Tang San and Xiao Wu instinctively turned to look at the figure being berated in the shadows.
Xiao Wu parted her lips, wanting to say something.
"Xiao Wu, don't meddle."
Tang San immediately noticed, tugged hard on her, and warned her in a low voice, his gaze wary and cold.
"He's just some beggar we don't know. The auction house staff will handle it."
Xiao Wu swallowed her words. She looked at the lonely figure being scolded by the usher, her expression complicated.
Seeing that Su Ling still hadn't moved, the Oval-faced Usher knitted her willow-leaf brows and was about to wave over the guards.
"Wait."
A clear voice, carrying unquestionable authority, rang out from behind her.
It wasn't loud, yet it seemed like an invisible barrier, instantly silencing all the commotion at the entrance.
Everyone turned toward the voice.
The crowd in the street parted on its own as "Xue Qinghe," clad in the Crown Prince's ornate robes, strode over.
His golden hair was tied beneath his crown, and his gentle features carried an innate air of dignity.
Qian Renxue had been in a foul mood.
She'd heard Su Ling had been ambushed and badly wounded. She'd almost rushed straight to the Su Family without thinking!
But she was the Crown Prince. What reason could she have for caring about a profligate heir? What would Xue Ye think?
But in truth, she was even more afraid... afraid of seeing Su Ling's cold eyes again.
Would that solitary, heartless boy push her away once more, dealing another devastating blow to her already shattered heart?
As her thoughts churned, her gaze suddenly fixed on the auction house entrance—
On the boy leaning against the wall, his black robe stained with blood!
Although the aura of the Destruction God Armor concealed Su Ling, Qian Renxue had reached the God King realm in her Previous Life, after Su Ling's death. How formidable was her Mental Power?
At a single glance, she recognized him... the person she'd searched for across two lifetimes!
Her pupils contracted, and she stopped in her tracks.
It was as though her heart had been gripped in a crushing fist. The pain stole her breath.
What was he doing here? His wounds hadn't healed... he was still bleeding... and he'd come out like this?!
She saw the attendant shove him. She saw blood drip from his dangling fingertips.
Memories of her Previous Life flooded back—
His pale profile as he stayed up late reviewing memorials for her.
The distant, icy look in his eyes after he ascended the throne.
And finally, the sight of him lying in her arms on a snowy night, an Asura Sword plunged into his chest...
Qian Renxue's fingers trembled violently, her nails digging deep into her palms.
She could barely stop herself from rushing over to embrace him, check his wounds, and hold him tightly in her arms—
But she couldn't.
She was the Heaven Dou Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe.
He was Su Ling, the Su Family Heir.
With everyone watching, she couldn't even offer him a single word of concern.
She forced herself to look away and took a deep breath, suppressing the tears surging in her eyes.
When she looked up again, she had regained the Crown Prince's graceful composure. Only the slight hoarseness in her voice betrayed her emotions. "What's going on?"
"Y-Your Highness!"
The two ushers recognized her and hurriedly bowed.
"Your Highness! This man, he won't leave, and he's even dirtied the floor..."
Qian Renxue ignored them all.
She took a difficult step forward and stopped in front of Su Ling.
She wanted to reach out and touch him, but held herself back with all her strength.
"You..." Her voice trembled badly. She struggled to force out a few words. "Would you... like to come in with me?"
Su Ling's thoughts were drawn back from the depths of the auction house by the voice so close to him.
Beneath his hood, he raised his head in a daze, the hard lines of his jaw emerging from the shadows.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe?
Su Ling's thoughts turned sluggishly as a mix of exhaustion and irritation welled up inside him.
Memories of serving under Qian Renxue in his Previous Life came rushing back: the endless nights spent handling mountains of state affairs, leaving him nearly worn to the bone.
What was this "Crown Prince" coming over to bother him for now?
He didn't bother to hide his displeasure. He couldn't even be bothered to pretend.
To him, this former superior—the first person he'd kicked out of the power center after ascending the throne in his Previous Life—could be summed up in one word: "trouble."
In his Previous Life, after Qian Renxue became a god, she'd even shown up at his selection ceremony for a consort, leaving him completely baffled.
His original script had been to die at Qian Renxue's hands, giving his life to bring her and Tang San closer.
But instead of following the script and taking his life, she'd gone and killed his cousin, Ye Lingling!
The worst part was that she was the heroine, so there was nothing he could do about her.
Fortunately, Little Scumbag had been fairly cooperative. He'd come to assassinate him as soon as he became a god, letting Su Ling make a clean exit. At least it was some consolation.
But who could've seen that coming?
Qian Renxue had turned around and killed the male lead, Tang San, then remained unmarried for the rest of her life.
After all that hard work cultivating, she'd finally become a God King—only to take her own life at his grave?!
He hadn't even had time to enjoy his reward before he was forced to start over.
And in his second life, his target was still Bibi Dong, that crazy yandere. It was enough to make him sick.
Su Ling cursed inwardly and instinctively took half a step back.
But then he remembered Gu Yuena was still inside, and stopped.
Whatever. I might as well go in and take a look instead of waiting out here.
He gave the tiniest nod in response.
The movement was so slight it was almost invisible. He couldn't even be bothered to offer a single word.
That response, so cold it was almost dismissive, pierced Qian Renxue's heart like a shard of ice.
The pain was sharp and clear.
But she showed nothing. She merely turned slightly and gestured for him to go ahead, her posture impeccable.
They walked in silence.
Qian Renxue walked beside him, able to smell the faint scent of blood on him.
She looked straight ahead, but beneath her sleeves, her hands were clenched until her knuckles turned white.
Countless times, she wanted to support him, ask if he was in pain, tell him not to be afraid...
But in the end, she only straightened her back and said in the Crown Prince's steady voice, "Stay close."
Only she knew how much strength it had taken to say those words.
Su Ling didn't hesitate again and stepped forward.
The two ushers were already pale with fear, trembling like leaves in the wind. They didn't even dare raise their heads, let alone stop him.
If His Highness the Crown Prince had personally brought someone in, then even if he was a beggar, he was someone they couldn't afford to offend!
Tang San furrowed his brows, his gaze shifting back and forth between the gray-robed figure and the Crown Prince. Something about it all seemed inexplicably strange.
But they were both men. He couldn't possibly imagine that kind of relationship.
Still, the way Xue Qinghe treated him so gingerly, as though he were handling a priceless treasure that might shatter, was far too unusual.
Your circle is truly chaotic, he thought to himself.
"Brother Crown Prince... why didn't she come see me?"
Ning Rongrong said dejectedly.
After her rebirth, she'd worked hard to raise Qian Renxue's favorability.
She'd always felt sympathy for this woman, who had lost her loved ones just like Ning Rongrong in her Previous Life and ultimately lived out her days alone.
But now Qian Renxue was paying so much attention to that stranger. A trace of sourness stirred in Ning Rongrong's heart.
Xiao Wu keenly noticed Ning Rongrong's dejection and gently squeezed her palm, putting on a comforting expression. But in her heart, she cursed:
That slut! How did she even get the Crown Prince involved with her? How did she get so good at seducing men?!
Tang San's expression darkened. He felt as if the green on his head was practically glowing.
He quietly edged closer to Ning Rongrong, trying to assert his claim, but Xiao Wu shot him a glare sharp enough to send him back.
Before you continue