Chapter 70: Clear as a Mirror in the Heart

As dusk settled in, Nan Yu circled the area several times before finally finding Lin Zhiwei at the martial arts gym, cursing this little troublemaker a thousand times over in his heart.

He had searched the studio, the neighborhood, even the supermarket she frequented, yet she didn’t say a word, didn’t answer his messages, and made him run all over until his legs were about to give out.

Lin Zhiwei, headphones on, was pounding away at the punching bag, sweat streaming down her face. By now, she had returned to her natural appearance, her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. Her fair, fresh face was beaded with sweat, her expression serious and focused.

She controlled the force of every strike with precision, borrowing power from the bag’s recoil at just the right moment.

Nan Yu was momentarily distracted. In this, at least, Lin Zhiwei’s serious demeanor truly resembled the Lord, especially when she was in a bad mood. Their ways of venting were remarkably similar.

Leaning against a pillar, Nan Yu hovered within her line of sight. Seeing how absorbed she was, he didn’t have the heart to interrupt, only feeling the tremors in the bag with each blow. He clicked his tongue—just what kind of blow had she suffered to take it out so mercilessly on the poor bag?

Noticing Nan Yu’s inscrutable expression, Lin Zhiwei stopped, removed her headphones, and asked, “What is it?”

“It’s me who should be asking you that, Little Lin. After all these years, your way of venting is still so rough,” Nan Yu said helplessly, shaking his head and tossing her a bottle of water.

Lin Zhiwei caught the bottle and drank greedily. The icy water sent a rush of coolness through her, her pores opening instantly, and she felt much better.

“Tell me,” Nan Yu glanced at her, “do you really not see that Ling Ziheng is interested in you?”

Lin Zhiwei capped the bottle and paused. “I know.”

“You do?” Nan Yu leaned in, bewildered. “If you know, why act as if you don’t? You give him nothing to go on. You’re both smart people—can’t you just be straightforward?”

Lin Zhiwei looked at him calmly, her voice utterly composed. “Nan Yu, understanding doesn’t mean I stop thinking. Ling Ziheng is thinking too. For people like us, the sense of real-world danger always outweighs the impulse of emotion.”

Nan Yu was left speechless. He was used to seeing Lin Zhiwei joking around or being decisive and sharp, but this version—so calm and unruffled...

Could it be she remembered? Her expression, her tone—it was exactly...

Impossible. The Lord had said it wouldn’t happen so soon.

Cautiously, Nan Yu asked, “Little Lin, have you been feeling dizzy, nauseous, or dreaming a lot lately?”

Lin Zhiwei glanced at him in confusion. “A little, yes. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, nothing,” Nan Yu said quickly. “I just think you’re under too much pressure and overthinking things. This is really just a question of whether or not you like him—why make it so hard on yourself?”

Lin Zhiwei sighed softly. “I know what you mean. If I like him, I should say yes; if not, just refuse.”

Nan Yu nodded repeatedly. Exactly—that’s what he meant. So, do you like him or not?

Burying her head in her arms, Lin Zhiwei struggled in pain. “I don’t know. And I don’t want to know. Thinking about it just gives me a headache.”

Nan Yu gripped her arm anxiously. “Then... just don’t think about it. I only wanted to remind you—Ling Ziheng’s rival isn’t simple. Whether you like him or not, now that we’re all on the same boat, we need to be careful.”

Lin Zhiwei tilted her head back, took a deep breath, and returned to her usual self. “I understand.”

Nan Yu swallowed the rest of what he wanted to say. He couldn’t—there was still so much he wasn’t allowed to say...

“Nan Yu, are you hiding something from me?”

Lin Zhiwei’s gaze swept over him, her expression cold and distant, beautiful in a soul-stealing way—like a flower blooming on a shadowed cliff—but so icy it was suffocating, devoid of any warmth.

Nan Yu froze on the spot. That expression, that tone... it was just too familiar...

He blinked, eyes wide, and replied guiltily, “Of course not... why would you think that?”

Lin Zhiwei arched a brow, the chill at the corner of her mouth spreading, hanging over Nan Yu’s heart without warning.

“Good. I hope not.”

Nan Yu’s heart pounded so loudly he could almost hear it. His instincts screamed at him to stay calm, but the deep-seated fear in his mind left him speechless.

“I know what you’re worried about. Once I’ve sorted out my assessment and Ling Ziheng’s rival, I’ll consider my own future seriously. So stop fussing, old mother hen,” Lin Zhiwei said, her tone returning to its usual ease.

What Nan Yu had said was indeed what had been troubling her lately. She could see Ling Ziheng’s intentions, but her real worry stemmed from a lack of confidence in herself.

She wanted to ask whether he liked the Lin Zhiwei behind that plain, unremarkable face from before, or the Lin Zhiwei now—so changed she barely recognized herself.

For years, she’d wondered: was regaining her looks really so important? Was she being true to herself, or merely letting her appearance dictate her fate? Was her future to be a leader, or a deserter...

Once, she only wanted to live freely, unrestrained. But after discovering she was nothing but a caged canary under Lin Qiongjiu’s protection, she doubted herself again. With her abilities, how long could she truly live unprotected? How could she keep her parents safe?

These questions surged over her in waves, nearly crushing her. No one had ever told her what to do. She was simply groping her way along a dim, narrow path by herself.

Sometimes she wondered if she’d had memory lapses, or mystical experiences like memories from a past life. Why had her mind become so chaotic lately?

Perhaps this was Lin Qiongjiu’s real reason for letting her go—to find herself, and then choose her own life.

When everything became clear, she would ask Ling Ziheng the question directly. She understood the words he hadn’t spoken that night. Since he, too, had his doubts, let things take their natural course.

Of course she liked him. But this affection was so cautious, so heavy, she could only tuck it into some quiet corner of her heart and let it flutter there.

“Don’t think of me as such a coward, Nan Yu,” Lin Zhiwei said with a gentle laugh.

Her smile was as dazzling as a blooming peony, bright and radiant. This was the true Lin Zhiwei. Nan Yu knew that Little Lin was never one to shrink from anything—she simply cared too much for those around her, wishing everyone well and safe.

“Of course I’m on your side,” he replied, flashing a goofy, white-toothed grin.

He had never imagined that, even given a second chance, Lin Zhiwei would still choose him. Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps, no matter what changed, people’s subconscious would always make the same choice first.

“Let it be him, then.”

That icy, emotionless voice still echoed faintly in his ears, the cold smile at her lips so chilling it made him shudder...

Nan Yu returned to himself and saw that Lin Zhiwei had already turned away, fully absorbed once more in sparring with the punching bag, her brows furrowed, her expression inscrutable...

Perhaps that moment was drawing near...