Chương 199: The War Over Ownership Resumes

Jiying's consciousness, like a bubble slowly rising from a bottomless abyss, gradually returned to her body.

Jiying's memory was still stuck on the moment when she exhausted her energy to clear the violent alien energy from Xingxian's body, and then fell into a coma due to exhaustion.

The first thing she regained was her sense of touch. She felt as if her body was being tightly embraced by an exceptionally warm and soft presence, and a faint, cool fragrance lingered around her nose.

The fragrance was completely different from the scents carried by Liuli and Yinxue, yet it felt strangely familiar to her. The regular and steady heartbeat was clearly transmitted to her ears through the thin clothing, bringing a peculiar sense of security.

Ji Ying lifted her heavy eyelids, her gaze still somewhat blank. She blinked hard a few times, and her vision gradually cleared after the initial few seconds of blurriness.

The first thing that catches the eye is a soft, pale purple fabric, and a few strands of hair of the same color scattered on it. The faint light coming through the broken window frame shines on it with warmth, which seems a little dazzling to Ji Ying.

She turned her stiff neck with some effort, her gaze shifting slightly upwards, and she immediately saw Xingxian's unguarded, doll-like, serene sleeping face. A few strands of her soft, light purple hair fell onto her cheeks, causing a slight tickle.

"A few seconds later, Ji Ying belatedly realized that she was being held tightly in the other person's arms in an extremely intimate manner, with her head even resting on the other person's chest."

Her brain completely shut down at that moment.

—Why, why did it turn out like this?!

She instantly recalled everything that had happened before. So now—without a doubt, after she fell into a coma, Xingxian not only woke up before her, but also—and even took the initiative to do something so—excessively bold to her?!

Realizing this, an indescribable sense of shame and absurdity instantly welled up in her heart, and Jiying subconsciously wanted to break free from the embrace that made her feel extremely embarrassed.

However, she had barely moved when she felt the arms around her waist tighten suddenly. Even in her sleep, Xingxian was still holding her tightly, as if afraid that the precious treasure in her arms would suddenly disappear.

In addition, with her energy depleted and her body weak, she couldn't muster much strength. Her feeble struggles were completely ineffective against Xingxian's subconscious actions.

"Ugh—Xingxian, let go of me—wake up—" Jiying tried to call out in a low voice, hoping to wake up the guy who was holding her so tightly.

But when her gaze fell upon the other person's peaceful and serene sleeping face, a pang of reluctance arose in her heart, and the words she was about to say involuntarily caught in her throat.

In her sleep, Xingxian shed her usual guardedness and aloofness, her delicate face radiating a rare gentleness and peace of mind, making her look like a completely unguarded child.

No—she is just a child, but her usual behavior makes it easy to subconsciously overlook this fact.

After that fierce battle, Xingxian must have been under immense pressure. To be able to sleep so soundly without any defenses must have been a rare luxury for her.

"Never mind—let her sleep a little longer."

Ji Ying sighed helplessly in his heart, just as he was about to give up struggling, letting the other person hold him, and waiting to regain some strength before making any further plans—

"Xiao Li, is this the place?!"

A voice she knew all too well, filled with anxiety and worry, suddenly came clearly from the direction of the stairwell.

"Judging from the mark Xiaoying left me, she should be nearby!" another familiar voice replied.

It's Yin Xue and Liu Li! They've already found us?! How long have I been asleep?!

Ji Ying's heart clenched, and a fear even stronger than when Jing Jue had threatened her with hostages instantly swept over her entire body.

No! Absolutely not!

She could almost picture the horrific scene that would unfold—a veritable human tragedy—when Yin Xue and Liu Li rushed in, only to find herself not only awake but also unharmed, held tightly in the arms of Xing Xuan, with whom they had previously clashed.

I'm definitely going to be in big trouble!

At this moment, his will to survive reached its peak. In the critical moment, Ji Ying made the right choice: he immediately closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and tried his best to make himself look like he was still asleep.

The time was moved slightly forward.

"Splash!"

Although sunlight was already shining through the clouds on the distant horizon, the sky above this area remained covered with leaden-gray clouds, and fine drizzle continued to fall tirelessly.

Liuli and Yinxue transformed into two streaks of light of different colors, rapidly traversing through the rain and flying towards the unfinished building where Jiying and Xingxian were.

During the flight, Yin Xue's face lost all its usual smile, replaced by an unprecedented anxiety and solemnity.

She turned her head, her emerald green eyes fixed on her friend beside her, and asked in a slightly reproachful tone that she would never normally show to her friend, "Xiao Li, you'd better give me a reasonable explanation!"

-

"Why did Xiaoying do such a dangerous thing? Not only did you join in her foolishness, but you also conspired with her to keep it from me?!"

Faced with her friend's somewhat provocative question, Liuli's eyes dimmed, and a deep sense of grievance welled up in her heart.

But she didn't defend herself. She simply looked away from Yin Xue and gazed at the cluster of buildings in the distance, their outlines somewhat blurred in the rain. Her voice was so low it was almost drowned out by the sound of the rain: "—I'm sorry, Yin Xue."

Of course, she wanted to explain and tell her friend that she was just as worried about Xiaoying's safety.

After Jiying stepped into that unknown mirrored labyrinth, she stood alone by the puddle, enduring no less torment and worry than anyone else.

She wanted to tell Yuqing that shortly after they parted at noon, Xiaoying contacted her by phone, explained Xingxian's situation, and asked her to prepare herself, as she might have to cooperate with Xiaoying in a scene that would bring Jingjue into the picture soon.

Furthermore—she also instructed herself not to tell Yuqing about this, because Yuqing couldn't help with it, and she didn't want her to worry or get involved in any potential dangers.

However, she couldn't say any of these things.

Not telling Yuqing was a promise she made to Xiaoying, and she didn't regret doing so. She could also completely understand Yuqing's anger and loss of composure at this moment because she was worried about Xiaoying.

After all, in this world, there is probably no one who cares more about Xiaoying—or rather, Lin Che's safety—than the girl in front of them.

Seeing Liuli's stubborn expression—silent after apologizing, unwilling to defend herself, and only pursing her lips tightly—Yin Xue gradually calmed down and felt regret and self-blame.

She knew that her tone just now was indeed a bit too harsh, and she also knew very well that, given Xiao Li's personality, she would never deliberately hide anything from her unless there was a special reason.

She must have been instructed by Xiaoying before she chose to do this.

If I hadn't been unable to contact her after school and hadn't noticed that Xiaoli's expression was off and asked her about it, I probably would still be in the dark!

—Xiaoying—you idiot! Just you wait, I'll teach you a lesson later!

Thinking of this, Yin Xue took a deep breath and apologized, "I'm sorry, Xiao Li—I was a little too hasty just now."

Liuli gently shook her head: "It's alright, Yinxue, I understand."

Even so, a pang of sadness welled up in Liuli's heart, and her eyes stung slightly. She hurriedly turned her head away, trying to hide her emotions, and urged, "Let's—hurry up! Xiaoying must be waiting for us!"

"Yes!" Yin Xue nodded heavily.

The two said nothing more, but instead pushed their magical power to the limit, increasing their flight speed once again, and flew towards their destination.

Finally, after passing through the last curtain of rain, the dilapidated, unfinished building came into view.

However, when they arrived on the fifth floor with extreme worry and trepidation, the fierce battle they had anticipated...

The buildings destroyed by the aftershocks, and even—the scene they least wanted to see—did not appear.

What came into view was a scene that instantly stunned them both and filled them with a strong impact—a "warm" scene—a girl was half-lying against the wall, holding another girl tightly in her arms, and the two seemed to be fast asleep.

The petite, black-haired girl being held was none other than "Xiaoying," whom they were desperately searching for.

The other girl, dressed in a light purple combat suit, was Hoshino, the inspector from the magic kingdom whom they had only recently met.

What made them even more incredulous was that Ji Ying was being held tightly in the arms of the patrolman in an extremely intimate manner, her cute little face even pressed against his body, looking like she was sleeping soundly.

Yin Xue's expression changed several times in just a few seconds, from initial worry to astonishment to disbelief, and finally—frozen into a completely ashen face.

Her gaze involuntarily swept over Xingxian's impressive curves, then she silently lowered her head, glancing at her own breasts, which, while quite well-developed, were still slightly inferior in comparison.

"snort!"

The next moment, she snorted heavily, turned around abruptly, and said angrily to Liuli, "Let's go, Xiaoli, let's go back and ignore them!"

People outside were so worried about her, almost crying with anxiety, and here she was, sleeping soundly, cuddling with another woman?!

Never mind her! Let her be held by that philandering cat like this!

"Huh? Hey? Yin Xue, wait a minute!"

Seeing this, Liuli quickly stepped forward and swiftly grabbed her friend who was about to turn away in a huff, a helpless expression on her face.

She was naturally taken aback by the shocking scene before her, but she also keenly noticed that both Xiaoying and the inspector seemed to be in very weak condition, and that nothing like what they had imagined had happened.

After repeated persuasion from Liuli, Yinxue finally reluctantly stopped his departure.

But she still turned her face away angrily, filled with rage and jealousy, and reluctantly walked towards the two girls who were still tightly embracing.

The sleeping Xingxian seemed to immediately sense their approach. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her silver-gray eyes.

She first glanced subconsciously at Jiying, who was still sleeping soundly in her arms, and showed a relieved expression. Then she turned her slightly wary and guarded gaze to the two people who were approaching.

But upon recognizing Liuli and Yinxue, the sharpness in Xingxian's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a hint of surprise. She instinctively asked, "You—why are you here?"

"Hmph, if we don't come, are we just going to stand by and watch our Xiaoying get taken advantage of by some wicked woman who appears out of nowhere?!" Yin Xue replied irritably, her tone full of hostility.

"Let me tell you, Xingxian, no matter what kind of inspector you are or what, our Xiaoying isn't that kind of person. I advise you to—" Yin Xue stopped mid-sentence, noticing Xing Xian's tattered combat suit and excessively pale face.

"You—are you injured?" Her voice softened unconsciously, and the anger on her face was replaced by worry.

Looking at the genuine concern on Yin Xue's face, Xingxian felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and also felt even more guilty about her previous behavior.

"We found this place by following the clues Xiaoying left me," Liuli explained as she stepped forward.

"Miss Xingxian, what exactly happened before?"

Upon hearing this, Xingxian recalled the battle with Jingjue and his eventual defeat, a complex light flashing in his silver-gray eyes.

Looking at the peaceful sleeping face of the girl in her arms, a bitter smile mixed with gratitude, heartache, and self-reproach appeared on her face. Then, with a hint of sadness in her voice, she frankly admitted her defeat: "I—lost to Jing Jue, lost consciousness, and then Xiao Ying saved me."

Yin Xue was slightly taken aback upon hearing this: "It's that simple?"

"Yes, it's that simple." Xingxian nodded frankly.

"A loss is a loss, and I don't want to make any excuses for myself."

"Jing Jue is indeed a very powerful and cunning enemy. If it weren't for Xiao Ying, I have no idea what terrible things would have happened next."

Yin Xue nodded thoughtfully, seemingly accepting this explanation.

But then, as if remembering something important, she questioned in a somewhat unfriendly tone: "No, what I'm most concerned about right now is—why are you holding Xiaoying in your arms? Let her go right now!"

Faced with Yin Xue's hostile and jealous question, Xing Xian not only did not back down at all, but subconsciously hugged Ji Ying in his arms even tighter, as if to assert his dominance.

She raised her head, met Yin Xue's unfriendly gaze, and gave a polite and composed smile before slowly replying, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I cannot fulfill this request."

"Xiaoying almost exhausted all her energy to save me, and she is now in her weakest state."

"I did this simply to—better protect her."

"You don't need to hug her so tightly to protect her, do you? I think you're just taking advantage of her!" Yin Xue retorted angrily, her tone becoming even more unfriendly after seeing Xing Xian's actions.

"Besides, with us here, Xiaoying's safety doesn't need you, an 'outsider,' to worry about!"

When Xingxian heard the words "taking advantage", her cheeks turned red uncontrollably, because not long ago, she had indeed done something quite bold to the sleeping Jiying.

But when she heard the term "outsider," her eyes dimmed, and her expression underwent a subtle change.

Seeing Xingxian's reaction, Yinxue thought that the address had offended him, and felt a little guilty. She swallowed the question that was about to come out of her mouth and looked at him hesitantly.

Unexpectedly, the dejected mood lasted for less than a second before Xingxian raised his head again, his face serious, and called out their code names in an unprecedentedly solemn tone.

She then poured out her thoughts after reflecting on herself in the rain, as well as her remorse for her previous arrogant behavior, to the two of them.

"Liuli, Yinxue, I want to apologize to you for what happened in the old school building."

"Back then, I was too arrogant, subconsciously assuming that Xiaoying would choose me as an ally," but I overlooked the fact that there might already be a very close relationship between you two.

"My decision to force Xiaoying to make a choice now seems ridiculous. It not only put her in a difficult position again, but also hurt your feelings, so—I'm very sorry."

"And Yinxue, you don't need to mind my lapse in composure just now, because you're right, compared to you all, in Xiaoying's eyes, I am indeed—just an outsider."

Hearing that this inspector, who had previously acted so arrogantly, had now so openly and honestly apologized to her, Yin Xue was instantly rendered speechless by all the questions she had prepared.

She could only let out a muffled hum, turn her head to the side, and whisper, "—no, it's nothing, I didn't really take it to heart."

Then, as if remembering something, she emphasized again, "But! I still care about you holding Xiaoying! Let her go first before we talk!"

However, to her surprise, after apologizing, Xingxian not only did not loosen his grip on the petite girl, but instead hugged her even tighter.

She raised her head, her eyes devoid of any trace of the previous apology or concession; instead, they blazed with a fierce, indomitable spirit.

She looked directly at Yin Xue and said, in an almost defiant tone, enunciating each word clearly, "But I will not give up."

"In the time to come, I will work hard to improve my standing in Xiaoying's heart."

"I want to become—a closer partner than you all."

"I want to be the most special one in her heart."

Hearing this almost unbelievable "declaration of war," and seeing Xingxian's confident and composed expression, Yin Xue was completely stunned. Her beautiful emerald green eyes widened in shock.

It took Yin Xue a while for her brain to start working again after it crashed, allowing her to realize the meaning behind the other person's words.

Finally, she managed to squeeze out a simple word that represented all her immense confusion and disbelief at that moment: 66 ha?!"

The same question arose in the mind of Ji Ying, who was being held tightly in Xing Xian's arms and pretending to be asleep.