Chapter 119: I Will Face It for You

"If you don't want to hear it, then I won't say it." He lowered his gaze, his expression indifferent. "If you prefer to escape, that's fine. I will face it for you."

"Do you know which assassin I admire the most?"

"An assassin?" Her question came so abruptly, with such a sudden shift in topic, that his thoughts struggled to keep up. "Why bring that up?"

She merely smiled, calm and serene. "If you ask me which assassin I admire, it would have to be the one-eyed beauty from Kill Bill. She could calmly read a text copied from the internet while her scheme was coming to fruition. If it were me, I’d be in a panic, because I wouldn't be sure if I could finish reading it before the person died."

A look of bewilderment crossed his face. He rarely heard her speak in such cryptic terms, and for a moment, he could not grasp the point she was trying to make.

"In truth, our psychological fortitude is often not enough to support the things we think are cool," she said, sounding a bit deflated and helpless. Then, in an instant, she brightened up again. "But this time, I want to try."

After some maneuvering, she successfully met with Pan Jinshi at the detention center. The professor was no longer the brilliant star of academia he had once been; he looked worn and wretched in his state of imprisonment.

Pan seemed shocked by Xiaoxiao's arrival, staring at her in stunned silence for a long time. Seeming unsure, he asked with a look of deep skepticism, "Are you... are you Ni Xiaoxiao?"

"Professor Pan, though I don't know what I should say to you, I came anyway." She sat across from him. Lin Shuo had persuaded the guards to grant them a significant amount of privacy. She studied him for a long moment and sighed. "Why bother? You could have lived out your remaining years in peace."

Professor Pan's features twisted, his eyes darting back and forth. Then, realization hit him, and he exclaimed in horror, "It’s you?"

She did not deny it. She was only human, and there were too many grievances she could not let go of. For four years, every time she thought of the filthy scenes from that rainy night, her heart was filled with hatred. Yet, now that she finally faced him, she didn't know where to begin.

"Even if it weren't me, it would have been someone else. The path destiny has laid out for you—no matter how many detours you take, you will always end up back here. You cannot escape."

Pan Jinshi’s palms were clenched tight, his lips pressed into a thin, bloodless line. There was no sign of remorse. Suddenly, he slammed his fists onto the table and demanded, "I dropped the charges against you back then; why won't you let me go?" His face flushed crimson as he pointed to the scar on his forehead, snarling, "Is this not enough?"

"And what about my father? Does he deserve to lie in a hospital bed, unconscious and unaware?" Her chest heaved violently, her eyes burning with hatred. "Every time I think of it, I wish you were dead!"

Pan Jinshi stared at the enraged Xiaoxiao in a daze, unable to contain his shock. He began to mutter to himself, "I thought others were just fear-mongering... is it really... is it really like this?"

Xiaoxiao gave a cold laugh. "Do you dare to go and see for yourself? Do you dare!"

"No... no... no..." Pan Jinshi shook his head unconsciously, as if only now realizing the weight of his sins.

Thinking of her father, she couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow, her throat trembling. "Professor Pan, in your twilight years, you should have been planting flowers, not thorns. It’s a pity that even if you realize it now, it’s too late." She stood up, looking down at him, no longer the helpless little girl who could be slaughtered at will. "I will never forgive you. Not even in death."