"Let me see," Yue Zhan said, having received no reply. He simply pulled Shi Lan over and looked her up and down. Although her face was still a little pale, her complexion had improved considerably. At least the weakness she felt in the morning was gone. Thinking of what Lady Han had said, he asked softly, "Did you take your medicine this morning?"
Shi Lan nodded, then suddenly remembered that she had been busy with body-refining techniques and had forgotten to close the window when she turned around to deal with Zhu'er.
He immediately recognized Yue Zhan from her change in expression and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Haven't you eaten?"
Shi Lan glanced at him and said indifferently, "I've already eaten."
Yue Zhan nodded in satisfaction.
The two were talking animatedly when Qinghong, seeing that Yue Zhan didn't even glance at her out of the corner of her eye, immediately had tears in her eyes and cried out, "My lord, I came to see her out of kindness, but she hurt me instead. Instead of asking me, you're asking about her. This makes me so heartbroken."
Yue Zhan turned his face, frowned at her, and said, "Shut up, you're so noisy."
Qinghong, obediently, stopped wailing and began to sob softly.
Shi Lan was annoyed by Qing Hong's noise, so she pulled her sleeve away from Yue Zhan's grasp and glared at him irritably.
The implication was so obvious, how could Yue Zhan not know it?
He awkwardly avoided her gaze, his dark eyes turning coldly to Qinghong as he ordered in a deep voice, "Someone come here."
A servant at the door responded in a low voice.
"Send Qinghong back and keep her under strict guard. She is not allowed to leave the house without my order."
The servant entered, bowed to Yue Zhan, and grabbed Qinghong, trying to drag her out.
Qinghong's face was covered in tears. She struggled with all her might, but she could not break free. She could only desperately shout into the room, "My love, spare me! I will never dare to do it again!"
Yue Zhan remained unmoved with a cold face. He gently supported Shi Lan's arm with his large hand and helped her to sit down on the edge of the couch.
The servants dragged Qinghong past the gently fluttering curtains, and were about to leave the inner room.
Qinghong stared intently at the gauze curtain. Through the haze, she saw Yue Zhan gently brush aside the strands of hair from Shi Lan's cheek and tuck them behind her ear. Shi Lan glanced at him sideways, her lips parted slightly, as if she were saying something. Yue Zhan's facial features were soft, and the corners of his mouth turned up.
He was laughing, laughing so heartily as he was being dragged out in such a disheveled state.
Qinghong suddenly smiled softly. From the first day she arrived here, she had heard people say that Yue Zhan was cold and ruthless, and she had been afraid. But after personally experiencing his pampering, she felt relieved and even thought that those people were making a mountain out of a molehill. Now it seems that she was foolish. What was so special about him? What was so special about him? It was all wishful thinking.
It was just a toy to kill time, but it started acting like a person. Now that it has found something new, it has naturally forgotten about the one it got tired of.
Qinghong was filled with resentment, and she was so choked up that she couldn't breathe. So she held it in and used brute force to grab the servant's neck.
The servant was caught off guard and was caught off guard by her pinch.
Before entering the manor, Qinghong worked as a laborer in the brothel. Every day, she had to carry several vats of water and chop piles of firewood. She started working when she was six years old, so you can imagine how strong she is now.
The servants thought she was just a maid in the manor, and had no idea that she had such a background. They were pinched so hard that their eyes rolled back and they almost fainted.
Qinghong didn't want anyone to die at this juncture, so she let go when she noticed him loosening his grip.
The servant collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck, coughing awkwardly, tears welling up in his eyes.
Qinghong quickly got up, took two steps back, looked down at him, and felt a little apologetic, but the apology was quickly replaced by anger and resentment.
Qinghong rushed in again, grabbed a candle from the candlestick, and smashed it without a care.
Shi Lan lowered her head and sipped the warm tea. She heard a slight breeze by her ear, and her fingers twitched slightly, but she managed to steady herself and remain still.
Yue Zhan stood up, slapped the tumbling candle away, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. "Insolence!"
"Insolence?" Qinghong chuckled coldly, her round almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears. "Since I came here, I haven't dared to be insolent for a single day. I've been careful to follow the rules and observe etiquette every day, afraid of doing something wrong that would tarnish your reputation. But what about you?"
She staggered forward two steps, her expression utterly sorrowful. "Yes, I should thank you. You rescued me from the brothel, gave me good food and drink, fine clothes, and even allowed me to dispose of the servants as I pleased." Qinghong's eyes shone, her dark pupils sparkling like stars. "Everyone in the manor says you dote on me, protect me, and that no one else can make you smile." A smile played on Qinghong's lips as tears streamed down her cheeks. "I believed you. But what's the truth?"
She stepped forward, raised her hand to touch her face, and said in a seemingly real yet dreamlike voice, "I know you don't really like me. Every time you look at me like that, you're just using me to look at someone else. I don't know what I resemble that person in, but I'm happy because that way I can keep your gaze. You think I don't know, but I know everything. I'm just pretending to be oblivious, deceiving myself that it's an illusion. I know I'm foolish, just a substitute yet still hoping you'll treat me sincerely. But you're really heartless. Even if you raise a dog, you'll develop feelings for it after a few years. Don't you feel guilty treating me like this?"
Yue Zhan frowned, looking at her with icy eyes, "Do you know your crime?"
Qinghong nodded and said calmly, "Of course I know. I also know that after today, my corpse might already be being eaten by dogs and pecked by birds in a mass grave." She turned to look at Shi Lan, her tone becoming mocking and sarcastic, "Lan Niang, seeing me like this, you're very happy and proud, aren't you?"
Shi Lan looked up at her, her rosy lips pressed into a thin slit.
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