The group of women looked at Zhang Nu and the others with foul expressions. But Zhang Nu and the rest had no intention of killing them. As upright men, they simply couldn't bring themselves to strike women. If someone had to act, it would have to be Ling Xi—but she stood no chance against them.

“What are you still standing around for? Get lost! Or are you really going to wait for us to kill you?” Ling Xi said arrogantly, glaring at the group of women. Her attitude practically begged for a beating.

The women were stunned by her words. They hadn't expected Zhang Nu and the others actually to let them go.

“You’re really just going to let us off like this?” their leader asked in disbelief.

Zhang Nu nodded calmly. “We don’t have any intention of killing women like you. Now leave, quickly.”

The leader nodded but didn’t offer a word of thanks. She only felt looked down on, as though Zhang Nu’s mercy was an insult. If they hadn’t thought so little of her, they wouldn’t have spared her life.

There was no way she’d feel grateful over this. If they crossed paths again, she would show no mercy.

“Sisters, let’s go.”

And with that, the group of women left. But Zhang Nu could never have expected that their entanglement with these women was far from over—they would meet again soon.

Once the group of women had disappeared from sight, Ling Xi finally let out a quiet breath of relief.

At that moment, Lin Xiao noticed her reaction and sensed something was wrong. He felt there was no need for Ling Xi to be so afraid. To him, she was a lovely girl in her own right, there was absolutely no need to compare herself to that other group. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Ling Xi had changed. She seemed downcast now, far different from her usual lively self.

Lin Xiao had a sharp intuition, his instincts rarely failed him.

“Ling Xi, what’s wrong? Why do you look so down?” he asked.

Zhang Nu and the others turned toward Ling Xi as well. They, too, noticed something was off. Normally, Ling Xi would be full of energy by now.

“Yeah, Ling Xi, what’s going on?” Zhang Nu asked. “You’re usually the happiest one among us.”

But Ling Xi couldn’t lift her spirits. She wanted to ask—did men like them really prefer women like that domineering group from before?

“Do you think those older sisters were prettier than me? Compared to them, I just feel like a child.”

Zhang Nu hadn’t expected this question from Ling Xi, especially not delivered so earnestly. It caught him off guard—and honestly, it was kind of funny.

“There’s no need to compare yourself to them. You’re not even the same type. You’ve got the cute charm; they’re more of the ‘dominant queen’ type. Two different styles, that’s all.”

Ling Xi didn’t fully understand what Zhang Nu meant by “dominant queen,” but somehow, she felt that it was the kind of style men would like more. Certainly more than someone like her.

“Then… would you guys like those kinds of women more than me?” she asked softly. “Please don’t abandon me, okay? I can become cool and elegant too…”

Zhang Nu was stunned. It was the first time he’d seen Ling Xi show such a deep sense of insecurity.

“Ling Xi, you don’t have to do that,” he said. “You’re our friend. You’re a part of our team. No matter what happens, we’ll never leave you behind. Have you forgotten the promise I made with the YaoGuais?”

Ling Xi gave a tiny nod, still unsure of herself.

Lin Xiao, watching this whole exchange, felt like Zhang Nu was just making things worse by overloading Ling Xi’s mind.

“All right, enough,” he said. “Don’t overthink it. No matter how hard you try, you’re never going to be like them. Your brain doesn’t have that kind of capacity. Stop overloading it with complicated thoughts.”

Ling Xi immediately shot him a glare, completely forgetting her earlier worries.

“What do you mean by that, Lin Xiao? Are you looking down on me? I’m super smart, okay?!”

Seeing her fired up like that, Lin Xiao knew his job was done. She’d already forgotten all those insecure thoughts.

He hadn’t meant to mock her, he liked this version of Ling Xi. Someone who didn’t hold onto sadness too long, someone who couldn’t dwell on heavy thoughts. Sometimes, he even wished he could be like her—carefree and cheerful.

But that could never be. His life had already been set on a path long ago.