Ruthless turned to face Meng Chuan. Their eyes met, each reflecting the other's image.
Even as she held his gaze, her face remained expressionless. Given her nature, she was hardly going to look shy.
Meng Chuan, on the other hand, felt a little awkward. He wondered if he ought to kowtow to her first.
Then Ruthless spoke, her voice betraying neither pleasure nor anger.
"You're still the same. You haven't changed."
Meng Chuan pondered this. "In what way haven't I changed?"
He thought he had changed quite a bit over the years. At the very least, he had grown stronger and more handsome.
"Your thick skin." Her voice was cool and clear as she turned away.
Meng Chuan froze. Hearing those words from Ruthless felt strangely out of place.
Wait. Is she saying I'm thick-skinned?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
She only said my skin hasn't changed. She never said it was thick.
And everyone knows I've always been thin-skinned.
So this must be a compliment from Ruthless. Definitely.
"Thank you for the compliment." Meng Chuan graciously accepted her praise.
*?*
Ruthless could not help glancing at him again.
"Actually, Great Emperor, have you noticed you've changed?" Meng Chuan asked. "You're different from when we first met."
Ruthless sat ramrod straight, her gaze falling on the teacup before her. Her face was reflected in the tea.
"No."
"That's because those caught in the game can't see it as clearly as those watching from the sidelines." Meng Chuan smiled. "Do you remember when we first met?"
"I don't."
"..."
Ruthless had rendered Meng Chuan speechless.
Is she getting back at me for saying she was the one who'd been wrong?
Surely not.
With a wave of his hand, Meng Chuan replayed history.
The scenes appeared clearly before them: his first visit to the