Chapter 154: Threads that refuse to break

The moment Ru Yi was pulled into the alley, the world narrowed into motion and pure instinct.

Her body reacted before her thoughts could catch up as her back hit the cold stone wall, with her hand twisted sharply in the grip that held her. Firm and unyielding.

The daylight from the main road barely reached into the narrow passage, shadows stretching long and uneven across the ground.

And for a brief second all Ru Yi could register was the force of the hold and the closeness of another presence before her gaze snapped upward.

Recognition settled in her brown eyes.

"Han Shuying." The name was said in annoyance before her pulse started to quicken beneath the surface.

Han Shuying stood too close, her fingers still wrapped tightly around Ru Yi’s wrist as if letting go was not an option she was willing to consider.

Her expression simmered with an emotion that went beyond simple irritation...it was far more consuming.

"Ru Yi...it’s an honour to meet with you once again." Han Shuying’s voice was low and controlled. "Do you remember this?"

Ru Yi followed Han Shuying’s gaze, and that was when she noticed it.

The bracelet.

It was still on Han Shuying’s wrist and in perfect shape. But she had broken it and watched the helpless beads roll across the floor.

Except now— each bead was threaded back into place, though not perfectly. The pattern was slightly off, the space uneven in a way that suggested time had been taken, effort spent...but not enough to return it to its original form.

Ru Yi said nothing, because she understood immediately. Han Shuying hadn’t replaced it, she’d simply rebuilt it.

"I had to crawl through that entire bathhouse," Han Shuying continued through gritted teeth. The memory alone was enough to irritate her even more. "Every corner, every drain...do you have no idea how long that took?"

Her tone sharpened with each word, edged with a hint of obsession that lingered too long on the detail that she retrieved a bracelet that could’ve been simply discarded.

Ru Yi’s gaze lingered on the bracelet for another second before lifting back to Han Shuying’s face. "You found all of them."

It wasn’t a question.

Han Shuying’s lips pressed into a thin line. "Of course I did."

There was no hesitation in her answer, no room for doubt. Like the very idea of leaving even one bead had never been an option.

That was when Ru Yi saw it fully. Not just the anger, or irritation that was layered in Han Shuying’s eyes... it was the fixation.

She looked at the bracelet before keeping her sight on the ground. "You could’ve left it. It’s just an ordinary bracelet I got from the night market."

The planes of Han Shuying’s face hardened in anger. "You gave it to me," was her only explanation. To her it was more than enough. "Even if you break it a thousand times, I’ll fix it all over again until my fingers bleed."

Ru Yi didn’t push. She knew there was no reasoning with her. "Can you release me now? My wrist hurts."

Han Shuying immediately dropped her hands, but she didn’t apologize for the slight bruise her fingers left behind. "We’re leaving right away."

Ru Yi rubbed her wrists, hissing from the pain. "Leaving?" Between the ring and Qingyue leaving, she’d forgotten all about Han Shuyin’s threat to take her back to the capital.

"I hope you’ve said your sweet little goodbye to the princesses," Han Shuying said in a sweet voice that was more strange than pleasurable to the ear.

Ru Yi held eye contact. "I’m not finished here."

Han Shuying shrugged, "I don’t see how that’s my problem. I’ve let you have your fair share of fun."

This was the worst timing ever. "Look, can we do this another time? There’s a lot going on right now, I can’t leave them."

Han Shuying leaned casually on the opposite wall. "I still don’t see how that’s my problem." Her eyes narrowed slightly, measuring the distance between compliance and resistance. She tried to decide which would be easier to deal with.

"Han Shuying..."

"It’s fine, we can go in so I can have a little conversation with the princesses first," Han Shuying said softly. "Maybe it’s time to tell them the reason their plan backfired in court and they got exiled."

Ru Yi’s eyes went wide. "You can’t do that."

"Someone planted the Empress’s seal in Yexue’s chamber," Han Shuying raised a questioning brow. "I wonder who that could’ve been. Do you know?"

Ru Yi tried to slow down her breathing, annoyance coursing through her veins. Why was Han Shuying bent on taking her back to the capital?

"Things are a bit rough now," Ru Yi tried to reason with her. "I can’t just abandon them right now."

Red flashed in Han Shuying’s eyes. "But you could abandon me."

Ru Yi was confused. "When did I ever abandon you? I think you’ve forgotten that you’re the one who almost got me killed. How am I supposed to trust that you’re not just going to hand me over to the Empress?"

"I don’t like to share what’s mine, Ru Yi." She folded her arms over her chest. "I can assure your safety from the Empress. Besides, she believes that you’re dead."

"Why do you want to take me back so bad? There’s nothing else I can offer you."

"I know." Han Shuying pushed off the wall. "I’m just going to keep you by my side until I understand why I’m feeling this way. I’ll figure out what to do with you after that."

"I don’t mind going back, but it can’t be right now." Ru Yi’s voice was pleading. She was willing to kneel on the hard ground and plead her case. "Can you give me a few days?"

"You’re not in the position to make demands. Don’t think I won’t tell the princesses all I know. Then we can see if you’ll remain their sweet little toy."

Ru Yi closed her eyes as she dropped to her knees. "I have a proposal for you."

That caught Han Shuying’s undivided attention. "What is it?"

Ru Yi took a deep breath before opening her eyes. "Do you know the route to Ashen Fortress?"