[Choice mission triggered:] [Choice One: Take the initiative and offer her a helping hand. Invite her in, welcome her with warmth and strength, and train her. Let her master the power to save herself and tear her fate apart.] [Reward: Puni's fifth Soul Ring (growth-type) ×1, Otherworld Summoning Card—Yan Lingji (Legend of Qin world), System Points ×60,000.] [Choice Two: Wait and see. Don't interfere; wait for her to gather the courage to make her own choice. Sometimes, the meeting of fates needs a little patience.] [Reward: Puni's fifth Soul Ring (growth-type) ×1, Otherworld Summoning Card—Kai (Honor of Kings world; includes the limited voice pack "Domineering CEO Kai: You're not allowed to leave without my permission!"), System Points ×60,000.]
Yan Lingji? Zhao Linchuan's heart stirred. That Baiyue woman with the tragic past and deadly allure?
He hardly hesitated before silently telling the system, I choose one.
[...Rewards will be issued later.]
With his choice made, Zhao Linchuan withdrew his attention from the system and let his gaze sweep naturally across the shop. He happened to meet Zhu Zhuqing's eyes as she looked over.
He cleared his throat, nodded slightly in her direction, and spoke in a gentle voice:
"Miss in black, if you don't mind, come sit with us."
Zhu Zhuqing was visibly taken aback. Surprise and hesitation flashed through her cool eyes. She glanced around, confirmed there were no other women in black in the shop, then asked in a quiet, uncertain voice:
"Are... you talking to me?"
"Of course." Zhao Linchuan pointed to the empty seat beside him. "You've followed us from outside the city all the way here. I imagine there's something you want to say."
"Rather than follow us from a distance, why not come over and talk face-to-face?"
Zhu Zhuqing pressed her lips together and hesitated for a moment. Then she stood, walked over to Zhao Linchuan's table with slightly stiff steps, and sat in the empty seat beside Ning Rongrong.
She sat bolt upright, hands resting on her knees and head lowered slightly. Her long black hair fell over her shoulder, hiding half her face and making her look both ill at ease and aloof.
"Miss," Zhao Linchuan said leisurely, as if making casual conversation, "you've followed us for a whole day. You must be in some kind of trouble."
"If there's something you want to say, feel free to speak plainly."
"If you're facing difficulties, tell us. Perhaps we can think of a way to help."
At his words, Zhu Zhuqing's delicate body trembled almost imperceptibly.
She stayed silent for a long time, so long that the tea on the table was nearly cold. Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu couldn't help sneaking glances at her.
At last, she raised her head and said hesitantly, "My family is hunting me. I fled all the way here to escape them... At first, I wanted to..."
Her family is hunting her? Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up, her curiosity flaring.
There's a story here! There's definitely a story!
She immediately put on an innocent, friendly smile and leaned closer, her voice soft and sweet. "You seem to be... going through something really painful, miss. Would you tell us about it?"
"Maybe we really can help you."
Xiao Wu felt for her, too, and spoke up. "That's right. If you're in trouble, tell us."
"Our young mistress... she's really powerful. Maybe she can help you."
Those words seemed to shatter the last barrier in Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
A reckless urge to throw caution to the wind surged through her.
Dai Mubai... her fiancé in name only. She had seen exactly what happened to him at the Rose Hotel yesterday.
He... had very likely been rendered "useless."
No matter how high his Soul Power might reach in the future, a prince who couldn't produce an heir had already lost all right to contend for the throne under the Star Luo Empire's brutal succession rules.
Dai Mubai's elimination meant that she, Zhu Zhuqing, had lost her last "shield" and her last "value."
Under the rules of the Star Luo Empire, where the Zhu Clan and Dai Clan had intermarried for generations and competed together, she faced almost certain death—or a fate more miserable than death.
Rather than sit and wait to die, she might as well... take a gamble!
The mysterious young man before her had unfathomable strength. Perhaps... he was the only chance at survival she could seize!
"My name is Zhu Zhuqing, and my Martial Soul is the Hell Spirit Cat." She took a deep breath, her voice a little hoarse. "The whole story... is like this..."
She briefly but clearly explained the brutal rules of the Star Luo Empire: the Dai Clan and the Zhu Clan intermarried for generations and raised their heirs together, and the losers were left dead or crippled.
She also told them about her engagement to Dai Mubai, how he had left without a word several years ago, how she had pursued him alone, and how she had witnessed what happened yesterday.
Ning Rongrong was dumbfounded.
She had heard a little about the struggle for the throne in the Star Luo Empire, but such a bloody rule, one that directly dragged the spouses into the fray, still sent a chill through her.
Her opinion of Dai Mubai plummeted even further. In her heart, she even quietly gave Zhao Linchuan a thumbs-up for how "precisely" he had dealt with him yesterday.
Xiao Wu was indignant, her eyes full of contempt for Dai Mubai and sympathy for Zhu Zhuqing.
She quietly tugged at Zhao Linchuan's sleeve and whispered, "Young master... she's so pitiful. Shouldn't we... help her?"
At that, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing both turned their eyes to Zhao Linchuan.
He still wore a faint smile. Meeting Zhu Zhuqing's gaze, a mix of despair, hope, and stubbornness, he said slowly, "I can help you."
A brilliant light burst into Zhu Zhuqing's eyes. But before she could thank him, Zhao Linchuan changed tack. "But what price can you pay for it?"
The light in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes quickly dimmed, giving way to bitterness.
Of course. There was no such thing as a free lunch.
Apart from her young body and decent talent, she had nothing.
And he clearly had no need for either.
She sat there in silence for a long while, then said quietly, "I'm sorry... I... have nothing. I was presumptuous to bother you."
With that, she stood and started to leave.
"Wait," Zhao Linchuan called out again.
Zhu Zhuqing stopped but didn't turn around.
"Then offer me your loyalty." Zhao Linchuan lifted his now-lukewarm teacup and took a sip.
"Loyalty?" Zhu Zhuqing turned around abruptly, her eyes full of shock and disbelief. "That's all?"
"That's all." Zhao Linchuan set down his cup and looked at her calmly. "Follow me, obey me, and entrust your future to me."
"I'll give you the chance to grow stronger and the power to break free of fate's chains."
"As for how far you go, that will depend on your own fortune."
An immense joy swept over Zhu Zhuqing like a rising tide, leaving her almost dizzy.
She didn't have to sell her body or sacrifice her dignity. All she had to give was... her loyalty?
For someone her family and fate had long treated as a pawn and bargaining chip, it was almost a gift from heaven!
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