Hua Yunyue paused, her voice steady despite the storm within. "Yunxia, tell me—have you found a boyfriend?"
A pfft crackled through the phone, Yunxia's voice jolted with surprise. "Sis, we made a pact! If we can't meet in this life, we stay single forever. Me, get a boyfriend? Am I that reckless?" She paused, sensing a shift. "Sis, what's going on? Why ask something like that?"
Twins they were, but Yunyue admitted Yunxia's mind was sharper. Though Yunyue held a major general's rank, Yunxia was a triple-discipline senior engineer and the world-renowned founder of Heaven and Earth, a genius of rare caliber.
"Yunxia, someone knows our secret," Yunyue said, voice low.
"Our secret?" Yunxia replied, puzzled. "If it's about us being sisters, let it out. I'd have gone public ages ago if you hadn't stopped me. That man can't control me. Sis, I miss you—I'm so alone." The "man" was their father, the Military Blade.
Yunyue shook her head. "Not that secret. The one on our bodies."
Yunxia's tone sharpened, stunned. "Our bodies? What secret?"
"The crescent-moon mark."
"What?!" Yunxia's voice spiked. "The crescent mark? Who is this guy? How does he know? Did he tell him?" She meant their father.
"Impossible," Yunyue said firmly. "They've never crossed paths. And my bracelet—lost for half a year? It was on his wrist. Yunxia, is that a coincidence?"
Yunxia's voice cleared, alert. "Sis, were you spied on?"
"No way," Yunyue snapped. "My place is a fortress, and my Qinglong Art's at the sixth level. He's not that skilled." The idea of being peeped on stung, but she brushed it off. "It's just a fluke."
"No," Yunxia countered, her voice soft but resolute. "I don't believe in flukes. If it's not spying, then maybe it's like Mom said before she died—our life's destined home." She recalled their mother's final words: When the blood sun rises, the phoenix will blaze with five-colored light, finding the way home. Yunxia had seen fire in her mother's eyes, a blood-red inferno, her last spark guiding them.
Their mother was an enigma, hailing from a mystic place, claiming to sense the future. Yunxia, a materialist, trusted her mother's love implicitly, especially now, as she'd begun to inherit her mother's uncanny gifts.
"Yunxia, stop!" Yunyue urged, alarmed. "Don't go there. Call it a coincidence. That guy's a notorious playboy—more women than you've met. He's no good match." Yunxia invoking their mother's prophecy escalated things too far.
Yunxia, undeterred, stood firm. Though she adored her sister, her mind was her own. "Tell me about him," she said, curious.
Yunyue panicked. She knew Yunxia's stubborn streak—once set, nothing swayed her. Desperate to deter her, Yunyue painted Lei Zhengyang as a vile cad. "At sixteen, he got a classmate pregnant. At seventeen, he ditched school, haunting bars and clubs. By eighteen, he was the infamous Lei Third Young Master, trailed by a pack of lackeys. At nineteen, he had a private suite at Yaochi Club, hosting wild orgies. At twenty, he bought a sixteen-year-old for 'loli training.' Later that year, he fled after trying to assault Song Yingfei, vanishing for a year before slinking back."
If Zhengyang heard this, he'd cringe. Some deeds he'd forgotten, yet this woman recalled them sharper than he did. Yunxia listened silently.
When Yunyue finished, certain she'd covered every sin, she pressed, "So? Dare to tangle with a guy like that?"
Yunxia's soft laugh came through. "Sis, you didn't need to try so hard. I get it—you want me to steer clear. Too bad. A guy this gloriously awful? I'm dying to meet him."
"What's to meet?" Yunyue groaned. "Yunxia, listen—he's the type you'd slap on sight. A total sleaze." She regretted spilling the tale; now Yunxia was hooked.
"Sis, I believe in fate and Mom's dying words," Yunxia said. "Explain how he knows about our crescent marks."
"I'll get to the bottom of it," Yunyue vowed. "Don't overthink this. You're a scientist—stick to science. Prophecies, psychics? That's superstition. You can't buy into it."
Yunxia chuckled, unmoved. "I know you don't believe, so you won't share his file. Fine, I'll dig myself. This guy intrigues me."
Panic surged as Yunxia's interest solidified. Yunyue's gut twisted with regret. Yunxia was too pure—if she got close to Zhengyang, a master of romantic deceit, she'd be doomed. Gritting her teeth, Yunyue threw herself under the bus. "Okay, Yunxia, you got me. Truth is, I'm into him—love at first sight. But our pact stops me from acting. I don't want him, but I can't let anyone else have him either. Understand?"
Her face burned with the lie, but to quash Yunxia's curiosity, she'd sacrifice her pride. Yunxia gasped, stunned. "Sis, for real? You like him?"
"Totally," Yunyue doubled down, gagging internally. "He's tall, handsome, fierce, and a martial arts beast. I'm smitten. Yunxia, I saw him first—no stealing, got it?" She swore silently: Next time I see Lei Zhengyang, I'll make him pay for this.
Yunxia softened. "Alright, if he's your guy, I won't touch him. If you find true love and settle down, tell me. I'll find a way to come back, end our pact, and meet you."
"Thanks, sis," Yunyue said, relieved.
"We're sisters—no need for thanks," Yunxia replied. The call ended.
Yunyue exhaled, cursing Lei Zhengyang under her breath—bastard, scum! Her jeep roared, speeding through the streets. If a soldier overheard her tirade, they'd faint from shock. Across the ocean, a woman identical to Yunyue rose from bed. Hua Yunxia's delicate frame carried a fragile, Lin Daiyu-like charm, begging to be cherished. Her sheer nightgown slipped from her shoulders, a towel hiding her breathtaking curves. As she turned, a crescent-moon mark gleamed blood-red on her hip, vivid and striking.
Glancing at the phone, a playful smirk curved her lips. "Sis, that lie was too clumsy. Love at first sight? Nah. You're terrified I'll meet this guy, scared I'll fall. Honestly? I'm really curious now."
Yunyue, smug in her supposed victory, had no idea she'd fumbled. Her deception had backfired, stoking Yunxia's interest. Even if she knew, she had no time to fret. Her mind was trapped in a maddening question: how did Lei Zhengyang know her body's secret? Such an intimate detail, known only to lovers, could ruin her if he blabbed. Humming with fury, she clenched her fists, muttering, "Lei Zhengyang, I'm not Song Yingfei. Ruin my name, and I'll drag you down with me—mutual destruction if I have to."
This secret was a deadly trump card, rattling even the ice-cold Hua Yunyue.