"This King painted your brows, how was it?"
"Feng Ran, you must know, this kind of honor, only you have." Xuanyuan Heng said coldly, his tone as if he were bestowing a great favor upon Feng Ran.
Feng Ran's heart trembled.
If it were her in the past, she would have been happy. But now, she was filled with worry.
In front of so many people, Xuanyuan Heng treated her this way, wasn't he pushing her directly into the fire pit?
She believed that Xuanyuan Heng's action would make everyone in the mansion hate her even more, resent her.
Xuanyuan Heng looked at Feng Ran, seemingly waiting for her reply.
After a long while, not hearing Feng Ran's answer, her brows furrowed, and her expression was extremely unpleasant.
The anticipation and joy in her heart were completely shattered by Feng Ran at this moment.
"What's wrong? This King did something good, you should say something."
"Regent, how could such a matter trouble you?"
"You are so noble, such a thing is truly unfitting for the Regent."
Feng Ran looked at Xuanyuan Heng warily, but chose to say softly, "Regent, please step aside, I need to get dressed."
Xuanyuan Heng, however, had no intention of leaving. He directly waved his hand, ordering the servants attending Feng Ran to withdraw.
"Then, please also step out, Your Highness."
"..." Xuanyuan Heng's icy voice rang out again, and he said coldly, "Change."
Seeing Feng Ran's embarrassed state, Xuanyuan Heng laughed heartily, "Feng Ran, what's wrong? Are you pretending now?"
"Feng Ran, don't forget, I've seen every inch of you."
This sentence shattered Feng Ran, causing her to tremble all over.
Feng Ran's brows were tightly knit, and she didn't even know what Xuanyuan Heng truly wanted.
"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"
"Feng Ran, I remember you were very bold back then to try and seduce this King. Now you're afraid? Feng Ran, this is not like you at all."
Feng Ran looked at Xuanyuan Heng doubtfully, wanting to shout and question him, to ask him what he wanted to do.
"That's all in the past. Who hasn't been young and ignorant? Who hasn't had an embarrassing moment? Who hasn't been bitten by a dog?"
"The Regent said, it was the me of the past."
"That was the past, and it will never become the present."
Xuanyuan Heng looked at Feng Ran and said coldly, "Feng Ran, if you don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, you'd best obey."
Suddenly, all color drained from her face, and she looked at the person before her in disbelief, as if blaming Xuanyuan Heng.
Seeing that Feng Ran remained motionless, Xuanyuan Heng said coldly, "What's wrong? Do you want this King to do it himself?"
Upon hearing this, Feng Ran's face turned ashen.
No, she didn't want to, and she wouldn't.
Feng Ran immediately acted quickly, completing what needed to be done.
She transformed from her previous sickly appearance to one full of energy.
But at this moment, Feng Ran remembered that there was something very important she hadn't brought. And that item was currently beside Xuanyuan Heng.
Feng Ran even regretted it in her heart, unable to understand why such things always happened to her. Yet, the more she feared and worried, the more these things seemed to happen.
Sometimes, fate was truly cruel.
Feng Ran stared directly at Xuanyuan Heng, wondering how to even speak.
"Are you looking for this?" Suddenly, Xuanyuan Heng's mocking voice came from above.
Feng Ran was startled and almost fell to the ground. Xuanyuan Heng, however, grabbed her, pulling her forcefully into his embrace.
Feng Ran used her hands to push against him, even exerting force. She wanted to push Xuanyuan Heng away and escape his embrace.
She knew that soon, she would suffer endless humiliation again.
It was always like this.
Xuanyuan Heng seemed to have seen through her intentions. As Feng Ran raised her hand to strike, he grabbed it, his cold, bloodthirsty gaze falling upon her, and he said coldly, "You don't want this anymore?"
Her gaze fell upon the jade pendant, and Feng Ran trembled all over.
So, from the very beginning, Xuanyuan Heng had already discovered the jade pendant. And he had been here all along, just to see when she would remember it.
Xuanyuan Heng placed the jade pendant directly before Feng Ran and said coldly, "This was given to you by Ling Chi Yuan, wasn't it?"
Xuanyuan Heng's face darkened. He took a step towards Feng Ran, exuding a terrifying aura, a sinister smile on his face.
She kept retreating, her eyes filled with fear and terror.
She felt that Xuanyuan Heng was truly enraged this time.
"Regent, please give it back to me."
"Yes, it was given by Ling Chi Yuan, but I didn't accept it. I thought I would find a suitable opportunity to return it to Ling Chi Yuan."
Feng Ran said mournfully, "I know my place very well. I am not worthy of Ling Chi Yuan."
"And I have never thought of having any connection with Ling Chi Yuan."
"Ling Chi Yuan is Ling Chi Yuan, and I am myself."
"In this lifetime, I will have nothing to do with him."
Feng Ran's eyes were filled with humility and sorrow. Facing Xuanyuan Heng's sinister gaze, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed.
Looking at Feng Ran kowtowing on the ground, Xuanyuan Heng smiled.
When Feng Ran looked up, she found Xuanyuan Heng's face was inches away, his eyes filled with mockery as he looked at her.
"Regent, please. Be magnanimous and spare me this once."
"Heh, spare you this once?"
Xuanyuan Heng sneered, "Feng Ran, I remember you pleaded with this King just like this back then. You even said you would live humbly, and you would obediently listen to this King." He reached out and pinched her chin, saying sinisterly, "But you've never done what you said. Tell me, how can this King trust you?"
Xuanyuan Heng's hand slid to her neck and tightened.
At this moment, Feng Ran's face was pale, filled with pain, yet she did not move. She lay there as if dead.
Xuanyuan Heng looked at Feng Ran, who had resigned herself and closed her eyes. He was almost driven mad. He violently flung Feng Ran away and gritted his teeth, saying, "Feng Ran, you truly know how to push this King's limits."
Feng Ran, having been flung away, ignored the pain in her body and gasped for air.
At this moment, she felt as if she had been reborn.
Xuanyuan Heng quietly watched the humble woman on the ground. He realized that the woman before him was truly worlds apart from the Feng Ran of a few years ago.
Since when did Feng Ran become like this?