Wang Xuan Was Just One Part of Our Play

"Muye, why wouldn't you look at me just now?"

Her words carried a hint of annoyance and coy reproach.

Her eyes and brows brimmed with a charm beyond words.

Before she had even finished speaking, the room was already thick with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Qin Muye looked at Wang Xuan indifferently. "I told you not to come in. Can't you understand plain speech?"

"Are you still angry with me?"

Wang Xuan sighed softly and sat right down on the bed. "Don't sulk, all right?"

Qin Muye shifted farther in and snorted. "Sulking? You humiliated me and ruined my reputation behind my back, and now you're saying I'm sulking!"

Wang Xuan lowered her eyes. "But I already explained. At the time, I just couldn't accept it. I regretted it as soon as I left, and since my cousin had plenty of connections, I wanted to ask him to find a renowned doctor to treat you. I never thought he'd go around telling everyone."

As she spoke, her voice grew choked with emotion. "I really didn't do it on purpose. Don't you believe me, not even a little?"

"I..."

Qin Muye was at a loss for words. He turned away and said stiffly, "Right and wrong don't matter to me anymore. You don't need to explain. Let's just pretend nothing ever happened between us!"

"Do you really mean that?"

"What else?"

"Then how do you explain this?"

Wang Xuan clutched the cord and pulled out the jade pendant. "You kept looking at it just now. Can you really pretend nothing happened?"

"I..."

Qin Muye furrowed his brow. "I was looking because yours was the shabbiest gift of all. I was just taking a closer look. Is that not allowed?"

Wang Xuan: "..."

This good-for-nothing really did want revenge.

The Emperor cared a great deal about the Qin Family's feelings this time. Otherwise, he would never have let Qin Muye carry on like this. If she couldn't placate him, the consequences would be dire.

Fine. She'd toy with him a little longer.

He was impotent anyway, so she didn't have to worry about anything getting out of hand.

Once this affair had died down, she'd make him pay for today's humiliation.

She took a deep breath. "That's because the gift I truly prepared for you wasn't appropriate to bring out in front of other people!"

"What gift?"

"Me!"

"..."

Qin Muye felt a slender hand take his and place it somewhere indescribable.

That sensation...

"Let go of me!"

"I can let go of you, but can you bear to let go of it?"

Wang Xuan's face flushed crimson as she shot him a resentful glance.

But just then—

She heard a creak as the door opened. A breeze swept in, followed by a sharp pain in her scalp.

A tremendous force yanked her straight to the floor.

"Thud!"

She hit the ground headfirst, stars exploding before her eyes.

Before she could even react, a slap cracked across her face.

"You wretch! You still want to bully my Qin-lang?"

"You're the one who ruined my Qin-lang's reputation, aren't you?"

"My Qin-lang is kind. That's why people like you think they can bully him, isn't it?"

"I don't know what else to say, so I'll just keep hitting you!"

She punctuated every sentence with a slap. When she ran out of things to say, she simply kept on hitting.

At first, Bai Yuji had meant to put on a show for Qin Muye. By the end, she was venting her genuine anger.

After all, Wang Xuan's coy, simpering act had made even her feel sick.

Under the pressure of Bai Yuji's cultivation, Wang Xuan couldn't even struggle.

Qin Muye was stunned too. "Wait! Yuji, don't, don't..."

The more he tried to stop her,

the more excited Bai Yuji became. She didn't know whether she was just naturally violent, had gotten too caught up in the act, or truly wanted to avenge Qin Muye. Either way, she got more and more carried away.

Unable to defend herself, Wang Xuan could only scream.

"Ah!"

"I was wrong!"

"Stop hitting me!"

"It hurts!"

Her pitiful cries echoed through the Southern Pacification Mansion.

If they'd been out in the wilderness, they probably would have attracted every wolf for miles.

But they weren't in the wilderness. They'd only attracted the guests attending the birthday banquet.

Wang Li was the first to rush over. The instant he saw what was happening inside, he nearly lost his wits. "Let go of my sister! You shrew, let go of her!"

"Bang!"

A kick sent Wang Li flying out of the bedroom and crashing into a group of rich young masters.

Those who hadn't been knocked down exchanged glances. They might have been a bunch of spoiled brats, but they came from distinguished families, and their cultivation was no joke. Yet under that kick, they'd been as helpless as toys. Just where had Qin Muye's new lover come from?

Shen Jin wiped the sweat from his brow and hurried across the threshold, but didn't enter. He stood at the doorway and called out, "Miss! Can we talk this out? Could you stop hitting her for a moment?"

Only then did Bai Yuji stop slapping Wang Xuan. She looked down at her with contempt. "As if I wanted to fight you! Get this wretch out of here, and tell her not to seduce other people's sweethearts again. It's disgraceful!"

Everyone: "..."

Wang Xuan was already dazed from the beating. She pushed herself up, hair in disarray, and saw everyone staring at her miserable state. She nearly broke down.

Her reputation might not have been the best, but she'd lived with dignity for over twenty years. When had she ever been this humiliated?

Her lips moved, but she couldn't come up with a single thing to save face.

She lowered her head and looked away.

Then she noticed her clothes had been torn, her undergarments showing through in places. She burst into desperate sobs.

Wang Li clutched his stomach as he charged back in. He helped Wang Xuan up and retreated, glaring viciously at Bai Yuji. "You shrew, just you wait! The Langya Wang Clan will remember this humiliation. One day, we'll repay you twice over!"

"What, wolf teeth, dog teeth? If you've got the guts, come after me!"

Bai Yuji sneered, then swept her gaze across the others. "And you! I'll let bygones be bygones, but if I ever catch you bullying Qin-lang again, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

"..."

At her glare, everyone shuddered in unison. They mumbled a few excuses, then scattered in every direction.

Qin Yanying finally arrived, pushing against the flow of people. "What's going on? What happened? Hey, don't leave!"

She walked into the room,

looking Bai Yuji and Qin Muye up and down.

Bai Yuji looked a little embarrassed. "Aunt, I can explain. This is..."

Qin Yanying suddenly laughed and waved her hand. "What's there to explain? You were just getting revenge for Muye. Well done, nephew's wife! You're a true member of our Qin Family!"

Bai Yuji blinked. "You knew?"

Qin Yanying chuckled. "You think your aunt's a fool? I used to get into fights every day. The moment I heard the commotion, I figured it out. Why else would I have left you alone for so long? Go comfort your man. I still have to entertain the Crown Prince and the Imperial Princess!"

With that, she gave Bai Yuji a smug wink, then shut the door and left.

"Thud!"

Only the two of them remained in the room.

Bai Yuji rolled her eyes at Qin Muye. "Did it hurt to see me hit that wretch?"

"What are you talking about? I couldn't be happier!"

"Then why did you tell me to stop?"

"I just thought you looked terribly uncivilized!"

"Uncivilized?"

Bai Yuji sat on the edge of the bed. Looking at him sulking, she said crossly, "The more civilized you are, the more people will bully you. You have to beat them until they're hurting before they'll know fear. And you—you're all claws and fangs in front of me, but if you showed them even half as much backbone, would they dare bully you?"

"Heh... Wasn't forcing my Qin Family's bloodline out of me with a Gu also bullying me?"

"I'm not like them!"

"How so?"

"They all get to bully you together. I'm the only one allowed to bully you."

"..."

"Don't worry. As long as I'm still in the capital, they'll go around you whenever they see you."

"Bai Yuji!"

"What?"

"Could you hug me?"

"..."

"Just consider it a birthday gift!"

"..."

Bai Yuji really wanted to slap him, but seeing how helpless he looked, she couldn't quite bring herself to do it.

After a long hesitation, she opened her arms. "All right, but just this once!"

They embraced gently.

Bai Yuji sighed. No one could stay calm when facing the shadow that had haunted them for years. She herself had killed plenty of experts, yet whenever she dreamed of the massacre at the Nanzhao imperial palace, she could only tremble in fear.

Maybe Wang Xuan really was a shadow he could never escape for the rest of his life!

In her arms,

Qin Muye couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from rising.

Wang Xuan?

She was just one part of our play!

Your figure's far better than hers.