Gu Shenwei took a step forward. Xu Yanwei thrust out her chest and met his gaze, drew a deep breath, then retreated two steps. "Kill me or punish me as you please, but stop looking at me like that..."
Gu Shenwei's gaze held nothing unusual. As cold and heartless as ever, it scrutinized others while refusing to be scrutinized in return. He said, "You especially like standing up for the wronged."
Xu Yanwei froze. "How could I..." Then she remembered that the Dragon King was right. Shangguan Ru, Luo Ningcha, Queen Ju—she had argued passionately on behalf of every one of them. What these people had in common was not merely their close relationship with the Dragon King; they had all once been her masters in name as well. "Are you saying I'm softhearted, have poor judgment, no opinions of my own, and love meddling in other people's affairs?"
Gu Shenwei could not find a more suitable description, so he nodded.
"Never mind what kind of person I am. Was anything I just said wrong? You watched the Queen do something wrong and did nothing—not even offer a reminder. That was wrong." Xu Yanwei glared at him, summoning the last shred of her courage.
To her surprise, it was not the Dragon King who spoke in rebuttal, but someone else.
Fang Wenshi looked utterly bereft, but his mind was not muddled. Countless thoughts had been circling in his head, and now they suddenly burst from his lips. "You expect too much from the Dragon King."
"What?" Xu Yanwei's already wide eyes widened another fraction. She turned and glared viciously at Fang Wenshi, treating his interruption as an unforgivable "betrayal." "Is showing a little concern for his own wife really asking too much?"
Fang Wenshi lowered his head, looking at no