How does it feel for a father to discover that someone has been plotting against his daughter?
One can only say it was fortunate that the father in question wasn't Ye Zhao’s own; otherwise, showing up to beat the culprit into a pulp would have been the lightest of consequences. However, even with Minister Li, the outcome was unlikely to be pleasant.
Jiang Ziqi had already sent someone to beg Ye Zhao for his life!
By the time Ye Zhao rushed to the entrance of the prison, he happened to run head-first into someone.
It was Li Yunrong.
The corners of her eyes were red; it was clear she had just been crying. Yet, the moment she saw Ye Zhao, her gaze instantly hardened, flickering with a sharp sense of hostility.
As they stood face-to-face, Ye Zhao froze. He didn't immediately understand her enmity, but then the sounds of Jiang Ziqi’s ghostly wailing and howling drifted out from the depths of the prison.
Slowly, he realized where this hostility came from—the fact that he and Jiang Ziqi had been calculating against her had been exposed.
Ye Zhao stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move, feeling an overwhelming sense of awkwardness and guilt.
After three seconds of frozen silence, Ye Zhao was the first to break the tension, offering a friendly smile. "Miss Li, have you just finished your visit?"
Li Yunrong also offered a smile, but it was fleeting and laced with mockery. She said, "Young Master Ye is so divinely gifted in foresight. Does such a question even need to be asked?"
Well, it was only natural for her to despise him. No one could remain calm after realizing their feelings had been toyed with.
Having spoken, her face turned cold as she stepped past him and walked toward the exit.
Ye Zhao deliberated for a long moment, feeling that regardless of the circumstances, he had to do something.
He called out to her, "Miss Li, are you angry?"
It was a redundant question, and they both knew it. But regardless, Li Yunrong successfully came to a halt.
He continued, "Are you angry that your first meeting with Jiang Ziqi was orchestrated? That every subsequent interaction involved a degree of calculated behavior on his part?"
"Heh..." Li Yunrong gave a cold laugh and turned back to look at Ye Zhao. "A degree? What do you mean by 'a degree'? From the very beginning, it was a performance staged for me! His character, his words, everything he did! It was all fake!"
Her eyes held an irrepressible hurt, and her lips trembled slightly. "Yes. And it was you who gave him the strategies. You taught him how to act and speak; you designed the whole thing."
Ye Zhao stood there calmly. He seemed blind to the accusation and fury in her eyes, nor did he offer a rebuttal. He admitted it frankly. "Yes. I did arrange much of it. But not everything was my doing."
"His sincerity toward you is real," he stated calmly, lowering his eyes. "But sincerity alone is useless. He held that sincerity for years, yet could only watch you from afar, never daring to step forward, never daring to approach, and certainly lacking the ability to walk into your heart. So, he sought every possible way to get close to you. Is that a crime?"
Ye Zhao spoke with gravity, his gaze fixed on Li Yunrong with steady earnestness.
Upon hearing this, Li Yunrong gave a bitter laugh. "Sincerity? If you put it that way, I suppose I’ll grant you that. But what now? Young Master Ye, if the man before me has been a fake, a facade, since the day we met, then I must ask: is the Jiang Ziqi in my heart the same person who exists in reality?"
She smiled dejectedly. "He isn't."
"He is merely an illusion you wove." Li Yunrong took a deep breath, steadying the turbulent emotions in her chest until she returned to a state of cold calm. "Enough. I have been deceived for so long; it is time I woke up."
"Young Master Ye, from this day forth, let us go our separate ways. You and your friend—do not pester me again."
She gave a slight nod. "Farewell."
Ye Zhao’s heart sank. Her tone gave him a bad feeling. "Does Miss Li mean to make a clean break with Jiang Ziqi?"
Seeing her about to leave, Ye Zhao scrambled for words to salvage the situation. "You say Jiang Ziqi deceived you, and for that alone, you wish to return to being strangers?"
He frowned and said seriously, "Then tell me, Miss Li, what other way did he have to reach your side? To reach the place he currently holds in your heart?"
Seeing her footsteps falter, Ye Zhao pressed on. "You blame him for deceiving you, but did you not know he was approaching you with intent?"
"No, you knew," Ye Zhao’s voice was certain. "You sensed it from the start. But you are the high-born daughter of a Minister, cherished and pampered. There are countless people who approach you intentionally, hoping to climb the social ladder through Minister Li."
"You thought Jiang Ziqi was just one of them." He sighed. "But ask yourself, after spending so much time with him, do you truly still believe that was his reason?"
"When others approach you, what do they seek? They seek power, status, connections, influence, beauty, or some other tangible or intangible benefit."
"And Jiang Ziqi?" Ye Zhao said. "All he sought was you. Regardless of your status, your appearance, or anything else."
"No one will ever cherish you more than he does." Ye Zhao paused after saying this, then added, "As for you, you clearly already have him in your heart. Why then do you act so... angry?"
In truth, what Ye Zhao really wanted to say was: *resolute, pedantic, and unable to tolerate a single grain of sand in your eye.*
Li Yunrong’s fingers slowly clenched into fists, her lips pressed thin in silence.
Ye Zhao narrowed his eyes and began to analyze her slowly. "Your current anger stemmed initially from the sudden shock of being deceived; it was hard to accept, and you were angry at the deception itself. But later, it turned into doubt. You began to doubt Jiang Ziqi’s sincerity, but that is a result of your own cautious and sensitive nature."
"The truth is perhaps not as malicious as you imagine. But because so many people have approached you with ulterior motives, it has created a trait in your personality—you instinctively want to maintain distance from those who get close to you, or even push them away."
"That is why you have so few friends, and none whose status is significantly lower than yours. It isn't because you are arrogant or look down on others; it is because of the cowardice and insecurity in your heart. A subconscious self-protection mechanism has made you develop a habit of fleeing—of wanting to cut ties immediately whenever doubt arises. That is why you..."
...Directly sentenced Jiang Ziqi to death.
"Enough!"
Ye Zhao’s words were cut short by a sharp shout.
The air fell into a heavy silence.
After a long while, Li Yunrong let out a soft, mocking laugh. She did not turn around, merely saying, "Young Master Ye is indeed the son of Lord Tianshu. When it comes to calculating hearts and using artful speech, you are truly a master."
Facing this compliment that was anything but, Ye Zhao remained silent for a moment before replying calmly, "Miss Li flatters me."
Then he heard Li Yunrong ask, "Is it that in your eyes, you have already seen through me completely, leaving no secrets? Or rather, is the human heart something you can see through and manipulate without any difficulty at all?"
Ye Zhao could not afford to accept such a charge.
He remained silent for two seconds, looking at Li Yunrong’s back.
After a long pause, her voice rang out, calm to the point of being bland. "To toy with hearts in such a way, Ye Zhao..."
"You should be glad you haven't fallen in love with anyone. For whoever gives their heart to you, it would be a tragic waste."
"As for Jiang Ziqi and me, there is no need for Young Master Ye to trouble himself further." She took a deep breath and said coldly, "You have already overstepped enough."
Anyone could tell she was on the verge of an explosion. Having finished, she walked away without looking back. Ye Zhao didn't dare stop her again; continuing would likely only make things worse.
"Sigh..." Ye Zhao sighed gloomily, slowly waving his fan. He looked at Pei Shian, who had entered a step behind him, and asked, "Do you think all my efforts are going to be for naught?"
"I've been busy working on this for so long. If Jiang Ziqi doesn't end up with the lady, it would be quite a disappointment," Ye Zhao added.
Although Jiang Ziqi was in prison under the charges Ye Zhao had brought against him, his life was even more comfortable than before, aside from the increased guard presence.
After all, everyone guessed that his imprisonment was in name only. Clearing his name was just a matter of Ye Zhao withdrawing the complaint. Those guards actually served to protect him.
When the message arrived from the prison today, Ye Zhao and the others had been startled, thinking the prison had been breached. As it turned out...
Wei Feng had led a perimeter of men around the prison. Hearing Ye Zhao's words, he walked in with a dark face. Before Pei Shian could speak, Wei Feng cut in, "I’m disappointed too. Why is he still sitting in this cell perfectly fine instead of dead?"
He gave a cold sneer. "His life is fine, but he’s certainly played us for fools."
Er...
Looking at his murderous expression, it wasn't hard for Ye Zhao to sense how foul his mood was. Pretending nothing was wrong, Ye Zhao joked half-seriously, "His body is fine, but his heart has been shattered into a thousand pieces."
He said with a smile, "Listen, how tragically he’s crying!"
"Rongrong! Come back and listen to me!"
"Rongrong... Rongrong..."
The scene fell into a strange sort of dark humor. Jiang Ziqi was wailing as if his parents had died; his voice couldn't have sounded more grief-stricken.
Wei Feng remained expressionless, his face sour, and turned to leave.
Ye Zhao guessed that the man didn't find it funny at all; he likely just wanted to hack the idiot Jiang Ziqi to death.
Only then did Pei Shian speak up. "So, what do you plan to do?"
"Huh?" Caught off guard by the sudden question, Ye Zhao didn't react at first, but he understood what was being asked an instant later.
He said, "What else can I do? Since Miss Li already knows everything, the more I do, the more I'll mess up. I might as well stop interfering."
"Hmm?" Pei Shian’s gaze sharpened, clearly not quite believing him.
Seeing his expression, Ye Zhao smiled and said nothing more.
He continued walking into the prison, while Pei Shian stood in place, watching his back for a moment before heading toward the exit.
Hearing Jiang Ziqi’s incessant shouting ahead, Ye Zhao walked over and said with a bland expression, "Alright, stop yelling. She’s gone. She can’t hear you."
"Ye Zhao, Ye Zhao! Help me go explain to her!" Jiang Ziqi’s face was full of urgency. "I really didn't mean to deceive her, I just..."
He stopped halfway, unable to continue. He stammered for a long time without being able to explain himself, pacing in circles like an ant on a hot griddle.
In truth, he knew his actions were, in a sense, a form of deception. Yet he still didn't want to lose her, especially the image of Li Yunrong’s resolute departure. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became.
Jiang Ziqi leaned his head against the wooden bars and slumped to the floor, crying like a child who had lost a precious toy.
As he cried, he muttered, "Rongrong cried... I made her cry."
"She doesn't want me anymore... ugh, waah..."
"Ye Zhao, I was wrong... I really know I was wrong now..."
This fellow Jiang Ziqi—it had been years since Ye Zhao had seen him cry this hard. Ye Zhao stood there for a moment, feeling two parts surprised and three parts awkward. He tentatively patted the other man’s head in consolation and replied, "No. She won't abandon you."
It was fortunate that Jiang Ziqi hadn't heard his conversation with Li Yunrong. Although the man didn't entirely believe him, at least he hadn't fallen into an even deeper abyss of despair.
"She said... she misjudged me, and she said... we should act as if we don't know each other."
Jiang Ziqi choked on his words several times before finishing the sentence, his voice filled with grief. "She wants us to be strangers... ugh, waah..."
Ye Zhao sighed inwardly. He crouched down and patted the man's back. After two pats, seeing that he was still consumed by inconsolable grief, Ye Zhao finally lost his patience.
He brought his fan down hard on Jiang Ziqi’s head. "Have you cried enough? Do you think you're still a child? What use is crying?"
Unlike his previous gentle tone, Ye Zhao’s expression was now cold as frost, as if he had suddenly become a different person.
Jiang Ziqi was momentarily stunned by the blow. He sobbed twice, looked up blankly, and was frightened by Ye Zhao’s icy face.
"Then... then what do you say I should do?" He wiped his face and stood up, looking at Ye Zhao.
Ye Zhao asked, "Do you still want Li Yunrong?"
"Of course!" Hearing Ye Zhao’s phrasing, he felt a vague sense of discomfort, as if Li Yunrong were a target to be contested or an object to be acquired.
Jiang Ziqi dismissed it as a misconception caused by the bluntness of the words.
Ye Zhao’s expression softened slightly, replaced by a touch of helplessness. "Why must you insist on hanging yourself from this one tree?"
This was a rhetorical question that didn't require Jiang Ziqi’s answer. After his lament, Ye Zhao continued with a lack of interest, "Let the matter with her rest for a while. Let her calm down."
"And then...?" Jiang Ziqi was puzzled.
"And then?" Ye Zhao gave a half-smile and said, "And then, I have a major matter of my own to attend to. You stay here peacefully in prison. When you have time, think for yourself about how to coax her back."
"That’s all. I’m leaving."
Without waiting for a reaction, Ye Zhao turned and walked away.
"Hey? Hey! Ye Zhao..."
In the blink of an eye, Ye Zhao had already walked far away and was out of sight.
Don't think Wei Feng was the only one fuming over being played; Ye Zhao also harbored a bit of irritation at being dragged into this mess by this fellow.
***
