Seeing Li Hongjiu actually reasoning with the Ninth Lord here with such righteous conviction, Shi Chun suddenly sensed trouble. That smiling tiger really was no good.
Only now did he realize that the man's nonsense about his relationship with Wu Shanshan had never been about verifying the truth. His main purpose was to probe the Ninth Lord's attitude. If the Ninth Lord actually investigated Wu Shanshan's relationship with him over this, he would already have lost, in a sense.
Clearly, Shi Chun was not the only one puzzled by the terrifying beings here refusing to act. The other man had clearly noticed it too.
Li Hongjiu was still discussing and bargaining only because he was uncertain and dared not act rashly. He was probing further.
For some reason, Shi Chun suddenly felt he understood Li Hongjiu very well-as though they had crawled out of the same den.
Logically, if he really wanted to pursue the matter, Shi Chun could simply have the Ninth Lord take Wu Shanshan aside and question her privately. He refused to believe she could have arranged this supposed engagement with Li Hongjiu beforehand.
He should also have been eager to see the Ninth Lord uncover the truth and deal with Li Hongjiu.
Yet in that brief instant, his keen awareness that something was wrong made him afraid to do so, afraid to expose the lie. For a moment, he could not even explain what he feared. It was purely an instinctive response.
His gaze swiftly left Li Hongjiu's face and fixed on the Ninth Lord, this supposedly terrifying being, with shock and suspicion. He did not know how he would answer Li Hongjiu.
He knew perfectly well that as long as the answer left room for negotiation, that smiling tiger Li Hongjiu would probably not leave