One who is crooked cannot straighten others.

The Teahouse.

The time was 00:05 in the early morning.

Despite the presence of four young women seated inside, the room was eerily silent, as if the air itself had frozen. The stillness was almost unsettling.

Each sat apart, a cup of tea placed before them on the table. The fragrance of the tea wafted through the air, lingering around them, its steam curling upward in delicate tendrils.

The expressions of the four girls varied, their gazes occasionally meeting yet remaining distinctly separate, a subtle undercurrent of wariness threading through the silence.

Suddenly, Li Guanqi closed the book she had been reading. With poised elegance, she lifted her teacup and took a sip before speaking softly, shattering the quiet—

"The content of Chapter Two is addressed to all of us."

As her words fell, the others in the private room paused briefly, then turned their attention to Su Cheng, whose image was displayed on the monitor.

"Explain the specifics first," Ji Qingyi interjected, her tone indifferent, her gaze calm and unreadable. She spoke as if merely engaging in casual conversation, showing no reaction to Li Guanqi’s earlier statement.

Meanwhile, Gu Ruoxue and Liu Qingyue seemed to have an inkling of what was coming, yet they remained composed, offering no comment.

"Whether he can fully master his innate talent, whether he can achieve the results he envisions... all of it depends on whether we allow him to have his way."

Li Guanqi inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, her words laced with a heavy sigh as she delivered the truth she knew with sincerity: "If we simply let him read the book, he will awaken—his talent will be unlocked."

As she finished speaking, the teahouse plunged back into a suffocating silence. Even Su Cheng on the monitor remained motionless, lying on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Before this game had even begun, Su Cheng had prepared for the situation to escalate to this point. He had calculated their most likely choices, their current relationships, the scenarios they would face, their thoughts, their goals—everything. Most crucially, he had even placed himself on the table as both a pawn and a bargaining chip.

By now, if the girls took a moment to calmly assess the situation, they would realize there was almost no room for choice left.

No—truthfully, from the moment they were forced into this game, their options had already been limited.

"If we want to end this farce, we must let him advance the events. Only then can we uncover more information."

Gu Ruoxue was the first to break the silence. Gracefully lifting her teacup, she took a small sip before turning her gaze to Ji Qingyi. "If we don’t let him master his talent, the most likely outcome is that we’ll remain trapped in this dream—or worse, face even greater backlash."

At this, she glanced meaningfully at Su Cheng on the monitor, making it clear: if they didn’t allow him to seize control of his abilities, an irreversible tragedy would unfold.

Her implication was obvious—she agreed to hand it over to Su Cheng.

Ji Qingyi raised her own cup, blowing gently to cool the tea. As the steam gradually faded and the liquid cooled, she set it down and finally spoke, her voice measured.

"If this is already a predetermined outcome... then why has it been presented to us as a choice?"

Her words hung in the air, and the others exchanged glances, their expressions shifting subtly.

Logically, none of them had any intention of forcibly halting the progression of events. There was no reason—or desire—to stop him from awakening his talent.

Yet, among the four, someone held a dissenting view.

"I have no objections," Li Guanqi responded, her tone calm yet resolute, clearly stating her stance.

Only Liu Qingyue remained deep in thought, drawing the collective gaze of the three women, who waited quietly for her to speak. Yet she kept her head lowered, silent.

"What are you thinking about?"

Finally, her mistress's voice broke through her contemplation.

Hearing this, Liu Qingyue snapped back to reality and looked up, meeting Ji Qingyi's scrutinizing gaze. She immediately picked up her teacup and took a large sip before smoothly replying, "I'm drafting two plans—one accounting for giving it to him, and the other for withholding it—along with the possible outcomes and countermeasures for each."

So, it turned out she was the one holding the dissenting opinion.

Gu Ruoxue pondered for a few seconds before shaking her head and advising Liu Qingyue, "I understand you're upset right now, but I suggest saving it for later when there's a better opportunity to vent."

"Mm, I’d like to lose my temper too, but now isn’t the right time. Let’s play it safe," Ji Qingyi added, turning to her maid with a placating look, clearly aware of why she was acting this way.

"I can’t help it..."

Liu Qingyue lifted her head and explained, "I despise this kind of behavior—exploiting someone else’s goodwill to shift responsibility. And on top of that, being led around by the nose like this."

Ji Qingyi raised an eyebrow slightly.

Gu Ruoxue picked up her teacup and took a sip.

"Senior, are you acting out of spite?"

Li Guanqi couldn’t help but ask.

"There’s some of that in it," Liu Qingyue admitted with a nod before adding seriously, "But there’s another layer to it."

Li Guanqi, intrigued, pressed further, "What do you mean?"

"It’s nothing much. You could think of it as a little experiment."

Liu Qingyue brushed it off vaguely, then stood up. "It’s getting late. Everyone should rest early."

"Then let’s retire for the night and give our answers tomorrow morning."

With that, Ji Qingyi also took her leave.

Clearly, mistress and maid had matters to discuss.

Li Guanqi and Gu Ruoxue remained seated, exchanging glances before either moved.

After a long silence, Gu Ruoxue was the first to speak. "I assume the contents of Chapter Two aren’t limited to just this?"

"No. These are words I left for myself."

Li Guanqi replied evenly, "It wasn’t part of Su Cheng’s notes, so there was no need to share it with everyone."

"Is that so?" Gu Ruoxue lowered her head, masking the thoughts in her eyes. After a pause, she stood and said, "I’ll retire first."

"Mm."

Li Guanqi nodded.

Once Gu Ruoxue had left, Li Guanqi was the only one remaining.

She stood and approached the display, staring at the screen where Su Cheng’s image was shown, her deep black eyes flickering with an unreadable light.

After a long while, she finally turned away and headed toward the room the Ji Family had prepared for her.

Upon entering, she took out the book again and flipped to Chapter Two.

The chapter wasn’t just one page—it was two. On the first page, she could see her own handwriting bleeding through the paper. She was certain of it.

The words were written in bright red ink, impossible to miss.

She turned the page.

"Take the initiative. Speak your mind. Follow your heart."

The handwriting is neat yet restrained, clearly something she secretly wrote after obtaining this book. Connecting it to the content of Chapter 2, the meaning of this passage becomes quite clear—"she" wishes to act according to her own will, rather than passively waiting for others to arrange things for her.

Or perhaps—the initiative should belong to "her."

What is 'I' trying to express here?

Is it fear of complications arising? Or something else...