Deviant: No Longer Human

But Mary\'s attention was fixed on Xin Meifang, whose smile faltered under the intensity of Mary\'s gaze.

There was something undeniably uneasy about Mary—her beauty sharp, almost dangerous.

"Yes, of course," Meifang replied, quickly regaining her composure.

Her smile was smooth as she reached for a glass of wine, her movements fluid and graceful. "Follow me," she added, leading Mary to a secluded corner of the beach.

Her hips swayed subtly as she walked, confidence returning with each step.

Mary nodded, her lips curling into a slight, approving smile. "Enjoy your evening, Miss Yue, Miss Zhilan," she said, her voice soft and teasing, with a knowing glance at Yue.

The look lingered, a playful glint in her eyes, as if she could see right through Yue\'s unease.

Yue caught the hint, feeling her cheeks warm under Mary\'s gaze.

She glared back, but it was half-hearted, and Mary\'s light charming laughter followed her as she lightly walked away, leaving Yue feeling oddly exposed.

\'She knows,\' Yue thought, unsettled by how easily Mary had seen through her awkward attempts or trying to know Xinyue Zhilan.

Mary\'s steps were deliberate as she approached Xin Meifang, who stood alone by the shore, her figure framed by the soft light of the moon.

There was a quiet elegance in the way Meifang waited, her posture straight but with a hint of melancholy, as if she were lost in thought.

Does Mary know her?

Wenxi wondered, her sharp eyes narrowing with curiosity.

This was new—Mary, usually so reserved, taking the lead, and with someone unfamiliar.

With Mary gone, Xinyue Zhilan felt the tension in the air lift.

She turned back to Yue and Wenxi, her posture relaxing as she smiled. "It\'s good to see you both here," she said warmly, her voice carrying a subtle charm.

"Yes, it\'s been... interesting," Yue replied, her tone polite, though her mind was still on Mary. \'What is she planning?\' she wondered, but for now, she pushed the thoughts aside, focusing on the conversation.

_______

"You wouldn\'t want to cause a scene here, and neither of us wants our identities revealed, do we?" Xin Meifang\'s voice was smooth, her red lips brushing the rim of her glass as she spoke.

The words rolled off her tongue with a casual confidence, laced with an unsettling familiarity.

Mary stopped a few steps behind her, her posture graceful yet tense, hands folded demurely in front of her. "I didn\'t know someone as strong as you existed among deviants," she said, her tone polite but her eyes sharp, hinting at violence. "Who are you?"

The wrong answer, and Mary was ready to strike.

Her role was to protect Yue and Wenxi, and this woman\'s power made her a potential threat. \'I can\'t afford to take chances.\'

Xin Meifang tilted her head slightly, as if puzzled. "Deviant?" she repeated, her eyes flickering with confusion. "You think I\'m... what? You\'re not with Pantheon?"

"Pantheon?" Mary\'s brow furrowed as she tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "Is that what you call yourselves? Some new organization? If you\'re targeting Miss Yue and Wenxi, I suggest you retreat now before it\'s too late. The people backing them aren\'t ones you\'d want to cross."

Xin Meifang slowly turned her head, her golden eyes glowing as they met Mary\'s. "We\'re having a misunderstanding," she said, her voice steady, almost soothing. "I\'m not here for those two. I\'m only here to oversee my daughter\'s marriage. Nothing more."

Mary\'s eyes widened slightly, her breath catching.

\'Daughter? Wait... she was mother of Miss Ruixin,\' she thought, surprise flickering through her.

\'Why is someone in Wang Xiao\'s family this powerful?\'

If it weren\'t for the family connection, Mary would have neutralized the threat immediately.

\'It can\'t be... those hell spirits again,\' she thought worried, realizing she needed to alert Wang Xiao. \'Something\'s not right here.\'

Xin Meifang took a slow step closer, her gaze never leaving Mary\'s. Her eyes sparkled with a strange, almost seductive delight, as if she could see deep into Mary\'s soul.

"Your soul... it\'s so tainted," she murmured, her voice a soft, dangerous smile. "So much blood, guilt... pain... the suffering you\'ve caused...."

"Wh—!?"

Mary\'s pulse quickened, and she instinctively stepped back, a shiver running down her spine.

"Who are you?" she whispered, unable to mask the unease in her voice.

Xin Meifang\'s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile, her touch light as she placed a hand on Mary\'s shoulder. "It\'s better we don\'t engage in conflict for now," she said, her tone intimate. "Your retribution will come... but not today."

"What...?" Mary\'s mind raced, trying to grasp the meaning behind her words, but Xin Meifang had already turned away, walking off with a graceful ease, leaving behind her seductive trail of frganace, as if nothing had happened.

The chilling smile lingered on her lips, a crimson slash in the moonlight.

Retribution?

Mary echoed in her thoughts, unsettled. She shook her head, trying to clear the confusion, but the unease only deepened.

Hurrying back to Yue and Wenxi, she couldn\'t shake the image of Xin Meifang\'s smile, her blood-red lipstick vivid against her pale skin. \'She saw right through me. How?\'

______

As the bonfire intensified, casting a brighter glow across the beach, the lively music filled the air, blending with the sound of crashing waves.

Despite the festive atmosphere, one person felt isolated—Wang Mei.

She sat quietly on a wooden bench, her eyes occasionally blinking as she looked at the boy beside her, Wang Xiao\'s imposter, who remained silent and distant.

Neither of them was allowed to drink, and under normal circumstances, Wang Mei wouldn\'t have minded.

But lately, after contemplating Wang Xueying\'s words, she couldn\'t shake the feeling that she had become a mere babysitter to him.

Her discomfort grew with each passing moment, her toes curling in her heels.

Finally, she stood up, the tension in her body begging for release. "I\'m going to take a walk. Don\'t move," she said, her voice soft but slightly strained.

Without waiting for a response, she headed towards the seashore, needing to escape the awkwardness.

As she walked away, a few younger boys who had been watching her from a nearby table sighed in disappointment.

They had lingered, hoping for a chance to talk to Wang Mei, but with her departure, they too left, leaving the imposter alone on the bench.