Utilization

"What is your real purpose?" Su Hua asked coldly.

"Ling," Zhao Long raised an eyebrow. "In your eyes, am I really such an untrustworthy person?"

"I’ve said it before—I’m just giving Lin Xuan a chance to tell you his true thoughts."

After speaking, Zhao Long turned to Lin Xuan. "Lin Xuan, you can now speak your mind freely. Tell Ling what you truly want to say."

"Fine."

Lin Xuan turned around.

Su Hua saw an icy expression on his face—one she had never seen before.

Her fists clenched slightly.

Why was Ah Xuan looking at her like this?

Even when he had caught her killing someone, he hadn’t looked at her with such coldness...

"Go on, Lin Xuan. Do you choose to stay on this island or leave?" Zhao Long asked with a smirk.

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, then answered without hesitation, "I choose to leave."

As he spoke, he couldn’t bring himself to meet Su Hua’s eyes.

Zhao Long chuckled. "Only one of you can leave. If you go, then she—" He pointed at Su Hua, grinning. "—will die. Weren’t the two of you close? Are you really willing to let her die just so you can escape?"

"Every man for himself—that’s the law of survival," Lin Xuan replied icily. "Besides, our relationship wasn’t as good as you think."

Su Hua’s eyes trembled slightly.

"Ah Xuan, what are you saying? What do you mean, 'let me die'? And what do you mean, 'our relationship wasn’t that good'?" She stared at him in disbelief.

Lin Xuan’s gaze remained just as cold. He smirked.

"Su Hua, did you really think we were close?" His tone was mocking, as if discussing something trivial.

Su Hua tightened her fists. "Didn’t you take care of me when I had a fever?"

"You laughed and talked with me every day, built a shelter for me, gave me flowers. When I sprained my ankle, you carried me back so gently."

"Every time I was upset, you comforted me."

"And… you even took a bullet for me."

Wasn’t all of that proof of how much you cared?

Lin Xuan let out a cold laugh. "Hah. Everything you just mentioned was an act. None of it was real."

An act…

Had it all been an act?

Su Hua stared at him intently, searching his eyes for any trace of pain, reluctance, or hesitation—anything to prove he was being forced to say these things.

But there was nothing.

His eyes were utterly cold, filled only with disgust. Not a shred of emotion remained.

A sharp pain tore through her heart.

She pressed a hand to her chest, the agony unbearable.

It was all fake.

Every bit of warmth she had clung to—fake!

But… anyone else could deceive her. Not him.

Lin Xuan watched Su Hua’s suffering, fighting the urge to rush forward and tell her the truth.

But if he did, no matter how cruel his words became afterward, they would lose their effect.

And Su Hua… might end up discarded by these people.

In a killer’s organization, discarded pawns never survived.

Lin Xuan took another deep breath and continued, "Su Hua, think about it. Would I ever truly care for a woman who tried to kill me the moment we met?"

Su Hua lifted her bloodshot eyes. "Then why did you save me?"

"Because I needed to use you," Lin Xuan answered coldly. "Alone on this island, I wouldn’t last. Having you around meant an extra pair of hands. And if those people came for me, you could handle them."

Su Hua’s fists trembled.

So, it had all been about utility.

She had been a fool to hope otherwise.

Her heart ached unbearably.

"After seeing you kill someone with your own hands, I was terrified of you," Lin Xuan added. "But I pretended not to be afraid because I thought you might turn on me too."

"And when I took that bullet for you? I just didn’t want you dead before you could eliminate the other assassins. As long as you survived, so would I."

Every word Lin Xuan spoke twisted the past into a narrative of pure exploitation.

Su Hua dug her nails into her palms. "Was there ever… even a sliver of sincerity in how you treated me?"

Lin Xuan let out a scornful laugh. "Su Hua, a cold-blooded, ruthless woman like you—how could I ever feel anything real for you?"

"So, that sincerity…" He paused, then delivered the final blow. "Never existed."

Never existed.

Su Hua clutched at her chest, the pain like a hand ruthlessly squeezing her heart.

Bitterness welled up in her eyes.

Of course.

Someone like her, destined for the cold darkness of hell, should never have dared to yearn for warmth.

All she would ever know was deception and exploitation.

But… he had been the one to pry open her long-sealed heart. Why couldn’t he have lied to her a little longer?

This beautiful dream had lasted only two months.

"Su Hua," Lin Xuan spoke again, his voice icy. "Don’t blame me. We’ve been stranded here for two months with no rescue. Assassins keep coming."

"If I don’t leave with them, I’ll either die here or rot forever. To survive, I have no choice but to sacrifice you."

Su Hua’s lashes fluttered. One last time, she asked, voice trembling, "Did you… really never love me? Not even a little?"

"Ah Xuan, look at me when you answer!"

She needed to see his eyes—to confirm the truth in them.

"Fine. Look."

Lin Xuan took a deep breath, meeting her gaze squarely. His words were merciless. "Since you still don’t believe me, I’ll say it one last time."

"I, Lin Xuan, never once loved you. There was no sincerity, only calculation. From beginning to end, I was using you."

The last flicker of hope in Su Hua’s eyes extinguished.

She staggered back, barely catching herself against a tree. Without its support, her legs would have given way.

"Ha… hahaha—"

Su Hua threw her head back, laughing bitterly at the clear blue sky.

That fortune-teller had been right. She was cursed—destined to be alone, with no one who truly cared for her.

What had she been longing for these past two months?

She should have known better.

Thanks for the gifts, (～￣▽￣)→, Ruo Ling Xizi, and other sweethearts.

Good night.

Uu.