A low voice sounded by Feng Ran's ear.
To outsiders, the voice would undoubtedly be pleasant to hear.
But only Feng Ran knew that these words caused her immense pain.
She understood the meaning behind them perfectly.
Xu Yunqing had left, but his parting words left Feng Ran filled with unease, unable to sleep. For the past few days, Feng Ran had been almost possessed, her complexion disturbingly pale.
...
That night, Feng Ran slept very restlessly. Her mind was constantly replaying the blood-soaked Feng family. Her parents' indifference towards her, no matter what she said, they would never respond.
She wanted to open her eyes but couldn't. She felt as though someone was strangling her, making it impossible to breathe. A suffocating sensation washed over her, and she even thought that dying then would be a form of liberation.
A familiar yet terrifying voice reached her ears: "Feng Ran, if you don't wake up, I will cripple Feng Jin's arm."
"Yes, I want you to remember forever, to live in guilt forever."
"Feng Jin's arm was lost because of you."
"No, don't..."
Feng Ran finally opened her eyes, meeting those bloodthirsty eyes.
The man's hand fell on her face, caressing it coldly, a sarcastic, bloodthirsty smile on his lips.
"You... why are you here?"
Feng Ran suddenly sat up, but in her haste, she tumbled directly into Xuan Yuanheng's arms.
"Heh, Feng Ran, so eager to throw yourself into my arms."
"Was Li Yuncheng today not enough to satisfy you?"
"Or is Ling Chi Yuan not good enough?"
"Heh, yes. How would the Regent know about these things?" Feng Ran said with a charming smile, feigning surprise. "Could the Regent have some unspeakable habits?"
"It's alright for the Regent to confide in me."
"I just want to remind the Regent that if you truly have a hidden ailment, you absolutely must not avoid seeking medical help."
"The Regent can rest assured telling me, I will definitely not spread it out..."
Feng Ran laughed self-deprecatingly. When had her courage grown so much that she dared to say such things to Xuan Yuanheng?
Xuan Yuanheng's eyes suddenly blazed with anger, staring intently at Feng Ran as if he wanted to tear her apart.
Feng Ran trembled under his gaze. She bit her lip tightly, fear already taking root. She couldn't even fathom why she had said those words just now.
But now, feeling afraid, trying to find excuses seemed impossible.
She stared intently at Xuan Yuanheng, as if unafraid of death, and continued, "After all, who would believe the words of someone as lowly as me."
Her words carried little weight.
"If the Regent does not wish to speak, then you naturally do not have to."
"Heh, Feng Ran, it seems you are seeking death." Xuan Yuanheng grabbed her wrist, almost breaking it.
Seeing Feng Ran gasp in pain from her wrist and the fear in her eyes, Xuan Yuanheng felt a measure of satisfaction.
"Feng Ran, it's been a few days, and your courage has grown."
"But you must understand, when an egg hits a stone, it is the egg that will be shattered, while the stone remains unharmed."
If Bei Chenye hadn't reported, he would have been so busy that he would have forgotten about Feng Ran.
While he was struggling, she was mingling with all sorts of men. Feng Ran, she truly had no regard for him.
"Yes, I have to thank the Regent for these words, which have made me see the light." Feng Ran said with a full smile, but the fear in her eyes was undeniable. No matter how tough she pretended to be, the fear and dread were evident.
Despite her smiling face, she couldn't escape the trembling fear that shook her entire body.
Her fear of him emanated from the depths of her bones; it was impossible to make it disappear.
"Is that so? The usually arrogant eldest daughter of the Feng family has become so obedient." Xuan Yuanheng reached out and pinched her chin, speaking coldly and bloodthirstily. "If you had been this obedient back then, such a thing wouldn't have happened."
As he spoke, the grip on her chin tightened, almost as if he were crushing it.
Feng Ran endured the pain, never even letting out a soft groan.
She seemed to have grown accustomed to this kind of torment.
No, she had experienced torments far more brutal than this; this was quite normal for her.
At least, she was still alive now.
Before, she had to be constantly vigilant, fearing that she might oversleep and never wake up again in this life.
Thinking of her past situation and her current one, she seemed to have come to terms with it.
Xuan Yuanheng would only say these things. He wouldn't take her life.
These humiliating words, she could just listen to them and let them pass.
She looked at the man before her with resignation, staring directly at him, never even flinching.
Now she was like a trapped beast; any resistance was futile and would only bring endless harm to herself. In that case, it was better to resign herself to fate. Once he got tired, he would naturally leave.
"Feng Ran, have you resigned yourself to fate?"
"But your life, it is still here. Yet, someone's life was lost because of your selfishness."
"Oh, I see. You are so obedient because of Feng Jin, aren't you?" Xuan Yuanheng had been trying to figure out when Feng Ran became so docile.
Now he thought he had it.
Feng Ran hurriedly said, "No, it's not like that."
After a moment's thought, she realized that if she answered this way, Xuan Yuanheng would surely vent all his anger on Feng Jin. Then, Feng Jin, who was originally uninvolved, would be innocently implicated because of her.
"Regent, Feng Jin has nothing to do with this."
"Regent, Feng Jin has lost his memory. And he now considers you his best person. Most importantly, Feng Jin knows nothing of those matters, and he did not act." Feng Ran knew very well that this was not the time to bring this up. But the situation had reached this point, and her not saying anything wouldn't prevent it.
This topic was initiated by Xuan Yuanheng, and she knew very well what he wanted her to do.
"Regent, I beg you, spare Feng Jin. Direct all your grievances towards me."
"From beginning to end, he must be innocent. All matters have absolutely nothing to do with him."
"Oh, is that so?" Xuan Yuanheng looked at Feng Ran's pleading eyes, a mocking smile curling his lips, his eyes filled with a bloodthirsty gleam as he said coldly, "Yes, continue speaking."
Xuan Yuanheng simply watched Feng Ran, wanting to see what else she would say.
At this moment, he was even somewhat expectant.
"I don't deny that Feng Jin is my own brother, but Feng Jin was completely unaware of those matters. Why must he be implicated?"
"Regent, you know perfectly well whether Feng Jin is innocent or not."
Feng Ran clenched her fists tightly, as if enduring something, yet she still suppressed the fear in her heart and spoke calmly, "Regent, Yu Wanyan died, and you bear absolutely no responsibility for it? No blame?"