"I want you to find out about Princess Chuchu from Maimaiti," Xu Yuehuai said bluntly.
A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes, all traces of her previous gentleness gone. Following closely behind were Qi Guze and Tie Xiong, who were carrying the old woman forward.
"Let me go! Let me go!" The old woman's struggles drew Zhang Ting's attention.
When Zhang Ting saw the woodcutter without his beard, she froze on the spot.
This is no woodcutter at all, it's clearly Qi Guze.
Qi Guze, whom she had always longed for, had actually been by her side from beginning to end.
She couldn't believe it.
Zhang Ting couldn't help but stand up, frowning as she asked in a cold voice, "What's going on?"
“We already knew about your relationship with Maimaiti, but we just didn’t want to expose you. As for this person, I sensed something was wrong the moment she walked in last night. I didn’t expect that we would actually catch her drugging our food. Zhang Ting, you should already know her, right?” Xu Yuehuai said sternly.
She has done more than enough for Zhang Ting these past few days.
Zhang Ting pursed her lips, knowing that no matter how much she tried to explain, it would be useless.
She stood up and asked, "Then why are you exposing me now?"
“Because I need you to step in—” Xu Yuehuai did not hide anything, “Last night, Lord Zhao sent someone to deliver a letter. Maimaiti suspects you of having ulterior motives because you did not discover the prince’s identity. He has already imprisoned your father and is just waiting for the right time to kill him to silence him.”
"Zhang Ting, let's be frank. If you want to rescue your father, you can only rely on us now."
"What? That bastard! He clearly promised he wouldn't lay a hand on my family! No, I have to go find him!" Zhang Ting was shocked at first, then enraged, and wanted to go out to find Maimaiti.
"Do you think you can save your father if you go now, or will you just lose your life in vain?"
Xu Yuehuai did not stop her, and said these words just as Zhang Ting was about to leave.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Ting stopped and turned around to ask, but after asking, she felt that her question was stupid. Hadn't Xu Yuehuai already said that the only chance was to join forces with them?
A moment of inner struggle flashed through Zhang Ting's mind, but she quickly gave way to her father's safety.
"Manager Xu," Zhang Ting asked softly, "can you really guarantee my father's safety?"
"Anyway, it's safer than you going there rashly," Xu Yuehuai said, shaking her head.
“It’s like this,” Zhang Ting said after a moment of thought, “Manager Xu, I’d like to cooperate with you to deal with Maimaiti, but he’s a very shrewd man, and I can’t guarantee that I can get any useful information out of him.”
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Xu Yuehuai, and seeing that she didn't respond, she continued.
"At the same time, I hope Manager Xu can agree to let me return to Chessboard Peak after this is done. I don't want to deal with these things anymore, I just want to..."
She left the second half of her sentence unsaid, wanting only to live out her life embracing the memories of Qi Guze.
"I agree." Xu Yuehua nodded in agreement, agreeing with everything Zhang Ting hadn't said. She naturally knew what Zhang Ting meant.
"Thank you, Manager Xu. Zhang Ting has one last request." She looked embarrassed as she finished speaking. She hadn't gotten anything yet, but she had made all sorts of demands. What if it all came to nothing in the end? How could she feel at ease letting Xu Yuehuai keep his promise?
She was determined to get something useful out of Maimaiti.
"Tell me about it," Xu Yuehuai nodded and began.
"I want to talk to Qi Guze alone," Zhang Ting said softly, looking at her toes.
“This…” Xu Yuehuai pondered for a moment and then looked at Qi Guze. After seeing him nod in agreement, she smiled and replied, “It’s not a difficult thing.”
He dismissed everyone and quickly left, leaving only the two of them in the room.
Qi Guze felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Zhang Ting's intense gaze fixed on him.
After thinking for a moment, he finally asked, "What is there left to talk about between us?"
His voice was icy, completely unlike the warm tone he used when speaking to others.
Zhang Ting swallowed hard, a strange nervousness creeping over her, but she still mustered the courage to ask, "Qi Guze, if it weren't for what happened today, would you have never intended to tell me your identity, and instead chosen to keep it from me all along...?"
"You really don't trust me that much?"
"I only believe in the Zhang Ting of the past," Qi Guze said coldly.
He still remembered the bright and cheerful Zhang Ting from his past. If she were still the same as she was on Qipan Peak, he could trust her unconditionally. But now, there was no trust to speak of.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ting's pupils dilated suddenly, and she said blankly, "But I've become like this because of you..."
"Qi Guze, don't you have even the slightest place for me in your heart?" she said, stepping forward and grabbing his sleeve. "Or is it that in your heart, I'm nothing more than a toy, someone who has only brought you trouble?"
Her vision was already blurred with tears.
It was all foggy, and you couldn't see anything at all.
Qi Guze nodded: "If it were before, you would be my friend and my benefactor, but now, I really don't want to see you anymore."
"Zhang Ting, when we first met, you already knew that I had someone else in my heart. Since that's the case, why are you so persistent? Even without A-Yue, do you think our statuses are enough for us to get married?"
"Not to mention, no one but A-Yue can be my wife."
He always stood unconditionally on Xu Yuehuai's side.
Zhang Ting should have realized this a long time ago, but she just never wanted to face it head-on.
But now, she has become a monster because of a man she can never have.
This shouldn't be her.
Zhang Ting sighed, "I understand..."
"Qi Guze, Princess Chuchu's matter is the last thing I can do for you. After this, there will be no more."
She resigned herself to her fate.
Qi Guze breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her resigned expression.
Only in this way can they return to their original state.
“Zhang Ting, if you can get rid of Maimaiti’s scheming and backstabbing, we can definitely go back to how things were before. When that happens, if you come to Chang’an, I will definitely treat you to all the delicious food in Chang’an.”
"It's a deal." After saying that, Zhang Ting turned around and went back to her room.
...
The sandstorm stopped completely on the third day.
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