Do You Like Me That Much? Miss Villainess-Chapter 40 : Stockholm Syndrome Patient

Take... her hand?
In the dark dungeon, Zhu Yan looked at the delicate jade hand so close to her, falling into hesitation.
Emotionally speaking, she now just wanted to viciously shake off Mu Qinglan's hand, then follow her to see what evidence she spoke of.
But from a bodily instinct perspective, her body was driving her to unconsciously nuzzle the bad woman's hand like a little dog, as if trying to please her.
This discord between emotion and instinct almost drove Zhu Yan mad.
The dungeon was dark and lightless.
Only two shallow breathing sounds rose and fell.
Mu Qinglan sat in her wheelchair, watching with interest as this gray-haired girl struggled with herself, seeing her crouch carefully in place with clenched fists.
Her current appearance was completely different from when Mu Qinglan first met her.
'Isn't she quite cute?'
Mu Qinglan thought.
No wonder so many players in her previous life wanted to see this three-no petite assassin blush shyly while being conquered—there really was something to it.
"But it's fine, I've seen it for you all, so shouldn't you thank me?"
After a moment, Zhu Yan slowly let out a long breath.
Her fingers also gradually unclenched.
She carefully, almost tentatively extended her small hand to Mu Qinglan's side, then bit by bit took down from her own cheek that jade hand that kept bringing her warmth and security.
The moment their hands clasped together.
Mu Qinglan clearly saw the gray-haired girl's face, which usually showed no expression changes, flush slightly for an instant.
And the moment she grasped her hand, Zhu Yan felt some regret.
'Zhu Yan, do you really believe her words?'
She questioned herself inwardly.
Admittedly, her master's words before dying had indeed caused her trust in that benefactor Crown Prince to waver slightly, but this bad woman's lies were even less believable.
But just then, that warm jade hand quietly tightened around hers.
Squeezed it.
Zhu Yan immediately quieted down.
Because an indescribable sense of dependence instantly filled her heart.
She had stayed in that dark world for far too long, so much so that after having even the slightest hope, her body completely refused to return to that silent, lightless state of being like drifting duckweed.
But after reacting, she felt somewhat angry again.
Angry that she had actually felt rare peace for a moment just now.
Wasn't she her enemy? Why would she develop such psychology toward her?
But before she could figure it out.
"Miss Zhu Yan seems very unwilling? Then walk by yourself."
Mu Qinglan said indifferently, forcefully withdrawing her hand from her fingertips.
"..."
But just as her fingers withdrew and before even half a second had passed.
The next moment, with a cool sensation, her right hand was grabbed again.
Even this time, to prevent this rare peace from escaping, the gray-haired girl chose to firmly interlock her fingers with Mu Qinglan's, then clasped their hands together.
Mu Qinglan chuckled softly.
This wasn't her initiative.
Looking at the gray-haired girl in front of her who was biting her lips in confusion, Mu Qinglan said gently:
"Having your acupoints sealed for so many days and lying in bed, you can't walk properly now, can you?"
Zhu Yan averted her gaze and said nothing.
Her legs were indeed numb and powerless now, but wasn't that all your doing?
But before she could say anything.
A gentle but irresistible force suddenly came from her hand.
That force pulled her from the dungeon bed onto the wheelchair girl's lap, nestling against the wheelchair girl's chest.
Zhu Yan pressed her red lips together and carefully hugged her with her other hand.
Then gently nuzzled again.
Mu Qinglan's white hair fell down, spilling onto Zhu Yan's shoulder. It was a bit itchy, but brought her an almost greedy tactile sensation.
Making her reluctant to leave.
Seeing this.
The white-haired girl lowered her head slightly, curved her lips, and breathed warm air on the gray-haired girl's neck, causing a tingling sensation that made her tremble slightly:
"Miss Zhu Yan, let's go. Be careful."
"..."
"...Mm."
The gray-haired girl closed her eyes and nodded obediently.
○
The wheelchair carrying two people creaked to a stop in Mu Qinglan's dim room.
The curtains had already been drawn.
However, with the bit of light that leaked in, it was enough to see.
When the wheelchair stopped, the gray-haired girl silently shifted her position without a word, sat on the bed with a tense expression, but their interlocked hands never separated.
Mu Qinglan silently watched her movements with a smile.
Finding her quite cute.
The gray-haired girl could now also see those eyes that seemed to contain laughter.
After meeting gazes for two seconds, she unnaturally turned her head away.
"Where's the evidence you mentioned?"
"Don't rush," Mu Qinglan said. "May I ask why you're so loyal to that Crown Prince? Because he saved you?"
"..."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Zhu Yan spoke in a very soft voice.
"My family was very poor, often couldn't get enough to eat."
It wasn't hard to hear that she was actually very unwilling to describe her past, but for some reason, she still spoke.
"When I was six, my family had another child—a little brother. This should have been a joyous occasion, but with another mouth to feed, the family became even more strained. When I was eight, father decided to sell me to the biggest gang in the city, to work as a courtesan.
I didn't want to go."
She pressed her lips.
"No one would want to go," Mu Qinglan stroked her head comfortingly.
"Mm..."
Zhu Yan bit her lower lip and unconsciously relaxed because her thoughts were acknowledged.
Then she continued:
"I had heard of that gang's name long ago. They did many bad things, forcing many people into debt they couldn't repay, then driving them to become slaves or selling them to brothels. Because there was an endless stream of people harmed by them, they treated their subordinates very poorly, often beating people to death. So I didn't want to go," she repeated.
"I can understand."
Mu Qinglan's voice was soft.
Zhu Yan's expression softened somewhat:
"But later, I was still sold to them. Just when father and the gang were making the transaction, His Highness's people brought the Six Bureaus and broke in, capturing them all. They said the gang had done many evil deeds, that many people shouldn't have been slaves, and wanted to let us go back. I didn't want to go back."
After finishing, she paused slightly and looked at Mu Qinglan with somewhat expectant eyes.
The white-haired girl nodded:
"I'm listening. If it were me, I wouldn't want to go back either."
"Then I went with them," Zhu Yan said. "Honestly, I don't particularly hate father, it's just that no matter what, I never wanted to see him again. The Crown Prince's people said that His Highness would be my father from then on. I kept that in my heart.
Later it was just me quietly training in the Crown Prince's mansion, then discovering I had talent as an assassin and deciding to serve His Highness. After that, you know the rest."
Mu Qinglan listened without interrupting once from beginning to end.
Nor did she question certain parts.
She just empathetically agreed with Zhu Yan's choices in silence, telling her that she would have done the same.
Only after Zhu Yan finished did she slowly speak:
"But is there a possibility that everything you experienced in the past might not be entirely as you thought? Your father might not have really wanted to sell you, but was threatened by certain people? Perhaps the Crown Prince's mansion knew about all this from beginning to end?"
"..."
Zhu Yan fell silent. She knew Mu Qinglan would definitely say the Crown Prince had ulterior motives.
She didn't believe it either.
But out of Mu Qinglan's gentle support just now, and certain unclear thoughts in her heart, she still chose to listen quietly and wait for Mu Qinglan to provide evidence.
Mu Qinglan didn't disappoint her.
She threw over a stack of s written in neat handwriting from the table.
"You haven't been home to visit in all these years, so do you know that the day after you were taken by the Crown Prince's mansion, your father, your mother, and your two-year-old brother... all disappeared without a trace?"
"I..."
Zhu Yan spoke hoarsely but ultimately said nothing.
She lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed on the stack of white papers on her lap, seemingly hesitating whether to open this thing that might overturn the values she depended on for survival.
"Miss Zhu Yan, consider for yourself whether to believe all this, whether to believe the information investigated by Prince Qi's mansion during this period."
Mu Qinglan spoke softly while slowly withdrawing her hand.
Zhu Yan didn't stop her.
She just stared blankly at the white papers on her lap, saying nothing.
"What really happened in Qingxiang back then is all in these papers now."
She said softly while maneuvering her wheelchair to slowly leave the room, thoughtfully closing the door.
Through the door, the white-haired girl said gently:
"Whether to believe or not, you decide for yourself.
I'll come find you in three quarters of an hour."
With that, the bad woman turned around without lingering, creaking away toward the courtyard, leaving only Zhu Yan alone in the room, staring silently at the information on her lap.
○
"Miss."
In the somewhat withered courtyard, the shadow servant said respectfully.
"She's probably started reading by now," Mu Qinglan glanced at her.
"As you predicted," the shadow servant said admiringly. "She's already seen all the information investigated these past days, including those that can prove your innocence."
"That's still not enough..."
Mu Qinglan muttered to herself, then asked indifferently:
"You haven't given her all the information yet, have you?"
"No."
"These next few days, give her a little evidence each day proving what the Crown Prince's mansion has done, let her investigate herself, but tell her she can't leave the city."
"Let her move freely?" The shadow servant was startled.
"Of course. How can one truly believe information given by others? Only things one investigates personally are most convincing… Eight years of sunk costs—no one can accept that easily."
Mu Qinglan chuckled:
"I should thank the Crown Prince for thinking Zhu Yan couldn't escape his grasp and not seriously cleaning up traces from back then. Otherwise, after so many years, Zhu Yan might not really be able to find evidence."
"Should I send someone to monitor her?"
"Have Shadow Two go. If she still wants to leak information..."
Mu Qinglan smiled coldly:
"Kill her directly.Fools who can't recognize reality don't deserve to be my dogs."