She had rehearsed this moment in her mind, but now that Yueyao's clear eyes were on her, the words stuck in her throat. What if the truth shattered her? What if it pulled the ground from beneath them both?
"Have you ever… fought with a man?" Fang Lin finally asked, her tone cautious, almost tentative. She let the words fall as if in passing, probing indirectly, hoping Yueyao wouldn't sense the storm brewing underneath.
Yueyao blinked, tilting her head slightly as though reaching back into a hazy past. "Yes," she said at last, almost innocently. "I think I fought with Shen Xiao, several years ago. I don't recall clearly what it was or how, but I believe I injured him. Since then… we never crossed paths again."
Her earnestness was disarming, almost childlike, and it left Fang Lin momentarily speechless. Because she knew what had really happened, far darker, far heavier than Yueyao's softened recollection.
