She remained kneeling on the ground, still kowtowing, still not stopping her movements.
Humiliation, torment, misunderstanding, she cared about none of it.
If this meant Xuan Yuan Heng would let her go, then in her eyes, it was all worth it.
Compared to what she had endured in those years, her current suffering was but a drop in the ocean.
"Feng Ran is dead. The Feng Ran of today is not the Feng Ran of the past," Feng Ran said humbly, enduring.
She spoke with a calm expression, yet her tightly clenched fists and trembling body betrayed her true emotions.
How could she possibly feel nothing? She wanted to retort, but did she have the right?
Xuan Yuan Heng kicked Feng Ran away, saying coldly, "Feng Ran, as you wish. You are free. You said you would do anything. You have no retreat."
Feng Ran laughed, a loud, desolate laugh.
As she laughed, tears began to stream down her face.
Xuan Yuan Heng, did you truly have to push me to my absolute end?
Retreat? From the moment you targeted the Feng family, from the moment you made me a sinner of the Feng family, have I had any retreat in this life?
My life is nearing its end.
My entire life has been ruined, and it was ruined by you, do you know that?
When you ordered those people to attack me, when you abandoned me in a place like hell, when you made me serve customers at Chun Man Yuan, wasn't that already pushing me to my absolute end?
"Thank you, Regent, for sparing my life."
Her lips were cracked and pale, and she uttered these words with difficulty. Her voice was hoarse.
Xuan Yuan Heng looked coldly at the woman on the ground and said with disgust, "Drag her away, lest she stain my eyes."
Those who entered were stunned by the sight of Feng Ran, covered in blood and lying on the ground, her face as pale as a corpse.
Xuan Yuan Heng looked coldly at Feng Ran on the ground and said coldly, "Crawl out of here yourself. Have someone drag you away. I find you disgusting."
"Yes, Regent."
Feng Ran responded in a low voice.
The two men hesitated, but under Xuan Yuan Heng's icy gaze, they shrewdly stood aside and opened the door. Feng Ran began to crawl forward slowly.
The people of Chun Man Yuan saw this but no one stepped forward to help Feng Ran.
Feng Ran's legs were scraped against the ground, and her legs were injured. Bloodstains covered the ground, a shocking and terrifying sight.
At the stairs, Feng Ran hesitated. She adjusted herself. Just as she was about to act, she felt a dark shadow behind her. Turning her head, she was directly 'kicked' down before she could see clearly.
Feng Ran looked at the man not far away with eyes full of panic.
Xuan Yuan Heng truly wanted her dead. If it hadn't been for his instructions, his subordinate wouldn't have acted like this.
Seeing how much Xuan Yuan Heng detested Feng Ran, the man thought he could find a way to please Xuan Yuan Heng.
If he could please the Regent, then he would have endless wealth and prosperity for the rest of his life.
"Kill her," Xuan Yuan Heng commanded coldly.
As the man was about to beg for mercy, he was dragged away, and a life was completely extinguished.
Feng Ran tumbled down the stairs, covered in wounds.
Aunt Sheng heard the commotion and immediately came, only to see Feng Ran covered in blood.
Aunt Sheng quickly knelt down and ordered someone to take Feng Ran to her room.
...
Half a month.
Feng Ran finally woke up.
Aunt Sheng, her face full of worry, looked at Feng Ran and immediately asked nervously, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
That day, she had been truly terrified. She knew the Regent had taken Feng Ran away, and she knew the Regent would make things difficult for her. But she had never imagined he would be so brutal. If she hadn't happened to show up, what would Feng Ran's fate have been?
She dared not even think about it.
Feng Ran shook her head, but a pain in her head made her let out a muffled groan.
Aunt Sheng was still worried. She examined Feng Ran, and only when she was sure Feng Ran was unharmed did she relax.
Feng Ran frowned. She remembered what had happened, and her eyes were filled with guilt and shame as she looked at Aunt Sheng.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Aunt Sheng asked with concern, worried that Feng Ran might be hiding something she was afraid to say.
What exactly had happened that day?
Why had such a thing occurred?
Feng Ran looked at Aunt Sheng, unsure of how to explain. Aunt Sheng had always cared for her, and yet her own actions had put Aunt Sheng in a difficult position.
Seeing Feng Ran's troubled expression, Aunt Sheng seemed to realize something and asked cautiously, "What you want to say, does it have something to do with me?"
"Aunt Sheng, the pill you gave me, Li Yuncheng found out about it," Feng Ran said, seeing Aunt Sheng's hand tremble and her expression become unusually tense.
After a long pause, Aunt Sheng forced a smile and shook her head, chuckling softly, "You don't need to blame yourself. It's fine if he knows."
Looking at the calm Aunt Sheng, Feng Ran felt a hint of doubt.
Li Yuncheng's reaction upon seeing the pill and Aunt Sheng's current demeanor were vastly different. Why was there such a significant difference?
Was she mistaken? Was there no connection between Aunt Sheng and Li Yuncheng?
Aunt Sheng's heart was already in turmoil.
However, she wanted to appear calm so that Feng Ran wouldn't carry too much burden, to prevent her from overthinking.
"Aunt Sheng, is it really okay?" Feng Ran asked cautiously, worried that she might be causing trouble for Aunt Sheng.
"No."
Feng Ran eventually stopped dwelling on the matter.
"Feng Ran, that day, what exactly happened?" Aunt Sheng's voice became tense as she spoke of the incident, her eyes filled with worry. "Do you know? You almost lost your life."
Of course, Aunt Sheng did not mention that Xuan Yuan Heng had been like a madman that day, nor that it was someone from Xuan Yuan Heng's retinue who had saved Feng Ran. Aunt Sheng naturally would not reveal these details.
Xuan Yuan Heng had instructed her not to. However, her silence was not solely due to Xuan Yuan Heng's instructions. She did not want Feng Ran to fall into further harm because of this matter.
She had witnessed Xuan Yuan Heng's brutal and bloody methods firsthand. Feng Ran had already suffered enough; she did not want Feng Ran to be further entangled.
Staying away from Xuan Yuan Heng was the best thing for Feng Ran.
"Aunt Sheng, about what happened that day, I..."
Aunt Sheng finally sighed and then said, "Feng Ran, if you don't want to talk about it, don't force yourself."
"Feng Ran, after what happened that day, there has been a lot of gossip. You might have a difficult time for a while," Aunt Sheng said with heartache. She could protect Feng Ran, but she couldn't silence everyone's tongues.
Feng Ran lowered her gaze, her eyes filled with sorrow. After a long moment, she slowly said, "Aunt Sheng, I understand."