Yuan Qiao Qiao, who’d just dissed him two days ago, kept feeling that his line of sight clearly fell on her, just like a venomous snake, making one’s blood run cold.
Sun Yi Jia, on the contrary, looked to him with a rather easy-going look, and towards the white cloth pasted on her face, she further didn’t have any intention of covering up. However, meeting his gaze, Sun Yi Jia understood, he already knew about the engagement between them. But, she wasn’t able to see from his face his thoughts towards this engagement. However, it all didn’t matter anyways, no?
Zhuo Ying Shuang couldn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t sense the cold and tense atmosphere in the surrounding. She unconsciously shrunk back, not daring to breathe too loudly.
The few madams’ complexion wasn’t that good either.
Only Jing Wan alone was the least affected by him. However, she still strangely felt that his gaze towards her contained a deeper meaning. But thinking about it, it was still very easy to understand. After all, she perhaps was the only one among the outsiders that understood what really happened after he got injured, and also the one that bluntly refused to enter the Jin Qinwang Manor.
During these days, while waiting for Li Hong Yuan’s decision, Jing Wan’s heart was actually still somewhat nervous. However, when she heard that rather legendary story of how he got saved, Jing Wan just knew, that ‘physical relationship’ with him has already been overturned completely.
However, through this matter, Jing Wan also saw even more things. This Jin Qinwang perhaps wasn’t at all like the rumors say, blindly relying on his Majesty’s pampering and only pursuing an extravagant and carefree lifestyle, with no power in hand, and didn’t compete for power either. Because she was aware that she might have touched something she shouldn’t have touched, to a certain degree, she, including the Luo family, afraid won’t be able to tear away from this Jin Qinwang now. The more one knows, the faster one usually dies. If you don’t want to die, then you need to think of a way to let the other party trust you, or even view you as a confidant.
Jing Wan didn’t regret telling this matter to her grandmother, and indirectly to her grandfather as well. Even if she said to Jin Qinwang that she’s never mentioned his matter to anyone, the other party may not necessarily believe. And if he were to use this matter as pretext to secretly come after the Luo family, she could only rely on grandfather to confront.
Also, because of that different mental state of hers, not getting stunned by his imposing presence, Jing Wan unexpectedly sensed from his body a ruler’s grandeur. Although she’s never seen the Emperor before, and don’t know what exactly the so called ‘face of a dragon and might of the heavens’ looked like, her senses told her, what Li Hong Yuan displayed was precisely that.
Jing Wan very naturally shifted her gaze away, but in that moment, she inadvertently saw Ruan Fang Fei standing at the other side, clearly seeing her gaze towards Li Hong Yuan. If Jing Wan was just a native born and raised fourteen year old girl, she probably wouldn’t have understood what that was, but she wasn’t. She very clearly understood what that represented, infatuation, possessiveness, and even desire to control. Jing Wan couldn’t help slightly trembling, what happened to the surface breaking lotus flower[1]? Would a normal girl have those kinds of feelings towards such a terrifying man like Jin Qinwang? If she was merely just infatuated, it was still understandable. After all, he’s a qinwang, and also had a good face. But possessiveness and dominance, perhaps if one was deeply in love, one would want to possess, but what was it that also made her want to exercise control? That was already where one’s heart was twisted to the point of slight perversion, alright? Was there some terrifying secrets hidden in Head Cabinet Minister Ruan’s rear court? Else, how could they raise such a strange daughter like this? Or, could it be that Ruan Fang Fei really was as she’d thought and really did possess a ‘past life’. Then, she was just a pervert to begin with?
In places with Jing Wan present, Li Hong Yuan’s attention towards others definitely can be considered charitable. Of course, he would restrain himself. Even if his entire mind was all placed on her, he still wouldn’t let others notice. With a so called fiancee present, and also an abnormal Ruan Fang Fei, letting others discover where his heart resided, wouldn’t that just be pushing Wan Wan out into the waves. Under such close attention, how could Li Hong Yuan not notice Jing Wan’s subtle change. Following along her line of sight, he swept a glance, not pausing in the least. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, he got on his horse carriage.
His movements were too fast and too sudden, making the older brothers, who came to pick up their younger sisters to return home, and who after a moment of slight hesitation, originally wanted to go forward to pay their respects, end up in an awkward situation.
What Ruan Fang Fei displayed, would Li Hong Yuan not know? In his past life, Ruan Fang Fei although also admired him, and did some things that normal people wouldn’t do, it was still far from her current level. The worst this reputation of his was, the more she liked instead, wanting to approach even more, wanting to obtain even more, even going as far as to want to control in her hands? Heh, such an arrogant and conceited woman. Once she has no more use, what was the best way to deal with her that’ll make one feel satisfied?
For someone, whose heart was pitch black, there are two types of people in this world that were the most attractive. One was the type that was similar to them, because they can understand each other, and often times, can reach a mutual understanding. The other was the type that walked on the other end. They possess on them something that someone, who’s sunken in darkness, extremely hates, yet also very much yearns for.
Li Hong Yuan wasn’t considered someone who walked in the dark entirely. He wasn’t lonesome, wasn’t depraved, and also wasn’t swallowed by madness, losing his sense of self. He very clearly knew what he was doing, and further understood what he needed. But he also can’t exactly be considered a normal person either. Someone like Ruan Fang Fei, he didn’t have any interest in. That kind of pure and flawless woman also wasn’t his target either. The person he was sure of, and was obsessed with, was only ever one, just that one. If that look of Ruan Fang Fei’s appeared in Wan Wan’s eyes……just trying to think about that image made Li Hong Yuan suddenly shrink his body and slightly shuddered. That was his body’s natural instinct thirsting in excitement and calling out. He seemingly completely didn’t mind having himself entirely peeled open, letting her be able to easily control him. “Wan Wan……..”
Jing Wan, who was turning to get on the horse carriage, suddenly felt chills for no reason, like there was danger approaching in the darkness. She couldn’t help but frown. Could it be that something was going to happen again?
Eunuch Mu wasn’t any better either. After seeing Miss Luo, why did master strangely began losing his mind again? Master, take it easy, with that many people in the surrounding, if someone were to hear, that reputation of yours……..Eunuch Mu suddenly hung his head powerlessly. His own master’s reputation has long been damaged to the point that it can’t be damaged anymore. With his eyes to his nose, his nose to his heart, he pretended to play dead, and the strange looks of the few closest to the horse carriage, he also pretended to not see.
Because each person’s inconvenience, during the return trip, they didn’t squeeze into one horse carriage. Feeling restless, Jing Wan’s heart was tightly suspended the whole way back, fearing something unexpected would occur again. However, when they entered the city gates, everything was still perfectly fine. Jing Wan was puzzled. Could it be, that bad feeling wasn’t actually directed towards them, but rather………Jing Wan casted her gaze directly towards the front, though what entered her eyes was just the curtains that blocked the horse carriage’s entrance.
Could it be that since they weren’t able to finish him off the first time, they dared to try assassinating him again today? Previously, at White Dragon Temple, it didn’t work. And now, under this heavy protection, it was further impossible. If they really were to take the risk out of desperation and take this step, then didn’t it mean that Jin Qinwang Li Hong Yuan’s threat far surpassed what she’d imagined?
All the way until the respective family’s horse carriage parted ways, until Jing Wan entered the Luo family’s gates, still nothing happened. Could it be that she made a mistake? But that lingering danger feeling was still there.
Jing Wan lowered her head and played with the little red sandalwood prayer beads coiled around her wrist. Each bead was smooth and round. It was her mother who, after seeing her repeatedly meet with mishap, and in addition to her grandmother specially instructing before leaving, went to ask for it from Grandmaster Liao Chen. Jing Wan knew, this string of beads’ worth wasn’t as simple as just having been personally blessed by Grandmaster Liao Chen. Afraid the age of the original red sandalwood used wasn’t small, and it also has been at least two hundred years since it was made into prayer beads. To say it was priceless wouldn’t even be an exaggeration. Yet, Grandmaster Liao Chen easily gave it to her.
What did Grandmaster Liao Chen say at the time, that she and it were fated, that it can expel evil and drive away disaster, keeping her safe and sound, and that she must not give it away.
Jing Wan lightly pushed along the beads one by one, suddenly calming down inside. If it’s good fortune, then it’s not misfortune, and if it’s misfortune, then it can’t be avoided. It wasn’t good to think too much.
[1] Lotus flower breaking the surface – describing a young lady that was surpassingly beautiful.
T/N: I spent 3 hours yesterday fixing all the links in all 100+ posts manually, hopefully I managed to patch all of them. If you come across any broken links please let me know, I’ll try to fix it as soon as I can.
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