“You’re not at fault. Consider it my wrongdoing,” Xiao Yixun said with a faint smile, meeting her gaze without flinching. “I’ve taken a liking to another woman, and she happens to be quite narrow-minded. She can’t tolerate you, so I have no choice but to wrong you.”
Mu Qingshuang’s pupils contracted, and the color drained from her face in an instant.
Xiao Hanjin’s expression grew even darker. He once again took Di Ronghua’s hand and said in a deep voice, “They’re dealing with family matters. Do you really need to stay and watch?”
Di Ronghua glanced at him expressionlessly, “This family matter concerns me too. As for you, why are you still here?”
“To take you away, of course.”
“……”
Di Ronghua closed her eyes and smiled. When she opened them again, all traces of warmth had vanished, replaced by icy coldness. “It’s true, I used to like scum. I was blind.” Her voice was light, but it carried an edge of frost. “But Xiao Hanjin, from the moment I announced the annulment of our engagement, everything between us ended.”
Her clear, dark eyes stared straight at him as she enunciated each word, “From now on, Di Ronghua will never like you again.”
[From now on, Di Ronghua will never like you again.]
He had never been slow to react. In fact, he was almost always quicker than others to adapt to new situations. But this time, it took him a long while to break down this simple sentence word by word before he could barely grasp its meaning.
For the first time, he avoided looking into her eyes.
The man’s hand unconsciously clenched into a fist. His Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he finally spoke in a low voice, “Alright.” His tone was strained to the extreme, carrying a barely perceptible trace of desolation and hoarseness. “I understand.”
Suddenly, he bent down and scooped her up into his arms. His handsome face was so dark it seemed to drip with ink as he strode swiftly toward the exit.
No one had expected this reaction from him, so no one reacted immediately.
“Xiao Hanjin!”
Xiao Yixun was the first to snap out of it, shouting sharply, “What are you doing?”
Di Ronghua was both shocked and furious, struggling violently in his arms. “Let me go, Xiao Hanjin! Do you really think you can do whatever you want now? My brother is the emperor, and you’re just the crown prince. Do you really think no one can stop you?”
The man’s jaw was clenched tightly, his gaze dark and brooding, yet he still refused to look at her. “Fine, I’ll wait for someone to stop me.”
Xiao Yixun quickly stepped in front of him, his tall figure blocking the way. For the first time, his usually charming face was cold and stern. “Han Jin, do you really want to test whether you can take her out of my residence today?”
Xiao Hanjin stopped in his tracks, his narrow phoenix eyes narrowing slightly, his gaze dark and cold. “If I want to, there’s never been anything I can’t do.”
Mu Qingshuang’s body trembled once more.
The scene before her felt like a series of sharp slaps across her face.
If he wanted to, there was nothing he couldn’t do?
Then why hadn’t he taken her away back then, letting her marry his second brother instead? Because he didn’t want to?
The atmosphere in the room had grown so tense it was on the verge of erupting into conflict.
Just then, a guard hurried in from outside. “Second Prince, a message has come from the palace. His Majesty summons you to the palace at once.”
Xiao Yixun frowned. If he left now, no one would be able to stop Xiao Hanjin.
“Go,” Di Ronghua’s voice suddenly rang out.
