Just as Kiana☆ and Elysia were at a standstill, a voice from the doorway, Stelle, sounded, "Mom, I brought the champion prize for you..."
Before he finished, the tense atmosphere in the room slammed over them like a wall; even the air seemed to freeze.
March 7th halted instantly, fingers nervously scratching the back of her head as she leaned toward Stelle's ear and whispered in a breathy voice, "Uh... Stelle, this isn't right. I think we walked in at a bad time!"
Stelle followed her gaze, scanned the room, nodded solemnly, and murmured quietly, "You're right, we probably came at a bad time."
"No, you came at exactly the right time."
Elysia's eyes lit up. She rose and hurried forward, smiling as she pulled the two of them inside.
She turned to the tea tray, took two empty cups, and filled them with hot tea until pale steam rose from the porcelain.
"Sit down, it's fresh, try it while it's hot."
March 7th fumbled to accept the cup and forced a laugh to ease things,
"Ha... Sister Elysia, you're too polite! Dan Heng's still downstairs waiting; we'll just drop off the prize and go, won't bother you..."
Stelle wasn't so reserved. She took the cup gracefully, sipped, let the tea's sweetness roll over her tongue, and, smacking her lips, offered March 7th her cup, "This tea is really good , March, you should try it."
March 7th could only remain silent. Her knuckles whitened around the cup; she dared only steal glances out of the corner of her eye.
Kiana☆ had softened a little because they'd arrived; she quietly sat back down at the table and raised her cup, but her gaze kept flicking to Elysia and Mei☆.
The anger in her eyes was not hidden at all, her grip on the cup had gone white at the rim.
That strange atmosphere spread through the room and did nothing to ease March 7th's nerves; if anything, she sat even more rigidly, her back stiff, one thought consuming her,
Please, someone come save this scene, anyone! I don't care who!
Seconds dragged by. Just as March 7th felt she might suffocate from the tightness in her chest, the curtain to the inner room was gently lifted.
Fu Lin stepped out, neatly dressed. Seeing Stelle and March 7th in the room, the tension in his face instantly eased; a smile spread across his face and his step lightened, "Stelle, March, you're here too? Wonderful!" , no need to face this; this was a rescue!
March 7th grabbed that lifeline and visibly relaxed, hurriedly setting down her cup and standing up, her tone much brighter, "Haha... yes, Fu Shi won the competition. We came specially to deliver the prize!"
Kiana☆ looked up at the sound. Her eyes swept across Fu Lin and abruptly caught sight of a faint red mark at her neck.
Her teacup clattered on the tray with a sharp sound; her expression fell again, and the pressure around her dropped noticeably.
Startled by the sudden noise, March 7th shivered and hurriedly looked to Kiana☆, holding her breath.
Elysia seemed not to notice the abrupt shift. She lightly stroked the cup's rim, her smile softening with perfectly timed concern, "Kiana☆, what's wrong, don't like the tea?"
Kiana☆ ignored the words at her ear and stared straight at Fu Lin. Her lips curved into a soft smile, but coldness hung at the corners of her eyes.
The starlight that had shone in her pupils gradually dimmed, leaving only thick, unmelting possessiveness and madness.
'Even if Fu Lin hates, despises, rejects me, I still want to lock Fu Lin completely inside our warm little home... If Fu Shi, Mei☆, and Elysia quietly disappear, then... I alone would be by Fu Lin's side...'
"Kiana☆."
Mei☆ felt the atmosphere emanating from Kiana☆ and gently pressed Kiana☆'s wrist, her fingertips cool to the touch, trying to pull her back from the edge of obsession.
"Sit down first and calm down. We'll talk, slowly. Don't scare Stelle and March 7th."
Kiana☆ yanked her hand away so hard Mei☆'s fingertips tingled.
She strode up to Fu Lin; the chill around her hadn't lifted, and her eyes were rimmed with red.
Fu Lin's attempt at a soothing word died on her lips when he met those reddened, love-filled eyes.
He opened and closed his mouth, collected himself and then forgot what to say, finally only calling her name softly, "Kiana☆..."
"What do you want to say?" Kiana☆ pressed, her voice a little lower than before, the trailing tone threaded with a grievance she barely noticed in herself.
Fu Lin looked at the red at the corners of her eyes; the words he'd meant to speak stuck in his throat, leaving only silence.
Beside them, Stelle's eyes glittered as she leaned to March 7th and whispered low, "Hey, what would Dad have to do to make Mommy Kiana☆ stop being mad?"
March 7th held her forehead, sounding like a weary veteran, "In my many years of reading novels... in a situation like this, Fu Lin probably can only show his sincerity by dying for it."
Fu Lin, "???" Why are you all just standing there?!
Fu Lin's silence hit the tight air like a stone. Suddenly Kiana☆ clenched Fu Lin's hand, her thumb stroking the delicate skin on the inside of his wrist; the grievance in her voice deepened,
"Why aren't you speaking? Not even one explanation? For example... you weren't willing, they used some despicable means, didn't they?"
As those words fell, Mei☆ suddenly gave a low laugh, a playful note in it, "Kiana☆, didn't you and Fu Shi use all sorts of tricks to keep Fu Lin with you back then? If we're comparing, you're no better than Elysia and me."
"Mind your own business!" Kiana☆ snapped back and glared at her. The redness at her eyes hadn't faded and turned angrier, like a small cat puffing up.
Stelle drew in a sharp breath, voice barely above a whisper but betraying shock, "Oooh , so Dad is the one downstairs?!"
March 7th immediately clapped her hands over her ears and shrank into her chair, her face full of terror, "Is this something we should be hearing?! Will I even walk out of this room alive today?!"
Elysia rose and moved to stand beside them. She gently held the joined hands of Kiana☆ and Fu Lin, her tone sweet and soothing, "Alright now, we're family from now on. Let's get along~"
Mei☆ stood as well and placed a fingertip on Kiana☆'s arm, her voice calm but carrying an unrefusable firmness, "Kiana☆, let go of Fu Lin's hand first. Sit down and talk. Grabbing him like this, are you trying to hide him?"
"Hide him? So what?" Kiana☆ not only didn't let go, she pulled Fu Lin a little closer behind her, the madness in her eyes surfacing again. "He was always mine, "
Fu Shi stepped out from the room at that moment, hands on hips, interrupting Kiana☆ with righteous indignation, "What do you mean 'always yours'! Fu Lin was supposed to be mine. From the start, he only liked me. Without using force, how could he end up with you?"
Elysia blinked and fell silent.
Even though she and Fu Lin had grown up together, close companions for years, they couldn't compete with Fu Shi.
In one sentence, Fu Shi had pulled every gaze, Kiana☆'s, Mei☆'s, and Elysia's, onto herself.
"Ahem!" March 7th suddenly coughed violently; her cup rocked and half the tea sloshed out. She coughed and shot Stelle a look, say something, don't let this get worse!
Stelle completely ignored her hint and stepped forward two paces, eyes shining with the thrill of the spectacle, "Mommies, if you're all so angry, why not beat up Dad? You can't just let him lie there enjoying your service and watch you fight over him. That'd be boring!"
At that remark, the room fell utterly silent.
Kiana☆ froze, considering the proposal as if it might actually work, and even loosened her grip on Fu Lin a little.