Tian Peng seemed to sense what I was about to do. His right hand shifted slightly, still clutching the coat I'd changed out of in the hotel lobby that day.
Once again, the Demon Lord's voice echoed in my mind: "You're really heartless. I came to return your clothes, yet you're looking at me like that."
His voice—no, I'd heard this voice before. He wasn't Tian Peng; he was the Demon Lord, having taken on Tian Peng's appearance. What was his purpose?
"You still owe me two lives. Aren't you going to pay up? If you dare to make a move, my friend might..."
Although he didn't finish his sentence, I understood what he meant. He was using Yan Lin to threaten me.
"Lanlan, what are you doing? He's Brother Glasses," Yan Lin said. While I was in a daze, she broke free from my grasp and ran towards Tian Peng.
I tried to grab her but missed.
The Demon Lord's gaze remained fixed on me. Only after Yan Lin threw herself into his arms did he look down and smile at her. That smile seemed sinister.
But Yan Lin was oblivious, completely unaware of his ulterior motives. She happily pulled him towards me.
I felt a twinge of fear and took a step back until my back hit the wall. Only then did I feel a bit more secure.
"Lanlan, let me introduce you. This is Tian Peng, the handsome guy from the Computer Science Department. He's my boyfriend," Yan Lin said.
She reached out to hold Tian Peng's hand, but Tian Peng frowned slightly in disgust and stuffed his hands into his pockets.
She didn't notice and quickly grabbed my hand, introducing me to Tian Peng as her best friend.
I forced a smile at Tian Peng and calmly extended my hand. "Hello, I'm Lan Chiyu."
Tian Peng tilted his head and took his hand out of his pocket, shaking mine.
"Hello. What's my name again?"
He looked at me blankly, his slender index finger tickling my palm. I frowned and shook off his hand.
"Tian Peng, what's wrong with you?" Yan Lin asked curiously.
"Ah, right. I'm Tian Peng. My mind must have gotten waterlogged when I saved someone from the water the other day."
"You saved someone? That's amazing!" Yan Lin's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Tian Peng curled his lips, raised his eyebrows, and stared at me with a mischievous smile.
"Yeah, who would've thought I'd save an ungrateful person."
I glared back at him defiantly.
"I'm afraid saving someone was just a pretense. You had other motives, didn't you?"
Yan Lin seemed to sense the tension between us.
"Do you two have a grudge?"
"Anyway, I don't like him," I said bluntly in front of Yan Lin.
"Likewise," Tian Peng said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking disdainful.
"Did you two know each other before?" Yan Lin asked.
"No/No," Tian Peng and I replied in unison.
Yan Lin sighed. "Come on, you two are the most important people to me. Don't make things difficult for me."
"Let me treat you two to dinner. For my sake, can you make up?"
With that, she pulled us downstairs.
As we left the teaching building, most of the bodies on the walls had been cleared.
Two workers were dealing with the last body. As the body bag was slowly zipped up, I saw Tian Peng's cold body. He was definitely dead.
...
In a restaurant near the school, Yan Lin ordered a lot of my favorite dishes.
But I couldn't cheer up. "Yan Lin, accompany me to the restroom."
I wanted to use the restroom as an excuse to take Yan Lin away.
But Yan Lin flatly refused. Judging from her lovestruck expression, not even ten bulls could pull her away.
I sighed and glanced at Tian Peng before heading to the restroom.
As soon as I left, Tian Peng stood up. "I'll go to the restroom too."
We walked one after the other to a corner where Yan Lin couldn't see.
I quickly turned around, grabbed Tian Peng's collar, and pinned him against the wall.
I stared at him seriously. "What do you want?"
He didn't seem angry. Instead, he smiled and raised his hands above his head, allowing me to hold his collar.
"Nothing. I just want to be with you."
"If you want me to pay for my lives, come at me. Don't involve my friend. She has no idea what's going on," I said angrily, tightening my grip on his collar.
"Hey, is this how you treat your savior?" My angry expression seemed to have no effect on him. He wasn't scared at all.
I tried to calm down and loosened my grip on his collar slightly.
"If I didn't use Yan Lin to threaten you, would you have come to see me on your own?"
"Yes. I'll pay you back eventually."
"You're quite loyal. Some things never change."
I didn't understand what he meant, nor did I care. I just hated it when people used my friends to threaten me.
"Please don't play with my friend's feelings. Tian Peng is dead. Please don't take on his appearance to deceive her."
"I do as I please. I can take on any form I like. Besides, he's not my target. I just took on his appearance because he's the only classmate I've seen you with. If you want, I can take on Gu Yuan's appearance to meet you."
As expected of the Demon Lord. He was so unpredictable. Didn't he have his own face? Why did he always have to use someone else's?
"Can't you show your true face?"
Tian Peng smiled and slowly leaned towards me. "Do you think just anyone can see my true face? But... when we're alone, I'd be willing to show it to you."
After saying that, he winked at me playfully.
"You..." I pushed him away and didn't want to waste any more words. I turned around and was about to leave.
But he became more persistent. He suddenly grabbed my shoulder and pinned me against the wall.
"What are you doing?" I raised my hand, showing the bell on my wrist. I made it clear that if he dared to do anything, I'd call Gu Yuan.
"Don't you know you're playing with fire?" Tian Peng said, his hands against the wall. His face became unusually serious, as if he wasn't joking.
I didn't understand what he meant. All I knew was that being with him was a bad idea.
"Demon Lord, men and women should keep a proper distance. If you don't let me go, I'll call for help."
He still had Tian Peng's face, looking as cynical as ever.
"Hehe. You didn't say that when you pinned me against the wall. You're so double - standard."
"So, are you going to let me go or not?" I stared at him coldly, my eyes filled with anger.
"Of course. As long as you behave, I won't hurt your friend. I came here for you and only you."
His expression suddenly softened. His eyes, as gentle as rippling water, reflected my small figure. I even saw a hint of affection in them.
I quickly averted my gaze. Those eyes were too powerful. One look and they could see right through me.
"You still haven't asked for my name."
"I'll just call you Demon Lord," I replied softly.
"No. Everyone in the Three Realms calls me Demon Lord, but you can't. My name is Jun He. A name only you can call me."
My back was against the wall. One of my hands was nervously clutching the wall. My mind was in a mess. He definitely had ulterior motives for me.
"I'm married. Please respect my situation, Demon Lord."
Jun He didn't seem to care about my marriage.
"So what? Sooner or later, I'll show you Gu Yuan's true colors. I'll take you back to the Nine Nether Nightless Sky. That's where you belong."
The Nine Nether Nightless Sky. My eyes, which had been lowered, suddenly lit up.
"You know about my past life, don't you?"