Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhen smiled and glanced at her, readily agreeing, "Alright." It felt wonderful to have dinner with his own daughter, and he couldn't help but look forward to it.

Xie Jingrun glanced at Rong Qingqing, his brows furrowing slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but with Xiao Zhen present, he could only swallow his words.

Rong Qingqing didn't notice, and seeing that the two of them had no objections, she said, "Then you two sit for a while and have some tea. I'll go out for a bit." With that, she got up and left.

As soon as she left, Xie Jingrun immediately put down his cup and went out as well.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Zhen frowned. Xie Jingrun was clearly going to find Qingqing.

He was somewhat displeased, but ultimately restrained himself and did not chase after them to stop them.

After leaving the front hall, Rong Qingqing gave Xiao Tao a few instructions, telling her to go to the main kitchen and tell the cooks to prepare some dishes.

She had just finished giving her instructions and was about to turn back to the front hall when a tall figure loomed over her.

When she recognized Xie Jingrun, she opened her mouth, "You..."

However, she had only managed to utter the word "you" when Xie Jingrun grabbed her wrist and dragged her to a nearby flowering tree.

Rong Qingqing leaned against the tree trunk, looking at the man's gloomy face, blinked, and asked in confusion, "Does Your Highness have something to tell me?"

Hearing her unfamiliar words, Xie Jingrun's expression darkened even more.

He leaned against a tree trunk, looked down at her, and remained silent for a long time before saying, "I may not come back here in the future."

Upon hearing this, Rong Qingqing expressed her understanding, "That's only right. Your status is different now, so naturally you can no longer live in the Marquis's residence. Even the Crown Prince lives in the Eastern Palace."

Seeing her completely indifferent expression, Xie Jingrun's brows furrowed with worry, and he pursed his lips, his heart filled with displeasure.

He was about to leave, and she didn't seem to care at all.

Thinking about it, he felt a little anxious. "Tomorrow, Xiao Zhen will leave the capital. What about you? Are you going to go with him too?"

Rong Qingqing nodded, "Yes, he is my biological father after all, so I will definitely go with him."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jingrun punched the tree trunk.

With a "whoosh," the leaves and petals on the treetops fluttered down.

Rong Qingqing was startled by his sudden action, her eyes widening as she looked at him with some fear.

"what you do?"

Xie Jingrun looked down at her, then suddenly grabbed her chin. "Didn't you say you wanted power? I'm only one step away from that supreme power now, and you say you want to leave? Are you playing me?"

Rong Qingqing was in a bit of pain from being pinched, but upon hearing this, she disregarded the pain in her chin and looked at him in astonishment, "When did I say that?"

"That day at Jiulong Mountain, in your room, I asked you if you liked power, and your answer was yes. At that time, I said I would grant your wish. But now, after I've done so much, you say you want to leave. What else is this but playing me?" Xie Jingrun stared at her with dark, sinister eyes. If she dared to mention leaving again, he would kill her.

Upon hearing this, Rong Qingqing tried hard to recall, and finally remembered that she did indeed say such a thing.

But she was just saying it casually and didn't take his words to heart.

It turns out this guy was serious, and his statement, "As she wishes," wasn't just a joke.

"Xie Jingrun, I've never played a trick on you. You've misunderstood." She explained, somewhat exasperated.

"Then you stay." Xie Jingrun stared intently at her.

Rong Qingqing suddenly felt a suffocating sensation, as if a ferocious wild beast had grabbed her throat.