Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 691 Backstab! Bai Ye in Action! (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

"!!!"

Yukiko Kudo felt a sudden tightness in her chest, as if she had been struck by a heavy hammer.

She dared not easily let Yusaku Kudo know about this. On the one hand, she was deeply worried that Yusaku would misunderstand and thus damage their deep and sincere feelings over the years; on the other hand, she was also afraid that it would cause a series of unnecessary troubles, making the already complicated situation even more chaotic and completely out of control.

She bit her lip, her mind racing, trying to find a way to make Bai Ye restrain his behavior without escalating the situation...

Seeing her fall silent, Bai Ye smiled faintly and softened his tone: "Yukiko, I didn't mean anything by it, I just don't want to see you suppress your true feelings. We are both mature adults, and some things need to be faced with courage, rather than simply running away."

He paused briefly, a seemingly sincere glint in his eyes: "Besides, you yourself are actually wavering, aren't you?"

"You've always been lively, cheerful, beautiful, and gentle, the center of attention. But now, just because of a few words from me, you've become so agitated, completely flustered, and utterly lost your usual composure. Isn't this the best proof? Proving that deep down, you do have different feelings for me."

Yukiko Kudo's face instantly turned ashen. She clenched her teeth, struggling to suppress her anger and panic, her voice trembling slightly: "You're talking nonsense! I have no idea what you're talking about! Stop spouting nonsense and trying to confuse the issue!"

Bai Ye simply smiled calmly, his eyes filled with certainty, as if he had already seen through her heart: "Yukiko, you don't need to deliberately hide anything from me. I know in my heart that you are also struggling deep inside."

As he spoke, he slowly reached out and gently grasped Yukiko Kudo's wrist. The movement seemed gentle, yet it carried an unyielding strength. He then pulled her hand to his chest, his tone slightly seductive: "Feel it, my heart beats as fast as yours. Isn't that enough to prove everything?"

Yukiko Kudo's body stiffened instantly as if struck by lightning. She forcefully shook off his hand, staggered back several steps, and her eyes were filled with terror, as if she had seen some horrible monster: "Let me go! Byakuya-kun, you've gone too far!"

Bai Ye simply smiled nonchalantly, his eyes still holding a hint of amusement, as if he were watching an interesting performance: "Yukiko, you don't need to be afraid. I just want you to face your own heart."

He tilted his head slightly, a seemingly gentle smile playing on his lips: "Yukiko, give me a chance to help you face your own heart honestly. Perhaps, when you truly confront it, you'll find that it's not such a bad thing. Maybe, it'll even be a beautiful thing."

Yukiko Kudo's face grew paler and paler, like the lingering snow in winter. She bit her lower lip tightly, almost until it lost all color, as if she was trying her best to suppress the turbulent emotions surging within her.

Every word Bai Ye uttered was like a sharp knife, piercing straight into her heart, making her feel exposed and exposed before him.

What caused her even more pain was that she had to admit that every word Bai Ye spoke was like an incredibly precise scalpel, ruthlessly dissecting her heart and nakedly revealing the emotions she had always carefully hidden and dared not face, leaving her completely at a loss.

"You..." Yukiko Kudo's voice was so weak it was almost inaudible. She felt her body trembling uncontrollably. The feeling of being seen through overwhelmed her like a cold tide, filling her with immense unease and fear. She tried to mask her inner turmoil with anger, but her trembling voice completely betrayed her: "Who do you think you are? What right do you have to treat me like this! What right do you have to interfere in my life!"

To Yukiko Kudo's rebuke, Bai Ye merely smiled. His eyes showed no panic, but rather an irresistible confidence, as if everything was under his control. He slowly took a step forward, each step feeling like it was treading on Yukiko's heart, causing it to tremble slightly with each step: "Yukiko, I'm not forcing you. I'm simply revealing the truth to you, the truth you've always been afraid to face."

He stopped steadily in front of Yukiko Kudo, the two of them so close that they could almost feel each other's breath, their warm breaths mingling together.

Bai Ye lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed on her eyes. Those deep eyes were like a vast universe, seemingly hiding endless secrets, yet exuding an irresistible attraction: "You're afraid to face your feelings, afraid to admit that quiet stirring in your heart. But you can't deny that since the first time you met me, your heart has subtly changed. You're no longer the person who was indifferent to everything. You can clearly feel this change yourself, can't you?"

Yukiko Kudo's heart pounded wildly, as if it would burst from her chest. The violent thumping echoed in her ears, making it almost impossible for her to think. She felt her breathing become rapid and erratic. She wanted to open her mouth to refute, but her throat felt like it was choked by something, so dry that she couldn't make a sound. She couldn't find any suitable words to defend herself, as if all language had become pale and powerless at this moment.

Bai Ye's words were like invisible yet incredibly strong shackles, binding her tightly and preventing her from breaking free. She could only struggle within these painful constraints.

"You...you must stop talking!"

Unable to bear the suffocating feeling any longer, she turned abruptly, staggering as she tried to escape this place that made her feel so oppressed and painful, and to escape Bai Ye's all-seeing gaze.

But as if he had anticipated this, Bai Ye swiftly reached out and firmly grasped her wrist, the pressure just right—not enough to hurt her, yet not enough to make her easily break free. "Yukiko, don't run."

His voice carried a hint of gentleness, yet at the same time exuded an irresistible power: "I know you are filled with fear right now, but running away will never solve the problem. You will eventually have to face your own heart and face this feeling."

Yukiko Kudo's body trembled slightly. She could clearly feel her wrists gripped tightly by him, as if caught in a vise, impossible to break free from. She slowly raised her head, looking at him with an almost desperate gaze, tears welling in her eyes, her voice pleading, "Let me go...please..."

Bai Ye smiled slightly, a smile that seemed to possess an all-knowing wisdom, and his eyes shone with an irresistible determination, as if conveying an unquestionable conviction to her: "Yukiko, I will not let you go. Because I know that deep down you also yearn for something. Isn't that right?"

Yukiko Kudo's heart pounded faster and faster, like the surging waves of a storm, one after another, as if it would completely engulf her.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, fragile and helpless, teetering on the verge of being torn apart by this invisible force. She knew in her heart that Bai Ye's words had truly struck a nerve. Deep down, she also yearned for some unknown emotion, but she had never dared to admit it…

But now, Bai Ye has so cruelly laid all of this bare before her, leaving her nowhere to hide and forcing her to confront her inner contradictions and struggles...

Yukiko Kudo's breathing became more and more rapid. She tried to break free from Byakuya's grasp again, but his hands were as hard as steel and did not move an inch.

Her heart was filled with intense contradictions and struggles. On the one hand, Bai Ye's relentless pursuit made her feel suffocated, and she desperately wanted to escape from this man who made her feel flustered and confused. On the other hand, she had to admit that every word and every subtle action of Bai Ye was like a key, inadvertently touching the soft spot in the depths of her heart that had never been touched before, causing ripples in her heart that were difficult to calm down for a long time.

At that moment, the water droplets that had condensed on the glass silently slid down, slowly spreading a transparent watermark on the clean coffee table. That watermark, like an invisible shadow, continued to spread and expand in her eyes.

Yukiko Kudo stared blankly at the spreading stain, her eyes empty and lost. In a daze, she felt that the water stain was like her gradually collapsing psychological defenses, crumbling bit by bit, being destroyed strand by strand, and she was powerless to stop it.

"However, it seems that Mr. Yusaku trusts me quite a bit."

Bai Ye suddenly lowered his voice, the sound haunting her like a ghost. His fingertips lightly traced the rim of the cup, as if he were playing with a precious treasure. "When he left just now, he even specifically told me to spend more time talking to you."

As he spoke, his thumb lightly traced a hazy arc on the glass. That arc was like a pebble thrown into a lake of the heart, creating faint ripples that spread outwards, disrupting her already chaotic thoughts. "You know... is this some kind of hint?"

He tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips, his eyes gleaming with cunning and probing, as if waiting for Yukiko Kudo to fall into his carefully woven linguistic trap.

Yusaku Kudo would never give him such a hint.

After all, Yusaku Kudo wasn't a self-disciplined person, nor did he have any special quirks.

His instructions to Bai Ye stemmed purely from Bai Ye's abilities and enthusiasm during this collaboration, and had no other superfluous meaning.

But all of this did not prevent Byakuya from taking this opportunity to deliberately disturb Kudo Yukiko's heart and create more opportunities for himself to get closer to her.

"Baiye-kun, please don't make unfounded assumptions. Yusaku was just being polite and friendly. You shouldn't misinterpret his meaning like that."

Yukiko Kudo suddenly raised her head, her eyes instantly igniting with anger and resentment. Her gaze was like two sharp swords, shooting straight at Byakuya, as she tried to defend her last shred of dignity and bottom line.

However, when she met Bai Ye's smiling yet unfathomable black eyes, she was as if frozen in place by an invisible force, instantly speechless. Her throat felt like it was choked by something, and all her anger and words were stuck in her throat, unable to be vented.

At the corner of Bai Ye's eye was a tiny beauty mark, which, under the dim yellow light, resembled a bright star that had not yet fallen, radiating a mysterious and captivating unique glow.

This beauty mark reminded her of the gold powder that the prop master accidentally sprinkled on her skirt when she was filming "Goodbye Ming" more than ten years ago, which also shimmered with a dreamlike luster.

That beautiful memory was now ruthlessly disrupted by the white night, becoming chaotic and unbearable.

"what are you doing?"

In that moment of distraction, Bai Ye suddenly pressed the cool bottom of the cup gently against her burning cheek. The sudden coolness was like an electric current that instantly spread throughout her body, startling Kudo Yukiko into gasping for breath. Her body instinctively tried to pull away, but she found herself still firmly under Bai Ye's control.

"Shh-"

Bai Ye slowly pressed his index finger to his lips, gesturing for silence. This action caused the sandalwood bracelet on his wrist to slip silently down his sleeve, releasing a faint, elegant fragrance. The subtle scent added a touch of ambiguity to the already tense and oppressive atmosphere, making the air feel even thicker, as if trying to envelop her tightly, making it hard to breathe.

"I've heard that when a person lies, the capillaries in their face dilate." His voice was thick with honey, each word seemingly designed to bind Yukiko Kudo's reason, leaving her unable to think or break free. "The current temperature... should be perfect for measuring the truth?"

As he spoke, a sly smile crept across his lips, and his fingers slowly tightened, his fingertips lightly caressing Yukiko Kudo's slender wrist bones.

This seemingly casual action seemed to possess a certain magic, causing Kudo Yukiko's pulse to pound violently in his palm, like a captured butterfly desperately flapping its wings and struggling to break free from this invisible yet incredibly resilient restraint.

“Look,” Bai Ye lowered his voice, a confident smile on his face, as if he was certain that Kudo Yukiko could no longer escape, “even your pulse is admitting it, admitting the feelings you have for me deep in your heart! Now that things have come to this, Yukiko, are you still going to run away?”

(End of this chapter)