"Hmm, I smell something scandalous," Alix said with squinted eyes.
Jin raised his brow and Shui, too, glanced up. The trio was huddled together in Shui's office room. It was her art therapy session and as promised, Jin was present too. Alix had won the bet after all, and she wasn't ready to have it any other way.
"What scandalous?" Shui frowned.
"I smell something suspicious between you two. I heard the good news?"
"Huh? What good news?" Shui gave her a blank look.
"That Jin stayed at the Han villa last night. Congratulations."
Jin's face blackened. "What is there to congratulate you for?"
"Don't make me spill out the obvious. So did something spicy happen?" Her eyes twinkled.
Shui grimaced. "If this is your way of avoiding the session then I tell you it's not gonna work. Go back to your drawing."
Alix frowned. "Useless."
She looked back at Jin. "You should step up as a man and reveal all the juicy gossips."
A vein popped on his forehead. "Why do you care? Go back to your work!"
"You both are so made for each other."
Shui slightly shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Hey, Alix! Shui!"
A light tap on the door was heard and they saw Xiao at the entrance. Jin stiffened. He quickly lowered his head as he tried to hide his restless breaths. He had been trying to avoid Xiao ever since he returned from Paris. The friends with benefits relationship he held with her in the past life still continued to haunt him. It was a blot on his life that he knew he would never be able to erase.
"Hey," Shui warmly welcomed her. "Come in."
She eyed Jin for a moment, knowing the truth very well. Jin had confessed everything during the business trip six years ago.
"Nothing," he curtly but coldly answered. But that chilliness wasn't directed at Alix for asking that question. It was more of a loathe towards himself, recalling his past life's actions.
Alix got even more curious. "I don't believe you. There is definitely something cooking. You were so stressed out when Xiao was here until just now."
He shot angry laser beams at her. "Drop it. You are imagining things. Right now I am stressed because you are here," he gritted his teeth.
He quickly glanced outside to see if Shui was coming back and glared back at Alix. "You let Shui go through-"
Alix flapped the drawing book in her hand and got back to seriously focusing on her art therapy session. Green nerves could be seen appearing on the back of Jin's hand at her blatant disregard. He angrily laughed.
"Ren Alix! Don't you dare ignore me! And what the hell was the message last night that you will keep on using Shui if needed?"
Alix sneered. "This world is not as colorful as you think Liu Jin. You have to step on people to be at the place you want. If I hadn't used Shui, then Mui would have used me. Who would have believed me even if I had tried to expose her? They would have just thought of me as a jealous sister. But people's perception of the same situation so drastically changes when it's a different person involved."
He scowled.
"And admit it. You would have been just like them," she smiled. "We just happened to meet personally a few times before so you know that jealousy and insecurity wouldn't be my reasons to throw shade at her. But otherwise, you would have been a part of the same crowd, judging me."
"I wouldn't have-"
Experience new tales on mvl
"Human nature," she shrugged. "Don't worry. I forgive you in advance."
His expression twisted. "I don't like you."
Alix raised her brow. "But I do. Will you marry me?"
"..."
"Plus I wasn't going to let any harm come to Shui in the first place. I would have called her knight in shining armor - Kang Yuze," her eyes twinkled.
Jin's face blackened as a burnt pot.
Alix leaned back on her chair, proud and satisfied. "Everything was in my control."