Chapter 430 Chapter 428: My Skin Declares 'Never Love Orange': There'S None Like Me In This World
Chapter 428: My Skin Declares 'Never Love Orange': There'S None Like Me In This World
The ranks of my enemies have grown.
Si Chen emerged from Chi Xiaocheng's room, leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes, and involuntarily drew a deep breath.
He had spoken much with Chi Xiaocheng recently. While they hadn't explicitly touched upon the unspoken, he had more or less pieced together his current predicament and circumstances.
And... his identity.
His fate was predetermined, to be controlled by others, leaving him powerless to resist or escape. Casting his gaze upon the vast world, wasn't he, too, merely a minor player, just like Yu Hui?
Si Chen didn't truly care about the world's true nature. To him, this was simply the world he inhabited. What he wished to resist, what stifled him and was utterly unacceptable, was the thought of living solely as another's puppet. His more than a decade within the Si family, right up until his expulsion from the capital and his forced existence in Jiuzhou City, had been a period of living as a family puppet that he had utterly grown sick of.
And now you tell me that even after escaping that family, I remain nothing more than a controllable, minor character who can be crushed at any moment?
Hah!
Previously, Si Chen's loyalty to Chi Xiaocheng had been largely pragmatic, driven by his desire to leverage Chi Xiaocheng's backing and Su Tao's War God father to reclaim his place in the Si family. A smaller part stemmed from his friendship with Chi Xiaocheng, earning her trust.
But now, his allegiance to Chi Xiaocheng was about living for himself!
Even if this world sought to manipulate him, he would never compromise!
Si Chen opened his tightly shut eyes, exhaled a long, measured breath, and the conviction in his gaze grew even firmer.
Regulating his emotions and reverting to his usual demeanor, Si Chen turned and knocked on the door of a lounge where Su Tao was staying. Upon hearing the girl's flat 'Come in,' Si Chen sensed that the atmosphere was subtly amiss.
Su Tao sat on a chair, legs crossed, and though she clearly had to look up to meet Si Chen's gaze, the girl exuded an overwhelmingly forceful aura from head to toe. She seemed somewhat displeased. Yet, it lacked a certain edge; the conflict and struggle on the girl's face were perhaps more pronounced. A closer look would reveal a hint of resolve hidden within her eyes.
Si Chen pulled out a chair and sat opposite Su Tao. 'I've always found you a bit odd,' he said mildly, 'but you seem particularly so today. Just tell me directly, what is it you want to discuss?'
Su Tao closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath. With a determined resolve, she slowly exhaled, 'Si Chen, I've long felt we needed to have a proper talk—the kind where we keep things separate.'
Si Chen nodded. 'Alright, speak your mind. I have time today; I'm listening.'
Su Tao nodded earnestly. 'Firstly, regarding your assistance to Xiaocheng and me, I've always been profoundly grateful. I also wish to offer you something in return, but... with my limited power, there's little I can do. So, I want to ask about my father first.'
'Are there any further updates on him?' Su Tao's left hand traced the back of her right. 'If he returns, I'm uncertain how he'll treat me, but I still hope to leverage his influence to repay you, to help you reclaim your position as the Si family heir.'
Si Chen's kindness had to be repaid. Even if he himself didn't care, Su Tao couldn't bring herself to shamelessly keep benefiting from his assistance. That father, of whom she held a rather unfavorable impression, had ironically become the sole means by which she could repay Si Chen.
Though Si Chen wished to give Su Tao a precise answer, the thought of Su Dingtian's affairs only made him sigh helplessly. 'There's no new information about your father,' he said. 'The most I can say is that the organization he belongs to has undergone very frequent personnel shifts, but beyond that, nothing is clear.'
'Alright.'
Su Tao pursed her lips. It seemed the matter of repayment would have to be indefinitely postponed.
Si Chen, being a psychology student, instantly discerned Su Tao's thoughts. 'Honestly, you have no reason to feel awkward,' he said. 'Whether it's you or Chi Xiaocheng, we're already so close; helping you both is no trouble at all. Furthermore, Oriental Yang and I are, by nature, tasked with maintaining the stability of Jiuzhou City. When a lawless individual like Chu Lingfeng emerges, eliminating him is our primary objective; protecting you and Chi Xiaocheng is merely a convenient byproduct.'
It was only Su Tao, with her fiercely independent nature, who would overthink such matters. Anyone else would have long since comfortably and unreservedly enjoyed such protection. They might even have inwardly rejoiced.
But isn't it precisely this kind of personality that compels others to actively come to her aid?
However, Si Chen failed to notice that immediately after his words, Su Tao's previously composed expression grew even more discontent. The girl bit her lip, fixing her gaze intently on Si Chen, and slowly, word by word, articulated, 'This is it—your underlying reason for helping me, for helping Xiaocheng—that's the second matter I wish to address!'
'Hm?' Si Chen failed to grasp the full meaning of Su Tao's words.
'What I mean is!' Su Tao suddenly slammed the table, rising to her feet, her eyes gradually tinging with red. 'You're still fond of Xiaocheng, aren't you!'
A 'crack' echoed from the center of the unadorned room.
Si Chen followed the sound with his gaze, horrified to discover that the rosewood table, struck by Su Tao's palm, had begun to develop cracks that steadily radiated outwards from the point of impact. The entire table seemed to tremble.
Table HP -100
Was this the divine power of the War God's bloodline? It was somewhat alarming, but fortunately, Su Tao was still suppressing her impulses, and rationality remained dominant.
However, Si Chen now understood why Su Tao had been looking at him with such a peculiar gaze these past few days.
With a hint of scorn in his eyes, he smiled disdainfully, 'So that's what this is about. You thought I was romantically interested in Xiaocheng, didn't you?' He tugged at the tie on his suit, then placed a hand on the side of his neck, gently twisting it to produce a crisp pop, all while a strange, knowing smile crept onto his lips.
'Fortunately, I came prepared!'
With a practiced, forceful tug, Si Chen ripped off his tie with a 'whoosh' sound, the fabric sliding away with extreme smoothness. He then straightened himself, shucked off his suit jacket, and turned to face Su Tao directly. His 1.9-meter height and the broad chest beneath his white shirt exuded an indescribable sense of dominance.
Even Su Tao, whose single slap had rendered a table nearly unusable, couldn't help but be momentarily stunned by Si Chen's confident presence. She instinctively took a step back. 'What are you doing?'
'Hmph~!' Si Chen flashed a wicked smile, then leaned back in a strategic pose, abruptly placing both hands over his chest and grasping the pure white shirt. Thrusting his chest forward, Si Chen sensuously twisted his upper body, and with a resounding 'rip,' the entire white shirt was utterly torn to shreds!
Upon his robust pectoral muscles and his strikingly defined abdominal muscles, several sharply etched characters were astonishingly revealed.
They read—
Never Love Orange!
Beyond these words, there were even decorative patterns surrounding them, appearing to enhance the characters themselves!
'This...'
Su Tao was utterly bewildered, momentarily struck dumb. She pointed at Si Chen, her hand trembling with anger. 'What is the meaning of this? Not only are you fond of Xiaocheng, but you actually intend to tattoo her name onto your body?!'
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