"Zhu Zhuqing."
He spoke her name one syllable at a time, his voice icy and full of accusation.
"You and I have been bound by the Marriage Pact since childhood, an agreement between our families. Yet here you are, out on your own, keeping intimate company with another man. Don't you think you're showing far too little regard for me—and for the Marriage Pact between the Dai and Zhu Families?"
Faced with Dai Mubai's harsh accusations, Zhu Zhuqing showed not the slightest panic. Instead, she gave a soft scoff, her cold smile brimming with mockery and bitter disappointment.
"I'm showing no regard for you? What about you, Dai Mubai?"
Zhu Zhuqing raised her eyes to meet his. Years of pent-up hurt and anger surged in her cool gaze; every word rang like steel, every sentence struck at his heart.
"You knew perfectly well that we were bound by the Marriage Pact. You knew I was destined to sacrifice everything for you, for the Dai Family. Yet you chose to flee the Star Luo Empire and become a cowardly deserter! Do you have any idea what my life in the Zhu Family was like after you ran away?"
Dai Mubai's expression changed, and he opened his mouth to explain. "I..."
But he had barely uttered that one word before Zhu Zhuqing sharply cut him off, leaving him no room to defend himself.
"You what? When have you ever spared even a moment's thought for me?"
"For the sake of this hollow, illusory Marriage Pact, I traveled all those miles to Suotuo City alone, just to get an answer from you! And what did I see with my own eyes as soon as I arrived?"
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze swept over the woman he had just been holding, and the chill in her