Tao Yu scoffed. “I am telling the truth.”

“I don’t believe you. Unless…” He drew out the word, waiting for her to meet his gaze, her eyes burning with suppressed fury. Then he laughed. “Unless you show me the scar.”

‘How could a personality like that split off from someone like him? Or is the big boss just a repressed mess underneath it all, and this jerk is what happens when he lets loose?’ 

Tao Yu stared at him incredulously. Under her gaze, Yue Linze shifted uncomfortably. He touched his nose. “Did I go too far?” This island was perpetually devoid of even female mosquitoes. It was rare to have someone of a different gender around, especially someone so attractive and easy to tease. He’d simply lost control for a moment.

Tao Yu caught his subtle expression and immediately formed a plan. In a single breath, her eyes reddened. She turned her face away, offering him a stubborn profile. “Let’s go.”

“....” 

If she had continued to be angry, he would have let her yell at him. But her sudden shift in demeanor left him feeling deflated. He cleared his throat. “You need to unlock the handcuffs first. Otherwise, neither of us is going anywhere.”

Tao Yu silently unlocked her side of the cuffs, deliberately keeping her face turned, ‘accidentally’ revealing her reddened eyes. Yue Linze felt even more deflated. He gave a weak smile and hoisted himself out of the pit using one hand. Then he crouched down and extended his hand, the silver handcuff glinting in the sunlight.

He smiled, revealing perfectly straight teeth. “Little warden, let me help you up.”

Tao Yu glanced at the handcuff on his wrist. ‘How the tables have turned,’ she thought. Before, she’d been the one tethered. Now it was him, even if they weren't the same personality. They still shared the same face, products of the same mind.

Yue Linze jiggled his hand, the handcuff rattling slightly. Tao Yu gave him a pointed look and silently chose a relatively low spot on the pit wall, scrambling out using both hands and feet.

Yue Linze’s outstretched hand hung in the air for a moment before he casually withdrew it. He obediently walked over to Tao Yu and offered his wrist. Without a word, she snapped the other cuff onto her own wrist and headed towards solitary confinement.

Yue Linze was unusually quiet on the walk back, trailing behind her. When they reached the cell, Tao Yu led him into the cramped space, barely larger than a coffin. As she was about to lock the door, he stuck his foot between the door and the wall, preventing her from closing it.

Tao Yu frowned at him. He was smiling. “No need to pretend to be angry anymore. I won’t tell Old Chang. I’m not so awful that I’d betray someone who saved me.”

Tao Yu was taken aback. He’d clearly fallen for her act, so why did he suddenly seem to understand? She hadn’t revealed any flaws in her performance.

Yue Linze smiled. He hadn’t seen a woman since arriving on the island, but he’d seen plenty of living people. No one’s eyes got that watery when they were genuinely angry. The little warden was a decent actress, but her performance was too superficial. He might not have seen through it immediately, but it wouldn’t have taken long.

Regardless of how he’d figured it out, he had. Tao Yu pretended it wasn’t her face that had flushed slightly. She scoffed, locked the door, and turned to leave.

“This island isn’t full of good people. They might not usually bother the guards, but that was before. Remember, you’re different. Be careful,” Yue Linze warned casually. Tao Yu didn’t turn back. He watched her through the bars of the small window as she walked away. After a long moment, he scoffed. “What a temper.”

Tao Yu’s face was cold as she left solitary. She finally let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Thank goodness this Yue Linze wasn’t completely malicious. If he had reported her, she would have had to abandon this world, with very little chance of returning.

As she walked, she pressed a hand to her chest. With the immediate tension gone, the pain returned. Her binder was tight, making her chest ache, and the weight of Yue Linze’s fall had intensified the pain. For a moment, she’d thought her ribs had punctured a lung.

She was debating whether to visit the infirmary for some painkillers when her radio crackled to life. Her head instantly began to pound, eclipsing even the physical pain.

Reluctantly, she answered, and after a brief exchange, hurried to the office. As expected, she was met with a barrage of reprimands. Like an obedient grandchild, she massaged Old Chang’s legs and shoulders until his expression finally softened.