were burning, and even the tips of her ears flushed crimson.
Honestly, more than making Bai Ye unhappy, what she really wanted right now was to escape from right under Si Jin’s nose!
This wasn’t just because his intimate, teasing words and actions had her heart in a flutter; it was also because she didn’t want him to check her spiritual landscape right now.
Si Jin seemed very pleased with Yun Sheng’s current reaction.
The flustered, innocent thrill his closeness caused; the skin flushed from embarrassment and tension.
His gaze lingered for a moment on her flushed cheeks and trembling eyelashes, a flicker of indescribable pleasure passing through the depths of his eyes.
Just when Yun Sheng thought he would continue to "tease" or "pressure" her, he suddenly straightened up, putting an end to the suffocating closeness between them.
"Of course, if you insist on going down immediately, we can. After all, I wouldn’t want Mr. and Mrs. Lin to think I’m too brash or rude. One should always leave a good impression on their first official visit. It makes it easier... to come see you often in the future, doesn’t it?"
He had given her an out, but Yun Sheng knew it wasn’t an easy one to take.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to pull away from the heart-pounding intimacy of the previous moment, and quickly found a more reasonable-sounding excuse.
"Bai Ye showing up in person with the Tower’s Inspection Team is definitely not a simple routine inquiry. We handled the matter with Chen Hao cleanly, but Bai Ye... he’s suspicious and sharp.
If we delay going down, he’ll likely become suspicious right away. Then it’ll be a huge hassle, whether he has evidence or not."
Si Jin looked at the genuine worry in Yun Sheng’s eyes, fell silent for a moment, and finally nodded.
"Let’s go down, then."
He said no more and turned, heading for the door first.
The two of them then walked side by side toward the stairs.
Halfway down the spiral staircase, Yun Sheng’s gaze inevitably landed on the most conspicuous figure in the living room.
Bai Ye.
He wasn’t sitting on the sofa but stood ramrod straight in the center of the living room, like a silent, imposing mountain.
Behind him stood two team members in the distinctive dark gray uniforms of the Tower’s Inspection Team, along with his adjutant, Luo Cheng.
The very instant the footsteps sounded on the stairs, Bai Ye shot his head up.
His gaze instantly locked onto Yun Sheng.
Then, almost at the same time, he saw the man walking side by side with her.
In that instant, a cold glint appeared in the depths of Bai Ye’s eyes.
This man—who had only met Yun Sheng yesterday yet was already entering her home today with exorbitantly priced roses—now stood beside her with a presence that was absolutely impossible to ignore.
An extremely abrupt and inexplicable feeling of displeasure, one that even Bai Ye himself couldn’t quite grasp, suddenly exploded in his heart.
He watched them walk down the stairs and toward the living room together. He watched as Yun Sheng seemed to subconsciously lean ever so slightly toward the other man, while the look she gave him was filled with vigilance and caution.
The displeasure in his heart grew more palpable. The absolute suppressive aura of an SSS-level Sentinel spread out, silent yet biting, making the temperature in the entire living room seem to plummet.
The air froze.
But it was Si Jin who was the first to break the silence.
As if completely unaffected by the terrifying pressure, he proactively met Bai Ye’s gaze.
"General Bai, we meet again. At the scene of the accident last night, it was thanks to you and the military officers arriving in time to control the situation that a greater tragedy was averted.
I took the liberty of visiting Miss Yun Sheng this morning, first, to confirm she was alright after last night’s scare, and second... to formally get to know her. I didn’t expect to have the good fortune of running into you again, General."
Bai Ye’s gaze was like a frozen lake, without the slightest ripple.
He didn’t respond to Si Jin’s pleasantries, merely sweeping a heavy gaze over him with those bottomless eyes.
"Doctor Lin Mo, I am here today with the Tower’s Inspection Team on official business to conduct a routine inquiry with Yun Sheng. This is an internal investigation. Unrelated personnel are not permitted to be present."
His words were clear and direct, without any beating around the bush, explicitly telling Si Jin to leave.
However, not only did Si Jin not take the hint and leave, but he also acted as if he didn’t understand the subtext telling him to get out. He even turned slightly, moving closer to Yun Sheng.
He gently patted the back of Yun Sheng’s hand, his tone soft and reassuring. "Shengsheng, don’t be nervous. Since you’re just cooperating with the Tower’s routine inquiry, all you have to do is answer truthfully."
The aura around Bai Ye instantly grew colder and heavier.
He stared at the hand Si Jin had used to pat Yun Sheng’s, then at Yun Sheng’s face, which had relaxed slightly at the reassurance. The color of his eyes deepened, growing so dark it was as if ink were about to drip from them.
Although there was no conclusive evidence that Yun Sheng was the audacious woman from his dreams, an unshakable sense of familiarity and attraction nonetheless convinced him of her suspiciousness.
Until he could figure everything out, he instinctively rejected the existence of anyone who might "taint" or get too close to her.
The two members of the Inspection Team felt the coldness and powerful pressure emanating from their general, so tangible it was almost physical. They subconsciously quieted their breathing, and fine beads of sweat even broke out on their foreheads. It felt like they had needles at their backs.
In the end, it was Luo Cheng who, braving the suffocating pressure, spoke up. "Miss Yun Sheng, we have a few questions to verify with you regarding the disappearance of Chen Hao. Please, have a seat."
However, before Yun Sheng could react, Si Jin had already slung an arm around her shoulder with extreme naturalness, guiding her toward the sofa.
"Come on, Shengsheng. Let’s talk sitting down. It’s tiring to stand."
Half-led by him, Yun Sheng found herself involuntarily sitting down on one side of the sofa.
Then, Si Jin sat down right next to her.
So close that their legs were almost touching.
Yun Sheng could feel Bai Ye’s gaze on her, so intense it could almost pierce right through her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
And yet, the man beside her seemed completely oblivious to that murderous gaze, one that felt like death by a thousand cuts. He was even escalating his "performance."
He leaned his whole body back against the sofa, stretching out his arm to half-encircle Yun Sheng within his personal space.
On one side was the Star Alliance War God, cold, scrutinizing, and clearly hostile. On the other was the dangerously unpredictable Dark Sentinel, who seemed to fear nothing more than a lack of chaos. And Yun Sheng was the unlucky soul stuck in the middle, laden with secrets and by far the weakest of the three.
’How on earth is this scene, a veritable battlefield of titans, supposed to end!?’