Chapter 44: Everything You Are Feels Like a Lie
The elevator doors closed behind her, but Lin Zhaoxi's legs felt like jelly.
She had kept her composure in front of Shen Muyan. She had smiled, deflected, lied as naturally as breathing.
But the second she stepped into the empty corridor outside his office, her mask cracked.
Her fingers trembled as she gripped the railing by the emergency staircase. The system's warning still echoed in her head.
[Warning: Suspicion Level 33%. Emotional suppression critical. Host, please remain in control.]
In control?
How was she supposed to stay in control when the man who once held her as she cried, who whispered he'd find her no matter what—
Was standing inches away, staring through her like she was a stranger?
She sucked in a shaky breath.
"I'm not her," she whispered to herself, more for comfort than truth. "Not anymore."
But even she didn't believe it.
Meanwhile, in his office, Shen Muyan was no longer calm.
He stared at the two photos on his phone again. One, her staff profile. The other… a girl from five years ago. Younger, softer, with hope still in her eyes.
The resemblance wasn't perfect, but the handwriting, the eyes, the small, unconscious habits—like the way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was nervous—
It was all the same.
"She said she's not her," he muttered to himself, eyes darkening.
"But she smells like her. Talks like her. And every time I look at her… I feel like I'm standing in the past."
That night, Lin Zhaoxi sat alone in her rented apartment, the system interface glowing in front of her.
She didn't touch her dinner.
[Host's mental state: unstable. Recommend resting protocols.]
[Daily mission incomplete. Penalty points deducted.]
She laughed bitterly.
"Why are you punishing me for breaking a heart that's already broken?"
The system didn't respond.
The next morning, Shen Muyan called his assistant in.
"Get me everything we have on Lin Zhaoxi's past. I don't care if you have to dig into old university records or surveillance footage. I want to know who she really is."
His tone was flat, but his eyes were stormy.
And as his assistant nodded and left, Shen Muyan slowly leaned back in his chair, fingers resting lightly on his lips.
"If she lied to me once… she'll do it again."