Since Yuan Feng removed his mask, he has been the center of attention wherever he goes, with even bold girls inviting him to dance—he's certainly having a lot of luck with women. Unfortunately, though his smile never fades on his infuriatingly handsome face, he never accepts any invitations. His eyes are always on Xiang Wan, watching her wander around getting food and advocating for her in front of the other women. He portrays the image of a gentle and devoted woman so convincingly that it's incredibly arousing.
Xiang Wan knew this was all an act, so she wasn't affected by him and continued doing what she was doing. Now, as she danced with him on the dance floor, her brows furrowed, she was still pondering who was plotting with Qin Rong and what they really wanted to do.
"Lack of focus, deserves punishment!"
As Yuan Feng spoke, he suddenly leaned his head close and breathed on Xiang Wan's ear, causing her to turn her head away repeatedly.
"Stop fooling around!"
The two words Xiang Wan uttered unconsciously sounded like lovers' whispers to Yuan Feng, making him pause for a moment before a smile spread across his face.
Can you tell me about it?
Yuan Feng's keen observation of Xiang Wan startled her. But his next words dispelled her concerns: "Friends can be more casual with each other."
"Sorry. I was just thinking about who Qin Rong is who she gets close to."
“How about,” Yuan Feng approached with a smile and said softly, “I’ll take you there and have him take off his mask.”
This suggestion was exactly what Xiang Wan wanted to hear, but she then shook her head and denied it: "I'm afraid that's not a good idea, let's not do it."
"This is a rare opportunity, are you sure you don't want to go?"
"Hmm." Xiang Wan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Could you please send someone to follow him? I suspect he has ill intentions."
"It was just a small favor."
With Yuan Feng's help, Xiang Wan'an felt more at ease, and her dance steps became much lighter.
That night, after returning home, Xiang Wan secretly followed Qin Rong. Seeing that she did not do anything unusual, she had no choice but to temporarily lower her guard.
On the last day of the ball, Xiang Wan was on high alert, her eyes constantly darting around Qin Rong. Seeing that Qin Rong seemed to have stumbled and dropped her cup, Xiang Wan instantly rushed over and grabbed her tightly.
"Are you alright? How could you be so careless?"
Xiang Wan thought that as long as she stayed by Qin Rong's side, no matter what Qin Rong was up to, she couldn't let her guard down and couldn't leave her alone.
In her panic, Qin Rong couldn't break free from Xiang Wan's wrist and had no choice but to stay by her side.
"I'm fine. How did you get here?"
The atmosphere between the two was awkward. Qin Rong didn't even use her usual honorifics anymore. Her tone was flat and her expression was calm, which made Xiang Wan even more suspicious of her purpose.
"It's the last night, don't cause any trouble, or we'll all be in trouble."
"What, in your eyes, am I just a troublemaker?"
"Who knows?"
"snort!"
The two had previously clashed over the prince, but now they were standing together, drawing surprised glances from many onlookers. Xiang Wan didn't seem to care, pulling Qin Rong to the edge of the hall, her eyes occasionally glancing at the dance floor, hoping to glean some information from it.
Everyone seemed to cherish this last court ball, behaving much bolder than the previous two days. Xiang Wan had been watching the entire scene closely when she suddenly saw a maidservant hurrying towards an exquisite door in the center of the hall. Behind the door was a passageway leading to the King's lounge.
Had something happened? The first thought that flashed through Xiang Wan's mind was that Qin Rong's accomplices had done something. She turned to look at Qin Rong, but saw that she was still calmly looking at the dance floor, as if she had not noticed the commotion there.
What are you looking at me for? Is there something on my face?
"Did you see that maid just now, she seemed to be in a hurry?"
Why should I pay attention to a maid?
The calmer Qin Rong's expression, the more Xiang Wan sensed something was wrong. The question she'd just asked was merely a probe; given Qin Rong's personality, mentioning the maid would have piqued her curiosity. But she'd asked back without even looking up—it was all too strange, too calm.
While Xiang Wan was still filled with doubt, she saw several tall guards quietly following the maid back the way they came. They did not disturb the people in the hall, but a few people still paid attention to them.
Xiang Wan turned to stare at Qin Rong, trying to glean some clues from her expression. Unexpectedly, Qin Rong suddenly looked up and stared directly at her, a smile slowly spreading across her face: "Sister's concern for Rong'er is truly overwhelming. But, besides Rong'er, is there no one else you need to pay attention to, Sister?"
The others? Oh no!
Xiang Wan searched the hall anxiously, but she didn't see Xiang Xia or Wang Mu. Where did they go?
Even as she walked briskly through the lobby, Xiang Wan didn't forget to pull Qin Rong along. Her intuition told her she couldn't let Qin Rong leave, or who knew what might happen.
Qin Rong did not struggle. She walked with Xiang Wan, her head slightly lowered and a smile on her face, so that no one noticed anything unusual.
Xiang Wan searched around several times but couldn't find the mother and daughter. In desperation, she headed towards the guards.
"Waaaaah, Your Majesty, Your Highness, he has ruined my innocence! I beg Your Majesty to do justice and give me justice!"
Before they even got close, they heard a woman's pleading and crying, her voice choked with sobs. Xiang Wan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this voice, while Qin Rong stiffened, her hands clenching tightly before slowly relaxing.
As they walked down the corridor, guards were already on duty and prevented them from getting close. Xiang Wan saw Yuan Feng and the King standing not far away with their backs to her, so she called out to Yuan Feng. Yuan Feng turned around, nodded to the guards, and Xiang Wan immediately pulled Qin Rong over.
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