Shen Xiao stood still, letting her words lash out like cold, stinging rain. His jaw tightened, but his eyes remained unreadable, just that same maddening calmness that made her want to scream and scratch him all over to vent her heart out.
"Bai Zhi..." His voice was quieter now, nearly drowned by her sobs. "That condition... it wasn't meant to destroy you. It was the only way I could keep you alive. You knew the price when you agreed to it."
Her chest heaved, but her lips curled into a bitter, trembling smile.
"Don't you dare," she hissed, "don't you dare say you kept me alive. I'm the one who ruined myself. I made the decision myself, I let them use me, let them change me, because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you Shen Xiao."
