Mrs. Shen sat in the living room, clutching the hand of Su Ya—the girl she had always regarded as the ideal daughter-in-law. Today, Su Ya wore a pale blue silk dress, her long black hair flowing freely, exuding a purity akin to a lotus after the rain. Mrs. Shen firmly believed that upon seeing such ethereal beauty, Shen Zhe would wake from his trance and realize that Lin Yan was nothing more than a fever dream.
However, the moment Shen Zhe stepped inside, all her expectations crumbled.
He did not come alone. He held Lin Yan firmly in his arms, having dressed her in a radiant crimson gown with a plunging neckline that brazenly revealed ambiguous marks on her skin. Unlike Su Ya's natural look, Lin Yan's lips were a defiant red, and her gaze swept over everyone with wild provocation.
"Zhe... you're back." Su Ya stood up abruptly, her voice trembling with emotion. "I've been waiting for you for so long."
Shen Zhe halted. He scanned Su Ya from head to toe. A second passed, and he suddenly burst into laughter—a hoarse, guttural laugh laced with bitter irony.
"Su Ya, is it?" Shen Zhe said nonchalantly, his hand instinctively weaving into Lin Yan's disheveled hair, pressing her head against his chest. "You are still as gentle and... bland as ever. Looking at you is like staring at a plaster statue in a museum. Beautiful, but devoid of warmth."
Su Ya's face turned ashen. "What... what are you saying? I'm your Ya Ya!"
Shen Zhe cocked an eyebrow. He leaned down, inhaling the intoxicating scent from the nape of Lin Yan's neck, completely disregarding the presence of his mother and his former fiancée.
"The Ya Ya of the past died in that accident," he said, his eyes turning frantic as he looked at Lin Yan. "Now, I only crave the scent of this 'enchantress.' She isn't gentle; she could tear my throat out at any moment. But it's that very brush with death that makes me feel truly alive."
Mrs. Shen slammed the table and stood up. "Shen Zhe! Has this demoness bewitched you into total delusion? What has she done to you? She imprisoned you, she tortured you..."
"You're mistaken, Mother," Shen Zhe interjected. He took Lin Yan's hand and planted a fervent kiss on her palm right in front of Su Ya. "It was I who begged her to imprison me. She needs no dark arts; she only needs to look at me once, and I find myself wanting to kneel at her feet."
Lin Yan looked at Su Ya, her lips curling into a predatory smirk. She felt no fear; on the contrary, she was invigorated by their hatred. She reached up, caressing the sharp angles of Shen Zhe's face, her voice coquettish yet filled with malice:
"Zhe, she's so beautiful. How about... I carve a few lines into her face? So she can be just like me—a lunatic loathed by the world. Wouldn't that be lovely?"
Su Ya recoiled a step in terror, nearly collapsing. The sheer madness of this pair far exceeded her imagination. They didn't look like lovers; they looked like two demons entwined, ready to raze the world to the ground.
Shen Zhe didn't stop Lin Yan; instead, he laughed heartily, tightening his grip on her waist as he led her away.
"Be good, don't dirty your hands. Let's go upstairs. I have something I want to 'bind' you with, so you won't go bothering others."
Watching the backs of the two lunatics depart, Su Ya sank into her chair, tears falling uncontrollably. She realized that the gap between her and Shen Zhe was no longer the six months of physical distance, but an abyss of perversion and sin that she could never hope to enter.
Mrs. Shen watched them go, her teeth gritted as she muttered: "I cannot let this demoness destroy him any further. They must be torn apart at any cost!"