Why it never ends

Chapter 1270 Danger
This was Si Lei's first time visiting Tie Xi's residence. She had heard Stella mention that there was a very special equestrian therapist on the farm, but she hadn't asked about the specifics of his special status yet.

Upon entering, Si Lei saw that the entire house had been cleaned up, and everything had been packed into two large boxes—Si Lei himself had also packed all his luggage and was just waiting to leave the next morning.

Guided by Tiexi, she sat down near the bar. She looked at the room's layout with some surprise. It was just a small open space, but she hadn't expected that there would be a bar set up on one side of the open kitchen.

"What to drink?"

"water."

“Okay,” Tie Xi smiled, “won’t you come and get some wine?”

"……Why?"

Tiexi shrugged and didn't answer.

Si Lei's legs were dangling in the air on the high chair, which was an uncomfortable feeling, but it perfectly matched her current discomfort.

Can everything be a transaction, as long as the price is right?
After a brief moment of thought, Sire still felt that Hersta hadn't made any deal; she believed Hersta wouldn't trade Albaradar's death for anything—but this argument was meaningless.

An object that is easily hated is always easier to abandon and judged as unworthy of procedures and truth—for a long time, Si Lei thought she would not fall into this vortex, after all, all her stances and insistences were to resist this moment.

The fact that one person deserves his punishment does not automatically grant another person the right to execute him.

But this time, she didn't stand on her proper ground, and a solid foundation built of principles turned into quicksand. It was this change that left her speechless when facing Clara.

Footsteps sounded outside. Si Lei looked up and saw Stella running in.

"What's the rush that you called me over... Hey, you got a haircut!" Stella looked at Tessi's short hair and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my god, it feels like I've gone back to when I first met you."

Tie Xi smiled slightly, not responding to Stella's soft sigh, but simply gesturing with his eyes that there was another guest in the room.

Stella turned her head, about to greet Silei, when she was suddenly surprised—she finally noticed that the entire room had been cleaned, and there was a suitcase packed in tin in the middle of the living room. Stella's eyes showed surprise.

"...I thought you weren't coming with us? Didn't you say you were going to stay at the horse farm?"

“I still plan to go and take a look,” Tie Xi said, sitting behind the bar. “I submitted an application to Ms. Ximoya last night, and she gave me a reply this morning, saying that it’s possible.”

“That’s great!” Stella jumped onto the high stool next to Sire. “What made you change your mind?”

“My curiosity,” Tie Xi said softly.

Stella chuckled. "Why did you call me here?"

Tie Xi glanced at Si Lei, and seeing that the other party had no intention of telling the story, he recounted everything he had just heard.

Stella's smile slowly froze.

“A fascinating loop, huh?” Tie Xi’s face still held a faint smile. “Even though he rejected Arevalo’s deal, it seems he’s still serving him in the end.”

"...What deal?" Si Lei seemed to be suddenly awakened. "Did Arevalo really make some kind of deal with Jane?"

“He wanted Jane to spare Albaradar’s life,” Stella’s voice was a little hoarse. “But Jane refused.”

This fact, which was completely contrary to Clara's conclusion, greatly puzzled Si Lei.

But then, Stella and Sire realized it almost simultaneously—

If Jane had agreed to Arevalo's terms that night, then Albada would have continued to serve the bishop.
But Jane refused, so Arevalo immediately changed tactics, changing his mind from protecting Albarada to killing him to silence him; both things pointed to the same goal: to keep the bishop—or someone else—always in a safe place.

Stella clenched her fists instantly.

I was taken advantage of.

"I really—"

“Don’t rush to criticize yourself,” Tie Xi leaned forward slightly, “there’s probably something more important to do now.”

Stella looked up, about to ask what it was, when she heard the scraping sound of metal chairs rubbing together as Si Lei turned around beside her.

“Theoretically, if the information Klar brought is true, then there should be a genuine autopsy report,” Si Lei said in a low voice. “This report, with its detailed content and conclusive evidence, should be kept in… a place that Arevalo or that bishop deems safe, until the day they need to release it.”

Both Tiexi and Stella were taken aback: "...You're right."

Si Lei, observing Tie Xi's reaction, asked, "Isn't that what you were going to say?"

“What I’m trying to say is,” Tiexi said, looking at Stella, “you should have realized the cost of using Arevalo long ago—the closer you get to him, the closer he gets to you, and that cost will surface sooner or later, and you may not be able to afford it.”

“…We have to separate,” Stella murmured. “We must separate.”

"It feels like this is a difficult balance to strike," Si Lei frowned. "Will Jane still need him for that next trade show?"

Stella grabbed her hair—it was more than just difficult to handle, it was hellish. Just half an hour ago she was marveling at how lucky Jane was, but now she felt like she had fallen into an ice cave, realizing the price behind that luck.

Stella inwardly berated herself for her foolishness. Those who truly wield power don't need luck; they can simply flip their palms and tip the scales in their favor.

“I have an idea,” Tie Xi said, tilting his head, “but it might be a very bad idea.”

Si Lei and Stella both looked up at the same time.

……

Outside the window, Lucia's crying continued, but Hershta kept the window closed, making the sound seem even more distant.

She sat alone in her office, everything was packed except for a computer and a printer.

The ground was littered with trash, small items that hadn't been sorted out yet during the cleanup. Hesta stepped over them and answered a ringing landline at the far end of the street.

“Sophie, yes, it’s me,” she whispered. “I haven’t seen it yet. Have you already sent the diagnosis to my email? Don’t call her Grass Sprout, she has a name, yes, Helieta.”

After a long silence, Hershta's throat moved slightly, and his grip on the receiver tightened.

"...That shouldn't be an isolated case. I think it would be best to check all the children on the farm, regardless of whether they went to school with me."

“I know, I know… If your ambulance comes like it did last time, most guardians probably won’t agree. Yes, there can’t be any secondary harm.”

“I’ll think of something. Maybe after we move into the base, I’ll organize an event there and invite all the children over—I need to think about it some more. I’ll have Simoya discuss the specific plan with you tomorrow.”

On the other end of the phone, Sophie gave some more instructions, and Hersta swallowed hard.

"...Thank you, Sophie. I'm fine. Goodbye."