Eisen choked back his words, managing to say after a long pause, "Anyway, I want to thank you. If you hadn't shown mercy on us..."
He had been too arrogant before, unaware of the vastness of the world. Shen Qingqing's skills terrified him; it wouldn't have been difficult for her to take their lives.
The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became, feeling how childish and foolish he had been. Excitedly, he moved to go around the table to shake Shen Qingqing's hand.
"Ahem."
Eisen froze.
He finally remembered there was another person in the room. He blinked, his body stiff, not daring to look at Fu Jingshu.
"Uh, I..."
"Are you done?" Fu Jingshu asked indifferently.
"Not yet..." Eisen knew he should say he was done, but there was indeed one more thing to say, "Pei Ji is all better now."
"I know."
Shen Qingqing recalled Pei Ji from last night, his complexion normal and his spirits high. Looking at his face alone, he was already detoxified.
"How do you know?"
Shen Qingqing didn't answer, not wanting to drag Eisen further into these matters.
Seeing her unwillingness to elaborate, Eisen tactfully didn't press further. "Then do you know that Pei Xi is about to be made Crown Prince?"
Shen Qingqing raised an eyebrow.
Eisen was astonished. "You know about this too? Weren't you locked up in prison the whole time? How are you so well-informed?"
Shen Qingqing smiled. "That's not for you to worry about. On the contrary, your family has no intention of getting involved in this Crown Prince matter, do they?"
His coming to talk about this seemed odd.
Eisen sank onto the sofa with a sigh. "Of course, our family isn't planning to get involved. But this concerns you, and besides..."
Besides, he had been focused on getting detoxified and had relied on her. Coupled with the past entanglement between Pei Xi and Shen Qingqing, he couldn't help but inquire more.
"So, it's still for my sake."
Eisen chuckled. "Not entirely for you. You don't have to thank me... I'm just doing a good deed."
"Are you treating me like an idiot?" Shen Qingqing countered.
Eisen blinked. "What do you mean by that? I've never thought of you as an idiot, and I wouldn't dare!"
"I think you're quite bold."
"No, what are you talking about?" Eisen almost wailed, feeling utterly wronged. "I'm wholeheartedly..."
"For Pei Ji."
Shen Qingqing finished his sentence.
Eisen's words stopped abruptly, and silence descended upon the room.
Shen Qingqing remained silent, giving Eisen ample time to think.
After a long while, he spoke, his tone laced with deep helplessness. "Why are you so smart? You can't even be fooled by half-truths."
He admitted that Shen Qingqing was too formidable, and he wanted to win her over and befriend her.
His words were naturally a bit exaggerated.
But who would have thought this woman was so unyielding and impossible to fool?
Shen Qingqing neither confirmed nor denied.
Eisen had no choice but to be honest. "Since you're being so direct, I'll tell you the truth. I'm not entirely here for you; I'm here for Pei Ji."
Shen Qingqing was not surprised. Pei Ji had been good to him, so it was natural for Eisen to be somewhat loyal to Pei Ji.
"So, what's your purpose in telling me all this news?"
Eisen shrugged. "Like I said, to befriend you."
"Anything else?"
Shen Qingqing didn't believe that was his only motive.
Eisen paused and said irritably, "It's not good to be too smart, it's annoying!"
"Are you going to tell me or not?"
She clearly implied he should leave if he wasn't going to be forthcoming.
Eisen sighed in resignation and confessed. "I'm doing this for Pei Ji. Before, I thought you could cure his poison, so even though you acted against my sister, I didn't want to make things too unpleasant between us."
"And now?"
Eisen's expression gradually grew serious. "Now, I don't want Pei Xi to ascend the throne."
"Why?" Shen Qingqing asked with interest.
Eisen propped his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands together. He said in a low voice, "I'm not very capable, that's true, but my intuition has always been spot on."
"I don't like Pei Xi."
He hadn't liked him since their first meeting.
If people had innate auras, then he and Pei Xi were naturally antagonistic, their energies clashing. Even if no one had told him the truth, he understood.
Someone who could detoxify could also poison.
Carter was foolish, but not foolish enough to attack a prince of a kingdom without reason, unless there was a reason that compelled him to act.
Shen Qingqing looked at him with newfound respect. "So, you understand all of this quite well."
Eisen glared. "What do you mean by that? Even if you all didn't tell me, wouldn't I figure it out? I'm not an idiot!"
Shen Qingqing chuckled. "Alright, it's quite good that you have this realization. It will prevent you from being taken advantage of in the future."
"Just keep teasing me!"
Eisen grumbled.
Shen Qingqing glanced at the time and said, "It's about time for you to leave."
"So soon?"
Eisen only then realized that without knowing it, they had been talking for half an hour. But now, it seemed Shen Qingqing had a time limit.
She could only talk for half an hour.
Just then, someone knocked on the door outside, urging him to leave.
Eisen gritted his teeth. "Shen Qingqing, do you want to leave here?"
He had heard these familiar words for the third time, including this occasion.
However, everyone who had asked that question had met a bad end.
She asked, "If I say yes, what will you do?"
"I can help you."
"You?"
Shen Qingqing looked at him with skepticism.
Eisen said quickly, "Really. While I may not have much ability, my family does!"
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thought; it was well-considered.
His family's influence, while unable to sway the Crown Prince's succession, could certainly protect one person.
Shen Qingqing smiled, discarding her prejudice against Eisen for the first time. "Forget it. I appreciate your kindness, but it's best if your family doesn't get involved in this matter."
"Then what about you guys..."
"You don't need to worry about me," Shen Qingqing said fearlessly.
Eisen knew she was capable. Since she had said so, he didn't insist. "Alright. But I'm putting this on record: if you ever need help, find me anytime."
"Okay."
Shen Qingqing smiled, indicating she wouldn't be polite.
Eisen shook his head and turned to leave. At the doorway, he looked back and said, "That Pei Xi is truly formidable. The situation is currently in his favor. You'd best think of a way to extricate yourselves quickly, or you might face greater trouble later."
"Understood."
Eisen left.
Shen Qingqing turned to Fu Jingshu and sighed, "I never expected that Eisen would turn out to be not so bad."
"Regret giving him the drug?"
"Certainly not." Although he seemed decent now, the incident back then wasn't a misunderstanding. Shen Qingqing walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his strong waist. "I..."
Suddenly, three unhurried knocks sounded from outside the door.