Chapter 15: I’m No Liar

Anna easily tracked down Sylvia based on Ying Su's schedule. In the surveillance footage, the two appeared intimate, but in reality, Sylvia was bullying Ying Su.

This made Anna frown.

"Doctor, the patient's surgery is complete, but she will need rest." Ying Su, having undergone the repair surgery, was wheeled out of the operating room.

"I understand." Anna said, following behind to the ward. The post-surgery Ying Su lay quietly on the white hospital bed. She hadn't been cleaned yet and still carried the scent of disinfectant.

Anna didn't mind at all. She simply climbed into the bed and embraced her. As the lovely fragrance filled her nose, Anna felt her mood instantly soothe.

However, she was still displeased. This time, it wasn't because Ying Su had been attacked and couldn't be held while working.

It was because of Sylvia.

She didn't need such a disobedient child. While Sylvia's work was indeed good and she knew how to please her, even remembering the exact dates each month…

But…

She needed an obedient dog, not an unpredictable cat.

And lately, Sylvia had been a bit presumptuous.

Anna wasn't unaware of her ambitions. Having some ambition here was normal. If things followed the normal process, when Anna was promoted, she would naturally elevate Sylvia.

But Sylvia was acting too impatient.

Ever since Anna transferred her out of the office, she had been desperately eager to return. While Anna enjoyed the sight of her fawning and sending lavish gifts to get back in…

Only when Anna personally called for her return could she come back.

'Perhaps I really do need to change assistants.' Anna thought, stroking Ying Su's snow-white hair.

"Hmm… You seem quite good~" Anna looked at the beauty beside her with closed eyes, her hand caressing the other's face before leaning in closer.

"…"

'I want to kill this woman.'

Inside Ying Su's body, Olivia was extremely agitated, but she ultimately held back. It wasn't the right time yet. Even if she eliminated Anna, the two of them wouldn't be able to escape.

And… Ying Su was already in this state. She couldn't let her down again.

Olivia had controlled the force and ensured subsequent protection, so even a gastric perforation was just severe on the surface. With her backing, nothing truly terrible would happen.

But she had seen Ying Su's painful expression clearly.

It was completely different from her usual lively self. Before, even when Olivia recklessly stabbed her body, she'd still flip her off or something.

This time, however, it was Ying Su who had actively proposed letting her body be pierced.

'She's really sacrificed a lot for me…'

It made Olivia feel a twinge of guilt…

'Is this… concern for her?'

No, no… She… She was just afraid that if something really happened and Ying Su died, she would lose the most suitable hiding place.

She was Royalty. She wouldn't care about the life or death of some scrawny monkey. It's just… just that their interests are aligned right now!

[Olivia Favorability +8]

After sleeping for a while, Ying Su slowly woke up. Seeing the blue-white ceiling and smelling the disinfectant, she immediately knew where she was.

With a slight movement, she felt her arm nestled in something soft. Turning her head slightly, she saw that Doctor Anna had fallen asleep holding her. She had a rare chance to observe this high-ranking figure within the Third Containment Facility up close.

Doctor Anna wasn't young, but her exact age was unknown to anyone.

Her skin was well-maintained, her figure excellent, making her look only in her twenties.

With round-frame glasses and long, straight black hair, she appeared quite scholarly and mature. At first glance, anyone could tell she was an elite professional.

She just… really wasn't Ying Su's type.

She still preferred smaller builds like Olivia's.

But there was no choice. For the bigger picture, she endured it.

After a while, Anna also woke up, as she had only taken a short nap.

Seeing Ying Su awake early, her beautiful eyes watching her, Anna reached out and gently tapped Ying Su's nose. "You're okay now. Tell me, what happened?"

But Ying Su just shook her head. "I don't know either…"

"It was a gastric perforation caused by overeating. Tell me, did you eat a lot yesterday?"

"Mm… I did eat a lot." Ying Su said, her eyes seeming somewhat evasive.

"Was it related to Sylvia?"

"N-no… Sister Sylvia was very kind. I wanted to eat it myself." Ying Su insisted.

"Tell me the truth," Anna pinched Ying Su's chin. "Did Sylvia force you to eat?"

"Not at all… I was just greedy and ate everything in one go. It has nothing to do with Sister Sylvia!" Ying Su said, but her eyes avoided Anna's gaze.

"Hmm…" Anna narrowed her eyes and leaned close to Ying Su's ear. "It's fine. I'll back you up. Even if you wanted to replace her, it would be easy. I don't dislike you, but what Sylvia did has genuinely upset me. Ying Su, don't be afraid. Tell me."

"Really… really not. Sister Sylvia didn't do anything wrong. She was just being nice, taking me to eat delicious food. I just ate too much myself…" Ying Su continued to insist.

"…" Anna looked at Ying Su's face, thought for a moment, and said, "Just rest well."

With that, Anna patted her head and got up to leave.

Ying Su really didn't seem to be lying. Or perhaps her emotional control was excellent. But having been here for so long, could it all be an act?

Being considerate of others wasn't a good quality to have in this base.

But as a pet, Anna quite liked it.

'Sylvia… Heh. This is my territory.'

"…"

"If you opened a liar's school, it would be packed." Olivia said, her tone sarcastic and mocking. But she immediately regretted it. She shouldn't have said that. It might make Ying Su unhappy, and perhaps…

Naturally, from within Ying Su's body, she could detect through various senses whether Ying Su was lying. Just now, although Ying Su controlled her tone and expression perfectly, her physiological reactions couldn't be faked.

Ying Su was too practiced at lying.

"I like you, Olivia. Look again, am I lying to you now?" Ying Su said. This was the truth. Ying Su genuinely liked this being she could talk to. After all, she was currently the only… well, monster she had encountered who could get along with her somewhat.

Whether it was during her imprisonment or the others she met at the containment facility—Roland… Sylvia… or Doctor Anna—none of them were good people.

"…" But Olivia's feelings were complicated. On one hand, through her physiological senses, she confirmed Ying Su was telling the truth. On the other hand, her long experience told her not to trust others so easily. So she could only comfort herself,

'Perhaps this is just another exquisite lie, one even I can't discern.'

"I'm no liar, Olivia. These are just skills I use to survive. I haven't used them to hurt innocent people." Ying Su said. Her skills were for self-preservation.

In that dark basement, without light, without a system, without Olivia, facing those greedy gazes, Ying Su had only her lies as a weapon to protect herself.

Besides, not everything she said was a lie.