Qin Hongmian's tears burst forth. She tried to pull free of Lin Xuan's hand, only to find that she could neither bear to let go nor break free. "You know who I am, and you know who she is. She isn't just my disciple—she's also my... Anyway, how are we... how are we supposed to get along from now on?"
Of course, Lin Xuan understood the hidden meaning in her words, but he deliberately pretended to understand only the surface meaning.
"Hongmian." Lin Xuan suddenly pulled hard, drawing her into his arms and holding her tightly. "Wanqing really has become my woman. I don't want to lie to you about that, nor would I deign to. All along this journey, I've been thinking about you every moment."
"Let go of me... sob..." Qin Hongmian struggled in his embrace, pounding his chest, but her blows gradually weakened until they became helpless sobs.
"Why... why does Heaven have to treat me like this..."
She hated it—hated her miserable fate, and hated herself even more for being so weak.
Clearly, she loathed the man before her at this very moment.
Yet when he held her in his arms and she breathed in his familiar scent, she found herself unable to say even one harsh word.
Her body and her heart had long since betrayed her reason.
"Hongmian, don't cry." Lin Xuan gently stroked her back as though soothing an injured wildcat. "I know you feel wronged. Give me some time, and give yourself some time too. This isn't as bad as you think."
Qin Hongmian cried in his arms for quite a while before her tears finally began to subside.
She pushed Lin Xuan away, took a deep breath, and tried her best to preserve what little remained of her crumbling dignity.
"You