Chapter 143: Who to Believe?
It seems this mastermind has truly abandoned Silver Fox.
Hearing this, a trace of bitterness flashed in Meng Die's eyes.
But she knew she no longer had the right to live.
Such is the fate of a Death Warrior!
Seizing the opportunity, Meng Die shot up and slammed herself headfirst into the wall!
Even though she was bound by ropes, she still had some room to move.
Xiao Ye moved at the last second, stopping her. "Trying to kill yourself? It won't be that easy!"
He didn't wait any longer. Under the cover of darkness, he hauled Meng Die back to the villa and threw her into the basement once more.
'As long as she's alive, I can always pry something out of her.'
'Sometimes, psychological torment can make a person break just as well. It just takes a little more time.'
To prevent Meng Die from trying to kill herself again, Xiao Ye not only gagged her but also gave her a drug that left her body completely weak.
Afterward, Xiao Ye went about his business as if nothing had happened.
Lin Chuyue was listless all day. She'd been so happy to have a friend come to stay for a month, but she had left in less than two weeks.
She ate a little, then returned to her study to deal with her work.
Just as she sat down at her computer, her phone buzzed with another text message.
It was from Meng Die: "I'm in danger! Come save me, quick!"
Lin Chuyue shot to her feet. 'Is this because of me?'
She rushed downstairs, found Xiao Ye, and showed him her phone. "What do we do? Something's happened to Meng Die!"
Xiao Ye's expression darkened. 'I turned off her phone earlier, so how could she possibly have sent a text?'
'It must have been a scheduled message.'
'This woman is so cunning. She even had a contingency plan.'
"Alright, I'll have someone look into it. But don't you worry too much."
"Maybe she lost her phone, and someone is trying to pull a scam by sending that."
But Lin Chuyue was still very worried. "I'll also do everything I can to find her. I just hope she's alright."
「Two days later.」
Lin Chuyue's search had turned up nothing.
She went to the kitchen, planning to get a glass of iced water to calm her frayed nerves.
BANG!
'What was that sound?'
Lin Chuyue whipped her head around but saw nothing.
'Did I mishear it?'
BANG!
The sound came again.
This time, Lin Chuyue was certain she hadn't misheard.
BANG!
Following the sound, she made her way, step by step, to the entrance of the basement.
'The sound is coming from in here... Could it be... there's something inside?'
Lin Chuyue swallowed hard, went back to the kitchen to grab a fruit knife, and then cautiously opened the basement door.
The light flicked on.
She immediately saw Meng Die lying on the floor.
She looked nothing like her former self; her hair and clothes were a mess, and there were dried bloodstains on her!
"Meng Die!" Lin Chuyue dropped the knife and rushed down the stairs, her face a mask of disbelief. "How are you here!"
Hearing the noise, Xiao Ye thought, 'This is bad.' By the time he rushed over, Lin Chuyue was already downstairs, untying Meng Die.
"Chuyue! Don't touch her!"
"Xiao Ye?!"
Realization dawned on Lin Chuyue, and she immediately shielded Meng Die behind her. "You did this!"
"Why would you do this? What did she ever do to you? How could you treat her like this?!"
Xiao Ye walked into the basement and sighed heavily. "She's not your classmate, and she's certainly not your friend."
'He hadn't wanted Lin Chuyue to see this.'
'The real Meng Die was likely dead or worse. It would have been better to just let Lin Chuyue think she had left so she wouldn't be sad.'
"That's impossible!"
Lin Chuyue refused to believe Xiao Ye. "I've known her for many years. Do you think I wouldn't be able to recognize her?"
Xiao Ye countered, "So you don't believe me?"
Lin Chuyue froze, her mind flashing back through all the moments she had spent with Xiao Ye.
'There had been several crises caused by her own lack of trust.'
'The Ma Family, in particular, had taught her the most profound lesson of her life.'
Seeing her waver, Meng Die quickly cried out, "Chuyue, we've been friends for so many years! Don't you trust me?"
"It was Xiao Ye! He wanted me and was going to force himself on me, but I managed to escape!"
"He was afraid I'd tell you, so he locked me up in here!"
"Chuyue, you have to believe me! If I really wanted to harm you, I've had so many opportunities. Besides, I even saved your life!"
Lin Chuyue looked from Meng Die to Xiao Ye, completely torn.
'On one side was her old friend; on the other, Xiao Ye, the man who had saved her time and time again.'
'Who was she supposed to believe?'
Xiao Ye wrapped an arm around her waist, but Lin Chuyue pulled away. "What proof do you have that she isn't Meng Die?"
"I want to believe you, but I need proof. If you can't provide any, then I'll believe Meng Die!"
"He doesn't have any proof, because I am Meng Die!"
Tears streamed down Meng Die's face, making her look utterly pitiful.
Lin Chuyue's heart clenched.
Xiao Ye said nothing. Instead, he walked over to Meng Die, reached out, and felt around behind her ear for a moment.
RIIIP!
He tore off a mask as thin as a cicada's wing, revealing the woman's true face.
It wasn't the face of the old classmate Lin Chuyue knew at all. On the contrary, it was the face of a complete stranger.
While also beautiful, this face was somehow plainer, more unremarkable.
Lin Chuyue stumbled back in fright, hiding behind Xiao Ye. "What is that?"
"It's a mask made from human skin."
Meng Die stopped struggling. She stared daggers at Xiao Ye. "Why didn't you expose my true face before?"
"Were you just waiting for this moment? Impossible! How could you have predicted all this?!"
Xiao Ye gave a faint smile. "What you look like is irrelevant to me."
When he looks at a person, he doesn't see their outward appearance, but their bone structure.
'That was why he knew from the very beginning that the face "Meng Die" wore didn't match her underlying bone structure.'
'He had just assumed it was plastic surgery.'
But after confirming her identity as Silver Fox, he knew it couldn't be plastic surgery.
Such extensive work would require a long recovery period. It would be impossible for it to look so flawless in such a short amount of time.
A terrible premonition surfaced in Lin Chuyue's heart. "Human skin... Meng Die... what happened to her?!"
With her true face revealed, Silver Fox no longer hid anything. She gave a vicious smile. "Meng Die is already dead. Her face was used to make this mask."
"Three days before I came to find you!"
Lin Chuyue's body trembled, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Xiao Ye quickly pulled her into his arms, tenderly wiping away her tears and placing a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Don't worry. What she said isn't necessarily true. A human skin mask is indeed made from real skin, but it doesn't have to be from the person being impersonated."
"Besides, a mask like this can't be made in three days. It takes at least a week. She's lying. Maybe your friend is perfectly fine and just hasn't returned from abroad yet."
Hearing this, a spark of hope ignited in Lin Chuyue's heart.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Xiao Ye prepared to lead her away.
But Lin Chuyue didn't move. "No, I'm not leaving. You're going to interrogate her, aren't you?"
"I'm staying with you. I need to know what really happened to Meng Die!"