Chapter 116: Seeing Through Her Mind

"Hahaha..." Bai Luomei couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This little girl was truly too amusing!

"Hehe!" The young maid laughed as well. "Miss Bai, you look so beautiful when you laugh!"

Yes, she was truly beautiful. Zhai Muli, standing not far away on the balcony, thought the same.

Ever since he had known Bai Luomei, she had only ever shown charm and allure to other men, while always remaining icy cold toward him.

But as Bai Luomei had said, their positions were opposed; how could she ever give him a pleasant look?

"Young Master!" The young maid suddenly noticed Zhai Muli’s figure and hurriedly offered a respectful greeting.

Bai Luomei’s smile vanished instantly. She turned her back to Zhai Muli, refusing to acknowledge him.

Zhai Muli waved a hand at the young maid, signaling for her to leave. However, Bai Luomei chose to be difficult, calling out to the maid, "Where are you going? We haven't finished chatting yet!"

"..." The young maid hesitated, unsure whether she should leave.

Zhai Muli frowned. "The servants of the Zhai family are not hired to chat."

Bai Luomei turned back and gave him a cold scoff. "Your Zhai family rules are truly strict! Why don't you lock me up as a prisoner then?"

Hearing this, the young maid quickly interjected, "Miss Bai, you are our Young Master's honored guest; how could you be a prisoner?"

Zhai Muli’s expression darkened. "Who said she was an honored guest? She is a prisoner!"

"Ah?" The young maid was bewildered. This was completely different from what Steward Shen had said.

"Leave!"

At Zhai Muli’s second urging, the young maid scurried downstairs, leaving only him and Bai Luomei, their eyes locking in a clash of sparks.

A moment later, Bai Luomei broke the stalemate. "Young Master Zhai, just how long do you intend to keep me locked up?"

Zhai Muli walked to the tea table in front of Bai Luomei, sat across from her, and replied, "That depends on how cooperative you are."

"How do you want me to cooperate?" Bai Luomei’s lips curled in a sneer. "Do you want me to betray the Nangong family?"

Zhai Muli remained noncommittal.

Bai Luomei scoffed, "I advise you not to waste your time. Even if I were hypnotized, I could never betray the Nangong family!"

"Oh?" Zhai Muli’s eyes held a trace of doubt. "You just injured your own companion earlier; do you call that not betraying them?"

Bai Luomei didn't want to waste any more breath on him. The Bai family might not be able to resist the hypnosis of the Mu family, but they had their own ways of preventing themselves from being fully controlled.

However, that came at a price!

Zhai Muli’s expression suddenly changed. "You placed a life-or-death gu on yourself?!"

Bai Luomei glanced at him, refusing to answer the question.

Zhai Muli stood up in agitation. "Have you lost your mind?!"

The so-called life-or-death gu meant that if the host of the child-gu attempted to betray the host of the mother-gu, they would instantly perish.

Zhai Muli had not expected Bai Luomei to be loyal to Nangong Ao to such an extent!

What on earth did Nangong Ao possess that made Bai Luomei willing to sacrifice herself like this? The thought alone made Zhai Muli furious.

Bai Luomei interpreted Zhai Muli’s reaction as the frustration of someone whose plans had failed.

She warned him, "Young Master Zhai, it would be best if you stopped provoking a crazy woman like me. Otherwise, you will surely regret it one day!"

"What, you want to plant a gu in me too?" Zhai Muli gritted his teeth.

Bai Luomei let out a cold hum. "As long as you know to be careful, that's good enough!"

Zhai Muli stared at Bai Luomei with burning intensity, giving her a chilling sensation.

Why wouldn't this guy just let her go? If he wanted to do something, he should just get it over with!

Hmph, what are you glaring at? Do you think I'm afraid of you just because you stare? If my boss hadn't forbidden me from taking action, I would have fed you a gu long ago!

Just you wait! Once I get a chance to leave, I’ll definitely feed you a heart-severing gu so that every time you see a woman in the future, you’ll feel nothing but revulsion!

...

Zhai Muli stared at Bai Luomei for a long time before suddenly taking two steps toward her.

"What are you doing?" Bai Luomei immediately tensed up.

This guy wasn't thinking of pulling some stunt like last time, was he? Although he only succeeded last time because he was drunk, she wasn't necessarily unable to fight him off!

Zhai Muli smiled, his lips curling up. "Bai Luomei, are you afraid of me?"

Bai Luomei knit her brows. "What do I have to fear from you? As the noble Young Master Zhai, would you really resort to violence against a woman?"

If you dare come any closer, I’ll cripple you!

"Ha!" Zhai Muli’s smile deepened.

Outsiders called Zhai Muli the "Jade-Faced Fox" for his cunning and inscrutable nature, but no one knew that the Zhai family were descendants of a unique lineage. The reason was that not every family member possessed special abilities; only a few in each generation were gifted with them.

Zhai Muli’s grandfather was one, and so was Zhai Muli. Their ability was the insight into the human heart, commonly known as mind-reading. Therefore, every thought Bai Luomei had just entertained, he had been able to glimpse one by one.

"Bai Luomei, haven't you always considered me, Zhai Muli, to be despicable and shameless? Why would it be strange for me to resort to violence against a woman?"

Zhai Muli’s smile had a roguish quality, his gaze fixed directly on her exquisite, alluring collarbone.

"You!" Furious, Bai Luomei stood up, shoved Zhai Muli aside, walked into the house, returned to her room, and locked the door tight.

Zhai Muli stood where he was, watching her departing figure, his vision slowly beginning to blur.

He retreated two steps and sat back down in his previous chair, closing his eyes and leaning against the backrest while suppressing the dizziness. He sighed bitterly to himself: Was it too much of a strain after all?

The Zhai family's mind-reading was powerful, but the mental exertion it consumed was immense!

In his earlier years, to protect the Zhai family, he had frequently used this ability to defeat his enemies. Sometimes, he had even gone so far as to overdraw his mental strength to achieve his goals.

As a result, he was now unable to use his "mind-reading" ability at will. Moreover, each use increased the risk of him going blind.

And just now, he had actually used this ability just to see through Bai Luomei’s thoughts!

Zhai Muli felt that he was becoming increasingly unable to understand his own inner thoughts.

--------

After five days in a coma, Jiang Mohe finally woke up. Yuan Man informed Xianyu Ling of the news immediately.

The gloom that had lingered in Xianyu Ling's heart for days instantly dissipated. She sent a message to Nangong Ao, telling him she wished to visit Jiang Mohe.

Nangong Ao agreed; after all, it was thanks to Jiang Mohe’s all-out protection that Xianyu Ling had emerged unscathed.

Unable to contain her excitement, Xianyu Ling tidied herself up and rushed to the Research Department.

Ning Wenyan accompanied her. She, too, felt deep gratitude toward the person who had saved Xianyu Ling’s life.

When Yuan Man saw Xianyu Ling, she couldn't help but tease her, "My dear, the boy has only just woken up, and the doctors are still running tests on him. Why are you in such a hurry to get here?"

After saying this, she gave her an ambiguous wink.

Xianyu Ling avoided her playful gaze and ignored her.

Ning Wenyan felt something was a bit strange, but she didn't ask further.

Yuan Man had her assistant take over her duties and personally led them to the research ward on the eighth floor.

When the elevator reached the eighth floor and the three of them stepped out, they saw several people gathered in front of the ward down the hall.

As they got closer, they realized the group consisted of female assistants from the Research Department.

They were crowded around the ward door, eyes peering through the large glass window, whispering and sighing in amazement.

"Is that the 'anomaly' Dr. Qiao called a 'miracle'? He really came back to life!"

"It’s truly magical! When he was brought in a few days ago, he looked like a corpse..."

"What corpse? Have you ever seen a corpse this handsome?"