Seeing that Fang Yi remained silent, He Qiaoling gently tugged at her arm, "Sister-in-law, Young Master Shen is talking to you."
Fang Yi paused, suppressing her panic, her voice slightly hoarse, "Xinglan is alright..."
He Qiaoling was taken aback and hurriedly said, "What's so good about it? She's been placed under house arrest by Sang Yuwan."
Fang Yi turned her head to look at her, her expression incredulous. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
He Qiaoling's face showed a hint of anxiety, and she lowered her voice, "Sister-in-law, you came all this way so late at night, just to take Xinglan back, right?"
Fang Yi was startled, her face darkened, and anger flashed in her eyes. "Who told you I came here to take Xinglan back?"
He Qiaoling looked embarrassed and awkwardly pursed her lips, "Isn't that right?"
Fang Yi glared at her fiercely, then turned her head and looked at the man in the car. "Young Master Shen, thank you for your concern for Xinglan. However, I'm afraid you've made this trip for nothing."
He Qiaoling looked at her in surprise, thinking to herself, "Is this still the Fang Yi I know?"
Under the dim, soft light, the man inside the car took a deep drag on his cigar. Wisps of smoke rose, filling the air with a unique and rich tobacco aroma.
The smoke swirled and swirled, finally being slowly exhaled, forming delicate rings of smoke that rose gently and quickly filled the entire carriage.
As the flames leaped, that sinister and enigmatic face became even clearer.
Fang Yi held her breath and stared at him silently. A fine layer of cold sweat appeared on her palms.
He Qiaoling couldn't help but clench her fingers.
The man inside the car was the heir of the Shen family, known for his ruthless methods.
Time passed second by second, and the surrounding air grew colder and the air pressure became even lower.
Fang Yi mustered her courage and prepared to speak again, but the man in the car turned his head, his dark eyes reflecting the scarlet of the fireworks.
He stared at Fang Yi like a viper locking onto its prey.
A few seconds later, he gave a cool, smirking smile.
"It seems I was just being presumptuous."
A somber male voice permeated the night, each word seeming to be dragged from the abyss, carrying a self-deprecating chuckle. The slightly hoarse tone carried an indescribable eeriness and danger.
Fang Yi's heart clenched suddenly, and her body trembled slightly with tension, like a withered leaf in the cold wind, which might be swept away by an invisible force at any moment.
She opened her mouth, her voice even hoarser than before, "Young Master Shen, that's not what I meant..."
The man inside the car glanced at her and waved the finger holding his cigar out the window.
The cigar, still emitting scarlet smoke, fell to the ground under an ancient tree not far away.
A few withered leaves had piled up under the tree.
He Qiaoling and Fang Yi were so nervous that they didn't notice anything amiss.
Bang--
The Maybach's driver came over and closed the back door.
He Qiaoling was stunned.
Seeing this, Fang Yi nervously swallowed. Cold sweat silently slid down her forehead, trickling down her cheeks and dripping onto her clothes, leaving damp patches.
Just as she thought the man in the car was about to say something more to her, the driver started the car.
The Maybach sped away.
Fang Yi watched the car taillights disappear into the distance and breathed a sigh of relief. She took two deep breaths and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.
"Sister-in-law, what's wrong with you?" He Qiaoling looked at her, frowning, her tone somewhat unfriendly, "How dare you slap Young Master Shen in the face?"
Fang Yi's gaze darkened, filled with resentment. "He Qiaoling, what are your true intentions?"
He Qiaoling's expression froze slightly, and her face turned somewhat unpleasant. "What do you mean by that?"
Fang Yi stared at her fiercely, as if trying to pierce through all pretense. Her breathing became rapid and heavy, her chest heaving, each breath seeming to gather the power to explode.
She hissed angrily in a low voice, "Why is Young Master Shen here?"
He Qiaoling frowned, deep lines forming on her forehead, her emotions churning. "How would I know?"
Fang Yi's voice was sharp and piercing, "If you want to curry favor with him, don't bring up my Xinglan."
Upon hearing this, He Qiaoling's expression changed drastically, and her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, her fingertips turning white from the force. She pursed her lips and said sarcastically, "You really think Young Master Shen would be interested in a hen that can no longer lay eggs?"
Fang Yi's brows furrowed, and she was instantly filled with rage. Her eyes widened, as if raging flames were leaping within them, shooting out a fierce and intense light.
He Qiaoling was not to be outdone; her eyes were red and her gaze was also unfriendly.
Fang Yi took two deep breaths, grabbed He Qiaoling's hair, and started to struggle.
Sweat beaded on their faces, and their eyes were bloodshot with anger and tension. Their breathing became rapid and heavy, each breath like a storm raging in their chests.
As the battle continued, their movements gradually became chaotic, and their stamina was constantly being depleted.
Not far away, two servants who had been watching coldly exchanged a glance.
One person said, "Should we tell the head of the family?"
The other shook his head. "No need. The manager only told us to keep an eye on Fang Yi. Let's not do anything unnecessary."
Another person said, "What if something goes wrong? Won't we have a hard time explaining ourselves?"
Another said, "What could possibly happen if two women fight?"
One person added, "Look at their stance, they're going all out."
Another person whispered, "Don't worry, no one will die."
One of them suddenly frowned. "Can you smell anything?"
The other person frowned, took two deep breaths, and felt a sharp pain between their brows. "It looks like it's on fire?"
The two were immediately alarmed and tensed up, looking around nervously.
Beneath that century-old tree, a wisp of fire rose from nowhere and quietly touched this withered world.
At first, it was just a tiny red light flickering among the withered leaves, like the most inconspicuous star in the night sky. But soon, this faint flame greedily licked at the surrounding dry branches and fallen leaves.
The fire gradually spread, and the dry leaves crackled and popped as they were embraced by the flames.
Two servants rushed over and quickly broke off several bamboo branches. While patting the fire, they shouted, "Fire! Fire!"
He Qiaoling and Fang Yi stopped at the same time and turned to look.
The surrounding air became scorching and turbulent. The withered leaves turned to ash in the flames and scattered with the wind, leaving only an inextinguishable fiery red and wisps of smoke rising gently.
The door opened, and the butler came out. "What's going on?"
Fang Yi and He Qiaoling quickly let go of each other's hands.
The two had disheveled hair and were dressed in unkempt clothes.
The butler glanced at the fire first. Fortunately, there weren't many dry leaves, and the flames gradually died down.
His expression tightened, and he asked Fang Yi, "Third Madam, didn't I tell you to guard the gate properly?"
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