Yin Lan shook her head, "I don't know. I came to the Marquis's residence later. Before that, I was serving rouge to the Madam."
Huai An's sword-like eyebrows creased, "In fact, the Heir Apparent had already investigated the Madam's background. The Madam is from a reputable family and has never set foot out of her home, how could there be anything that could escape my master's notice?"
"Sometimes I'm also very puzzled... the Madam doesn't seem like an inexperienced young lady at all. It's said that men like innocent and simple women, and a flower that lasts more than a thousand days is rare indeed, I wonder how long the Heir Apparent's favor towards the Madam will last."
Yin Lan had bright and clear eyes, with clean and beautiful features. When she looked at someone, there was an indescribable gentleness.
Huai An felt a little awkward being stared at by her like this. His ears turned red as he looked away and said, "You can't say that. Once my master marries the Madam, he would never let her down."
Yin Lan said, "Not letting the Madam down and loving the Madam are two different things."
Huai An scratched his head. As a bachelor, he didn't understand much about the affairs between husbands and wives. "Aren't they the same thing?"
Yin Lan suddenly laughed. Looking at Huai An revealing his silly side, she said, "One is just responsibility, the other is love from the bottom of one's heart. How can they be the same?"
Huai An also didn't know what had gotten into him. Hearing her words and looking at Yin Lan's clean and beautiful face, his heart started thumping rapidly.
He licked his dry lips, shifted his gaze, and said with reddened ear tips, "Yin Lan, I swear, my feelings for you come genuinely from the bottom of my heart."
Yin Lan chuckled and said with an amused tone, "I was talking about the Heir Apparent and the Madam, why did you start talking about yourself?"
Huai An swallowed and looked at Yin Lan nervously.
The woman had a gentle expression, with tranquil autumn water-like eyes that rippled slightly.
Seeing this, Huai An's heart thumped loudly. Unable to restrain himself, he grabbed Yin Lan's hand.
Yin Lan was startled.
Just by grabbing her hand, Huai An became nervous involuntarily. He panted heavily, accidentally using too much force.
Yin Lan whimpered in pain as her delicate eyebrows creased lightly.
Huai An's handsome face flushed red. He hurriedly let her go and said, "I'm... I'm sorry, Yin Lan... I didn't mean it."
Seeing the panic on the man's face, the corners of Yin Lan's mouth tilted up faintly. "I'm not blaming you."
Hearing her gentle tone and charming voice, Huai An's mind went blank. He only felt dizzy.
Heavens, Yin Lan had smiled at him!
...
At this moment.
Gu Ying disguised herself and left the Ning residence quietly. On the street, she found a little beggar and gave him a silver coin to deliver a message to the Zhao residence.
Then she leisurely wandered a few streets, shaking off the tail following her.
She touched the kirin dagger hidden in her clothes, her gaze calm as she entered the secluded Qingyang Inn she had picked earlier.
The streets of Yueyang city were bleak these days. With its remote location, there weren't many guests staying in this inn either.
Gu Ying entered the inn's lobby, threw a silver ingot on the counter, and booked an elegant room upstairs.
The attendant enthusiastically brought hot water over. She sat behind the landscape screen in the room, back straight, quietly waiting.
An hour later.
Someone knocked on the door.
The corners of Gu Ying's mouth slowly curved up into an extremely cold arc. She said in a frosty tone, "Come in."
The door was pushed open.
Jiang Yin entered in a green robe, graceful and refined.
The hazy glow coming through the thin landscape screen obscured each other's appearances.
Jiang Yin couldn't see Gu Ying's face clearly. He stood there for a while before walking around the screen to sit opposite her.
This was the second time they met since their rebirth, and compared to their hostility during the first meeting, the atmosphere this time was much more peaceful.
Gu Ying looked at him expressionlessly.
Jiang Yin also rested his gaze flatly on her disguised face, recognizing her at first glance. "Why, even when coming to see me, you have to be in disguise? Afraid that Zhao Changdu would find out?"
Gu Ying's lips moved. Her face was still devoid of any emotional fluctuations. "What's between you and me has nothing to do with the Heir Apparent. Today, let's settle our new and old grudges once and for all."
Jiang Yin chuckled lightly. "The wounds in two places you stabbed last time still haven't fully recovered. Ah Ying, you are so ruthless, being so vicious towards your own husband?"
Gu Ying looked at him coldly, her eyes swiftly turning icy. "In my eyes, you are already a dead man."
Jiang Yin loved Gu Ying's ruthless and heartless expression. Her coldness brought his surging possessiveness to its peak.
In fact, in their past life, it wasn’t that he didn’t like her...
Just based on her peerless beauty, he had no reason to reject the advances of such a stunning beauty.
It was just that back then, the allure of fame and success was greater to him.
He had only helped her get rid of Zhao Changdu’s child in her belly, then gave her to Prince Shu Li Yang once. If he had a bad temper with her, why did she resent him for two lifetimes?
He slowly picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of hot water. "I know what you're worried about. Are you afraid that I would tell Zhao Changdu about our entanglements of love and hate?"
Gu Ying's expression was very indifferent. If one didn't look closely, one wouldn't notice the ominous killing intent hidden deep in her eyes.
Jiang Yin was not afraid either. He sneered. "Rest assured, a married couple's love lasts a hundred days. You served me once after all, how could I just sell you out like this?"
Gu Ying shot up abruptly and took out her dagger. Her body flashed strangely and she placed the sharp blade against Jiang Yin’s vulnerable neck in an instant.
Jiang Yin leaned back, his whole body seeming to have collapsed into Gu Ying's embrace.
One of Gu Ying’s hands held onto his neck, while the other gripped the dagger, ready to plunge the blade into his throat at any moment.
He held his breath, narrowed his eyes, and finally understood that Gu Ying completely disregarded their past and intended to put him to death.
"Ah Ying! You can't kill me!"
Jiang Yin was so frightened his face lost color.
Gu Ying sneered coldly, her grip gradually tightening, "Jiang Yin, today, you will disappear from this world for good. Go to hell!"
Jiang Yin's expression changed drastically. He quickly said, "I'll trade Zhao Changdu's fate in our past life for you sparing my life today, what do you say?"
Gu Ying was stunned.
And it was just this moment of absent-mindedness that Jiang Yin ruthlessly struck backwards with his elbow.
Gu Ying panicked for a moment and hurriedly protected her own stomach, retreating back. The dagger’s sharp edge cut into her palm and blood quickly seeped out.
Taking this opportunity, Jiang Yin broke free from her restraints and escaped.
Gu Ying's eyebrows were tightly knitted as her hand clutched tightly over her lower abdomen. "You—"
Jiang Yin sneered. With more chilly and biting harshness in his eyes now, he stood with his hands behind his back not far from her. "You are bearing Zhao Changdu’s evil spawn again. Did you think I wouldn't know?"
His accusing tone made him seem extremely sarcastic and laughable.
Gu Ying clenched her fist tightly, the corners of her lips curving up coldly. "That's none of your business."
Jiang Yin looked at her viciously. "You probably forgot it was me who helped remove that child from your womb in our past life."
Yin Lan shook her head, "I don't know. I came to the Marquis's residence later. Before that, I was serving rouge to the Madam."
Huai An's sword-like eyebrows creased, "In fact, the Heir Apparent had already investigated the Madam's background. The Madam is from a reputable family and has never set foot out of her home, how could there be anything that could escape my master's notice?"
"Sometimes I'm also very puzzled... the Madam doesn't seem like an inexperienced young lady at all. It's said that men like innocent and simple women, and a flower that lasts more than a thousand days is rare indeed, I wonder how long the Heir Apparent's favor towards the Madam will last."
Yin Lan had bright and clear eyes, with clean and beautiful features. When she looked at someone, there was an indescribable gentleness.
Huai An felt a little awkward being stared at by her like this. His ears turned red as he looked away and said, "You can't say that. Once my master marries the Madam, he would never let her down."
Yin Lan said, "Not letting the Madam down and loving the Madam are two different things."
Huai An scratched his head. As a bachelor, he didn't understand much about the affairs between husbands and wives. "Aren't they the same thing?"
Yin Lan suddenly laughed. Looking at Huai An revealing his silly side, she said, "One is just responsibility, the other is love from the bottom of one's heart. How can they be the same?"
Huai An also didn't know what had gotten into him. Hearing her words and looking at Yin Lan's clean and beautiful face, his heart started thumping rapidly.
He licked his dry lips, shifted his gaze, and said with reddened ear tips, "Yin Lan, I swear, my feelings for you come genuinely from the bottom of my heart."
Yin Lan chuckled and said with an amused tone, "I was talking about the Heir Apparent and the Madam, why did you start talking about yourself?"
Huai An swallowed and looked at Yin Lan nervously.
The woman had a gentle expression, with tranquil autumn water-like eyes that rippled slightly.
Seeing this, Huai An's heart thumped loudly. Unable to restrain himself, he grabbed Yin Lan's hand.
Yin Lan was startled.
Just by grabbing her hand, Huai An became nervous involuntarily. He panted heavily, accidentally using too much force.
Yin Lan whimpered in pain as her delicate eyebrows creased lightly.
Huai An's handsome face flushed red. He hurriedly let her go and said, "I'm... I'm sorry, Yin Lan... I didn't mean it."
Seeing the panic on the man's face, the corners of Yin Lan's mouth tilted up faintly. "I'm not blaming you."
Hearing her gentle tone and charming voice, Huai An's mind went blank. He only felt dizzy.
Heavens, Yin Lan had smiled at him!
...
At this moment.
Gu Ying disguised herself and left the Ning residence quietly. On the street, she found a little beggar and gave him a silver coin to deliver a message to the Zhao residence.
Then she leisurely wandered a few streets, shaking off the tail following her.
She touched the kirin dagger hidden in her clothes, her gaze calm as she entered the secluded Qingyang Inn she had picked earlier.
The streets of Yueyang city were bleak these days. With its remote location, there weren't many guests staying in this inn either.
Gu Ying entered the inn's lobby, threw a silver ingot on the counter, and booked an elegant room upstairs.
The attendant enthusiastically brought hot water over. She sat behind the landscape screen in the room, back straight, quietly waiting.
An hour later.
Someone knocked on the door.
The corners of Gu Ying's mouth slowly curved up into an extremely cold arc. She said in a frosty tone, "Come in."
The door was pushed open.
Jiang Yin entered in a green robe, graceful and refined.
The hazy glow coming through the thin landscape screen obscured each other's appearances.
Jiang Yin couldn't see Gu Ying's face clearly. He stood there for a while before walking around the screen to sit opposite her.
This was the second time they met since their rebirth, and compared to their hostility during the first meeting, the atmosphere this time was much more peaceful.
Gu Ying looked at him expressionlessly.
Jiang Yin also rested his gaze flatly on her disguised face, recognizing her at first glance. "Why, even when coming to see me, you have to be in disguise? Afraid that Zhao Changdu would find out?"
Gu Ying's lips moved. Her face was still devoid of any emotional fluctuations. "What's between you and me has nothing to do with the Heir Apparent. Today, let's settle our new and old grudges once and for all."
Jiang Yin chuckled lightly. "The wounds in two places you stabbed last time still haven't fully recovered. Ah Ying, you are so ruthless, being so vicious towards your own husband?"
Gu Ying looked at him coldly, her eyes swiftly turning icy. "In my eyes, you are already a dead man."
Jiang Yin loved Gu Ying's ruthless and heartless expression. Her coldness brought his surging possessiveness to its peak.
In fact, in their past life, it wasn’t that he didn’t like her...
Just based on her peerless beauty, he had no reason to reject the advances of such a stunning beauty.
It was just that back then, the allure of fame and success was greater to him.
He had only helped her get rid of Zhao Changdu’s child in her belly, then gave her to Prince Shu Li Yang once. If he had a bad temper with her, why did she resent him for two lifetimes?
He slowly picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of hot water. "I know what you're worried about. Are you afraid that I would tell Zhao Changdu about our entanglements of love and hate?"
Gu Ying's expression was very indifferent. If one didn't look closely, one wouldn't notice the ominous killing intent hidden deep in her eyes.
Jiang Yin was not afraid either. He sneered. "Rest assured, a married couple's love lasts a hundred days. You served me once after all, how could I just sell you out like this?"
Gu Ying shot up abruptly and took out her dagger. Her body flashed strangely and she placed the sharp blade against Jiang Yin’s vulnerable neck in an instant.
Jiang Yin leaned back, his whole body seeming to have collapsed into Gu Ying's embrace.
One of Gu Ying’s hands held onto his neck, while the other gripped the dagger, ready to plunge the blade into his throat at any moment.
He held his breath, narrowed his eyes, and finally understood that Gu Ying completely disregarded their past and intended to put him to death.
"Ah Ying! You can't kill me!"
Jiang Yin was so frightened his face lost color.
Gu Ying sneered coldly, her grip gradually tightening, "Jiang Yin, today, you will disappear from this world for good. Go to hell!"
Jiang Yin's expression changed drastically. He quickly said, "I'll trade Zhao Changdu's fate in our past life for you sparing my life today, what do you say?"
Gu Ying was stunned.
And it was just this moment of absent-mindedness that Jiang Yin ruthlessly struck backwards with his elbow.
Gu Ying panicked for a moment and hurriedly protected her own stomach, retreating back. The dagger’s sharp edge cut into her palm and blood quickly seeped out.
Taking this opportunity, Jiang Yin broke free from her restraints and escaped.
Gu Ying's eyebrows were tightly knitted as her hand clutched tightly over her lower abdomen. "You—"
Jiang Yin sneered. With more chilly and biting harshness in his eyes now, he stood with his hands behind his back not far from her. "You are bearing Zhao Changdu’s evil spawn again. Did you think I wouldn't know?"
His accusing tone made him seem extremely sarcastic and laughable.
Gu Ying clenched her fist tightly, the corners of her lips curving up coldly. "That's none of your business."
Jiang Yin looked at her viciously. "You probably forgot it was me who helped remove that child from your womb in our past life."
