The first to make trouble was Qian Xiaoxiao.
On a sunny afternoon, in the indoor ecological garden of Chengtian Hall, the women of the harem were enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
Lin Feng, on a whim today, went to inspect Wang Dachui's arsenal, which temporarily relieved them from the invisible pressure.
Qian Xiaoxiao, dressed in a cool swimsuit, reclined on a deck chair on the golden beach, supervising the servants as they changed the freshly picked "Dewdrop Flowers".
Her current status is far beyond that of a simple maid. As the "Chief Steward of the Interior," she oversees everything in Chengtian Palace, and her words and actions exude an air of authority.
Meanwhile, Ruan Mengtian and Shen Jiaqi were playing in the azure sea with several women who had entered the palace earlier and were of low status.
Their laughter, like silver bells, added a touch of liveliness to the luxurious palace.
Qian Xiaoxiao looked at them, but a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes.
She picked up a glass of chilled juice, walked gracefully over, and stopped by the pool.
"You two 'big bosses' seem to be having a lot of fun."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a distinct sharpness and sarcasm.
The laughter abruptly stopped.
The smiles on Ruan Mengtian and Shen Jiaqi's faces froze. They turned around and looked at Qian Xiaoxiao, who was looking down at them, with complicated expressions in their eyes.
“Little sister is joking,” Ruan Mengtian, being adept at social interaction, broke the awkward silence first: “We’re no longer bosses, we’re just sisters serving Lin Feng, just like you.”
"sisters?"
Qian Xiaoxiao sneered and slammed her juice glass down on the stone table beside her, making a crisp sound. "I wouldn't dare accept that. Unlike some people who were so arrogant back then, thinking Lin Feng was just a brute with some strength, they probably looked down on girls like me who took the initiative, right?"
Her words were like a sharp knife, piercing straight into the hearts of Ruan Mengtian and Shen Jiaqi.
Ruan Mengtian's face instantly turned pale.
She did...have had similar thoughts before.
Shen Jiaqi, on the other hand, was much more assertive.
She stood up from the water, letting the water droplets slide down her perfect figure. She looked directly into Qian Xiaoxiao's eyes and said coldly, "Qian Xiaoxiao, is it meaningful to bring up the past? Times have changed."
"Didn't you look down on Lin Feng back then? But when he rose to prominence, he gained the upper hand."
"Wow, President Shen is still as imposing as ever."
Qian Xiaoxiao's sarcasm deepened: "What? You looked down on Lin Feng back then, but now you're trying every means to get into his bed, even going so far as to pack yourself in a box and send yourself over as a gift. Aren't you shameless?"
These words were extremely malicious. She not only reopened their wounds, but also exposed their most shameful and humiliating experiences.
The other women around were so frightened that they fell silent and scrambled out of the water to stay far away, afraid of being caught up in the commotion.
Ruan Mengtian was trembling with anger, and her eyes were red.
Shen Jiaqi's face flushed red. She slapped the water and shouted angrily, "Qian Xiaoxiao! Don't push your luck!"
"Am I going too far?"
Qian Xiaoxiao crossed her arms, raised her chin slightly, and looked down at them with the air of a victor: "I'm just stating a fact. Where did your arrogance and reserve go? Have you abandoned them all? Or is it that your dignity is only worth so much wealth and luxury?"
"You!" Shen Jiaqi was furious, but couldn't find the words to refute him for a moment. Because what Qian Xiao said was true.
Just then, a cold, mocking voice came from not far away.
"At the beginning?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Ruan Mengtian had already walked to the edge of the pool.
She casually dried her hair with a bath towel, staring at Qian Xiaoxiao with a mocking gaze.
"Weren't you the same back then?" Ruan Mengtian sneered. "Don't try to portray yourself as so devoted. I still remember that at the beginning, someone was also mocking Lin Feng in every way."
"You only started to attach yourself to him after he demonstrated his absolute strength. We misjudged him, but essentially, we are all the same kind of people. Who is more noble than whom? The only difference is that you saw the situation clearly earlier than us and humbled yourself earlier."
She paused, her smile growing even colder:
"Besides... back then, Lin Feng was just a survivor. But now, Lin Feng is the king! Are you jealous of us, or are you afraid that we... will take your throne?"
These words were like a resounding slap across Qian Xiaoxiao's face.
"You...you're talking nonsense!" Qian Xiaoxiao's voice trembled slightly.
"Whether I'm lying or not, you know in your heart."
Ruan Mengtian approached step by step, her aura suddenly turning the tables and suppressing Qian Xiaoxiao: "Manager Qian, just mind your own business. As for how we sisters serve the leader, that's none of your concern. After all, men's tastes change. Eating the same dish all the time gets boring, doesn't it?"
After saying that, she stopped looking at Qian Xiaoxiao, whose expression kept changing, and turned to Shen Jiaqi, who was still in a daze in the water, and extended her hand: "Jiaqi, let's go. Don't lower yourself to the level of this kind of person, it will only lower our standards."
Shen Jiaqi glanced at Qian Xiaoxiao, whose face was ashen, then at Ruan Mengtian, who had reached out her hand, and a warm feeling welled up inside her. She nodded vigorously, took Ruan Mengtian's hand, and walked out of the pool.
Two former female internet celebrities have formed the strongest alliance at this moment.
They walked past Qian Xiaoxiao side by side without looking back.
Qian Xiaoxiao stood alone, trembling with anger.
My fingernails dug deep into my palm, but I felt no pain at all.
She knew Ruan Mengtian was right. She was afraid. She was afraid that these women, who were prettier, more cunning, and smarter than her, would take away everything she had worked so hard to achieve.
This fierce confrontation was merely a small prelude to a silent war within the Chengtian Hall.
In the distance, under the palace corridors, Su Wanqing and Qin Lan, who had just finished their daily training, stood side by side, taking in the scene that had just unfolded.
"Interesting." Qin Lan's lips curled into a cold, hard smile. "These two women are no pushovers either. Qian Xiaoxiao has really messed up this time."
Su Wanqing's expression remained calm. She picked up a cup of tea, took a small sip, and said indifferently, "It's just dogs fighting. It's just that this dog named Ruan Mengtian has sharper teeth."
Her words were full of disdain for these women.
In her eyes, whether it was Qian Xiaoxiao or the three newcomers, they were nothing more than vines clinging to Lin Feng, playthings that used their bodies and flattery to gain status. What she, Su Wanqing, wanted to be was a towering tree standing shoulder to shoulder with Lin Feng, the mistress of this kingdom, the true "Queen."
"Aren't you worried?" Qin Lan glanced at her. "The more people in the harem there are, the more his attention will be diverted. This is not good for us."
"Worried?" Su Wanqing put down her teacup and smiled. "Why should I worry? A flock of canaries in a cage, no matter how beautifully they sing or how fiercely they fight, can't fly out of this cage. What they're fighting over is who their owner will look at more often, who will get an extra bite of food. But we..."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the thriving kingdom she ruled, beyond the Chengtian Palace, her eyes gleaming with ambition: "What we are fighting for is this entire world."
Qin Lan remained silent.
She knew Su Wanqing was right. From the very beginning, they and those other women were on different tracks.
But... is that really the case?
For the first time, Qin Lan felt a slight wavering in her heart.
She looked into the distance and saw Lin Feng's convoy, returning from his inspection, slowly driving into Chengtian Palace.
She suddenly felt that perhaps all of them were just locked in a cage.
However, Su Wanqing's cage is called "The World". Her cage is called "The Army". And Qian Xiaoxiao and Ruan Mengtian's cages are called "The Harem".
The cages may have different names and different sizes, but in the end... they are all cages.
And the one who created all the cages is coming back.
Lin Feng was unaware of what was happening behind him, or rather, he knew but didn't care.
He enjoyed the feeling.
He enjoys watching these outstanding women who once amazed him, whom he admired, and whom he longed for now scheme and plot against each other to win his favor.
This gave him an unprecedented sense of control and exhilaration.
The taste of power can be addictive.
Absolute power, however, can turn people... into devils.
Lin Feng is willingly going further and further down this path.
His kingdom developed wildly on a distorted track, growing stronger day by day.
And he himself, in that blissful prison called Chengtian Palace, was falling step by step into the abyss of desire, never to turn back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com