Chapter 95

No one knew what the siblings had whispered to each other, but Ding Chun's sister actually didn't expose his identity. Instead, she politely introduced herself. Ye Yin had no intention of blowing his cover either, choosing simply to play along.

By all accounts, the gathering of the two groups should have made things livelier than before, especially with Ding Chun, who was always adept at warming up a room, and his bright, cheerful sister, Ding Dong.

Yet, the room remained dead silent, as cold and quiet as a morgue.

Despite her disguise, Ye Yin still felt a bit guilty, her posture somewhat stiff. She did her best to mimic the mannerisms of a young girl, even altering her accent to carry a distinct regional dialect. Unfortunately, Zhuo Chenglan stared at her from the very beginning without the slightest attempt at concealment. His intense gaze eventually forced Ye Yin to bury her face in her teacup, the back of her neck breaking out in a cold sweat.

Zhuo Zelian was watching her too, though his gaze shifted between her and Zhuo Chenglan, as if he were plotting something. Seeing that his attempts to lift the mood were futile, Ding Chun observed everyone with a complex expression, while Ding Dong’s originally bright and energetic face turned as cold as a midwinter night.

"So, do you two know each other?" Ding Chun asked the Zhuo brothers with a smile, hoping to intervene before his sister could throw water in his woman's face.

"We don't," Zhuo Zelian nudged Zhuo Chenglan with his elbow. "Brother, don't stare so blatantly at other girls. It's rude."

Only then did Zhuo Chenglan snap out of his daze. Realizing he had behaved inappropriately, he quickly withdrew his gaze, his tone carrying a hint of apology. "I'm sorry. You look very much like someone I know, so..."

Ye Yin quickly cut him off. "It's fine. I just have a common face. A lot of people say that, haha."

"Who is that person?" Ding Dong asked, clinging to his arm.

"She's..."

"Ah, this wine is delicious!" Before Zhuo Zelian could finish, Ye Yin made a fuss and turned to act coquettishly toward Ding Chun. "Can I have another glass?"

Ding Chun was slightly taken aback, but he quickly put on his familiar, charming smile. "Of course. You can have as much as you want, sweetheart."

With Ding Chun actively muddying the waters, Ding Dong didn't force Ye Yin to drink a whole barrel. Instead, she chirped like a little bird, hovering around Zhuo Chenglan and peppering him with questions.

"It seems my sister has a lot to ask your brother," Ding Chun said with a grin. "Let's not crowd them. How about we play a game over here?"

Zhuo Zelian said, "Suits me fine."

The two first played a few rounds of cards, then rolled dice to force drinks. Ye Yin felt incredibly frustrated. Unable to easily join their conversation, she could only play the double role of eye candy and waitress: smiling and pouring drinks.

"Old Qiu and his crowd have always been close to those people. Showing no caution even now is rather bold of them."

"From a political standpoint, it's beyond reproach. After all, it's their own child."

"I understand that, but look, the path isn't completely blocked yet. There are still opportunities to choose a side. If you want to keep a foot in both camps, you'd better make sure your legs are long enough."

...

Ye Yin didn't quite understand the things Ding Chun and Zhuo Zelian were discussing. Perhaps that was exactly why they didn't bother to hide them from her. In the end, it was nothing more than factional struggles and power plays—she had seen too much of these old tricks in new bottles.

Zhuo Zelian lost another round of dice. Just as Ye Yin was about to pour him a drink, he suddenly leaned close to her ear. His fingers brushed against her waist, intentionally or otherwise, as he murmured in a low, seductive voice, "He's not a good man. How about we get him drunk later and go somewhere else?"

Just as Ye Yin was thinking *you're no saint either*, Ding Chun pulled her back and wagged his index finger at Zhuo Zelian. "I'm not drunk yet. Hands off my little Oriole."

"So you mean, as long as you're drunk, it's fine?" Zhuo Zelian laughed.

"I've heard you have a legendary tolerance. Why don't we test it today?" Ding Chun smiled back.

"Lian, don't mess around," Zhuo Chenglan tried to stop them, but Zhuo Zelian gently brushed him off. "Brother, you just focus on keeping Miss Ding company. I'm not a kid anymore."

Zhuo Chenglan frowned slightly but said nothing in the end.

Soon, waiters brought over several large crates of alcohol, a colorful array of various brands. To settle it quickly, they didn't drink straight shots but decided to mix the most lethal cocktails for each other, seeing who would pass out first.

They started with two glasses of plain water. With a sinister smile, Ding Chun picked up a few bottles and began to mix.

Ye Yin watched from the side, her heart pounding. She wasn't picky about alcohol and didn't have refined taste—strong Chinese liquor and Rémy Martin tasted much the same to her—but she knew how terrifying the "Doomsday" cocktail Ding Chun was mixing for Zhuo Zelian was! Even the toughest drinkers in Spring Snow would be babbling nonsense and flailing around after just one glass of this. No matter how high Zhuo Zelian's tolerance was, he wouldn't survive several glasses in a row, would he?

To her surprise, Zhuo Zelian downed it and acted as if nothing had happened. His tone was perfectly relaxed. "Nice mix. My turn."

Ding Chun stroked his chin, intrigued. "After you."

The drink Zhuo Zelian mixed was very simple: one-third blue "Pearl Tears" mixed with two-thirds clear, colorless "Volcano Whiskey." Ding Chun took the glass in confusion and observed it for a moment. "This is just a basic Mermaid's Tears. Even girls can drink this without a problem. Are you going easy on me?"

"Drink it first, then we'll talk."

Ding Chun drained the glass.

He paused for a moment to feel the aftereffects, but felt nothing special, so he shook his head. Just as he was about to mix another drink for Zhuo Zelian, he suddenly slumped onto his seat without a word.

"Brother!" Ding Dong gasped in surprise.

Zhuo Zelian said with a smile, "He's just drunk. Don't worry."

"But..."

"I heard this place has private resting rooms in the back. Just call someone to carry him there. Mind if I take this young lady out for a bit?"

Ding Dong gritted her teeth. In the end, she decided to betray her brother just a little to secure some private time for herself and Zhuo Chenglan. "It's fine. Go ahead."

Before Ye Yin could process this rapid sequence of events, Zhuo Zelian dragged her out of the Labyrinth and onto a stone bridge outside an artificial garden.

"Don't worry. Even if I hadn't gotten him drunk, those two would have ended up alone in the Labyrinth anyway." Zhuo Zelian leaned against a stone pillar of the bridge, casually lighting a cigarette. "Since we had to leave regardless, I might as well abduct you and get a little benefit for myself."

"What do you mean?"

"That girl's family has had their eye on my brother for a long time, wanting him as their son-in-law, but he's always been completely unresponsive." Zhuo Zelian chuckled. "So, opportunities must be created. Why don't we go for a walk?"

"No, thank you. I have to go back to find him later," Ye Yin said. "Honestly, I don't think a single meal can change the relationship between two people."

Zhuo Zelian smiled. "It depends on the time and place. For instance, tomorrow, if you'd do me the honor of having dinner with me, I guarantee you'll never be able to leave me again."

"Really?" Ye Yin found it amusing. "I didn't realize I looked that starved in your eyes."

"The Labyrinth is run by the Ding family." Zhuo Zelian's smile was dazzling. "Some of the dishes inside have an aphrodisiac effect to seal the deal. No matter how strong-willed someone is, they will lose control of their body. Ding Dong is actually quite skilled in bed. My brother has never had another woman before, so he'll surely be completely smitten. And he'll take responsibility to the very end."

Ye Yin froze, then asked flatly, "Are you selling out your own brother?"

"No, I'm doing this for his own good," Zhuo Zelian said. "On the surface, our family looks prestigious, but we are actually surrounded by hidden perils and could fall into the abyss at any moment. With their family's full support, we'll be secure for at least the next few decades, and my brother can smoothly inherit our father's position. Isn't that a win-win?"

Without a word, Ye Yin turned to walk back. Zhuo Zelian grabbed her, deeply surprised. "What are you doing?"

"None of your business."

"No." Zhuo Zelian's face darkened. "Who do you think you are, interfering with our family's—"

*Slap!*

Zhuo Zelian touched his left cheek, staring at Ye Yin in shock.

"I'm returning those words to you. Who do you think you are, interfering in the most important matter of your brother's life?" Ye Yin had slapped him with so much force that her palm stung. "If you're really that worried about your family, why don't you use your brain to find another way? What kind of person only knows how to screw over their own brother?" With that, Ye Yin turned and walked away without looking back.

Zhuo Zelian stood there in a daze for a moment, then gave a helpless smile. He turned around, leaning his elbows on the stone bridge railing, and quietly gazed into the distance.

Out of breath, Ye Yin stopped and pulled the door open with all her might, only to find Zhuo Chenglan alone in the room.

"Uh, where is Miss Ding?"

"She seemed a bit unwell just now, acting very strange, so I had someone carry her to the back room to rest." Zhuo Chenglan was slightly surprised. "Why did you come back alone, Miss Huang? Didn't he accompany you?"

Ye Yin let out a long sigh. What a mess.

She silently sat down beside Zhuo Chenglan and gulped down a whole cup of tea, discarding all her manners.

"I heard you came from another base?" Zhuo Chenglan suddenly asked.

"Yes, the Third Base."

"Has it been alright over there lately?"

"It's fine. Good weather, no major trouble."

"That's good," Zhuo Chenglan smiled slightly.

Ye Yin hesitated for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Are you... worried about someone in that base?"

Zhuo Chenglan paused, a subtle, barely detectable tenderness appearing in his eyes. "Yes."

"These days, being separated by bases is no different from being a world apart," Ye Yin said self-deprecatingly. "You never know what that person might suddenly become, nor what you might become. Why wait..."

"No matter what she becomes."

Zhuo Chenglan didn't finish his sentence, but Ye Yin understood his meaning perfectly. She felt a warm current gently flowing through her veins, like a river just beginning to thaw in spring. "You really are... an incomprehensible person."

"Indeed."

Ye Yin pressed her hand to her forehead and burst into a chuckle.

"By the way, your younger brother is behaving deplorably. He needs to be taught a lesson."

"I'm sorry. Did he... do something to you?"

"Not to me, to you," Ye Yin said gloomily. "Be careful of what you eat and drink when you're out, and don't meet with just any shady woman, or you'll be crying later."

Zhuo Chenglan was stunned, nodding blankly.

Ding Chun didn't wake up until two days later, having been thoroughly done in by Zhuo Zelian's drink. His first reaction was not to settle scores with Zhuo Zelian, but to personally go to the Jixiang Inn to find Ye Yin and repeatedly apologize to her.

"I don't really care," Ye Yin said, leaning against the doorframe with a coat draped over her shoulders and her arms crossed. "Can I see Ding Chun now?"

"Actually, I am Ding Chun."

Ye Yin showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Uh, you already knew?"

"Yes."

Ding Chun scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Well, I guess I've been acting like a clown in your eyes these past few days."

"No, I was just waiting for you to face me with your real identity." Ye Yin got straight to the point. "I'm looking for you because of the crystal cores."

The charm immediately vanished from Ding Chun's face, replaced by a sudden seriousness.

"I see... If it's about the crystal cores, please, let's discuss this at my residence."