Laurel held Tina's hand and led her to sit on the dining table with her.
"You want me to tell you about the things you did? But why?" She tilted her head curiously at her.
"That's because…"
"You want to hear how cool it sounds when people talk about it?" Tina opened her eyes wide, mischief dancing in their depths.
Laurel gave a small laugh, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Maybe. I just wanted to hear it from someone I trust."
Tina looked proud of herself, swinging her legs under the chair. "Well, let me tell you, Aunty Laurel… you were kinda scary a few minutes back, it was like you had become a different person."
Laurel blinked. "Scary? Different? How?"
"Scary and different in a good way," Tina said quickly, holding her hands up. "You were like, really calm and quiet most of the time. But if someone tried to mess with you or talk bad to you, boom, you'd shut them up with just a look… And a little bit of action."
Laurel raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
"Yeah. Like this." Tina narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, puffing out her cheeks like she was holding back fire like a dragon. "And then your voice would drop really low and deadly, but everyone thought you were playing around until you slapped Aunty Jade."
'So I really slapped Jade? But why don't I have any memories of it? Could it be… no way, there is no way that is possible.'
Laurel smiled despite feeling disturbed, watching the girl reenact her like a tiny actress on stage.
"Everyone said before that even when you were angry, you never shouted or reacted. That is why Aunty Jade called you a vixen. She also said mean things about you and how you got married into our family. But I don't think you are a bad person.."
She pouted, her shoulders dropping low, then her blue eyes sparkled again, as if she had just discovered a jar of candies. "What does a one-night stand mean?"
Laurel, who had reached for a glass of water earlier, spat out the water in her mouth. Her cheeks turned red from how casually she asked the question.
'How the hell am I supposed to answer that?'
Laurel forced a smile on her lips. "It means… cough… cough. Tina darling."
"Yes, Mrs. Wayne. Are you not feeling good? Have more water." Tina handed a glass of water to her.
However, Laurel waved her hand at her to say she didn't want any water. She held her head. "Tina, Mrs. Wayne is feeling sick and she needs to go get some rest."
Laurel stood up without waiting for her response.
"But you haven't eaten anything yet…" Tina yelled behind her. "Fine, I'll have all the cakes to myself." She shrugged her shoulders.
Laurel's footsteps hurried down the hallway. When she got to a considerable distance, she leaned against the wall. "What the heck was that all about?" She placed her hand on her chest trying to calm her heartbeat.
"You tell me," an amused voice echoed from deep within her mind. "One moment I was having fun and showing those white lotus who the real master is, but you had to come back and ruin all of that."
Laurel froze, her pulse quickened. "You… again?"
"Who else?" the voice drawled, sounding like she was stretching lazily. "It's not like I'm going anywhere, this body is home now. Our home."
Laurel swallowed, her back pressing harder against the wall. "You took over, didn't you?" she whispered under her breath, her eyes widening in fear.
"Took over?That sounds aggressive. I stepped in. There is a difference between them."
Laurel's brows furrowed. "You slapped Jade."
"I did, and you are welcome." Ling Xuan chuckled. "I should've slapped Felicia too, but you had to ruin it by snapping back to consciousness."
Laurel clenched her fist angrily by her side. "Why don't I remember it?"
"Because your soul went all hazy when I slipped in. I only meant to give you a little help, because you were going to let them step on us. And I took over to make sure they would think twice before doing it."
Laurel frowned, her hand tightening at her side. "You can't just… hijack my body and do whatever you like."
"I didn't 'hijack' anything. I have as much right to the body as you. Don't think that you are the only one who gets to control the body. If you go too soft and won't comply with my demands… I'll just take over the body."
"You are threatening me?"
"Yes, I am. I just made everyone in the Wayne family respect us. I don't see anything wrong with that. And you should be grateful to me for stepping in."
Laurel sighed, dragging a hand down her face. "There is nothing to be grateful about, I could have handled them just fine, and in my way. And people don't just black out and wake up to applause the chaos."
"I highly doubt that you would have been able to handle it. You are too weak for this… all talk with no action. Now everyone in the house knows not to mess with you."
Laurel slid down to sit on the floor, her legs folding beneath her as she tried to make sense of everything. "This isn't how it's supposed to be. My second chance should have been a new start for me… why is my rebirth so different?"
"It is not just your rebirth, it is my rebirth too." Ling Xian's voice lowered dangerously.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Synchronisation compatibility between hosts lowered to 30%]
[Warning: Soul Sync Farming Space System will shut down if it goes below 25%]
[Hosts must work together to sustain the system, unlock missions, and start hoarding.]
Laurel inhaled deeply. "How am I supposed to work with her if she doesn't respect my boundaries and what I want?"
"And how am I supposed to work with someone who has no spine? Someone who doesn't want to fight back?"
"And who told you I don't want to fight back? I'll make all the people who hurt me suffer… I didn't come back to show mercy."
"Sounds like all talk."
[Warning: Hosts synchronisation compatibility lowered to 25%]