The two suddenly fell silent. Qian Renyue knew it was because Guang Ling had brought up Bibi Dong.
Bibi Dong... from the standpoint of human decency and her experience as a woman, she had indeed suffered terribly. But as a mother, she was utterly unfit.
Still, it was not Qian Renyue's place to interfere. Whatever lay between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong was for them to resolve themselves. She had no desire to save a woman whose head was filled with nothing but destroying the continent.
What a pain.
"Big Sister Xue'er, Grandpa Guang Ling, what's wrong?"
By all rights, Qian Renyue was not supposed to know about the history between Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong, so she was the perfect person to break the awkward silence.
Qian Renyue wore an adorably clueless expression. Guang Ling looked back at her, and his eyes suddenly narrowed into slits. Oh, the little darling I picked up really is adorable. No wonder little Xue'er likes her too. Who could possibly resist her?
"Nothing."
Xue Qinghe glanced at Qian Renyue, his voice cool and distant. Then he resumed the smile he wore as Crown Prince Qinghe. That smiling expression seemed welded to his face like a mask; he appeared to wear it no matter whom he faced.
Qian Renyue stared at him without blinking. For some reason, at that moment, she suddenly felt that Qian Renxue's life over all these years really had been rather miserable.
He had lived under someone else's identity for so many years, facing everyone behind a smiling mask. He was Xue Qinghe, but also Qian Renxue, yet throughout all those years, he seemed never to have shown himself to anyone as Qian Renxue. Did he not resent it?
A jumble of complicated emotions filled Qian Renyue's eyes. Xue Qinghe