From Apocalypse Boss to Farmer: My Vegetables Make Me Stronger!-Chapter 157 - 148: Courtesy Demands Reciprocity

"Why did you go after Xiaonan?" In the dim room, the woman’s voice sounded particularly languid and alluring.

Ye Xin propped her chin on one hand, gazing at the person on the light screen opposite her. She was as elegant and composed as ever, as if they weren’t discussing the life or death of her own biological daughter.

The person on the light screen was completely enveloped in black mist, obscuring their face. One could only roughly judge from their tall build that it was probably a man.

Even the man’s voice was a synthesized, mechanical sound, utterly cold and emotionless. "Rest assured, Qian Liu knows his limits. His Metal Skill broke through level nine long ago. He wouldn’t have actually hurt your daughter." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Is that so?" Ye Xin raised an eyebrow and gave an alluring little laugh. "But from what I understand, if Xiaonan’s teammate hadn’t been right beside her when it happened, that bullet would have pierced through her head by now."

"You’re worrying too much," the man opposite her said. "Even if that person hadn’t stepped in to save your daughter, Qian Liu would have changed the bullet’s trajectory at the last second. He wouldn’t have actually hurt her. At most, it would have only been a scratch."

And for someone with a Healing Ability, was that even a problem?

Ye Xin nodded, as if accepting his explanation.

She leaned back slightly, resting against the back of her chair and giving a lazy yawn. "But why are you avoiding my original question?"

"Out with it. Why, exactly, did you go after Xiaonan?" Ye Xin’s eyes narrowed, a hint of danger in her gaze.

But the man on the light screen said, "I’m helping you."

"Oh?" Ye Xin raised a noncommittal eyebrow and blew lightly on her fingertips.

The man said, "Haven’t you always wanted to set your daughter up with Ye Junhan? My actions gave you the perfect opportunity to confirm how much she means to him. Is that not helping you?"

"And did you find out what you wanted to know?" Ye Xin asked, tilting her head slightly, her expression languid and alluring.

The man fell silent.

But Ye Xin smiled. "I suspect what you really wanted to confirm wasn’t how much Xiaonan means to Junhan, was it?"

After a moment of silence, the man said, "But I am, in fact, helping you."

"Help me?" Ye Xin lifted a hand to toy with a lock of her long hair, lazily raising an eyebrow. "Help me with what?"

But the man just stared at her and said, "Ye Xin, don’t forget. You were the one who handed that glass of wine to Xiaoxi all those years ago."

Ye Xin froze, and the strand of hair slipped silently from her fingers.

She slowly raised her head to look at the man on the light screen, her expression earnest. "But back then, I didn’t know there was anything wrong with the wine."

So much so that after what happened to Gu Xi, Ye Xin was trapped in a state of self-blame, guilt, and regret for a very long time.

’If I hadn’t been so swept up in the thrill of victory back then... if I had just been a bit more cautious and checked the wine before giving it to Xiaoxi, maybe none of this would have happened to her.’

But there are no ’what ifs’ in this world.

Every time Ye Xin thought of that wine, she was consumed by regret. Her actions grew more and more radical, until she finally made a terrible mistake...

"Ye Xin, do you really think you can turn back now, after everything that’s happened?"

"And why can’t I?" Ye Xin slowly sat up straight, her gaze turning cold as she looked at the man. "I truly didn’t know there was anything wrong with the wine back then. That is a fact. I believe... Xiaoxi will believe me..."

"Really?" the man interrupted. "Perhaps Xiaoxi would have believed you before. But after today?"

"What do you mean?" Ye Xin’s eyes narrowed.

But the man said, "Ye Xin, you’ve always been a smart woman. You know when to make the choice that benefits you most. That was true then, and it should be true now."

This time, Ye Xin fell silent.

After a long moment, she looked up and sneered, "So, that’s why you chose to go after Xiaonan today?"

"You want to drive a wedge between me and Gu Xi? Make her think I orchestrated this whole drama just to win back her trust?"

Ye Xin rose to her feet, planting her hands on the desk and staring intently at the man on the light screen as she demanded an answer.

"Not driving a wedge," the man chuckled. "I told you, I’m just helping you." *Helping you make the right choice.*

Ye Xin watched him, then suddenly smiled.

"You’re right." She settled back into her chair, her usual elegant and alluring expression returning. "So, to thank you for your help, I’ve prepared a special gift for you as well."

’It’s only polite to return a gift, after all.’

"I do hope you’ll like it."

As Ye Xin smiled her sweet, dazzling smile, the light screen opposite her abruptly went dark.

She curled her lips into a mocking smile. ’So impatient?’

’Then again, after all these years, he’s never had much patience.’

...

Gu Xi calmly walked up to the man and held up the Blood-colored Shura Mask.

"I hear this is yours?"

The young man, whose expression had been savage, instinctively avoided her gaze. But he quickly recovered and raised his eyes to meet Gu Xi’s.

Gu Xi sighed. "I wonder, did the person backing you ever tell you that there are some things you shouldn’t just take?" ’Especially my things.’

’If you take them, you will pay the price!’

The young man glanced down at the mask, then snapped his head up to look at Ye Junhan by the door. He let out a grim, strange laugh. "Ye Junhan, do you have any idea who she is—"

The man’s eyes shot wide open.

He slowly lowered his head, staring at the thorn that had somehow pierced his throat. The color drained rapidly from his face, along with... the power within his body.

’No!’

He wanted to struggle, to resist, to scream, but he couldn’t do a thing. He could only watch helplessly as he was turned into a powerless cripple.

At the same time, Ye Junhan drew back the foot he had just started to move forward.

’Too late...’

He looked up at Gu Xi, not far away.

’This girl’s movements... so fast.’

The sharp thorn had already reverted to the form of a small green sprout, twining around Gu Xi’s fingertip, looking utterly harmless.

But just a moment ago, right under his nose, it had instantly crippled a peak level-nine power user.

Ye Junhan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Gu Xi looked down, toying with the tender leaves of her precious sprout. She turned toward Ye Junhan. "Now, you can interrogate him."

Behind her, the man, whose body was rapidly deteriorating and face was ashen, looked up at Gu Xi in disbelief. ’He never expected her to strike without a single word of warning, and then just walk away without a backward glance after she was done.’

’Wasn’t she worried he would expose her identity?’

Gu Xi’s thoughts: ’What’s there to worry about? The military already delivered the Blood-colored Shura Mask right to me. They’ve probably known my identity for a while now, haven’t they?’

Ye Junhan lowered his gaze to the young woman before him. Her face was still pale, making her look fragile and pitiful, yet in the blink of an eye, she had crippled a peak level-nine power user.

’Ruthless, decisive, and completely undisguised.’

’Or perhaps... she felt no need to hide it at all?’

Ye Junhan averted his gaze, turned to open the door behind him, and stepped to the side.

Gu Xi tossed the mask behind her and strode out of the cell.

As they passed each other, Ye Junhan suddenly spoke. "I told you I would give you an answer about this."

Gu Xi’s steps faltered for a moment, but she didn’t turn around.

The man lowered his gaze to her hand hanging at her side. The little green sprout was coiled obediently around her fingertip, showing no trace of its earlier ferocity.

"After the interrogation results are in," he said, calmly looking away. His gaze, however, inadvertently brushed past the young woman’s small, fair, and delicate earlobe, and he immediately lowered his eyes. "...Whatever the outcome, I will tell you."

The man’s voice was as cool as ever, but for some reason, Gu Xi detected a hint of nervousness in it.

’The "answer" he was talking about clearly wasn’t just about the recent assassination attempt on her in the planting zone.’

Gu Xi understood, and she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

「After a long moment.」

She turned back and gave the man a long, searching look.

"Alright. Ye Junhan, I’ll be waiting for your answer."