Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The seduction of the bad woman
"An Yi... he resents me..."
Clorinde's expression froze at this moment, shock and pain intertwining in her eyes. Alechino's words forced her to face this cruel reality. Yes, according to Lin Anyi's character, how could he not feel disgust and resentment after what she had done behind his wife's back?
And since Lin Anyi already resented her, there would likely be no chance for her to meet him again in the future. All her feelings—everything she had built up—were gone. How could Clorinde accept such a thing?
But the die was cast, and now, she had no way to change it.
Clorinde fell into despair, but Alechino's words pointed out a new path for her:"Unless..."
"Unless?" Clorinde raised her head, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes.
"That's right," Alechino nodded approvingly. "Unless we unite to fight against Funina now and successfully get them divorced. Once that happens, Lin Anyi will become a free man."
"In this way, if you want to get close to him, there will be no obstacles, right?"
This sentence was like poison—deadly, yet irresistibly tempting—luring Clorinde to sign a contract with the devil.
Clorinde hesitated, her conscience struggling to wake her up. "But... but, as a best friend, how can I destroy Funina's marriage? This is wrong..."
Seeing this hesitation, Alechino's eyes flashed with annoyance. Such a decent and moral person was incredibly difficult to seduce. She realized she needed to present not only deadly threats but also justification to ease Clorinde's inner conflict.
"Why is it wrong?" Alechino asked sharply. "Clorinde, from your conversation with Lin Anyi just now, do you truly believe he's happy in this marriage?"
Alechino's words were like a sharp dagger, piercing the most vulnerable part of Clorinde's heart. At that moment, her eyes became unusually bright, as if the door to a new world had been opened.
She recalled Lin Anyi's complaints. He had said Funina's strength was too poor—she often couldn't even last a few minutes, and sometimes it was over just as it began.
After all these years of marriage, Funina had never truly satisfied Lin Anyi. Now, he might even be developing physical problems because of it.
Clorinde couldn't help but think back to her actions. Hadn't she just felt the need to help her best friend share this burden? Wasn't that why she had chosen to act on Lin Anyi?
"So, helping them divorce is indeed a good thing for Lin Anyi," Clorinde muttered. Her voice was low, carrying a tone of self-persuasion mixed with hesitation. Her eyes were clouded, as if she were reevaluating every choice she had made.
Seeing Clorinde waver, Alechino's lips curled into a satisfied smile. She resembled a master manipulator, expertly sensing the turmoil in Clorinde's heart.
"Next, I'll deal with Funina," Alechino said, her voice dripping with temptation and provocation. "Will you step in to help her, or...?"
Alechino paused, letting her words linger in the air like a siren's call.
"Think carefully," she continued. "If you choose to help her, you'll always be relegated to hiding in the shadows, watching from afar. But if you stand with me and overthrow Funina, you'll finally have the chance to become Lin Anyi's wife. You know what you need to do, don't you?"
"I..." Clorinde's voice faltered, and she lowered her head, her face twisted in conflict.
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, her silence weighed down by the intensity of her inner struggle.
Above them, the once clear sky darkened, blanketed by a sudden layer of heavy clouds. It wasn't the kind of gloom that heralded a storm but rather a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere—like the sky itself bore secrets too burdensome to share.
Underneath the brooding heavens, no one knew what would come next.
The only sound that broke the silence was Alechino's faint, chilling laughter.
_______________
The evening light shone through the gauze curtains and sprinkled into the quiet living room. Lin Anyi looked at the time displayed on the clock on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Since he hurriedly escaped from the embarrassing scene at Clorinde's house in the morning, he was like a homeless wanderer and finally chose to return to this harbor called "home."
Fortunately, he did not encounter Alechino throughout the afternoon. He said to himself:
"Great, Fu Fu will be home soon, so today's time will finally be spent peacefully."
As time passed, the tense nerves finally relaxed, and a sudden drowsiness made Lin Anyi want to fall on the sofa and have a good rest. However, at this moment, the doorbell suddenly rang, breaking the tranquility in the room.
Lin Anyi immediately jumped up from the sofa, and all his fatigue was instantly replaced by anticipation. He walked quickly to the door, his heart full of joy:
"Welcome back!"
The evening breeze that came in through the crack of the door brought the unique fragrance of Funina. The moment Lin Anyi opened the door, a long-lost smile bloomed on his face, which was a deep longing for his beloved.
However, before the smile was fully developed, it froze on his face in the next second. Lin Anyi's eyes turned from warm to astonished because behind Funina appeared the shadow he had been trying to avoid—Alechino.
Alechino's appearance was like a sudden cold current, instantly making Lin Anyi's heart sink to the bottom. His smile disappeared instantly, replaced by an indescribable complex emotion. Alechino's half-smile expression made Lin Anyi feel an indescribable depression and uneasiness.
Under the warm light, Funina's smile was like the sunshine in early spring, bright and gentle. She announced softly:
"I'm back! By the way, this is my boss Alechino, who is visiting our home tonight~"
Her words were full of joy, as if she was sharing a good thing worth celebrating. Funina's smile was still sweet, but her beautiful eyes—one blue and one purple—were flashing a strange pink light at the same time.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Alechino."
Alechino's smile was mixed with a bit of cunning and provocation, as if hinting at something.
Lin Anyi's heart was in turmoil. He clearly remembered Funina's attitude towards Alechino, which was a deep disgust and even fear. How could she take the initiative to invite her to her home now?
"This shouldn't be..."
Even though he was puzzled, Lin Anyi still politely stretched out his hand to shake hands with Alechino:
"Hello."
Although his tone was polite, his mind was absent. Alechino did not miss any opportunity to contact Lin Anyi. She whispered in admiration:
"I often hear Funina brag about her husband. What I saw today is really beautiful."
The implication seemed to be that she had a different evaluation and interest in Lin Anyi. What made people even more uncomfortable was that when she withdrew her hand, she deliberately hooked Lin Anyi's palm with her fingers.
This ambiguous action made Lin Anyi's face suddenly sink. At that moment, Lin Anyi's vigilance and disgust towards Alechino reached the extreme, and he cursed secretly in his heart:
"This nympho..."
He was almost certain that since Funina had invited Alechino to be her guest tonight, something ominous would definitely happen.