"Xiao Yuan'er, just think of the Lan Jingtang you knew as dead. What's standing in front of you right now is just an empty shell, and you don't need any emotions."
"I'm telling you, I'll only get worse and more awful in the future than I am now."
Lan Jingtang showed no mercy, degrading himself to the dust.
He probably hates himself now.
An Yuan'er stood before him and said resolutely, "Lan Jingtang, I know you're not like that. If you were really that bad, why did you save me? Wouldn't it have been better to let Yi Chenxuan find me and kill me?"
Although he hated her for deceiving him, in the end, he never blamed her.
When he realized she was in danger, Lan Jingtang rushed to protect her almost instinctively. He even considered breaking ties with Yi Chenxuan.
"An Yuan'er, stop being so self-important. I have everything I need now—women, money, you're nothing to me. I, Lan Jingtang, don't care about you anymore." Lan Jingtang finished speaking hastily and left in a hurry.
If he stayed even a second longer, he probably wouldn't be able to resist embracing her.
Sometimes, telling lies is simply a way to conceal one's truest emotions. Therefore, Lan Jingtang lied.
An Yuan'er watched Lan Jingtang leave, but her resolve only strengthened. She was determined to make Lan Jingtang be himself again, instead of being a puppet of the family.
*
Lan Jingtang returned to his residence.
"Stop right there." The one who spoke was Lan Jingtang's uncle. When the Lan family encountered the accident, Lan Liansheng happened to be away and escaped the disaster. He had only recently reunited with Lan Jingtang.
"Go kneel down in front of the ancestral tablets and reflect on what you did tonight!"
Lan Jingtang frowned: "You had someone follow me?"
Lan Liansheng showed no remorse: "How would I know what you've done if I didn't follow you? The girl from the An family, you've disobeyed the prince's orders several times, wasn't it because of her?"
"No. It's because Yi Chenxuan's actions are insidious and violate the principles of Jingtang, that's why I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lan Liansheng slapped him hard across the face and whipped Lan Jingtang, drawing blood instantly and leaving him with torn and bleeding skin.
"You dared to disobey the Crown Prince's orders, so you deserve to be beaten. I'm teaching you a lesson on behalf of the entire Lan clan. If it weren't for Consort Xian's rescue back then, we would all be dead long ago. Now that the Lan family has been framed by villains, the only way to find the culprit is to unite with the Crown Prince and help him seize the throne. What are your Lan Jingtang's principles? Are they more important than the Lan clan's rules?"
Lan Jingtang didn't cry out in pain and stubbornly refused to speak.
"If you dare to act recklessly again, I think it would be better to kill that girl from the An family, so as not to disturb your mind."
Lan Jingtang finally showed some emotion and said in a deep voice, "Uncle, you can't touch her."
Lan Liansheng put away his whip: "Xiaotang, the Lan clan has high expectations for you, and I hope you will not let them down. As for that girl, if you like her, your uncle can keep her for you. But you must not be soft-hearted and ruin everything."
Lan Jingtang lowered his head, his eyes dark, and responded softly, "I understand."
“I will go to the ancestral hall and kneel down.”
Lan Jingtang was whipped, but he didn't apply any medicine, leaving the wounds exposed to the air without feeling any pain. Because what hurt more than the physical wounds was his confused heart.
He knelt in the ancestral hall, his expression dazed, and murmured to himself, "Mother, you always told Jingtang to be an upright and kind person, but now I have to do something against my conscience for the sake of the Lan family. Tell your son, what should I do?"
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