The moment Mu Qian heard the name Yu Xiaogang, he inexplicably felt a little repulsed.
The original story had left him with a poor impression of Yu Xiaogang. In Mu Qian's view, the man was calculating, yet cowardly and spineless, with no sense of responsibility.
If Yu Xiaogang left him alone, then fine. They could each mind their own business.
Otherwise, Mu Qian wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a crisp sound interrupted Mu Qian's thoughts. It sounded like someone slapping a table.
He looked toward the sound, and was surprised again.
He'd been so focused on listening to the conversations around him that he hadn't noticed the familiar face sitting in the dining hall.
She was a girl with stunning features, seemingly even younger than him. Her skin was smooth and pale as jade, her long black hair falling over her shoulders, and her hair was tied up into buns resembling cat ears.
The girl's black eyes were especially bright, deep as a silent starry sky. She rose slowly and headed for the restaurant exit, her face expressionless.
Yet her gloomy gaze, filled with despair and indifference, betrayed the turmoil within her.
As she stood, her striking figure came into view. Her limbs were slender and well-proportioned, and her delicate, fair legs moved lightly, stirring the hearts of countless boys.
Yet no one dared approach her. The others didn't even dare look directly at her, as though she were some kind of terrifying beast and even a glance at her would bring them endless trouble.
The moment Mu Qian saw her eyes, his heart gave a sharp lurch.
It was an indescribable chill, utterly devoid of life, filled with nothing but despair.
"Zhu Zhuqing..." Mu Qian murmured.
She wore the distinctive uniform of a junior academy, not the black leather outfit he remembered, so Mu Qian hadn't recognized her at first.
Even though this was their first meeting, the girl who refused to accept her fate in his memories still stirred something in him.
"Interesting." Mu Qian folded his arms and watched her leave, but didn't rush after her.
If he could, he wouldn't mind helping her.
Of course, Mu Qian had his own reasons, too.
He really didn't want to see a beautiful rose ruined by Dai Mubai.
Mu Qian wasn't exactly pure-hearted himself, but at least he understood one thing: responsibility.
Once a woman became his, he would never abandon her, no matter what—unless he never touched her in the first place.
And Dai Mubai?
How many girls had he toyed with before? And what had become of them in the end?
Maybe it was all just playing around; maybe he'd simply let himself go. Whatever his reasons, they had nothing to do with Mu Qian.
Everyone had the right to choose how they lived. Mu Qian simply couldn't stand people like that.
On the streets of Star Luo City, Zhu Zhuqing wandered in a daze, like an empty shell without a soul.
She didn't know where she was going. The streets glittered with lights, yet she could still feel endless darkness all around her, just like the future she couldn't see.
There had once been someone with the same fate as hers, not far away. They had struggled and fought together in the muddy whirlpool, and at least she had been able to feel a little warmth.
At least there had still been a glimmer of light in her heart...
But now, her fiancé—the cowardly man—had fled the center of that whirlpool.
Zhu Zhuqing had endured hardship from a young age, and her mind had matured far beyond her years. She understood better than anyone what this meant.
He had given up his right to inherit, abandoned his responsibilities, and abandoned her, Zhu Zhuqing, too.
He had given up on that cruel struggle for power. No matter how hard she fought or how unwilling she was to accept it, she could hardly stand against the malice of an entire empire.
She couldn't forget the cold finality in his words before he left. In that casual, indifferent tone, Zhu Zhuqing had felt for the first time how little she meant to him.
It was as though her life meant nothing to him.
Zhu Zhuqing gave a self-mocking smile, a strange, bitter mockery in her eyes.
"So this ending was inevitable after all..."
She didn't have much affection for her fiancé, but she had placed great hopes in him.
Now, those hazy expectations had been shattered by his escape.
Driven by her refusal to accept her fate, Zhu Zhuqing had already reached level twenty.
Among her peers, her cultivation was already exceptional. She hadn't yet graduated from the junior Soul Master Academy, but she'd already met the requirements to graduate from an intermediate Soul Master Academy.
But what did that matter? For the first time, she found herself thinking of giving up the struggle.
Only today had she finally understood why her family had kept delaying helping her obtain her Second Soul Ring...
"Woof, woof~"
Zhu Zhuqing was lost in sorrow, unable to stop doubting her future and wondering where her life was headed.
Suddenly, a cute little dog with reddish-brown fur blocked her path.
"Little dog, are you laughing at me, too?"
Zhu Zhuqing crouched down and gently stroked the dog's soft fur, her mature, alluring figure on full display despite her young age.
The dog sat affectionately at her feet, rubbing its fluffy head against her again and again. Somehow, it was quite adorable.
Watching how docile the little dog was, she felt, for some reason, a sense of peace and security she had never known before.
Ever since her Martial Soul Awakening four years ago, she hadn't felt even a trace of warmth from her family.
That little bit of tenderness was enough to melt her frozen heart.
"Little dog, will you stay with me from now on? Please?" Even Zhu Zhuqing didn't realize that there was a hint of pleading in her voice.
The dog froze for a moment, then quickly shook its little head again. Its paws rubbed at the marble floor, as though trying to express something.
"You mean you can't because you already have an owner?" Zhu Zhuqing asked in surprise, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
"Woof! Woof, woof!" The dog nodded repeatedly.
She almost thought she was going crazy. She could actually understand what a dog was trying to tell her.
"All right, then. What a shame." Zhu Zhuqing sighed softly.
"Your owner must be very happy to have a pet like you, right?"
The girl stood by the corner wall, speaking softly to herself. It seemed only the shadows there could give her a sense of safety.
"Who's there?!"
Suddenly, Zhu Zhuqing sensed something. She crouched slightly, like a threatened cat, and warily scanned her surroundings.
Without realizing it, she had wandered into a secluded corner.
The surroundings were unfamiliar. Even though she had lived in Star Luo City since childhood, she had never been here before.
"Damn it!"
Zhu Zhuqing cursed under her breath, annoyed with herself.
What she'd heard today had shaken her more than anything ever had, and for a moment, she'd let her guard down.
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