Chapter 51: Elizabeth’s Strategic Retreat

At the end of the corridor, Lu Xin smoked, gazing at the sky outside the window, watching scattered clouds drift by.
The sound of soft, delicate footsteps approached from behind.

Turning, she saw Elizabeth.
Lu Xin raised a hand to wave but remembered her harsh words to Elizabeth a few days ago and lowered it awkwardly.

Seeing Lu Xin’s reaction, Elizabeth said nothing.
She stood close, legs together, slightly opening her trench coat—perhaps to cool off.

But was that really the reason?

From Lu Xin’s height, her open collar revealed a glimpse of mature allure, mismatched with her youthful appearance, and a hint of delicate, girlish charm.
It seemed Elizabeth wasn’t wearing anything underneath today.

Lu Xin struggled to avert her gaze, looking at Elizabeth and saying, “About the other day, I’m sorry.”

“I shouldn’t have spoken so harshly.”

“And I did have improper thoughts about you.”

“But I’m sorry—I don’t love you.”

Hearing Lu Xin’s sincere words, Elizabeth replied, her expression wistful, “I never blamed you.”

“It was my fault that day. I was too impulsive.”

“I shouldn’t have kissed you, shouldn’t have pushed you down, trying to do that without your consent.”

“As you said, I’m a shameless woman, a homewrecker.”

Elizabeth stepped closer, and Lu Xin instinctively backed up until her waist hit the windowsill.

“But like I said that day, I don’t need you to love me. I just ask… that you let me love you,” Elizabeth said.

“I hope our relationship can be like it was before—pure friendship, the bond of comrades who’d die for each other, just now mixed with my selfish, one-sided love for you.”

“I don’t blame you for vanishing without a word for seventeen years.”

“I blame myself for not pursuing you twenty years ago when you were just a liaison.”

“Now, it’s too late. My hesitation back then led to this.”

“But I miss you so much, I love you so much—whether it’s you or your other side.”

“So… can I hug you?”

Elizabeth’s pleading, tearful gaze met Lu Xin’s, stirring pity, but Lu Xin hesitated.

She feared Elizabeth might make things awkward again during the hug.

Just as Lu Xin opened her mouth to decline, Elizabeth stepped forward, pressing herself against Lu Xin, her arms wrapping around her waist due to their height difference.

Caught off guard, Lu Xin froze, hands hovering in the air, one still holding a lit cigarette, unsure what to do.
Elizabeth’s body rubbed against her, side to side.

Lu Xin felt the sensation of Elizabeth’s soft abdomen brushing against her, the textured friction of her curves against her stomach, and the clearer view of the open coat’s interior.

Sensing her body’s response, Elizabeth, out of Lu Xin’s view, smirked triumphantly.

Breathing heavily, Lu Xin tossed the cigarette to the ground, placing her hands on Elizabeth’s slender shoulders to push her away.
But Elizabeth clung like a magnet, immovable.

With no other choice to avoid losing control, Lu Xin glanced around the empty corridor.
Golden patterns crept up her neck, and her tall frame shrank into a silver-haired, blue-eyed girl.

Activating her Concealment authority to set a barrier around them, Alice Phil sighed in relief, looking helplessly at Elizabeth still rubbing against her.

At least in this form, there’s no risk of things getting out of hand, Alice Phil thought. No gun to misfire.

Elizabeth, unfazed by the transformation, continued hugging and rubbing, greedily inhaling Alice Phil’s faint, ephemeral fragrance, like a night-blooming cereus.

Nothing’s changed, Elizabeth thought, eyes closed, embracing Alice Phil.

Back in their team days, after missions and shared baths, they sometimes slept together on a big bed.
Yuehua’s side was always reserved for Corona, with Elizabeth—Scarlet—on the other.
Though Haiyin occasionally took Yuehua’s side, she’d yield if asked, though Elizabeth never pushed her, given Haiyin’s quiet nature.

Even in Alice Phil’s shorter form, Elizabeth was still a head shorter, her face perfectly level with Alice Phil’s chest.

Burying her face there, feeling the now-larger curves—perhaps enhanced by motherhood—Elizabeth marveled at the change.

After lingering long enough, she looked up at Alice Phil’s flushed, embarrassed face and trembling shoulders, like a chaste wife harassed by a rogue.

“You… had enough?” Alice Phil asked shakily.

“Yep, enough,” Elizabeth said with a smile, burrowing her face into Alice Phil’s chest once more before stepping back, satisfied, standing a step away.

“Actually, I had another reason for talking to you,” Elizabeth said.

“What reason?”

Alice Phil crossed her arms, her flushed face turning away from Elizabeth toward the window.
Didn’t she call me out to apologize and confess her feelings?

“It’s about Corona. She wants to see you,” Elizabeth said.

“The captain wants to see me? She has my number. She could’ve called anytime,” Alice Phil said, puzzled.
They’d exchanged numbers when welcoming Lu Ming back.

Unless… Alice Phil dreaded the worst.

“I mean the other you—Lu Xin. She wants to meet Lu Xin,” Elizabeth clarified.

“When you vanished without a word, Corona learned from me that Lu Xin is your husband, Alice Phil, and an old teammate.”

“Fate’s brought you together. She wants to catch up.”

So it’s finally come to this?

My sins have caught up with me.

For some reason, Alice Phil felt a strange relief.
Though she’d paid a price, she’d never faced Corona as Lu Xin to give her closure.

No more running. I can finally break with the past…

Can Lu Xin finally stand in the sunlight?

…Can I?