What?! I Became the Zombie Beauty in the Villain’s Arms – CH89

Chapter 89: Self-crossing

Two sharp fangs were exposed simultaneously, but they didn’t pierce his skin. Like a flirtatious tease, she grazed him lightly before pulling back just a fraction.

Duan Xiaolin seemed to enjoy it. Pinching her chin, he asked, “What was that?”

Though cautious inwardly, Pei Xiqing spoke with striking boldness. “Fine, I’ll seduce you,” she murmured. “Do you dare to take the bait?”

No matter how humanity evolved, they would always remain a species driven by desire. The intensity of that desire mirrored their deepest longings. Yet, some were masters of disguise, even better at hiding their true selves. Their hearts were unpredictable, their sincerity impossible to measure. But once genuinely moved, even they could not escape the fate of being consumed by desire.

Before Pei Xiqing, Duan Xiaolin had shown little of this human vitality. Though his actions were often bold and decisive, his heart had long remained an empty, hazy void.

She opened her eyes, meeting his intense gaze. “Duan Xiaolin, do you really want me to bite you? If something goes wrong, you’ll turn into a zombie.”

Duan Xiaolin’s gaze swept over her red lips. Leaning in, he whispered into her ear, his low voice tinged with danger, “Are you truly willing to stay by my side forever?”

Pei Xiqing paused.

He smiled softly. “It’s okay. Even if you run away, I will find you and bring you back.”

She looked at Duan Xiaolin. The man’s eyes were sharp with calculation. He continued, “You should know who Ling Lang likes, right? He came to see you today, and I highly doubt he was just passing by.”

Pei Xiqing’s heart skipped a beat. She slowly closed her eyes. Her silence was her immediate answer; the truth had already been spoken without words.

In the dim, quiet living room, the only sound was the intimate rhythm of their breathing. The moment she tried to shift her wrist, the man clamped down on her hand, locking her in place.

She could clearly sense an uncontrollable, simmering emotion rolling off Duan Xiaolin—anger. How could he ever truly be indifferent? All that gentleness and understanding from a moment ago had been an illusion. From beginning to end, this man remained the most difficult person to read.

“I’m sorry,” she said, lowering her eyes. “I think pretending to be ignorant is the best way to preserve your dignity and your relationship as brothers. Sometimes, rather than being the smartest person in the room, it’s better to play the fool. Does my choice to do that mean nothing to you?”

From the moment Ling Lang first opened his mouth, she had guessed a fraction of the truth. The look in his eyes afterward had triggered an unprecedented sense of crisis within her. She simply hadn’t dared to bet on whether the person he spoke of was actually her. Even with a fifty percent certainty, the remaining half of the decision lay entirely with Ling Lang.

As long as he refused to admit it, this problem would never truly surface. Even if there were clues, what could they prove? The person involved would never confess. Regardless of whether his feelings were true or false, or whether they were truly meant for her, no one had the right to question or speculate about another person’s private heart.

Listening patiently to his story, honoring his rare willingness to share his past, letting him bring up Duan Xiaolin, and playing along to keep the peace—that was the best way she could show him respect.

Pei Xiqing continued softly, “Brother Duan, whether Ling Lang was being sincere or just joking around, or if it’s someone like Gu He causing trouble, these kinds of situations will only increase in the future. I’m a very open-minded person. I don’t care about anything that happened in the past, and I refuse to be trapped by rumors. It doesn’t matter what people say. Even when others pointed their fingers at me and cursed me, I faced them openly.”

“They tried to use my past to humiliate me, to trample on my self-esteem and ruin my reputation. To me, that just proves how useless and pathetic they are. What kind of person tries to destroy a woman using such underhanded methods?”

“And now, because I care about you, I take your feelings into consideration. To be completely frank, I can’t control the hearts of others, but I have absolute control over my own.”

Her tone was firm and unyielding. While she could sometimes be timid and adapt her attitude to survive a situation, in this moment, the profound strength and tenderness in her heart were unmistakable.

A long silence stretched between them after she finished speaking. Duan Xiaolin stared at her closely, his dark eyes behind his lenses dim, as if violently suppressing something deep within. Pei Xiqing had no idea if he had truly absorbed her words. Truthfully, she was still feeling quite nervous.

Taking the initiative, she shuffled closer and gently rubbed the palm of his hand, accidentally brushing against his knee. He remained as silent and unreadable as an impenetrable wall of steel, just watching her. Pei Xiqing raised her hand and rested it gently against his cheek. His skin felt cool to the touch; the lingering heat from his recent shower had already faded.

Seeing that he made no move to stop her, she let her fingertips trace the edge of his glasses frame. The silver rim had a cold, ruthless texture—sharp and unforgiving. A sudden urge overcame her to take them off for him.

He usually exuded the aura of a mature, sophisticated man—languid yet terrifyingly rational. It was an aura that inspired fear, awe, and an uncontrollable, fatal fascination. Although she had never witnessed him wielding his absolute power back in Franlun, she could easily picture his ruthlessness just by looking at him. That was especially true now, right after he had stepped out of the shower.

Just ten minutes ago in the bathroom, she had actually been secretly watching him, though he certainly hadn’t known it. She had seen his bare upper body, packed with a coiled, masculine strength that rivaled any high-tier ability user. The sight had made her feel weak in the knees, filling her with a sudden, intense craving to be kissed and held by him, to push boundaries and do much more extreme things.

“Brother Duan, you…” As the thought crossed her mind, her fingers fumbled against the frame. While she was speaking, the glasses accidentally slipped from her grasp and tumbled to the floor.

Fortunately, they landed on the thick carpet and didn’t shatter. However, they looked incredibly expensive, and the impact had knocked one of the lenses loose from its housing.

The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment. Pei Xiqing’s eyelashes fluttered in panic. Oh no.

She immediately scooped them up, cradling the frame in her palm as she frantically tried to snap the lens back into place. “Brother Duan…”

“Hmm?” Duan Xiaolin seemed to snap out of his trance only then. He responded nonchalantly, though his voice was noticeably hoarse, and a dark, heavy glint of lust now swirled in his eyes.

The lenses seemed to be specially processed. Aside from their exterior appearance, their internal structure was completely different from anything manufactured in the modern era. No matter how she twisted it, the lens refused to snap back in. Her mind was already racing, calculating how much she would have to pay to compensate him. The glasses looked absurdly expensive.

But to her utter shock, he suddenly snatched the glasses from her hands and tossed them casually aside. She watched helplessly as they clattered onto the coffee table, the impact ensuring the lens would never be easily fixed again.

Immediately after, Duan Xiaolin pinched her chin, tilting her face up to meet his intense gaze. “Are you still going to bite?”

He had mentally logged every single word she had just spoken. He had always deeply admired her unyielding determination and fierce independence.

The dynamic between him and Pei Xiqing was never some one-sided delusion. On the contrary, he knew exactly what he was doing, even as his desire for her grew increasingly out of control.

A low, dark laugh escaped his chest. “If you don’t bite me now… I’m afraid you won’t get the chance to do it later.”

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