"Filthy thoughts?" Feng Ran scoffed, looking at the person before her. "Young Master Xu, do you truly know me? Do you understand my intentions? My wicked thoughts?"
"Have I ever done anything to hurt you? Those rumors outside, they are just rumors. Have they ever been confirmed?"
"You should know Xuanyuan Heng's methods. If I had truly done such a thing, would Xuanyuan Heng have spared me? Would he have let me live?"
Xu Yunqing, who had been walking away, stopped and turned to look at Feng Ran. His eyes were filled with sarcasm as he gazed at her.
"Feng Ran, you'll say anything to escape your predicament."
"Doesn't everyone know that Xuanyuan Heng keeps you alive only to torment you?"
"Heh, who would believe such a lie from you?"
"Oh, don't tell me you've been deceiving Ling Chi Yuan with such tales."
"Feng Ran, you truly open my eyes."
"How much of what you say do you think I will believe?"
Feng Ran lowered her gaze and said nothing more. She let out a cold scoff, a self-mocking smile curving her lips. What had possessed her to speak of such things with Xu Yunqing just now?
Few would believe such words if spoken aloud.
In their eyes, everything was her own doing, and her words were merely deceptive tactics.
"Young Master Xu, did you rush here just to say these things to me?"
"Now that you're finished speaking, may I leave?"
Seeing Feng Ran's unusual calm, Xu Yunqing was momentarily stunned. He truly hadn't expected her to handle his words so composedly. He even wondered where things had gone wrong, why it wasn't unfolding as he imagined.
Shouldn't Feng Ran be ashamed and weeping?
"Young Master Xu, would you please step aside?" Feng Ran said softly.
Xu Yunqing made no move to yield. Instead, wherever Feng Ran walked, he blocked her path.
Feng Ran looked up at the man before her. Without any hint of evasion, she said coldly, "If Young Master Xu doesn't mind Ling Chi Yuan witnessing you 'bullying' me, then by all means, continue to stand in my way."
"Do you dare to let Ling Chi Yuan come here?"
"Feng Ran, you should be wary. If Ling Chi Yuan learns of what transpired between you and me, have you considered the consequences?"
"Consequences?" Feng Ran leaned back against a branch, a look of disdain on her face. "Will Ling Chi Yuan take my life? Or will he push me into hell?"
"However, in this world, is there any situation more like hell than my current one?" Feng Ran asked, feigning deep thought.
At this moment, Xu Yunqing was taken aback. He hadn't anticipated Feng Ran being so audacious.
"Feng Ran, do you think I'll believe your nonsense just because you're deliberately acting this way?"
"No, I won't believe it."
Feng Ran sneered coldly. "Xu Yunqing, I've experienced the most agonizing hell this world has to offer. I truly fear nothing else."
"And, perhaps, Young Master Xu isn't afraid of Xuanyuan Heng, and dares to strike me dead, to take my life?"
"You..." Xu Yunqing's face darkened considerably. He looked at Feng Ran, his hand closing around her throat, and said coldly, "I wouldn't want your life. But I will make you wish you were dead."
Feng Ran let out a cold scoff: wishing she were dead? Wasn't she already living a life worse than death?
"So, in your opinion, my current situation is quite good?"
"If Young Master Xu were to lay a hand on me, I wouldn't say a word. After all, it's my fate."
Xu Yunqing had never imagined that his threats would be treated like a joke by Feng Ran.
He felt as though Feng Ran had completely disregarded him.
He was even more surprised that Feng Ran could speak such words so brazenly.
"Feng Ran, what kind of benefits did Ling Chi Yuan give you that you're willing to come out with him? I recall you weren't like this when you were with me."
This was something Xu Yunqing was deeply bothered by.
He couldn't understand where he fell short compared to Ling Chi Yuan.
"Feng Ran, no matter what happens between you and Ling Chi Yuan, a future together is impossible. Just give up on that idea."
With that, Xu Yunqing retracted his hand and looked at the person collapsed on the ground with disdain.
Feng Ran didn't get up immediately. She lay on the ground, staring blankly at the man before her, but said not a word.
...
Xu Yunqing appeared.
Feng Ran appeared.
They both appeared at the same time.
Ling Chi Yuan's expression shifted slightly. Xu Yunqing met Ling Chi Yuan's scrutinizing gaze and simply smiled.
However, Ling Chi Yuan felt that the smile wasn't as innocent as it appeared.
"You carry the same aura as Feng Ran," Ling Chi Yuan said, walking up to Xu Yunqing and speaking in a voice only they could hear.
Indeed, their appearance one after another was already suspicious, and Xu Yunqing bearing Feng Ran's scent only amplified the suspicion.
Ling Chi Yuan's gaze fell upon Feng Ran's face and he saw that her expression was exceedingly grim.
Had Xu Yunqing troubled Feng Ran?
Thinking this, Ling Chi Yuan's face grew even darker.
He figured that if he asked Feng Ran what had happened, she wouldn't tell him. This made the situation even more troublesome.
Li Yuncheng sat nearby, observing the shift in their dynamics. He wondered if the situation had escalated beyond his ability to handle, and how he should proceed now.
"Ah, I happened to come across a lost Feng Ran. She was unsteady on her feet, and if I hadn't intervened, you would have seen her here, unharmed."
"By that logic, Ling Chi Yuan, you should be thanking me."
Ling Chi Yuan narrowed his eyes, gazing at Xu Yunqing as if weighing the truthfulness of his words.
Ling Chi Yuan looked at Xu Yunqing and said coldly, "If things are truly as you say, then I naturally owe you my thanks."
"But what if they are not?"
Xu Yunqing smiled. He took out a fan, sat down nearby, and fanned himself. His gaze rested on Feng Ran, and a mocking smile played on his lips. "The person is right before you. Ask whatever you wish to know."
Xu Yunqing fell silent, his eyes fixed on Feng Ran, never leaving her.
Ling Chi Yuan frowned, his expression turning displeased. "Do you not want those eyes anymore?"
Although Xu Yunqing hadn't done anything overtly aggressive, his gaze lingered on Feng Ran. Ling Chi Yuan found Xu Yunqing's stare profoundly unsettling.
He had a nagging feeling that there was some unspeakable secret between Xu Yunqing and Feng Ran.