The thought echoed in her mind like an explosion.
[Otherwise... how could he be bleeding so much... and his voice sounds so weak...]
Bella's heart tightened fiercely, as if gripped by something ruthless, and her breathing lost its rhythm.
She watched as he, despite his heavy breathing, still used his bloodstained hands to carefully straighten her skirt that had been knocked askew.
That streak of red slid down the side of his face, dripping from his jaw onto the snow-white back of Bella's hand.
Yet, it felt so scorchingly hot that it made her heart ache.
At this moment, she couldn't think of anything else.
Only one thought was frantically churning in her mind:
Nothing can happen to Ye Jinzhi.
After a brief crackle of sparks inside the car, the surroundings plunged into a dead silence.
The driver, who had been controlling the steering wheel, was now slumped limply over the airbag.
With his forehead pressed against the shattered windshield, he had long since fallen unconscious.
The young man trembling lifted his blood-soaked hand, his fingertips tracing over Bella's still exquisitely flawless face.
The red blood left a glaring trail on the snow-white silicone skin.
"Look... he fell asleep."
He leaned in close to Bella, his breath, laced with the scent of blood, washing over her icy neck.
"Now, it's just you and me here... Bella, are you still refusing to speak to me?"
"Captain, should we go check on the Boss first? If this keeps up, I'm afraid..."
"Captain?" another person chimed in hesitantly.
The man's gaze was locked on the black sedan ahead. There was no sound in his earpiece, only the howling of the thunderstorm.
The orders the Boss had sent before departure flashed through his mind.
Furrowing his brows tightly, he finally suppressed the anxiety in his heart, turned to the person beside him, and spoke in a deep voice:
"Wait a bit longer. Call an ambulance first, and... the police (110)."
A tense atmosphere filled the air; the team members held their breath, none daring to speak again.
His left hand inadvertently brushed against a hidden button. Ye Jinzhi moved his hand away, allowing the strength supporting his body to slowly drain away.
"Bella..."
"Bella..."
"Bella... pay attention to me."
At this moment, she was agonizing over whether to continue pretending to be a lifeless doll.
In Bella's mind, two little figures were fiercely brawling, locked in an intense fight.
White • Saintly Wage-earner • Bella:
"Save him, girl! Snap out of it!
If Ye Jinzhi really dies from blood loss right now, your mission is completely screwed!
If the system determines the mission failed, you might be trapped in this silicone shell for this lifetime, the next, and the one after that, only able to wear lace dresses, unable to eat hot pot, snail noodles, and all sorts of delicious food!"
Black • Voice of Reason • Bella:
"Don't listen to her! If you save him, you'll really fall into this madman's trap!
Think about the Ye Jinzhi in the book; he lived into his twenties. There's no way he's going to kick the bucket at this point in time!
Once you let him confirm that you have a living soul, the 'unknown' you'll face will definitely be more terrifying than death!
He will lock you up in a gilded cage or hire a bunch of weird doctors to dismantle and study you.
With his yandere-level possessiveness, once he sets his sights on you, you'll lose your freedom entirely!"
On one side was the despair of mission failure, eternal life as a doll, and on the other was the fear of exposing her true self, with an uncertain future.
She was currently placed right next to Ye Jinzhi's cheek.
Bella kept her innocent sapphire eyes wide open, looking at Ye Jinzhi's face, which had turned almost ashen grey due to blood loss.
His breathing grew weaker and weaker, yet his hand still gripped Bella's waist. Even though his consciousness was blurring, he kept murmuring:
"Bella..."
"Bella..."
[I'm risking it!]
Bella let out a roar in her heart.
The education she had received since childhood would absolutely never allow her to let a person lose their life in vain.
If she stood by and did nothing, the torment of her conscience would never let her go.
When that time came, that agony would constantly tear at her sanity.
She moved slightly, giving the hand gripping her waist a gentle, soothing stroke.
Even though the movement was so minuscule it could almost be ignored.
In that very instant, the long eyelashes of the already half-unconscious Ye Jinzhi trembled violently.
He did not open his eyes, but his pale lips, amidst the blood-streaked mess, curled up into a smile, extremely lightly and extremely slowly.
I finally caught you.
That vibrant and soft-hearted soul hiding within the shell of a doll.
