The mont those words fell, everyone's expression darkened.
Hu Wei suppressed his disgust and glanced at his good brother with a deep frown, only to find that "Cheng Shi's" face was equally clouded and uncertain. He seed on the verge of saying sothing in explanation, but ultimately gave up.
Seeing this, Hu Wei's heart sank. He cursed under his breath— 'Rotten luck.' It seed "Zhen Yi" was telling the truth. "Cheng Shi"... had been played.
But had Zhen Yi actually been played?
Yes— she genuinely had been.
Wanting to deliver a more convincing "Cheng Shi" performance, she'd deliberately hesitated for a split second before speaking. But that single second allowed Cheng Shi to seize the initiative and put her in check.
The opening for this check was the utterly illogical appearance of "Cheng Shi." No one other than "Zhen Yi" herself could explain the self-contradictory act of sabotaging her own sche. But now, "Zhen Yi" had provided that explanation.
And the explanation was this: "she" had already extracted "Cheng Shi's" mories of that trial, rendering the Fate Weaver no longer important.
This left "Cheng Shi" with only two paths forward:
The first was to refute "Zhen Yi" and prove she hadn't lost her mories.
But doing so would an "Cheng Shi" was no longer "Cheng Shi," because the real Cheng Shi would never willingly make himself a public target. So even if "Zhen Yi" was spouting nothing but lies, he would seize the opportunity to fade into the background and let her absorb all the fire.
Few people here truly understood Cheng Shi. The Grand Marshal barely counted as one. So the mont Zhen Yi chose to refute, there was a strong chance it would arouse Hu Wei's suspicion— or even blow her cover entirely.
But if she didn't want to expose herself, she could only choose the second path: continue playing "Cheng Shi" and let "Zhen Yi" run wild.
And once she silently accepted the role of "Cheng Shi," the real Cheng Shi would seize control of the situation, potentially steering it in an entirely unexpected direction.
It was a dilemma— and the best possible response Cheng Shi could have devised in such a short ti to answer Zhen Yi's "negotiation" overture!
'I'm only giving you two paths. Either you blow your own cover and give up joining the Grand Marshal's secret venture— and we restart a second round of identity verification— or you stay as "" and I stay as "you," but from here on, this is my stage, and you're nothing more than an audience mber!'
This choice was agonizing for Zhen Yi, because no matter which option she picked, she had to accept an uncomfortable truth: she'd just gotten outmaneuvered by Cheng Shi— again.
Just like last ti when she'd been felt up— even if she could bla that on her sister, groped was groped. She had to pay the price for losing her bet.
The situation now was no different.
And this ti, after a rapid assessnt, Zhen Yi decisively chose to continue playing "Cheng Shi."
It wasn't her most palatable option, but it was the one best suited to protecting her fearso reputation.
In truth, the real Zhen Yi had a third option: flip the table entirely and stop playing along. She had both the strength and the standing to do so.
But flipping the table was tantamount to revealing her identity. Such a move might work in an ordinary trial, but in front of this many Chosen Ones and peak players, it would be an admission that she'd been outplayed in this private battle of wits— worse, that she'd been forced to resort to brute force by her opponent's maneuver!
That was the outco Zhen Yi wanted least of all.
With the Prisoner present, she knew perfectly well that by tomorrow— no, probably within a few hours— the entire peak circle would know about this incident, and the "reputation" she'd painstakingly built would collapse overnight.
After that, whenever people discussed her, their smiles would no longer be rueful— they'd be mocking.
Mocking the Master of Trickery who'd turned everyone into a punchline, only to finally beco one herself.
Zhen Yi didn't mind becoming a joke— but only on the condition that it was voluntary and intentional. Right now, it was neither.
So she could only grit her teeth, take a step back, and commit to playing "Cheng Shi"— this tedious, self-preserving Fate Weaver with zero entertainnt value!
When Cheng Shi saw that "Cheng Shi" remained silent, he knew he'd won the first round in this ever-shifting ga.
He'd used his understanding of Zhen Yi and his awareness of his own personality to trap her inside the prison of his identity. In the sa stroke, he'd used a single sentence to distance himself from that trial, and even offloaded the consequences he'd created.
From today onward, the title of "Zhen Yi's boyfriend" was finally going to beco history.
Even dark history was better than having it permanently attached to him.
Better still, his plan to escalate the [Prosperity] situation could proceed unhindered.
After all, whatever ca out of Zhen Yi's mouth— what did that have to do with Cheng Shi?
'My mories were taken, after all...'
And so, in a battle of liars invisible to all, the tide had turned.
Everyone stared at "Zhen Yi" with iron expressions, thoroughly disgusted.
Can't kill her. Can't catch her. If "Cheng Shi's" mories really had been taken by "Zhen Yi," then no one would ever know what had truly happened during that trial— unless they could find other players who'd participated in it.
Mo Li cast an inquiring look at Long Jing. Long Jing caught his aning but shook his head in irritation, because Zhen Yi's target had always been Cheng Shi alone. She'd never told him who else had been in that trial.
And so, the final say had circled right back into "Zhen Yi's" hands— yet in everyone's eyes, "she" was also a liar whose every word was suspect.
Now, no one could learn what had truly transpired in that trial.
Seeing the standoff threatening to freeze over, Mo Li sighed once more and addressed Zhen Yi:
"Four against one, Zhen Yi. Even if you manage to escape, you won't avoid a thorough beating first. So let's hear your terms. Compared to violence, I'd rather negotiate."
"Zhen Yi" was absolutely delighted watching everyone squirm. Not only that— "she" even had the audacity to saunter right up to Mo Li, scrutinizing this Chosen One of [Order] from up close with a face full of gleeful mischief. Only after she'd had her fill did she turn and walk toward—
She couldn't go near Hu Wei. So she turned right back around.
Swagger was not a resource to be squandered. Being able to brazenly inspect a Chosen One while wearing "Zhen Yi's" na was impressive enough.
Cheng Shi ntally catalogued Mo Li's features, savored his satisfaction, then circled back and spoke again:
"My terms are simple. I already stated them just now."
"What?"
Hu Wei frowned, but heard Long Jing hissing through clenched teeth beside him:
"Beg her...
"This wretch is begging for a beating. Everyone, the earlier charade was my fault, and I owe you all an apology. To show my sincerity, I'll take point this ti.
"Today, one way or another, we're pinning this mongrel to the ground and beating the life out of her— that's the only way I'll be satisfied!"
With that, Long Jing leapt high, ready to strike "Zhen Yi." But at that exact mont, the always-silent Prisoner reached out and yanked the airborne Long Jing back down, clutching his arm while pleading frantically:
"Easy there, Old Gong, take it easy— calm down, Old Gong— let it go, let it go—"
"..."
"..."
"..."
But Long Jing's fury only intensified at those absurd words. His eyes blazed as he glared at the Prisoner, wanting nothing more than to beat him too.
Yet the Prisoner's deanor shifted in an instant, as if he'd suddenly taken Long Jing's side. He turned to "Zhen Yi" with a pitifully pathetic expression and wailed:
"Please, Zhen Yi, have rcy on ! If not for my sake, then have pity on Old Gong and your amnesia-stricken ex-boyfriend!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
After that outburst, the entire room plunged into silence.
No one had expected one of these two to actually open his mouth and beg, and the other to actually bow his head and go along with it.
Even "Cheng Shi" nearly broke character and laughed out loud at the sight.
Long Jing's temples throbbed with rage at the Prisoner's groveling. He swung a fist straight at the back of the Prisoner's head.
But at that very instant— just as the whistling fist was about to crack the Prisoner's skull open— "Zhen Yi" suddenly and gleefully accepted the Prisoner's plea.
Whether it was "Old Gong" that had hit her funny bone or the phrase "ex-boyfriend" that was simply too entertaining, she was grinning from ear to ear.
"Fine, since you all begged so nicely, I'll just tell you.
"But you'd better rember— you owe this entirely to my dear Brother Prisoner."
"..."
Without waiting for the Prisoner's "pitiful" look to freeze on his face, "Zhen Yi" addressed everyone present and dropped the most explosive revelation of the night's diocre Person Society gathering.
"Little Cheng Shi's mories told
that during that trial, a deity truly did fall. But the fallen deity wasn't [Decay]— it was...
"[Prosperity]!"
The mont those words landed, the entire room erupted in shock.
Mo Li's eyes blazed with sudden intensity. Hu Wei's expression hovered between belief and doubt. As for "Cheng Shi"— "his" gaze as it settled on Cheng Shi carried a depth of aning, as if to say 'so that's how it is.'
But just as everyone was still trying to judge whether "Zhen Yi's" words were true or false, "she" suddenly doubled over with laughter.
"Hee~
"You all...
"Didn't actually believe that, did you?"
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